usatoday--2020-09-09--New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu defeats GOP challenger and other things to watch in Tuesday's primar

WASHINGTON – With primary season almost at a close , New Hampshire and Rhode Island held nominating contests on Tuesday .
Two incumbents in New Hampshire , Republican Gov .
Chris Sununu and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen , defeated long-shot primary challenges , the Associated Press determined at 8 p.m .
ET .
Delaware will hold its state primary on Sept. 15 .
Here are key things to watch for Tuesday 's primaries : Sununu was first elected in 2013 , and was the first Republican elected after Democrats had held the seat since 2005 .
Testerman jumped into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , saying that he has been too restrictive , according to WMUR .
According to a June poll by Saint Anselm College Survey Center , Sununu 's job approval rating was at 77 % .
Two Democrats are also vying to be their party 's gubernatorial nominee , State Sen. Dan Feltes and Andru Volinsky , a member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire .
Nationscape Insights : Where do Americans stand on election issues ?
Let them tell you .
Both Feltes and Volinsky have touted their records on education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his coronavirus response , particularly for allowing local school districts to decide how to reopen .
Feltes has outraised Volinsky in fundraising .
However , Volinsky earned the support of top progressives , such as Sen. Bernie Sanders .
Shaheen , the Democratic incumbent , defeated two long-shot challengers in the Democratic primary for her Senate seat .
Shaheen competed against Paul Krautmann and Tom Alciere , who previously ran for a House seat in 2018 as a Libertarian candidate .
According to the Saint Anselm survey , Shaheen 's approval rating is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four candidates running on the Republican side , Gerard Beloin , Don Bolduc , Andy Martin and Bryant `` Corky '' Messner .
Messner is leading in fundraising and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump .
His main opponent is Bolduc , a retired United States Army officer .
Messner , who owns a charitable foundation to help low-income college students , has faced scrutiny over the past several weeks after the Washington Post reported that the Messner Foundation awarded just one scholarship in its first 10 years .
In addition , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New Hampshire instead of Colorado , where he has owned a longtime home and a business .
Messner , who also owns a home in New Hampshire , did n't register to vote there until 2018 .
Incumbent Rep. Jim Langevin , who has served Rhode Island 's 2nd Congressional District for nearly two decades , beat a late primary challenger , progressive Dylan Conley .
Conley jumped into the race in June , citing the Black Lives Matter protests and the coronavirus pandemic , according to the Cranston Herald .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , progressive candidates trying to unseat longtime Democratic incumbents .
Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri are among two key progressives who won primaries against more moderate incumbents .
Get ready : Register to vote or check your status here Langevin said he sought reelection because he believes more needs to be done to address the economic and health crisis facing the nation following the pandemic , the Herald reported .
“ There 's still more work to be done to help the people of Rhode Island , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crisis right now , ” Langevin told the Herald .
“ We are battling a war on two fronts : The COVID health care crisis , but also the economic fallout from the COVID crisis.
” According to the Herald , Conley has criticized Langevin for his low profile in Congress .
Conley focused on income inequality and also supports Medicare for All .

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu defeats GOP challenger and other things to watch in Tuesday's primaries
Show Caption Hide Caption Here's where the presidential race stands after the conventions With Labor Day fast approaching, a USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll explores the conventions' impact and where the race stands now. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – With primary season almost at a close, New Hampshire and Rhode Island held nominating contests on Tuesday.
Two incumbents in New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, defeated long-shot primary challenges, the Associated Press determined at 8 p.m. ET.
Delaware will hold its state primary on Sept. 15.
Here are key things to watch for Tuesday's primaries:
New Hampshire gubernatorial race
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, the incumbent, faced a long-shot primary challenger, Franklin City Councilor Karen Testerman.
Sununu was first elected in 2013, and was the first Republican elected after Democrats had held the seat since 2005. Testerman jumped into the race due to Sununu's response to COVID-19, saying that he has been too restrictive, according to WMUR.
According to a June poll by Saint Anselm College Survey Center, Sununu's job approval rating was at 77%.
Two Democrats are also vying to be their party's gubernatorial nominee, State Sen. Dan Feltes and Andru Volinsky, a member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire.
Nationscape Insights: Where do Americans stand on election issues? Let them tell you.
Both Feltes and Volinsky have touted their records on education funding, and have criticized Sununu for his coronavirus response, particularly for allowing local school districts to decide how to reopen.
Feltes has outraised Volinsky in fundraising. However, Volinsky earned the support of top progressives, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders.
NH Sen. Jeanne Shaheen defeats primary challengers
Shaheen, the Democratic incumbent, defeated two long-shot challengers in the Democratic primary for her Senate seat.
Shaheen competed against Paul Krautmann and Tom Alciere, who previously ran for a House seat in 2018 as a Libertarian candidate.
According to the Saint Anselm survey, Shaheen's approval rating is at 52%.
Elections 2020: Mail-in voting could decide next president Many states are planning on drastically different elections this year and mail-in ballots could be a big game changer. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
There are also four candidates running on the Republican side, Gerard Beloin, Don Bolduc, Andy Martin and Bryant "Corky" Messner.
Messner is leading in fundraising and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. His main opponent is Bolduc, a retired United States Army officer. Messner, who owns a charitable foundation to help low-income college students, has faced scrutiny over the past several weeks after the Washington Post reported that the Messner Foundation awarded just one scholarship in its first 10 years.
In addition, Messner has also been criticized for running in New Hampshire instead of Colorado, where he has owned a longtime home and a business. Messner, who also owns a home in New Hampshire, didn't register to vote there until 2018.
Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin beats primary challenger
Incumbent Rep. Jim Langevin, who has served Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District for nearly two decades, beat a late primary challenger, progressive Dylan Conley.
Conley jumped into the race in June, citing the Black Lives Matter protests and the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Cranston Herald.
This race follows an ongoing trend of young, progressive candidates trying to unseat longtime Democratic incumbents. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri are among two key progressives who won primaries against more moderate incumbents.
Get ready: Register to vote or check your status here
Langevin said he sought reelection because he believes more needs to be done to address the economic and health crisis facing the nation following the pandemic, the Herald reported.
“There's still more work to be done to help the people of Rhode Island, and the people of our country get through this crisis right now,” Langevin told the Herald. “We are battling a war on two fronts: The COVID health care crisis, but also the economic fallout from the COVID crisis.”
According to the Herald, Conley has criticized Langevin for his low profile in Congress. Conley focused on income inequality and also supports Medicare for All.


usatoday--2020-09-08--House committee to investigate Postmaster General DeJoy over political donations to GOP candidates

WASHINGTON – A Democrat-led House committee will investigate Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over allegations he pressured employees at his former company into giving political donations to Republicans and helped reimburse the cost .
In a statement first provided to The Washington Post after the outlet 's investigation into DeJoy 's political contributions , Rep. Carolyn Maloney , D-N.Y. , chair of the House Oversight Committee , said the allegations , if true , meant DeJoy had also lied to the committee during past testimony and urged the Postal Board of Governors , the body overseeing the Postal Service , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If these allegations are true , Mr. DeJoy could face criminal exposure – not only for his actions in North Carolina , but also for lying to our Committee under oath , '' Maloney said .
`` We will be investigating this issue , but I believe the Board of Governors must take emergency action to immediately suspend Mr. DeJoy , who they never should have selected in the first place . ''
Based on interviews with employees of DeJoy 's former company New Breed Logistics , The Post reported Saturday that DeJoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donate to Republicans and attend political fundraisers at his home .
The Post also interviewed former employees who had worked with the company 's finance and payroll systems , who told the outlet DeJoy had bonus payments sent to employees who donated to help reimburse the cost – a potentially illegal arrangement .
`` Louis was a national fundraiser for the Republican Party .
He asked employees for money .
We gave him the money , and then he reciprocated by giving us big bonuses , '' David Young , New Breed 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Post .
More : House committee to subpoena Postmaster General DeJoy over withholding documents from Congress Monty Hagler , a spokesperson for DeJoy , did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY .
Asked during a hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Aug. 24 whether he had paid back executives and employees of his old company for donations to President Donald Trump 's campaign , DeJoy flatly denied the accusation .
`` That 's an outrageous claim , sir , and I resent it , '' DeJoy told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had asked the question .
`` The answer is no . ''
DeJoy said he was not even working at his company during the Trump campaign and was `` fully aware of legal campaign contributions . ''
Democrats have scrutinized DeJoy 's political donations amid the controversy surrounding the Postal Service .
Democratic lawmakers say DeJoy , a major Republican donor , has conflicts of interest in running the agency .
Congressional Democrats say delays and operational changes at the Postal Service made under DeJoy 's tenure threaten the agency 's ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before lawmakers in August , acknowledging delays in mail across the country but pledging to deliver all election mail on time .
In testimony , DeJoy slammed what he called a `` false narrative '' that Postal Service changes had been made to disrupt the election , and he defended his changes as necessary to support the agency 's finances .
Under criticism from both sides , DeJoy suspended some operational changes in August but said he would resume cost-cutting measures , including the effort to improve delivery times , until after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee subpoenaed DeJoy for documents and information earlier this month , alleging a lack of cooperation in their investigations .
In a statement at the time , the Postal Service said it was `` frankly surprised and confused '' by the news about the subpoena but would `` comply with our obligations under the law . ''

