usatoday--2020-07-21--President Trump's campaign to paint Joe Biden as mentally unfit becomes a gamble

WASHINGTON – Less than four months from the November election , President Donald Trump 's attacks on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden 's mental fitness are an integral part of the president 's reelection message : the focus of television advertisements , talking points and open challenges from the president .
But analysts have raised questions over whether Trump ’ s strategy of focusing on the former vice president 's age is backfiring with a key demographic : seniors .
Making it an even riskier play , the attacks have heightened expectations for Trump 's debate performances this fall and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The strategy itself has proven difficult to execute as Biden campaigns from his home in Delaware , limiting the gaffe-prone candidate 's opportunities for flubs .
For months , Biden , 77 , has dismissed the name-calling and innuendo , but more recently he ’ s hitting back more forcefully and trying to turn the argument about mental fitness back on the 74-year-old Trump .
`` This president talks about cognitive capability , '' Biden said during a news conference June 30 .
`` He does n't appear to be cognitively aware of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the `` Sleepy Joe '' nickname Trump gave Biden and his ads showing Biden stumbling over remarks , polling suggests Biden – not Trump – has the edge on fitness among voters .
As the two septuagenarians battle it out , a poll July 2 from Monmouth University found 52 % of voters said they believe Biden has the mental and physical stamina to be president versus 45 % for Trump .
More troubling for the president , Biden has moved ahead among voters 65 or older in several national surveys , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University poll released Wednesday , helping propel him to double-digit leads nationally .
Trump won seniors by 7 percentage points in 2016 over Hillary Clinton , according to exit polls , with white senior voters a key part of his coalition .
`` It can certainly backfire among senior voters , and it 's not something you want to do when you 're already starting to lose their votes , '' said Todd Belt , professor and political management program director at George Washington University .
`` We 've seen a big shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is n't a really good strategy to win them back . ''
In a Biden campaign memo earlier this month , deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield sought to debunk each of Trump 's attacks .
Bedingfield said ample polling shows “ voters aren ’ t buying Trump ’ s smear ” and have concerns about Trump ’ s own fitness to lead the country .
`` Trump literally suggested Americans inject disinfectant to cure COVID-19 , '' she said More : Exclusive USA TODAY poll : Biden widens his lead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump pays big for TV ads attacking Biden as 'clearly diminished' Biden 's gains with seniors come as the coronavirus pandemic , which puts seniors disproportionately at risk , has dominated the campaign since March and caused the president to slide in polling .
Trump has pushed for the country to reopen even as more than half of states are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases .
As Trump wages a culture war seeking to tie Biden to protesters who have targeted Confederate monuments and efforts to `` defund the police , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GOP campaign 's playbook .
More : Trump accuses protesters who tear down statues of wanting to 'wipe out our history ' in Mount Rushmore speech A Trump television ad that aired in 12 states and the District of Columbia shows Biden struggling to finish sentences and forgetting his thoughts .
`` Sometimes I wake up and think it 's 1920 , '' Biden is shown saying in comments that are taken out of context .
The video cuts off Biden before he went on to say that by 1920 , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
`` Joe Biden is slipping , '' a narrator in the ad says .
`` Now at the age of 77 years old and running for president for the third time , Biden is clearly diminished .
Joe Biden does not have the strength , stamina and mental fortitude required to lead this country . ''
In an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday , Trump continued the attack , saying he does n't think Biden is `` senile , '' but he is `` not competent to be president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2016 election , when Trump regularly criticized the `` stamina '' and physical health of Clinton .
In past election cycles , such attack ads might come from an outside super PAC unaffiliated with the campaign .
But the Trump campaign paid for the ad .
The Associated Press , citing research from Advertising Analytics , reported the Trump campaign has spent more to air the `` Biden is slipping '' ad – $ 6.5 million – than any other so far in the campaign .
That includes in the battleground states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large senior populations .
Peter Kaldes , president and CEO of the American Society on Aging , in a statement on the advertising said , `` Like racism , ageism devalues human life . ''
He said using `` ageist stereotypes '' is a `` dubious campaign tactic , '' noting that older Americans vote at substantially higher rates than younger adults .
`` Ageist stereotypes in political campaign advertising not only perpetuates the myth that you can judge someone just by the number of years they 've been alive , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being an older adult , '' said Kaldes , who was an economic adviser for President Barack Obama .
He said his organization would like to see leaders recognize that aging adults are vital to U.S. democracy , not `` weaponize ageism against them . ''
The AARP , which has 38 million senior members , and the National Council on Aging both declined to comment , citing practices of remaining nonpartisan .
A new digital ad from the Republican National Committee , promoted by Trump on Twitter , depicts a 3 a.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warns , `` Your vote will decide who answers that call . ''
It shows Biden struggling to talk during a news conference and highlights critiques about Biden 's abilities from Democratic Sen. Cory Booker , Democratic strategist David Axelrod and the media .
`` Unfit to lead , '' the ad concludes .
`` Stupid , '' said Robert Summers , 81 , a retired attorney from the St. Louis area , who said he objects to about everything Trump does .
`` I could n't be any more more turned off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for Biden , called Trump 's strategy `` insulting , '' adding , `` You can get a pretty good idea from watching these people speak if they 're OK or not . ''
He said he has no concerns about Biden 's mental capacity .
That 's not a universal take among seniors , however .
Darcy Jones , a retired computer trainer and Trump supporter near Tampa , Florida , said Biden 's age is a legitimate issue and she has concerns about his mental fitness .
`` People can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
She called it `` obvious , '' pointing to his `` scripted interviews '' and accusing the Biden campaign of `` hiding '' Biden from greater scrutiny .
`` Trump certainly has been criticized by just about everybody for his mental fitness , '' Jones , 67 , said .
`` Even before he was selected as the nominee when he ran in 2016 , people were already talking about him and his mental capacity .
I think it 's a valid issue . ''
Jeanmarie Meyer , 73 , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon , said the ads do n't offend her .
`` They 're really not inconsistent with what I see Joe Biden himself do , '' said Meyer , who also plans to vote for Trump .
`` So I do n't really feel like it 's that much of a distortion .
I do n't think it 's really necessary , but it does n't bother me .
Anybody paying attention and listening to Joe Biden sort of wonders if he 's all there . ''
Trump was the oldest president in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inauguration .
Biden , who would claim that distinction if elected , often talks about his lifelong struggle with stuttering .
He has acknowledged a penchant for misspeaking , calling himself a `` gaffe machine . ''
During the Democratic primary , he conflated stories , cited incorrect numbers and mixed up states where he was speaking .
In an appearance on the Sean Hannity show and in tweets , Trump encouraged his opponent to be tested for neurological impairment as he accused Biden of hiding his cognitive decline .
`` He can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ , ” Trump tweeted this month , referring to a cognitive assessment for which his physician in 2018 said he received a perfect score .
“ He should give it a try !
!
!
” But the attacks on Biden have invited skepticism about Trump 's own fitness , particularly after the president walked gingerly down a ramp at U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June and used both hands to drink a glass of water at the same event .
Trump also has his own history of eyebrow-raising remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any ads targeting Trump 's mental or physical fitness .
But Biden supporters resurfaced a video from 2014 of former President Barack Obama and Biden , then vice president and 73 years old , jogging at the White House .
Allies like The Lincoln Project , led by anti-Trump Republicans , have taken the lead questioning Trump 's wellness in other online videos .
Speaking at a campaign rally last month in Tulsa , Oklahoma , Trump devoted more than 14 minutes to defend his awkward ramp walk , explaining it was `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More : 'It 's time to do it ' : Trump vows to put ' a lot of pressure ' on governors to reopen schools this fall Belt said Trump 's fixation on Biden 's cognitive abilities is part of a larger effort to `` throw all the spaghetti against the the wall and see what sticks . ''
The president trails Biden in polling on personal qualities like trustworthiness , raising the stakes for Trump to create hesitation about Biden among voters .
Trump is searching for any way to make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and him , Belt said , rather than a referendum on his presidency .
`` I do n't know that this one is working too much .
I anticipate we will see more on Hunter Biden , Burisma , probably more on China and tying Biden to some Obama policies , '' Belt said .
`` We 're in the pre-stage here where he 's trying to find a successful strategy that can start turning the tables . ''
More : ‘ Grim resolve ’ : Biden is up big and the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haunted by fear of letdown Leslie Sanford , 71 , an accountant from Grand Rapids , Michigan , called Trump 's preoccupation on Biden 's mental capability `` lame . ''
`` I do n't think they have anything really strong to hang their hat on .
I think they 're grasping at straws , '' said Sanford , a self-described independent voter who plans to vote for Biden .
`` Being in that category myself , '' she said of her senior status , `` as a group , it is pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Monmouth University Polling Institute , said the Trump ' campaign hopes that , because opinions on Biden are n't `` fully formed , '' the strategy can `` plant some doubts '' about him .
But while Trump is overwhelmingly seen as having greater stamina by his political base , he said , the majority of voters disagree .
`` Neither one of these candidates is seen by the vast majority of the public as fit for the job , but Biden definitely has an edge overall , '' Murray said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Can campaigning from home work as Trump starts to travel ?
Biden was asked June 30 whether he has been tested for cognitive decline during his first news conference in three months after a speech in Wilmington , Delaware .
`` I 've been tested and I 'm constantly tested , '' Biden said .
`` Look , all you got to do is watch me , and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I 'm running against . ''
A Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden was referring to the toll of the campaign as being `` constantly tested , '' not a scientific cognitive assessment .
Complicating his pursuit to paint Biden as mentally unfit : The coronavirus pandemic has enabled Biden to run his campaign almost entirely from his home in Wilmington , Delaware , which Murray said has limited the opportunities for gaffes .
His speeches , usually one or two a week , have been confined to Delaware or next-door Pennsylvania .
`` Right now it does n't look like it 's particularly working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign to cast Biden as mentally unfit for office , `` and part of it is that we are n't seeing Biden on the trail one way or the other .
So the voters they 're targeting do n't have anything to judge it on , whether it 's true or false .
Therefore it 's just kind of falling flat . ''
If the attack on Biden is not supported by events on the campaign trail , he said , that opens Trump up to a `` countercharge '' that his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's the danger here right now ( for Trump ) , '' Murray said .
Richard Diamond , 68 , a Biden supporter , who provides equipment services for hair salons in the Atlanta area , said Trump 's attacks are fair game , but it `` does n't matter . ''
He defended Biden 's experience and posed the question of fitness back at the president .
`` I think Donald Trump at 35 was unfit to be president , and he 's 74 now and he 's more unfit .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he 's doing .
If he stumbles on a word or whatever , I do n't think that 's going to make a bit of difference being president of the United States . ''

