buzzfeednews--2020-05-15--Joe Biden’s Campaign Is “Bullish” On Beating Trump In Arizona

Joe Biden ’ s advisers see three categories of competitive states in the general election , with Arizona at the “ top of the list ” of places where they believe they can expand the map against President Donald Trump , Biden campaign manager Jen O ’ Malley Dillon told reporters Friday .
Arizona , Georgia , and Texas are among those the Biden team is targeting as “ expansion states ” — those that have been reliably Republican in recent cycles but because of changing trends could be more favorable to Democrats this year .
“ This is something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on , ” O ’ Malley Dillon said during a virtual presentation via Zoom .
“ We believe that there will be battleground states that have never been battleground states before.
” “ I ’ m bullish on Arizona , ” she later added .
Early public polling over the last two months shows tight races between Trump and Biden in Arizona , Texas , and Georgia .
Arizona currently appears the most promising of the three , with several polls in March and April showing Biden with a slight lead .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a significant margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016 .
The Arizona result was closest , where he won 48.1 % of the vote to Clinton ’ s 44.6 % .
Arizona split in 2018 ’ s statewide races , with Democrat Kyrsten Sinema taking a Senate seat and incumbent Republican Gov .
Doug Ducey winning reelection .
Winning Texas has been a Democratic dream for years , as the state ’ s population shifts with a growing number of Latino voters .
Texas has 38 electoral votes , second only to California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first presidential election since 1976 would radically change Democrats ’ path to power .
Trump won Texas by 9 % in 2016 ; in the last statewide election there in 2018 , Republican Sen. Ted Cruz beat Beto O ’ Rourke 50.9 % to 48.3 % .
Biden ’ s campaign is also focused on Democratic states it needs to protect and swing states it would like to win back after Trump ’ s successes in 2016 .
Colorado , Minnesota , Nevada , New Hampshire , and Virginia are in that first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have a lock on 232 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win , according to his campaign ’ s forecasts .
In the second group are Florida , Iowa , Michigan , North Carolina , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin .
“ We don ’ t have to win all of these states , ” O ’ Malley Dillon said , “ but obviously these are core states to our path to victory and represent the bulk of our focus and attention as we think about battleground states.
” Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief strategist Mike Donilon and deputy campaign manager for communications Kate Bedingfield , did not cover detailed strategies for their targeted states .
Their optimism is fueled largely by polling .
“ We are pulling ahead in Florida , in Pennsylvania , in Michigan , in Wisconsin , and in Arizona , and if we kept these numbers and we kept them through November , that ’ d put us at 318 electoral votes , ” O ’ Malley Dillon said .
The coronavirus pandemic has largely frozen Biden ’ s campaign and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and on-the-road rallying that usually begins once a candidate becomes a party ’ s presumptive nominee .
( Biden has been that since early April , when Bernie Sanders ended his campaign . )
Biden has been hosting events online , broadcast over the internet from his home in Wilmington , Delaware .
His staff has been working remotely , away from their Philadelphia headquarters .
O ’ Malley Dillon said Friday that the campaign plans to have more than 600 battleground state organizers on board next month .
“ Our expectation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground in this campaign doing the traditional work of organizing , but we will do that when safety allows , ” she said .
“ And not a day sooner .
”

Joe Biden’s advisers see three categories of competitive states in the general election, with Arizona at the “top of the list” of places where they believe they can expand the map against President Donald Trump, Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon told reporters Friday.
Arizona, Georgia, and Texas are among those the Biden team is targeting as “expansion states” — those that have been reliably Republican in recent cycles but because of changing trends could be more favorable to Democrats this year.
“This is something that we are very, very focused on,” O’Malley Dillon said during a virtual presentation via Zoom. “We believe that there will be battleground states that have never been battleground states before.”
“I’m bullish on Arizona,” she later added.
Early public polling over the last two months shows tight races between Trump and Biden in Arizona, Texas, and Georgia. Arizona currently appears the most promising of the three, with several polls in March and April showing Biden with a slight lead.
Trump won each of those three states by a significant margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016. The Arizona result was closest, where he won 48.1% of the vote to Clinton’s 44.6%. Arizona split in 2018’s statewide races, with Democrat Kyrsten Sinema taking a Senate seat and incumbent Republican Gov. Doug Ducey winning reelection.
Winning Texas has been a Democratic dream for years, as the state’s population shifts with a growing number of Latino voters. Texas has 38 electoral votes, second only to California, and pulling it from Republicans for the first presidential election since 1976 would radically change Democrats’ path to power. Trump won Texas by 9% in 2016; in the last statewide election there in 2018, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz beat Beto O’Rourke 50.9% to 48.3%.
Biden’s campaign is also focused on Democratic states it needs to protect and swing states it would like to win back after Trump’s successes in 2016. Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Virginia are in that first group. With those states, Biden would have a lock on 232 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win, according to his campaign’s forecasts.
In the second group are Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“We don’t have to win all of these states,” O’Malley Dillon said, “but obviously these are core states to our path to victory and represent the bulk of our focus and attention as we think about battleground states.”
Friday’s call, which also included chief strategist Mike Donilon and deputy campaign manager for communications Kate Bedingfield, did not cover detailed strategies for their targeted states. Their optimism is fueled largely by polling.
“We are pulling ahead in Florida, in Pennsylvania, in Michigan, in Wisconsin, and in Arizona, and if we kept these numbers and we kept them through November, that’d put us at 318 electoral votes,” O’Malley Dillon said.
The coronavirus pandemic has largely frozen Biden’s campaign and prevented the type of organizing, hiring, and on-the-road rallying that usually begins once a candidate becomes a party’s presumptive nominee. (Biden has been that since early April, when Bernie Sanders ended his campaign.) Biden has been hosting events online, broadcast over the internet from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. His staff has been working remotely, away from their Philadelphia headquarters.
O’Malley Dillon said Friday that the campaign plans to have more than 600 battleground state organizers on board next month.
“Our expectation is we will have people on the ground in this campaign doing the traditional work of organizing, but we will do that when safety allows,” she said. “And not a day sooner.”


buzzfeednews--2020-05-01--This Georgia Hairstylist Shared What It's Like To Go Back To Work During The Coronavirus Pandemic

`` Am I doing this right ?
Am I keeping everyone safe ?
Did I touch that ?
And then you 're looking at everything going , 'Oh my god , is that clean ? '
'' Sharon Tranter was prepared to be out of work for at least another month , but when Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp announced last week that hairstylists and barbers could get back to work starting April 27 , she had no choice but to reopen her salon .
`` Within three minutes I had four text messages , and within 10 minutes I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News .
`` There was this huge pressure on me , ' I can ’ t wait — I ca n't wait to see you next week , ' '' she said her clients texted her .
`` The ball started rolling immediately as soon as the governor stopped speaking , '' she said .
As officials in multiple states put out timelines for when hairstylists , barbers , and other personal service workers can go back to work , Tranter , who runs her own salon in the Atlanta area , shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the things she 's learned about what hairdressers can do to keep themselves and their clients safe during the coronavirus pandemic .
`` It is much harder than you think , '' she wrote .
`` Clients have been wonderful but still nervous .
This is not like working before .
This is a reset button for your business . ''
From wearing a visor and a mask to limiting talking — especially when the hairdryer is on because it gets super hot under all the protective gear — to making time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and take the gear off , cutting and coloring hair looks and feels a lot different during the pandemic .
`` What you do n't predict is it ’ s hot .
It ’ s like running in the sand .
You ca n't breathe under that stuff when you put the hair dryer on it , '' Tranter , 48 , said in a phone interview .
On top of that , she 's dealing with not only her clients ' stressors from being stuck at home for the last five weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether she 's doing enough to keep herself and her clients safe .
`` Am I doing this right ?
Am I keeping everyone safe ?
Did I touch that ?
And then you 're looking at everything going , 'Oh my god , is that clean ? '
'' Tranter said .
Despite criticism by some public health experts and elected officials , including President Donald Trump , who said it was too soon for the state to begin restarting its economy , Kemp allowed hair salons , barbershops , tattoo parlors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Georgia continued to see hundreds of new cases each day .
As of Friday , the state confirmed more than 27,000 cases of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus , and 1,147 deaths , according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health .
Governors in a few other states , like Oklahoma and Alaska , have also allowed hair salons to reopen as they begin to ease restrictions , however , others , like California Gov .
Gavin Newsom , have said they do n't think it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other personal services for several more months due to the close proximity between clients and workers .
Even though she has so far figured out a new way to operate her business , Tranter said she does still think it is too soon for hairdressers to be working given that they can not stay 6 feet away from their clients when cutting their hair .
`` I think Georgia is ridiculous to go back , '' she said .
`` I was so upset that the state got opened because then it put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place . ''
Tranter worried if she did n't go back now and waited a couple of months , she may not have a business to come back to because her clients could have found someone else who did reopen , and she may have had trouble paying the summer bills to keep the salon .
She and her husband also are still paying for two of their kids ' college educations and they ca n't live just on his salary .
Still , gearing up to go back to work was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I cried for two days before coming back , '' Tranter said .
`` I was like , This is too soon .
What am I going to bring home to my family ?
I 'm not ready — I 'm not emotionally ready for this .
I do n't know what I ’ m going into . ''
She said getting the salon ready was difficult because she had to reorganize the space to limit soft furnishes and ensure she had all her supplies and equipment in the right place to minimize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day before she opened , Tranter did a test run with her son , which she recommends other hairdressers do because it helped her figure out how to set up everything .
Georgia businesses that choose to open under need to follow strict safety protocols , including requiring employees to wear masks and wash hands in between each client .
Under guidelines from the state 's cosmetology board , hair salons and barbershops should screen all employees and clients for symptoms and keep people at least 6 feet apart , `` except when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addition to following those guidelines , Tranter has come up with some of her own protocols , like using a fresh set of tools for each client rather than just sanitizing them after each use and turning the air off at night so hair and other particles that are still circulating in the air fall to the ground .
`` There 's all these things I ’ m trying to see what else I can do to keep safe , '' she said .
Still , amid the anxiety and fear , Tranter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some joy in going back to work and hopes others can find some of that , too `` When they are coming in , you ’ re like , 'Hey , look at me !
I look like a riot police , ' and , 'Oh my god , it 's mental is n't it ? '
'' she said .
`` If you can remain upbeat and positive and try and create this really fun , silly just a happy environment , it goes a long way . ''
It was scary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once she shifted her mindset Tranter was laughing again .
`` We just giggled through our masks , '' she said .
`` At least we were giggling again . ''

