npr--2020-10-16--Feminists Weigh Their Wins And Losses After Nearly Four Years Of Trump

Feminists Weigh Their Wins And Losses After Nearly Four Years Of Trump Standing in front of the Supreme Court on the night of Sept. 20 was a striking moment for anyone who has paid attention to women in politics for the last four years .
That 's not just because it was the night of a vigil for a feminist giant , Ruth Bader Ginsburg , but because it provided a somber bookend to the last four years of the American women 's movement .
In January 2017 , women flooded the streets around the court — and really , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snappy protest signs and wearing pussy hats , in what was likely the largest one-day protest in American history .
Now , they chanted the mourner 's Kaddish behind masks , amid a global pandemic .
Women who were part of the recent feminist resurgence have felt that shift from hopeful defiance to anxiety .
After four years of protest against Trump , the stakes of the election for this movement are enormous .
The next round of marches is set for Saturday , focused on protesting the filling of Ginsburg 's seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's their last mass protest against Trump .
To watch feminism over the last four years has been to get a clear view into the dance of protest and backlash in American politics .
Many women saw Trump 's election as a threat to their rights and , with his defeat of Hillary Clinton , a rebuke of women 's power .
That helped push these women to make their own , unprecedented gains , but amid a sense that the cost has also been high .
I first met Lenore Bell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 65-year-old retiree had come from Arizona with her wife , and she was feeling cautiously hopeful .
`` My belief is from the suffragettes through civil rights , through Vietnam , the only way we enact change is by taking to the streets like this , '' she said .
Bell knows the power of protest — she told me about growing up in segregated Alabama , and how she once marched with Martin Luther King , Jr .
I called her up recently to ask how successful feminists have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was mixed .
One the one hand : `` I think [ the women 's movement ] has gotten stronger because more women have gone into politics .
There are more women in the house from what the House of Representatives , from what I can see , and I 'm hoping to add more women to the Senate in November , '' she said .
But then again , she 's exhausted , and unsure of how to even assess how well feminists have been able to resist the Trump presidency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ determine because there 's just so much out there , You know , one day , every day , it looks like there 's something different , '' she said .
`` It 's like , look over here , look over there . ''
For feminists like Bell , the last four years have been a torrent of headlines both encouraging and demoralizing , of power lost and power gained .
There were # MeToo , Roy Moore , Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh .
There was Lucy Flores accusing Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There were still more women accusing Trump of sexual assault , pushing the total past two dozen , by some counts .
There were a record number of women elected to Congress , and then the president telling `` squad '' members ( all citizens ) to go back to where they came from , and a congressman reportedly calling one of those women a sexist slur on the Capitol steps .
There were new abortion laws and new Supreme Court decisions about abortion laws .
There was the wait for justice for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women out of work .
The administration rolling back health protections for transgender Americans .
Democrats pondering `` electability '' as a record number of women ran for president and came up short .
Kamala Harris becoming the first woman of color on a major-party presidential ticket .
Trump calling Harris a `` monster '' after her recent vice presidential debate .
And , of course , the death of a feminist icon .
Confirmation hearings just wrapped up for Amy Coney Barrett — a woman whose abortion stances leave many feminists fearful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' One area where the effect of Donald Trump was clearest was in women running for office .
30,000 women interested in running for office approached the Democratic group Emily 's List ahead of the 2018 midterms , compared to fewer than a thousand in 2016 .
But then , there was that weighing of what feminists gained versus what they felt they had lost when Donald Trump was elected .
`` It is not worth , it was not worth it , '' said Emily 's List president Stephanie Schriock in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 920 who wanted to run [ in 2016 ] to have a different president .
I would have taken that . ''
In the end , women went from around 1 in 5 members of Congress to nearly 1 in 4 — still far from parity .
Those gains were overwhelmingly on the Democratic side .
Currently , women account for less than 10 % of Republican lawmakers .
Trump is also considered one of the reasons why the `` Me Too '' movement took off the way it did in 2017 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the women accusing him of assault ahead of the 2016 election , helped set the stage for a flood of accusations against powerful men , including high-level politicians .
Democratic Sen. Al Franken was accused of groping and unwantedly kissing women .
Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore was accused of sexual assault , including by women who were minors at the time , which he denied .
Former state legislator Lucy Flores accused former Vice President Joe Biden of sniffing her hair and kissing the back of her head .
( He denied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 , came Christine Blasey Ford 's sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh .
Those hearings provided a striking parallel — and contrast — to the 1992 accusations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas .
Kate Manne , professor of philosophy at Cornell University , sees in the Kavanaugh hearings further evidence of the women movement 's simultaneous advances and backlash against it .
`` We both saw that people were , partly for reasons that probably have to do with racism , they were much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than they had with Anita Hill , '' she said .
But then , Manne and other feminists were disappointed that some people did n't believe Ford or take her accusations seriously .
Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed , while Blasey Ford moved multiple times and received death threats .
`` So I think in a way , it illustrates the interwoven nature of the regressive and progressive steps of that do si do dance , '' Manne said .
Long before Trump ran for office or the Harvey Weinstein story broke , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who started the `` Me Too '' movement in 2006 — just one example of how black women laid the groundwork for feminist advancement .
`` Black women have been consistently pouring into our democracy , from the eighteen hundreds to now , and frankly , getting less back than we put into it , '' notes Glynda Carr , president and CEO of Higher Heights for America , which promotes progressive black women in politics .
`` And we 've consistently been a political force . ''
Women of color gained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record number are running for Congress this year .
But moreover , they have been powerful activist forces .
Jess Morales Rocketto is a 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign staffer and executive director of Care in Action , which advocates for domestic workers .
She points to the Black Lives Matter movement and its founders .
`` The effects of the Black Lives Matter movement have rippled across all movements , '' she said .
`` Black Lives Matter as an entity and an idea is explicitly pro-feminist and pro-LGBT and especially [ pro @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the leadership of three women . ''
Relatedly , women of color have gained new prominence in a feminist movement that had long been dominated by white women .
Carr stresses that there 's a long way to go toward making feminism truly equal , but she hopes that the last four years of progress will stick — again , with that language of weighing what she feels has been gained against what she feels has been lost .
`` You also saw white women and our allies stepping out and protesting amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carr said .
`` And so I would hope that this unfortunate , politically toxic , racially divisive times have actually created more intersectional tables and frank discussions . ''
Amid renewed feminist energy during the Trump presidency , the movement has become increasingly partisan .
That phenomenon started well before Trump became president , according to one 2017 study .
People with feminist beliefs have increasingly filtered into the Democratic Party , reinforcing that feminism more of a question of belief than gender , as The Atlantic reported .
`` If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you probably are supportive of Trump , '' said Christine Matthews , a Republican pollster who has been critical of Trump .
Still , Matthews added , conservative-leaning women who oppose Trump often feel that they have been left out of the so-called feminist # resistance .
`` I think the perception with Republican women is that [ feminism ] is a clique-y group , '' she said .
`` In these marches , you feel like even if you might oppose Donald Trump and you 're pro-life , you feel like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that .
[ It ] sends a message to Republican women : Only a certain kind of woman should be here to protest or to be a feminist . ''
And amid the growth of the women 's movement during the Trump presidency , that question of what beliefs exactly make a person a feminist remains unanswered .
The last four years have culminated in a new first for American women : the first woman of color on a major-party presidential ticket .
But for some voters it was a letdown after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the top position .
The Democratic primaries laid bare a deep fear among that party 's voters , heightened by Clinton 's 2016 defeat : that maybe a woman could n't beat Trump .
`` I have a friend at work — she 's like , 'You 're not progressive . '
She thinks that I do n't want a woman president , '' said voter Anita Burgess at the 2019 National Action Network conference .
`` I do !
But I do n't think they 're going to do it !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote either , because we have to get the orange man out .
I 'm sorry — orange man got to go . ''
Many women did support Biden in the primaries .
Still , the accusations of misconduct against him , as well as his past stances on issues including abortion , leave some feminists , like Manne , lukewarm on him .
`` My hope is that the kind of consciousness raising that 's happened during the Trump era might continue under President Biden because of a kind of increased awareness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return to some degree of normalcy , politically speaking , he is by no means someone who can be fully trusted to get it right , '' she said .
Rocketto 's hopes for Biden are also measured .
`` Is he my number one ?
No .
Will I be voting for him enthusiastically ?
Yes .
Do I believe that he has an agenda that is attempting to advance gender equity ?
Absolutely .
Do I think that he is going to be [ a ] sort of feminist policy icon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll never say never , but no , I do n't think that . ''
For now , she and other Democratic women are fighting to get Biden elected , as well as to fight the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett .
This weekend 's women 's marches were organized to protest Republicans filling Ginsberg 's seat , though the Senate seems poised to do that before Election Day .
Looking back to that first women 's march , Rocketto believes that feminists have answered one of the biggest questions that loomed over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that people were asking was , 'Is this a moment or a movement ? '
And that was so irritating then .
Because it was just , it 's the biggest protest in American history , '' she said .
`` It 's a movement .
Get over yourselves . ''