President Trump's campaign to paint Joe Biden as mentally unfit becomes a gamble
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump changes Tulsa rally date after Juneteenth controversy After days of controversy over Trump's choice to hold his first rally since the coronavirus lockdowns in Tulsa, Oklahoma, it was changed to July 20. USA TODAY, Wochit
WASHINGTON – Less than four months from the November election, President Donald Trump's attacks on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's mental fitness are an integral part of the president's reelection message: the focus of television advertisements, talking points and open challenges from the president.
But analysts have raised questions over whether Trump’s strategy of focusing on the former vice president's age is backfiring with a key demographic: seniors.
Making it an even riskier play, the attacks have heightened expectations for Trump's debate performances this fall and invited skepticism about his own fitness. The strategy itself has proven difficult to execute as Biden campaigns from his home in Delaware, limiting the gaffe-prone candidate's opportunities for flubs.
For months, Biden, 77, has dismissed the name-calling and innuendo, but more recently he’s hitting back more forcefully and trying to turn the argument about mental fitness back on the 74-year-old Trump.
"This president talks about cognitive capability," Biden said during a news conference June 30. "He doesn't appear to be cognitively aware of what's going on."
Despite the "Sleepy Joe" nickname Trump gave Biden and his ads showing Biden stumbling over remarks, polling suggests Biden – not Trump – has the edge on fitness among voters.
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
As the two septuagenarians battle it out, a poll July 2 from Monmouth University found 52% of voters said they believe Biden has the mental and physical stamina to be president versus 45% for Trump.
More troubling for the president, Biden has moved ahead among voters 65 or older in several national surveys, including a significant 14-point advantage in a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, helping propel him to double-digit leads nationally. Trump won seniors by 7 percentage points in 2016 over Hillary Clinton, according to exit polls, with white senior voters a key part of his coalition.
"It can certainly backfire among senior voters, and it's not something you want to do when you're already starting to lose their votes," said Todd Belt, professor and political management program director at George Washington University. "We've seen a big shift in the over-65 population moving towards Biden. This isn't a really good strategy to win them back."
In a Biden campaign memo earlier this month, deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield sought to debunk each of Trump's attacks. Bedingfield said ample polling shows “voters aren’t buying Trump’s smear” and have concerns about Trump’s own fitness to lead the country.
"Trump literally suggested Americans inject disinfectant to cure COVID-19," she said
More: Exclusive USA TODAY poll: Biden widens his lead, but Trump keeps the edge on enthusiasm
Trump pays big for TV ads attacking Biden as 'clearly diminished'
Biden's gains with seniors come as the coronavirus pandemic, which puts seniors disproportionately at risk, has dominated the campaign since March and caused the president to slide in polling. Trump has pushed for the country to reopen even as more than half of states are experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases.
As Trump wages a culture war seeking to tie Biden to protesters who have targeted Confederate monuments and efforts to "defund the police," Biden's mental fitness remains part of the GOP campaign's playbook.
More: Trump accuses protesters who tear down statues of wanting to 'wipe out our history' in Mount Rushmore speech
A Trump television ad that aired in 12 states and the District of Columbia shows Biden struggling to finish sentences and forgetting his thoughts. "Sometimes I wake up and think it's 1920," Biden is shown saying in comments that are taken out of context. The video cuts off Biden before he went on to say that by 1920, he meant the way civility has disappeared in politics.
"Joe Biden is slipping," a narrator in the ad says. "Now at the age of 77 years old and running for president for the third time, Biden is clearly diminished. Joe Biden does not have the strength, stamina and mental fortitude required to lead this country."
In an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday, Trump continued the attack, saying he doesn't think Biden is "senile," but he is "not competent to be president."
The charges mirror those in the 2016 election, when Trump regularly criticized the "stamina" and physical health of Clinton.
In past election cycles, such attack ads might come from an outside super PAC unaffiliated with the campaign. But the Trump campaign paid for the ad.
The Associated Press, citing research from Advertising Analytics, reported the Trump campaign has spent more to air the "Biden is slipping" ad – $6.5 million – than any other so far in the campaign. That includes in the battleground states of Arizona and Florida, home to large senior populations.
Senior voters, aging advocacy group weigh in on strategy
Peter Kaldes, president and CEO of the American Society on Aging, in a statement on the advertising said, "Like racism, ageism devalues human life." He said using "ageist stereotypes" is a "dubious campaign tactic," noting that older Americans vote at substantially higher rates than younger adults.
"Ageist stereotypes in political campaign advertising not only perpetuates the myth that you can judge someone just by the number of years they've been alive, but it implies that there is a shame to being an older adult," said Kaldes, who was an economic adviser for President Barack Obama. He said his organization would like to see leaders recognize that aging adults are vital to U.S. democracy, not "weaponize ageism against them."
The AARP, which has 38 million senior members, and the National Council on Aging both declined to comment, citing practices of remaining nonpartisan.
A new digital ad from the Republican National Committee, promoted by Trump on Twitter, depicts a 3 a.m. phone call to the White House and warns, "Your vote will decide who answers that call." It shows Biden struggling to talk during a news conference and highlights critiques about Biden's abilities from Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, Democratic strategist David Axelrod and the media. "Unfit to lead," the ad concludes.
"Stupid," said Robert Summers, 81, a retired attorney from the St. Louis area, who said he objects to about everything Trump does. "I couldn't be any more more turned off."
Summers, who plans to vote for Biden, called Trump's strategy "insulting," adding, "You can get a pretty good idea from watching these people speak if they're OK or not." He said he has no concerns about Biden's mental capacity.
That's not a universal take among seniors, however.
Darcy Jones, a retired computer trainer and Trump supporter near Tampa, Florida, said Biden's age is a legitimate issue and she has concerns about his mental fitness. "People can see it for themselves," she said. She called it "obvious," pointing to his "scripted interviews" and accusing the Biden campaign of "hiding" Biden from greater scrutiny.
"Trump certainly has been criticized by just about everybody for his mental fitness," Jones, 67, said. "Even before he was selected as the nominee when he ran in 2016, people were already talking about him and his mental capacity. I think it's a valid issue."
Jeanmarie Meyer, 73, an attorney and legal consultant in Bend, Oregon, said the ads don't offend her.
"They're really not inconsistent with what I see Joe Biden himself do," said Meyer, who also plans to vote for Trump. "So I don't really feel like it's that much of a distortion. I don't think it's really necessary, but it doesn't bother me. Anybody paying attention and listening to Joe Biden sort of wonders if he's all there."
Fixation on Biden's mental fitness invites own critique
Trump was the oldest president in U.S. history at the time of their inauguration. Biden, who would claim that distinction if elected, often talks about his lifelong struggle with stuttering. He has acknowledged a penchant for misspeaking, calling himself a "gaffe machine." During the Democratic primary, he conflated stories, cited incorrect numbers and mixed up states where he was speaking.
In an appearance on the Sean Hannity show and in tweets, Trump encouraged his opponent to be tested for neurological impairment as he accused Biden of hiding his cognitive decline.
"He cannot pass the test I ‘aced’,” Trump tweeted this month, referring to a cognitive assessment for which his physician in 2018 said he received a perfect score. “He should give it a try!!!”
But the attacks on Biden have invited skepticism about Trump's own fitness, particularly after the president walked gingerly down a ramp at U.S. Military Academy at West Point in June and used both hands to drink a glass of water at the same event. Trump also has his own history of eyebrow-raising remarks.
The Biden campaign does not have any ads targeting Trump's mental or physical fitness.
But Biden supporters resurfaced a video from 2014 of former President Barack Obama and Biden, then vice president and 73 years old, jogging at the White House. Allies like The Lincoln Project, led by anti-Trump Republicans, have taken the lead questioning Trump's wellness in other online videos. Speaking at a campaign rally last month in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Trump devoted more than 14 minutes to defend his awkward ramp walk, explaining it was "like an ice skating rink."
More: 'It's time to do it': Trump vows to put 'a lot of pressure' on governors to reopen schools this fall
Belt said Trump's fixation on Biden's cognitive abilities is part of a larger effort to "throw all the spaghetti against the the wall and see what sticks." The president trails Biden in polling on personal qualities like trustworthiness, raising the stakes for Trump to create hesitation about Biden among voters.
Trump is searching for any way to make the election "a choice" between Biden and him, Belt said, rather than a referendum on his presidency.
"I don't know that this one is working too much. I anticipate we will see more on Hunter Biden, Burisma, probably more on China and tying Biden to some Obama policies," Belt said. "We're in the pre-stage here where he's trying to find a successful strategy that can start turning the tables."
More: ‘Grim resolve’: Biden is up big and the Senate is in sight, but Democrats still haunted by fear of letdown
Leslie Sanford, 71, an accountant from Grand Rapids, Michigan, called Trump's preoccupation on Biden's mental capability "lame."
"I don't think they have anything really strong to hang their hat on. I think they're grasping at straws," said Sanford, a self-described independent voter who plans to vote for Biden. "Being in that category myself," she said of her senior status, "as a group, it is pretty derogatory."
Biden's home-based campaign makes attack harder to land
Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said the Trump' campaign hopes that, because opinions on Biden aren't "fully formed," the strategy can "plant some doubts" about him.
But while Trump is overwhelmingly seen as having greater stamina by his political base, he said, the majority of voters disagree.
"Neither one of these candidates is seen by the vast majority of the public as fit for the job, but Biden definitely has an edge overall," Murray said.
More: Biden in the basement: Can campaigning from home work as Trump starts to travel?
Biden was asked June 30 whether he has been tested for cognitive decline during his first news conference in three months after a speech in Wilmington, Delaware.
"I've been tested and I'm constantly tested," Biden said. "Look, all you got to do is watch me, and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I'm running against."
A Biden campaign official clarified to USA TODAY that Biden was referring to the toll of the campaign as being "constantly tested," not a scientific cognitive assessment.
Complicating his pursuit to paint Biden as mentally unfit: The coronavirus pandemic has enabled Biden to run his campaign almost entirely from his home in Wilmington, Delaware, which Murray said has limited the opportunities for gaffes. His speeches, usually one or two a week, have been confined to Delaware or next-door Pennsylvania.
"Right now it doesn't look like it's particularly working," Murray said of Trump's campaign to cast Biden as mentally unfit for office, "and part of it is that we aren't seeing Biden on the trail one way or the other. So the voters they're targeting don't have anything to judge it on, whether it's true or false. Therefore it's just kind of falling flat."
If the attack on Biden is not supported by events on the campaign trail, he said, that opens Trump up to a "countercharge" that his campaign must be careful about.
"That's the danger here right now (for Trump)," Murray said.
Richard Diamond, 68, a Biden supporter, who provides equipment services for hair salons in the Atlanta area, said Trump's attacks are fair game, but it "doesn't matter."
He defended Biden's experience and posed the question of fitness back at the president.
"I think Donald Trump at 35 was unfit to be president, and he's 74 now and he's more unfit.
"With Biden, he's knows what he's doing. If he stumbles on a word or whatever, I don't think that's going to make a bit of difference being president of the United States."
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.