Even though she has so far figured out a new way to operate her business, Tranter said she does still think it is too soon for hairdressers to be working given that they cannot stay 6 feet away from their clients when cutting their hair.
"I think Georgia is ridiculous to go back," she said. "I was so upset that the state got opened because then it put me in this rock and a hard place."
Tranter worried if she didn't go back now and waited a couple of months, she may not have a business to come back to because her clients could have found someone else who did reopen, and she may have had trouble paying the summer bills to keep the salon.
She and her husband also are still paying for two of their kids' college educations and they can't live just on his salary.
Still, gearing up to go back to work was an emotional journey of its own.
"I cried for two days before coming back," Tranter said. "I was like, This is too soon. What am I going to bring home to my family? I'm not ready — I'm not emotionally ready for this. I don't know what I’m going into."
She said getting the salon ready was difficult because she had to reorganize the space to limit soft furnishes and ensure she had all her supplies and equipment in the right place to minimize the chances of cross-contaminating products. The day before she opened, Tranter did a test run with her son, which she recommends other hairdressers do because it helped her figure out how to set up everything.
Georgia businesses that choose to open under need to follow strict safety protocols, including requiring employees to wear masks and wash hands in between each client. Under guidelines from the state's cosmetology board, hair salons and barbershops should screen all employees and clients for symptoms and keep people at least 6 feet apart, "except when staff are servicing clients."
In addition to following those guidelines, Tranter has come up with some of her own protocols, like using a fresh set of tools for each client rather than just sanitizing them after each use and turning the air off at night so hair and other particles that are still circulating in the air fall to the ground.
"There's all these things I’m trying to see what else I can do to keep safe," she said.
Still, amid the anxiety and fear, Tranter said she has been able to find some joy in going back to work and hopes others can find some of that, too
"When they are coming in, you’re like, 'Hey, look at me! I look like a riot police,' and, 'Oh my god, it's mental isn't it?'" she said. "If you can remain upbeat and positive and try and create this really fun, silly just a happy environment, it goes a long way."
It was scary at first to be back, but once she shifted her mindset Tranter was laughing again.
"We just giggled through our masks," she said. "At least we were giggling again."


buzzfeednews--2020-04-30--Tara Reade Knows She Has A Difficult Allegation. And She’s Had A Difficult Time Getting A Hearing.

Reade , who has alleged Joe Biden assaulted her in 1993 , believes the media is applying a double standard to her story and Democrats aren ’ t taking her seriously .
She has seen Joe Biden take questions on cable news and late-night television .
She has seen him host virtual town halls with voters and online fundraisers with donors .
And from her home in California , where she is keeping a daily watch on Twitter , Tara Reade has been waiting for someone — anyone — to ask the former vice president about her story .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No one asked him .
No one ’ s asking the question , ” Reade said in a phone interview earlier this month .
“ No one ’ s even posing the question.
” On that particular day , Biden sat for an interview with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on MSNBC ’ s Morning Joe , appeared on a CNN coronavirus town hall with Anderson Cooper , and took questions during a 45-minute fundraiser with dozens of donors .
More than a month after Reade first detailed a serious allegation of sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the subject in a Morning Joe interview scheduled for Friday morning .
For weeks , he didn ’ t receive a question about the claims , despite doing multiple interviews .
Reade , who has fielded dozens of requests from reporters this month , said she is acutely aware that her allegations pose complex terrain for the “ mainstream media ’ s ” coverage of a Democratic Party that has long viewed both Biden as a beloved figure and President Donald Trump as a man accused of sexism and more than a dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Democrats came to Biden ’ s defense this month as an advocate for women — marking a turn for a party that has embraced the notion of “ believing women ” as a baseline posture in the # MeToo era — Reade said she believes her story has been given short shrift compared to other accusations of sexual abuse against powerful figures .
She named as an example Christine Blasey Ford , the woman who said she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh , then Trump ’ s nominee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story refracted through the lens of Political Twitter , Reade said in a series of interviews this month , she ’ s felt “ marginalized , ” “ smeared , ” and “ discounted ” — betrayed by Democrats she said she once admired .
“ It was really devastating when [ Kirsten ] Gillibrand and Stacey Abrams and Hillary Clinton , all on the same day , just basically implied my story was n't true and they believe Joe Biden .
I can ’ t describe to you what that felt like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describing herself as a “ lifelong Democrat ” and in particular a fan of Abrams ' , the former Georgia House minority leader who has been campaigning to serve on the ticket with Biden as his vice presidential nominee .
“ I just— I ’ m stunned , ” Reade said .
“ They did n't just say , ‘ Oh , we 're standing with Joe Biden until we hear more.
’ They just discounted me .
They marginalized me .
They said they did n't believe me .
I ca n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trailing off .
“ I cried for a while because they 're important in my life .
They 've been figures that I looked up to.
” At points over the last month , Reade has been scrutinized as much as her allegations .
Some Democrats have pointed to her pro–Bernie Sanders tweets ( “ Bernie stay in !
” she tweeted in late March ) , her writings praising Vladimir Putin ( she told BuzzFeed News earlier this month that she had changed her views about Putin after reading writers like Julia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , and her decision to first seek a platform for her story on left-wing media outlets like Katie Halper ’ s podcast ( “ She 's very trauma-informed , ” she says of Halper ) as markers of her credibility .
Reade , a 56-year-old who says she put herself through law school as a single mother and still has hundreds of thousands of dollars in student and medical debt , says she is not ashamed to identify herself as “ a working-class poor person.
” She has followed the online discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways in which survivors are received in the public square .
“ I am not an ‘ imperfect victim , ’ ” Reade tweeted on Tuesday .
Reade has accused Biden of digitally penetrating her in a Senate hallway when she was a staff assistant in his Senate office in 1993 .
She has said she filed a Senate personnel report at the time , told others in the office about the incident , and was removed from her duty of overseeing the interns .
The Biden campaign has said the incident did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all of whom Reade said she complained to directly at the time , have said they don ’ t remember any such complaint or that it did not take place .
One of them , Biden ’ s former executive assistant from 1982 to 2000 , Marianne Baker , said in a statement provided by the campaign that she never once witnessed or heard of “ any reports of inappropriate conduct , period — not from Ms. Reade , not from anyone.
” Subsequent reporting has corroborated elements of Reade ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office remember Reade being reassigned away from managing them , according to the New York Times .
After Reade mentioned that her mother had called into Larry King Live , the Intercept published the transcript from a 1993 episode where a caller described her daughter ’ s negative experience with a “ prominent senator , ” though the caller does not detail the nature of the experience .
Across different outlets , people who knew Reade have said she told them that she had had a bad experience with her boss in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In an interview with Business Insider , a former neighbor , Lynda LaCasse , said Reade detailed her full allegation against Biden in the 1990s .
The New York Times and Washington Post each reported they spoke with an unnamed friend who had said Reade told her about the allegation in the 1990s as well .
Others have provided more limited accounts — one friend told the Washington Post , for instance , that she remembered Reade saying Biden touched her arm and behaved inappropriately , but did not have other details .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post he remembered her telling him that Biden was “ inappropriate , ” but followed up days later to clarify that he recalled Reade telling him that the then-senator had put his hands under her clothes .
Through it all , Biden himself has remained silent .
Publicly , aides have referred reporters back to a single statement , dated April 13 , saying that while the former vice president believes women should have the space to tell their stories , this incident didn ’ t occur .
Privately , they have distributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rely on a New York Times investigation and to ( inaccurately ) insist the article concluded the incident never happened .
Though the mainstream media has now started to aggressively cover the story , Reade has been disappointed with the length of time it took major news outlets to cover her allegation , as well as the tone of some of the coverage .
Last year — when other women had come forward to say Biden had touched them in a way that made them uncomfortable — Reade told her local paper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he touched her neck and shoulders .
In the same 2019 column , she said a supervisor told her that Biden wanted her to serve drinks at an event because he liked the way she looked .
When she refused , Reade told the newspaper , her responsibilities were reduced .
This spring , she turned to leftist outlets to tell her serious allegation of sexual assault by Biden , appearing on Halper ’ s podcast and Democracy Now .
“ I used to think that a Republican talking point was to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reade said .
“ So I used to think , Oh , that 's just a talking point for them .
I do n't believe it .
But now I 'm living it [ in ] real time , and I see it — like , I see it for what it is .
Because I am a Democrat , or I was .
But now I 'm not anything , really .
I ’ m politically homeless.
” Reade said she doesn ’ t intend to vote in the national election in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In one recent interview , she identified herself as a supporter of Elizabeth Warren during this year ’ s Democratic primary .
She later supported Bernie Sanders .
The TV network that has asked her on most frequently , she said , has been Fox News .
She said Thursday that she 's received four or more invitations from the station to come on air .
Only in the last day or two have other TV networks expressed interest ; early on Thursday , Reade said she had just received and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been contacted by MSNBC that morning , and CBS News had reached out to her the previous night .
( Asked about their bookings , CNN and ABC News said they do not comment on such practices . )
Later , after the announcement that Biden would address the allegations on Morning Joe , Reade said she had now received invitations to come on air from all of the major networks ; she said she was still deciding where to do her first on-air interview and would likely make a decision by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has declined the Fox News invitations , which she said had been from shows such as Hannity and Tucker Carlson .
“ I 'm not on Fox .
I 'm not cooperating with Republicans , because I 'm not interested in my story being politically hijacked , ” Reade said earlier this month .
“ I want a safe platform to tell my full history with Joe Biden.
” Reade was quoted in the New York Times on Thursday as saying that she plans to do her first on-air interview with Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News the same day , shortly after the Times piece posted , that she “ hasn ’ t made a decision about that.
” Though Reade said on Thursday that she ’ s “ honored to be invited on a national show ” and has expressed gratitude to Fox News for inviting her , she is “ having to cut through the political noise and people trying to call it partisan politics.
” She ’ d been “ pigeonholed ” as a “ Bernie Bro , ” she said , because she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and “ then there was this new narrative that it 's only the conservative press , which is pegged by some media as being Fox , you know , to lift my voice .
And so I 've been wanting to find a platform that 's more neutral.
” She is still , she said , handling press requests on her own — no lawyer , no publicist .
She said she doesn ’ t have a television , adding , “ I have to look up names to see who people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that world , it ’ s not my world .
So I 'm learning a lot .
And what I would say is that there has n't been a lot to field , it 's been mostly print that has called me and very little television , if any at all.
” Her daughter recently taught her the word “ doxing , ” she said earlier this month .
Reade said she has received threats and been the subject of online harassment .
She ’ s found support among some prominent women whose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MeToo wave .
Actor Rose McGowan , who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and reached a $ 100,000 settlement in 1997 that was a key part in the public case against him before he was ultimately convicted of rape and sexual assault , reached out to her shortly after she went public with her full allegation .
The two connected for a phone call for two or three hours , McGowan said .
They have kept in touch since .
“ She 's a very scared , damaged , traumatized woman , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gone just get stronger and stronger , and it 's really great to see , ” McGowan said in an interview on Wednesday .
“ She 's challenging , you know , one of the most powerful men on earth .
And when you mess with power , they mess back.
” McGowan said that Reade was being “ belittled and dragged and positioned as just this kind of kooky — which of course they did to me — this kooky woman out there , you know , because she does n't look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blonde they prefer.
” Reade has also been speaking to Sarah Ann Masse , another actor who also accused Weinstein of sexual abuse and was one of the lead plaintiffs in a class-action suit against him .
“ I do think the press is complicit in sort of not taking this as seriously as they 've taken other stories of sexual violence in the past , ” Masse said .
“ I do think it 's because Joe Biden is , you know — it might be because he 's a Democrat .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's running against Donald Trump .
And most people I know are horrified at the idea of four more years of the Trump presidency .
He 's an incredibly dangerous man .
He is a sexual predator himself .
So I think people have complex feelings about it .
But to me , like nothing should be so dangerous that we ca n't talk about it . ''