Feminists Weigh Their Wins And Losses After Nearly Four Years Of Trump
Enlarge this image toggle caption Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Standing in front of the Supreme Court on the night of Sept. 20 was a striking moment for anyone who has paid attention to women in politics for the last four years.
That's not just because it was the night of a vigil for a feminist giant, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but because it provided a somber bookend to the last four years of the American women's movement.
In January 2017, women flooded the streets around the court — and really, everywhere around the National Mall — toting snappy protest signs and wearing pussy hats, in what was likely the largest one-day protest in American history. Now, they chanted the mourner's Kaddish behind masks, amid a global pandemic.
Women who were part of the recent feminist resurgence have felt that shift from hopeful defiance to anxiety. After four years of protest against Trump, the stakes of the election for this movement are enormous. The next round of marches is set for Saturday, focused on protesting the filling of Ginsburg's seat, but many participants will also hope it's their last mass protest against Trump.
To watch feminism over the last four years has been to get a clear view into the dance of protest and backlash in American politics. Many women saw Trump's election as a threat to their rights and, with his defeat of Hillary Clinton, a rebuke of women's power. That helped push these women to make their own, unprecedented gains, but amid a sense that the cost has also been high.
The difficulty of measuring success
I first met Lenore Bell at the Women's March in 2017. The 65-year-old retiree had come from Arizona with her wife, and she was feeling cautiously hopeful.
"My belief is from the suffragettes through civil rights, through Vietnam, the only way we enact change is by taking to the streets like this," she said.
Bell knows the power of protest — she told me about growing up in segregated Alabama, and how she once marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. I called her up recently to ask how successful feminists have been during the Trump presidency. Her answer was mixed.
One the one hand: "I think [the women's movement] has gotten stronger because more women have gone into politics. There are more women in the House of Representatives, from what I can see, and I'm hoping to add more women to the Senate in November," she said.
But then again, she's exhausted, and unsure of how to even assess how well feminists have been able to resist the Trump presidency.
"It is just so hard to determine because there's just so much out there, You know, one day, every day, it looks like there's something different," she said. "It's like, look over here, look over there."
For feminists like Bell, the last four years have been a torrent of headlines both encouraging and demoralizing, of power lost and power gained.
There were #MeToo, Roy Moore, Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh. There was Lucy Flores accusing Joe Biden of behaving inappropriately toward her. There were still more women accusing Trump of sexual assault, pushing the total past two dozen, by some counts. There were a record number of women elected to Congress, and then the president telling "squad" members (all citizens) to go back to where they came from, and a congressman reportedly calling one of those women a sexist slur on the Capitol steps. There were new abortion laws and new Supreme Court decisions about abortion laws. There was the wait for justice for Breonna Taylor. There was coronavirus pulling women out of work. The administration rolling back health protections for transgender Americans. Democrats pondering "electability" as a record number of women ran for president and came up short. Kamala Harris becoming the first woman of color on a major-party presidential ticket. Trump calling Harris a "monster" after her recent vice presidential debate. And, of course, the death of a feminist icon. Confirmation hearings just wrapped up for Amy Coney Barrett — a woman whose abortion stances leave many feminists fearful.
"It was not worth it"
One area where the effect of Donald Trump was clearest was in women running for office. 30,000 women interested in running for office approached the Democratic group Emily's List ahead of the 2018 midterms, compared to fewer than a thousand in 2016. But then, there was that weighing of what feminists gained versus what they felt they had lost when Donald Trump was elected.
"It is not worth, it was not worth it," said Emily's List president Stephanie Schriock in 2018. "I would have taken our 920 who wanted to run [in 2016] to have a different president. I would have taken that."
In the end, women went from around 1 in 5 members of Congress to nearly 1 in 4 — still far from parity. Those gains were overwhelmingly on the Democratic side. Currently, women account for less than 10% of Republican lawmakers.
#MeToo opens the floodgates
Trump is also considered one of the reasons why the "Me Too" movement took off the way it did in 2017. The Access Hollywood tape, and then the women accusing him of assault ahead of the 2016 election, helped set the stage for a flood of accusations against powerful men, including high-level politicians.
Democratic Sen. Al Franken was accused of groping and unwantedly kissing women. Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore was accused of sexual assault, including by women who were minors at the time, which he denied. Former state legislator Lucy Flores accused former Vice President Joe Biden of sniffing her hair and kissing the back of her head. (He denied acting inappropriately.)
And then, in 2018, came Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Those hearings provided a striking parallel — and contrast — to the 1992 accusations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas.
Kate Manne, professor of philosophy at Cornell University, sees in the Kavanaugh hearings further evidence of the women movement's simultaneous advances and backlash against it.
"We both saw that people were, partly for reasons that probably have to do with racism, they were much more prepared to believe [Ford] than they had with Anita Hill," she said.
But then, Manne and other feminists were disappointed that some people didn't believe Ford or take her accusations seriously. Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed, while Blasey Ford moved multiple times and received death threats.
"So I think in a way, it illustrates the interwoven nature of the regressive and progressive steps of that do si do dance," Manne said.
Feminism gets (more) intersectional
Long before Trump ran for office or the Harvey Weinstein story broke, it was a black woman, Tarana Burke, who started the "Me Too" movement in 2006 — just one example of how black women laid the groundwork for feminist advancement.
"Black women have been consistently pouring into our democracy, from the eighteen hundreds to now, and frankly, getting less back than we put into it," notes Glynda Carr, president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, which promotes progressive black women in politics. "And we've consistently been a political force."
Women of color gained congressional seats in 2018, and a record number are running for Congress this year. But moreover, they have been powerful activist forces. Jess Morales Rocketto is a 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign staffer and executive director of Care in Action, which advocates for domestic workers. She points to the Black Lives Matter movement and its founders.
"The effects of the Black Lives Matter movement have rippled across all movements," she said. "Black Lives Matter as an entity and an idea is explicitly pro-feminist and pro-LGBT and especially [pro]-trans. It is because of the leadership of three women."
Relatedly, women of color have gained new prominence in a feminist movement that had long been dominated by white women. Carr stresses that there's a long way to go toward making feminism truly equal, but she hopes that the last four years of progress will stick — again, with that language of weighing what she feels has been gained against what she feels has been lost.
"You also saw white women and our allies stepping out and protesting amid the racial uprisings this summer," Carr said. "And so I would hope that this unfortunate, politically toxic, racially divisive times have actually created more intersectional tables and frank discussions."
A partisan movement
Amid renewed feminist energy during the Trump presidency, the movement has become increasingly partisan. That phenomenon started well before Trump became president, according to one 2017 study. People with feminist beliefs have increasingly filtered into the Democratic Party, reinforcing that feminism more of a question of belief than gender, as The Atlantic reported.
"If you still are a Republican woman these days, you probably are supportive of Trump," said Christine Matthews, a Republican pollster who has been critical of Trump.
Still, Matthews added, conservative-leaning women who oppose Trump often feel that they have been left out of the so-called feminist #resistance.
"I think the perception with Republican women is that [feminism] is a clique-y group," she said. "In these marches, you feel like even if you might oppose Donald Trump and you're pro-life, you feel like you're not welcome to be part of that. [It] sends a message to Republican women: Only a certain kind of woman should be here to protest or to be a feminist."
And amid the growth of the women's movement during the Trump presidency, that question of what beliefs exactly make a person a feminist remains unanswered.
Supporting Joe Biden... not necessarily enthusiastically
The last four years have culminated in a new first for American women: the first woman of color on a major-party presidential ticket.
But for some voters it was a letdown after a record number of women candidates vied for the top position. The Democratic primaries laid bare a deep fear among that party's voters, heightened by Clinton's 2016 defeat: that maybe a woman couldn't beat Trump.
"I have a friend at work — she's like, 'You're not progressive.' She thinks that I don't want a woman president," said voter Anita Burgess at the 2019 National Action Network conference. "I do! But I don't think they're going to do it! And so I can't waste my vote either, because we have to get the orange man out. I'm sorry — orange man got to go."
Many women did support Biden in the primaries. Still, the accusations of misconduct against him, as well as his past stances on issues including abortion, leave some feminists, like Manne, lukewarm on him.
"My hope is that the kind of consciousness raising that's happened during the Trump era might continue under President Biden because of a kind of increased awareness that, while he might represent a return to some degree of normalcy, politically speaking, he is by no means someone who can be fully trusted to get it right," she said.
Rocketto's hopes for Biden are also measured.
"Is he my number one? No. Will I be voting for him enthusiastically? Yes. Do I believe that he has an agenda that is attempting to advance gender equity? Absolutely. Do I think that he is going to be [a] sort of feminist policy icon?" she said. "I'll never say never, but no, I don't think that."
For now, she and other Democratic women are fighting to get Biden elected, as well as to fight the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett. This weekend's women's marches were organized to protest Republicans filling Ginsberg's seat, though the Senate seems poised to do that before Election Day.
Looking back to that first women's march, Rocketto believes that feminists have answered one of the biggest questions that loomed over it.
"The number one thing that people were asking was, 'Is this a moment or a movement?' And that was so irritating then. Because it was just, it's the biggest protest in American history," she said. "It's a movement. Get over yourselves."


npr--2020-10-16--Experts Say Attack On Hunter Biden's Addiction Deepens Stigma For Millions