usatoday--2020-07-21--Black, Latino and poor people are less likely to get $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks, new report

WASHINGTON – With another round of stimulus checks in the works , a new study concludes that people who are poor , Black or Latino were less likely to get the $ 1,200 payments distributed last spring under a new federal law aimed at blunting the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic .
The study , by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center , concluded that while the rollout of the cash payments was a success in many ways , there were significant disparities by income , race , ethnicity and family citizenship in terms of who received the money .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 65 reported that their families had not received the stimulus payments or that they didn ’ t know if the money had arrived as of late May .
Just six in 10 adults ( nearly 59 percent ) with incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level reported receiving the payments .
Nearly 74 percent of white adults reported getting the checks , compared to almost 69 percent of Black adults and nearly 64 percent of Hispanics .
The report cited various reasons for the disparities , such as some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to the internet .
Among Latinos , some adults may have been ineligible because they or their spouse were undocumented or did not qualify as residents of the United States , the report said .
What 's nex : Many Americans might not get another relief check .
Here 's where things stand on another COVID-19 bill The issues identified in the report could pose challenges again if lawmakers decide to send out a second round of stimulus payments , as expected .
Congressional leaders are hoping to have another coronavirus aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
President Donald Trump met with GOP leaders at the White House on Monday and laid out his key demands for the package .
While Republicans and Democrats have different ideas about what should be in the next bill , they all seem to agree that many Americans need another stimulus check to help them bounce back from the economic hardships caused by the pandemic .
“ I think we ’ ve made a lot of progress , ” Trump said of the negotiations .
Stimulus for the dead : IRS sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead people , government watchdog agency says More than 159 million checks totaling $ 267 billion were distributed during the first round of stimulus payments earlier this year .
Payments of up to $ 1,200 went to individuals with an adjusted gross income of $ 75,000 or less .
Married couples who filed jointly and had incomes of up to $ 150,000 were eligible for $ 2,400 .
The Internal Revenue Service used tax returns from 2018 and 2019 to determine how much stimulus money a recipient would get .
But most people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level aren ’ t required to file tax returns , which made it harder for the government to find them if they were eligible for a stimulus payment .
That was the biggest barrier in getting checks to many people , the Tax Policy Center ’ s report said .
In some cases , people may not have known they were eligible for a check .
Another problem was that many people who had not received a check by the end of May did not have a bank account , the report said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a direct deposit into their account .
People without bank accounts had to wait until the Treasury Department sent them a paper check , a process that started later than the direct deposits .
Another barrier , the report said , was the role of the internet in the distribution process .
People who have not filed taxes during the past two years could enter their information into an online portal provided by the IRS .
But one in five low-income people who did not receive a check reported that they did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ That ’ s a problem anytime , but it ’ s a particular problem during the pandemic , ” said Janet Holtzblatt , a tax expert and the study ’ s lead author .
Many libraries or other facilities that offer free internet access or volunteer tax assistance were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Filing a paper application wasn ’ t possible because IRS offices also were closed because of the pandemic and faced a large backlog when they began reopening in phases .
For many people , that meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Holtzblatt said .
Are more checks coming ?
Trump signals support for another round of cash payments The study suggests one way around that problem during the next round would be to channel payments to tax nonfilers through state agencies that administer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Medicaid benefits .
But that could require changes to federal privacy laws and investments in new infrastructure , the report said .
Another way to get the money quicker to recipients who don ’ t have bank accounts would be to issue prepaid debit cards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May and sent stimulus payments to 4 million people via debit cards .
“ The problem was they came in envelopes with the vendor ’ s name , and the cards have the vendor ’ s name , ” Holtzblatt said .
“ So what do you do when you receive a card from somebody you don ’ t recognize ?
Many people did what I would have done and said , ‘ Oh , that ’ s junk mail , ’ and tore it up and threw it away.
” The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ round , she said , by making sure the Treasury Department is written on the envelope that the debit cards are mailed in and include on the cards themselves .
“ That would help get the money to people , ” Holtzblatt said .
Michael Collins covers the White House .
Reach him on Twitter @ mcollinsNEWS .