At points over the last month, Reade has been scrutinized as much as her allegations. Some Democrats have pointed to her pro–Bernie Sanders tweets (“Bernie stay in!” she tweeted in late March), her writings praising Vladimir Putin (she told BuzzFeed News earlier this month that she had changed her views about Putin after reading writers like Julia Ioffe and Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny), and her decision to first seek a platform for her story on left-wing media outlets like Katie Halper’s podcast (“She's very trauma-informed,” she says of Halper) as markers of her credibility. Reade, a 56-year-old who says she put herself through law school as a single mother and still has hundreds of thousands of dollars in student and medical debt, says she is not ashamed to identify herself as “a working-class poor person.”
She has followed the online discussion, political and academic, over the ways in which survivors are received in the public square.
“I am not an ‘imperfect victim,’” Reade tweeted on Tuesday.
Reade has accused Biden of digitally penetrating her in a Senate hallway when she was a staff assistant in his Senate office in 1993. She has said she filed a Senate personnel report at the time, told others in the office about the incident, and was removed from her duty of overseeing the interns.
The Biden campaign has said the incident did not happen. Three former Senate aides, all of whom Reade said she complained to directly at the time, have said they don’t remember any such complaint or that it did not take place. One of them, Biden’s former executive assistant from 1982 to 2000, Marianne Baker, said in a statement provided by the campaign that she never once witnessed or heard of “any reports of inappropriate conduct, period — not from Ms. Reade, not from anyone.”
Subsequent reporting has corroborated elements of Reade’s story. Former interns from the Senate office remember Reade being reassigned away from managing them, according to the New York Times. After Reade mentioned that her mother had called into Larry King Live, the Intercept published the transcript from a 1993 episode where a caller described her daughter’s negative experience with a “prominent senator,” though the caller does not detail the nature of the experience.
Across different outlets, people who knew Reade have said she told them that she had had a bad experience with her boss in Washington — with varied levels of detail. In an interview with Business Insider, a former neighbor, Lynda LaCasse, said Reade detailed her full allegation against Biden in the 1990s. The New York Times and Washington Post each reported they spoke with an unnamed friend who had said Reade told her about the allegation in the 1990s as well.
Others have provided more limited accounts — one friend told the Washington Post, for instance, that she remembered Reade saying Biden touched her arm and behaved inappropriately, but did not have other details. Reade’s brother initially told the Post he remembered her telling him that Biden was “inappropriate,” but followed up days later to clarify that he recalled Reade telling him that the then-senator had put his hands under her clothes.
Through it all, Biden himself has remained silent. Publicly, aides have referred reporters back to a single statement, dated April 13, saying that while the former vice president believes women should have the space to tell their stories, this incident didn’t occur. Privately, they have distributed talking points to other Democrats advising them to rely on a New York Times investigation and to (inaccurately) insist the article concluded the incident never happened.
Though the mainstream media has now started to aggressively cover the story, Reade has been disappointed with the length of time it took major news outlets to cover her allegation, as well as the tone of some of the coverage.
Last year — when other women had come forward to say Biden had touched them in a way that made them uncomfortable — Reade told her local paper that while working for the former senator, he touched her neck and shoulders. In the same 2019 column, she said a supervisor told her that Biden wanted her to serve drinks at an event because he liked the way she looked. When she refused, Reade told the newspaper, her responsibilities were reduced.
This spring, she turned to leftist outlets to tell her serious allegation of sexual assault by Biden, appearing on Halper’s podcast and Democracy Now.
“I used to think that a Republican talking point was to call the mainstream media biased,” Reade said. “So I used to think, Oh, that's just a talking point for them. I don't believe it. But now I'm living it [in] real time, and I see it — like, I see it for what it is. Because I am a Democrat, or I was. But now I'm not anything, really. I’m politically homeless.”


buzzfeednews--2020-04-28--This Couple Are Stuck In Different Countries Due To The Coronavirus So They Are Doing "Border Dates"

Ryan and Savannah are engaged but have n't been able to even hold hands since the border closed .
The only way this engaged couple can see each other right now is 6 feet apart , with an international border between them .
Savannah Koop , 25 , lives in Abbotsford , British Columbia , and her fiancé , 26-year-old Ryan Hamilton , lives in Bellingham , Washington .
When you live in border cities , it 's not unusual for dating apps to match you with suitors in the neighboring country , and that 's what happened to them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just have a large radius for who you can match with , and most people here end up matching with someone up in Canada , '' Hamilton told BuzzFeed News .
It 's also not uncommon for people in these communities to cross the border often , whether for work or errands or , in this case , dates .
That was last July .
The pair quickly fell in love and started looking at rings last winter .
On March 1 , Hamilton popped the question and they started planning a quick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and friends .
They even had upcoming plans for a trip to Europe for their honeymoon .
`` It kind of , it seemed like the perfect storm — we just didn ’ t really understand how much of a storm it would end up being , '' said Hamilton .
The wedding was supposed to be on May 8 , but like what 's happened to so many life events , the novel coronavirus pandemic forced them to postpone .
`` When they announced that the border would be closed for another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be able to have the wedding , '' said Koop .
But the border closure created another problem — Koop and Hamilton , who still live in their respective countries , could no longer see each other .
`` You can ’ t cross the border if you don ’ t have any essential purpose , '' said Koop .
That means you need to be someone like a doctor or a nurse , or in need of a prescription you ca n't get at home .
Weddings and seeing your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
So Koop came up with an idea — they 'd just have dates at the border .
Along the route between their places are parallel roads that run along the border , one road on either side , with no walls or fences in between .
That might sound weird , but Canada and the US have the longest undefended border in the world .
`` But it ’ s basically just a ditch in between — there ’ s areas where it ’ s like a land bridge in between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s a lot of trust there that Americans and Canadians are going to respect the border line . ''
And so , they 've started having evening dates , able to get within 6 feet of each other .
Koop will often bring a lawn chair and Hamilton will bring a blanket to sit on , plus some snacks and coffee .
Sometimes they have to yell over the sound of traffic .
But they make it work .
They 're not alone , either .
There are plenty of cameras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patrol .
The officers will often wave them over and ask what they 're doing .
`` I ’ m sure some of them are quite familiar with us .
They just wave and drive by , '' said Koop .
`` We ’ ve had dates before where they just sit there and watch the entire time . ''
`` We ’ ve tried to make it fun and exciting , but it ’ s a weird thing to work around , '' said Hamilton .
Koop posted a TikTok about their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views .
Koop just posted it for fun and was surprised to see the views add up .
Some people even commented that they 'd seen the couple at their date spot or photos of them posted by other people .
`` This is Notebook worthy ❤😍 , '' wrote one person .
While being able to see each other at all is a blessing , it 's still hard to be so close but so far .
`` To be able to hold Ryan ’ s hand again would make me so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We know so many people are in more dire situations , so we ’ re so grateful we live in an area where we can see each other in real life .
But it ’ s hard because it ’ s a bit of a tease , and you still have to say goodbye . ''