Experts Say Attack On Hunter Biden 's Addiction Deepens Stigma For Millions When President Trump and Joe Biden faced off for the first — and so far , only — presidential debate late last month , Trump attacked his Democratic rival with a false claim about Hunter Biden .
`` Hunter got thrown out of the military , '' Trump said .
`` He was thrown out , dishonorably discharged , for cocaine use . ''
That 's factually wrong .
Hunter Biden , age 50 , received an administrative discharge , not a dishonorable discharge , from the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for cocaine .
He 's spoken openly about his struggles with addiction , telling the New Yorker magazine last year it 's like a `` darkness . ''
`` My son , like a lot of people , like a lot of people you know at home , had a drug problem , '' said Joe Biden during the Sept. 29 debate with Trump .
`` He 's overtaken it , he 's fixed it , he 's worked on it , and I 'm proud of him . ''
After the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Donald Jr. , doubled down on the attack .
He called Hunter a `` crackhead '' during an appearance on Glenn Beck 's right-wing talk show .
Hunter has been a fixture of Republican and conservative media attacks for years , focused mostly on his controversial business dealings in Ukraine .
But Hunter 's struggle with substance use disorder also surfaces regularly in right-leaning outlets and in attacks by President Trump 's political allies .
Rep. Matt Gaetz ( R-FL ) raised the issue last year during a congressional hearing before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to buy crack cocaine while `` wandering through homeless encampments . ''
It was an apparent reference to Hunter 's account of a relapse he experienced in 2016 , described in The New Yorker article .
Relapses are a common experience for people in treatment for substance use disorder .
These attacks have raised alarm and sparked criticism from those who say the president and his allies are using a disease experienced by 20 million Americans as a political weapon .
`` To hear the president of the United States say this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he thinks this is a way to attack , '' said Eric Michael Garcia , a journalist who entered recovery last year for alcohol and sex addiction .
After the debate Garcia wrote about the attacks on Hunter in the Washington Post , arguing that `` mocking people for their addiction will make them less willing to get help . ''
In an interview with NPR , Garcia said it was hard for him to admit needing help because he feared of the kind of shame and public attacks now hitting the Bidens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be used against other people , people who I love , '' he said .
`` I think that 's something that a lot of people with addiction fear . ''
Experts say stigma can be a life-or-death issue for Americans who suffer addiction .
According to the National Institutes of Health , 75 % of those people never get help , often because of shame and stigma .
`` Words change the way we perceive those with this disease , '' said Gary Mendell who heads a national addiction recovery program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of shame re-enforced by political attacks on Hunter Biden will leave more people reluctant to get help .
Mendell lost his son Brian to addiction in 2011 when the 25-year-old died by suicide after wrestling with shame .
`` He wrote about it in a note to me .
He talked about not being looked at as normal , '' Mendell said .
Drug overdoses killed more than 70,000 people last year .
According to federal researchers , treatment could have prevented many of those deaths .
Addiction is now understood by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness .
But Mendell said that 's only possible if people like his son feel safe getting the care needed to help them manage a `` chronic illness , no different than someone with diabetes . ''
There 's no data — no polls or surveys — to indicate whether this issue will matter to voters .
But according to the CDC , the addiction epidemic is hitting families especially hard in some of the battleground states , including Ohio and Pennsylvania , that could decide the presidential election in November .
Meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disorder can go findtreatment.gov .

Experts Say Attack On Hunter Biden's Addiction Deepens Stigma For Millions
Enlarge this image Alfred Gescheidt/Getty Images Alfred Gescheidt/Getty Images
When President Trump and Joe Biden faced off for the first — and so far, only — presidential debate late last month, Trump attacked his Democratic rival with a false claim about Hunter Biden.
"Hunter got thrown out of the military," Trump said of the former vice president's son. "He was thrown out, dishonorably discharged, for cocaine use."
That's factually wrong. Hunter Biden, 50, received an administrative discharge, not a dishonorable discharge, from the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2014 after he tested positive for cocaine.
He has spoken openly about his struggles with addiction, telling The New Yorker magazine last year that it's like a "darkness."
"My son, like a lot of people, like a lot of people you know at home, had a drug problem," said Joe Biden during the Sept. 29 debate with Trump.
"He's overtaken it, he's fixed it, he's worked on it, and I'm proud of him."
After the debate, however, Trump's son Donald Jr. doubled down on the attack. He called Hunter Biden a "crackhead" during an appearance on Glenn Beck's right-wing talk show.
Hunter Biden has been a fixture of Republican and conservative media attacks for years, focused mostly on his controversial business dealings in Ukraine.
But Biden's struggle with substance use disorder also surfaces regularly in right-leaning outlets and in attacks by Trump's political allies.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., raised the issue last year during a congressional hearing before the president's impeachment, recounting how Hunter Biden tried to buy crack cocaine while "wandering through homeless encampments."
It was an apparent reference to Hunter Biden's account of a relapse he experienced in 2016, described in The New Yorker article.
Relapses are a common experience for people in treatment for substance use disorder.
These attacks have raised alarm and sparked criticism from those who say the president and his allies are using a disease experienced by 20 million Americans as a political weapon.
"To hear the president of the United States say this is a legitimate political smear shows that he thinks this is a way to attack," said Eric Michael Garcia, a journalist who entered recovery last year for alcohol and sex addiction.
After the debate, Garcia wrote about the attacks on Hunter Biden in The Washington Post, arguing that "mocking people for their addiction will make them less willing to get help."
In an interview with NPR, Garcia said it was hard for him to admit needing help because he feared the kind of shame and public attacks now hitting the Bidens.
"I worried my personal shortcomings would be used against other people, people who I love," he said. "I think that's something that a lot of people with addiction fear."
Experts say stigma can be a life-or-death issue for Americans who have addiction problems. According to the National Institutes of Health, 75% of those people never get help, often because of shame and stigma.
"Words change the way we perceive those with this disease," said Gary Mendell who heads a national addiction recovery program called Shatterproof.
He told NPR that the kind of shame reinforced by political attacks on Hunter Biden will leave more people reluctant to get help.
Mendell lost his son, Brian, to addiction in 2011 when the 25-year-old died by suicide after wrestling with shame. "He wrote about it in a note to me. He talked about not being looked at as normal," Mendell said.
Drug overdoses killed more than 70,000 people last year. According to federal researchers, treatment could have prevented many of those deaths.
Addiction is now understood by scientists and health care providers as a treatable illness. But Mendell said that's only possible if people like his son feel safe getting the care needed to help them manage a "chronic illness, no different than someone with diabetes."
There's no data — no polls or surveys — to indicate whether this issue will matter to voters. But according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the addiction epidemic is hitting families especially hard in some of the battleground states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, that could decide the presidential election in November.
Meanwhile, anyone needing help for substance use disorder can go findtreatment.gov.


npr--2020-10-16--City In China Tests 10 Million People After 13 COVID-19 Cases Are Found

City In China Tests 10 Million People After 13 COVID-19 Cases Are Found The Chinese port city of Qingdao is under soft lockdown after a cluster of 13 COVID-19 cases was discovered last weekend .
In the last five days , health authorities say they conducted more than 10 million COVID-19 tests of all Qingdao residents , all of which came back negative .
Still , residents have been asked to remain at home , flights to Beijing have been canceled and travelers from Qingdao to other parts of China must quarantine .
All 13 cases were traced back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday .
The 13 include seven patients , three health workers , a dock worker and two people in close contact with the others .
Two asymptomatic coronavirus carriers were also staying at the same hospital .
According to Qingdao 's deputy mayor , prior to contracting COVID-19 many of the 13 patients also suffered from tuberculosis , making them vulnerable to coronavirus infection .
On Sept. 24 , Qingdao reported that two dock workers tested positive for the coronavirus during a routine health check , but neither showed any symptoms .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 patients until an asymptomatic individual develops fever or flu-like symptoms . )
The two dock workers had handled frozen imported seafood , a sample of which tested positive for the coronavirus on the surface of its packaging .
One of the two dock workers began exhibiting symptoms on Oct. 14 , nearly three weeks after first testing positive for the virus , and became the 13th patient in Qingdao 's cluster .
News of the latest infections came just days after China 's weeklong National Day holiday .
An estimated 600 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boosting the struggling tourism industry .
On Friday , the city of Guangzhou , more than 1,000 miles south of Qingdao , found one asymptomatic coronavirus carrier , a 40-year-old man , during a routine health check .
Local health authorities say the case likely is linked to contact with an infected international traveler .
The man works at a hotel used by the city for centralized quarantines and has been placed under medical observation at a local hospital .
Since March , China has instituted mandatory , centralized 14-day quarantine for any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost all COVID-19 cases in China now occur among inbound travelers .

City In China Tests 10 Million People After 13 COVID-19 Cases Are Found
Enlarge this image toggle caption Li Ziheng/AP Li Ziheng/AP
The Chinese port city of Qingdao is under soft lockdown after a cluster of 13 COVID-19 cases was discovered last weekend.
In the past five days, health authorities say they conducted more than 10 million coronavirus tests of all Qingdao residents, all of which came back negative. Still, residents have been asked to remain at home, flights to Beijing have been canceled and travelers from Qingdao to other parts of China must quarantine.
All 13 cases were traced back to a Qingdao hospital, municipal authorities said Friday. The 13 include seven patients, three health workers, a dock worker and two people in close contact with the others. Two asymptomatic coronavirus carriers were also staying at the same hospital.
According to Qingdao's deputy mayor, prior to contracting COVID-19 many of the 13 patients also suffered from tuberculosis, making them vulnerable to coronavirus infection.
On Sept. 24, Qingdao reported that two dock workers tested positive for the coronavirus during a routine health check, but neither showed any symptoms. (China tallies asymptomatic carriers separately from confirmed COVID-19 patients until an asymptomatic individual develops fever or flu-like symptoms.)
The two dock workers had handled frozen imported seafood, a sample of which tested positive for the coronavirus on the surface of its packaging. One of the two dock workers began exhibiting symptoms on Oct. 14, nearly three weeks after first testing positive for the virus, and became the 13th patient in Qingdao's cluster.
News of the latest infections came just days after China's weeklong National Day holiday. An estimated 600 million people traveled domestically during the break, boosting the struggling tourism industry.
On Friday, the city of Guangzhou, more than 1,000 miles south of Qingdao, found one asymptomatic coronavirus carrier, a 40-year-old man, during a routine health check. Local health authorities say the case likely is linked to contact with an infected international traveler. The man works at a hotel used by the city for centralized quarantines and has been placed under medical observation at a local hospital.
Since March, China has instituted mandatory, centralized 14-day quarantine for any individual entering the country from abroad. Almost all COVID-19 cases in China now occur among inbound travelers.