Black, Latino and poor people are less likely to get $1,200 coronavirus stimulus checks, new report says
Show Caption Hide Caption Blacks, Latinos and the poor less likely to receive stimulus checks A second round of stimulus checks are in the works, but a new study says people who are poor, Black or Latino were less likely to receive the $1,200. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – With another round of stimulus checks in the works, a new study concludes that people who are poor, Black or Latino were less likely to get the $1,200 payments distributed last spring under a new federal law aimed at blunting the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The study, by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, concluded that while the rollout of the cash payments was a success in many ways, there were significant disparities by income, race, ethnicity and family citizenship in terms of who received the money.
Thirty percent of adults younger than age 65 reported that their families had not received the stimulus payments or that they didn’t know if the money had arrived as of late May.
Just six in 10 adults (nearly 59 percent) with incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level reported receiving the payments. Nearly 74 percent of white adults reported getting the checks, compared to almost 69 percent of Black adults and nearly 64 percent of Hispanics.
White House, GOP crafting next virus stimulus bill Top Congressional Republicans meet President Donald Trump to discuss the next COVID-19 aid package as the crisis many hoped would have improved has dramatically worsened, just as emergency relief is expiring. (July 20) AP
The report cited various reasons for the disparities, such as some people having no bank account or lacking access to the internet. Among Latinos, some adults may have been ineligible because they or their spouse were undocumented or did not qualify as residents of the United States, the report said.
What's nex: Many Americans might not get another relief check. Here's where things stand on another COVID-19 bill
The issues identified in the report could pose challenges again if lawmakers decide to send out a second round of stimulus payments, as expected.
Congressional leaders are hoping to have another coronavirus aid package ready by the end of the month. President Donald Trump met with GOP leaders at the White House on Monday and laid out his key demands for the package.
While Republicans and Democrats have different ideas about what should be in the next bill, they all seem to agree that many Americans need another stimulus check to help them bounce back from the economic hardships caused by the pandemic.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said of the negotiations.
Stimulus for the dead: IRS sent stimulus checks to more than 1 million dead people, government watchdog agency says
More than 159 million checks totaling $267 billion were distributed during the first round of stimulus payments earlier this year. Payments of up to $1,200 went to individuals with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less. Married couples who filed jointly and had incomes of up to $150,000 were eligible for $2,400.
The Internal Revenue Service used tax returns from 2018 and 2019 to determine how much stimulus money a recipient would get. But most people whose incomes are below the federal poverty level aren’t required to file tax returns, which made it harder for the government to find them if they were eligible for a stimulus payment.
That was the biggest barrier in getting checks to many people, the Tax Policy Center’s report said. In some cases, people may not have known they were eligible for a check.
Another problem was that many people who had not received a check by the end of May did not have a bank account, the report said. Most people got the stimulus money as a direct deposit into their account. People without bank accounts had to wait until the Treasury Department sent them a paper check, a process that started later than the direct deposits.
Another barrier, the report said, was the role of the internet in the distribution process. People who have not filed taxes during the past two years could enter their information into an online portal provided by the IRS. But one in five low-income people who did not receive a check reported that they did not have internet access at home.
“That’s a problem anytime, but it’s a particular problem during the pandemic,” said Janet Holtzblatt, a tax expert and the study’s lead author.
Many libraries or other facilities that offer free internet access or volunteer tax assistance were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Filing a paper application wasn’t possible because IRS offices also were closed because of the pandemic and faced a large backlog when they began reopening in phases.
For many people, that meant “there was no other option,” Holtzblatt said.
Are more checks coming? Trump signals support for another round of cash payments
The study suggests one way around that problem during the next round would be to channel payments to tax nonfilers through state agencies that administer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Medicaid benefits. But that could require changes to federal privacy laws and investments in new infrastructure, the report said.
Another way to get the money quicker to recipients who don’t have bank accounts would be to issue prepaid debit cards. The Treasury tried that approach in May and sent stimulus payments to 4 million people via debit cards.
“The problem was they came in envelopes with the vendor’s name, and the cards have the vendor’s name,” Holtzblatt said. “So what do you do when you receive a card from somebody you don’t recognize? Many people did what I would have done and said, ‘Oh, that’s junk mail,’ and tore it up and threw it away.”
The government could avoid that problem in the next round, she said, by making sure the Treasury Department is written on the envelope that the debit cards are mailed in and include on the cards themselves.
“That would help get the money to people,” Holtzblatt said.
Michael Collins covers the White House. Reach him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.


usatoday--2020-07-22--Thanks to coronavirus, Americans looking at a stay-at-home fall season, survey suggests

Most Americans have likely accepted that the coronavirus pandemic will make this fall much different from past years , with most expecting their home to be a place of work and learning when the school year starts .
More than 6 out of 10 Americans ( 61 % ) said it is likely they will be working from home this fall and 56 % said it was unlikely they would be working from their office , according to The Harris Poll survey of 1,970 U.S. adults from July 18-19 .
Home wo n't only be the place where work is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hub of learning , too .
Two-thirds ( 66 % ) of Americans said they do not expect their kids will be in school this fall and instead will take courses online from home .
Vitamin C by IV and an FBI raid : How hope , rather than proof , sent the antioxidant ’ s sales soaring during COVID-19 .
'Holiday shopping will be different ' : Walmart says it will keep stores closed this Thanksgiving And generally , staying close to home appears to be the plan as the COVID-19 crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
Most do not expect to travel anytime soon , with 82 % saying it is unlikely they will travel over the Labor Day holiday .
Three-fourths ( 74 % ) said it is unlikely they will travel for winter vacations , too .
Even more ( 79 % ) said it unlikely they will travel on an airplane this fall .
Three-fourths ( 74 % ) say they do n't plan to stay in a hotel this fall , either .
Also on the sidelines due to the pandemic : Halloween @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those shelves filled with bags of fun-size candy .
Only 27 % of respondents plan to take their kids trick-or-treating this year .
The survey findings suggest that `` a sense of acceptance that ‘ this will be a marathon , not a sprint ’ is taking hold across America , '' said The Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema .
“ And most telling , perhaps , is that 80 % of Americans anticipate a second wave of COVID even as we battle this first one . ''
The recent rise in coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has shifted opinions on actions taken to help prevent the spread of the virus with even President Trump posting Monday on Twitter that `` many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can ’ t socially distance . ''
Wearing a mask in public has become a flashpoint , but more have decided it 's for the better to wear them .
Three-fourths ( 75 % ) of those surveyed said they are more likely now to wear a mask and socially distance than last month , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time many retailers have opted to issue their own mandates that customers wear face coverings .
Walmart , Sam 's Club , CVS and Walgreens began requiring face masks at stores nationwide this week .
And next week , Southeastern Grocers , the parent company of Winn-Dixie , BI-LO and Harveys Supermarkets , will also require shoppers wear masks ; that 's a quick reversal of its initial plan that came shortly after President Trump tweeted it was `` patriotic to wear a mask . ''
Support for wearing masks in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 54 % since late March , Gerzema said , and `` this shift is attributed to those who were indifferent to masks before . ''
Previously in March , one-third ( 33 % ) responded as `` neither positive or negative '' on mask-wearing , but that fell to 19 % last month .
Most Americans ( 86 % ) said they were also willing to follow guidelines including masks and social distancing if it meant ending a lockdown within a month .
The older the respondent , the more likely to agree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing ( 96 % ) than boomers ( 89 % ) , Gen Xers ( 87 % ) and Gen Z ( 77 % ) .
Seniors were more willing to wear a mask , too : 94 % , compared to Boomers ( 88 % ) , Gen Xers ( 85 % ) a0nd Gen Z ( 78 % ) .
And most respondents want state officials to take measures to help stem transmission of the virus .
More than three-fourths ( 77 % ) support enacting mandatory 14-day quarantines for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resurgence of COVID-19 .
The main reason behind the surge in some states ?
One-third ( 34 % ) say state governors mishandled the situation , while 24 % said residents of the states resisted wearing masks .
Another 28 % said the virus is working its way through the U.S. , and an increase of cases was inevitable .
Most Americans ( 86 % ) said they were also willing to follow guidelines including masks and social distancing if it meant ending a lockdown within a month .
The older the respondent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with seniors ( 75-up ) more likely to practice social distancing ( 96 % ) than boomers ( aged 56-74 ; 89 % ) , Gen Xers ( aged 40-55 ; 87 % ) and Gen Z ( aged 24-39 ; 77 % ) .
Seniors were more willing to wear a mask , too , at 94 % , compared to Boomers ( 88 % ) , Gen Xers ( 85 % ) and Gen Z ( 78 % ) .
More than 4 in 10 ( 43 % ) think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning and the greatest challenge is still in front of us , the poll found .

