usatoday--2020-11-10--Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell are friends who have brokered deals in the Senate: Can they still work

WASHINGTON – When Vice President Joe Biden visited the Senate four years ago to bid farewell to his many long-time Senate colleagues , Mitch McConnell looked him in the eye and described him as `` a real friend ... a trusted partner ... We 're all going to miss you . ''
Several years earlier , after the two had worked together behind the scenes to broker a major tax deal , the Kentucky senator invited Biden to an event at the University of Louisville as a gesture of goodwill .
“ You want to see whether a Republican and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Biden said as McConnell looked on .
“ Well , I ’ m here to tell you we do.
’ ’ That friendship will be tested now that Biden has been declared the nation 's 46th president and McConnell is expected to return as the majority leader of a Senate that will be asked to pass the incoming president 's legislative priorities , approve his cabinet members and confirm his judicial appointments .
None of that bodes well for Biden 's liberal backers who expected voters would elect a Democrat-controlled Senate ready @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans , enacting elements of the Green New Deal , and expanding government-sponsored health care .
South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham , who will chair the Budget Committee if Republicans keep control , called such liberal priorities `` dead on arrival '' in the Senate .
Like McConnell , Graham counts himself as a long-time friend of the new president .
He believes he can reach common ground with the incoming president on cabinet appointments and on legislation such as an infrastructure bill , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies .
But Graham said his personal affection for Biden wo n't make him give in on issues .
`` I will try to help where I can and oppose him where I must , '' Graham told reporters Friday .
The prospect of continued GOP control of the upper chamber is already forcing Biden and his advisers to rethink who they might appoint to the cabinet , opting for more centrist choices that could win quick approval over liberal nominees whose confirmations could drag on for weeks and still fall short , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the White House four decades of experience and friendships in the Senate – including with McConnell .
But without the ability to control the Senate , Democrats will have to take a more modest approach to the changes they want to make on taxes , climate change and other issues through negotiated compromises , said Scott Segal , a prominent Washington lobbyist .
“ An institutionalist like Joe Biden knows that 's all he can get , ” Segal said .
“ And I would stress here that Joe Biden and Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another , both in the Senate , and in this election season , but they know each other very well.
” Biden optimistic he can work with Republicans Republicans have yet to secure their Senate majority in the next Congress though most analysts expect they will come January .
GOP incumbents are winning in two states ( Alaska and North Carolina ) that have yet to be called .
That would mean Republicans would have to win just one of the two Georgia runoff elections scheduled for Jan. 5 to maintain their power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could work with Republicans on issues like health care .
“ Why ?
Because I think they 're seeing the reaction of the American people , ” he told reporters soon after casting his own ballot last month .
“ Overwhelmingly , the American people think drug prices are too high.
” Throughout the campaign , Biden dismissed criticism from the left that he has too rosy a picture of Republicans ’ willingness to find common ground and that the political dynamics have drastically changed since the days when we worked closely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden promised that one of his first actions would be calling Republicans to say : “ We 've got to figure out how we 're going to move forward here .
Because there are so many things we really do agree on.
” Without the threat of President Donald Trump going after errant Republicans , Biden argued , at least some GOP senators would be willing to forge bipartisan deals .
But partisan feelings remain raw – especially toward McConnell – for Republicans ' role in confirming Trump 's pick , Amy Coney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days before the presidential election .
And critics note that for all the on-the-surface camaraderie , McConnell did little to stop an investigation this year by GOP senators into allegations against Biden and his son , Hunter , involving Ukraine .
The probe , which backers had touted would discredit the vice president , found no evidence of improper influence or wrongdoing by either Biden .
Still , the cloud it generated provided the former vice president 's critics ammunition to use against his candidacy .
Despite friendship , deals will be difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McConnell and Biden have a better relationship than the Kentucky Republican had with President Barack Obama , Biden is unlikely to achieve the agenda he and other Democrats promoted on the campaign trail .
`` I expect ( McConnell ) – and most of his caucus – will do everything in their power to block a Biden legislative agenda , '' said Jim Manley , who worked as a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev. , who often sparred with McConnell .
Manley said there was a measurable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave Obama and other top Democrats compared with Biden .
He cited Biden 's lengthy negotiations with McConnell during the 2013 fiscal cliff crisis , which primarily featured the two leaders trading phone calls as the rest of Washington eagerly awaited a deal to prevent automatic tax hikes and spending cuts .
Biden 's discussions with McConnell went around Reid , who was the top Democrat at the time , Manley recalled , adding at one point an upset Reid threw a draft of the deal in the fireplace to destroy it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden and McConnell went against the mandates of their own parties to work together on massive deals .
The two leaders also came together for a bipartisan compromise during the debt-ceiling crisis of 2011 that prevented the country from going into default .
But just as progressives will push Biden not to cave , McConnell faces similar pressure from his right flank .
`` McConnell may try to isolate Biden to cut deals , but I do n't believe the caucus will agree with it , '' Manley said .
`` The Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the partisan tensions that have divided Washington and the country would not simply go away under a Biden presidency .
`` There 's a chance that McConnell touts his ability to cut deals with Biden as he 's done in the past , but I 'm not really convinced that 's going to happen . ''
Biden could use executive orders to fulfill agenda Elaine Kamarck , a scholar at the Brookings Institution who worked for Vice President Al Gore , expects tensions will lessen after Trump leaves office , even though the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeply divided .
“ I think that we will see a lessening of this polarization for one simple fact : the president of the United States will not be fanning the flames , '' she said .
More : With Biden winning the popular vote , here 's how America could end the Electoral College Molly Reynolds , an expert on Congress at the Brookings Institution , said Republican senators ' reactions to Biden ’ s cabinet nominees will be an early indication of their relationship .
“ Do they confirm them ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to the floor ?
” Reynolds asked .
“ That ’ s something I ’ ll be watching closely.
” Biden could also take a page from Trump who issued a flurry of executive orders when he could n't get legislative proposals through Congress , a strategy that groups such as the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the Progressive Change Institute want him to take .
But the incoming president indicated he doesn ’ t want to be limited to such steps that could be reversed by his successor or by courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the votes , ” Biden said .
“ We ’ re a democracy .
We need consensus .
”