House committee to investigate Postmaster General DeJoy over political donations to GOP candidates
Show Caption Hide Caption House Democrats launching investigation into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy House Democrats are launching an investigation into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy after accusations that he reimbursed employees for making Republican campaign contributions. Newsy, Newsy
WASHINGTON – A Democrat-led House committee will investigate Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over allegations he pressured employees at his former company into giving political donations to Republicans and helped reimburse the cost.
In a statement first provided to The Washington Post after the outlet's investigation into DeJoy's political contributions, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chair of the House Oversight Committee, said the allegations, if true, meant DeJoy had also lied to the committee during past testimony and urged the Postal Board of Governors, the body overseeing the Postal Service, to "immediately suspend DeJoy."
"If these allegations are true, Mr. DeJoy could face criminal exposure – not only for his actions in North Carolina, but also for lying to our Committee under oath," Maloney said. "We will be investigating this issue, but I believe the Board of Governors must take emergency action to immediately suspend Mr. DeJoy, who they never should have selected in the first place."
Based on interviews with employees of DeJoy's former company New Breed Logistics, The Post reported Saturday that DeJoy or his aides had urged employees to donate to Republicans and attend political fundraisers at his home.
The Post also interviewed former employees who had worked with the company's finance and payroll systems, who told the outlet DeJoy had bonus payments sent to employees who donated to help reimburse the cost – a potentially illegal arrangement.
"Louis was a national fundraiser for the Republican Party. He asked employees for money. We gave him the money, and then he reciprocated by giving us big bonuses," David Young, New Breed's former human resources director, told The Post.
How the US Postal Service found itself in debt The U.S. Postal Service is facing record demand because of COVID-19 and the upcoming election. Does it have the funds to rise to the occasion? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
More: House committee to subpoena Postmaster General DeJoy over withholding documents from Congress
Monty Hagler, a spokesperson for DeJoy, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
Asked during a hearing before the House Oversight Committee on Aug. 24 whether he had paid back executives and employees of his old company for donations to President Donald Trump's campaign, DeJoy flatly denied the accusation.
"That's an outrageous claim, sir, and I resent it," DeJoy told Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., who had asked the question. "The answer is no."
DeJoy said he was not even working at his company during the Trump campaign and was "fully aware of legal campaign contributions."
Democrats have scrutinized DeJoy's political donations amid the controversy surrounding the Postal Service. Democratic lawmakers say DeJoy, a major Republican donor, has conflicts of interest in running the agency. Congressional Democrats say delays and operational changes at the Postal Service made under DeJoy's tenure threaten the agency's ability to handle mail-in ballots.
DeJoy testified twice before lawmakers in August, acknowledging delays in mail across the country but pledging to deliver all election mail on time. In testimony, DeJoy slammed what he called a "false narrative" that Postal Service changes had been made to disrupt the election, and he defended his changes as necessary to support the agency's finances.
Under criticism from both sides, DeJoy suspended some operational changes in August but said he would resume cost-cutting measures, including the effort to improve delivery times, until after the election Nov. 3.
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed DeJoy for documents and information earlier this month, alleging a lack of cooperation in their investigations.
In a statement at the time, the Postal Service said it was "frankly surprised and confused" by the news about the subpoena but would "comply with our obligations under the law."


usatoday--2020-09-08--The classroom and COVID-19: Teachers say they want to be 'treated like real people'