npr--2020-10-16--Former Defense Secretary Of Mexico Arrested In Los Angeles

Former Defense Secretary Of Mexico Arrested In Los Angeles Retired Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos , who served as Mexico 's secretary of national defense during an extended , intensely violent struggle between Mexico 's army and the nation 's drug cartels , was arrested Thursday night at Los Angeles International Airport on a warrant from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration , a DEA spokesperson said .
Mexico 's foreign secretary , Marcelo Ebrard , confirmed the arrest via Twitter , writing that U.S .
Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau informed him of Cienfuegos ' detention .
Ebrard wrote that Mexico 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inform him of the charges facing Cienfuegos , and that the retired general would receive normal consular services .
DEA Los Angeles Division spokesperson Nicole Nishida confirmed the arrest to Reuters but would not provide details of the warrant or the circumstances of Cienfuegos ' arrest .
Cienfuegos , 72 , served as defense secretary from 2012 to 2018 under former President Enrique Peña Nieto .
Felipe Calderón , Peña Nieto 's predecessor , used the army - one of the country 's few institutions which enjoys widespread public support - in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Peña Nieto pledged to step back from the so-called drug war in an effort to reduce the horrific levels of violence brought on by the conflict , but the murder rate in Mexico remained high throughout his term .
Judging by Ebrard 's tweet , the U.S. arrest of Cienfuegos did not appear to be coordinated with Mexican authorities .
Cienfuegos ' arrest appears to be the first of a top-ranking Mexican military officer in the ongoing fight against drug cartels .

U.S. Arrests Mexico's Ex-Defense Chief, Accused Of Helping Drug Cartel
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP Carolyn Kaster/AP
Updated at 6:27 p.m. ET
A former Mexican defense secretary is under arrest in the United States. U.S. prosecutors allege that Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos took bribes from a powerful Mexican cartel, allowing it to traffic drugs across the United States.
According to an indictment unsealed Friday, from December 2015 to February 2017, during part of his time as defense chief, Cienfuegos allegedly also worked on behalf of a deadly criminal organization and was known as "El Padrino" — "The Godfather."
"The defendant [Cienfuegos] abused that public position to help the H-2 Cartel, an extremely violent Mexican drug trafficking organization, traffic thousands of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States," said a letter from prosecutors to a U.S. District Court judge in New York.
"In exchange for bribe payments," the letter alleged, he permitted the cartel "to operate with impunity in Mexico" while it ran lucrative distribution cells in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Ohio, Minnesota, North Carolina and New York.
U.S. agents took Cienfuegos into custody on Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport. He will later be transferred to New York, where the case will be handled.
The news sent shock waves in Mexico as the latest possible sign of corruption at the highest levels of the country's power elite.
The 72-year-old general recently retired after a long career in the Mexican army. His last post was defense secretary from 2012 to 2018 under then-President Enrique Peña Nieto.
Some Mexicans may have been surprised by the arrest, but the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said he wasn't.
"The main problem in Mexico is corruption," López Obrador said in his Friday morning news briefing.
It is "regrettable" that someone so high up in the government is accused of ties to drug traffickers, the president said.
López Obrador, who was elected in a landslide two years ago on promises of cleaning up government, said he knew of no Mexican government agency investigating Cienfuegos. He said he was told of the Los Angeles arrest Thursday night by his foreign secretary, who had been informed by the U.S. ambassador to Mexico.
"This is a process of progressive degradation," he said Friday, "and we are trying now to figure out how deep the corruption goes."
Cienfuegos is the highest-ranking Mexican official ever arrested on drug trafficking charges, and the second detained by U.S. authorities in recent months. Last year, U.S. officials arrested the head of public security under former President Felipe Calderón and charged him with drug trafficking.
Calderón put Mexico's military at the forefront of the country's crackdown on cartels after he took office in late 2006. That role for the military continued into the next administration, under Peña Nieto, with Cienfuegos as defense chief.
At a military ceremony in 2017, Cienfuegos said he was there to serve the public without questions, lies or tricks.
But according to the U.S. indictment, the retired general was serving H-2, which is considered a branch of the Beltrán-Leyva criminal organization. The prosecutors allege Cienfuegos took bribes to protect the cartel and its leaders, that he informed them of pending military actions against them and even had troops launch operations against a rival cartel.
Raúl Benítez, a military analyst at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said Cienfuegos' arrest will shake up the country's leaders. "They will have to reflect on whether the military should continue doing so many internal security functions in the country," Benítez said.
Despite promises during his presidential campaign, López Obrador has expanded the role of the military, having it run the country's ports and build vital infrastructure projects.
Benítez said that's problematic since there still aren't controls in place to monitor senior authorities in Mexico. "Nobody is watching the high-ranking officials," he said.
As a case in point, he added, that's why there is no investigation into Cienfuegos taking place in Mexico.
López Obrador said he continues to have "full confidence" in his military, including the heads of the army and navy who served under Cienfuegos. The Mexican president said he is sure the two are "incorruptible."


npr--2020-10-15--With Debate Canceled, Trump And Biden Appear In Dueling Town Halls

With Debate Canceled , Trump And Biden Appear In Dueling Town Halls In a unique political split-screen , President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appeared in competing town halls at the same time on Thursday night .
Among their notable answers , Trump declined to denounce the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory , while Biden said he 'd offer a more concrete answer on `` court packing '' before Election Day .
The two were supposed to appear in one event Thursday night , but Trump balked at the decision by debate organizers to hold a virtual town hall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic .
The campaign of Biden , the Democratic nominee , then scheduled a town hall on ABC News .
Days later , the Republican Trump 's campaign set an event with NBC News .
The first segment of Trump 's town hall , held in Miami , was questions by NBC moderator Savannah Guthrie , before prospective voters got a chance to weigh in .
While Trump often sparred with Guthrie during an hour of back and forth , Biden spun out often-lengthy , policy-heavy responses to voter questions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stephanopoulos , in Philadelphia .
Trump discussed a wide range of topics , including his handling of the coronavirus , which he defended ; the times he failed to denounce white supremacists , which he denied ; and the question of whether he would agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses to Biden , which he again answered obliquely .
`` And the answer is yes I will .
But I want it to be an honest election and so does everyone else , '' said Trump , who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election .
An exchange over QAnon produced a rather startling moment , when the president declined to denounce it after Guthrie briefly explained the baseless conspiracy theory : that Trump is battling a `` deep state '' child sex trafficking ring run by Democrats .
`` I know nothing about it .
I do know that they are very much against pedophilia , '' he said , before pivoting : `` I 'll tell you what I do know about : I know about antifa and I know about the radical left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a discussion on Trump 's tax returns , which were revealed last month in a bombshell New York Times report .
Speaking on his finances and the Times ' disclosure that he holds debts totaling $ 421 million , Trump said : `` The amount of money , $ 400 million , is a peanut .
It 's extremely under-levered .
And it 's levered with normal banks . ''
Biden also fielded questions on the pandemic and the economy , as well as fracking , foreign policy and transgender rights .
Notably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to date on the question of court packing — the idea promoted by some Democrats to add justices to the Supreme Court should the Senate confirm Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the court this fall .
In recent weeks , Biden had avoided directly answering whether he supports the idea , but Biden this week reiterated that he 's `` not a fan . ''
`` I 'm not a fan , but it depends on how this turns out , '' Biden said during the town hall .
`` Not how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handled . ''
Asked to clarify what he meant by that , Biden said he would make a judgment based on whether a genuine debate can play out on the Senate floor during Barrett 's confirmation process .
Pressed further , Biden said he would make his position clear before Election Day , `` depending on how they handle this . ''
`` They do have a right to know where I stand , '' Biden said .
`` They have a right to know where I stand before they vote . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ support of decades-old crime legislation that is blamed for increasing incarceration , especially among minority men .
Stephanopoulos asked Biden if his support of such legislation was a mistake .
`` Yes , it was , '' he replied .
But here 's where the mistake came : The mistake came in terms of what the states did locally . ''
Biden then defended parts of the legislation he said he advocated for , such as drug courts .
Biden also said `` we should be thinking about '' making vaccination against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines be proven safe and effective , but said he recognized it would be very difficult to enforce vaccination .
A presidential debate was initially scheduled to be held on Thursday , but after Trump was diagnosed with — and eventually recovered from — the coronavirus , his campaign refused to adhere to holding a virtual event instead of an in-person debate , leading to the dueling town hall programs .
Trump on Thursday night also said he did n't know if he had been tested for the coronavirus prior to the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked whether his team had adhered to the debate commission 's `` honor system '' for the candidates to arrive with a negative coronavirus test , Trump said : `` I do n't know .
I do n't even remember .
I test all the time .
But I can tell you this : After the debate , like , I guess a day or so — I think it was Thursday evening , maybe even late Thursday evening , I tested positive . ''
There is one more debate on the schedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nashville .
Biden was asked whether he expects that debate to happen and whether he will demand that Trump test negative on the day of the debate before the two appear on the same stage .
`` It 's just decency to be able to determine whether or not you 're clear , '' Biden said .
`` I expect to be there . ''