Ledyard King, Maureen Groppe and Christal Hayes, USA TODAY

Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell are friends who have brokered deals in the Senate: Can they still work together?
Show Caption Hide Caption 2020 election: Biden calls for unity as votes continue to be counted Biden calls for unity during his speech in Wilmington, Delaware. Votes are still being counted in states across the country. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – When Vice President Joe Biden visited the Senate four years ago to bid farewell to his many long-time Senate colleagues, Mitch McConnell looked him in the eye and described him as "a real friend ... a trusted partner ... We're all going to miss you."
Several years earlier, after the two had worked together behind the scenes to broker a major tax deal, the Kentucky senator invited Biden to an event at the University of Louisville as a gesture of goodwill.
“You want to see whether a Republican and Democrat really like each other,’’ Biden said as McConnell looked on. “Well, I’m here to tell you we do.’’
That friendship will be tested now that Biden has been declared the nation's 46th president and McConnell is expected to return as the majority leader of a Senate that will be asked to pass the incoming president's legislative priorities, approve his cabinet members and confirm his judicial appointments.
None of that bodes well for Biden's liberal backers who expected voters would elect a Democrat-controlled Senate ready to pass a progressive agenda: undoing the Trump administration tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, enacting elements of the Green New Deal, and expanding government-sponsored health care.
South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who will chair the Budget Committee if Republicans keep control, called such liberal priorities "dead on arrival" in the Senate.
Like McConnell, Graham counts himself as a long-time friend of the new president. He believes he can reach common ground with the incoming president on cabinet appointments and on legislation such as an infrastructure bill, targeted immigration reform and regulating social media companies.
But Graham said his personal affection for Biden won't make him give in on issues.
"I will try to help where I can and oppose him where I must," Graham told reporters Friday.
More: Mitch McConnell once called Joe Biden 'a real friend.' Now he's silent amid attacks
The prospect of continued GOP control of the upper chamber is already forcing Biden and his advisers to rethink who they might appoint to the cabinet, opting for more centrist choices that could win quick approval over liberal nominees whose confirmations could drag on for weeks and still fall short, according to news reports.
Biden brings to the White House four decades of experience and friendships in the Senate – including with McConnell. But without the ability to control the Senate, Democrats will have to take a more modest approach to the changes they want to make on taxes, climate change and other issues through negotiated compromises, said Scott Segal, a prominent Washington lobbyist.
“An institutionalist like Joe Biden knows that's all he can get,” Segal said. “And I would stress here that Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell may have been gladiators against one another, both in the Senate, and in this election season, but they know each other very well.”
Biden optimistic he can work with Republicans
Republicans have yet to secure their Senate majority in the next Congress though most analysts expect they will come January.
GOP incumbents are winning in two states (Alaska and North Carolina) that have yet to be called. That would mean Republicans would have to win just one of the two Georgia runoff elections scheduled for Jan. 5 to maintain their power.
Biden last week expressed confidence that he could work with Republicans on issues like health care.
“Why? Because I think they're seeing the reaction of the American people,” he told reporters soon after casting his own ballot last month. “Overwhelmingly, the American people think drug prices are too high.”
Throughout the campaign, Biden dismissed criticism from the left that he has too rosy a picture of Republicans’ willingness to find common ground and that the political dynamics have drastically changed since the days when we worked closely with GOP Senate colleagues like McConnell.
Biden promised that one of his first actions would be calling Republicans to say: “We've got to figure out how we're going to move forward here. Because there are so many things we really do agree on.”
Without the threat of President Donald Trump going after errant Republicans, Biden argued, at least some GOP senators would be willing to forge bipartisan deals.
But partisan feelings remain raw – especially toward McConnell – for Republicans' role in confirming Trump's pick, Amy Coney Barrett, to the Supreme Court only days before the presidential election.
And critics note that for all the on-the-surface camaraderie, McConnell did little to stop an investigation this year by GOP senators into allegations against Biden and his son, Hunter, involving Ukraine. The probe, which backers had touted would discredit the vice president, found no evidence of improper influence or wrongdoing by either Biden.
Still, the cloud it generated provided the former vice president's critics ammunition to use against his candidacy.
Despite friendship, deals will be difficult to reach
Former Senate aides say while McConnell and Biden have a better relationship than the Kentucky Republican had with President Barack Obama, Biden is unlikely to achieve the agenda he and other Democrats promoted on the campaign trail.
"I expect (McConnell) – and most of his caucus – will do everything in their power to block a Biden legislative agenda," said Jim Manley, who worked as a top aide to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who often sparred with McConnell.
Manley said there was a measurable difference between the treatment the Kentucky senator gave Obama and other top Democrats compared with Biden. He cited Biden's lengthy negotiations with McConnell during the 2013 fiscal cliff crisis, which primarily featured the two leaders trading phone calls as the rest of Washington eagerly awaited a deal to prevent automatic tax hikes and spending cuts.
Biden's discussions with McConnell went around Reid, who was the top Democrat at the time, Manley recalled, adding at one point an upset Reid threw a draft of the deal in the fireplace to destroy it.
It was far from the first time Biden and McConnell went against the mandates of their own parties to work together on massive deals. The two leaders also came together for a bipartisan compromise during the debt-ceiling crisis of 2011 that prevented the country from going into default.
But just as progressives will push Biden not to cave, McConnell faces similar pressure from his right flank.
"McConnell may try to isolate Biden to cut deals, but I don't believe the caucus will agree with it," Manley said. "The Republican party has changed."
Manley noted the partisan tensions that have divided Washington and the country would not simply go away under a Biden presidency.
"There's a chance that McConnell touts his ability to cut deals with Biden as he's done in the past, but I'm not really convinced that's going to happen."
Biden could use executive orders to fulfill agenda
Elaine Kamarck, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who worked for Vice President Al Gore, expects tensions will lessen after Trump leaves office, even though the election revealed that the country is still deeply divided.
“I think that we will see a lessening of this polarization for one simple fact: the president of the United States will not be fanning the flames," she said.
More: With Biden winning the popular vote, here's how America could end the Electoral College
Molly Reynolds, an expert on Congress at the Brookings Institution, said Republican senators' reactions to Biden’s cabinet nominees will be an early indication of their relationship.
“Do they confirm them? Do they simply not bring some of them to the floor?” Reynolds asked. “That’s something I’ll be watching closely.”
Biden could also take a page from Trump who issued a flurry of executive orders when he couldn't get legislative proposals through Congress, a strategy that groups such as the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and the Progressive Change Institute want him to take.
But the incoming president indicated he doesn’t want to be limited to such steps that could be reversed by his successor or by courts.
“I’ve got to get the votes,” Biden said. “We’re a democracy. We need consensus.”


usatoday--2020-11-10--Friend who bought rifle Kyle Rittenhouse used in Kenosha shooting charged

MILWAUKEE — A 19-year-old Kenosha man has been charged with illegally giving a rifle to Kyle Rittenhouse , which the 17-year-old used to kill two people and wound a third during unrest in Kenosha in August .
Dominick Black faces two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to someone under 18 , resulting in death .
The counts relate to Joseph Rosenbaum , 36 , and Anthony Huber , 26 , the men Rittenhouse killed .
Rittenhouse 's attorneys say he was acting in self-defense .
According to records obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after litigation , Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Wesson M & P 15 rifle for Rittenhouse last summer while they were both in Ladysmith , Wisconsin , with money Rittenhouse supplied .
Someone under 18 can not legally purchase a firearm , but Black signed paperwork indicating he was buying the rifle for himself .
The rifle was supposed to be used only while hunting up north at the Black 's family 's property .
In the meantime , it was stored at Black 's stepfather 's house in Kenosha .
But the stepfather told police he had removed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ garage to inside his home after the violence that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23 .
When Black told his stepfather by phone he was going downtown to help clean graffiti , and to guard a business , the stepfather suggested he not go , according to reports .
Prosecutors say Black kept the gun in Wisconsin , and Rittenhouse never possessed it in Illinois , where he lived with his mother and sisters .
Black had the gun in his trunk and turned it over to police after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Illinois , police just a few hours after the shootings .
Black was also in Kenosha , armed with his own rifle , on the night of Aug. 25 .
He told investigators he was on the roof of an auto repair shop , that he and Rittenhouse said they were protecting , and did not see the shootings for which Rittenhouse now faces homicide and attempted homicide charges .
Black appeared to know it was illegal to give the rifle to his underage friend .
He recalled telling Rittenhouse , `` In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have that gun .
That gun was in my name . ''
At an initial court appearance Monday , Black appeared via Zoom from the Kenosha County Jail .
Court Commissioner Loren Keating set bail at $ 2,500 and ordered Black to have no contact with Rittenhouse or Gaige Grosskreutz , the West Allis man Rittenhouse wounded that same night .
His attorney , Robert Keller , said Black lives in Kenosha with his mother and has no criminal history .
In addition to the homicide charges , Rittenhouse faces a misdemeanor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 18 .
His attorney , Mark Richards , argued to have the charge dismissed during Rittenhouse 's initial court appearance in Wisconsin , arguing that an exception in the statute allowed Rittenhouse to have the rifle .
Prosecutors say the statute prohibits anyone under 18 to `` go armed '' with a gun unless they are hunting , and have taken the required safety courses and properly licensed .
Rittenhouse has been held at the Kenosha County Jail on $ 2 million bail since his failed effort to fight extradition from Illinois @

Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Friend who bought rifle Kyle Rittenhouse used in Kenosha shooting charged
Show Caption Hide Caption Teen arrested after 2 killed during Kenosha unrest A 17-year-old police admirer was arrested after the killing of two people during Kenosha protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. (Aug. 26) AP
MILWAUKEE — A 19-year-old Kenosha man has been charged with illegally giving a rifle to Kyle Rittenhouse, which the 17-year-old used to kill two people and wound a third during unrest in Kenosha in August.
Dominick Black faces two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to someone under 18, resulting in death. The counts relate to Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, the men Rittenhouse killed. Rittenhouse's attorneys say he was acting in self-defense.
According to records obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after litigation, Black told investigators he had purchased the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle for Rittenhouse last summer while they were both in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, with money Rittenhouse supplied. Someone under 18 cannot legally purchase a firearm, but Black signed paperwork indicating he was buying the rifle for himself.
The rifle was supposed to be used only while hunting up north at the Black's family's property. In the meantime, it was stored at Black's stepfather's house in Kenosha. But the stepfather told police he had removed the guns from a locked safe in his garage to inside his home after the violence that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Aug. 23.
When Black told his stepfather by phone he was going downtown to help clean graffiti, and to guard a business, the stepfather suggested he not go, according to reports.
Prosecutors say Black kept the gun in Wisconsin, and Rittenhouse never possessed it in Illinois, where he lived with his mother and sisters. Black had the gun in his trunk and turned it over to police after Rittenhouse turned himself in to Antioch, Illinois, police just a few hours after the shootings.
Black was also in Kenosha, armed with his own rifle, on the night of Aug. 25. He told investigators he was on the roof of an auto repair shop, that he and Rittenhouse said they were protecting, and did not see the shootings for which Rittenhouse now faces homicide and attempted homicide charges.
Black appeared to know it was illegal to give the rifle to his underage friend. He recalled telling Rittenhouse, "In all reality, you are not supposed to have that gun. That gun was in my name."
At an initial court appearance Monday, Black appeared via Zoom from the Kenosha County Jail. Court Commissioner Loren Keating set bail at $2,500 and ordered Black to have no contact with Rittenhouse or Gaige Grosskreutz, the West Allis man Rittenhouse wounded that same night.
His attorney, Robert Keller, said Black lives in Kenosha with his mother and has no criminal history.
A preliminary hearing was set for Nov. 19.
In addition to the homicide charges, Rittenhouse faces a misdemeanor count of possessing a firearm while younger than 18. His attorney, Mark Richards, argued to have the charge dismissed during Rittenhouse's initial court appearance in Wisconsin, arguing that an exception in the statute allowed Rittenhouse to have the rifle.
Prosecutors say the statute prohibits anyone under 18 to "go armed" with a gun unless they are hunting, and have taken the required safety courses and properly licensed.
Rittenhouse has been held at the Kenosha County Jail on $2 million bail since his failed effort to fight extradition from Illinois.
Follow reporter Bruce Vielmetti on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.


