csmonitor--2020-08-11--Derecho damage: Rare storm leaves mass blackouts in Midwest

A rare storm packing 100 mph winds and with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the Midwest , blowing over trees , flipping vehicles , causing widespread property damage , and leaving hundreds of thousands without power as it moved through Chicago and into Indiana and Michigan .
The storm known as a derecho lasted several hours Monday as it tore from eastern Nebraska across Iowa and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois , had the wind speed of a major hurricane , and likely caused more widespread damage than a normal tornado , said Patrick Marsh , science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Storm Prediction Center in Norman , Oklahoma .
In northern Illinois , the National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 92 mph near Dixon , about 100 miles west of Chicago , and the storm left downed trees and power lines that blocked roadways in Chicago and its suburbs .
After leaving Chicago , the most potent part of the storm system moved over north central Indiana by late afternoon .
`` It ramped up pretty quick '' around 7 a.m. Central time in Eastern Nebraska .
I do n't think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 110 mph , '' Mr. Marsh said .
A derecho is not quite a hurricane .
It has no eye and its winds come across in a line .
But because the storm is spread over a large area , the damage it is likely to do is more like an inland hurricane than a quick more powerful tornado , Mr. Marsh said .
He compared it to a devastating Super Derecho of 2009 , which was one of the strongest on record and traveled more than 1,000 miles in 24 hours , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread power outages , and killing a handful of people .
`` This is our version of a hurricane , '' said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini .
He said Monday 's derecho will go down as one of the strongest in recent history and be one of the nation 's worst weather events of 2020 .
Several people were injured and widespread property damage was reported in Marshall County in central Iowa after 100 mph winds swept through the area , said its homeland security coordinator Kim Elder .
Ms. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flipped cars , downed power lines , ripped up road signs , and tore roofs off buildings , some of which caught fire .
`` We had quite a few people trapped in buildings and cars , '' Ms. Elder said , adding that the extent of injuries was unknown and no fatalities had been reported .
`` We 're in life-saving mode right now . ''
Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer declared a civil emergency , telling residents to stay home and off the streets so that first responders could respond to calls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Des Moines area were without power after the storm moved through the area .
Reports from spotters filed with the National Weather Service in Des Moines had winds in excess of 70 mph .
Roof damage to homes and buildings was reported in several Iowa cities , including the roof of a hockey arena in Des Moines .
Across the state , large trees fell on cars and houses .
Some semi-trailers flipped over or were blown off highways .
Farmers reported that some grain bins were destroyed and fields were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Iowa 's agriculture industry was n't immediately clear .
MidAmerican spokeswoman Tina Hoffman said downed trees made it difficult in some locations for workers to get to power lines .
In some cases , power line poles were snapped off .
`` It 's a lot of tree damage .
Very high winds .
It will be a significant effort to get through it all and get everybody back on , '' Ms. Hoffman said .
`` It was a big front that went all the way through the state . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ both significant and widespread damage throughout the city , '' said public safety spokesman Greg Buelow .
Tens of thousands of people in the metro area were without power .
`` We have damage to homes and businesses , including siding and roofs damaged , '' he said .
`` Trees and power lines are down throughout the entire city . ''
Cedar Rapids on Monday night issued a 10 p.m. curfew that will continue until further notice , as crews worked to clean up fallen debris .
What makes a derecho worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can hover in one place and how large an area the high winds hit , Mr. Marsh said .
He said winds of 80 mph or even 100 mph can stretch for `` 20 , 30 , 40 or God forbid , 100 miles . ''
What happened Monday morning was the result of unstable , super moist air that had parked for days over the northern plains and finally ramped up into a derecho .
`` They are basically self-sustaining amoebas of thunderstorms , '' Mr. Gensini said .
`` Once they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's really hard to stop these suckers . ''
Derechoes , with winds of at least 58 mph , occur about once a year in the Midwest .
Rarer than tornadoes but with weaker winds , derechoes produce damage over a much wider area .
The storms raced over parts of eastern Nebraska before 9 a.m. Monday , dropping heavy rains and high winds .
Strong straight-line winds pushed south into areas that include Lincoln and Omaha , National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch said .
`` Once that rain-cooled air @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 miles , sending incredibly strong winds over the area , '' Mr. Barjenbruch said .
Omaha Public Power District reported more than 55,500 customers without power in Omaha and surrounding communities .
Mr. Marsh said there 's concern about widespread power outages across several states .
Add high heat , people with medical conditions that require power , and the pandemic , and he said `` it becomes dire pretty quickly . ''
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writers David Pitt in Des Moines and Sara Burnett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

A rare storm packing 100 mph winds and with power similar to an inland hurricane swept across the Midwest, blowing over trees, flipping vehicles, causing widespread property damage, and leaving hundreds of thousands without power as it moved through Chicago and into Indiana and Michigan.
The storm known as a derecho lasted several hours Monday as it tore from eastern Nebraska across Iowa and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, had the wind speed of a major hurricane, and likely caused more widespread damage than a normal tornado, said Patrick Marsh, science support chief at the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
In northern Illinois, the National Weather Service reported a wind gust of 92 mph near Dixon, about 100 miles west of Chicago, and the storm left downed trees and power lines that blocked roadways in Chicago and its suburbs. After leaving Chicago, the most potent part of the storm system moved over north central Indiana by late afternoon.
"It ramped up pretty quick" around 7 a.m. Central time in Eastern Nebraska. I don't think anybody expected widespread winds approaching 100, 110 mph," Mr. Marsh said.
A derecho is not quite a hurricane. It has no eye and its winds come across in a line. But because the storm is spread over a large area, the damage it is likely to do is more like an inland hurricane than a quick more powerful tornado, Mr. Marsh said.
He compared it to a devastating Super Derecho of 2009, which was one of the strongest on record and traveled more than 1,000 miles in 24 hours, causing $500 million in damage, widespread power outages, and killing a handful of people.
"This is our version of a hurricane," said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini. He said Monday's derecho will go down as one of the strongest in recent history and be one of the nation's worst weather events of 2020.
Several people were injured and widespread property damage was reported in Marshall County in central Iowa after 100 mph winds swept through the area, said its homeland security coordinator Kim Elder.
Ms. Elder said winds blew over trees, flipped cars, downed power lines, ripped up road signs, and tore roofs off buildings, some of which caught fire.
"We had quite a few people trapped in buildings and cars," Ms. Elder said, adding that the extent of injuries was unknown and no fatalities had been reported. "We're in life-saving mode right now."
Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer declared a civil emergency, telling residents to stay home and off the streets so that first responders could respond to calls.
MidAmerican Energy said nearly 101,000 customers in the Des Moines area were without power after the storm moved through the area. Reports from spotters filed with the National Weather Service in Des Moines had winds in excess of 70 mph.
Roof damage to homes and buildings was reported in several Iowa cities, including the roof of a hockey arena in Des Moines. Across the state, large trees fell on cars and houses. Some semi-trailers flipped over or were blown off highways.
Farmers reported that some grain bins were destroyed and fields were flattened, but the extent of damage to Iowa's agriculture industry wasn't immediately clear.
MidAmerican spokeswoman Tina Hoffman said downed trees made it difficult in some locations for workers to get to power lines. In some cases, power line poles were snapped off.
"It's a lot of tree damage. Very high winds. It will be a significant effort to get through it all and get everybody back on," Ms. Hoffman said. "It was a big front that went all the way through the state."
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, had "both significant and widespread damage throughout the city," said public safety spokesman Greg Buelow. Tens of thousands of people in the metro area were without power.
"We have damage to homes and businesses, including siding and roofs damaged," he said. "Trees and power lines are down throughout the entire city."
Cedar Rapids on Monday night issued a 10 p.m. curfew that will continue until further notice, as crews worked to clean up fallen debris.
What makes a derecho worse than a tornado is how long it can hover in one place and how large an area the high winds hit, Mr. Marsh said. He said winds of 80 mph or even 100 mph can stretch for "20, 30, 40 or God forbid, 100 miles."
What happened Monday morning was the result of unstable, super moist air that had parked for days over the northern plains and finally ramped up into a derecho.
"They are basically self-sustaining amoebas of thunderstorms," Mr. Gensini said. "Once they get going like they did across Iowa, it's really hard to stop these suckers."
Derechoes, with winds of at least 58 mph, occur about once a year in the Midwest. Rarer than tornadoes but with weaker winds, derechoes produce damage over a much wider area.
The storms raced over parts of eastern Nebraska before 9 a.m. Monday, dropping heavy rains and high winds. Strong straight-line winds pushed south into areas that include Lincoln and Omaha, National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch said.
"Once that rain-cooled air hit the ground, it surged over 100 miles, sending incredibly strong winds over the area," Mr. Barjenbruch said.
Omaha Public Power District reported more than 55,500 customers without power in Omaha and surrounding communities.
Mr. Marsh said there's concern about widespread power outages across several states. Add high heat, people with medical conditions that require power, and the pandemic, and he said "it becomes dire pretty quickly."
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This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writers David Pitt in Des Moines and Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-08-12--A paean to the porch