Thanks to coronavirus, Americans looking at a stay-at-home fall season, survey suggests
Show Caption Hide Caption Work from home might be permanent option for companies going forward Working from home has exploded since the start of the pandemic. While it might seem temporary, it could become the new normal. Here's why. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Most Americans have likely accepted that the coronavirus pandemic will make this fall much different from past years, with most expecting their home to be a place of work and learning when the school year starts.
More than 6 out of 10 Americans (61%) said it was likely that they would be working from home this fall, with 56% saying it was unlikely they would be working from their office, according to The Harris Poll survey of 1,970 U.S. adults from July 18-19.
Home won't only be the place where work is done; it will likely be a hub of learning, too. Two-thirds (66%) of Americans said they do not expect their kids will be in school this fall and instead will take courses online from home.
Your benefits are about to shrink: How unemployed Americans will cope without an extra $600
'Holiday shopping will be different': Walmart says it will keep stores closed this Thanksgiving
And generally, staying close to home appears to be the plan as the COVID-19 crisis moves into its fourth month in the U.S. Most do not expect to travel anytime soon, with 82% saying it is unlikely they will travel over the Labor Day holiday. Three-fourths (74%) said it was unlikely they would travel for winter vacations either.
Even more (79%) said it was unlikely they will travel on an airplane this fall. Three-fourths (74%) say they don't plan to stay in a hotel this fall either.
Also on the sidelines due to the pandemic: Halloween, and, perhaps, all of those shelves filled with bags of fun-size candy. Only 27% of respondents plan to take their kids trick-or-treating this year.
Poll: Most Americans don't believe NFL or college football will be played this year
The survey findings suggest that "a sense of acceptance that ‘this will be a marathon, not a sprint’ is taking hold across America," said Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema. “And most telling, perhaps, is that 80% of Americans anticipate te a second wave of COVID even as we battle this first one."
The recent rise in coronavirus cases in most states across the U.S. has shifted opinions on actions taken to help prevent the spread of the virus with even President Trump posting Monday on Twitter that "many people say that it is Patriotic to wear a face mask when you can’t socially distance."
Wearing a mask in public has become a flashpoint, but more have decided it's for the better to wear them. Three-fourths (75%) of those surveyed said they are more likely now to wear a mask and socially distance than last month, the poll found.
This happens at the same time many retailers have opted to issue their own mandates that customers wear face coverings. Walmart, Sam's Club, CVS and Walgreens began requiring face masks at stores nationwide this week. And next week, Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie, BI-LO and Harveys Supermarkets, will also require shoppers wear masks; that's a quick reversal of its initial plan that came shortly after President Trump tweeted it was "patriotic to wear a mask."
Support for wearing masks in public is up to 68% from 54% since late March, Gerzema said, and "this shift is attributed to those who were indifferent to masks before." Previously in March, one-third (33%) responded as "neither positive or negative" on mask-wearing, but that fell to 19% last month.
Most Americans (86%) said they were also willing to follow guidelines including masks and social distancing if it meant ending a lockdown within a month. The older the respondent, the more likely to agree, with seniors more likely to practice social distancing (96%) than boomers (89%), Gen Xers (87%) and Gen Z (77%). Seniors were more willing to wear a mask, too: 94%, compared with Boomers (88%), Gen Xers (85%) and Gen Z (78%).
And most respondents want state officials to take measures to help stem transmission of the virus. More than three-fourths (77%) support enacting mandatory 14-day quarantines for travelers coming from states with a high resurgence of COVID-19.
The main reason behind the surge in some states? One-third (34%) say state governors mishandled the situation, while 24% said residents of the states resisted wearing masks. Another 28% said the virus is working its way through the U.S., and an increase of cases was inevitable.
Most Americans (86%) said they were also willing to follow guidelines including masks and social distancing if it meant ending a lockdown within a month. The older the respondent, the more likely to agree, with seniors (75 and up) more likely to practice social distancing (96%) than Boomers (aged 56-74; 89%), Gen Xers (aged 40-55; 87%) and Gen Z (aged 24-39; 77%). Seniors were more willing to wear a mask, too, at 94%, compared with Boomers (88%), Gen Xers (85%) and Gen Z (78%).
More than 4 in 10 (43%) think the current stage of the pandemic is just the beginning, and that the greatest challenge is still in front of us, the poll found.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.


usatoday--2020-07-22--Police: 15 injured after drive-by shoot-out at Chicago funeral, 1 'person of interest' in custody

Police in Chicago are investigating a shooting that injured 15 people who were attending a funeral .
A black vehicle sped westbound in the 1000 block of 79th Street toward people at the funeral and its occupants opened fire at about 6:30 p.m. , Chicago police First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said in a press briefing .
Attendees of the funeral `` exchanged fire '' with people inside the vehicle , he said .
The people inside the car kept shooting at funeral attendees even after the car turned away .
Eventually , the car crashed `` midway down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The occupants of the vehicle then exited in multiple directions and fled , '' Carter said .
He added there 's a person of interest being interviewed by detectives .
The Chicago Fire Department took most of the victims , in serious condition , to area hospitals , said spokesman Larry Langford .
Police found 60 shell casings at the scene and the number of shooters — between those in the vehicle and the funeral attendees — is unknown , Carter said .
It 's unclear if all of the victims were shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they all did sustain some injury as a result of ( the shooting ) , we 're not sure if it 's all gunshot wounds or not . ''
All of the victims are adults , he added .
Ten of the victims were women ages 21 to 65 , and one of the women was shot in the chest , police said .
The 65-year-old woman was treated at the scene .
One man was shot in the chest , arm and forearm while two other male victims , 22 and 32 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police said .
The person of interest was n't injured , Carter told reporters .
He said it 's unknown if any of the victims were either not a part of the funeral or one of the occupants of the black car .
Police said the funeral was held for a man fatally shot last week in the Englewood neighborhood .
Carter was asked by a reporter at the scene if there was prior knowledge that violence was a possibility at the funeral .
The reporter added , `` community activists say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today that this was a real possibility . ''
A police car was assigned to the funeral by a district commander `` as a precaution because of the size of the funeral , '' Carter said .
In response to the reporter 's question , Carter said , `` The commander of the district took every precaution that he could . ''
The shooting comes on the same day city Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she expects the Trump administration to deploy federal agents to Chicago .
Those agents , she said , will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Drug Enforcement Administration , and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives .
Lightfoot tweeted late Tuesday in response to the shooting , pleading for anyone with information to come forward to police .
`` Far too many have suffered .
Far too many have attended funerals and tried to start the process of healing entire communities following another senseless tragedy .
When a person picks up a gun , we suffer as a city .
This can not be who we are , '' Lightfoot said .
Contributing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USA TODAY ; The Associated Press