usatoday--2020-11-10--While election drama churns, life inside this Wisconsin COVID ward is 'all-consuming'

MADISON , Wis. – A deceptive calm hovers over the COVID ward .
The hallways are relatively quiet .
Through windows , the patients look peaceful , their bodies perfectly still as they slumber .
An observer might find the scene at University Hospital in Madison , Wisconsin , almost reassuring .
But this is a vision of just how serious the state 's COVID-19 surge has grown these last few weeks .
The patients are calm because they are terribly sick and must be deeply sedated .
The sedation stops their arms from flailing in fear and confusion , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there 's another reason .
So deprived of oxygen are their bodies that they must be sedated to the point of paralysis .
They can not afford to consume even the modest amounts of oxygen needed to move an arm or a leg .
They lie so still their faces show no emotion .
Often doctors can not tell if a patient feels anxious or afraid .
From time to time , the calm breaks .
When a COVID patient drifts into crisis , red lights flash at their bedside .
A loud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In an instant , five to six nurses rush into the room and begin emergency treatment .
In recent weeks , the number of such severely ill patients has grown , forcing the COVID ward to expand .
A week ago , a general care neurosurgery unit became a 12-bed COVID-19 unit .
In spring , the hospital hit a peak of 21 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 .
`` We 're at double that , and it may end up being close to triple , '' said Jeff Pothof , UW Health Chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for three , 12-hour shifts a week have been volunteering to work a fourth .
After an exhausting day on the COVID ward , critical care doctor Hilary Faust checks her patients ' medical records from home before bed , and again when she wakes up in the middle of the night .
`` It 's all-consuming , '' Faust said .
`` Every loss is hard .
It 's especially hard knowing that patients have been mostly alone during the last weeks and days of their lives . ''
Encouraging vaccine news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be 90 % effective in early findings Rebounding : How Pfizer vaccine could help lift economy out of COVID-19 pandemic rut In recent days , it may have seemed to many Americans that their world had shrunk to the single image of an electoral map .
Yet since Election Day dawned , more than 6,000 Americans have died from the new coronavirus and more than half a million have tested positive for it .
There has been no letup when it comes to the gravest issue facing the nation .
If anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have worsened the pandemic .
In the campaign 's final days , the number of large , maskless rallies increased , as did the false insistence from President Trump and his supporters that the virus had turned a corner .
`` People have stopped being terribly concerned about the coronavirus , '' said Rob Davidson , executive director of the non-profit advocacy group the Committee to Protect Medicare .
`` Any time you take your eye off the critical event that has been happening there is a concern '' In Michigan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` We 're having record numbers of cases ... What I 'm being told anecdotally by doctors in southeastern Michigan is that hospitals have been looking at case numbers that mirror the point that comes about two weeks before a crisis . ''
Moreover , so many states are peaking at the same time that it is very difficult to find one that is experiencing a lull and can afford to send doctors to another state that is surging .
Such mutual aid between states helped different regions of the country get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer .
`` Now it 's happening in so many places that there 's nowhere to take anyone from , '' Davidson said .
`` Everyone is having a crisis or is on the cusp of a crisis . ''
Health experts said the pandemic challenges remain much the same after the election as they did before it .
`` We need to continue to pay attention to the basics , including consistent messaging about masks and social distancing , '' said John Auerbach , president and CEO of the non-partisan Trust for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
`` That included testing and contact tracing and making sure that when people are symptomatic and in need of critical care they have access to that . ''
Auerbach added that the Biden administration will face the complex task of guiding a massive vaccination campaign .
`` It takes a lot to vaccinate your entire population , '' said Auerbach , who led a vaccination campaign against swine flu as the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health .
Excluding the cost of the vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccinating the entire country will cost around $ 8 billion .
`` You have to have a unified national , state and local registry of who has been vaccinated , '' he said , explaining that it is likely people will need to receive two shots to reach immunity .
`` You also need the capacity to track people post-vaccination to make sure there are n't unintended consequences and there are going to be some ( such as adverse reactions to vaccine ) . ''
One of the greatest challenges will be convincing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the new coronavirus , such as Blacks , Latinos and Native Americans , to get vaccinated .
These groups also happen to be among the most likely to be skeptical about the vaccine .
Tara Kirk Sell , senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , said the most important thing for the new administration to do is work towards regaining trust across the spectrum , particularly in terms of communication and engagement with a range of communities .
`` Try to meet people where they are , listen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward doing things to protect themselves , and not doing things that are high risk . ''
At University Hospital , the medical staff had been adjusting to COVID-19 through the course of many months .
`` I feel like we finally got used to COVID , '' said Chloe Carrigan , a nursing assistant at the hospital for the last three years .
`` I feel like we 'd started to get into a groove of how to treat the patients .
`` Then we had this surge . ''
Many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working exclusively with the COVID patients .
They get used to all of the precautions that need to be followed with personal protective equipment and can make sure colleagues do not forget key steps .
In the new section of the COVID ward , most of the patients can not speak because of the machines and medications sedating them and helping them to breathe .
`` Some of them can open their eyes and interact , '' said Andrew O'Donnell , the 33-year-old nurse manager in the Intensive Care Unit .
`` Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks on the ICU . ''
Some are in the hospital for a month , even two .
Some die .
Although the nurses can not speak to , and get to know , some of their patients , they talk to relatives and assemble the barebones description of a life .
A single page goes outside each room to remind nurses that the patient inside is an ex-Marine , or bought lottery tickets , or has a dry sense of humor , or a fondness for golf .
A second page @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care and outlook .
A star is placed to suggest where the patient is heading .
If the star is at the top of the page , they are improving .
If the star is closer to the bottom , staffers fear the patient might not make it .
Often doctors talk to the patients even though many are not awake .
`` I tell them where they are .
We 're taking care of them and telling their families what is happening , '' Faust said .
Nurses do the same .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ your mouth .
You 're going to feel a poke , '' nurse Melissa Olson will tell a patient .
`` I 'm going to give you a little more medicine .
You 'll feel a little sleepy . ''
Sometimes a patient who has been in deep sedation is getting well enough to be brought out , a transition that can be frightening and disorienting .
At times , nurses find that the family member they have been updating for weeks , sometimes becomes the newest patient in the COVID unit .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rooms .
The work often follows the medical staff home .
`` I 've never had a job like this , '' Carrigan said .
`` I have roommates and some nights I go home , I wo n't even talk to them .
I just go to bed .
I 'm so exhausted .
Many of the nurses are close to one another and visit each other 's homes , where they talk about their experiences at work , or life with their family .
Faust , the critical care doctor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old .
`` They need energy and attention and love , '' she said .
`` You walk in the door and try to switch off the doctor and turn on the mom .
You get the children bathed and fed . ''
To protect her family , Faust has a set of shoes and a jacket that she wears only at the hospital .
There are worries that keep the doctors and nurses up at night .
`` I think there 's a lot of people who think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , '' said Olson , the nurse .
`` They need to understand that it 's bad and it 's going to get worse .
What I worry about is that there will be places for these patients to go to , that there will be hospital beds . ''
Melania Trump : What ’ s next for the soon-to-be former first lady ?
More : If Trump still wo n't concede to Biden , he 'll break more than a century of tradition

Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

While election drama churns, life inside this Wisconsin COVID-19 ward is 'all-consuming'
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: Pfizer's vaccine candidate shown to be 90% effective Pfizer and BioNTech released early study results indicating that their vaccine prevented more than 90% of infections with the virus that causes COVID-19. USA TODAY
MADISON, Wis. – A deceptive calm hovers over the COVID-19 ward. The hallways are relatively quiet. Through windows, the patients look peaceful, their bodies perfectly still as they slumber.
An observer might find the scene at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, almost reassuring. But this is a vision of just how serious the state's COVID-19 surge has grown these last few weeks.
The patients are calm because they are terribly sick and must be deeply sedated. The sedation stops their arms from flailing in fear and confusion, and possibly disconnecting their ventilators.
But there's another reason.
So deprived of oxygen are their bodies that they must be sedated to the point of paralysis. They cannot afford to consume even the modest amounts of oxygen needed to move an arm or a leg. They lie so still their faces show no emotion. Often doctors cannot tell if a patient feels anxious or afraid.
From time to time, the calm breaks. When a COVID-19 patient drifts into crisis, red lights flash at their bedside. A loud bell sounds, the ventilator alarm. In an instant, five to six nurses rush into the room and begin emergency treatment.
In recent weeks, the number of such severely ill patients has grown, forcing the COVID-19 ward to expand. A week ago, a general care neurosurgery unit became a 12-bed COVID-19 unit.
In spring, the hospital hit a peak of 21 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. "We're at double that, and it may end up being close to triple," said Jeff Pothof, UW Health Chief Quality Officer.
Nurses who are scheduled for three 12-hour shifts a week have been volunteering to work a fourth.
After an exhausting day on the COVID-19 ward, critical care doctor Hilary Faust checks her patients' medical records from home before bed, and again when she wakes up in the middle of the night.
"It's all-consuming," Faust said. "Every loss is hard. It's especially hard knowing that patients have been mostly alone during the last weeks and days of their lives."
Encouraging vaccine news: Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine candidate shown to be 90% effective in early findings
Rebounding: How Pfizer vaccine could help lift economy out of COVID-19 pandemic rut
Virus doesn't slow for an election
In recent days, it may have seemed to many Americans that their world had shrunk to the single image of an electoral map. Yet since Election Day dawned, more than 6,000 Americans have died from the new coronavirus and more than half a million have tested positive for it.
There has been no letup when it comes to the gravest issue facing the nation. If anything, the intense focus on the election may have worsened the pandemic.
In the campaign's final days, the number of large, maskless rallies increased, as did the false insistence from President Donald Trump and his supporters that the virus had turned a corner.
"People have stopped being terribly concerned about the coronavirus," said Rob Davidson, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group the Committee to Protect Medicare. "Any time you take your eye off the critical event that has been happening there is a concern"
In Michigan, where Davidson is an emergency room doctor, "We're having record numbers of cases ... What I'm being told anecdotally by doctors in southeastern Michigan is that hospitals have been looking at case numbers that mirror the point that comes about two weeks before a crisis."
Moreover, so many states are peaking at the same time that it is very difficult to find one that is experiencing a lull and can afford to send doctors to another state that is surging. Such mutual aid between states helped different regions of the country get through hard times in the spring and summer.
"Now it's happening in so many places that there's nowhere to take anyone from," Davidson said. "Everyone is having a crisis or is on the cusp of a crisis."
Health experts said the pandemic challenges remain much the same after the election as they did before it.
"We need to continue to pay attention to the basics, including consistent messaging about masks and social distancing," said John Auerbach, president and CEO of the nonpartisan Trust for America's Health and former associate director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"That included testing and contact tracing and making sure that when people are symptomatic and in need of critical care they have access to that."
Auerbach added that the Biden administration will face the complex task of guiding a massive vaccination campaign.
President-elect Biden unveils COVID-19 task force: It includes a Trump whistleblower
"It takes a lot to vaccinate your entire population," said Auerbach, who led a vaccination campaign against swine flu as the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health.
Excluding the cost of the vaccine itself, Auerbach estimated that planning and vaccinating the entire country will cost around $8 billion.
"You have to have a unified national, state and local registry of who has been vaccinated," he said, explaining that it is likely people will need to receive two shots to reach immunity. "You also need the capacity to track people post-vaccination to make sure there aren't unintended consequences and there are going to be some (such as adverse reactions to vaccine)."
One of the greatest challenges will be convincing some of the groups at the highest risk from the new coronavirus, such as Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans, to get vaccinated. These groups also happen to be among the most likely to be skeptical about the vaccine.
Tara Kirk Sell, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the most important thing for the new administration to do is work toward regaining trust across the spectrum, particularly in terms of communication and engagement with a range of communities.
"Try to meet people where they are, listen to them and try to help them move toward doing things to protect themselves, and not doing things that are high risk."
The barebones description of a life
At University Hospital, the medical staff had been adjusting to COVID-19 through the course of many months.
"I feel like we finally got used to COVID," said Chloe Carrigan, a nursing assistant at the hospital for the last three years. "I feel like we'd started to get into a groove of how to treat the patients.
"Then we had this surge."
Many of the same doctors and nurses have been working exclusively with COVID-19 patients. They get used to all of the precautions that need to be followed with personal protective equipment and can make sure colleagues do not forget key steps.
In the new section of the COVID-19 ward, most of the patients cannot speak because of the machines and medications sedating them and helping them to breathe.
"Some of them can open their eyes and interact," said Andrew O'Donnell, the 33-year-old nurse manager in the Intensive Care Unit. "Most of these patients are spending close to two weeks in the ICU."
Some are in the hospital for a month, even two. Some die.
Although the nurses cannot speak to and get to know some of their patients, they talk to relatives and assemble the barebones description of a life. A single page goes outside each room to remind nurses that the patient inside is an ex-Marine, or bought lottery tickets, or has a dry sense of humor, or a fondness for golf.
A second page alerts medical staff to a patient's care and outlook. A star is placed to suggest where the patient is heading. If the star is at the top of the page, they are improving. If the star is closer to the bottom, staffers fear the patient might not make it.
Often doctors talk to the patients even though many are not awake.
"I tell them where they are. We're taking care of them and telling their families what is happening," Faust said.
Nurses do the same.
"I'm going to clean out your mouth. You're going to feel a poke," nurse Melissa Olson will tell a patient. "I'm going to give you a little more medicine. You'll feel a little sleepy."
Sometimes a patient who has been in deep sedation is getting well enough to be brought out, a transition that can be frightening and disorienting.
At times, nurses find that the family member they have been updating for weeks sometimes becomes the newest patient in the COVID-19 unit. A husband and wife have occupied neighboring rooms.
The work often follows the medical staff home.
"I've never had a job like this," Carrigan said. "I have roommates and some nights I go home, I won't even talk to them. I just go to bed. I'm so exhausted.
Many of the nurses are close to one another and visit each other's homes, where they talk about their experiences at work or life with their family.
Faust, the critical care doctor, comes home to two young children, a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old.
"They need energy and attention and love," she said. "You walk in the door and try to switch off the doctor and turn on the mom. You get the children bathed and fed."
Then it's storytime.
To protect her family, Faust has a set of shoes and a jacket that she wears only at the hospital.
There are worries that keep the doctors and nurses up at night.
"I think there's a lot of people who think this isn't as severe as it is," said Olson, the nurse. "They need to understand that it's bad and it's going to get worse. What I worry about is that there will be places for these patients to go to, that there will be hospital beds."
Follow reporter Mark Johnson on Twitter: @majohnso
Melania Trump: What’s next for the soon-to-be former first lady?
More: If Trump still won't concede to Biden, he'll break more than a century of tradition


usatoday--2020-11-10--Republicans aren't fleeing Trump or Trumpism. That's the tragedy of Biden's limited win.