A paean to the porch

I grew up in my grandmother ’ s brick home in a leafy suburb of Washington .
My mother and I navigated carefully around Gommy ’ s knickknacks – the china figurines and flowered teacups – that filled her seafoam-green living room .
My favorite spot was her screened-in porch that ran along one side of the house .
We lived in that porch from spring into summer and early fall .
It was furnished more informally , with a metal table and chairs at one end , a rocking chair in the middle ( my mother ’ s favorite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other end .
We ate out there every evening – watching people walk home at the end of their workdays from the bus stop at the top of the road .
We could hear the neighbors ’ chatter next door when their windows were open , as they were only 15 feet away .
When sweltering , humid weather arrived in August , as it always did , air conditioners hummed in windows .
The porch was almost too uncomfortable to manage then , but I would often go out there to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the night .
When it rained , I would lie on the glider , under its plastic cover , secretly alone , a small transistor radio in my grasp and hoping my favorite song of the moment would come on .
I was safe and dry when the rain came in .
A screened porch is a room connected to nature : sheltering , but open to the world .
One can still use it in rainstorms , still peer at a laptop screen on sunny days .
I ’ ve mostly lived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bugs , so decks and open-air patios don ’ t make as much sense to me .
I haven ’ t lived in that house full time since I left for college .
But my love of porches endures .
I ’ ve had a few modest ones since then .
One was big enough for a small round table and chairs .
It sat at ground level .
The chipmunks loved to taunt my indoor cats , running back and forth right in front of their noses , safe outside the screens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by them and would run back and forth with them , never tiring of the entertainment .
My brother-from-another-mother ( my mom ’ s best friend ’ s son ) , John , is a porch aficionado , too .
As children , our families vacationed together for a week every summer , returning to the same second-floor apartment , a two bedroom with a porch overlooking a small lake .
Whenever we return to that favorite childhood area , we rent cottages based almost solely on their porches .
Who cares about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beautiful , comfy , screened-in porch .
A few years ago , my husband and I began talking about renovating our house .
We called on an architect friend to help with the plans , mentioning that we wanted a porch our cats could enjoy .
Not a judgmental man , he took us literally and designed a porch about 2-feet tall – for the cats !
We patiently explained that we wanted to use it , too .
I ’ m happy to report that we now live in a home with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happy to place the designing of the house in my husband ’ s hands .
I did insist on one thing : that it have a big porch .
And so we do : We look out on a tidal river and salt marsh , where seabirds fish as the tide rushes in and out .
But whenever I hear crickets singing , I ’ m back on my grandmother ’ s porch .

I grew up in my grandmother’s brick home in a leafy suburb of Washington. My mother and I navigated carefully around Gommy’s knickknacks – the china figurines and flowered teacups – that filled her seafoam-green living room.
My favorite spot was her screened-in porch that ran along one side of the house. We lived in that porch from spring into summer and early fall. It was furnished more informally, with a metal table and chairs at one end, a rocking chair in the middle (my mother’s favorite spot), and a glider at the other end.
We ate out there every evening – watching people walk home at the end of their workdays from the bus stop at the top of the road. We could hear the neighbors’ chatter next door when their windows were open, as they were only 15 feet away.
When sweltering, humid weather arrived in August, as it always did, air conditioners hummed in windows. The porch was almost too uncomfortable to manage then, but I would often go out there to sit in the darkness and listen to the night.
When it rained, I would lie on the glider, under its plastic cover, secretly alone, a small transistor radio in my grasp and hoping my favorite song of the moment would come on. I was safe and dry when the rain came in.
A screened porch is a room connected to nature: sheltering, but open to the world. One can still use it in rainstorms, still peer at a laptop screen on sunny days. I’ve mostly lived in places with mosquitoes and other annoying bugs, so decks and open-air patios don’t make as much sense to me.
I haven’t lived in that house full time since I left for college. But my love of porches endures. I’ve had a few modest ones since then. One was big enough for a small round table and chairs. It sat at ground level. The chipmunks loved to taunt my indoor cats, running back and forth right in front of their noses, safe outside the screens. My cat Charlie was especially entranced by them and would run back and forth with them, never tiring of the entertainment.
My brother-from-another-mother (my mom’s best friend’s son), John, is a porch aficionado, too. As children, our families vacationed together for a week every summer, returning to the same second-floor apartment, a two bedroom with a porch overlooking a small lake. Whenever we return to that favorite childhood area, we rent cottages based almost solely on their porches. Who cares about the inside? They must have a beautiful, comfy, screened-in porch.
A few years ago, my husband and I began talking about renovating our house. We called on an architect friend to help with the plans, mentioning that we wanted a porch our cats could enjoy. Not a judgmental man, he took us literally and designed a porch about 2-feet tall – for the cats!
We patiently explained that we wanted to use it, too.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
I’m happy to report that we now live in a home with a beautiful screened-in porch. I was happy to place the designing of the house in my husband’s hands. I did insist on one thing: that it have a big porch. And so we do: We look out on a tidal river and salt marsh, where seabirds fish as the tide rushes in and out.
But whenever I hear crickets singing, I’m back on my grandmother’s porch.


csmonitor--2020-08-12--In a polarized world, what does ‘follow the science’ mean?