That was last July. The pair quickly fell in love and started looking at rings last winter. On March 1, Hamilton popped the question and they started planning a quick and simple wedding with support from family and friends. They even had upcoming plans for a trip to Europe for their honeymoon.
"It kind of, it seemed like the perfect storm — we just didn’t really understand how much of a storm it would end up being," said Hamilton.
The wedding was supposed to be on May 8, but like what's happened to so many life events, the novel coronavirus pandemic forced them to postpone.
"When they announced that the border would be closed for another 30 days, we realized we wouldn’t be able to have the wedding," said Koop.
But the border closure created another problem — Koop and Hamilton, who still live in their respective countries, could no longer see each other.
"You can’t cross the border if you don’t have any essential purpose," said Koop. That means you need to be someone like a doctor or a nurse, or in need of a prescription you can't get at home. Weddings and seeing your fiancé don't count (they checked).
So Koop came up with an idea — they'd just have dates at the border.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-01--Juul Is Facing Even More Big Cuts — This Time In Europe

In yet another retrenchment from international markets , Juul is planning to significantly shrink its European presence and stop selling in Austria , Belgium , Portugal , France , and Spain , BuzzFeed News has learned .
The e-cigarette maker will leave France at the end of the year and pull out of the other countries in July , according to an employee familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media .
The decision , which some parts of the company learned about this week , means that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be laid off .
Earlier this week , the Wall Street Journal reported that the once-high-flying San Francisco–based startup is planning to cut about one-third of its 3,000-person workforce .
Once Juul stops selling in those five countries , its presence in Europe will be limited to Czechia , Germany , Ireland , Italy , Poland , Switzerland , and Ukraine , as well as Russia and the United Kingdom , two of its biggest markets globally .
Juul ’ s reasons for leaving the countries are mixed , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high sales compared to most European markets , but not high enough to justify the staff needed or the trouble from local regulators .
Austria , Belgium , and Portugal were considered too small to continue investing in .
The cuts are not related to the coronavirus pandemic , the employee said .
A Juul spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment .
Juul has also hit the brakes on expanding into markets outside of Europe over the last several months , postponing a launch in New Zealand and stopping sales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered leaving South Korea and was blocked from China and India .
In February , Juul forced out a pair of top executives who were overseeing the company ’ s European and South Asian markets and scaled back its Singapore office .
In 2019 , sales in Europe and the Middle East generated approximately $ 107 million , falling far short of that department ’ s roughly $ 600 million goal , BuzzFeed News previously reported .
The European Union has strict e-cigarette regulations that have made the region a challenge for Juul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The nicotine limit for e-cigarettes in Europe is 20 milligrams per milliliter of fluid ; in the US , where there is no legally mandated cap , Juul pods can contain up to 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter .
As a likely result of that difference , “ no EU country has experienced the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes among youth that has been observed in the US , ” said Filippos Filippidis , a public health researcher at Imperial College London , by email .
Due to restrictions that make it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he noted , Europe was also seemingly spared by the epidemic of lung illnesses linked to vaping THC that struck the US last year .
When the EU ’ s regulations first took effect in 2016 , Juul was not yet on the market , and most e-cigarette brands fell below the limit anyway .
Then Juul , which was spun out of Pax Labs in 2017 , came along with the innovation of e-liquids filled with nicotine salts , which made it easier to inhale higher concentrations of nicotine vapor .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the teen vaping crisis , the company has said it never intended to do so and that its stated mission is to help adult smokers quit conventional cigarettes .
To what extent it has actually done so is “ a critically important policy question , ” David Hammond , a University of Waterloo professor who studies international tobacco control policies , told BuzzFeed News .
“ And as far as I ’ m aware , we don ’ t have that answer yet.
” Europe still has some of the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater numbers of people have also been quitting over the last few decades .
Juul is betting much of its future on the US , where it and other e-cigarette makers must gain clearance from the FDA to keep selling .
A May deadline to submit applications was pushed back to September due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Juul and its largest shareholder , tobacco giant Altria , are also contending with an antitrust lawsuit .
Last month , the Federal Trade Commission alleged that Altria ’ s roughly one-third stake in Juul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That deal , which cost Altria nearly $ 13 billion in late 2018 , valued Juul at $ 38 billion .
Altria has since cut that valuation to $ 12 billion .

In yet another retrenchment from international markets, Juul is planning to significantly shrink its European presence and stop selling in Austria, Belgium, Portugal, France, and Spain, BuzzFeed News has learned.
The e-cigarette maker will leave France at the end of the year and pull out of the other countries in July, according to an employee familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The decision, which some parts of the company learned about this week, means that hundreds of employees in the affected countries will be laid off. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the once-high-flying San Francisco–based startup is planning to cut about one-third of its 3,000-person workforce.
Once Juul stops selling in those five countries, its presence in Europe will be limited to Czechia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and Ukraine, as well as Russia and the United Kingdom, two of its biggest markets globally.
Juul’s reasons for leaving the countries are mixed, according to the employee. Spain and France had relatively high sales compared to most European markets, but not high enough to justify the staff needed or the trouble from local regulators. Austria, Belgium, and Portugal were considered too small to continue investing in. The cuts are not related to the coronavirus pandemic, the employee said.
A Juul spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
Juul has also hit the brakes on expanding into markets outside of Europe over the last several months, postponing a launch in New Zealand and stopping sales in Indonesia. The company has also considered leaving South Korea and was blocked from China and India. In February, Juul forced out a pair of top executives who were overseeing the company’s European and South Asian markets and scaled back its Singapore office.
In 2019, sales in Europe and the Middle East generated approximately $107 million, falling far short of that department’s roughly $600 million goal, BuzzFeed News previously reported.
The European Union has strict e-cigarette regulations that have made the region a challenge for Juul and other manufacturers, experts say. The nicotine limit for e-cigarettes in Europe is 20 milligrams per milliliter of fluid; in the US, where there is no legally mandated cap, Juul pods can contain up to 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter.
As a likely result of that difference, “no EU country has experienced the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes among youth that has been observed in the US,” said Filippos Filippidis, a public health researcher at Imperial College London, by email. Due to restrictions that make it harder to manipulate vaping devices there, he noted, Europe was also seemingly spared by the epidemic of lung illnesses linked to vaping THC that struck the US last year.
When the EU’s regulations first took effect in 2016, Juul was not yet on the market, and most e-cigarette brands fell below the limit anyway. Then Juul, which was spun out of Pax Labs in 2017, came along with the innovation of e-liquids filled with nicotine salts, which made it easier to inhale higher concentrations of nicotine vapor.
While Juul has been accused of helping kick-start the teen vaping crisis, the company has said it never intended to do so and that its stated mission is to help adult smokers quit conventional cigarettes.
To what extent it has actually done so is “a critically important policy question,” David Hammond, a University of Waterloo professor who studies international tobacco control policies, told BuzzFeed News. “And as far as I’m aware, we don’t have that answer yet.”
Europe still has some of the world’s highest rates of adult smokers, although greater numbers of people have also been quitting over the last few decades.
Juul is betting much of its future on the US, where it and other e-cigarette makers must gain clearance from the FDA to keep selling. A May deadline to submit applications was pushed back to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Juul and its largest shareholder, tobacco giant Altria, are also contending with an antitrust lawsuit. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that Altria’s roughly one-third stake in Juul eliminated competition in the e-cigarette market. That deal, which cost Altria nearly $13 billion in late 2018, valued Juul at $38 billion. Altria has since cut that valuation to $12 billion.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-18--Sen. Ben Sasse Is Being Criticized For "Despicable" Jokes He Made About China In A Graduation Speech