Days after vote counts and media projections declaring Joe Biden the president-elect , only a few Republicans have stepped forward with congratulations and offers to work with the soon-to-be 46th president .
Former president George W. Bush said he thanked Biden `` for his patriotic message . ''
Maryland Gov .
Larry Hogan , no fan of President Donald Trump , wrote a gracious column in the Wall Street Journal .
Utah Sen. Mitt Romney , the 2012 GOP nominee , praised Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as “ people of good will and admirable character.
” Alaska Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ready to work with their administration when it takes office . ''
But the top Senate Republican , majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky , declined to acknowledge Biden 's win in a floor speech Monday and defended Trump 's legal fights .
Trump is `` 100 % within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options , '' he said .
Senate Judiciary chairman Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , pledged to investigate voting irregularities and misconduct .
And Attorney General William Barr authorized federal prosecutors Monday to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote totals .
He told the prosecutors in a memo that such probes are justified if `` there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities . ''
But there are no credible allegations .
How sad that Republicans like Barr , McConnell , Graham and others lack the moral courage to separate themselves from the president ’ s empty cries of fraud .
Judges have tossed out his lawsuits this month in several battleground states .
And how many times must we repeat that neither Trump , nor anyone else , has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud in the past ?
Trump himself was so sure it existed that he formed a “ voting integrity commission ” in 2017 , only to have it quietly disband a year later after finding zilch .
Trump ’ s on the way out .
He ’ s got 10 weeks left .
Why are Republicans sticking by this one-term washout and refusing to acknowledge that we ’ re about to have a new president ?
There are over 71 million reasons why .
That ’ s the number of Americans who voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rise as votes continue to be counted .
We ’ re in a second wave of the pandemic — the worst public health crisis in a century .
Nearly a quarter-million people have died , over 11 million are unemployed , families are shattered .
And yet the president who presided over this grotesque calamity , downplayed it , said it would go away quickly , still got more than 71 million votes .
It ’ s not a number that enables Biden to claim a mandate .
In his address Saturday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but then defined it in somewhat limited terms .
“ Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness , ” he said .
“ To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time.
” Five crises : Joe Biden will face more major challenges than any new president since Franklin Roosevelt Fight the pandemic ?
Yes , of course .
A mandate for decency ?
Wonderful .
Here ’ s to more decency on both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ margin could end up at more than 4 points , but it 's hard to argue voters handed him or Democrats a political mandate .
Losing seats in the House when you were favored to gain them doesn ’ t suggest one , nor does failing to flip the Senate when you were favored to do that as well .
A political mandate is when you win the popular vote by an overwhelming margin , like Richard Nixon ’ s 23-percentage point trouncing of George McGovern in 1972 , or Lyndon Johnson ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1964 .
But these sorts of blowouts have gone the way of black-and-white TV and rotary phones .
In the six presidential elections we ’ ve had in the 21st century , the average winning margin has been just about 2.3 points ( including negative margins for George W. Bush in 2000 and Trump four years ago ) ; the median margin is just 2.68 points .
Of course , losing the popular vote in 2016 didn ’ t stop Republicans from claiming that Trump had a mandate , and with control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first two years of his presidency , he acted as if he did .
Trump wo n't accept he lost : The whole world is watching , waiting for Trump to concede But unless both Senate runoffs in Georgia go the Democrats ’ way in January , it ’ s a moot point anyway .
McConnell , as masterful and bare knuckled a parliamentarian as Washington has ever seen , would remain majority leader , enabling him to reprise his Obama-era role as human roadblock , stifling whatever he wants .
This will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise taxes on corporations and individuals earning more than $ 400,000 .
It will likely include any Democratic gun control efforts .
It could include any efforts to accelerate a transition from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy .
And given that the oldest justice on the Supreme Court — liberal Clinton appointee Stephen Breyer — is 82 , maybe McConnell would try and block a potential replacement should it be necessary .
He blocked Merrick Garland for nearly a year .
Think it 's far-fetched to say McConnell could bottle up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You don ’ t know Mitch McConnell .
Trump 's a loser , thank God .
But even in defeat , his hold on voters is impressive .
This means that while Trump himself will soon be gone , Trumpism — and all the destructiveness the term conveys — will endure .
Republicans have 71 million reasons not to break free of his toxic spell .
That 's a tragedy .
And a warning for the future .
Paul Brandus is the founder and White House bureau chief of West Wing Reports and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Contributors .
His latest book , published last month , is `` Jackie : Her Transformation from First Lady to Jackie O . ''
Follow him on Twitter : @ WestWingReport

Republicans aren't fleeing Trump or Trumpism. That's the tragedy of Biden's limited win. Trump's a loser, thank God. But even in defeat, his hold on voters is impressive. Republicans have 71 million reasons not to break free of his toxic spell.
The silence is deafening.
Days after vote counts and media projections declaring Joe Biden the president-elect, only a few Republicans have stepped forward with congratulations and offers to work with the soon-to-be 46th president.
Former president George W. Bush said he thanked Biden "for his patriotic message." Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, no fan of President Donald Trump, wrote a gracious column in the Wall Street Journal. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, praised Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as “people of good will and admirable character.” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she'll be "ready to work with their administration when it takes office."
But the top Senate Republican, majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, declined to acknowledge Biden's win in a floor speech Monday and defended Trump's legal fights. Trump is "100% within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options," he said. Senate Judiciary chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pledged to investigate voting irregularities and misconduct.
Denial that Trump presidency will end
And Attorney General William Barr authorized federal prosecutors Monday to investigate election fraud before states certify their vote totals. He told the prosecutors in a memo that such probes are justified if "there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities."
But there are no credible allegations. How sad that Republicans like Barr, McConnell, Graham and others lack the moral courage to separate themselves from the president’s empty cries of fraud. Judges have tossed out his lawsuits this month in several battleground states. And how many times must we repeat that neither Trump, nor anyone else, has been able to produce evidence of large scale fraud in the past? Trump himself was so sure it existed that he formed a “voting integrity commission” in 2017, only to have it quietly disband a year later after finding zilch.
Trump’s on the way out. He’s got 10 weeks left. Why are Republicans sticking by this one-term washout and refusing to acknowledge that we’re about to have a new president?
There are over 71 million reasons why. That’s the number of Americans who voted for Trump, and that total will rise as votes continue to be counted. We’re in a second wave of the pandemic — the worst public health crisis in a century. Nearly a quarter-million people have died, over 11 million are unemployed, families are shattered. And yet the president who presided over this grotesque calamity, downplayed it, said it would go away quickly, still got more than 71 million votes.
It’s not a number that enables Biden to claim a mandate. In his address Saturday night, he said he had one, but then defined it in somewhat limited terms. “Americans have called on us to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness,” he said. “To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time.”
Five crises: Joe Biden will face more major challenges than any new president since Franklin Roosevelt
Fight the pandemic? Yes, of course. A mandate for decency? Wonderful. Here’s to more decency on both sides, whatever that means. Biden's margin could end up at more than 4 points, but it's hard to argue voters handed him or Democrats a political mandate. Losing seats in the House when you were favored to gain them doesn’t suggest one, nor does failing to flip the Senate when you were favored to do that as well.
A political mandate is when you win the popular vote by an overwhelming margin, like Richard Nixon’s 23-percentage point trouncing of George McGovern in 1972, or Lyndon Johnson’s 22-point rout of Barry Goldwater in 1964.
Biden win hasn't defeated Trumpism
But these sorts of blowouts have gone the way of black-and-white TV and rotary phones. In the six presidential elections we’ve had in the 21st century, the average winning margin has been just about 2.3 points (including negative margins for George W. Bush in 2000 and Trump four years ago); the median margin is just 2.68 points.
Of course, losing the popular vote in 2016 didn’t stop Republicans from claiming that Trump had a mandate, and with control of both the House and Senate for the first two years of his presidency, he acted as if he did.
Trump won't accept he lost: The whole world is watching, waiting for Trump to concede
But unless both Senate runoffs in Georgia go the Democrats’ way in January, it’s a moot point anyway. McConnell, as masterful and bare knuckled a parliamentarian as Washington has ever seen, would remain majority leader, enabling him to reprise his Obama-era role as human roadblock, stifling whatever he wants.
This will likely include Biden’s plan to raise taxes on corporations and individuals earning more than $400,000. It will likely include any Democratic gun control efforts. It could include any efforts to accelerate a transition from fossil fuels to cleaner forms of energy. And given that the oldest justice on the Supreme Court — liberal Clinton appointee Stephen Breyer — is 82, maybe McConnell would try and block a potential replacement should it be necessary. He blocked Merrick Garland for nearly a year. Think it's far-fetched to say McConnell could bottle up a Biden appointee for even longer? You don’t know Mitch McConnell.
Trump's a loser, thank God. But even in defeat, his hold on voters is impressive. This means that while Trump himself will soon be gone, Trumpism — and all the destructiveness the term conveys — will endure. Republicans have 71 million reasons not to break free of his toxic spell. That's a tragedy. And a warning for the future.
Paul Brandus is the founder and White House bureau chief of West Wing Reports and a member of USA TODAY's Board of Contributors. His latest book, published last month, is "Jackie: Her Transformation from First Lady to Jackie O." Follow him on Twitter: @WestWingReport


usatoday--2020-11-10--Republican women's historic gains eat into a House majority Democrats expected to expand