With Debate Canceled, Trump And Biden Appear In Dueling Town Halls
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 11:27 p.m. ET
In a unique political split screen, President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appeared in competing town halls at the same time on Thursday night.
Among their notable answers, Trump declined to denounce the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, while Biden said he would offer a more concrete answer on "court packing" before Election Day.
The two were supposed to appear in one event Thursday night, but Trump balked at the decision by debate organizers to hold a virtual town hall because of health and safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign of Biden, the Democratic nominee, then scheduled a town hall on ABC News. Days later, the Republican Trump's campaign set an event with NBC News.
The first segment of Trump's town hall, held in Miami, was questions by NBC moderator Savannah Guthrie, before prospective voters got a chance to weigh in. While Trump often sparred with Guthrie during an hour of back and forth, Biden spun out often-lengthy, policy-heavy responses to voter questions and follow-ups from the ABC moderator, George Stephanopoulos, in Philadelphia.
Trump on QAnon and "peanut" debt
Trump discussed a wide range of topics, including his handling of the coronavirus, which he defended; the times he failed to denounce white supremacists, which he denied; and the question of whether he would agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses to Biden, which he again answered obliquely.
"And the answer is 'yes, I will.' But I want it to be an honest election and so does everyone else," said Trump, who has offered unfounded warnings about the integrity of the election.
An exchange over QAnon produced a rather startling moment, when the president declined to denounce it after Guthrie briefly explained the baseless conspiracy theory: that Trump is battling a "deep state" child sex trafficking ring run by Democrats.
"I know nothing about it. I do know that they are very much against pedophilia," he said, before pivoting: "I'll tell you what I do know about: I know about antifa and I know about the radical left."
Another contentious moment came amid a discussion on Trump's tax returns, which were revealed last month in a bombshell New York Times report.
Speaking about his finances and the Times' disclosure that he holds debts totaling $421 million, Trump said: "The amount of money, $400 million, is a peanut. It's extremely underlevered. And it's levered with normal banks."
Biden on court packing and crime bill
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP Carolyn Kaster/AP
Biden also fielded questions on the pandemic and the economy, as well as fracking, foreign policy and transgender rights.
Notably, Biden made his most extensive comments to date on the question of court packing — the idea promoted by some Democrats to add justices to the Supreme Court should the Senate confirm Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the court this fall.
In recent weeks, Biden had avoided directly answering whether he supports the idea, but Biden this week reiterated that he's "not a fan."
"I'm not a fan, but it depends on how this turns out," Biden said during the town hall. "Not how he wins, but how it's handled."
Asked to clarify what he meant by that, Biden said he would make a judgment based on whether a genuine debate can play out on the Senate floor during Barrett's confirmation process. Pressed further, Biden said he would make his position clear before Election Day, "depending on how they handle this."
"They do have a right to know where I stand," Biden said. "They have a right to know where I stand before they vote."
The Democrat was also pressed on his support of decades-old crime legislation that is blamed for increasing incarceration, especially among minority men.
Stephanopoulos asked Biden if his support of such legislation was a mistake.
"Yes, it was," he replied. "But here's where the mistake came: The mistake came in terms of what the states did locally." Biden then defended parts of the legislation he said he advocated for, such as drug courts.
Biden also said, "We should be thinking about" making vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory, should a vaccine or vaccines be proven safe and effective, but said he recognized it would be very difficult to enforce vaccination.
Debate debate
A presidential debate was initially scheduled to be held on Thursday, but after Trump was diagnosed with — and eventually recovered from — the coronavirus, his campaign refused to adhere to holding a virtual event instead of an in-person debate, leading to the dueling town hall programs.
Trump on Thursday night also said he didn't know if he had been tested for the coronavirus prior to the first debate, on Sept. 29.
When asked whether his team had adhered to the debate commission's "honor system" for the candidates to arrive with a negative coronavirus test, Trump said: "I don't know. I don't even remember. I test all the time. But I can tell you this: After the debate, like, I guess a day or so — I think it was Thursday evening, maybe even late Thursday evening, I tested positive."
There is one more debate on the schedule before the election: Oct. 22 in Nashville.
Biden was asked whether he expects that debate to happen and whether he will demand that Trump test negative on the day of the debate before the two appear on the same stage.
"It's just decency to be able to determine whether or not you're clear," Biden said. "I expect to be there."


npr--2020-10-16--Bernard Cohen, Lawyer Who Argued Loving V. Virginia Case, Dies At 86

Bernard Cohen , who as a young lawyer successfully argued the Supreme Court case that struck down Virginia 's ban on interracial marriages , has died at age 86 .
Cohen died Monday in Fredericksburg , Va .
The cause was Parkinson 's disease , his family told NPR .
Cohen was an attorney in Alexandria , Va. , just a few years out of law school when the American Civil Liberties Union , where he was a volunteer , asked if he would take on the case of Richard and Mildred Loving .
Mildred was Black and Native American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had married in 1958 in Washington , D.C. , where interracial marriage was legal .
But on returning home to Virginia , they were arrested , jailed and barred from the state for 25 years for violating the state 's Racial Integrity Act .
Cohen took the case , working with co-counsel Philip Hirschkop , and the case went to the highest court in the land .
He argued the Lovings and their children had the right to feel protected under the law just like any other family .
`` And that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wake up in the morning or to go to sleep at night knowing that the sheriff will not be knocking on their door or shining a light in their face in the privacy of their bedroom for illicit co-habitation , '' he told the court .
The Supreme Court 's unanimous 1967 ruling in Loving v. Virginia overturned the couple 's conviction – and nullified anti-miscegenation laws in Virginia and more than a dozen other states .
Interracial marriage was now legal in every state in the union .
Rae Cohen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remembers events that suggested not everyone in Alexandria was happy with her husband 's role in the case .
`` There were a couple little incidents , '' she says .
`` We lived in a house that did n't have a garage .
I found sugar in my gasoline tank one morning . ''
`` And some nasty phone calls .
Your mind wants to forget these things , '' she says with a laugh .
The Cohens kept in touch with the Lovings after the case , enjoying visits with Mildred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They were very simple people , who were not interested in winning any civil rights principle , '' Bernard Cohen said of the Lovings in a 2007 interview with NPR .
`` They just were in love with one another and wanted the right to live together as husband and wife in Virginia , without any interference from officialdom .
When I told Richard that this case was , in all likelihood , going to go to the Supreme Court of the United States , he became wide-eyed and his jaw dropped , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was born in Brooklyn in 1934 .
He graduated from the City College of New York in 1956 with an economics degree , and from Georgetown Law School four years later .
In addition to his wife , he is survived by his children Bennett and Karen , as well as three grandchildren .
From 1980 to 1996 , Cohen served in the Virginia House of Delegates , as a Democrat representing Alexandria .
He pushed for right-to-die legislation , commuter rail in the state , and a ban on smoking indoors in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get through a ban on smoking in restaurants , his daughter Karen recalls , but managed to get the General Assembly to ban smoking in elevators .
He left the state assembly in 1996 when he decided it had become too negative , his daughter says .
`` He had Republican friends and Republican colleagues who he respected and admired and they respected and admired him , '' says Karen Cohen .
`` And he always felt that [ you can have ] proper polite civil discourse and you can disagree , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be nasty . ''
His family says that since his death , there has been an outpouring of remembrances and gratitude .
Some of those messages have been from strangers who have interracial marriages of their own – and say they celebrate `` Loving Day '' each year on June 12 .

Bernard Cohen, Lawyer Who Argued Loving V. Virginia Case, Dies At 86
Enlarge this image toggle caption Cohen family Cohen family
Bernard Cohen, who as a young lawyer successfully argued the Supreme Court case that struck down Virginia's ban on interracial marriages, has died at age 86.
Cohen died Monday in Fredericksburg, Va. The cause was Parkinson's disease, his family told NPR.
Cohen was an attorney in Alexandria, Va., just a few years out of law school when the American Civil Liberties Union, where he was a volunteer, asked if he would take on the case of Richard and Mildred Loving.
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
Mildred was Black and Native American, and Richard was white. They had married in 1958 in Washington, D.C., where interracial marriage was legal. But on returning home to Virginia, they were arrested, jailed and barred from the state for 25 years for violating the state's Racial Integrity Act.
Cohen took the case, working with co-counsel Philip Hirschkop, and the case went to the highest court in the land. He argued the Lovings and their children had the right to feel protected under the law just like any other family.
"And that is the right of Richard and Mildred Loving to wake up in the morning or to go to sleep at night knowing that the sheriff will not be knocking on their door or shining a light in their face in the privacy of their bedroom for illicit co-habitation," he told the court.
The Supreme Court's unanimous 1967 ruling in Loving v. Virginia overturned the couple's conviction – and nullified anti-miscegenation laws in Virginia and more than a dozen other states. Interracial marriage was now legal in every state in the union.
Rae Cohen, Bernard's wife of 61 years, remembers events that suggested not everyone in Alexandria was happy with her husband's role in the case.
"There were a couple little incidents," she says. "We lived in a house that didn't have a garage. I found sugar in my gasoline tank one morning."
"And some nasty phone calls. Your mind wants to forget these things," she says with a laugh.
The Cohens kept in touch with the Lovings after the case, enjoying visits with Mildred until her death in 2008.
"They were very simple people, who were not interested in winning any civil rights principle," Bernard Cohen said of the Lovings in a 2007 interview with NPR.
"They just were in love with one another and wanted the right to live together as husband and wife in Virginia, without any interference from officialdom. When I told Richard that this case was, in all likelihood, going to go to the Supreme Court of the United States, he became wide-eyed and his jaw dropped," he remembered.
Bernard Sol Cohen was born in Brooklyn in 1934. He graduated from the City College of New York in 1956 with an economics degree, and from Georgetown Law School four years later. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children Bennett and Karen, as well as three grandchildren.
From 1980 to 1996, Cohen served in the Virginia House of Delegates, as a Democrat representing Alexandria. He pushed for right-to-die legislation, commuter rail in the state, and a ban on smoking indoors in public places. He wasn't able to get through a ban on smoking in restaurants, his daughter Karen recalls, but managed to get the General Assembly to ban smoking in elevators.
He left the state assembly in 1996 when he decided it had become too negative, his daughter says.
"He had Republican friends and Republican colleagues who he respected and admired and they respected and admired him," says Karen Cohen. "And he always felt that [you can have] proper polite civil discourse and you can disagree, but there was never any need to be nasty."
His family says that since his death, there has been an outpouring of remembrances and gratitude.
Some of those messages have been from strangers who have interracial marriages of their own – and say they celebrate "Loving Day" each year on June 12.