“ Following the science just isn ’ t enough , ” says Marc Lipsitch , a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , who adds that policymakers must also weigh resource constraints , value judgments , and trade-offs .
“ It ’ s incumbent on responsible leaders to use science to do the reasoning about how to do the best thing given your values , but it ’ s not an answer.
” Even if “ the science ” were settled , there are tough questions about how best to “ follow ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ door for contrarians .
Some Americans see them as playing a crucial role , challenging a fear-driven groupthink that is inhibiting scientific inquiry , driving unconstitutional restrictions on individual freedom and enterprise , and failing to grapple with the full societal cost of shutdowns .
Public health experts , who see shutdowns as crucial to saving lives , are critical of such actors , due in part to worries that they are abetting right-wing resistance to government restrictions .
They have also voiced criticism that some contrarians appear driven by profit or political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ follow the science ?
” More than five months after the pandemic hit the United States , some areas of consensus have emerged , but gaps and uncertainties remain .
Should kids go back to school ?
One South Korean contact-tracing study suggests that is a bad idea .
In analyzing 5,706 COVID-19 patients and their 59,073 contacts , it concluded – albeit with a significant caveat – that 10- to 19-year-olds were the most contagious age group within their household .
A study out of Iceland , meanwhile , found that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get infected and less likely than adults to become ill if they are infected .
Coauthor Kári Stefánsson , who is CEO of a genetics company tracking the disease ’ s spread , said the study didn ’ t find a single instance of a child infecting a parent .
So when leaders explain their decision on whether to send kids back to school by saying they ’ re “ following the science , ” citizens could be forgiven for asking what science they ’ re referring to exactly – and how sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But it ’ s become difficult to ask such questions amid the highly polarized debate around pandemic policies .
While areas of consensus have emerged since the pandemic first hit the United States in March , significant gaps remain .
Those uncertainties have opened the door for contrarians to gain traction in popular thought .
Some Americans see them as playing a crucial role , challenging a fear-driven groupthink that is inhibiting scientific inquiry , driving unconstitutional restrictions on individual freedom and enterprise , and failing to grapple with the full societal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and schools .
Public health experts who see shutdowns as crucial to saving lives are critical of such actors , due in part to fears that they are abetting right-wing resistance to government restrictions .
They have also voiced criticism that some contrarians appear driven by profit or political motives more than genuine concern about public health .
The deluge of studies and competing interpretations have left citizens in a tough spot , especially when data or conclusions are shared on Twitter or TV without full context – like a handful of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absent any box top picture to help you fit them together .
“ You can ’ t expect the public to go through all the science , so you rely on people of authority , someone whom you trust , to parse that for you , ” says Aleszu Bajak , a science and data journalist who teaches at Northeastern University in Boston .
“ But now you have more than just the scientists in their ivory tower throwing out all of this information .
You have competing pundits , with different incentives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality.
” The uncertainties have also posed a challenge for policymakers , who haven ’ t had the luxury of waiting for the full arc of scientific inquiry to be completed .
“ The fact is , science , like everything else , is uncertain – particularly when it comes to predictions , ” says John Holdren , who served as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for the duration of President Barack Obama ’ s eight-year tenure .
“ I think seasoned , experienced decision-makers understand that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertainties , even in the scientific inputs to their decision-making process , and they have to take those into account and they have to seek approaches that are resilient to uncertain outcomes.
” Some say that in an effort to reassure citizens that shutdowns were implemented based on scientific input , policymakers weren ’ t transparent enough about the underlying uncertainties .
“ We ’ ve heard constantly that politicians are following the science .
That ’ s good , of course , but ... especially at the beginning , science is tentative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evolving fast , it ’ s uncertain , ” Prof. Sir Paul Nurse , director of the Francis Crick Institute in London , recently told a British Parliament committee .
One of the founding partners of his independent institute is Imperial College , whose researchers ’ conclusions were a leading driver of U.S. and British government shutdowns .
“ You can ’ t just have a single top line saying we ’ re following science , ” he adds .
“ It has to be more dealing with what we know about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” One scientist who talks a lot about unknowns is John Ioannidis , a highly cited professor of medicine , epidemiology , and population health at Stanford University in California .
Dr. Ioannidis , who has made a career out of poking holes in his colleagues ’ research , agrees that masks and social distancing are effective but says there are open questions about how best to implement them .
He has also persistently questioned just how deadly COVID-19 is and to what extent shutdowns are affecting mental health , household transmission to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those with non-COVID-19-related conditions .
It ’ s very difficult , he says , to do randomized trials for things like how to reopen , and different countries and U.S. states have done things in different ways .
“ For each one of these decisions , action plans – people said we ’ re using the best science , ” he says .
“ But how can it be that they ’ re all using the best science when they ’ re so different ?
” Many scientists say they and their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite a highly polarized debate around the pandemic and the 2020 election season ramping up .
“ One of the remarkable things about this pandemic is the extent to which many people in the scientific community are explicit about what ’ s uncertain , ” says Marc Lipsitch , a professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health who is working on a study about how biases can affect COVID-19 research .
“ There has been a sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with different policy predispositions , who have been insistent on that.
” “ In some ways the politicized nature has made people more aware of the uncertainties , ” adds Professor Lipsitch , who says Twitter skeptics push him and his colleagues to strengthen their arguments .
“ That ’ s a good voice to have in the back of your head.
” For the Harvard doctor , Alex Berenson is not that voice .
But a growing number of frustrated Americans have gravitated toward the former New York Times reporter 's brash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His following on Twitter has grown from around 10,000 to more than 182,000 and counting .
Mr. Berenson , who investigated big business before leaving The New York Times in 2010 to write spy novels , dives into government data , quotes from scientific studies , and takes to Twitter daily to rail against what he sees as a dangerous overreaction driven by irrational fear and abetted by a liberal media agenda and corporate interests – particularly tech companies , whose earnings have soared during the shutdowns .
He refers satirically to those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Dr. Lipsitch says that while public health experts pushing for lockdown like himself could be considered hawks while contrarians like Mr. Berenson could be considered doves , his “ name-calling ” doesn ’ t take into account the fact that most scientists have at least a degree of nuance .
“ It ’ s really sort of unsophisticated to say there are two camps , but it serves some people ’ s interest to demonize the other side , ” he says .
Mr. Berenson , the author of a controversial 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mental illness and violence , has been accused of cherry-picking data and conflating correlation and causation .
Amazon initially blocked publication of his booklet “ Unreported Truths about COVID-19 and Lockdowns : Part 1 ” until Elon Musk got wind of it and called out the tech giant on Twitter .
Mr. Berenson prevailed and recently released Part 2 on the platform , which has already become Amazon ’ s No .
1 best-seller among history of science and medicine e-books .
He strives to broaden the public 's contextual understanding of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of deaths occur among the elderly ; in Italy , for instance , the median age of people who died is 81 .
He calls into question the reliability of COVID-19 death tolls , which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be categorized as such even without a positive test if the disease is assumed to have caused or even contributed to a death .
Earlier this spring , when a prominent model was forecasting overwhelmed hospitals in New York , he pointed out that their projection was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Nobody had the guts or brains to ask – why is your model off by a factor of four today , and you made it last week ?
” says Mr. Berenson , referring to the University of Washington ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projection in early April and expressing disappointment that his former colleagues in the media are not taking a harder look at such questions .
“ I think unfortunately people have been blinded by ideology.
” Amid a sense of urgency , fear , and frustration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with government restrictions as readily as their European or especially Asian counterparts , Mr. Berenson and Dr. Ioannidis have faced blowback for airing questions about those restrictions and the science behind them .
Mr. Berenson ’ s book installments have prompted criticism that he ’ s looking for profits at the expense of public health , which he has denied .
Dr. Ioannidis ’ involvement in an April antibodies study in Santa Clara , California , which purported to show that COVID-19 is much less deadly than was widely believed was discredited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the accuracy of the test used and a BuzzFeed report that it was partially funded by JetBlue Airways ’ cofounder .
Dr. Ioannidis says those questions were fully addressed within two weeks in a revised version that showed with far more extensive data that the test was accurate , and adds he had been unaware of the $ 5,000 donation , which came through the Stanford development office and was anonymized .
The dismay grew when BuzzFeed News reported in July that a month before the Santa Clara study , he had offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists to meet with President Donald Trump and help him solve the pandemic “ by intensifying efforts to understand the denominator of infected people ( much larger than what is documented to-date ) ” and developing a more targeted , data-driven approach than long-term shutdowns , which he said would “ jeopardiz [ e ] so many lives , ” according to emails obtained by BuzzFeed .
While the right has seized on Dr. Ioannidis ’ views and some scientists say it ’ s hard not to conclude that his work is driven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctor maintains that partisanship is antithetical to the scientific method , which requires healthy skepticism , among other things .
“ Even the word ‘ science ’ has been politicized .
It ’ s very sad , ” he says , observing that in the current environment , scientific conclusions are used to shame , smear , and “ cancel ” the opposite view .
“ I think it ’ s very unfortunate to use science as a silencer of dissent.
” The average citizen , he adds , is filtering COVID-19 debates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and political ideology , which can leave science at a disadvantage in the public square .
“ Science hasn ’ t been trained to deal with these kinds of powerful companions that are far more vocal and better armed to penetrate into social discourse , ” says Dr. Ioannidis .
The polarization has been fueled in part by absolutist pundits .
In a recent week , “ The Rachel Maddow Show ” on MSNBC daily hammered home the rising rate in cases , trumpeted the daily death toll , and quoted Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 , while “ The Tucker Carlson Show ” on Fox News did not once mention government data , featuring instead anecdotes from business owners who have been affected by the shutdowns and calling into question the authority of unelected figures such as Dr. Fauci .
Fed on different media diets , it ’ s not surprising that partisan views on the severity of the pandemic have diverged further in recent months , with 85 % of Democrats seeing it as a major threat – nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a Pew Research poll from mid-July .
And in a related division that predates the pandemic , another Pew poll from February showed that Republicans are less likely to support scientists taking an active role in social policy matters – just 43 % compared with 73 % for Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents .
“ If you have more of a populist type of worldview , where you are concerned that elites and scientists and officials act in their own interests first , it becomes very easy to make assumptions that they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Prof. Asheley Landrum , a psychologist at Texas Tech University who specializes in science communication .
Beyond following the science Determining what exactly “ the science ” says is only one part of the equation ; figuring out precisely how to “ follow ” it poses another set of challenges for policymakers on questions like whether to send students back to school .
“ Even if you had all the science pinned down , there are still some tough value judgments about the dangers of multiplying the pandemic or the dangers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Dr. Holdren , President Obama ’ s science adviser , an engineer and physicist who now co-directs the science , technology , and public policy program at Harvard Kennedy School .
Dr. Lipsitch echoes that point and offers an example of two schools that both have a 10 % risk of an outbreak .
In one , where there are older students from high-income families who are more capable of learning remotely , leaders may decide that the 10 % risk isn ’ t worth reopening .
But in another school with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ students are younger and many depend on free and reduced lunch , a district may decide the risk is a trade-off they ’ re willing to make in support of the students ’ education and well-being .
“ Following the science just isn ’ t enough , ” says Dr. Lipsitch .
“ It ’ s incumbent on responsible leaders to use science to do the reasoning about how to do the best thing given your values , but it ’ s not an answer.
” Editor ’ s note : As a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paywall for all pandemic-related stories .