This story was published in partnership with The 19th , a nonprofit , nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender , politics and policy .
At a school board meeting in Phoenix this month , parent after parent got up to speak , letting the tensions of a year of uncertainty spill out inside a musty auditorium at the Queen Creek Unified School District .
At issue was the coming school year , which was set to start Aug. 17 almost entirely in-person .
The end of the previous term had challenged their children , many parents argued , and it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Why , asked one dad and a physical education teacher at a local high school , if a registered nurse he knew who is a cancer survivor had not missed a day of work , were other teachers saying they wouldn ’ t be willing to return ?
“ You can make that choice to come into work and say that …you love your profession , ” he said , “ then I ’ ll see you on the 17th , brother.
” Children went up to speak , too .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to normal school in person , ” said one kindergartner .
Another pleaded with the district through sobs : “ Please , let us go back.
” But some teachers told another story : In the week before the start of school , they felt they had few options .
Resignations had started at Queen Creek – eight teachers gone between the end of July and early August .
Unlike other districts across the country that were adopting a hybrid model allowing teachers to move online if they prefer , online learning in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the district .
Many teachers feel trapped .
The tension in Arizona and around the nation is dredging up a conversation on teaching contracts that in a typical year ensure educators don ’ t renege too close to the start of the school year – thus leaving the district scrambling to find a replacement – by imposing fines , or threatening a temporary suspension or revocation of a teaching license .
But as special education teacher Karen Oliver stressed when she spoke at the August school board meeting , this isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resigned in July , knowing she , at 61 , could not risk returning to in-person learning , particularly with an 87-year-old sick mother in Michigan who she planned to visit .
Still , the district was holding her to her teaching contract and fining her the customary penalty – 3 % of her salary , or nearly $ 2,000 .
“ I am being held under my contract , ” Oliver told the board , asking the district to waive the resignation fees .
“ I need to take care of my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have worked hard to make sure my responsibilities are taken care of .
This has been a hard decision.
” This year has exposed so much of what already made the teaching profession challenging for educators .
It ’ s often devalued work for little pay , and the question of school security was already looming .
But coronavirus has further complicated that picture , leaving districts around the country to decide how to deal with the valid concerns of parents , who want their kids ’ education to continue , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about their own health .
On top of that is the worry , held by both parents and teachers , about students ’ mental health without the structure of in-person school , but also their well-being if coronavirus cases spread in classrooms .
Already , there have been hundreds of outbreaks .
States have laid out guidelines for returning to school , but it ’ s up to the districts to decide how it looks in practice .
So though most have been flexible , experts said , particularly with teachers who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like Queen Creek , have not .
A day after the school board meeting where Oliver spoke , she received an email telling her the district would be garnisheeing her wages until she met her full fee .
For Oliver , that moment at the end of a decadeslong teaching career captured the disregard she ’ s felt leaders have had toward her profession most of her life .
“ Women are mostly the workers in public education , and we historically are not treated as though we ’ re real people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m listening to these people , they ’ re talking about , ‘ We have the right to send our kids to school .
We should have that choice for face-to-face.
’ Nobody was considering the fact that teachers were people.
” Across the country , educators are worried .
In Mississippi , some feel at risk of losing their licenses .
In Kansas , the fees can be as high as $ 10,000 for teachers who cut their contracts short .
And in Arizona , at least 109 staff members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in sick before the start of classes Aug. 17 , protesting what they said were insufficient safety measures .
The mass absences forced the district , J. O. Combs in Arizona , to cancel classes .
Of the 145 largest school districts that the National Council on Teacher Quality tracks , nearly 60 % have a date by which teachers need to resign to avoid a penalty .
All of those dates have passed .
Nine large school districts specify a monetary penalty , and 45 % impose other penalties like a potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the future , according to data from NCTQ , which is an education think tank .
In 15 large school districts , teachers face potentially losing their licenses .
The question is how willing districts are to help teachers who want the flexibility to teach from home , said Mark Paige , an associate professor of public policy and education law at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a former fifth grade teacher .
Paige , who has previously represented school districts in contract negotiations , said he ’ d advise them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules during the pandemic .
“ Just because they have a hammer doesn ’ t mean everything ’ s a nail , ” Paige said .
“ There ’ s litigation costs , there ’ s PR costs.
” All of it is almost ironic , he said , considering that in the early months of the pandemic , teachers were heroes .
Students lined up in car parades with signs to thank them .
Parents started to truly appreciate how difficult it was to educate their children .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ All of a sudden , we have this appreciation of teachers .
Well , how times have changed in a matter of like 60 days.
” In Wichita , Kansas , substitute teacher Kimberly Howard and English teacher Gabriel Costilla are looking at the new teachers starting this year and wondering how the decisions around coronavirus will impact them in the long run .
There ’ s already a substitute teacher shortage where they live , Howard said .
Around the country , a teacher shortage has been raging for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers options such as retiring early with no penalty , they ’ re concerned about what the next few months will bring .
“ It ’ s not that teachers are lining up to resign , ” Costilla said .
“ That ’ s not what they want to do , they want to teach .
But they just want to have that choice to do it safely.
” At his high school , a new teacher moved in a few doors down .
“ I ’ m really afraid that some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into this year and realize how hard all this is going to be – trying to do it virtually or even trying to do it on-site , ” he said .
“ I ’ m afraid we ’ re gon na see some new teachers drop off in numbers that we haven ’ t seen in the past.
” The teacher shortage is estimated to be well beyond the 100,000 mark , according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute .
Annual pay for teachers has been falling since the mid-1990s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 60,000 , plus benefits .
Overall , teacher ’ s weekly wages are 17 percent lower than the compensation for comparable workers , according to an analysis of 2015 data from EPI ( compared to 1994 , when they were just 1.8 percent lower ) .
The issue drew protests in 2018 and 2019 that framed the problems as a result of cutbacks on public education that will ultimately be detrimental to students , too .
Teaching is also the profession that employs the most women in the United States : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less people are going into education , ” said Todd DeMitchell , professor emeritus of education law and labor at the University of New Hampshire , and a former educator , principal and superintendent .
“ It ’ s a hard job , pay isn ’ t very good and actually the thing that drives teachers out isn ’ t so much the pay , it ’ s the working conditions : ‘ How am I treated ?
’ ” What ’ s emerged this year with coronavirus is a fight to improve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have turned to broader social justice themes .
A coalition of teachers unions around the country have been pushing not just for safety in the return to school , but for police-free schools and support covering rents and mortgages .
It ’ s a delicate dance , said Brad Marianno , an assistant professor at the University of Nevada , Las Vegas and an expert on education policy and teacher contracts .
“ Teachers unions have to be careful not to overplay their hand here , ” Marianno said .
“ The longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools remain in a distance learning option , parental support for that message is going to wane .
And that ’ s going to maybe tip the balance toward the reopening , but right now teachers unions kind of have the strength and the voice to make sure that schools are closed.
” At risk , if parents and districts remain rigid in their demands , is a further exodus of educators from the profession , one that will ultimately hurt students of color the most .
“ Your Black and Brown students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large urban centers , will have difficulty with staffing , and so it ’ s likely that those students will bear the brunt of the teacher shortage , ” Marianno said .
“ And in ways that they ’ ve already borne the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis in the same locations that have trouble with internet access and computer access.
” Keri Rodrigues , a Latina mother of three small boys , is worried about just that .
She is the president of the National Parents Union , a network of about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hers , whose children are already at a disadvantage due to systemic racism , it ’ s difficult to come down on either side of the teacher/parent debate .
About 80 % of teachers are white .
“ The white district was never coming to save us in the first place .
We don ’ t have high hopes that they ’ re going to sweep in and save them now , ” Rodrigues said .
“ The consequences for families like ours if we ’ re not reading at grade level is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty , it ’ s incarceration and death.
” On the issue of safety , the group largely sides with teachers .
Low-income families tend to live intergenerationally , with grandparents in the home .
They understand concerns about bringing home the virus , Rodrigues said .
But some teachers have pushed back against virtual learning too , saying it isn ’ t effective , and unions have been criticized for offering limited plans on how to improve at-home learning .
“ A large majority of us understand – we don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buildings , ” Rodrigues said .
“ The alternative is not doing nothing.
” That ’ s going to put a lot of the onus on parents to ensure their children are getting adequate support .
In the earlier months of the pandemic , parents already got a better understanding of the kind of virtual learning their kids had access to .
For some , it was not enough .
“ We as parents are also going to be checking on the truancy of educators to see what we ’ re actually getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are educators spending actually engaged with students ?
” Rodrigues said .
“ Placing all of the responsibility on parents and families in this moment of anxiety , in the middle of a pandemic , where some of us are trying to hold on to housing , to our jobs , and the fabric of our families – and then on top of it , you ’ re also supposed to be your child ’ s educator ?
You ’ re seeing the awakening of a beast that is going to transform education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it doesn ’ t seem like much help is on the way .
The first coronavirus stimulus bill , the CARES Act , included some funding for public education that covered some of the existing deficits , said Marianno , the Nevada professor .
But it ’ s dried up alongside talks of another round of stimulus as members of Congress have reached an impasse .
Senate Republicans have suggested including $ 70 billion for K-12 schools – two-thirds of that money going to schools that reopen in-person to some degree in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher education , $ 5 billion for other state education needs and $ 1 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education and outlying areas .
In the House , Democrats passed the HEROES Act in the summer that called for $ 90 billion for education , including $ 58 billion for K-12 schools and $ 27 billion to public universities and colleges .
The bill also provides $ 915 billion in emergency funding for state and local governments , which could help protect public teaching positions .
But neither of the proposals has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional help will be unlikely this year , said Shannon Holston , director of teacher policy at the National Council on Teacher Quality .
“ With the election in November , it ’ s really uncertain if anything will be done federally , ” Holston said .
“ People aren ’ t relying on that.
” Many are waiting to see how these first months of the new school year play out , she said .
That ’ s frustrating for teachers like Maxie Hollingsworth , an elementary school math lab specialist in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her district , her state and in Congress .
“ We should not be a nation of shooting stars that you never see , ” Hollingsworth said .
“ That ’ s what we sort of have in Congress right now.
” She understands the debates this school year probably better than most .
One of her daughters is asthmatic – “ she winds up in the ER every single year from a cold ” – so remote learning is critical for her .
Hollingsworth ’ s district is 100 percent remote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they reassess later in the year , so she ’ ll be able to stay home with her daughter .
Hollingsworth also works with low-income families and understands deeply the challenges of an in-person return .
These are families whose kids ride the bus , whose little ones can ’ t stick to mask mandates and whose schools can ’ t afford to put plexiglass around each desk .
But they ’ re also the kids of many essential workers , who can ’ t stay home if the teaching is remote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has exposed so much about the United States , ” Hollingsworth said .
“ It exposes a lot of the weaknesses in our infrastructure , a lot of the weaknesses related to school funding , a lot of weaknesses related to equity.
” To reach parity , there needs to be a consideration of everyone ’ s unique situations .
And most of all , there needs to be choice , she said .
It reminds Hollingsworth of her school custodian whose 5-year-old is recovering from leukemia .
Teachers and educational support staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They ’ re also used to those concerns being ignored .
“ The lack of respect for teachers , the lack of standards across the board in terms of pay , expectations – it ’ s very hard to recruit teachers , and now because of this , I think it ’ s going to be even harder .
This is gon na sort of blow up the system , ” Hollingsworth said .
“ And then people will recognize that we got to do things differently .
”