npr--2020-10-16--Coronavirus FAQs: Open Windows In Winter, Holding Your Breath, Sprayed Masks?

Each week , we answer `` frequently asked questions '' about life during the coronavirus crisis .
If you have a question you 'd like us to consider for a future post , email us at goatsandsoda @ npr.org with the subject line : `` Weekly Coronavirus Questions . ''
I live in a cold ( North Dakota ) climate and will very soon have to give up outdoor socializing .
If I want to try indoor socializing it 'll be too cold to keep windows wide open for a long stretch .
Would it help to open a window @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every so often ?
Brr !
Around the country , as colder temperatures set in , outdoor social gatherings can be harder to swing .
Even our dearest friends would find it hard to join us on a snowy , windy backyard picnic or around-the-block stroll .
So from a comfort perspective , it makes sense to consider moving social activities indoors .
But you 're definitely incurring more risk : The outdoor air can disrupt potentially infectious exhalations .
Is there a way to use open windows and air filters and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outdoors ?
Before you go down that road , Sonali Advani , an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University , warns that there are limitations to focusing on ventilation via open windows as a way to prevent transmission .
`` Ventilation is one of the many interventions we recommend , '' she says .
`` All of these measures , from masks to social distancing , work together in symphony .
Relying on one alone will inevitably cause gaps in protection . ''
Those latter two measures — masks and distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ventilation alone , Advani explains .
So the best way to minimize risk is to mask up and stay six feet apart .
If you do end up meeting friends indoors — and Advani says you should seriously think about that decision because of the heightened risks of transmission associated with inside spaces — she 's not sure how meaningful opening the windows for a short spell every 15-20 minutes would be when it comes to reducing risk .
The total effect , she says , would likely be marginal .
Ventilation itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when it 's highly robust — windows open on both sides of a room to allow for cross-ventilation and an open , airy space with very few people , for example .
Most people ca n't guarantee that at home .
`` When we talk about ventilation , what we really care about is air exchanges '' or the number of times that air gets replaced in each room every hour .
That can be accomplished with a robust air handling system — think airplanes and properly outfitted buildings .
But , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controlled way of doing that when opening a window . ''
Stephen Morse , an epidemiology professor at Columbia University , agrees— but adds that some ventilation is probably `` better than none . ''
So if you feel inclined to blast open a window in the middle of your North Dakota weather , go for it .
Just do so while understanding the severe limitations .
And those limitations ?
Well , as Morse explains , there are potentially lots of them .
For instance : `` You ca n't really tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just at the moment when the window is not open — in which case , you have n't gotten much benefit . ''
Plus , since there 's little to no data on this , Morse says it can be hard for experts to give a definitive answer on risk .
`` Opening windows and doors intermittently may have some effect on helping with creating more air flow , but the specifics of each room and situation would be different , '' Harvard Medical School physician Abraar Karan says .
But one thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If people are willing to wear masks and commit to social distancing [ inside ] , that will help quite a bit — even [ indoors with windows closed ] in cold weather . ''
Does holding your breath while walking by an unmasked ( or masked ) person help reduce the odds of transmission ?
It 's every pandemic precautionist 's worst nightmare .
You 've followed all the rules — siloing yourself to your house or apartment and leaving only for a CDC-approved walk around the block .
But what if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stops to ask you a question ?
What if that person is infected and expelling viral particles ?
Would holding your breath prevent you from inhaling any potentially infectious bits ?
Chances are — sorry to report — probably not to a great extent .
To begin with , the chances of transmission from a mini-encounter like the one above are rather small , Sonali Advani of Duke University explains .
Especially if you 're outdoors and you do n't stop to speak with the person you 're passing .
`` Transmission is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding your breath ] likely wo n't make a difference , '' Abraar Karan of Harvard says .
`` If someone just sneezed in front of you , I would n't recommend inhaling that — but generally we believe it takes several minutes at least for transmission to occur . ''
Advani recommends carrying a mask with you to pop on in case a situation like this occurs .
Would spraying some kind of oil — like WD-40 or a silicone or lube-type spray — on the outside of my mask help trap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to DIY-upgrades on COVID-19 face masks , our sources are skeptical .
For one , Sonali Advani of Duke University worries about the impact that rubbing such an oil would have on filtration efficiency — the main purpose of a good mask .
And there might even be added risks .
`` Oil may cause bacteria to grow and affect the filtration process of the mask '' she says .
`` That might possibly increase the risk of bacterial infection . ''
In general , our sources stress that people should stick to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to get too fancy with it .
`` The virus itself largely travels within droplets or aerosol particles .
Using an oil coating on a mask has not been studied in this manner to have any effect .
Altering mask materials could negate efficacy , '' says Harvard 's Abraar Karan .
He concludes , `` I would n't put an oil coating on a mask . ''

Coronavirus FAQs: Open Windows In Winter, Holding Your Breath, Sprayed Masks?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tessa Bunney/Corbis via Getty Images Tessa Bunney/Corbis via Getty Images
Each week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions."
I live in a cold (North Dakota) climate and will very soon have to give up outdoor socializing. If I want to try indoor socializing, it'll be too cold to keep windows wide open for a long stretch. Would it help to open a window or door for a minute or two every so often?
Brr! Around the U.S., as colder temperatures set in, outdoor social gatherings can be harder to swing. Even our dearest friends would find it hard to join us for a snowy, windy backyard picnic or around-the-block stroll.
So from a comfort perspective, it makes sense to consider moving social activities indoors. But you're definitely incurring more risk: The outdoor air can disrupt potentially infectious exhalations. Is there a way to use open windows, air filters and other strategies to make the indoors more like the outdoors?
Before you go down that road, Sonali Advani, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University, warns that there are limitations to focusing on ventilation via open windows as a way to prevent viral transmission.
"Ventilation is one of the many interventions we recommend," she says. "All of these measures, from masks to social distancing, work together in symphony. Relying on one alone will inevitably cause gaps in protection."
Those latter two measures — masks and distancing — are probably more important than just ventilation alone, Advani explains. So the best way to minimize risk is to mask up and stay 6 feet apart.
If you do end up meeting friends indoors — and Advani says you should seriously think about that decision because of the heightened risk of transmission associated with inside spaces — she's not sure how meaningful opening the windows for a short spell every 15 to 20 minutes would be when it comes to reducing risk. The total effect, she says, would likely be marginal.
Ventilation itself is only really helpful, she argues, when it's highly robust: windows open on both sides of a room to allow for cross-ventilation and an open, airy space with very few people, for example. Most people can't guarantee that at home. "When we talk about ventilation, what we really care about is air exchanges," or the number of times that air gets replaced in each room every hour. That can be accomplished with a robust air-handling system — think airplanes and properly outfitted buildings. But, she says, "there's no controlled way of doing that when opening a window."
Stephen Morse, an epidemiology professor at Columbia University, agrees — but adds that some ventilation is probably "better than none." So if you feel inclined to blast open a window in the middle of your North Dakota weather, go for it. Just do so while understanding the severe limitations.
And those limitations? Well, as Morse explains, there are potentially lots of them. For instance: "You can't really tell if the virus is in the air just at the moment when the window is not open — in which case, you haven't gotten much benefit."
Plus, since there's little to no data on this, Morse says it can be hard for experts to give a definitive answer on risk.
"Opening windows and doors intermittently may have some effect on helping with creating more airflow, but the specifics of each room and situation would be different," Harvard Medical School physician Abraar Karan says.
But one thing is clear, Morse says: "If people are willing to wear masks and commit to social distancing [inside], that will help quite a bit — even [indoors with windows closed] in cold weather."
Does holding your breath while walking by an unmasked (or masked) person help reduce the odds of transmission?
It's every pandemic precautionist's worst nightmare. You've followed all the rules — siloing yourself to your house or apartment and leaving only for a CDC-approved walk around the block.
But what if an unmasked person passes by? And stops to ask you a question?
What if that person is infected and expelling viral particles? Would holding your breath prevent you from inhaling any potentially infectious bits?
Chances are — sorry to report — probably not to a great extent.
To begin with, the chances of transmission from a mini-encounter like the one above are rather small, Advani, of Duke, explains — especially if you're outdoors and you don't stop to speak with the person you're passing.
"Transmission is unlikely to happen in seconds, so [holding your breath] likely won't make a difference," Karan, of Harvard, says. "If someone just sneezed in front of you, I wouldn't recommend inhaling that, but generally we believe it takes several minutes at least for transmission to occur."
Advani recommends carrying a mask with you to pop on in case a situation like this occurs.
Would spraying some kind of oil — like WD-40 or a silicone or lube-type spray — on the outside of my mask help trap viral particles better?
When it comes to DIY upgrades on masks, our sources are skeptical.
For one, Advani worries about the impact that rubbing on such an oil would have on filtration efficiency — the main purpose of a good mask. And there might even be added risks.
"Oil may cause bacteria to grow and affect the filtration process of the mask," she says. "That might possibly increase the risk of bacterial infection."
In general, our sources stress that people should stick to the basics of COVID-19 protection and try not to get too fancy with it.
"The virus itself largely travels within droplets or aerosol particles. Using an oil coating on a mask has not been studied in this manner to have any effect. Altering mask materials could negate efficacy," says Karan.
He concludes, "I wouldn't put an oil coating on a mask."
Pranav Baskar is a freelance journalist.