WASHINGTON – Indiana GOP Rep. Susan Brooks remembers that sinking feeling two years ago when the results poured in on Election Day : 36 women elected as new members of the House – and just one of them was a Republican .
“ It was a wake-up call in 2018 when Carol Miller ( of West Virginia ) was the only freshman , '' she said .
Shortly after that deflating outcome , Brooks embarked on the daunting task of leading GOP efforts to find and fund female candidates to run for Congress .
One of 13 female Republicans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership to make gender diversity a priority and went about the job of recruiting and mentoring candidates throughout the country .
The work paid off : 228 Republican female candidates ( including incumbents ) ran for the House and 94 won their primaries – nearly double the previous record .
So far , 13 freshman Republican women have won their House races with six more in races yet to be called as of 10 p.m. Monday .
The previous record for Republican freshmen women was nine in 2010 .
With 11 incumbents winning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the record of 25 female House members they set in 2004 .
`` We went and talked and vetted and really encouraged a lot of new exciting candidates because we know we needed to have the ( GOP ) conference reflect the diversity of the nation , '' Brooks told USA TODAY .
`` And we ’ re getting there.
” The incoming class includes Lauren Boebert , a Colorado gun-rights activist who knocked off five-term incumbent Scott Tipton in a GOP primary ; Michelle Fischbach , a former Minnesota lieutenant governor who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ native American businesswoman Yvette Herrell who defeated Xochitl Torres Small , part of the Democrat 's historic wave in 2018 .
The incoming roster also includes women with a range of political stripes .
Maria Alvira Salazar , a Cuban-American moderate from Miami ran on an anti-socialist platform ; while Marjorie Taylor Greene , a Georgia businesswoman , espoused elements of the far-right fringe movement QAnon that baselessly claims a `` deep-state '' cabal of pedophiles is trying to bring down President Donald Trump .
Most had never run for Congress before although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – is on the verge of recapturing the seat she had lost two years ago .
Unlike the influx of 89 freshmen women who helped catapult the Democrats to power in 2018 , Republicans are not expected to take back the House even if the female GOP candidates win all six remaining seats .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi downplayed the significance of the Republican gains in general , saying Democrats who in 2018 flipped districts Trump won Tuesday naturally had a tough time keeping their seats .
`` We 've lost some battles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she told reporters Friday .
`` We ( still ) have the gavel . ''
The wins by Republican women came in an historic election for gender equity .
At least 131 women ( 100 Democrats , 31 Republicans ) women will serve in Congress ( House and Senate ) in 2021 , surpassing the previous record of 127 set two years ago , according to data compiled by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University .
That number is likely to increase as more races are called .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color to the House for first time in the state 's history Debbie Walsh , who heads the center , said the numbers reflect `` a long , if occasionally fitful , upward trajectory '' for women in office but are still not reflective of the country .
`` With all that progress , at best women will still make up less than thirty percent of Congress in 2021 , '' she said .
`` The 2018 cycle was a story of Democratic success ; this year we are seeing significant gains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women must come from both sides of the aisle if women are to achieve equal representation in Congress . ''
Republican gains came in an election where Democrats made a pointed appeal to suburban women whom polls suggested harbor deep misgivings about Trump .
Former Vice President Joe Biden won among female voters 55 % -44 % , according to the VoteCast survey from the Associated Press .
But the Republican gains means that Democrats ' majority has shrunk in an election that was projected to be a second `` blue wave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican woman , '' Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday .
More : 'This is getting insane ' : Republicans say Trump 's attacks on election integrity are dangerous Brooks said Tuesday 's results will help Republicans make the case that women have a place in a party that wants to expand the economy , reopen schools and preserve health care coverage for patients with pre-existing medical conditions .
`` It is a repudiation of the narrative that it was the Democratic Party that cared about women and women 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I think what these candidates said – and the Republican Party has said – is all issues are women 's issues . ''
Brooks wo n't be around to greet the incoming class as a colleague .
She opted not to run in her safe district for a fifth term this year , saying it was time to pursue other interests .
But she will end on a high note : her successor , Victoria Spartz , is part of a record freshman class .

A record number of Republican women will serve in the House after the GOP ate into Democratic majority
Show Caption Hide Caption New Mexico elects all women of color to House for first time A previous version of this story misidentified the first state to have an all-women-of color House delegation. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Indiana GOP Rep. Susan Brooks remembers that sinking feeling two years ago when the results poured in on Election Day: 36 women elected as new members of the House – and just one of them was a Republican.
“It was a wake-up call in 2018 when Carol Miller (of West Virginia) was the only freshman," she said.
Shortly after that deflating outcome, Brooks embarked on the daunting task of leading GOP efforts to find and fund female candidates to run for Congress. One of 13 female Republicans in the 435-member House, she persuaded House leadership to make gender diversity a priority and went about the job of recruiting and mentoring candidates throughout the country.
The work paid off: 228 Republican female candidates (including incumbents) ran for the House and 94 won their primaries – nearly double the previous record.
So far, 15 freshman Republican women have won their House races, with four more in races yet to be called as of Tuesday. The previous record for Republican freshmen women was nine in 2010. With 11 incumbents returning, Republicans have already surpassed the record of 25 female House members they set in 2004.
The most recent additions happened Tuesday when Democrat Candace Venezuela conceded to Republican newcomer Beth Van Duyne in the race for Texas' 24th Congressional District, and Democratic incumbent Harley Rouda conceded to Republican Michelle Steel in California's 48th Congressional District.
"We went and talked and vetted and really encouraged a lot of new exciting candidates because we know we needed to have the (GOP) conference reflect the diversity of the nation," Brooks told USA TODAY. "And we’re getting there.”
The incoming class includes Lauren Boebert, a Colorado gun-rights activist who knocked off five-term incumbent Scott Tipton in a GOP primary; Michelle Fischbach, a former Minnesota lieutenant governor who unseated 15-term Democrat Collin Peterson; and Native American businesswoman Yvette Herrell, who defeated Xochitl Torres Small, part of the Democrats' historic wave in 2018.
The incoming roster also includes women with a range of political stripes. Maria Alvira Salazar, a Cuban-American moderate from Miami, ran on an anti-socialist platform, while Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia businesswoman, espoused elements of the far-right fringe movement QAnon that baselessly claims a "deep state" cabal of pedophiles is trying to bring down President Donald Trump.
Most had never run for Congress before, although one – Claudia Tenney of New York – is on the verge of recapturing the seat she had lost two years ago.
Unlike the influx of 89 freshmen women who helped catapult the Democrats to power in 2018, Republicans are not expected to take back the House even if the female GOP candidates win all six remaining seats.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi downplayed the significance of the Republican gains in general, saying Democrats who in 2018 flipped districts Trump won Tuesday naturally had a tough time keeping their seats.
"We've lost some battles, but we won the war," she told reporters Friday. "We (still) have the gavel."
The wins by Republican women came in a historic election for gender equity.
At least 131 women (100 Democrats, 31 Republicans) will serve in Congress (House and Senate) in 2021, surpassing the record of 127 set two years ago, according to data compiled by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. That number is likely to increase as more races are called.
More: New Mexico elects all women of color to the House for first time in the state's history
Debbie Walsh, who heads the center, said the numbers reflect "a long, if occasionally fitful, upward trajectory" for women in office but still do not reflect the country.
"With all that progress, at best women will still make up less than 30% of Congress in 2021," she said. "The 2018 cycle was a story of Democratic success; this year, we are seeing significant gains on the Republican side. Advances for women must come from both sides of the aisle if women are to achieve equal representation in Congress."
Republican gains came in an election where Democrats made a pointed appeal to suburban women whom polls suggested harbor deep misgivings about Trump. Former Vice President Joe Biden won among female voters 55%-44%, according to the VoteCast survey from The Associated Press.
But the Republican gains means Democrats' majority has shrunk in an election that was projected to be a second "blue wave."
"This was the year of the Republican woman," Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday.
More: 'This is getting insane': Republicans say Trump's attacks on election integrity are dangerous
Brooks said Tuesday's results will help Republicans make the case that women have a place in a party that wants to expand the economy, reopen schools and preserve health care coverage for patients with pre-existing medical conditions.
"It is a repudiation of the narrative that it was the Democratic Party that cared about women and women's issue," she said. "But I think what these candidates said – and the Republican Party has said – is all issues are women's issues."
Brooks won't be around to greet the incoming class as a colleague. She opted not to run in her safe district for a fifth term this year, saying it was time to pursue other interests.
But she will end on a high note: Her successor, Victoria Spartz, is part of a record freshman class.


usatoday--2020-11-10--Opinion: Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh face a catch-22 with his future