The classroom and COVID-19: Teachers say they want to be ‘treated like real people’
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump believes these CDC school guidelines are too strict President Donald Trump criticizes the CDC guidelines for the upcoming school year. Which includes children, teachers, and staff getting regularly tested. USA TODAY
This story was published in partnership with The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.
At a school board meeting in Phoenix this month, parent after parent got up to speak, letting the tensions of a year of uncertainty spill out inside a musty auditorium at the Queen Creek Unified School District.
At issue was the coming school year, which was set to start Aug. 17 almost entirely in-person. The end of the previous term had challenged their children, many parents argued, and it was time that they return to the classroom.
Why, asked one dad and a physical education teacher at a local high school, if a registered nurse he knew who is a cancer survivor had not missed a day of work, were other teachers saying they wouldn’t be willing to return?
“You can make that choice to come into work and say that …you love your profession,” he said, “then I’ll see you on the 17th, brother.”
The audience exploded in raucous applause.
Children went up to speak, too.
“I hope they let me go back to normal school in person,” said one kindergartner. Another pleaded with the district through sobs: “Please, let us go back.”
But some teachers told another story: In the week before the start of school, they felt they had few options.
Resignations had started at Queen Creek – eight teachers gone between the end of July and early August. Unlike other districts across the country that were adopting a hybrid model allowing teachers to move online if they prefer, online learning in Queen Creek will come from teachers outside the district.
Many teachers feel trapped. The tension in Arizona and around the nation is dredging up a conversation on teaching contracts that in a typical year ensure educators don’t renege too close to the start of the school year – thus leaving the district scrambling to find a replacement – by imposing fines, or threatening a temporary suspension or revocation of a teaching license.
But as special education teacher Karen Oliver stressed when she spoke at the August school board meeting, this isn’t a typical year.
Oliver had already resigned in July, knowing she, at 61, could not risk returning to in-person learning, particularly with an 87-year-old sick mother in Michigan who she planned to visit.
Still, the district was holding her to her teaching contract and fining her the customary penalty – 3% of her salary, or nearly $2,000.
“I am being held under my contract,” Oliver told the board, asking the district to waive the resignation fees. “I need to take care of my mother. I love my students, I have worked hard to make sure my responsibilities are taken care of. This has been a hard decision.”
This year has exposed so much of what already made the teaching profession challenging for educators. It’s often devalued work for little pay, and the question of school security was already looming. But coronavirus has further complicated that picture, leaving districts around the country to decide how to deal with the valid concerns of parents, who want their kids’ education to continue, and those of teachers, who are worried about their own health.
On top of that is the worry, held by both parents and teachers, about students’ mental health without the structure of in-person school, but also their well-being if coronavirus cases spread in classrooms. Already, there have been hundreds of outbreaks.
What to know about sending kids to school in flu season amid COVID-19 Is it a cold or COVID-19? The top doctor at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta explains what parents need to know this flu season. USA TODAY
States have laid out guidelines for returning to school, but it’s up to the districts to decide how it looks in practice. So though most have been flexible, experts said, particularly with teachers who have raised red flags about safety, others, like Queen Creek, have not.
A day after the school board meeting where Oliver spoke, she received an email telling her the district would be garnisheeing her wages until she met her full fee.
For Oliver, that moment at the end of a decadeslong teaching career captured the disregard she’s felt leaders have had toward her profession most of her life.
“Women are mostly the workers in public education, and we historically are not treated as though we’re real people,” Oliver said. “I’m listening to these people, they’re talking about, ‘We have the right to send our kids to school. We should have that choice for face-to-face.’ Nobody was considering the fact that teachers were people.”
Across the country, educators are worried. In Mississippi, some feel at risk of losing their licenses. In Kansas, the fees can be as high as $10,000 for teachers who cut their contracts short. And in Arizona, at least 109 staff members of the neighboring district to Queen Creek called in sick before the start of classes Aug. 17, protesting what they said were insufficient safety measures. The mass absences forced the district, J. O. Combs in Arizona, to cancel classes.
Of the 145 largest school districts that the National Council on Teacher Quality tracks, nearly 60% have a date by which teachers need to resign to avoid a penalty. All of those dates have passed. Nine large school districts specify a monetary penalty, and 45% impose other penalties like a potential suspension or refusal to hire the teacher in the future, according to data from NCTQ, which is an education think tank. In 15 large school districts, teachers face potentially losing their licenses.
The question is how willing districts are to help teachers who want the flexibility to teach from home, said Mark Paige, an associate professor of public policy and education law at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a former fifth grade teacher.
Paige, who has previously represented school districts in contract negotiations, said he’d advise them to consider the costs of enforcing contract rules during the pandemic.
“Just because they have a hammer doesn’t mean everything’s a nail,” Paige said. “There’s litigation costs, there’s PR costs.”
All of it is almost ironic, he said, considering that in the early months of the pandemic, teachers were heroes. Students lined up in car parades with signs to thank them. Parents started to truly appreciate how difficult it was to educate their children.
“It’s a sad commentary,” Paige said. “All of a sudden, we have this appreciation of teachers. Well, how times have changed in a matter of like 60 days.”
In Wichita, Kansas, substitute teacher Kimberly Howard and English teacher Gabriel Costilla are looking at the new teachers starting this year and wondering how the decisions around coronavirus will impact them in the long run.
There’s already a substitute teacher shortage where they live, Howard said. Around the country, a teacher shortage has been raging for years. So though their district is offering teachers options such as retiring early with no penalty, they’re concerned about what the next few months will bring.
Coronavirus: How access to the internet is not created equal As schools debate about returning to online learning, the lack of internet access for many Americans is a big sticking point. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
“It’s not that teachers are lining up to resign,” Costilla said. “That’s not what they want to do, they want to teach. But they just want to have that choice to do it safely.”
At his high school, a new teacher moved in a few doors down.
“I’m really afraid that some of these new teachers are going to get into this year and realize how hard all this is going to be – trying to do it virtually or even trying to do it on-site,” he said. “I’m afraid we’re gonna see some new teachers drop off in numbers that we haven’t seen in the past.”
The teacher shortage is estimated to be well beyond the 100,000 mark, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute.
Annual pay for teachers has been falling since the mid-1990s, with the median teacher salary now at about $60,000, plus benefits. Overall, teacher’s weekly wages are 17 percent lower than the compensation for comparable workers, according to an analysis of 2015 data from EPI (compared to 1994, when they were just 1.8 percent lower). The issue drew protests in 2018 and 2019 that framed the problems as a result of cutbacks on public education that will ultimately be detrimental to students, too.
Teaching is also the profession that employs the most women in the United States: 4.2 million.
“We kept seeing less people are going into education,” said Todd DeMitchell, professor emeritus of education law and labor at the University of New Hampshire, and a former educator, principal and superintendent. “It’s a hard job, pay isn’t very good and actually the thing that drives teachers out isn’t so much the pay, it’s the working conditions: ‘How am I treated?’”
What’s emerged this year with coronavirus is a fight to improve those conditions that, at times, have turned to broader social justice themes. A coalition of teachers unions around the country have been pushing not just for safety in the return to school, but for police-free schools and support covering rents and mortgages.
It’s a delicate dance, said Brad Marianno, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and an expert on education policy and teacher contracts.
“Teachers unions have to be careful not to overplay their hand here,” Marianno said. “The longer this drags on and the longer that schools remain in a distance learning option, parental support for that message is going to wane. And that’s going to maybe tip the balance toward the reopening, but right now teachers unions kind of have the strength and the voice to make sure that schools are closed.”
At risk, if parents and districts remain rigid in their demands, is a further exodus of educators from the profession, one that will ultimately hurt students of color the most.
“Your Black and Brown students in your high poverty areas, your large urban centers, will have difficulty with staffing, and so it’s likely that those students will bear the brunt of the teacher shortage,” Marianno said. “And in ways that they’ve already borne the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis in the same locations that have trouble with internet access and computer access.”
Keri Rodrigues, a Latina mother of three small boys, is worried about just that. She is the president of the National Parents Union, a network of about 200 parent organizations.
For families like hers, whose children are already at a disadvantage due to systemic racism, it’s difficult to come down on either side of the teacher/parent debate. About 80% of teachers are white.
“The white district was never coming to save us in the first place. We don’t have high hopes that they’re going to sweep in and save them now,” Rodrigues said. “The consequences for families like ours if we’re not reading at grade level is the school-to-prison pipeline, it’s poverty, it’s incarceration and death.”
On the issue of safety, the group largely sides with teachers. Low-income families tend to live intergenerationally, with grandparents in the home. They understand concerns about bringing home the virus, Rodrigues said.
But some teachers have pushed back against virtual learning too, saying it isn’t effective, and unions have been criticized for offering limited plans on how to improve at-home learning.
“A large majority of us understand – we don’t want to send our kids into unsafe buildings,” Rodrigues said. “The alternative is not doing nothing.”
That’s going to put a lot of the onus on parents to ensure their children are getting adequate support. In the earlier months of the pandemic, parents already got a better understanding of the kind of virtual learning their kids had access to. For some, it was not enough.
“We as parents are also going to be checking on the truancy of educators to see what we’re actually getting for our money. How many hours are educators spending actually engaged with students?” Rodrigues said. “Placing all of the responsibility on parents and families in this moment of anxiety, in the middle of a pandemic, where some of us are trying to hold on to housing, to our jobs, and the fabric of our families – and then on top of it, you’re also supposed to be your child’s educator? You’re seeing the awakening of a beast that is going to transform education as we know it.”
For now, it doesn’t seem like much help is on the way.
The first coronavirus stimulus bill, the CARES Act, included some funding for public education that covered some of the existing deficits, said Marianno, the Nevada professor. But it’s dried up alongside talks of another round of stimulus as members of Congress have reached an impasse.
Senate Republicans have suggested including $70 billion for K-12 schools – two-thirds of that money going to schools that reopen in-person to some degree in the fall – $29 billion for higher education, $5 billion for other state education needs and $1 billion for the Bureau of Indian Education and outlying areas.
In the House, Democrats passed the HEROES Act in the summer that called for $90 billion for education, including $58 billion for K-12 schools and $27 billion to public universities and colleges. The bill also provides $915 billion in emergency funding for state and local governments, which could help protect public teaching positions.
But neither of the proposals has obtained bipartisan support, and it appears additional help will be unlikely this year, said Shannon Holston, director of teacher policy at the National Council on Teacher Quality.
“With the election in November, it’s really uncertain if anything will be done federally,” Holston said. “People aren’t relying on that.”
Many are waiting to see how these first months of the new school year play out, she said.
That’s frustrating for teachers like Maxie Hollingsworth, an elementary school math lab specialist in Houston. Hollingsworth said she craves leadership in her district, her state and in Congress.
“We should not be a nation of shooting stars that you never see,” Hollingsworth said. “That’s what we sort of have in Congress right now.”
She understands the debates this school year probably better than most. One of her daughters is asthmatic – “she winds up in the ER every single year from a cold” – so remote learning is critical for her. Hollingsworth’s district is 100 percent remote for the first weeks of school before they reassess later in the year, so she’ll be able to stay home with her daughter.
Hollingsworth also works with low-income families and understands deeply the challenges of an in-person return. These are families whose kids ride the bus, whose little ones can’t stick to mask mandates and whose schools can’t afford to put plexiglass around each desk. But they’re also the kids of many essential workers, who can’t stay home if the teaching is remote.
“To me, this whole pandemic has exposed so much about the United States,” Hollingsworth said. “It exposes a lot of the weaknesses in our infrastructure, a lot of the weaknesses related to school funding, a lot of weaknesses related to equity.”
To reach parity, there needs to be a consideration of everyone’s unique situations. And most of all, there needs to be choice, she said.
It reminds Hollingsworth of her school custodian whose 5-year-old is recovering from leukemia. Teachers and educational support staff have legitimate concerns, she said.
They’re also used to those concerns being ignored.
“The lack of respect for teachers, the lack of standards across the board in terms of pay, expectations – it’s very hard to recruit teachers, and now because of this, I think it’s going to be even harder. This is gonna sort of blow up the system,” Hollingsworth said. “And then people will recognize that we got to do things differently.”