npr--2020-10-16--21 Alleged White Supremacists Indicted In Utah On Federal Drug And Firearms Charges

21 Alleged White Supremacists Indicted In Utah On Federal Drug And Firearms Charges Twenty-one Utah-based white supremacists have been indicted on drug and firearms charges – a move by the Justice Department that comes just days after alleged white supremacist gang members in Texas , Kentucky and Mississippi were brought up on similar charges .
In the latest case , the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the District of Utah said in a statement that the charges were unsealed in federal court following an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force of the Soldiers of Aryan Culture , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and associates .
The defendants were described as `` documented gang members and associates of several home-grown white supremacist gangs '' from around the Salt Lake City and Ogden areas .
The Justice Department said 11 arrests were made on Wednesday and that 10 other defendants were already in custody .
The indictments stem from an investigation that began in June 2019 that involved the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms and two gang units , the statement said .
`` The investigation led law enforcement officers to numerous documented gang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ firearms , '' the statement said .
`` Many of the defendants have been involved in criminal conduct in Utah communities for many years . ''
It said that about 1.65 pounds of methamphetamine were purchased and 15 firearms recovered during the investigation .
On Wednesday , the Justice Department announced the indictment of two dozen people , including members of an alleged white supremacist prison gang , in Texas , Kentucky and Mississippi , on charges related to violent acts , including murder .
Five indictments in three different states involved 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( AC ) gang members and associates , on charges of racketeering conspiracy , violent crimes in aid of racketeering , drug conspiracy , and unlawful firearms trafficking , '' the DOJ said .
`` According to court documents , the AC is a violent , race‑based organization that operates inside federal prisons across the country and outside prisons in states including Texas , Arkansas , Louisiana , and Missouri , '' the statement said .
`` Court records further indicate that the AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempted murder , assault , and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the organization , '' it added .
Separately , on Thursday , a man pleaded guilty in a plot to firebomb a Jewish synagogue in Pueblo , Colo .
The FBI said Richard Holzer , who made the pleas in federal court , is a known white supremacist who wanted to drive the Jewish people out of Pueblo .
The FBI has long been concerned about the rise of right-wing extremist groups and white supremacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Committee last month , Director Christopher Wray warned about violent extremist groups , telling lawmakers that `` racially motivated violent extremism '' — mostly white supremacists — has made up the majority of domestic terrorism threats .
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have also expressed concern about domestic extremism in the lead up to the Nov. 3 election , according to Reuters .
Last month , the director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness , warned of a `` witch 's brew that really has n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @

21 Alleged White Supremacists Indicted In Utah On Federal Drug And Firearms Charges
Twenty-one Utah-based white supremacists have been indicted on drug and firearms charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The move comes just days after alleged white supremacist gang members in Texas, Kentucky and Mississippi were brought up on similar charges.
In the latest case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah said in a statement that the charges were unsealed in federal court following an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force of the Soldiers of Aryan Culture, Silent Aryan Warriors, Noble Elect Thugs, and associates.
The defendants were described as "documented gang members and associates of several home-grown white supremacist gangs" from around the Salt Lake City and Ogden areas.
The Justice Department said 11 arrests were made on Wednesday and that 10 other defendants were already in custody. The indictments stem from an investigation that began in June 2019 that involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and two gang units, the statement said.
"The investigation led law enforcement officers to numerous documented gang members and associates trafficking in methamphetamine and firearms," the statement said. "Many of the defendants have been involved in criminal conduct in Utah communities for many years."
It said that about 1.65 pounds of methamphetamine were purchased and 15 firearms recovered during the investigation.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced the indictment of two dozen people, including members of an alleged white supremacist prison gang, in Texas, Kentucky and Mississippi, on charges related to violent acts, including murder.
Five indictments in three different states involved 24 defendants, "including alleged Aryan Circle (AC) gang members and associates, on charges of racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug conspiracy, and unlawful firearms trafficking," the DOJ said.
"According to court documents, the AC is a violent, race‑based organization that operates inside federal prisons across the country and outside prisons in states including Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri," the statement said.
"Court records further indicate that the AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, assault, and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the organization," it added.
Separately, on Thursday, a man pleaded guilty in a plot to firebomb a Jewish synagogue in Pueblo, Colo.
The FBI said Richard Holzer, who made the pleas in federal court, is a known white supremacist who wanted to drive the Jewish people out of Pueblo.
The FBI has long been concerned about the rise of right-wing extremist groups and white supremacy. In testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee last month, Director Christopher Wray warned about violent extremist groups, telling lawmakers that "racially motivated violent extremism" — mostly white supremacists — has made up the majority of domestic terrorism threats.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have also expressed concern about domestic extremism in the lead up to the Nov. 3 election, according to Reuters.
Last month, the director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, warned of a "witch's brew that really hasn't happened in America's history."


npr--2020-10-16--Trump Announces Partnership With CVS, Walgreens For Nursing Home COVID Vaccination

The Trump administration announced a new partnership with two major national pharmacy chains to facilitate the distribution of a future coronavirus vaccine to nursing homes on Friday .
`` Today , I 'm thrilled to announce that we have just finalized a partnership with CVS and Walgreens , '' President Trump told a group in Fort Myers , Fla. , at an event centered on seniors .
He said the plan was for the pharmacies to `` deliver the vaccine directly to nursing homes at no cost to our seniors . ''
The Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care Program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Operation Warp Speed effort .
No coronavirus vaccines have yet been authorized by the government , though several vaccine candidates are in the final stages of clinical trials .
`` Early in the COVID-19 vaccination program , there may be a limited supply of vaccine and our planning efforts need to focus on those at highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19 , '' Dr. Jay Butler , deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on a press call .
That includes people older @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to get severely ill and die from the coronavirus than other age groups .
The details of which would be the first groups to get a vaccine once one is authorized is still in flux , but seniors would likely be among the first to be eligible .
The pharmacy program `` provides end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process , '' Butler explained .
That includes scheduling on site clinic dates with each facility , ordering supplies like syringes , and ensuring cold-chain management of the vaccine .
Once the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administer it to residents and staff and report it to the required public health department .
The program will be free for facilities , but optional .
`` This is voluntary .
They have to opt-in , '' Paul Mango , deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services told reporters .
`` This will be something that will be available to every nursing home and senior living facility in the country . ''
`` This is really significant , '' Claire Hannan , Executive Director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NPR .
`` We 've never really had coordinated partnership between pharmacies and public health across all states . ''
Friday was the deadline for states to deliver a vaccine distribution plan to CDC , which will be evaluating the plans and providing feedback over the next two weeks , according to federal health officials .
One of the leading vaccine candidates , made by Pfizer , requires ultra-cold storage , which `` could pose a major challenge to getting nursing home and long term care residents vaccinated , '' explains Hannan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't be understated . ''
That aspect of the program stood out to Stacie Dusetzina , professor of health policy at Vanderbilt as well .
`` Cold storage and the cold chain management has been a huge sticking point — how do you get [ vaccine ] to everyone who needs it and maintain these super cold temperatures ? ''
she says .
If CVS and Walgreens are going to be managing that challenge , she says , `` that seems like a really big , positive thing . ''
A federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retail pharmacies to provide COVID-19 testing ended up yielding much less testing than promised .