A year has passed since Jim Harbaugh sent a letter to the parents of Michigan football players to reassure them he wasn ’ t going anywhere .
The exit strategy others claimed he had been pursuing was , in his words , “ total crap.
” No , he vowed , there weren ’ t plans to return to the NFL .
The Wolverines ’ enemies , he insisted , were plotting against him to disrupt the program and undermine Michigan ’ s efforts to stockpile talent .
In the context of these times , in the dark present of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ironic .
The football team he protected then with his words is now in turmoil because of its own actions — not the nefarious work of its adversaries .
The recruiting ramifications he fretted about no longer seem his chief concern with his contract set to expire after 2021 .
HARBAUGH ON FUTURE : ' I 'm not answering that question' THE RACE : Where the College Football Playoff stands after Week 10 It ’ s all a bit startling , and the bizarreness of his situation became even more apparent during an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressed about his future with the Wolverines .
It ’ s a subject Harbaugh has addressed annually when baseless rumors swirled about an imminent departure to some pro franchise in desperate need of his football sorcery .
As Harbaugh moaned Monday , “ We 've been doing this for six years.
” But this time it was different as he faced questions about his long-term prospects at his beloved alma mater .
The perception of Harbaugh , after all , is no longer the same as it once was .
The sheen from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 49ers has eroded .
The position of strength from which he once fought back against speculation is weakened .
The memories of Harbaugh as a great coach have been replaced by doubt about whether he ’ s good enough to lead Michigan football in the years to come .
Asked about the possibility of returning to the NFL , he became agitated and defensive .
“ I do n't really have anything to really say to that , because I do n't have an interest in listening to that kind of stuff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you know me by now .
I always like letting the action speak for what you have to say .
I 've always thought this : your actions speak so loudly that people ca n't even hear what you 're saying .
I 'll let the actions speak as they have in the past . ''
But the fallacy in that last statement is that history dictates the future , and the truth then will again become reality .
Harbaugh perhaps wishes that to be the case .
He was once viewed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hailed as a turnaround artist who made Stanford a force and the 49ers a contender again .
But is the market still there for someone who has yet to win a championship of any kind since coming back to Ann Arbor ?
“ I haven ’ t followed it close enough to be able to give you anything , ” said Bill Polian , the former general manager of three teams .
“ He ’ s a good football coach and I ’ m sure there would be somebody interested .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to go anywhere.
” One of Polian ’ s contemporaries , Charley Casserly , was also hesitant to appraise Harbaugh ’ s current value .
“ He had a winning record in San Francisco , ” said Casserly , the former general manager of Washington and the Houston Texans .
“ And that ’ s the only thing I am going to say because it ’ s wrong for me to speculate how teams might view him.
” But Michigan fans no longer see Harbaugh in the same dewy light they once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agonize over the direction of a program that is 1-2 in the sixth year of his tenure and appears destined to lose a few more times this season .
They also worry about the Catch-22 Michigan has created for itself with Harbaugh ’ s contract situation .
After all , how can the Wolverines justify giving Harbaugh an extension during a year when his team has underperformed and the athletic department is facing a budget crisis ?
But on the other hand , how can they allow him to reach the final year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s future by not securing the longevity of their coach for the sake of recruiting ?
It ’ s a serious dilemma that could resolve itself if an NFL team gives Harbaugh another opportunity this winter .
But the question now becomes whether the league that once coveted Harbaugh still wants him enough to create the pathway for that exit strategy he so vehemently opposed a year ago .
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin @ freepress.com .
Follow him on Twitter @ RainerSabin .

Opinion: Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh face a catch-22 with his future
Show Caption Hide Caption Analyzing the weak points of the Harbaugh era at Michigan Sports Pulse: Michigan needs to step up against top competitors SportsPulse, USA TODAY
A year has passed since Jim Harbaugh sent a letter to the parents of Michigan football players to reassure them he wasn’t going anywhere.
The exit strategy others claimed he had been pursuing was, in his words, “total crap.”
No, he vowed, there weren’t plans to return to the NFL.
The Wolverines’ enemies, he insisted, were plotting against him to disrupt the program and undermine Michigan’s efforts to stockpile talent.
In the context of these times, in the dark present of 2020, Harbaugh’s epistle is ironic. The football team he protected then with his words is now in turmoil because of its own actions — not the nefarious work of its adversaries. The recruiting ramifications he fretted about no longer seem his chief concern with his contract set to expire after 2021.
HARBAUGH ON FUTURE: 'I'm not answering that question'
THE RACE: Where the College Football Playoff stands after Week 10
It’s all a bit startling, and the bizarreness of his situation became even more apparent during an uncomfortable news conference Monday when Harbaugh was pressed about his future with the Wolverines.
It’s a subject Harbaugh has addressed annually when baseless rumors swirled about an imminent departure to some pro franchise in desperate need of his football sorcery.
As Harbaugh moaned Monday, “We've been doing this for six years.”
But this time it was different as he faced questions about his long-term prospects at his beloved alma mater.
The perception of Harbaugh, after all, is no longer the same as it once was.
The sheen from his successful run with the San Francisco 49ers has eroded. The position of strength from which he once fought back against speculation is weakened. The memories of Harbaugh as a great coach have been replaced by doubt about whether he’s good enough to lead Michigan football in the years to come.
Asked about the possibility of returning to the NFL, he became agitated and defensive.
“I don't really have anything to really say to that, because I don't have an interest in listening to that kind of stuff,” he replied. “I think you know me by now. I always like letting the action speak for what you have to say. I've always thought this: your actions speak so loudly that people can't even hear what you're saying. I'll let the actions speak as they have in the past."
But the fallacy in that last statement is that history dictates the future, and the truth then will again become reality.
Harbaugh perhaps wishes that to be the case.
He was once viewed as the most attractive coach in the business and hailed as a turnaround artist who made Stanford a force and the 49ers a contender again. But is the market still there for someone who has yet to win a championship of any kind since coming back to Ann Arbor?
“I haven’t followed it close enough to be able to give you anything,” said Bill Polian, the former general manager of three teams. “He’s a good football coach and I’m sure there would be somebody interested. But beyond that, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere.”
One of Polian’s contemporaries, Charley Casserly, was also hesitant to appraise Harbaugh’s current value.
“He had a winning record in San Francisco,” said Casserly, the former general manager of Washington and the Houston Texans. “And that’s the only thing I am going to say because it’s wrong for me to speculate how teams might view him.”
But Michigan fans no longer see Harbaugh in the same dewy light they once did. On message boards, they agonize over the direction of a program that is 1-2 in the sixth year of his tenure and appears destined to lose a few more times this season. They also worry about the Catch-22 Michigan has created for itself with Harbaugh’s contract situation.
After all, how can the Wolverines justify giving Harbaugh an extension during a year when his team has underperformed and the athletic department is facing a budget crisis? But on the other hand, how can they allow him to reach the final year of his deal and potentially bankrupt Michigan’s future by not securing the longevity of their coach for the sake of recruiting?
It’s a serious dilemma that could resolve itself if an NFL team gives Harbaugh another opportunity this winter.
But the question now becomes whether the league that once coveted Harbaugh still wants him enough to create the pathway for that exit strategy he so vehemently opposed a year ago.
The irony is palpable.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin.


usatoday--2020-11-10--When will this relentless Atlantic hurricane season finally end? Will Theta follow Eta?

• The `` official '' end to the hurricane season is November 30 .
• `` There does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel . ''
A record-tying 28 storms into this seemingly endless hurricane season , storm-battered residents in the U.S. and elsewhere are wondering when it will finally come to an end .
So far this season , 12 storms have made landfall on U.S. soil , breaking a century-old record .
And for just the second time , meteorologists had to dip into the Greek alphabet to name storms .
And after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the season is Nov. 30 , and November is typically one of the quietest months for storms .
In the short term , unfortunately , following Hurricane Eta 's recent deadly rampage through Central America , there could be at least two more storms forming , either of which would break the record for most storms in a single season .
One of the developing storms is far out in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean .
If it forms in the next couple of days , as is predicted by the National Hurricane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It could affect the Azores later this week , according to AccuWeather senior meteorologist Randy Adkins .
Eta drenches Florida : Tropical Storm Eta soaks South Florida after making landfall on Florida Keys , could approach Gulf Coast later this week The other nascent storm – which would be called Iota – is closer to home in the Caribbean Sea .
It probably wo n't form until later this week at the earliest , if it forms at all , the Hurricane Center said .
Its eventual path – and whether it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this time .
But beyond that , `` while this season is seemingly going on forever , there does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel , '' Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said in an email to USA TODAY .
He said the strong upper-level winds that act to tear developing storms and hurricanes apart will be increasing over the Caribbean Sea in a couple of weeks .
This `` may put an end '' to the prolific tropical cyclone production in that area , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other parts of the Atlantic ?
Could the season actually stretch past its `` official '' end date of Nov. 30 ?
`` There is definitely concern that we could see activity into December , '' Adkins told USA TODAY .
Klotzbach was unsure at this point : `` It 's really hard to say if the season could continue into December , '' Klotzbach said .
`` Typically late-November and December storms tend to form in the subtropics and are often associated with systems that originate as non-tropical ... similar to what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Hurricane Center is monitoring now . ''
December tropical storms and hurricanes are exceedingly rare .
`` Only one season on record has had more than one named storm form in December , and that was all the way back in 1887 , '' Klotzbach said .
The infamous 2005 season , which included Hurricane Katrina , featured one storm that formed in late December and actually lasted into early January 2006 : Tropical Storm Zeta , which spun harmlessly in the central Atlantic for about a week , according to the @ @ @