The Nebraska senator blamed `` thugs in China '' for the coronavirus pandemic and ridiculed psychologists in what some described as a condescending commencement speech to Fremont High School graduates .
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse 's attempt at a stand-up routine during an online commencement speech to high school graduates drew criticism over the weekend , with some dubbing it `` the worst graduation speech of all time . ''
In a taped speech to Fremont High School graduates on May 16 , the Republican senator joked about students ' fitness , ridiculed psychologists , and blamed `` the thugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The speech prompted a Fremont school board member to demand an apology from Sasse for his `` despicable '' comments .
The school district also distanced itself from the senator 's speech , saying in a statement , `` The words spoken belong to the individual that said them , not the school district . ''
Sasse 's spokesperson blamed `` politically addicted folks '' for complaining about his speech and said the graduates were not `` fragile '' to hear the truth about China 's role in the pandemic .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China several times .
He sarcastically thanked China for creating a situation where parents were forced to become teachers as schools were closed due to the pandemic .
He said that at future reunions , 2020 graduates would recall their senior year as `` that time when China started a big global pandemic that created the worst public health crisis in over a century and brought the economy to its knees and we had to stay home and everybody was hoarding toilet paper . ''
Sasse later said Nebraskans and Americans had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , '' bring back the economy , and have a `` serious reckoning with the thugs in China who let this mess spiral out of control by lying about it . ''
Sasse , a 1990 Fremont High graduate , said the students were not `` missing out on that much '' by not having a graduation ceremony because `` nobody remembers '' their high school graduation .
This led to a bizarre rant about psychologists , where Sasse urged students not to pursue psychology in college .
`` Ninety-five percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm serious , there are dozens of them that are gainfully employed — their job is really just to help people forget high school and the other 5 % , they just research hamsters who get lost in mazes , which come to think of it is a lot like high school and that 's why we want to forget it , '' Sasse said .
He went on : `` There will always be money to be made in psychology .
Now that 's a joke ...
If you 're headed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That part 's not a joke , '' Sasse said .
In a blistering statement , the Nebraska Counseling Association ( NCA ) called Sasse 's comments `` tasteless '' and `` demeaning '' to both mental health professionals as well the students .
`` We wonder if you understand the importance of psychologists and the role that mental health plays in America today , '' said the organization , which comprises of counselors and human development professionals .
The NCA also said Sasse 's speech showed an `` alarming lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made it seem as though they have nothing to celebrate or be proud of . ''
`` He does realize that we have a severe shortage of mental professionals in Nebraska , right ? ''
a Nebraska state senator , Adam Morfeld , said in a series of tweets slamming Sasse 's speech .
Sasse also appeared to take a dig at the students ' fitness , saying that they would be asked to climb a `` giant rope '' in their lives .
`` If you don ’ t get that joke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Sasse said .
`` Back in the day when we were a lot fitter than you people are , we used to have to climb ropes all the way up to the ceiling of the gym . ''
Sasse also managed to include jokes about `` murder hornets , '' Netflix 's Tiger King documentary , and the name Jeremy , saying , `` everybody named Jeremy is the worst . ''
His speech drew the ire of Fremont school board member Michael Petersen , who called on the senator to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despicable '' speech .
`` You deserved better than the graduation remarks from Senator Ben Sasse , '' Petersen wrote in a Facebook post .
`` The racism , implying that our graduates are fat and lazy , disparaging teachers , and attacking the mental health profession are despicable .
You owe the graduating students of Fremont High an apology . ''
Petersen told the Fremont Tribune that he had sent an email to other school board members to ask for the administrator who gave the green light after reviewing Sasse 's taped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have raised a red flag somewhere , '' he said .
`` The fact that nobody did raises a red flag . ''
Petersen said he has asked his fellow board members to issue a public apology to the graduating class .
In a statement responding to the criticism , Fremont Public Schools said Sasse provided the speech to be included in the online celebration and that the school district `` does not edit or censor guest speakers . ''
`` The words spoken belong to the individual that said them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement said .
`` Including them as part of the ceremony does not endorse the individual , the content of the speech or the interpretations of what was provided . ''
The school district asked people who had concerns about the speech to reach out to Sasse directly , saying he was the only one `` who can accurately interpret what was intended . ''
Sasse 's spokesperson , James Wegmann , accused `` politically addicted folks '' for complaining about Sasse 's speech and said that it was silly to think that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to `` hear the truth '' about China .
In a statement to the Omaha World-Herald , Wegmann said , `` Like he said in the video greeting , Ben ’ s proud of each of the graduates — and he believes their generation is tough enough to help lead us through the bumpy economic times ahead .
It ’ s ridiculous that some politically addicted folks are complaining about Ben calling out China in a joke .
He ’ s said this for months , because it ’ s true : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasted time that could have contained the spread — those lies cost innocent lives in China and around the world .
Pretending graduates are too fragile to hear the truth is silly . ''
Wegmann did not respond to BuzzFeed News ' request for comment .
Democrat Chris Janicek , who is running against Sasse in the November elections , said in a statement to media outlets , `` It ’ s hard for me to believe that a US senator would make remarks like he did in that speech .
Ridiculing mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graduates are lazy slackers and using the platform to blame China for the pandemic we have now is beyond reprehensible . ''
Janicek used the online criticism directed at Sasse to get donations for his campaign .

During his speech, Sasse took shots at China several times. He sarcastically thanked China for creating a situation where parents were forced to become teachers as schools were closed due to the pandemic.
He said that at future reunions, 2020 graduates would recall their senior year as "that time when China started a big global pandemic that created the worst public health crisis in over a century and brought the economy to its knees and we had to stay home and everybody was hoarding toilet paper."
Sasse later said Nebraskans and Americans had the "grit" to "beat the virus," bring back the economy, and have a "serious reckoning with the thugs in China who let this mess spiral out of control by lying about it."
Sasse, a 1990 Fremont High graduate, said the students were not "missing out on that much" by not having a graduation ceremony because "nobody remembers" their high school graduation.
This led to a bizarre rant about psychologists, where Sasse urged students not to pursue psychology in college.
"Ninety-five percent of all gainfully employed psychologists — and I'm serious, there are dozens of them that are gainfully employed — their job is really just to help people forget high school and the other 5%, they just research hamsters who get lost in mazes, which come to think of it is a lot like high school and that's why we want to forget it," Sasse said.
He went on: "There will always be money to be made in psychology. Now that's a joke... If you're headed to college, do not major in psychology. That part's not a joke," Sasse said.
In a blistering statement, the Nebraska Counseling Association (NCA) called Sasse's comments "tasteless" and "demeaning" to both mental health professionals as well the students.