“Following the science just isn’t enough,” says Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who adds that policymakers must also weigh resource constraints, value judgments, and trade-offs. “It’s incumbent on responsible leaders to use science to do the reasoning about how to do the best thing given your values, but it’s not an answer.”
Even if “the science” were settled, there are tough questions about how best to “follow” it.
Science is all about asking questions, but when scientific debates become polarized it can be difficult for average citizens to interpret the merits of various arguments.
That’s opened the door for contrarians. Some Americans see them as playing a crucial role, challenging a fear-driven groupthink that is inhibiting scientific inquiry, driving unconstitutional restrictions on individual freedom and enterprise, and failing to grapple with the full societal cost of shutdowns. Public health experts, who see shutdowns as crucial to saving lives, are critical of such actors, due in part to worries that they are abetting right-wing resistance to government restrictions. They have also voiced criticism that some contrarians appear driven by profit or political motives.
What does it mean to “follow the science?” More than five months after the pandemic hit the United States, some areas of consensus have emerged, but gaps and uncertainties remain.
Should kids go back to school?
One South Korean contact-tracing study suggests that is a bad idea. In analyzing 5,706 COVID-19 patients and their 59,073 contacts, it concluded – albeit with a significant caveat – that 10- to 19-year-olds were the most contagious age group within their household.
A study out of Iceland, meanwhile, found that children under 10 are less likely to get infected and less likely than adults to become ill if they are infected. Coauthor Kári Stefánsson, who is CEO of a genetics company tracking the disease’s spread, said the study didn’t find a single instance of a child infecting a parent.
Why We Wrote This Science is all about asking questions, but when scientific debates become polarized it can be difficult for average citizens to interpret the merits of various arguments.
So when leaders explain their decision on whether to send kids back to school by saying they’re “following the science,” citizens could be forgiven for asking what science they’re referring to exactly – and how sure they are that it’s right.
But it’s become difficult to ask such questions amid the highly polarized debate around pandemic policies. While areas of consensus have emerged since the pandemic first hit the United States in March, significant gaps remain. Those uncertainties have opened the door for contrarians to gain traction in popular thought.
Some Americans see them as playing a crucial role, challenging a fear-driven groupthink that is inhibiting scientific inquiry, driving unconstitutional restrictions on individual freedom and enterprise, and failing to grapple with the full societal cost of shutting down businesses, churches, and schools. Public health experts who see shutdowns as crucial to saving lives are critical of such actors, due in part to fears that they are abetting right-wing resistance to government restrictions. They have also voiced criticism that some contrarians appear driven by profit or political motives more than genuine concern about public health.
The deluge of studies and competing interpretations have left citizens in a tough spot, especially when data or conclusions are shared on Twitter or TV without full context – like a handful of puzzle pieces thrown in your face, absent any box top picture to help you fit them together.
“You can’t expect the public to go through all the science, so you rely on people of authority, someone whom you trust, to parse that for you,” says Aleszu Bajak, a science and data journalist who teaches at Northeastern University in Boston. “But now you have more than just the scientists in their ivory tower throwing out all of this information. You have competing pundits, with different incentives, drawing on different science of varying quality.”
The uncertainties have also posed a challenge for policymakers, who haven’t had the luxury of waiting for the full arc of scientific inquiry to be completed.
“The fact is, science, like everything else, is uncertain – particularly when it comes to predictions,” says John Holdren, who served as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for the duration of President Barack Obama’s eight-year tenure. “I think seasoned, experienced decision-makers understand that. They understand that there will be uncertainties, even in the scientific inputs to their decision-making process, and they have to take those into account and they have to seek approaches that are resilient to uncertain outcomes.”
Some say that in an effort to reassure citizens that shutdowns were implemented based on scientific input, policymakers weren’t transparent enough about the underlying uncertainties.
“We’ve heard constantly that politicians are following the science. That’s good, of course, but ... especially at the beginning, science is tentative, it changes, it’s evolving fast, it’s uncertain,” Prof. Sir Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute in London, recently told a British Parliament committee. One of the founding partners of his independent institute is Imperial College, whose researchers’ conclusions were a leading driver of U.S. and British government shutdowns.
“You can’t just have a single top line saying we’re following science,” he adds. “It has to be more dealing with what we know about the science and what we don’t.”
Rick Bowmer/AP View caption Hide caption Granite School District teachers join others gathered at the Granite School District Office on Aug. 4, 2020, in Salt Lake City, to protest the district's plans for reopening. Teachers showed up in numbers to make sure the district's school board knew their concerns.
A focus on uncertainty
One scientist who talks a lot about unknowns is John Ioannidis, a highly cited professor of medicine, epidemiology, and population health at Stanford University in California.
Dr. Ioannidis, who has made a career out of poking holes in his colleagues’ research, agrees that masks and social distancing are effective but says there are open questions about how best to implement them. He has also persistently questioned just how deadly COVID-19 is and to what extent shutdowns are affecting mental health, household transmission to older family members, and the well-being of those with non-COVID-19-related conditions.
It’s very difficult, he says, to do randomized trials for things like how to reopen, and different countries and U.S. states have done things in different ways.
“For each one of these decisions, action plans – people said we’re using the best science,” he says. “But how can it be that they’re all using the best science when they’re so different?”
Many scientists say they and their colleagues have been open about the uncertainties, despite a highly polarized debate around the pandemic and the 2020 election season ramping up.
“One of the remarkable things about this pandemic is the extent to which many people in the scientific community are explicit about what’s uncertain,” says Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who is working on a study about how biases can affect COVID-19 research. “There has been a sort of hard core of scientists, even with different policy predispositions, who have been insistent on that.”
“In some ways the politicized nature has made people more aware of the uncertainties,” adds Professor Lipsitch, who says Twitter skeptics push him and his colleagues to strengthen their arguments. “That’s a good voice to have in the back of your head.”
For the Harvard doctor, Alex Berenson is not that voice. But a growing number of frustrated Americans have gravitated toward the former New York Times reporter's brash, unapologetic challenging of prevailing narratives. His following on Twitter has grown from around 10,000 to more than 182,000 and counting.
Mr. Berenson, who investigated big business before leaving The New York Times in 2010 to write spy novels, dives into government data, quotes from scientific studies, and takes to Twitter daily to rail against what he sees as a dangerous overreaction driven by irrational fear and abetted by a liberal media agenda and corporate interests – particularly tech companies, whose earnings have soared during the shutdowns. He refers satirically to those advocating government restrictions as “Team Apocalypse.”
Dr. Lipsitch says that while public health experts pushing for lockdown like himself could be considered hawks while contrarians like Mr. Berenson could be considered doves, his “name-calling” doesn’t take into account the fact that most scientists have at least a degree of nuance. “It’s really sort of unsophisticated to say there are two camps, but it serves some people’s interest to demonize the other side,” he says.
Mr. Berenson, the author of a controversial 2019 book arguing that marijuana increases the risk of mental illness and violence, has been accused of cherry-picking data and conflating correlation and causation. Amazon initially blocked publication of his booklet “Unreported Truths about COVID-19 and Lockdowns: Part 1” until Elon Musk got wind of it and called out the tech giant on Twitter. Mr. Berenson prevailed and recently released Part 2 on the platform, which has already become Amazon’s No. 1 best-seller among history of science and medicine e-books.
He strives to broaden the public's contextual understanding of fatality rates, emphasizing that the vast majority of deaths occur among the elderly; in Italy, for instance, the median age of people who died is 81. He calls into question the reliability of COVID-19 death tolls, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can be categorized as such even without a positive test if the disease is assumed to have caused or even contributed to a death.
Earlier this spring, when a prominent model was forecasting overwhelmed hospitals in New York, he pointed out that their projection was quadruple that of the actual need.
“Nobody had the guts or brains to ask – why is your model off by a factor of four today, and you made it last week?” says Mr. Berenson, referring to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projection in early April and expressing disappointment that his former colleagues in the media are not taking a harder look at such questions. “I think unfortunately people have been blinded by ideology.”
Politicization of science
Amid a sense of urgency, fear, and frustration with Americans who refuse to fall in line with government restrictions as readily as their European or especially Asian counterparts, Mr. Berenson and Dr. Ioannidis have faced blowback for airing questions about those restrictions and the science behind them.
Mr. Berenson’s book installments have prompted criticism that he’s looking for profits at the expense of public health, which he has denied. Dr. Ioannidis’ involvement in an April antibodies study in Santa Clara, California, which purported to show that COVID-19 is much less deadly than was widely believed was discredited by other scientists due to questions about the accuracy of the test used and a BuzzFeed report that it was partially funded by JetBlue Airways’ cofounder. Dr. Ioannidis says those questions were fully addressed within two weeks in a revised version that showed with far more extensive data that the test was accurate, and adds he had been unaware of the $5,000 donation, which came through the Stanford development office and was anonymized.
The dismay grew when BuzzFeed News reported in July that a month before the Santa Clara study, he had offered to convene a small group of world-renowned scientists to meet with President Donald Trump and help him solve the pandemic “by intensifying efforts to understand the denominator of infected people (much larger than what is documented to-date)” and developing a more targeted, data-driven approach than long-term shutdowns, which he said would “jeopardiz[e] so many lives,” according to emails obtained by BuzzFeed.
While the right has seized on Dr. Ioannidis’ views and some scientists say it’s hard not to conclude that his work is driven by a political agenda, the Greek doctor maintains that partisanship is antithetical to the scientific method, which requires healthy skepticism, among other things.
“Even the word ‘science’ has been politicized. It’s very sad,” he says, observing that in the current environment, scientific conclusions are used to shame, smear, and “cancel” the opposite view. “I think it’s very unfortunate to use science as a silencer of dissent.”
The average citizen, he adds, is filtering COVID-19 debates through their belief systems, media sources, and political ideology, which can leave science at a disadvantage in the public square. “Science hasn’t been trained to deal with these kinds of powerful companions that are far more vocal and better armed to penetrate into social discourse,” says Dr. Ioannidis.
The polarization has been fueled in part by absolutist pundits. In a recent week, “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC daily hammered home the rising rate in cases, trumpeted the daily death toll, and quoted Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, while “The Tucker Carlson Show” on Fox News did not once mention government data, featuring instead anecdotes from business owners who have been affected by the shutdowns and calling into question the authority of unelected figures such as Dr. Fauci.
Fed on different media diets, it’s not surprising that partisan views on the severity of the pandemic have diverged further in recent months, with 85% of Democrats seeing it as a major threat – nearly double the percent of Republicans, according to a Pew Research poll from mid-July. And in a related division that predates the pandemic, another Pew poll from February showed that Republicans are less likely to support scientists taking an active role in social policy matters – just 43% compared with 73% for Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents.
“If you have more of a populist type of worldview, where you are concerned that elites and scientists and officials act in their own interests first, it becomes very easy to make assumptions that they are doing something to control the population,” says Prof. Asheley Landrum, a psychologist at Texas Tech University who specializes in science communication.
Beyond following the science
Determining what exactly “the science” says is only one part of the equation; figuring out precisely how to “follow” it poses another set of challenges for policymakers on questions like whether to send students back to school.
“Even if you had all the science pinned down, there are still some tough value judgments about the dangers of multiplying the pandemic or the dangers of keeping kids at home,” says Dr. Holdren, President Obama’s science adviser, an engineer and physicist who now co-directs the science, technology, and public policy program at Harvard Kennedy School.
Dr. Lipsitch echoes that point and offers an example of two schools that both have a 10% risk of an outbreak. In one, where there are older students from high-income families who are more capable of learning remotely, leaders may decide that the 10% risk isn’t worth reopening. But in another school with the same assessed risk, where the students are younger and many depend on free and reduced lunch, a district may decide the risk is a trade-off they’re willing to make in support of the students’ education and well-being.
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“Following the science just isn’t enough,” says Dr. Lipsitch. “It’s incumbent on responsible leaders to use science to do the reasoning about how to do the best thing given your values, but it’s not an answer.”
Editor’s note: As a public service, we have removed our paywall for all pandemic-related stories.


csmonitor--2020-08-12--Beirut’s challenge: A wealth of volunteers and a deficit of trust