usatoday--2020-09-09--Coronavirus updates: US to hit 190K deaths; BioNTech CEO confident vaccine will be ready in October;

Coronavirus updates: US to hit 190K deaths; BioNTech CEO confident vaccine will be ready in October; 52% of young adults live with parents

A day after several vaccine makers signed a safety pledge , one of the companies racing to make a vaccine against COVID-19 seems to have hit a stumbling block .
AstraZeneca put a hold on its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide while it investigated an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom .
The interruption represents the first major hiccup in what has been a remarkably smooth path in the historically rapid vaccine effort spanning the globe .
The news comes as the United States on track to record its 190,000th death from COVID-19 on Wednesday .
Meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , North Carolina , on Tuesday , President Donald Trump accused the state 's governor of using coronavirus restrictions to hurt his reelection chances .
It 's Trump 's third appearance in as many weeks in North Carolina , a crucial state he needs to win in order to secure his reelection .
He won the Tar Heel State by nearly 4 % but national polls show him deadlocked with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , according to a RealClearPolitics average of polls .
• Five counties in California , including Orange County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ahead with reopening plans amid a decline in confirmed coronavirus cases across the state .
Places of worship , restaurants with indoor dining and movie theaters will soon be allowed to reopen at 25 % capacity , Gov .
Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday .
• Honolulu is extending stay-at-home orders for another two weeks amid a surge in cases .
• Internationally , India reported another 89,000 cases on Wednesday after becoming the world 's second hardest-hit country the previous day .
• The Transportation Security Agency reported its busiest day since March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 935,000 passengers went through TSA checkpoints on Saturday .
• Senate Republicans unveiled a coronavirus relief plan far smaller than what lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spent weeks arguing over .
It 's a bill that even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says is n't perfect .
Here 's what it includes .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has more than 6.3 million confirmed cases and more than 189,600 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
Globally , there are almost 27.6 million cases and more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reading : A study by a California research group estimates that the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to more than 260,000 coronavirus cases in the month following the event .
Gov .
Kristi Noem called the study `` fiction . ''
🗺 Mapping coronavirus : Track the U.S. outbreak , state by state This file will be updated throughout the day .
For updates in your inbox , subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter .
Fauci : Vaccine trial pause is unfortunate but not uncommon Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diseases , called AstraZeneca 's hold on its COVID-19 candidate vaccine trials `` unfortunate '' but said it was `` not uncommon at all '' during vaccine development .
“ It ’ s really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this , so it ’ s unfortunate that it happened , ” Fauci told CBS “ This Morning ” on Wednesday .
“ Hopefully , they ’ ll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigate it further.
” AstraZeneca , one of the companies racing to make a vaccine against the coronavirus , said Tuesday it was investigating an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom and paused its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide .
The company , which is currently working with the University of Oxford on Phase 3 of testing its vaccine , said the pause was `` a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials . ''
Pope Francis : Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Francis , in an appeal Wednesday against the `` partisan interests '' emerging among some nations and groups during the COVID-19 pandemic , made a plea for all to look out for the health of others as well as themselves .
`` The coronavirus is showing us that each person ’ s true good is a common good and , vice versa , the common good is a true good for the person .
Health , in addition to being an individual good , is also a public good .
A healthy society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s health , '' Francis said in a public address .
Francis resumed his weekly public audiences last week after a six-month hiatus due to the pandemic .
A limited crowd gathered to see Francis , with chairs were spaced out in the San Damaso courtyard inside the Apostolic Palace .
BioNTech CEO confident vaccine will be ready for approval by mid-October BioNTech CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin said in an interview with CNN that his company 's vaccine being developed along with Pfizer could be ready for regulatory approval by mid-October @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an excellent profile and I consider this vaccine ... near perfect , and which has a near perfect profile , '' Sahin told CNN on Tuesday .
Sahin 's comments came the same day another candidate vaccine hit a snag as AstraZeneca paused its trial after an unexplained illness .
The comments also come after BioNTech and Pfizer were among the nine biopharmaceutical companies that issued a letter Tuesday pledging to fully vet their COVID-19 candidate vaccines before asking for federal approval to market them .
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election and that if it was n't , it was because of a `` deep state '' conspiracy against him .
Majority of young adults live with their parents for first time since Great Depression The number of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents reached record highs as more than half reported residing at home in July .
In February , 47 % of young adults reported living at home .
That number grew to 52 % by July , or roughly an increase of 2.6 million people , according to data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number is higher than any previous measurements , Pew says .
At the end of the Great Depression , based on data from the 1940 census , 48 % of young adults lived at home .
The peak during the Great Depression may have been higher , but there is no available data , Pew says .
The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been particularly hard for young Americans , and Pew 's data show many moved home due to job loss or college campus closures .
California University of Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has died , the school announced Tuesday .
Stephens , a senior defensive lineman , was the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jamain Stephens .
Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh , where Stephens played , said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday his cause of death was related to complications involving COVID-19 .
It is unclear how he contracted the disease .
California University was not playing football this fall with COVID-19 health concerns forcing sports to be halted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given in the California University announcement .
Trump says North Carolina restrictions will hurt his reelection bid President Donald Trump kicked off a campaign rally on Tuesday in Winston-Salem , North Carolina , by accusing the state 's governor of using coronavirus restrictions to hurt his reelection chances .
`` Your state should be open , '' Trump said to a crowd of hundreds that erupted in cheers at the Smith Reynolds Airport .
The president , still stung from the loss of the GOP convention that was due to take place in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly all-virtual event over COVID-19 , said North Carolina and other key battleground states such as Michigan were keeping their states shut for `` political reasons . ''
`` On Nov. 4 , every one of those states will be open .
They 're doing it for political reasons , '' Trump said in remarks that lasted 76 minutes .
Los Angeles County health officials have set guidelines for Halloween celebrations amid the coronavirus pandemic .
The city banned door-to-door trick-or-tricking , trunk-or-treating events where children receive treats from car-to-car , haunted houses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Door-to-door trick-or-treating is not allowed because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters , '' the guidelines say .
Instead , officials are encouraging families to celebrate by attending virtual events , car parades , drive-in movie theaters and other activities that follow the city 's public health guidelines .
The Transportation Security Agency reported Tuesday that more people flew over the Labor Day weekend than at any other point in the COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TSA checkpoints on Monday , setting a new record .
That betters the previous high of 862,949 that was set on Aug. 16 .
The number of passengers who went through TSA checkpoints went over 900,000 twice during the long holiday weekend – first on Friday with 968,673 , then again on Monday .
Thursday also saw higher-than-average traffic with 877,673 passengers being screened .
Though the TSA numbers approached 1 million for the first time since the country went on lockdown , they 're still a far cry from Labor Day weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million passed through checkpoints all but one day .
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Tuesday that he will extend an existing stay-at-home order for two weeks to control the coronavirus in Hawaii 's largest city .
The stay-at-home order will be kept in place through Sept. 24 .
But Caldwell said he will modify the rules to allow solo activity at beaches , parks and trails .
Individuals will be able to run , sit or eat by themselves in these public places beginning Thursday .
• On Facebook : There 's still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But what we do know , we 're sharing with you .
Join our Facebook group , Coronavirus Watch , to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19 .
• In your inbox : Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network .
Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter .
• Tips for coping : Every Saturday and Tuesday we 'll be in your inbox , offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up for Staying Apart , Together .