Police: 15 shot in drive-by shoot-out at Chicago funeral, city's largest mass shooting in years
CHICAGO – Fifteen people were shot Tuesday evening in a retaliatory attack at a funeral for a rival gang member on the city's South Side, police said.
The incident was the city's largest mass shooting in recent memory. One of the victims was in "extremely critical condition" Wednesday morning, and one was in critical condition, Police Superintendent David Brown said. Doctors believed the other 13 victims would recover.
At around 6:30 p.m., a stolen black vehicle sped through the Gresham neighborhood and opened fire at the funeral, Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan said Wednesday morning at a press conference. Attendees of the funeral exchanged fire with people inside the vehicle, he said.
The people inside the car kept shooting at funeral attendees even after the car turned away. Eventually, the car crashed "midway down the block," Chicago police First Deputy Superintendent Eric Carter said.
"The occupants of the vehicle then exited in multiple directions and fled," Carter said. He added there's a person of interest being interviewed by detectives.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot: Chicago won't see 'Portland-style deployment' of federal agents
The Chicago Fire Department took most of the victims – all adults in serious condition –to area hospitals, said spokesman Larry Langford. Police found 60 shell casings at the scene and the number of shooters — between those in the vehicle and the funeral attendees — was unknown, Carter said.
Ten of the victims were women ages 21 to 65, and one of the women was shot in the chest, police said. The 65-year-old woman was treated at the scene. One man was shot in the chest, arm and forearm while two other male victims, 22 and 32, were shot in their hands, police said.
The person of interest wasn't injured, Carter told reporters. He said it's unclear if all the victims had been attending the funeral.
Police said the funeral was held for a man killed in a drive-by shooting last week in the Englewood neighborhood.
The man had a gang affiliation, Brown said, and police had dispatched two squad cars and a tactical team to the area of the funeral, as is protocol for the funerals of people with gang affiliations.
"The cycle of violence in Chicago – someone gets shot, which prompts someone else to pick up a gun – this cycle repeats itself over and over and over," Brown said. "This cycle is fueled by street gangs, guns and drugs."
There are more than 117,000 gang members in Chicago, Brown said, with 55 major gangs, that are broken down into 747 factions and 2,500 subsets of factions. Every day, there are hundreds of gang conflicts in the city.
Brown said he was directing officers to "redouble our efforts to recover even more guns, to make even more arrests" in larger, centralized deployment strategy.
Hours after the Gresham shootings, a 3-year-old child was shot in the head several miles away. The child was sitting in the backseat of a car at a gas station when her father got into an altercation with another person at the station, police said.
The child – just one of the dozens of children shot in Chicago in recent weeks, some fatally – was "in stable condition and talking" Wednesday morning, Brown said.
Looking somber Wednesday morning, Mayor Lori Lightfoot "implored" residents with information about the shootings to come forward through the city's anonymous tip line.
She said the violence was a product of a lack of opportunities for young men in the city.
"Violence is a symptom, a symptom of communities that are crying out – young men who don’t believe that they have a future ... who believe that their future only lies on a corner and not college or career," she said.
Chicago Ald. David Moore, an Englewood resident, and the Rev. Ira Acree, a West Side pastor and community leader, called on the city Wednesday morning to strengthen its witness protection program so that witnesses would feel more comfortable coming forward with information about the shootings.
The shootings came on the same day city Lightfoot said she expects the Trump administration to deploy federal agents to Chicago. Those agents, she said, will be from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Contributing: Ryan Miller, USA TODAY; The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-07-22--Daycares welcome mask-wearing toddlers as parents struggle to 'make best decision' in COVID-19 world