In a Beirut neighborhood , an elderly woman watching volunteers inspect buildings , without government assistance , holds back tears .
“ I cry when I think of all the work the Lebanese people are doing to help one another .
Even strangers feel like family , ” she says .
“ But then I think of how the government let this happen .
...
They ’ re not welcome here.
” Rami Khouri , director of global engagement at the American University of Beirut , has proposed a consortium that includes “ clean ” officials , relief agencies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cash flow between donors and those doing the relief work .
“ Donors have to be used as leverage to force the government to get out of the way , ” he says .
While protesters and analysts alike say the explosion has brought the crisis-ridden nation to a turning point , they are wondering how that aid can be safely funneled to those who need it most .
In the aftermath of the giant blast last week in Beirut , street protests have reignited against Lebanon ’ s sectarian ruling class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Monday night the government resigned en masse , just a day after international donors pledged $ 300 million to Lebanon while stipulating it should be “ directly delivered to the Lebanese population.
” In the early morning hours in the eastern Beirut neighborhood of Gemmayze , hit hard by the mammoth explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital a week ago , hundreds of volunteers are already on the streets with food parcels and brooms flung over their shoulders .
They are offering help where a widely despised government fears to tread .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an elderly woman watches the volunteers move in and out of buildings to inspect or clean them up ; others open boxes and distribute donated food and water .
“ I can ’ t explain why I am still alive , here , talking to you , ” Roula , her face etched with both grief and disbelief , says about the blast that shattered the windows and tore through the walls of her first-floor apartment .
Another source of wonder ?
The absence of any official support from a ruling class @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negligence , leaving 2,750 tons of volatile ammonium nitrate at the Beirut port in the heart of the city .
That stock triggered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history , wrecking large swaths of the capital , killing at least 171 people , and injuring 6,000 .
“ I cry when I think of all the work the Lebanese people are doing to help one another .
Even strangers feel like family , ” says Roula , who gave only her first name , holding back tears .
“ But then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this happen .
This was a massacre , and the blood is on their hands.
” Even if government support was forthcoming , she says , “ they ’ re not welcome here.
” While Lebanese protesters and analysts alike say the explosion has brought the crisis-ridden nation to a turning point , they are wondering how the hundreds of millions of dollars in aid that international donors have pledged can be safely funneled to those who need it most , keeping it out of what they consider the predatory claws of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question is : How do you distribute the money ?
How do you prioritize it ?
” asks Rami Khouri , a professor of journalism and the director of global engagement at the American University of Beirut .
“ Those decisions can not be done by the government .
You can ’ t ignore the government either , you can ’ t de-sovereignize the government , ” he says .
“ But neither can you allow it to keep doing corrupt work , and not doing its work.
” For maximum efficiency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clean ” officials , relief agencies , and professionals to ensure the integrity of the cash flow between donors and the NGOs and the United Nations , which will implement the relief work .
“ A new mechanism has to be set up , ” says Professor Khouri .
“ Donors have to be used as leverage to force the government to get out of the way.
” International donors pledged $ 300 million at a conference Sunday convened by President Emmanuel Macron of France , Lebanon ’ s former colonial power .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ directly delivered to the Lebanese population , with utmost efficiency and transparency.
” How that will be achieved is not yet clear , as street protests against a corrupt , incompetent , and sectarian ruling class – which first erupted nationwide last October – have reignited in recent days with renewed venom .
Demonstrators have rigged up gallows , calling for vengeance in slogans such as , “ Hang the authorities first.
” Monday night , the government resigned en masse – the second cabinet to be toppled by popular anger in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of command for relief distribution .
“ I discovered that the system of corruption was bigger than the state and that the state is bound by this system , and that it is not possible to confront it or get rid of it , ” said Prime Minister Hassan Diab , who blamed entrenched interests when announcing his resignation .
Analysts and protesters point to the sectarian distribution of power – and the same top players for decades – as the source of much of Lebanon ’ s corruption .
Even as protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the hands of state institutions that they deem untrustworthy , the scale of the damage – estimated at as much as $ 15 billion – will require a coordinated repair effort .
For a relatively small grassroots relief organization like Shaabemasouleyati ( My people , my responsibility ) , which got its start last December assisting families in need during an economic crisis , the pivot to post-explosion support has been natural but daunting .
The group is one of the many civil society organizations that have mobilized thousands of Lebanese citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree of normalcy .
It has done everything from sending nurses and paramedics to check up on elderly residents or tend to the injured in the Mar Mikhael neighborhood , to deploying its engineers to conduct preliminary assessments of damaged buildings .
Their reports are being logged in a database of damaged houses and streets so as to speed the process of repairs .
“ The government has not taken responsibility for the explosion , nor for what happened after the explosion , ” says founder and director Afif Ayad .
Help came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from every corner of the country , ” he says .
Donor funds , he insists , should be sent with “ utmost transparency and with trusted NGOs actually giving the money to the people in need , [ which ] would be one big step in the right direction.
” That view is echoed by Bujar Hoxha , the CARE country director for Lebanon , who notes that a “ triple crisis ” was already afflicting the Lebanese – economic collapse , political instability , and the coronavirus – even before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we agree on an approach and mechanism with other NGOs , in order to have massive funds flow without any doubts and concerns , ” says Mr. Hoxha .
Since the explosion a number of NGOs have sprung up , including several diaspora groups that have “ created a coalition amongst themselves , ” raised millions of dollars , and made their own judgments about needs , says Maha Yahya , director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut .
“ That ’ s good , at that scale , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like $ 300 million , you do need a coherent and cohesive needs assessment , that everyone uses ... and this is something the government needs to be involved with , ” she says .
International and local authorities have the experience of the aftermath of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war , Ms. Yahya points out .
That 33-day conflict destroyed much of southern Lebanon and Beirut ’ s southern suburbs .
Back then , a multi-donor emergency fund was created , funneling funds through the United Nations , but “ there was an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far too little funding in [ other ] vital sectors , ” Ms. Yahya recalls .
But the key instruments today are NGOs on the ground , “ providing the oversight , [ which ] will then make sure that the money is not falling into the wrong hands , ” she says .
Meanwhile , Lebanese will continue piecemeal efforts to help in any way they can , such as a new hotline to reach engineers and architects set up by the American University of Beirut , which dispatches teams to inspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are safe enough to return to .
The initiative is still small-scale , and has resulted in the inspection of some 100 houses so far , says George Saad , an associate professor in AUB ’ s environmental engineering department , who set up the hotline and is creating a database .
He says he is glad that international donors seem intent on disbursing their money through NGOs , rather than the government , but only as long as they work together .
A coordinating committee will be critical to “ ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while helping people , ” he says .
His database of damage could “ create and build transparency , ” a precursor , he hopes , “ that leads to the structure that can support millions in aid .
”