buzzfeednews--2020-05-18--I Don't Feel Like Buying Stuff Anymore

I Don't Feel Like Buying Stuff Anymore

Our economy is built on Americans of all class levels buying things .
What happens when the ability — and desire — to do so goes away ?
I didn ’ t even realize I ’ d lost my desire to shop until one day , about six weeks into isolation , I absentmindedly clicked on a Madewell email offering an additional sale on a sale .
I don ’ t even have anywhere to wear the jumpsuits I already own , let alone one that would require heels .
Every work trip , every speaking gig , every quick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as my calendar still had reminders of the life I had planned in advance , on a different timeline , for myself .
But in a matter of weeks , those , too , would be gone .
I feel very lucky to spend my days walking my dog on the same loop I always take .
But that walk , for the foreseeable future , requires no new purchases .
I don ’ t need new makeup , because I ’ ve stopped wearing it .
I have Zoom calls with my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids to bed , and everyone ’ s hair is just as wild , their faces just as makeup-less , as mine .
I ’ m still lucky enough to be working .
Others have been furloughed or laid off .
Those changes may shape the tenor of our shared but separate isolation , but not its fundamental character .
The aperture of my world feels very small , its rhythms incredibly repetitive .
Sometimes , it ’ s almost calming .
Other times , it ’ s incredibly claustrophobic .
Either way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of leggings I need to navigate this new life .
Not wanting to buy things feels as bizarre as not wanting to sleep or not wanting to eat .
It ’ s been ingrained in us , as Americans , as an unspoken component of residency .
Before the coronavirus pandemic , I ’ d find myself clicking on the emails that overflowed the Promotions tab in Gmail , seemingly from every store I ’ d ever patronized .
I ’ d online shop while I was traveling for work , while stressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of other emails in my inbox .
Buying things , especially things on sale , provided a momentary sense of comfort : I was fixing some problem , completing some task , simply by clicking “ Buy Now.
” We ’ re trained to buy often , buy cheap , and buy a lot .
And I ’ m not just talking about food , which everyone has to acquire in some capacity , or clothes .
I mean all the other small purchases of daily life : a new face lotion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name trinket , an office supply organizer , a vegetable spiralizer , a cute set of hand towels , a pair of nicer sunglasses , a pair of sports sunglasses , a pair of throwaway sunglasses .
The stuff , in other words , that you don ’ t even know that you want until it somehow finds its way to your cart at Target or T.J. Maxx .
As unemployment numbers continue to rise and most of the country is still in some sort of lockdown , any marketing that frames a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” feels like a con .
Especially when you factor in a newfound awareness ( and attention to ) the human cost of each purchase : For everything you buy online , there are people in factories packaging it , others in warehouses distributing it , and still more in trucks delivering it .
Some companies have taken steps to provide adequate personal protective equipment and paid sick leave .
But many , including Amazon , have been slow to act — and assurances from workplaces concerning worker and warehouse safety have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Amazon said they expect to invest approximately $ 4 billion from April to June on COVID-related initiatives to get products to customers and keep employees safe . )
Tania , who ’ s 34 and works for a nonprofit , is telecommuting and collecting her usual salary , as is her husband .
With significant guilt and consternation , they ’ ve made the decision to leave their small apartment and move in , after 14 days of isolation , with her parents in another state .
They ’ ve been living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for themselves and their two young children for several months and plan to keep doing so for the foreseeable future .
“ Everything I ’ ve bought has been for my kids , who are growing out of their clothes , ” Tania told me .
“ And I have agonized over every purchase .
The calculus for every decision is : Do I need to put an essential worker in harm ’ s way to get this ?
Can I do without it ?
Can I afford it ?
Do we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Can I wait 10 days for it , since that ’ s the average shipping time ?
And if I can ’ t have something immediately , do I really want it ?
” Ann , 56 , lives outside of Torrey , Utah , 50 miles from the closest Walmart .
For her , bulk shopping has been a way of life : Apart from a monthly trip to the city , she and her family get everything from friends or online .
“ Let ’ s put it this way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationship with not just us , but our dogs and farm critters , ” she told me .
Now they ’ re just trying to make do with less , generally — but they still have to go to the feed store for their animals .
( “ There ’ s no such thing as UberFeed , ” Ann said . )
They drive 17 miles into town for contactless grocery orders .
“ I just did a meal plan for four weeks instead of one , ” Ann explained .
They got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cow and a year ’ s worth of poultry .
Cutting out trips to the big city ( Salt Lake ) means cutting out a significant number of expenses .
“ I am so grateful that where we live , at least in our circle , dressing up means clean denim and fleece , ” she said .
Ann misses musicians coming through the area ; she ’ s worried about how dips in tourism will affect everyone she knows .
But she also refuses to participate in a plan to revive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consumer .
“ After 9/11 , and again after the 2008 recession , there was the idea that consumers should somehow patriotically spend to revive the economy , ” she said .
“ And who benefited disproportionately ?
Billionaires .
This time , the billionaires can do the heavy lifting , not me.
” At the time , many American families were going from deprivation to abundance , transitioning from living with their parents or military service to marriage and new homes — at least for white families — purchased with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bonds were cashed out ; new construction in the suburbs was plentiful ; American manufacturing recentered its ambition from wartime production to domestic goods and automobiles .
And buying all this stuff did make life better for a much larger swath of the population : The growth in manufacturing , combined with robust unions , allowed blue-collar workers to enter the rapidly expanding middle class .
During this so-called golden age of American capitalism , real per capita income rose 2.25 % a year .
That period only lasted 20 years — from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has cast a long shadow over Americans ’ understanding of themselves : what ’ s possible , what ’ s necessary , what each of us deserves , and what conditions make America “ great.
” The enduring myths of the white picket fence , “ working your way through college , ” the sustainability of a single-income household , the superiority of the single-family home , the car as essential , the primacy of the nuclear family , the family vacation , even the widespread commercialization of holidays — these all grew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
But even as that economy began to sour — for various , tangled reasons , first in the ’ 70s , and again with rolling mini recessions through the ’ 80s and ’ 90s — those myths continued to endure .
As did the idea that buying things was a form of civic responsibility , even as the rolling deregulatory actions of the Reagan , Bush , and Clinton administrations , coupled with nationwide union busting and the gradual “ tempification ” of the workplace , meant fewer and fewer Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those purchases .
Before , the idea went : You bought a washing machine so that everyone else could buy a washing machine .
Now , you bought one so the men in charge of the washing machine company could buy a new jet .
Two weeks after 9/11 , President George W. Bush famously called upon Americans to soothe their grief by shopping .
“ Get down to Disney World in Florida , ” he said .
“ Take your families and enjoy life the way we want it to be enjoyed.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mini recession since the previous March , and the sharp decrease in travel and entertainment that followed 9/11 threatened to deepen it .
However laughable that messaging seems today , it was effective at the time : After declining sharply in September 2001 , personal consumer spending rose sharply just a month later .
The recession ended shortly thereafter .
“ The president ’ s political message was also clear , ” Charles F. McGovern writes about Bush in Sold American : Consumption and Citizenship , 1890–1945 .
“ The citizen ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to combat terrorism ( although the rate of volunteers rose ) , or civic engagement to strengthen social bonds in the wake of national disaster and shock .
The citizen ’ s duty certainly did not include sincere questioning or reexamination of national security and diplomacy , although millions of Americans did just that .
Instead , the president urged everyone to resume business as usual : individual , atomized consumption was best for the nation as a whole .
Americans faced trauma , doubt , and fear ; the White House directed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recession was so brief — and because the “ forever wars ” that followed in Afghanistan and Iraq only directly affected a portion of Americans — few would look back at the period following 9/11 and think of any substantial changes in their consumption .
Some lost money on the stock market over the course of the dot-com boom ; others boycotted french fries .
Ideas about Muslims and torture , about “ the axis of evil ” and America ’ s place in the world , all changed .
But not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2008 .
The popular understanding of the financial crisis — largely gleaned , at this point , from The Big Short , Margin Call , and the “ Giant Pool of Money ” podcast — is that Wall Street , through a series of complicated machinations , screwed itself over by pretending that bad debt was good debt .
But that “ bad ” debt , in the form of subprime mortgages , was the result of hundreds of thousands of Americans being convinced , and then convincing themselves , that they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive homes they couldn ’ t actually afford .
The most shocking stories of the crisis focused on the people who didn ’ t have jobs , didn ’ t have any form of savings , and still managed to buy a home that would require a $ 2,000-a-month mortgage .
But many of those stories were also about people who were convinced they could afford a second home , either as an investment or vacation property : Between 2000 and 2007 , the percentage of Americans with second homes rose from 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does “ afford ” really mean , anyway ?
Few people can “ afford ” the full price tag of a college education , but we go anyway .
Someone might be able to cover the cost of a mortgage or rent , but they might need to use credit cards to cover the cost of incidentals .
The availability of credit makes nearly anything seem affordable .
Between 1990 and 2007 , consumer ( e.g.
, everything from credit card balances to car loans ) and mortgage debt went from 77 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That sort of increase means we weren ’ t just spending more than we had .
We were normalizing it .
But the particularities of the 2008 recession meant that people all over the United States starting losing their homes — an estimated 10 million in all .
And that , to many Americans , burst a foundational understanding of self .
People and businesses — including the current president ’ s — go bankrupt all the time in America .
But going from being a homeowner back to being a renter suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American project .
Experts , lenders , banks — they all said that you qualified for this loan .
You qualified for homeownership .
What you dreamed of could be yours .
People said it was the housing “ bubble ” that burst , but it was actually one of those original postwar myths of what it meant to be an American that overinflated to the point of collapse .
And when that happened , there was so little left of the rest of the American dream to assuage them : so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safety net , nothing to buoy you financially when you can no longer work .
Just more debt on top of existing debt , a mirage of success hiding at the bottom of a well .
The grief and disillusionment following that collapse translated , briefly , into consumer frugality .
Consumer spending in 2008 dropped sharply ; in the Economist , an analyst for Morgan Stanley predicted that “ the golden age of spending for the American consumer has ended and a new age of thrift likely has begun.
” The New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about consumers reveling in the new , miserly normal , describing how “ the gleefully frugal happily seek new ways to economize and take pride in outsaving the Joneses.
” In 2011 , the paper profiled the movement to repair and recycle older items , pointing to early data that consumers were holding on to items — like cars — longer than before .
Personal savings rates , which had plummeted to as low as 2.2 % amid the massive influx of consumer credit in the ’ 80s , ’ 90s , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December 2012 .
But within a year , those personal savings rates were nearly cut in half .
Then-president Barack Obama was elected to a second term , and the Occupy Wall Street movement — sparked by anger over the growing income inequality — fizzled .
Sure , the jobs added back to the economy were low-paying and , in the vast number of cases , part of the precarious new gig economy ; sure , healthcare costs continued to rise and millennials gradually began to internalize the fact that milestones of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But the economy was in “ recovery ” — which meant a return to spending ( and saving ) norms .
As Sheldon Garon , author of Beyond Our Means : Why America Spends While the World Saves , explained back in 2012 , most Americans weren ’ t actually able to substantively change their saving habits : “ Those in the middle- and lower-income strata have made efforts to reduce debt , but they are so indebted and have so little savings that it ’ s been difficult for them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to save , but with readily available home equity loans and credit cards , at least you could still buy — and that felt like you were doing something .
But that feeling , for many , has soured .
Stephanie is 36 , unemployed , and “ swimming in debt ” — but her husband ’ s job is secure , so they ’ re “ okay on monthly expenses , ” at least for the time being .
Like many others I ’ ve heard from , she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-term shift in spending behaviors — in part because buying things has become so central to our understanding of recovery from economic trauma .
“ The consumption-as-civic-duty , billionaires-as-job-creators ethos is toxic for so many things , ” she said .
“ I feel like a lot of rich folks I know genuinely think they ’ re ‘ doing good ’ when they get a manicure or go shopping because they ’ re stimulating the economy .
And it ’ s hard to disagree when the American economy really is built on consumer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” is technically all of the resources of a given area : all of its production , all of its consumption .
But many people — including a whole lot of politicians — use the word “ economy ” in situations when they really mean “ the stock market.
” The economy is built on consumer spending ; the stock market is built on projections .
Or , as I like to think about it , a bunch of guys ( and they ’ re almost entirely guys ) sitting around , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bets about the future .
The economy and the stock market are not disarticulated from each other , but they are also far from the same thing ; it ’ s no coincidence , after all , that the highest levels of income inequality have coincided with record-breaking numbers on the stock market .
But the stock market signals economic health .
It ’ s what gets broadcast , it ’ s what Trump talks about at his rallies , it determines politicians ’ polling numbers .
It doesn ’ t matter if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel that financial security and everyone else you know is barely keeping above water .
If the “ economy ” is thriving , everyone else must be , too , right ?
Hence the growing indebtedness necessary to maintain middle-class status : It takes a lot of debt to keep up with the illusion that the entire country is doing great .
And this is where the pandemic , and the economic collapse that ’ s accompanied it , comes in .
Its wreckage is so vast , so all-encompassing , that no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for patriotic mass consumption , can conceal it .
The illusion has been shattered .
We ’ re buying less because we ’ re scared for the economic future and concerned for the workers who make buying things possible , but we ’ re also buying less because the actual act of purchasing — at least in person — is a risk .
The amount of new “ revolving ” credit extended to individuals ( in most cases : credit cards ) went down 31 % between February and March , the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Visa , credit card spending collapsed in all categories except food and drugstores , while savings rates grew from 8 % in February to 13.1 % in March — the highest since 1981 .
No one knows when or how long COVID-19 measures will be in place ( or if they will be reimplemented ) .
Very few people feel secure in their economic futures .
“ People have seriously reined in their spending , ” one analyst told CNN .
“ You have to wonder when they will feel comfortable splurging.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time — regardless of when states begin to open .
“ The current pandemic mood of consumers can not be easily or quickly reversed , ” Richard Curtin , director of the University of Michigan ’ s Surveys of Consumers , wrote earlier this month .
“ Moods are remarkably independent of conscious control.
” But what if…we don ’ t ever go back ?
People are still buying things right now , but the things many people are seeking out , apart from necessities , offer an experience : a way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cooking and bartending implements , craft supplies , mini trampolines , gardening tools , Pelotons .
An employee at my local bike store said they ’ ve had their busiest three-month period on record .
Home improvement stores are as packed as a store can be at this point .
Shopping still creates a momentary feeling of control — something all of us are lacking right now .
But so , too , does making something , growing something , mastering something , or weeding something .
Natalie , 29 , lives in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently on unemployment .
“ I have been going nuts , needing projects to keep me busy , so I ’ m spending more than I did before on home improvement–type things , like gardening and pantry organization , ” she said .
“ I spend a lot of time trying to find things I can afford from ‘ cool independent retailers ’ that I would like to support , but most of that is too expensive for me .
But I just say no to Amazon and only shop at places where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they are actively doing for their workers.
” Some of these home improvements can be done with items on hand .
Some require purchases .
And some can be facilitated by newly vibrant bartering communities .
Tania ( the one living out of three suitcases ) is still getting emails from the parents group she was a part of back in the city .
Usually , it ’ s filled with parents selling and giving away baby items ; now , she said , “ it ’ s in overdrive.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything , ” she said .
“ You just post to the listserv what you need , and someone will give it to you .
I ’ ve also seen an amazing trade economy emerge : trading yeast for flour , toys for sourdough bread , passing clothes from one family to the next.
” I ’ ve seen a similar activity in my local “ Buy Nothing Sell Nothing ” Facebook Groups here in Montana : people making and giving away masks , using 3D printers to manufacture dupe N95 masks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electronics in a “ contactless exchange.
” Just because you ’ re not buying anything ( or buying less ) doesn ’ t mean you ’ re not experiencing new things , doing new things , figuring out new things .
I know a lot of people — especially those who live in small apartments — have become fatigued with their spaces .
Being with your stuff all the time can make you resent it .
There ’ s a reason , after all , that those “ Buy Nothing ” Facebook Groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to give things away right now .
But I also know people who have found a deep appreciation for all that they do have — the marvelous comfort of a bed or a fuzzy blanket , a small and sunny corner with houseplants you check on every day , a pile of books arranged just so — that just feel right and yours .
But the things you chose , instead of just accumulated , become all the more cherished .
Some of these practices can feel like the same sort of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the New York Times trend piece on frugality after the 2008 recession : a real estate investor , married to a plastic surgeon , who ’ s gotten really into borrowing books from the library instead of buying them .
Regrowing scallions on your windowsill — and posting photos of them to Instagram — is simply the latest version .
But the extent of the crisis , and the nebulous but lingering physical and psychological barriers to buying , makes these behaviors feel different .
This might , of course , be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a pandemic .
But in addition to the actual risk ( to oneself , to others ) of buying things , the pandemic has afforded many Americans , whether in isolation or out of work , with something they haven ’ t had in years : time and mental space to actually think about the way we spend and its effects on others .
Farrah , 33 , lives in San Jose , where she works two part-time jobs and has $ 80,000 in student loan debt .
She describes her current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I knew that Amazon was terrible before this , and I continued to buy from them , ” she said .
“ But the plague has really laid all of this out in a way that I can ’ t ignore : people being fired for organizing for basic protection , the risk involved in getting people things ( essential and very inessential alike ) and Bezos/Amazon raking in money all the while .
COVID-19 has made me realize how fragile and fucked our whole supply chain is.
” ( Amazon has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) In this moment , the primary tension in America is how , and when , life is going to “ return to normal.
” But that “ normal ” was an economy that , even before COVID-19 , was built on a form of consumption that felt compulsory , with household debt as normalized as the exploitative work conditions that make those daily consumption habits possible .
A “ normal ” in which the vast majority of people still felt economically precarious , burned out , and swallowed by their student debt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together enough savings to protect them from medical or financial catastrophe .
A “ normal ” in which the various manifestations of the gig economy — and the lack of healthcare , labor protections , or the general safety net that accompanies them — have been , well , normalized .
So what if we don ’ t actually want to go back to that ?
John is 37 , single , and has no kids because , in his words , he can ’ t afford them .
He told me he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part-time job at Starbucks , where he works for the health insurance .
Pre–COVID-19 , he also worked the door at a local comedy club for some spending money .
He has a very small amount of savings ; like a lot of people his age , he feels like he ’ s stuck treading water .
“ Being part of the service class is really tough , ” he said .
“ During this time , some eyes have been opened to how hard it can be .
But I really hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay open once this is all part of the new normal.
” A New Normal .
One that doesn ’ t just have to be socially distanced tables in restaurants or masks on airplanes .
It could also be , as John puts it , “ embracing slowness and focusing more on humaneness .
We could put less emphasis on ‘ now , I need it now !
’ and more attention on ‘ how are you feeling ?
Are you OK ?
’ ” Part of the reticence to reopen the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of widespread infection .
And part , I ’ d argue , is a manifestation of a desire to reject that old way of living entirely .
There are different ways of being with each other as a society , different ways of caring and knowing and growing .
As cheesy as all of that sounds , it ’ s certainly better than being told to do your part to save the country by going to Disney World or trying to distract ourselves from our exhaustion and fear by buying skincare products .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Michigan ’ s Surveys of Consumers , pointed out , “ the pandemic highlighted the basic mismatch between the current economic policy dependence on growth and market efficiency , and the new emphasis on equity , not only of income and wealth , but also in the availability of health care , and educational opportunities.
” The old way wasn ’ t just unsustainable for millions of Americans .
It was also deeply unsatisfying .
Consumer sentiment — and behavior — suggests we ’ re hungry , even desperate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want to return to a choice of unemployment versus burnout , ” Natalie , who ’ s 36 and has been searching for a job since January , told me .
“ I want just enough of an income and just enough health insurance that I don ’ t have to check my bank account on a daily basis .
I just want to be comfortable and content .
“ I don ’ t know that there are any answers to this , ” she said .
“ I just don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world as it was.
” ●