Sam DeRoze is almost 4 years old .
After years of nanny care , he ’ s supposed to dive into his first organized school experience this fall .
But the coronavirus pandemic has his mother mulling .
“ I ’ ll need to see the plan from his pre-school before I decide , ” says Dianne DeRoze , a business consultant in Leesburg , Virginia .
“ If it ’ s safe and a positive experience , that ’ s valuable .
What I don ’ t want is for him to have a knee-jerk reaction that school is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeRoze is among millions of parents grappling with the pros and cons of sending their children to preschool and babies to day care as cases of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus , spike nationally .
The debate continues to rage between politicians and school officials on fall re-opening plans , while New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week that the city would be providing day care for 100,000 children to help working parents hampered by a planned partial school return .
President Donald Trump has pushed for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the calculus is different with ages 2 to 4 , an impressionable phase that leaves parents concerned about the possible impact of exposing children to a mask- and temperature check-filled setting from which parents now are excluded for health reasons .
Gone are the days when clingy children could be escorted by mom or dad into a classroom for that momentous debut school experience .
While protocols vary , many pre-K and day care facilities now have measures to keep teachers and children safe that include car drop-offs , fever checks and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To help reassure parents , some day care facilities offer virtual tours , app-based fever and illness monitoring and updates , and in some cases in-class visits via apps or webcams .
Jessica Chang co-founded WeeCare to help connect parents with some 2,500 child care facilities around the country .
To help meet the coronavirus crisis moment , she and her Marina del Rey , California-based team recently launched an app called Fever Free , which allows parents to see facility fever counts at a glance .
Other measures undertaken by WeeCare providers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play when possible , and parent “ visits ” with kids through the secure WeeCare app .
And , as with most day care providers who are accredited to take infants , new measures for babies focus on thoroughly sterilizing cribs and other crawling access areas as well as making sure parents wash all crib linens and clothes nightly .
About that AC : Most air conditioning systems do n't protect against the coronavirus “ We do see apprehension from parents who haven ’ t returned their kids to school yet , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two young children .
“ Some of course have no choice due to employment issues , and have to send them back .
For the others , we offer virtual ways to interact with providers to raise their comfort level .
And we encourage providers to make things fun when they can.
” For example , Chang says , to make a car drop-off less frightening for a toddler , some of the care providers in the network have taken to building a small maze with stations .
One is for a visual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and at each station the child receives a stamp in a booklet , turning the chore into game .
Such an approach can help , given that many parents are worried about youngsters for whom a preschool might be the first time the child is away from family members for the day .
“ For the most part , parents have been very understanding of not being allowed inside and the various health checks we need to do , ” says Carol Hibbs , CEO of the YMCA-YWCA of Marshalltown in Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care sanitizes rooms each evening , requires frequent hand washing and stresses social distancing .
The biggest challenge , she says , is simply trying to encourage young kids to act less like the young kids they are .
“ We understand that kids as young as 3 really have a desire to be close to their friends when they see them , so we ’ re trying to balance that need with our new reality , ” Hibbs says .
That balance works for Alecia Young , who since mid-May has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Marshalltown YWCA .
`` She is a bit timid as it is , she ’ s a homebody , '' says Alecia , who along with her husband leaves the house each day for work , she as a credit union employee and he as an Internet technician .
`` But we talked to her , told her there was a sickness and she would see people wearing a mask .
So she got used to it .
She was used to being taught hygiene there , so she 's adjusting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do . ''
USA TODAY reached out to a range of parents across the country and most expressed a desire to send their toddlers to school as long as safety was a priority and children could enjoy a modified pre-K experience .
“ My son Oliver , who ’ s 4 , already knows the teachers , so I think he ’ ll be OK even if things are different now and we can ’ t walk him in , ” says Jennifer Raymond of Saint Johns , Florida , a state that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases lately .
“ The big uptick does worry us , but so far his school seems to have that under control.
” For Raymond , day care is a must as she and her husband , who also have a daughter Lily , 6 , are busy with jobs in retail and IT , respectively .
“ Not going to work is not an option for us , ” she says .
The same goes for Lejuan Haggins of El Paso , Texas .
The Army veteran works as a delivery driver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so they rely on day care services for their boys , 6 and 2 , provided to veterans by the local YWCA , part of the national YWCA network that serves 2.3 million people in 45 states .
“ The younger one , he had to adjust to it all at first , but now he just goes right in , ” says Haggins .
“ We feel it ’ s a good asset for him , teaching him motor skills and how to interact with others .
As for safety , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ careful .
And when the boys get home , we wash their clothes and put them in the shower .
In the end , we don ’ t have a choice .
We need the help.
” Sylvia Acosta , CEO of YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region , suggests that a properly run day care center should be a haven for parents .
“ A well-prepared facility may well be the safest place a child can be right now , ” says Acosta .
“ Everywhere else , from stores to barbecues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes to exposure to the virus .
But here at our facility , we can have control over our environment.
” As with many decisions related to our coronavirus moment , experts say parents caught in this dilemma need to assess their own comfort with risk and balance that with everything from their child ’ s development needs to their own employment demands .
“ Just like weighing the risks and benefits of K-12 , parents need to figure out if pre-K is a good idea for them and their family , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality assessment at the National Association for the Education of Young Children , which accredits facilities around the world .
Hedges says parents should ask their local facility detailed questions about their virus protocols , while recognizing that they also are part of the effort to keep everyone healthy .
“ In normal times , we ’ ve all sent a young child with a slight fever to school simply because we have our own day to get started , ” she says .
“ But now there can ’ t be any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Everyone has a role to play.
” And those roles in fact can be practiced at home so as to minimize the jarring impact on youngsters of being greeted by an adult wearing a mask and wielding a hand-held digital thermometer , says Katherine Connor , assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and medical director at The Rales Health Center at KIPP Baltimore , a charter school network .
“ For preschool age kids , a big part of the school experience is learning new routines , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shield and thermometers can be scary , and parents and preschool staff can work together to normalize them.
” Lynn Parks , a medical worker with sons ages 2 and 3 , says her colleagues recently have masked up and come to her car with a thermometer just to get the boys accustomed to that new routine .
While the kids seem to be adapting well , Parks remains conflicted .
“ I ’ m eager to get them around people who aren ’ t just us , but I am struggling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” says Parks , of Burlington , Massachusetts , whose day care , Kiddie Academy , offers the ability to check in on classroom activities through cameras .
“ I ’ m weighing the social interaction they ’ ll get with that risk of COVID-19 exposure for them and our older family members.
” Parks ’ sister-in-law Sarah Benedict of Sherborn , Massachusetts , has three children , ages 6 , 4 and 6 months .
While the older kids are familiar with their schools , Benedict also is concerned that next year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot to be desired .
“ The whole point of preschool really is socialization , so with masks and social distancing in classrooms you wonder what might be lost , ” Benedict says .
“ Interacting with others at this age is more important than academics , so missing out on it is a concern.
” This week , a group of scientists and educators with the National Academies of Science , Engineering and Medicine weighed in on this very topic .
Their report recommended that young children and those with special needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the shortcomings of online learning for these groups .
But as much as young children indeed do benefit for the socialization provided by day care and preschool settings , it ’ s a mistake to think they will be irreparably harmed by missing out temporarily , says San Francisco-based psychologist Madeline Levine , whose books include “ Ready or Not : Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World.
” “ Kids that young , ages 2 , 3 and 4 , are perfectly happy at home as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe and secure , ” says Levine , grandmother to a 2 year old .
“ You can teach socialization and sharing in other ways , especially if they have a sibling .
Is it optimal ?
Probably not .
But I don ’ t think kids are going to be damaged by not going to preschool for a year.
” Levine adds that if parents do opt for a preschool experience this year , err on the side on one that offers a measure of predictability .
“ Kids need and want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So maybe go two days a week and ramp up , as opposed to starting with five only to find suddenly there ’ s no school because a case has broken out.
” For Christie Parsons , a management consultant based in Menlo Park , California , just south of San Francisco , sending her three boys — ages 9 , 6 and 2 — back to school this fall comes down to “ a matter of trust.
” In addition to being impressed by the measures being taken by local care providers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of teachers reading a story with and without masks so children could get familiar with the new look , Parsons has been encouraged by recent reports on school re-openings in Europe and Asia .
Aided by masks and social distancing , educators there so far have found that transmission rates appear remain low among younger demographics .
And doctors recently writing in Pediatrics , the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics , commented that children rarely seem to transmit COVID-19 to adults .
Still other doctors say that kids are usually asymptomatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adults .
Can kids spread the coronavirus ?
: 'Conclusively , without a doubt – yes , ' experts say “ All told , our risk portfolio suggests this is something we can handle , ” Parsons says .
“ We cringe of course thinking of the risks our youngest could be exposed to , but in the end we feel it ’ s worth it so he doesn ’ t skip a beat on things like learning to take turns and work with peers .
Those aren ’ t things you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caldwell feels similarly , which is why she and her husband , a plumber , have kept their almost 3-year-old daughter at Casey ’ s Daycare in Riverside , California .
“ We wanted to keep as much normalcy for her as possible in these trying times , ” says Caldwell , who was encouraged that her WeeCare-sourced facility was using the usual list of safety protocols such as regularly cleaning , hand washing and social distancing .
“ What gave us peace of mind is our child is interacting with the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only place she goes.
” Beyond getting to be with her friends , the Caldwells appreciate that by sending their toddler to day care she also is learning good coronavirus-era safety habits in case the crisis lingers on .
“ At this point , the only reason I would foresee us pulling her out of day care is if my husband or myself lost one of our jobs , ” Caldwell says .
“ Aside from that , we feel confident knowing she is in great hands , when not in ours @ @