In a Beirut neighborhood, an elderly woman watching volunteers inspect buildings, without government assistance, holds back tears. “I cry when I think of all the work the Lebanese people are doing to help one another. Even strangers feel like family,” she says. “But then I think of how the government let this happen. ... They’re not welcome here.”
Rami Khouri, director of global engagement at the American University of Beirut, has proposed a consortium that includes “clean” officials, relief agencies, and professionals to ensure the integrity of the cash flow between donors and those doing the relief work. “Donors have to be used as leverage to force the government to get out of the way,” he says.
A basic demand of government is that it provide relief in times of calamity. But as Lebanon gets about cleaning up and rebuilding Beirut, who can be counted on to coordinate efforts and efficiently distribute aid?
While protesters and analysts alike say the explosion has brought the crisis-ridden nation to a turning point, they are wondering how that aid can be safely funneled to those who need it most.
In the aftermath of the giant blast last week in Beirut, street protests have reignited against Lebanon’s sectarian ruling class, denounced as both incompetent and corrupt. Monday night the government resigned en masse , just a day after international donors pledged $300 million to Lebanon while stipulating it should be “directly delivered to the Lebanese population.”
In the early morning hours in the eastern Beirut neighborhood of Gemmayze, hit hard by the mammoth explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital a week ago, hundreds of volunteers are already on the streets with food parcels and brooms flung over their shoulders.
They are offering help where a widely despised government fears to tread.
Perched near a large pile of rubble, an elderly woman watches the volunteers move in and out of buildings to inspect or clean them up; others open boxes and distribute donated food and water.
Why We Wrote This A basic demand of government is that it provide relief in times of calamity. But as Lebanon gets about cleaning up and rebuilding Beirut, who can be counted on to coordinate efforts and efficiently distribute aid?
“I can’t explain why I am still alive, here, talking to you,” Roula, her face etched with both grief and disbelief, says about the blast that shattered the windows and tore through the walls of her first-floor apartment.
Another source of wonder? The absence of any official support from a ruling class that many Lebanese blame for corruption and negligence, leaving 2,750 tons of volatile ammonium nitrate at the Beirut port in the heart of the city. That stock triggered one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, wrecking large swaths of the capital, killing at least 171 people, and injuring 6,000.
“I cry when I think of all the work the Lebanese people are doing to help one another. Even strangers feel like family,” says Roula, who gave only her first name, holding back tears. “But then I think of how the government let this happen. This was a massacre, and the blood is on their hands.”
Even if government support was forthcoming, she says, “they’re not welcome here.”
Goran Tomasevic/Reuters View caption Hide caption Demonstrators wave Lebanese flags during protests near the site of a blast at Beirut's port area on Aug. 11, 2020.
While Lebanese protesters and analysts alike say the explosion has brought the crisis-ridden nation to a turning point, they are wondering how the hundreds of millions of dollars in aid that international donors have pledged can be safely funneled to those who need it most, keeping it out of what they consider the predatory claws of a largely corrupt ruling elite.
“The question is: How do you distribute the money? How do you prioritize it?” asks Rami Khouri, a professor of journalism and the director of global engagement at the American University of Beirut.
“Those decisions cannot be done by the government. You can’t ignore the government either, you can’t de-sovereignize the government,” he says. “But neither can you allow it to keep doing corrupt work, and not doing its work.”
For maximum efficiency, he proposes a consortium that includes “clean” officials, relief agencies, and professionals to ensure the integrity of the cash flow between donors and the NGOs and the United Nations, which will implement the relief work.
“A new mechanism has to be set up,” says Professor Khouri. “Donors have to be used as leverage to force the government to get out of the way.”
International donors pledged $300 million at a conference Sunday convened by President Emmanuel Macron of France, Lebanon’s former colonial power. They stipulated that the assistance should be “directly delivered to the Lebanese population, with utmost efficiency and transparency.”
How that will be achieved is not yet clear, as street protests against a corrupt, incompetent, and sectarian ruling class – which first erupted nationwide last October – have reignited in recent days with renewed venom.
Hannah McKay/Reuters View caption Hide caption A man stands next to graffiti on Aug. 11, 2020, outside Beirut's damaged port, in the aftermath of the massive explosion that damaged much of Lebanon's capital.
Demonstrators have rigged up gallows, calling for vengeance in slogans such as, “Hang the authorities first.”
Monday night, the government resigned en masse – the second cabinet to be toppled by popular anger in nine months – further complicating any chain of command for relief distribution.
“I discovered that the system of corruption was bigger than the state and that the state is bound by this system, and that it is not possible to confront it or get rid of it,” said Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who blamed entrenched interests when announcing his resignation. Analysts and protesters point to the sectarian distribution of power – and the same top players for decades – as the source of much of Lebanon’s corruption.
Even as protesters have implored donors not to channel funds through the hands of state institutions that they deem untrustworthy, the scale of the damage – estimated at as much as $15 billion – will require a coordinated repair effort.
For a relatively small grassroots relief organization like Shaabemasouleyati (My people, my responsibility), which got its start last December assisting families in need during an economic crisis, the pivot to post-explosion support has been natural but daunting.
The group is one of the many civil society organizations that have mobilized thousands of Lebanese citizens to clear debris and restore a minimal degree of normalcy. It has done everything from sending nurses and paramedics to check up on elderly residents or tend to the injured in the Mar Mikhael neighborhood, to deploying its engineers to conduct preliminary assessments of damaged buildings.
Their reports are being logged in a database of damaged houses and streets so as to speed the process of repairs.
“The government has not taken responsibility for the explosion, nor for what happened after the explosion,” says founder and director Afif Ayad. Help came “purely because the people were there from every corner of the country,” he says.
Donor funds, he insists, should be sent with “utmost transparency and with trusted NGOs actually giving the money to the people in need, [which] would be one big step in the right direction.”
That view is echoed by Bujar Hoxha, the CARE country director for Lebanon, who notes that a “triple crisis” was already afflicting the Lebanese – economic collapse, political instability, and the coronavirus – even before the explosion.
“It’s critical that we agree on an approach and mechanism with other NGOs, in order to have massive funds flow without any doubts and concerns,” says Mr. Hoxha.
Since the explosion a number of NGOs have sprung up, including several diaspora groups that have “created a coalition amongst themselves,” raised millions of dollars, and made their own judgments about needs, says Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
“That’s good, at that scale, but when we are talking about huge money like $300 million, you do need a coherent and cohesive needs assessment, that everyone uses ... and this is something the government needs to be involved with,” she says.
Hussein Malla/AP View caption Hide caption People watch the moment of the massive explosion on a giant screen as they gather Aug. 11, 2020, in honor of the victims at the scene of last week's explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed more than 170 people.
International and local authorities have the experience of the aftermath of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, Ms. Yahya points out. That 34-day conflict destroyed much of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Back then, a multi-donor emergency fund was created, funneling funds through the United Nations, but “there was an excess of funds in de-mining, and far too little funding in [other] vital sectors,” Ms. Yahya recalls.
But the key instruments today are NGOs on the ground, “providing the oversight, [which] will then make sure that the money is not falling into the wrong hands,” she says.
Meanwhile, Lebanese will continue piecemeal efforts to help in any way they can, such as a new hotline to reach engineers and architects set up by the American University of Beirut, which dispatches teams to inspect damaged houses and apartments and rule whether they are safe enough to return to.
The initiative is still small-scale, and has resulted in the inspection of some 100 houses so far, says George Saad, an associate professor in AUB’s environmental engineering department, who set up the hotline and is creating a database.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
He says he is glad that international donors seem intent on disbursing their money through NGOs, rather than the government, but only as long as they work together.
A coordinating committee will be critical to “ensure that NGOs are not crossing each other while helping people,” he says. His database of damage could “create and build transparency,” a precursor, he hopes, “that leads to the structure that can support millions in aid.”


csmonitor--2020-08-12--Bouncy or brittle? Conventions near amid coronavirus uncertainty

No packed arenas cheering the nominee .
No delegates dressed like Uncle Sam posing for photographers .
No balloon drops .
The U.S. political nominating conventions , which begin next week , are going to be less of a spectacle than usual .
Does this mean they won ’ t provide either nominee with a boost at the polls ?
A little background if you ’ ve missed it : due to the pandemic , the traditional Democratic and Republican conventions have been transformed into virtual events .
( Or mostly virtual , in the case of the GOP , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s likely to accept his nomination in a speech at the White House or the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield . )
In the past , the political conventions have often been an inflection point in the presidential race , delivering a poll “ bounce ” to one candidate or another .
Nobody really knows if they ’ ll play such a role in 2020 .
From 1968 to 2016 , presidential candidates received an average five percentage point bounce from their conventions , according to the University of California at Santa Barbara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump got that kind of benefit , and Joe Biden didn ’ t , the race would turn into something close to a dead heat .
And bounces can be asymmetric .
In 2016 , Mr. Trump gained 3.4 % in the polls following his convention , while Hillary Clinton got 1.8 % , according to figures compiled by Thomas M. Holbrook , political science professor at the University of Wisconsin , Milwaukee .
Both 2020 nominees will still get four days of media coverage , including two hours of prime-time TV per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interesting analysis of “ bounce ” numbers .
This year the conventions are being held back-to-back , potentially stepping on each other ’ s build-up and subsequent bounce .
They ’ re also relatively late , coming at a point when many voters may have already made up their minds .
In general , bounces have been getting smaller , anyway : Since 2000 they ’ re about half what they were from 1984 to 1996 .
Nor is bounce size correlated with November success .
“ Just ask Presidents Goldwater , Mondale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of whom had bigger bumps than their competitors , ” writes Dr. Holbrook .
Let us know what you ’ re thinking at csmpolitics @ csmonitor.com .

Dear reader:
No packed arenas cheering the nominee. No delegates dressed like Uncle Sam posing for photographers. No balloon drops.
The U.S. political nominating conventions, which begin next week, are going to be less of a spectacle than usual. Does this mean they won’t provide either nominee with a boost at the polls?
A little background if you’ve missed it: due to the pandemic, the traditional Democratic and Republican conventions have been transformed into virtual events. (Or mostly virtual, in the case of the GOP, as President Donald Trump has indicated he’s likely to accept his nomination in a speech at the White House or the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield.)
In the past, the political conventions have often been an inflection point in the presidential race, delivering a poll “bounce” to one candidate or another. Nobody really knows if they’ll play such a role in 2020.
From 1968 to 2016, presidential candidates received an average five percentage point bounce from their conventions, according to the University of California at Santa Barbara Presidency Project. Hypothetically, if President Trump got that kind of benefit, and Joe Biden didn’t, the race would turn into something close to a dead heat.
And bounces can be asymmetric. In 2016, Mr. Trump gained 3.4% in the polls following his convention, while Hillary Clinton got 1.8%, according to figures compiled by Thomas M. Holbrook, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Both 2020 nominees will still get four days of media coverage, including two hours of prime-time TV per night, notes Dr. Holbrook in an interesting analysis of “bounce” numbers.
This year the conventions are being held back-to-back, potentially stepping on each other’s build-up and subsequent bounce. They’re also relatively late, coming at a point when many voters may have already made up their minds. In general, bounces have been getting smaller, anyway: Since 2000 they’re about half what they were from 1984 to 1996.
Nor is bounce size correlated with November success.
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“Just ask Presidents Goldwater, Mondale, Dole, or Gore, all of whom had bigger bumps than their competitors,” writes Dr. Holbrook.
Let us know what you’re thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.


csmonitor--2020-08-12--How are zoo, aquarium animals coping with all this? Not badly, say keepers.