Jessica Flores and Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAY

Coronavirus updates: 190K deaths in US; 900K deaths worldwide; Britain bans gatherings of more than 6
Show Caption Hide Caption What to know about sending kids to school in flu season amid COVID-19 Is it a cold or COVID-19? The top doctor at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta explains what parents need to know this flu season. USA TODAY
A day after a vaccine maker hit pause on its COVID-19 clinical trial, the nation's top health experts said Wednesday that the delay shows the degree of safety going into testing the candidate vaccines.
AstraZeneca put a hold on its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide while it investigated an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom. The interruption represents the first major hiccup in what has been a remarkably smooth path in the historically rapid vaccine effort spanning the globe, but Dr. Anthony Fauci said such pauses are not uncommon.
"It's really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it’s unfortunate that it happened," Fauci said.
The news comes as 900,000 deaths from COVID-19 are recorded worldwide, 190,000 of which are from the United States.
Some significant developments:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that New York City could resume indoor dining at the end of the month at 25% capacity with other restrictions.
Five counties in California, including Orange County south of Los Angeles, are moving ahead with reopening plans amid a decline in confirmed coronavirus cases across the state. Places of worship, restaurants with indoor dining and movie theaters will soon be allowed to reopen at 25% capacity, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
Honolulu is extending stay-at-home orders for another two weeks amid a surge in cases.
Internationally, India reported another 89,000 cases on Wednesday after becoming the world's second hardest-hit country the previous day.
The Transportation Security Agency reported its busiest day since March over the Labor Day weekend: About 935,000 passengers went through TSA checkpoints on Saturday.
Senate Republicans unveiled a coronavirus relief plan far smaller than what lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spent weeks arguing over. It's a bill that even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says isn't perfect.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 6.3 million confirmed cases and more than 190,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Globally, there are almost 27.6 million cases and more than 900,000 fatalities.
📰 What we're reading: A study by a California research group estimates that the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota led to more than 260,000 coronavirus cases in the month following the event. Gov. Kristi Noem called the study "fiction."
🗺 Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak, state by state
This file will be updated throughout the day. For updates in your inbox, subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter.
Teachers in at least three states have died after bouts with the coronavirus since the dawn of the new school year, and a teachers’ union leader worries that the return to in-person classes will have a deadly impact across the U.S. if proper precautions aren’t taken.
AshLee Marinis, a 34-year-old special education teacher in Missouri, died after being hospitalized for three weeks. Elsewhere, a third-grade teacher died Monday in South Carolina, and two other educators died recently in Mississippi — which has reported 604 cases among school workers.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said schools need guidelines such as mandatory face coverings and strict social distancing rules to reopen safely.
“If community spread is too high as it is in Missouri and Mississippi, if you don’t have the infrastructure of testing, and if you don’t have the safeguards that prevent the spread of viruses in the school, we believe that you cannot reopen in person,” Weingarten said.
– The Associated Press
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s bold use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic reached the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday as justices heard hours of arguments about whether she has illegally made far-reaching decisions without input from the Legislature.
Justice David Viviano raised pointed and repeated questions about whether the 1945 emergency law Whitmer relied on was ever intended to deal with a health pandemic.
Deputy Solicitor General Eric Restuccia, representing the governor's office, pushed back, saying that although the Emergency Powers of Governor Act does not specifically mention epidemics, it says it can be invoked when "public safety is imperiled" and it references disasters and catastrophes that would clearly include major threats to public health.
– The Associated Press and Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press
Professional soccer matches played in near-empty stadiums were linked to higher COVID-19 cases and deaths in the area, a study at the University of Reading found.
Researchers studied hundreds of soccer matches in England in February and March and found that a match led to six more COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the area where the match took place, two more COVID-19 deaths and three additional excess deaths.
Even stadiums that are 80% empty are unlikely to reduce rates of COVID-19 transmission without effective social distancing measures for fans before, during and after matches, the researchers concluded.
"Even when stadiums are only partially filled, fans tend to pack together in groups. They also mix in bar areas, toilets, and queues, as well as in pubs, shops and restaurants outside the grounds," said sports economist and study author James Reade. "This behaviour presents an effective route for airborne viruses to spread, and is no less prevalent with smaller crowds."
– Grace Hauck
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock says new limits on social gatherings in England to six people are set to stay in place for the "foreseeable future," potentially until or even through Christmas.
Hancock said the new limit for both indoor and outdoor gatherings, which will come into force and be enforceable by law from Monday, will provide "more clarity" to people and should help keep a lid on a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
Though there are exemptions, such as for schools, workplaces and "life events" like funerals and weddings, the government is clearly hoping that the new limits will be easily understood and followed. Unlike the previous set of guidelines, people could be fined for not following the rules – 100 pounds ($130) for a first offense, up to a potential 3,200 pounds ($4,100).
– The Associated Press
New York City to resume indoor dining at month's end
Indoor dining is set to resume in New York City after being stopped in late March because of COVID-19. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that restaurants can add indoor dining at 25% capacity in the city starting Sept. 30.
The rest of the state has been allowed to have limited indoor dining, and the entire state has had outdoor dining since late spring as the virus' infection rate has stayed below 1% for 33 straight days.
New York City has had the most COVID deaths in the state, and Cuomo and city officials have been cautious in reopening businesses, particularly in the city.
The safety guidance will require temperature checks at the door for all indoor customers and require one member of each party to provide contact information for COVID tracing if needed. Indoor dining will also prohibit any bar service, and masks must be worn when not seated at tables. Restaurants will have to close at midnight, and the state is encouraging them to improve infiltration systems.
– Joseph Spector, New York State Team
President Donald Trump told journalist Bob Woodward that he knew the coronavirus was more deadly and contagious than the flu while he continued to downplay its dangers to the public, according to Woodward's new book "Rage."
"I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic," Trump told Woodward on March 19 in excerpts of audio interviews obtained by CNN.
In interviews with Woodward from December 2019 to July 2020, Trump discussed the threat of the coronavirus with a level of detail that he had not yet acknowledged to the public, noting Feb. 7 that it was "deadly stuff," and "more deadly than your – even your strenuous flus."
While Trump discussed the threat of the virus to Woodward, he continued to assure the public that it was "under control" in the U.S. and would "go away."
– Jeanine Santucci
Three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings wrote in a recent Instagram post that she did not wear a mask while shopping over the weekend, which she referred to as "a little exercise in being brave."