When will this relentless Atlantic hurricane season finally end?
Show Caption Hide Caption Tropical Storm Eta brings flash flooding to south Florida Floods were inundating streets in Key Largo on November 9, hours after Tropical Storm Eta made landfall in southern Florida. Storyful
The "official" end to the hurricane season is November 30.
"There does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel."
December tropical storms and hurricanes are exceedingly rare.
A record-breaking 29 storms into this seemingly endless hurricane season, storm-battered residents in the U.S. and elsewhere are wondering when it will finally come to an end.
Twelve storms have made landfall on U.S. soil this season, breaking a century-old record. And for just the second time, meteorologists had to dip into the Greek alphabet to name storms.
And after all, the "official" end to the season is Nov. 30, and November is typically one of the quietest months for storms.
In the short term, unfortunately, after Hurricane Eta's deadly rampage through Central America, Subtropical Storm Theta formed early Tuesday, breaking the record for most storms in a single season.
Theta, which transitioned to a "regular" tropical storm Tuesday afternoon, is far out in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. The storm, which was nearing hurricane strength as of early Tuesday, poses no immediate threat to any land areas, the National Hurricane Center said.
Eta drenches Florida: Tropical Storm Eta soaks South Florida after making landfall on Florida Keys, could approach Gulf Coast later this week
A developing storm – which would be called Iota – is closer to home in the Caribbean Sea. It probably won't form until later this week at the earliest, if it forms at all, the Hurricane Center said. Its eventual path – and whether it could affect the U.S. – was unknown.
But beyond that, "while this season is seemingly going on forever, there does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel," Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said in an email to USA TODAY.
He said the strong upper-level winds that act to tear developing storms and hurricanes apart will be increasing over the Caribbean Sea in a couple of weeks. This "may put an end" to the prolific tropical cyclone production in that area, Klotzbach said.
But what about in other parts of the Atlantic? Could the season actually stretch past its "official" end date of Nov. 30?
"There is definitely concern that we could see activity into December," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Randy Adkins told USA TODAY.
Klotzbach was unsure at this point: "It's really hard to say if the season could continue into December," Klotzbach said. "Typically late-November and December storms tend to form in the subtropics and are often associated with systems that originate as non-tropical."
December tropical storms and hurricanes are exceedingly rare. "Only one season on record has had more than one named storm form in December, and that was all the way back in 1887," Klotzbach said.
The infamous 2005 season, which included Hurricane Katrina, featured one storm that formed in late December and actually lasted into early January 2006: Tropical Storm Zeta, which spun harmlessly in the central Atlantic for about a week, according to the Hurricane Center.


usatoday--2020-11-09--McDonald's is adding the McPlant, a plant-based burger, to its menu

McDonald 's is adding the McPlant , a plant-based burger , to its menu McDonald 's also confirmed its new @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. early next year .

McDonald's adding plant-based burger to menu
McDonald's also confirmed its new Crispy Chicken Sandwich would arrive in the U.S. early next year.
Courtesy McDonald's, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-11-10--Turmoil at Pentagon as President Trump shakes up leadership team, 'something that should alarm all A

Turmoil at Pentagon as President Trump shakes up leadership team, 'something that should alarm all Americans'

WASHINGTON – President Trump has made wholesale changes in the Pentagon 's top civilian leadership , a purge that began with the firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and continued Tuesday through the senior ranks .
Three top senior officials resigned on Tuesday , including the under secretaries for policy and intelligence .
Esper 's chief of staff also resigned .
The moves sparked concern on Capitol Hill that perceived instability at the Pentagon could embolden U.S. adversaries during the presidential transition .
James Anderson , the acting under secretary for policy , the Pentagon 's No .
3 spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anthony Tata , a retired Army general who once called former President Barack Obama a `` terrorist leader . ''
Tata had withdrawn his name for that Pentagon post in August before facing a contentious confirmation hearing in the Senate .
He was then placed in another job that did not require a hearing .
Rep. Adam Smith , D-Wash. , the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee , called the changes alarming .
“ It is hard to overstate just how dangerous high-level turnover at the Department of Defense is during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith said in a statement .
`` The top policy professional in the department resigning the day after the Secretary of Defense was fired could mark the beginning of a process of gutting the DoD – something that should alarm all Americans . ''
`` If this is the beginning of a trend – the president either firing or forcing out national security professionals in order to replace them with people perceived as more loyal to him – then the next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undersecretary for Defense intelligence , Joseph Kernan , and Esper 's former chief of staff , Jen Stewart resigned .
On Monday , Trump fired Esper on Twitter and replaced him with acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller .
“ I want to thank Dr. Anderson , Admiral Kernan and Jen Stewart for their service to the nation and the Department , '' Miller said in a statement .
`` Over their careers each has contributed greatly to the national defense and the future of the Department of Defense .
We wish them the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House officials said Trump wanted his own team at the Pentagon should he prevail with his legal challenges to the balloting .
As for policy , officials said he has long wanted to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan , but they did not know if he plans to issue an order to that effect in his last two months in office .
They noted that generals at the Pentagon would resist such an order .
About 4,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan .
Trump has been pushing for a withdrawal of U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban to help end the American involvement there that began in 2001 .
Pentagon officials insist that the withdrawal should be based on security conditions there .
`` This confirms what I have been saying for months : the President ’ s singular obsession with loyalty has severely undermined the competence of our government and made us less safe , '' Smith said .
`` It is an insult to the American people to hamstring government , particularly during a period of presidential transition.
” More : How states prevent election fraud : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sign of misconduct or chaos '

Tom Vanden Brook and David Jackson, USA TODAY

Trump purges Pentagon leadership, 'something that should alarm all Americans'
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump's military ties further strained over alleged 'loser' remarks President Trump has reportedly used words like "suckers, losers and warmongers" to describe American war heroes and Pentagon brass. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – President Trump has made wholesale changes in the Pentagon's top civilian leadership, a purge that began with the firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and continued Tuesday through the senior ranks.
Three top senior officials resigned Tuesday, including the undersecretaries for policy and intelligence. Esper's chief of staff also resigned. The moves sparked concern on Capitol Hill that perceived instability at the Pentagon could embolden U.S. adversaries during the presidential transition.
James Anderson, the acting undersecretary for policy, the Pentagon's No. 3 spot, resigned Tuesday and was replaced by Anthony Tata, a retired Army general who once called former President Barack Obama a "terrorist leader." Tata had withdrawn his name for that Pentagon post in August before facing a contentious confirmation hearing in the Senate. He was then placed in another job that did not require a hearing.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, called the changes alarming.
“It is hard to overstate just how dangerous high-level turnover at the Department of Defense is during a period of presidential transition," Smith said in a statement. "The top policy professional in the department resigning the day after the Secretary of Defense was fired could mark the beginning of a process of gutting the DoD – something that should alarm all Americans.
"If this is the beginning of a trend – the president either firing or forcing out national security professionals in order to replace them with people perceived as more loyal to him – then the next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst."
Also on Tuesday, the undersecretary for Defense intelligence, Joseph Kernan, and Esper's former chief of staff, Jen Stewart resigned. On Monday, Trump fired Esper on Twitter and replaced him with acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller.
“I want to thank Dr. Anderson, Admiral Kernan and Jen Stewart for their service to the nation and the Department," Miller said in a statement. "Over their careers each has contributed greatly to the national defense and the future of the Department of Defense. We wish them the best in their next endeavors.”
White House officials said Trump wanted his own team at the Pentagon should he prevail with his legal challenges to the balloting. As for policy, officials said he has long wanted to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, but they did not know whether he plans to issue an order to that effect in his last two months in office. They noted that generals at the Pentagon would resist such an order.
About 4,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. Trump has been pushing for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, negotiating with the Taliban to help end the American involvement there that began in 2001. Pentagon officials insist that the withdrawal should be based on security conditions there.
"This confirms what I have been saying for months: the President’s singular obsession with loyalty has severely undermined the competence of our government and made us less safe," Smith said. "It is an insult to the American people to hamstring government, particularly during a period of presidential transition.”
More: How states prevent election fraud: Time to count votes 'is not a sign of misconduct or chaos'