Trump Announces Partnership With CVS, Walgreens For Nursing Home COVID Vaccination
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration announced a new partnership with two major national pharmacy chains to facilitate the distribution of a future coronavirus vaccine to nursing homes on Friday.
"Today, I'm thrilled to announce that we have just finalized a partnership with CVS and Walgreens," President Trump told a group in Fort Myers, Fla., at an event centered on seniors. He said the plan was for the pharmacies to "deliver the vaccine directly to nursing homes at no cost to our seniors."
The Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care Program is part of the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed effort. No coronavirus vaccines have yet been authorized by the government, though several vaccine candidates are in the final stages of clinical trials.
"Early in the COVID-19 vaccination program, there may be a limited supply of vaccine and our planning efforts need to focus on those at highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19," Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters on a press call.
That includes people older than 65, who are much more likely to get severely ill and die from the coronavirus than other age groups. The details of which would be the first groups to get a vaccine once one is authorized is still in flux, but seniors would likely be among the first to be eligible.
The pharmacy program "provides end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process," Butler explained. That includes scheduling on site clinic dates with each facility, ordering supplies like syringes, and ensuring cold-chain management of the vaccine. Once the vaccine is on site, pharmacy staff will administer it to residents and staff and report it to the required public health department.
The program will be free for facilities, but optional. "This is voluntary. They have to opt-in," Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services told reporters. "This will be something that will be available to every nursing home and senior living facility in the country."
"This is really significant," Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers wrote to NPR. "We've never really had coordinated partnership between pharmacies and public health across all states."
Friday was the deadline for states to deliver a vaccine distribution plan to CDC, which will be evaluating the plans and providing feedback over the next two weeks, according to federal health officials.
One of the leading vaccine candidates, made by Pfizer, requires ultra-cold storage, which "could pose a major challenge to getting nursing home and long term care residents vaccinated," explains Hannan, "so the value of this partnership can't be understated."
That aspect of the program stood out to Stacie Dusetzina, professor of health policy at Vanderbilt as well.
"Cold storage and the cold chain management has been a huge sticking point — how do you get [vaccine] to everyone who needs it and maintain these super cold temperatures?" she says. If CVS and Walgreens are going to be managing that challenge, she says, "that seems like a really big, positive thing."
A federal government partnership early in the pandemic with retail pharmacies to provide COVID-19 testing ended up yielding much less testing than promised.


npr--2020-10-16--California Eases Off Legal Threats Over GOP Unauthorized Ballot Drop Boxes

The state of California appears to be backing off legal threats against the California Republican Party over its use of unauthorized ballot drop boxes .
On Monday , California 's secretary of state and attorney general sent a cease-and-desist order to the California GOP and several county party offices , ordering they remove unauthorized boxes to collect ballots , some of which were labeled `` official . ''
At a press conference Friday , Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla , both Democrats , did n't announce any additional enforcement action against the party , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were collecting ballots .
But while the California Republican Party agreed not to place unauthorized ballot drop boxes outdoors , leave drop boxes unattended or present them as official , the party said it will continue to accept ballots delivered by voters to local party offices and secure them in boxes attended by staff or volunteers .
Becerra and Padilla said they would continue to monitor the party 's activities closely and proceed with an investigation .
`` The Republican Party 's deployment of these unofficial and deceptive ballot drop boxes were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they created voter confusion , '' Padilla said .
In a statement Friday on Twitter , the party 's spokesperson , Hector Barajas , said the California Republican Party made no concessions to the attorney general or secretary of state and denied doing anything wrong in the first place .
`` This is a thuggish voter intimidation and vote suppression tactic by our Democratic Attorney General and Secretary of State , '' he said .
Friday 's press conference left a lot of ambiguity about how the party is continuing to deploy ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unauthorized drop boxes in any form violates California law .
Padilla and Becerra reiterated that while ballot collection is allowed , state rules require that whoever assists with delivering a ballot sign the envelope to record a chain of custody .
But they also said ballots without that signature would not be rejected either .
The stance was a departure from the forceful language of Monday 's cease-and-desist order , which demanded all ballots delivered to the unofficial drop boxes be surrendered to county election officials .
The attorney general has issued subpoenas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot boxes deployed by the state Republican Party , information demanded in the cease-and-desist letter , which the party has refused to disclose .
The original boxes in question appeared at churches , gun stores and gas stations in Fresno , Orange and Los Angeles counties and raised red flags among county election officials and voters unsure of their legitimacy .
Earlier this week , a GOP spokesperson declined to tell the Orange County Register an exact number of these drop boxes but placed the figure at more than 100 .
Following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state Republican Party called the Democratic reaction `` overblown '' and insisted the boxes were a legitimate way to collect ballots .
`` Democrats are now upset because organizations , individuals and groups are offering an opportunity for their friends , family , and patrons to drop off their ballot with someone they know and trust , '' the California GOP tweeted .
The party cited `` ballot harvesting , '' a practice also known as `` ballot collection , '' which enables voters to designate an individual to collect and return their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Conference of State Legislatures , 26 states , including California , allow some form of this practice , with various limitations on how many ballots a designee can collect and who that designee can be .
Earlier this week , Padilla , the secretary of state , sent a memo to county election officials flagging Elections Code section 3011 ( a ) ( 11 ) , which states a designee must include a signature on the return vote-by-mail envelope as the person authorized to return the ballot , along with providing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` When a voter drops off a ballot in an unauthorized , non-official vote-by-mail drop box , no designated 'person ' would be signing , as required by state law , '' the memo added .
Tom Hiltachk , the state party 's general counsel , disputed Padilla 's characterization of the election law during a call with reporters Wednesday , saying the secretary of state did n't address a subdivision that reads `` a ballot shall not be disqualified solely because the person authorized to return it did not provide on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationship to the voter , or signature . ''
Padilla acknowledged that provision during Friday 's press conference , saying the state would not punish a voter over the actions of the state party .
Hiltachk noted that it was `` perhaps an overzealous volunteer '' who affixed the `` official '' label to what he says was only a handful of boxes .
`` That was unfortunate but that was dealt with within hours , and we 're not attempting to describe these as official boxes .
They 're simply just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secure them until we can deliver them to elections officials , '' Hiltachk said .
To complicate matters further , the Republican Party 's efforts in California flies in the face of Republicans ' national ( and mostly unsuccessful ) legal strategy : President Trump and the GOP have for months questioned the integrity of mail-in ballots and have been fighting in court against ballot drop boxes .

California Eases Off Legal Threats Over GOP Unauthorized Ballot Drop Boxes
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mario Tama/Getty Images Mario Tama/Getty Images
The state of California appears to be backing off legal threats against the California Republican Party over its use of unauthorized ballot drop boxes.
On Monday, California's secretary of state and attorney general sent a cease-and-desist order to the California GOP and several county party offices, ordering they remove unauthorized boxes to collect ballots, some of which were labeled "official."
At a press conference Friday, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla, both Democrats, didn't announce any additional enforcement action against the party, saying the California GOP agreed to modify how they were collecting ballots.
But while the California Republican Party agreed not to place unauthorized ballot drop boxes outdoors, leave drop boxes unattended or present them as official, the party said it will continue to accept ballots delivered by voters to local party offices and secure them in boxes attended by staff or volunteers.
Becerra and Padilla said they would continue to monitor the party's activities closely and proceed with an investigation.
"The Republican Party's deployment of these unofficial and deceptive ballot drop boxes were in violation of state law, and they created voter confusion," Padilla said.
In a statement Friday on Twitter, the party's spokesperson, Hector Barajas, said the California Republican Party made no concessions to the attorney general or secretary of state and denied doing anything wrong in the first place.
"This is a thuggish voter intimidation and vote suppression tactic by our Democratic Attorney General and Secretary of State," he said.
Friday's press conference left a lot of ambiguity about how the party is continuing to deploy ballot collection boxes and whether or not using unauthorized drop boxes in any form violates California law.
Padilla and Becerra reiterated that while ballot collection is allowed, state rules require that whoever assists with delivering a ballot sign the envelope to record a chain of custody. But they also said ballots without that signature would not be rejected either.
The stance was a departure from the forceful language of Monday's cease-and-desist order, which demanded all ballots delivered to the unofficial drop boxes be surrendered to county election officials.
The attorney general has issued subpoenas seeking the number and exact locations of ballot boxes deployed by the state Republican Party, information demanded in the cease-and-desist letter, which the party has refused to disclose.
The original boxes in question appeared at churches, gun stores and gas stations in Fresno, Orange and Los Angeles counties and raised red flags among county election officials and voters unsure of their legitimacy.
Earlier this week, a GOP spokesperson declined to tell the Orange County Register an exact number of these drop boxes but placed the figure at more than 100.
Following the order to remove the boxes, the state Republican Party called the Democratic reaction "overblown" and insisted the boxes were a legitimate way to collect ballots.
"Democrats are now upset because organizations, individuals and groups are offering an opportunity for their friends, family, and patrons to drop off their ballot with someone they know and trust," the California GOP tweeted.
The party cited "ballot harvesting," a practice also known as "ballot collection," which enables voters to designate an individual to collect and return their ballot for them.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 26 states, including California, allow some form of this practice, with various limitations on how many ballots a designee can collect and who that designee can be.
Earlier this week, Padilla, the secretary of state, sent a memo to county election officials flagging Elections Code section 3011 (a)(11), which states a designee must include a signature on the return vote-by-mail envelope as the person authorized to return the ballot, along with providing a name and relationship to the voter.
"When a voter drops off a ballot in an unauthorized, non-official vote-by-mail drop box, no designated 'person' would be signing, as required by state law," the memo added.
Tom Hiltachk, the state party's general counsel, disputed Padilla's characterization of the election law during a call with reporters Wednesday, saying the secretary of state didn't address a subdivision that reads "a ballot shall not be disqualified solely because the person authorized to return it did not provide on the identification envelope his or her name, relationship to the voter, or signature."
Padilla acknowledged that provision during Friday's press conference, saying the state would not punish a voter over the actions of the state party.
Hiltachk noted that it was "perhaps an overzealous volunteer" who affixed the "official" label to what he says was only a handful of boxes.
"That was unfortunate but that was dealt with within hours, and we're not attempting to describe these as official boxes. They're simply just a vehicle for us to take ballots and secure them until we can deliver them to elections officials," Hiltachk said.
To complicate matters further, the Republican Party's efforts in California flies in the face of Republicans' national (and mostly unsuccessful) legal strategy: President Trump and the GOP have for months questioned the integrity of mail-in ballots and have been fighting in court against ballot drop boxes.