The consensus among public health experts is that wearing a mask is a crucial preventive measure amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Walsh Jennings said that she wants "people to stop living in fear and start living in a way that strengthens themselves body, mind and spirit."
The next day, Walsh Jennings offered an apology after facing sharp criticism, including from fellow beach volleyball player Jennifer Kessy and Walsh Jennings' own sister, Kelli Mezzetti.
– Chris Bumbaca
Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, said health officials do not expect that all six candidate COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. will be proved safe and effective in clinical trials but that safety was "foremost in all our minds."
Collins, testifying before a Senate panel Wednesday, said three of the six candidates are in Phase 3 trials, and that the hold on AstraZeneca's trial is a "concrete example" of the safety measures in place to pause a trial after even one illness.
Collins also said he was cautiously optimistic about a vaccine being ready by the end of the year but that no scientist would be able to say whether a vaccine could be ready by a specific date – a reference to President Donald Trump's repeated promise a vaccine will be ready by Election Day.
Collins was also optimistic about the potential efficacy of the vaccine. He said that if he had to guess, he would expect a vaccine to have longer lasting efficacy than a seasonal flu vaccine. However, Collins cautioned that scientists won't know for sure until later on in the trials.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called AstraZeneca's hold on its COVID-19 candidate vaccine trials "unfortunate" but said it was "not uncommon at all" during vaccine development.
“It’s really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it’s unfortunate that it happened,” Fauci told CBS “This Morning” on Wednesday. “Hopefully, they’ll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you don’t know. They need to investigate it further.”
AstraZeneca, one of the companies racing to make a vaccine against the coronavirus, said Tuesday that it was investigating an adverse reaction in a trial participant in the United Kingdom and paused its COVID-19 clinical trials worldwide.
The company, which is currently working with the University of Oxford on Phase 3 of testing its vaccine, said the pause was "a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials."
– Elizabeth Weise and Karen Weintraub
Pope Francis, in an appeal Wednesday against the "partisan interests" emerging among some nations and groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, made a plea for all to look out for the health of others as well as themselves.
"The coronavirus is showing us that each person’s true good is a common good and, vice versa, the common good is a true good for the person. Health, in addition to being an individual good, is also a public good. A healthy society is one that takes care of everyone’s health," Francis said in a public address.
Francis resumed his weekly public audiences last week after a six-month hiatus because of the pandemic. A limited crowd gathered to see Francis, with chairs were spaced out in the San Damaso courtyard inside the Apostolic Palace.
BioNTech CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin said in an interview with CNN that his company's vaccine being developed along with Pfizer could be ready for regulatory approval by mid-October or early November.
"It has an excellent profile and I consider this vaccine ... near perfect, and which has a near perfect profile," Sahin told CNN on Tuesday. Sahin's comments came the same day another candidate vaccine hit a snag as AstraZeneca paused its trial after an unexplained illness.
The comments also come after BioNTech and Pfizer were among the nine biopharmaceutical companies that issued a letter Tuesday pledging to fully vet their COVID-19 candidate vaccines before asking for federal approval to market them.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine could be ready before the November election and that if it wasn't, it was because of a "deep state" conspiracy against him.
The number of 18- to 29-year-olds living with their parents reached record highs as more than half reported residing at home in July. In February, 47% of young adults reported living at home. That number grew to 52% by July, or roughly an increase of 2.6 million people, according to data from the Pew Research Center.
The number is higher than any previous measurements, Pew says. At the end of the Great Depression, based on data from the 1940 census, 48% of young adults lived at home. The peak during the Great Depression may have been higher, but there is no available data, Pew says.
The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been particularly hard for young Americans, and Pew's data show many moved home due to job loss or college campus closures.
California University of Pennsylvania football player Jamain Stephens, 20, has died, the school announced Tuesday. Stephens, a senior defensive lineman, was the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jamain Stephens.
Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where Stephens played, said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday his cause of death was related to complications involving COVID-19. It is unclear how he contracted the disease.
California University was not playing football this fall with COVID-19 health concerns forcing sports to be halted by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. A cause of death was not given in the California University announcement.
– Erick Smith
President Donald Trump kicked off a campaign rally on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by accusing the state's governor of using coronavirus restrictions to hurt his reelection chances.
"Your state should be open," Trump said to a crowd of hundreds that erupted in cheers at the Smith Reynolds Airport.
The president, still stung from the loss of the GOP convention that was due to take place in Charlotte last month but moved to a nearly all-virtual event over COVID-19, said North Carolina and other key battleground states such as Michigan were keeping their states shut for "political reasons."
"On Nov. 4, every one of those states will be open. They're doing it for political reasons," Trump said in remarks that lasted 76 minutes.
– John Fritze, Courtney Subramanian and David Jackson
Los Angeles County health officials have set guidelines for Halloween celebrations amid the coronavirus pandemic. The city banned door-to-door trick-or-tricking, trunk-or-treating events where children receive treats from car-to-car, haunted houses, festivals and other related events.
"Door-to-door trick-or-treating is not allowed because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters," the guidelines say.
Instead, officials are encouraging families to celebrate by attending virtual events, car parades, drive-in movie theaters and other activities that follow the city's public health guidelines.
The Transportation Security Agency reported Tuesday that more people flew over the Labor Day weekend than at any other point in the COVID-19 pandemic. About 935,308 passengers went through TSA checkpoints on Monday, setting a new record. That betters the previous high of 862,949 that was set on Aug. 16.
The number of passengers who went through TSA checkpoints went over 900,000 twice during the long holiday weekend – first on Friday with 968,673, then again on Monday. Thursday also saw higher-than-average traffic with 877,673 passengers being screened.
Though the TSA numbers approached 1 million for the first time since the country went on lockdown, they're still a far cry from Labor Day weekend in 2019, when more than 2 million passed through checkpoints all but one day.
– Jayme Deerwester
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Tuesday that he will extend an existing stay-at-home order for two weeks to control the coronavirus in Hawaii's largest city.
The stay-at-home order will be kept in place through Sept. 24. But Caldwell said he will modify the rules to allow solo activity at beaches, parks and trails. Individuals will be able to run, sit or eat by themselves in these public places beginning Thursday.
On Facebook: There's still a lot unknown about the coronavirus. But what we do know, we're sharing with you. Join our Facebook group, Coronavirus Watch, to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19.
There's still a lot unknown about the coronavirus. But what we do know, we're sharing with you. Join our Facebook group, Coronavirus Watch, to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19. In your inbox: Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network. Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter. Tips for coping: Every Saturday and Tuesday we'll be in your inbox, offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times. Sign up for Staying Apart, Together.
Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-09-09--Energized by Kamala Harris, South Asian voters may head to the polls in larger numbers