“ At heart , we ’ re all animals , ” says Leigh Clayton , vice president of animal care and welfare at the New England Aquarium .
“ We are all capable of responding to change.
” Other aquariums and zoos have taken similar measures as the crowds suddenly vanished .
At the Stone Zoo , in Stoneham , Massachusetts , the gibbons got a bubble machine , and a North American river otter that seemed to miss attention from visitors got to spend coffee breaks with the zoo staff .
So the animal keepers got creative .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the lockdown smoothly , they played recordings of crowds at regular intervals .
Boston ’ s New England Aquarium normally welcomes about 1,600 visitors every hour , producing a teeming soundscape for the penguins , fish , and other marine life .
But when the novel coronavirus put the world on pause , an eerie silence settled over the tanks , tide pools , and terrariums .
Some animals were disturbed , others appeased .
A video posted on the New England Aquarium ’ s Facebook page shows a group of penguins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aquarium ’ s giant ocean tank .
Seemingly indifferent to the crowd noises , they follow their beloved routine – sliding off the wet rocks into the pool , emerging , shivering the water off their bodies , and plunging back into the pool – all set to the rhythm of treats tossed into their vivid orange beaks .
But something is different .
There are no actual visitors .
As the pandemic filled the aquarium with unusual silence , biologists had to get creative .
To help the animals transition in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played recordings of crowds from portable speakers .
Globally , more than 700 million people visit zoos and aquariums each year .
But when the pandemic put the world on pause , animals used to daily human presence were deprived of visitors .
Amid the eerie silence , say animal keepers , some animals were disturbed , others appeased .
Animals at zoos and aquariums are having their own lockdowns and tentative reopenings , and , thanks to our shared evolutionary heritage , their experiences might be more like ours than we think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of animal care and welfare at the New England Aquarium .
Like their human counterparts , animals , too , showed resilience and adaptability in unprecedented times .
“ At heart , we ’ re all animals , ” Dr. Clayton says .
“ We ’ re all capable of learning .
We are all capable of responding to change.
” Wild animals tend to be more resilient , says Brian Aucone , senior vice president for animal sciences at the Denver Zoo .
They deal with variation daily and adapt to unexpected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose routine is dictated by regular feedings and cleanings of their cages or tanks , things are different .
Just as otters can be trained , captive animals can build resilience , too .
To prepare captive animals to deal with and handle changes , Mr. Aucone says , animal keepers in zoos across the world regularly work to build resilience in animals born or raised in captivity .
“ We don ’ t want them to be afraid .
We want them to go with the flow like they would naturally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so we actually work through that with our animals as well .
So we try and prepare them for the unexpected , so that when it happens , they just go with it.
” By slowly introducing new elements into captive animals ’ routine , they can easily adapt .
Dr. Clayton and the team at the New England Aquarium understood that .
There , the animal keepers worked to spread out that transition , by adjusting the lighting in tanks gradually , keeping feeding and cleaning schedules the same , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At the aquarium , they played sounds of crowds to desensitize the birds .
At the Denver Zoo , staffers would spend extra time keeping an emu or a giraffe company .
At the Stone Zoo , in Stoneham , Massachusetts , the staff gave a bubble machine to the gibbons .
During their coffee breaks , animal keepers sat with Dunkin , a North American river otter who seemed to miss attention from visitors .
Just like many humans , animals needed an extra hand transitioning in and out of the lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bubbles or an extra wave from staff , the animals adapted a lot better than Americans did , says Pete Costello , assistant curator at Stone Zoo .
In Colorado , Mr. Aucone echoes that thought .
“ We try and control what happens around us , ” he says .
“ The animals just deal with it.
” Frans de Waal , a primatologist at Emory University who has written extensively about animal emotions , suggests that some animals may have benefited from the absence of crowds .
Citing reports that some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their enclosures during the lockdown , he suggests that some zoos and aquariums might do well with a crowd-free day each week .
“ The zoos have probably learned a little bit from this whole pandemic that many animals do very well without the public , ” he says .
“ And so giving them that option , I think , is important.
” It ’ s 10 a.m. at the New England Aquarium .
Two weeks after reopening , only a handful of visitors are approaching the main entrance , waiting under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Walk like a penguin , ” a sign advises visitors as they enter , encouraging them to follow the one-way traffic and respect social distancing .
Before the pandemic , during a normal summer day , the aquarium could welcome 1,600 visitors in an hour .
Now , that ’ s the maximum number of visitors coming through in an entire day .
Michael Cutter from Rockport , Massachusetts , and Michelle Wright from Beverly , Massachusetts , haven ’ t been to the aquarium in 40 years .
So for them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways .
“ We ’ re happy it ’ s open , and we ’ re happy there are not a huge amount of crowds , ” Mr. Cutter says .
“ People aren ’ t on top of you , ” he adds , relieved to see the safety procedures in place .
“ You can ’ t have that when it ’ s crowded , ” Mr. Cutter says , pointing to the tank filled with colorful fish he was looking at , no other visitors surrounding him .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I believe in supporting the aquarium , ” he says , adding that now is the perfect opportunity to support museums , zoos , aquariums , and the city as the pandemic ravaged the economy .
As zoos and aquariums across the country were forced to close mid-March , at the beginning of the busiest season , administrators have been forced to trim budgets through layoffs and pay cuts .
“ We ’ re very excited to have guests back .
And it ’ s been a struggle at times .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the limited numbers and such , ” Mr. Aucone says .
As the day advances at the aquarium , visitors slowly start to congregate around the tank of the penguins , unfazed by the groups of mask-wearing families staring down at them .
A 3-year-old named Mateo points to the penguins playing in the pool .
“ Hi , penguins !
” he says .
If the pandemic brought humans closer to each other , it might have reinforced the bond between humans and animals as well .
“ Knowing we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as much as the animals benefited from our care , I think we benefited from them , too , ” Mr. Costello says .

“At heart, we’re all animals,” says Leigh Clayton, vice president of animal care and welfare at the New England Aquarium. “We are all capable of responding to change.”
Other aquariums and zoos have taken similar measures as the crowds suddenly vanished. At the Stone Zoo, in Stoneham, Massachusetts, the gibbons got a bubble machine, and a North American river otter that seemed to miss attention from visitors got to spend coffee breaks with the zoo staff.
Zoo and aquarium animals have long helped humans make better sense of the world. Today, humans have an opportunity to return the favor.
So the animal keepers got creative. To help the animals transition in and out of the lockdown smoothly, they played recordings of crowds at regular intervals.
Boston’s New England Aquarium normally welcomes about 1,600 visitors every hour, producing a teeming soundscape for the penguins, fish, and other marine life. But when the novel coronavirus put the world on pause, an eerie silence settled over the tanks, tide pools, and terrariums. Some animals were disturbed, others appeased.
A video posted on the New England Aquarium’s Facebook page shows a group of penguins waddling around the rocks in the Boston aquarium’s giant ocean tank. Seemingly indifferent to the crowd noises, they follow their beloved routine – sliding off the wet rocks into the pool, emerging, shivering the water off their bodies, and plunging back into the pool – all set to the rhythm of treats tossed into their vivid orange beaks.
But something is different. There are no actual visitors.
As the pandemic filled the aquarium with unusual silence, biologists had to get creative. To help the animals transition in and out of the lockdown smoothly, they played recordings of crowds from portable speakers.
Why We Wrote This Zoo and aquarium animals have long helped humans make better sense of the world. Today, humans have an opportunity to return the favor.
Globally, more than 700 million people visit zoos and aquariums each year. But when the pandemic put the world on pause, animals used to daily human presence were deprived of visitors. Amid the eerie silence, say animal keepers, some animals were disturbed, others appeased.
Animals at zoos and aquariums are having their own lockdowns and tentative reopenings, and, thanks to our shared evolutionary heritage, their experiences might be more like ours than we think, says Leigh Clayton, vice president of animal care and welfare at the New England Aquarium. Like their human counterparts, animals, too, showed resilience and adaptability in unprecedented times.
Alfredo Sosa/Staff View caption Hide caption An intern feeds a turtle in the main tank exhibit at the New England Aquarium on July 31, 2020, in Boston.
“At heart, we’re all animals,” Dr. Clayton says. “We’re all capable of learning. We are all capable of responding to change.”
Teaching resilience
Wild animals tend to be more resilient, says Brian Aucone, senior vice president for animal sciences at the Denver Zoo. They deal with variation daily and adapt to unexpected changes in routine. For captive animals, whose routine is dictated by regular feedings and cleanings of their cages or tanks, things are different.
Just as otters can be trained, captive animals can build resilience, too. To prepare captive animals to deal with and handle changes, Mr. Aucone says, animal keepers in zoos across the world regularly work to build resilience in animals born or raised in captivity.
“We don’t want them to be afraid. We want them to go with the flow like they would naturally,” Mr. Aucone says. “And so we actually work through that with our animals as well. So we try and prepare them for the unexpected, so that when it happens, they just go with it.”
By slowly introducing new elements into captive animals’ routine, they can easily adapt.
Dr. Clayton and the team at the New England Aquarium understood that. There, the animal keepers worked to spread out that transition, by adjusting the lighting in tanks gradually, keeping feeding and cleaning schedules the same, and slowly increasing staff presence before reopening.
At the aquarium, they played sounds of crowds to desensitize the birds. At the Denver Zoo, staffers would spend extra time keeping an emu or a giraffe company. At the Stone Zoo, in Stoneham, Massachusetts, the staff gave a bubble machine to the gibbons. During their coffee breaks, animal keepers sat with Dunkin, a North American river otter who seemed to miss attention from visitors. Just like many humans, animals needed an extra hand transitioning in and out of the lockdown.
But whether they needed a few bubbles or an extra wave from staff, the animals adapted a lot better than Americans did, says Pete Costello, assistant curator at Stone Zoo.
Alfredo Sosa/Staff View caption Hide caption People visit the New England Aquarium on July 31, 2020, in Boston.
In Colorado, Mr. Aucone echoes that thought. “We try and control what happens around us,” he says. “The animals just deal with it.”
Frans de Waal, a primatologist at Emory University who has written extensively about animal emotions, suggests that some animals may have benefited from the absence of crowds. Citing reports that some animals have begun mating or taking over their enclosures during the lockdown, he suggests that some zoos and aquariums might do well with a crowd-free day each week.
“The zoos have probably learned a little bit from this whole pandemic that many animals do very well without the public,” he says. “And so giving them that option, I think, is important.”
“Here for each other”
It’s 10 a.m. at the New England Aquarium. Two weeks after reopening, only a handful of visitors are approaching the main entrance, waiting under the sun to get in line.
“Walk like a penguin,” a sign advises visitors as they enter, encouraging them to follow the one-way traffic and respect social distancing. Before the pandemic, during a normal summer day, the aquarium could welcome 1,600 visitors in an hour. Now, that’s the maximum number of visitors coming through in an entire day.
Michael Cutter from Rockport, Massachusetts, and Michelle Wright from Beverly, Massachusetts, haven’t been to the aquarium in 40 years. So for them, the aquarium feels different in many ways.
“We’re happy it’s open, and we’re happy there are not a huge amount of crowds,” Mr. Cutter says. “People aren’t on top of you,” he adds, relieved to see the safety procedures in place.
“You can’t have that when it’s crowded,” Mr. Cutter says, pointing to the tank filled with colorful fish he was looking at, no other visitors surrounding him.
But the relative quiet also means less business.
“I believe in supporting the aquarium,” he says, adding that now is the perfect opportunity to support museums, zoos, aquariums, and the city as the pandemic ravaged the economy.
As zoos and aquariums across the country were forced to close mid-March, at the beginning of the busiest season, administrators have been forced to trim budgets through layoffs and pay cuts.
“We’re very excited to have guests back. And it’s been a struggle at times. But most zoos and aquariums continue to struggle with the limited numbers and such,” Mr. Aucone says.
As the day advances at the aquarium, visitors slowly start to congregate around the tank of the penguins, unfazed by the groups of mask-wearing families staring down at them. A 3-year-old named Mateo points to the penguins playing in the pool. “Hi, penguins!” he says.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
If the pandemic brought humans closer to each other, it might have reinforced the bond between humans and animals as well.
“Knowing we’re kind of here for each other, as much as the animals benefited from our care, I think we benefited from them, too,” Mr. Costello says.