Natalie, 29, lives in St. Paul with her husband and is currently on unemployment. “I have been going nuts, needing projects to keep me busy, so I’m spending more than I did before on home improvement–type things, like gardening and pantry organization,” she said. “I spend a lot of time trying to find things I can afford from ‘cool independent retailers’ that I would like to support, but most of that is too expensive for me. But I just say no to Amazon and only shop at places where they have made a concrete statement about what they are actively doing for their workers.”
Some of these home improvements can be done with items on hand. Some require purchases. And some can be facilitated by newly vibrant bartering communities. Tania (the one living out of three suitcases) is still getting emails from the parents group she was a part of back in the city. Usually, it’s filled with parents selling and giving away baby items; now, she said, “it’s in overdrive.”
“You don’t need to buy anything,” she said. “You just post to the listserv what you need, and someone will give it to you. I’ve also seen an amazing trade economy emerge: trading yeast for flour, toys for sourdough bread, passing clothes from one family to the next.”
I’ve seen a similar activity in my local “Buy Nothing Sell Nothing” Facebook Groups here in Montana: people making and giving away masks, using 3D printers to manufacture dupe N95 masks, giving away children’s toys and electronics in a “contactless exchange.” Just because you’re not buying anything (or buying less) doesn’t mean you’re not experiencing new things, doing new things, figuring out new things.
I know a lot of people — especially those who live in small apartments — have become fatigued with their spaces. Being with your stuff all the time can make you resent it. There’s a reason, after all, that those “Buy Nothing” Facebook Groups and parenting listservs are flooded with people trying to give things away right now. But I also know people who have found a deep appreciation for all that they do have — the marvelous comfort of a bed or a fuzzy blanket, a small and sunny corner with houseplants you check on every day, a pile of books arranged just so — that just feel right and yours. But the things you chose, instead of just accumulated, become all the more cherished.
Some of these practices can feel like the same sort of performative change in behavior that was featured in the New York Times trend piece on frugality after the 2008 recession: a real estate investor, married to a plastic surgeon, who’s gotten really into borrowing books from the library instead of buying them. Regrowing scallions on your windowsill — and posting photos of them to Instagram — is simply the latest version. But the extent of the crisis, and the nebulous but lingering physical and psychological barriers to buying, makes these behaviors feel different.
This might, of course, be a misguided proclamation coming from the inside of a pandemic. But in addition to the actual risk (to oneself, to others) of buying things, the pandemic has afforded many Americans, whether in isolation or out of work, with something they haven’t had in years: time and mental space to actually think about the way we spend and its effects on others.
Farrah, 33, lives in San Jose, where she works two part-time jobs and has $80,000 in student loan debt. She describes her current economic situation as “fairly precarious.” “I knew that Amazon was terrible before this, and I continued to buy from them,” she said. “But the plague has really laid all of this out in a way that I can’t ignore: people being fired for organizing for basic protection, the risk involved in getting people things (essential and very inessential alike) and Bezos/Amazon raking in money all the while. COVID-19 has made me realize how fragile and fucked our whole supply chain is.” (Amazon has disputed this in a previous story.)