This story was published in partnership with The 19th , a nonprofit , nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender , politics and policy .
Sayu Bhojwani was glad that former Vice President Joe Biden chose a woman of color to be his running mate .
But it wasn ’ t until Sen. Kamala Harris ’ formal acceptance speech that Bhojwani realized the full impact of Harris ’ presence on the presidential ticket .
“ This idea that only White men can serve as president and represent even the most diverse districts , but Black women and minority women can only represent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Bhojwani , the founder and president of New American Leaders , New York City ’ s first Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs and the founder of South Asian Youth Action .
“ The nomination of Kamala is a signal , an opening to the possibility that any of us who consider ourselves American can run for the highest office of the land.
” Prominent Black activists and donors predicted that Harris , the first Black woman and first South Asian on a major party ticket , will help generate new excitement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enthusiasm is also anticipated for the South Asian community , Bhojwani said .
“ There ’ s more of a likelihood to organize voters in the Indian American community and mobilize unreliable voters who might not have turned out at the polls , ” Bhojwani said .
“ There ’ s more excitement about the ticket because Kamala is there .
I hear this across the board.
” Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial ethnic group of the U.S. electorate , according to the Pew Research Center , and up to one million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Mexicans — are expected to cast a ballot in November , according to Bhojwani .
About three-fourths of Asian American women said they had negative feelings about the way the country was going and voted for a Democratic candidate in 2018 , according to a study conducted by SKDKnickerbocker , a political consulting firm that typically works for Democratic politicians .
Despite the friendly relationship between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump , most Indian Americans continue to vote blue alongside other immigrant groups .
More than half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion of Harris , according to the Asian American Voters Survey .
Only 16 % said they had an unfavorable opinion , 10 % had no opinion and 20 % had never heard of her .
Still , some progressives are more cautious with their support given the senator ’ s “ tough on crime ” record as a district attorney and attorney general in California .
However , most Indian Americans are “ thrilled , ” especially at a time when Asian Americans have felt under attack because of the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said their biggest priorities were passing common sense gun laws , ensuring access to clean water and ensuring access to affordable health care for all , according to the SKDKnickerbocker study , which included thousands of interviews with women of color across the United States .
Democratic women as a whole were most interested in ending racial and ethnic discrimination and ensuring everyone has access to affordable health care , including those with pre-existing conditions .
During her presidential campaign , Harris said she would sign an executive order mandating background checks for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more stringent regulation of gun manufacturers and restrict domestic abusers from purchasing guns .
She also released a health care plan that guaranteed coverage to all Americans while still allowing private insurers to remain .
Last month , Harris spoke of her immigrant parents — her mother from India and her father from Jamaica — in her speech formally accepting the vice presidential nomination .
“ My mother instilled in my sister , Maya , and me , the values that would chart the course of our lives , ” Harris said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proud , strong Black women .
And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage.
” The senator ’ s story , familiar to other second generation immigrants and multiracial Americans , was an opening for immigrant women , women of color and others who have felt marginalized by the political process to “ see their potential as leaders , ” Bhojwani said .
At a virtual event organized by South Asians for Biden on Aug. 29 , Harris encouraged South Asian women in an audio message to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
“ To all the young women who are watching this , ” Harris said .
“ I want you to know that leadership begins the day you are born .
You are never too young or too old to be a leader.
” The vice presidential nominee has sparked difficult conversations about anti-Blackness in the South Asian community .
Some argued that Harris should be celebrated for her Indian heritage without erasing her Blackness and perpetuating the model minority myth — the belief that Asian Americans are smarter or more successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are seeing the part of her they want to see , ” Bhojwani said .
“ Black women are focused on her Blackness .
Jamaicans and people from Caribbean countries are focused on that , and Indian Americans are much more focused on her Indian background.
” Neil Makhija , executive director of the Indian American Impact Fund , the leading Indian American advocacy organization , said this milestone can be celebrated by immigrant communities of all backgrounds , particularly after four years of “ anti-immigrant rhetoric ” from the Trump administration .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ American story , ” Makhija said .
“ Her acceptance of the vice presidential nomination is a quantum leap forward for Indian Americans , showing that we are taking our place in American history books .
”

Energized by Kamala Harris, South Asian voters may head to the polls in larger numbers
Show Caption Hide Caption Kamala Harris: 5 things to know about Joe Biden's running mate Joe Biden made history when he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. USA TODAY
This story was published in partnership with The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.
Sayu Bhojwani was glad that former Vice President Joe Biden chose a woman of color to be his running mate. But it wasn’t until Sen. Kamala Harris’ formal acceptance speech that Bhojwani realized the full impact of Harris’ presence on the presidential ticket.
“This idea that only white men can serve as president and represent even the most diverse districts, but Black women and minority women can only represent Black and minority women, is problematic,” said Bhojwani, founder and president of New American Leaders, New York City’s first commissioner of immigrant affairs and founder of South Asian Youth Action. “The nomination of Kamala is a signal, an opening to the possibility that any of us who consider ourselves American can run for the highest office of the land.”
Prominent Black activists and donors predicted that Harris, the first Black woman and first South Asian on a major party ticket, will help generate new excitement among Black voters for Biden. That enthusiasm is also felt in the South Asian community, Bhojwani said.
“There’s more of a likelihood to organize voters in the Indian American community and mobilize unreliable voters who might not have turned out at the polls,” Bhojwani said. “There’s more excitement about the ticket because Kamala is there. I hear this across the board.”
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial ethnic group of the U.S. electorate, according to the Pew Research Center, and up to 1 million Indian Americans – the second-largest immigrant group after Mexicans – are expected to cast a ballot in November, Bhojwani said.
About three-fourths of Asian American women said they had negative feelings about the way the country was going and voted for a Democratic candidate in 2018, according to a study by SKDKnickerbocker, a political consulting firm that typically works for Democratic politicians.
Despite the friendly relationship between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, most Indian Americans continue to vote blue alongside other immigrant groups. More than half of Indian Americans said they had a favorable opinion of Harris, according to the Asian American Voters Survey. Only 16% said they had an unfavorable opinion, 10% had no opinion and 20% had never heard of her.
Still, some progressives are more cautious with their support given the senator’s “tough on crime” record as a district attorney and attorney general in California. But most Indian Americans are “thrilled,” especially at a time when Asian Americans have felt under attack because of the coronavirus pandemic, Bhojwani said.
Why voter suppression in the US has increased since 2013 Civil rights experts point to long wait times to vote as a sign of growing voter suppression in the U.S. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
South Asian women said their biggest priorities were passing common-sense gun control laws, ensuring access to clean water and ensuring access to affordable health care for all, according to the SKDKnickerbocker study, which included thousands of interviews with women of color across the United States. Democratic women as a whole were most interested in ending racial and ethnic discrimination and ensuring everyone has access to affordable health care, including those with preexisting conditions.
During her presidential campaign, Harris said she would sign an executive order requiring background checks for people looking to purchase firearms, call for more stringent regulation of gun manufacturers and restrict domestic abusers from buying guns. She also released a health care plan that guaranteed coverage to all Americans while still allowing private insurers to remain.
Last month, Harris spoke of her immigrant parents – her mother from India and her father from Jamaica – in her speech formally accepting the vice presidential nomination.
“My mother instilled in my sister, Maya, and me the values that would chart the course of our lives,” Harris said. “She raised us to be proud, strong Black women. And she raised us to know and be proud of our Indian heritage.”
The senator’s story, familiar to other second-generation immigrants and multiracial Americans, was an opening for immigrant women, women of color and others who have felt marginalized by the political process to “see their potential as leaders,” Bhojwani said.
At a virtual event organized by South Asians for Biden on Aug. 29, Harris encouraged South Asian women in an audio message to get involved in their community and run for office.
“To all the young women who are watching this,” Harris said, “I want you to know that leadership begins the day you are born. You are never too young or too old to be a leader.”
The vice presidential nominee has sparked difficult conversations about anti-Blackness in the South Asian community. Some argued that Harris should be celebrated for her Indian heritage without erasing her Blackness and perpetuating the model minority myth – the belief that Asian Americans are smarter or more successful than other minority groups.
“People are seeing the part of her they want to see,” Bhojwani said. “Black women are focused on her Blackness. Jamaicans and people from Caribbean countries are focused on that, and Indian Americans are much more focused on her Indian background.”
Neil Makhija, executive director of the Indian American Impact Fund, the leading Indian American advocacy organization, said this milestone can be celebrated by immigrant communities of all backgrounds, particularly after four years of “anti-immigrant rhetoric” from the Trump administration.
“Kamala’s story is the American story,” Makhija said. “Her acceptance of the vice presidential nomination is a quantum leap forward for Indian Americans, showing that we are taking our place in American history books.”