csmonitor--2020-08-12--Seattle's first Black police chief resigns over budget cuts

Efforts to cut spending on police – a key demand of anti-racism demonstrators across the nation – have claimed an unlikely target : Seattle ’ s first Black police chief , who enjoyed deep support in its minority communities , is stepping down in protest .
Carmen Best announced her retirement Monday night , just hours after the City Council voted to cut her annual $ 285,000 salary by $ 10,000 , as well as the salaries of her command staff , and to trim as many as 100 officers from a force of 1,400 through layoffs and attrition .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with her pay cut , but not with having to lay off young officers , many of them minorities hired in part to improve the department ’ s diversity .
“ That , for me – I ’ m done .
Can ’ t do it , ” she said at a news conference .
“ It really is about the overarching lack of respect for the officers.
” Ms. Best , a military veteran who joined the department in 1992 , was named chief two years ago .
Mayor Jenny Durkan initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the job , but selected her after an outcry from community groups who had long known Ms. Best and wanted her to be chosen .
Ms. Durkan praised Ms. Best ’ s service and commitment to improving policing in the city Tuesday .
She noted that Ms. Best had established a “ collaborative policing bureau ” to focus on youth violence prevention and other issues , added mental health workers in precincts , brought back community service officers , and sought ways to reduce the burden of 911 calls – all before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s killing by Minneapolis police .
“ Of all the major cities in America , Seattle had the chief that not only understands the lived experience of Black America – because it is her experience – but has the deep experience in policing needed to change it , ” Ms. Durkan said .
Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz , who heads the collaborative policing bureau , was named interim chief when Ms. Best ’ s resignation takes effect Sept. 2 .
Ms. Durkan said she would not begin looking to hire a permanent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dire economic outlook amid the pandemic as well as uncertainty about the future role of policing .
City Council members and residents alike had criticized Ms. Durkan and Ms. Best for the department ’ s response to protests against police brutality prompted by Mr. Floyd ’ s killing .
Officers repeatedly used tear gas , blast balls , pepper spray , and other less-lethal weapons indiscriminately and at times without provocation , prompting a federal judge to restrain their use .
Ms. Best insisted that officers had a right to defend themselves .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who considered the department ’ s protest response heavy-handed – saw her retirement as unfortunate .
“ All these organizations that have been pushing for police reform , we all believe Chief Best is a good chief , ” said Linh Thai , managing director of the Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute .
“ We want her at the helm.
” Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County issued a statement demanding that the council “ stop prioritizing performative action that solely suggests the appearance of change.
” “ It does nothing to further our fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Black lives , that the first Black woman to hold the position of Chief of Police of the Seattle Police Department has been forced out of her job by the Seattle City Council , ” the organization said .
U.S. Attorney General William Barr also lamented Ms. Best ’ s departure : “ This experience should be a lesson to state and local leaders about the real costs of irresponsible proposals to defund the police.
” The council voted Monday to cut the department ’ s current $ 400 million budget by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described as a down payment on more ambitious cuts – including removing 911 dispatch from the department and other changes .
Council members Lorena Gonzalez , Teresa Mosqueda , and Tammy Morales issued a joint statement Tuesday saying they were saddened by Ms. Best ’ s sudden departure .
Separately , member Lisa Herbold called Ms. Best ’ s decision “ a staggering loss to leaders of the Black and Brown community.
” Ms. Herbold said she was sorry if Ms. Best felt targeted or disrespected by the council ’ s actions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a police chief who is learning that leadership means understanding that they may need to figure out how to accept – and get their departments to accept – that the public wants less policing and more community safety , ” Ms. Herbold said .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP writer Lisa Baumann contributed to this story .

Efforts to cut spending on police – a key demand of anti-racism demonstrators across the nation – have claimed an unlikely target: Seattle’s first Black police chief, who enjoyed deep support in its minority communities, is stepping down in protest.
Carmen Best announced her retirement Monday night, just hours after the City Council voted to cut her annual $285,000 salary by $10,000, as well as the salaries of her command staff, and to trim as many as 100 officers from a force of 1,400 through layoffs and attrition.
She said Tuesday that she was OK with her pay cut, but not with having to lay off young officers, many of them minorities hired in part to improve the department’s diversity. “That, for me – I’m done. Can’t do it,” she said at a news conference.
“It really is about the overarching lack of respect for the officers.”
Ms. Best, a military veteran who joined the department in 1992, was named chief two years ago. Mayor Jenny Durkan initially left her off a list of finalists for the job, but selected her after an outcry from community groups who had long known Ms. Best and wanted her to be chosen.
Ms. Durkan praised Ms. Best’s service and commitment to improving policing in the city Tuesday. She noted that Ms. Best had established a “collaborative policing bureau” to focus on youth violence prevention and other issues, added mental health workers in precincts, brought back community service officers, and sought ways to reduce the burden of 911 calls – all before the protests that erupted after George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police.
“Of all the major cities in America, Seattle had the chief that not only understands the lived experience of Black America – because it is her experience – but has the deep experience in policing needed to change it,” Ms. Durkan said.
Deputy Chief Adrian Diaz, who heads the collaborative policing bureau, was named interim chief when Ms. Best’s resignation takes effect Sept. 2. Ms. Durkan said she would not begin looking to hire a permanent replacement, given the city’s dire economic outlook amid the pandemic as well as uncertainty about the future role of policing.
City Council members and residents alike had criticized Ms. Durkan and Ms. Best for the department’s response to protests against police brutality prompted by Mr. Floyd’s killing. Officers repeatedly used tear gas, blast balls, pepper spray, and other less-lethal weapons indiscriminately and at times without provocation, prompting a federal judge to restrain their use.
Ms. Best insisted that officers had a right to defend themselves.
Many of her supporters – even those who considered the department’s protest response heavy-handed – saw her retirement as unfortunate.
“All these organizations that have been pushing for police reform, we all believe Chief Best is a good chief,” said Linh Thai, managing director of the Vietnamese Community Leadership Institute. “We want her at the helm.”
Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County issued a statement demanding that the council “stop prioritizing performative action that solely suggests the appearance of change.”
“It does nothing to further our fight for authentic police accountability and the safety of Black lives, that the first Black woman to hold the position of Chief of Police of the Seattle Police Department has been forced out of her job by the Seattle City Council,” the organization said.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr also lamented Ms. Best’s departure: “This experience should be a lesson to state and local leaders about the real costs of irresponsible proposals to defund the police.”
The council voted Monday to cut the department’s current $400 million budget by less than 1%, which advocates described as a down payment on more ambitious cuts – including removing 911 dispatch from the department and other changes.
Council members Lorena Gonzalez, Teresa Mosqueda, and Tammy Morales issued a joint statement Tuesday saying they were saddened by Ms. Best’s sudden departure. Separately, member Lisa Herbold called Ms. Best’s decision “a staggering loss to leaders of the Black and Brown community.”
Ms. Herbold said she was sorry if Ms. Best felt targeted or disrespected by the council’s actions.
“Every major city in the nation has a police chief who is learning that leadership means understanding that they may need to figure out how to accept – and get their departments to accept – that the public wants less policing and more community safety,” Ms. Herbold said.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Lisa Baumann contributed to this story.