buzzfeednews--2020-04-06--Republicans Won Two Major Cases Allowing Wisconsin's Tuesday Election To Proceed Despite The Coronav

Republicans Won Two Major Cases Allowing Wisconsin's Tuesday Election To Proceed Despite The Coronavirus Pandemic

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 US Supreme Court and Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against Democrats in back-to-back decisions on Monday , declaring that key aspects of the state ’ s primary election must proceed as originally scheduled — issuing two separate orders that said late mail-in ballots can not be counted and that in-person voting must proceed on Tuesday despite fears that people at polling sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feared proceeding as planned would worsen the pandemic , while driving down voter turnout and sending hundreds of state-level elections into turmoil .
The nation ’ s top court ruled 5-4 along ideological lines in favor of Republicans , who sought to block a lower court decision that would have provided six extra days for voters to mail their ballots and for election officials to receive them in the mail .
Despite concerns that a backlog within the postal service meant thousands of voters would not get their mail-in ballots before Election Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority found a lower court erred by extending the date for ballots to be accepted to April 13 , even if those ballots were postmarked after Tuesday .
Democrats had not initially requested that specific ruling , and writing for the majority , Justice Brett Kavanaugh said , the lower court ’ s order “ fundamentally alters the nature of the election.
” “ When a lower court intervenes and alters the election rules so close to the election date , our precedents indicate that this Court , as appropriate , should correct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The majority added that modifying election rules ran afoul of the Purcell principle , a doctrine that courts should avoid meddling in elections immediately before the vote , saying doing so “ judicially created confusion.
” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg , leading a dissent for the court ’ s liberal wing , took umbrage with the majority opinion that had declared the case was about a “ narrow , technical question.
” The minority wrote wrote that Wisconsin voters “ will have to brave the polls , endangering their own and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their right to vote , through no fault of their own .
That is a matter of utmost importance—to the constitutional rights of Wisconsin ’ s citizens , the integrity of the State ’ s election process , and in this most extraordinary time , the health of the Nation.
” About two hours beforehand , the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that in-person voting in the swing state must proceed as planned despite the pandemic , blocking an executive order issued earlier the same day by Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers that attempted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election until June .
Republicans have insisted extending deadlines would undermine election integrity .
In announcing their lawsuit , Republican leaders of the state legislature called the governor ’ s last-ditch effort to postpone the vote a “ constitutional overreach ” and said , “ Evers can ’ t unilaterally run the state.
” Evers , who had previously said he lacked authority to delay the election , had issued his order Monday afternoon postponing in-person voting for the primary until June 9 and directing the legislature to convene on Tuesday afternoon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ April primary that had not yet been delayed .
The state supreme court blocked the provision that suspended voting , but said the legislature could still convene on Tuesday .
Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Daniel Kelly — who was appointed by Republican former governor Scott Walker — tweeted on Monday afternoon before the decision that “ we urge clerks , poll workers , and voters to stand ready to conduct the election ” as scheduled on Tuesday .
He abstained from the state court ’ s ruling .
At least 15 states have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic — and Evers and others Democrats pleaded to do the same in Wisconsin — but Republicans who control the state legislature balked .
The GOP has long tried to suppress voter turnout , particularly by people of color in swing states ; in the lawsuit about the absentee ballot filed last week , the Republican National Committee and Wisconsin Republicans called on courts to order Wisconsin ’ s primary to proceed as scheduled and block efforts to extend the timeline for counting ballots .
In a ruling that partially sided Democrats , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conley ruled on Thursday that ballots received by April 13 must be counted regardless of when they are postmarked — six days after the original deadline for officials to receive ballots — even though Democrats had not requested that sort of ruling .
On Friday , the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Republicans ’ request to block that lower court decision .
The next day , Republicans filed an emergency application at the Supreme Court saying , “ Requiring a state to permit unlimited absentee voting for almost a week after election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , voter confidence and the orderly administration of an election that already has strained state resources due to the difficult circumstances associated with COVID-19.
” The Democratic National Committee countered there had been a backlog of 21,590 requested mail-in ballots — driven by voters who wanted to vote absentee during the pandemic — as of April 2 .
“ It appears that tens of thousands of voters may not even receive their requested absentee ballots by election day , ” said a response filed at the Supreme Court by Democratic election lawyer Marc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of voters at minimum will be disenfranchised if their requested absentee ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday the 7th.
” The Democrats ’ filing went on to argue that the Republican plan “ could exacerbate the unfolding COVID-19 public health disaster .
If voters are not confident their absentee ballots will be counted , this will drive more people to vote in-person on election day , thereby increasing the risks of community spread through polling places in cities and towns throughout Wisconsin .
”

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 US Supreme Court and Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against Democrats in back-to-back decisions on Monday, declaring that key aspects of the state’s primary election must proceed as originally scheduled — issuing two separate orders that said late mail-in ballots cannot be counted and that in-person voting must proceed on Tuesday despite fears that people at polling sites will spread the coronavirus.
Democrats had feared proceeding as planned would worsen the pandemic, while driving down voter turnout and sending hundreds of state-level elections into turmoil.
The nation’s top court ruled 5-4 along ideological lines in favor of Republicans, who sought to block a lower court decision that would have provided six extra days for voters to mail their ballots and for election officials to receive them in the mail.
Despite concerns that a backlog within the postal service meant thousands of voters would not get their mail-in ballots before Election Day, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority found a lower court erred by extending the date for ballots to be accepted to April 13, even if those ballots were postmarked after Tuesday. Democrats had not initially requested that specific ruling, and writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said, the lower court’s order “fundamentally alters the nature of the election.”
“When a lower court intervenes and alters the election rules so close to the election date, our precedents indicate that this Court, as appropriate, should correct that error,” the opinion said. The majority added that modifying election rules ran afoul of the Purcell principle, a doctrine that courts should avoid meddling in elections immediately before the vote, saying doing so “judicially created confusion.”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, leading a dissent for the court’s liberal wing, took umbrage with the majority opinion that had declared the case was about a “narrow, technical question.”
The minority wrote wrote that Wisconsin voters “will have to brave the polls, endangering their own and others’ safety. Or they will lose their right to vote, through no fault of their own. That is a matter of utmost importance—to the constitutional rights of Wisconsin’s citizens, the integrity of the State’s election process, and in this most extraordinary time, the health of the Nation.”
About two hours beforehand, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declared that in-person voting in the swing state must proceed as planned despite the pandemic, blocking an executive order issued earlier the same day by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers that attempted to delay Tuesday’s scheduled primary election until June.
Republicans have insisted extending deadlines would undermine election integrity. In announcing their lawsuit, Republican leaders of the state legislature called the governor’s last-ditch effort to postpone the vote a “constitutional overreach” and said, “Evers can’t unilaterally run the state.”
Evers, who had previously said he lacked authority to delay the election, had issued his order Monday afternoon postponing in-person voting for the primary until June 9 and directing the legislature to convene on Tuesday afternoon. Wisconsin’s election was the last April primary that had not yet been delayed.
The state supreme court blocked the provision that suspended voting, but said the legislature could still convene on Tuesday.
Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Daniel Kelly — who was appointed by Republican former governor Scott Walker — tweeted on Monday afternoon before the decision that “we urge clerks, poll workers, and voters to stand ready to conduct the election” as scheduled on Tuesday. He abstained from the state court’s ruling.
At least 15 states have postponed primary voting dates due to the pandemic — and Evers and others Democrats pleaded to do the same in Wisconsin — but Republicans who control the state legislature balked.
The GOP has long tried to suppress voter turnout, particularly by people of color in swing states; in the lawsuit about the absentee ballot filed last week, the Republican National Committee and Wisconsin Republicans called on courts to order Wisconsin’s primary to proceed as scheduled and block efforts to extend the timeline for counting ballots.
In a ruling that partially sided Democrats, however, US district court judge William Conley ruled on Thursday that ballots received by April 13 must be counted regardless of when they are postmarked — six days after the original deadline for officials to receive ballots — even though Democrats had not requested that sort of ruling. On Friday, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied Republicans’ request to block that lower court decision.
The next day, Republicans filed an emergency application at the Supreme Court saying, “Requiring a state to permit unlimited absentee voting for almost a week after election day presents significant dangers to election integrity, voter confidence and the orderly administration of an election that already has strained state resources due to the difficult circumstances associated with COVID-19.”
The Democratic National Committee countered there had been a backlog of 21,590 requested mail-in ballots — driven by voters who wanted to vote absentee during the pandemic — as of April 2.
“It appears that tens of thousands of voters may not even receive their requested absentee ballots by election day,” said a response filed at the Supreme Court by Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias, who added, “Thousands of voters at minimum will be disenfranchised if their requested absentee ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday the 7th.”
The Democrats’ filing went on to argue that the Republican plan “could exacerbate the unfolding COVID-19 public health disaster. If voters are not confident their absentee ballots will be counted, this will drive more people to vote in-person on election day, thereby increasing the risks of community spread through polling places in cities and towns throughout Wisconsin.”