Day cares welcome mask-wearing toddlers as parents struggle to 'make best decision' in COVID-19 world
Show Caption Hide Caption Schools, US virus surge are focus of WH Task Force Vice President Mike Pence says the CDC will be issuing new guidance for the reopening of schools in the fall. Dr. Deborah Birx is urging residents in the southern US who are in the midst of a surge to fall back to Phase One protocols. (July 8) AP
Sam DeRoze is almost 4 years old. After years of nanny care, he’s supposed to dive into his first organized school experience this fall. But the coronavirus pandemic has his mother mulling.
“I’ll need to see the plan from his preschool before I decide,” says Dianne DeRoze, a business consultant in Leesburg, Virginia. “If it’s safe and a positive experience, that’s valuable. What I don’t want is for him to have a knee-jerk reaction that school is this scary place you get dumped.”
DeRoze is among the millions of parents grappling with sending their children to preschool and babies to day care as cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, spike nationally.
The debate continues to rage among politicians and school officials on fall reopening plans. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last week that the city would be providing day care for 100,000 children to help working parents hampered by a planned partial school return.
President Donald Trump has pushed for a return to campus for older students, but the calculus is different for children ages 2 to 4, an impressionable phase that leaves parents concerned about the possible impact of exposing children to a mask- and temperature check-filled setting from which parents now are excluded for health reasons.
Gone are the days when clingy children could be escorted by mom or dad into a classroom for that momentous debut school experience. While protocols vary, many pre-K and day care facilities now have measures to keep teachers and children safe that include car drop-offs, fever checks and the wearing of masks or shields.
To help reassure parents, some day care facilities offer virtual tours, app-based fever and illness monitoring and updates, and in some cases in-class visits via apps or webcams.
Jessica Chang co-founded WeeCare to help connect parents with 2,500 child care facilities around the country. To help meet the coronavirus crisis moment, she and her Marina del Rey, California-based team created a feature within its app that allows parents to see facility fever counts at a glance.
Other measures undertaken by WeeCare providers include using air purifiers, encouraging outdoor play when possible, and parent “visits” with kids through the secure WeeCare app. And as with most day care providers who are accredited to take infants, new measures for babies focus on thoroughly sterilizing cribs and other crawling access areas as well as making sure parents wash all crib linens and clothes nightly.
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“We do see apprehension from parents who haven’t returned their kids to school yet,” says Chang, herself a mother of two young children. “Some of course have no choice due to employment issues, and have to send them back. For the others, we offer virtual ways to interact with providers to raise their comfort level. And we encourage providers to make things fun when they can.”
For example, Chang says, to make a car drop-off less frightening for a toddler, some of the care providers in the network have taken to building a small maze with stations. One is for a visual inspection, another for a fever check, and at each station the child receives a stamp in a booklet, turning the chore into game.
Such an approach can help, given that many parents are worried about youngsters for whom a preschool might be the first time the child is away from family members for the day.
“For the most part, parents have been very understanding of not being allowed inside and the various health checks we need to do,” says Carol Hibbs, CEO of the YMCA-YWCA of Marshalltown in Iowa.
Like many facilities, her day care sanitizes rooms each evening, requires frequent hand washing and stresses social distancing. The biggest challenge, she says, is simply trying to encourage young kids to act less like the young kids they are.
“We understand that kids as young as 3 really have a desire to be close to their friends when they see them, so we’re trying to balance that need with our new reality,” Hibbs says.
That balance works for Alecia Young, who since mid-May has been sending her daughter Tinley, 3, to the Marshalltown YWCA.
"She is a bit timid as it is; she’s a homebody," says Alecia, who along with her husband leaves the house each day for work, she as a credit union employee and he as an internet technician. "But we talked to her, told her there was a sickness and she would see people wearing a mask. So she got used to it. She was used to being taught hygiene there, so she's adjusting like this is the normal thing to do."
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Parents balance needs with concern
USA TODAY reached out to a range of parents across the country, and most expressed a desire to send their toddlers to school as long as safety was a priority and children could enjoy a modified pre-K experience.
“My son Oliver, who’s 4, already knows the teachers, so I think he’ll be OK even if things are different now and we can’t walk him in,” says Jennifer Raymond of Saint Johns, Florida, a state that has seen a huge leap in COVID-19 cases lately. “The big uptick does worry us, but so far his school seems to have that under control.”
For Raymond, day care is a must as she and her husband, who also have a daughter Lily, 6, are busy with jobs in retail and IT, respectively.
“Not going to work is not an option for us,” she says.
The same goes for Lejuan Haggins of El Paso, Texas. Haggins, an Army veteran, works as a delivery driver while his wife is still in school, so they rely on day care services for their boys, 6 and 2, provided to veterans by the local YWCA, part of the national YWCA network that serves 2.3 million people in 45 states.
“The younger one, he had to adjust to it all at first, but now he just goes right in,” Haggins says. “We feel it’s a good asset for him, teaching him motor skills and how to interact with others. As for safety, I sense the YWCA is being very careful. And when the boys get home, we wash their clothes and put them in the shower. In the end, we don’t have a choice. We need the help.”
Sylvia Acosta, CEO of YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region, suggests that a properly run day care center should be a haven for parents.
“A well-prepared facility may well be the safest place a child can be right now,” Acosta says. “Everywhere else, from stores to barbecues, none of us can control when it comes to exposure to the virus. But here at our facility, we can have control over our environment.”
As with many decisions related to our coronavirus moment, experts say parents caught in this dilemma need to assess their own comfort with risk and balance that with everything from their child’s development needs to their own employment demands.
“Just like weighing the risks and benefits of K-12, parents need to figure out if pre-K is a good idea for them and their family,” says Susan Hedges, director of quality assessment at the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which accredits facilities around the world.
Hedges says parents should ask their local facility detailed questions about their virus protocols, while recognizing that they also are part of the effort to keep everyone healthy.
“In normal times, we’ve all sent a young child with a slight fever to school simply because we have our own day to get started,” she says. “But now there can’t be any of that; this is deadly serious. Everyone has a role to play.”
And those roles in fact can be practiced at home so as to minimize the jarring impact on youngsters of being greeted by an adult wearing a mask and wielding a handheld digital thermometer, says Katherine Connor, assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and medical director of the Rales Center for the Integration of Health and Education in Baltimore.
“For preschool age kids, a big part of the school experience is learning new routines,” Connor says. “Masks, face shield and thermometers can be scary, and parents and preschool staff can work together to normalize them.”
Socialization often trumps virus
Lynn Parks, a medical worker with sons ages 2 and 3, says her colleagues recently have masked up and come to her car with a thermometer just to get the boys accustomed to that new routine.
While the kids seem to be adapting well, Parks remains conflicted.
“I’m eager to get them around people who aren’t just us, but I am struggling to make the best decision for everyone,” says Parks, of Burlington, Massachusetts, whose day care, Kiddie Academy, offers the ability to check in on classroom activities through cameras. “I’m weighing the social interaction they’ll get with that risk of COVID-19 exposure for them and our older family members.”
Parks’ sister-in-law Sarah Benedict of Sherborn, Massachusetts, has three children, ages 6, 4 and 6 months. While the older kids are familiar with their schools, Benedict also is concerned that next year’s scholastic experience will leave a lot to be desired.
“The whole point of preschool really is socialization, so with masks and social distancing in classrooms you wonder what might be lost,” Benedict says. “Interacting with others at this age is more important than academics, so missing out on it is a concern.”
This week, a group of scientists and educators with the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine weighed in on this very topic. Their report recommended that young children and those with special needs attend school in person if possible due to the shortcomings of online learning for these groups.
But as much as young children indeed do benefit for the socialization provided by day care and preschool settings, it’s a mistake to think they will be irreparably harmed by missing out temporarily, says San Francisco-based psychologist Madeline Levine, whose books include “Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World.”
“Kids that young, ages 2, 3 and 4, are perfectly happy at home as long as parents can make them feel safe and secure,” says Levine, grandmother to a 2 year old. “You can teach socialization and sharing in other ways, especially if they have a sibling. Is it optimal? Probably not. But I don’t think kids are going to be damaged by not going to preschool for a year.”
Levine adds that if parents do opt for a preschool experience this year, err on the side on one that offers a measure of predictability.
“Kids need and want routine,” she says. “So maybe go two days a week and ramp up, as opposed to starting with five only to find suddenly there’s no school because a case has broken out.”
For Christie Parsons, a management consultant based in Menlo Park, California, just south of San Francisco, sending her three boys – ages 9, 6 and 2 – back to school this fall comes down to “a matter of trust.”
In addition to being impressed by the measures being taken by care providers, which included sending parents a video of teachers reading a story with and without masks so children could get familiar with the new look, Parsons has been encouraged by reports on school reopenings in Europe and Asia.
Aided by masks and social distancing, educators have found that transmission rates remain low among younger demographics. Doctors writing in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, noted that children rarely transmit COVID-19 to adults. Other doctors say kids are usually asymptomatic but can spread coronavirus to adults.
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“All told, our risk portfolio suggests this is something we can handle,” Parsons says. “We cringe, of course, thinking of the risks our youngest could be exposed to, but in the end, we feel it’s worth it, so he doesn’t skip a beat on things like learning to take turns and work with peers. Those aren’t things you can learn online.”
Mortgage industry expert Stephanie Caldwell and her husband, a plumber, have kept their almost 3-year-old daughter at Casey’s Daycare in Riverside, California.
“We wanted to keep as much normalcy for her as possible in these trying times,” says Caldwell, who was encouraged that her WeeCare-sourced facility used the usual list of safety protocols such as regularly cleaning, hand washing and social distancing. “What gave us peace of mind is our child is interacting with the same children every day and that is really the only place she goes.”
Beyond the benefits of their toddler getting to be with her friends, the Caldwells appreciate that by sending her to day care, she is learning good coronavirus-era safety habits in case the crisis lingers.
“At this point, the only reason I would foresee us pulling her out of day care is if my husband or myself lost one of our jobs,” Caldwell says. “Aside from that, we feel confident knowing she is in great hands, when not in ours.”
Follow USA TODAY national correspondent Marco della Cava: @marcodellacava


usatoday--2020-07-22--Trump says of sex trafficking suspect Ghislaine Maxwell, 'I wish her well'

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump sent well wishes to accused child abuser – and close friend of Jeffrey Epstein – Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday but said he has not been following her case .
`` I wish her well , '' Trump said during a White House news conference otherwise devoted to COVID-19 .
Maxwell , Epstein 's former girlfriend and longtime confidante , is accused of helping lure girls as young as 14 to be sexually abused by Epstein , the financier who died by hanging in his jail cell last year .
Maxwell , who lived with Epstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him , is accused of facilitating his crimes at his estate in Palm Beach , Florida , and other locations and in some cases joining in the sexual abuse , according to a grand jury indictment .
Maxwell pleaded not guilty last week to the charges .
Not guilty plea : Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty , ordered held without bond in case tied to Epstein child sex trafficking ring Trump and Maxwell sometimes ran in the same social circles .
After her arrest , Trump 's critics circulated photos of the two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company of Epstein and first lady Melania Trump .
In raising the Maxwell case with Trump , a reporter asked : `` Do you feel she 's going to turn in powerful men ? ''
Trump said he had met Maxwell `` numerous times '' over the years because he lived in Palm Beach .
But he said he knows nothing about the charges against her , including an allegation that she arranged an assignation between a young girl and Prince Andrew of Great Britain .
`` I have n't really been following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I just wish her well , frankly . ''
As for the British prince , `` whatever it is , I do n't know the situation with Prince Andrew , '' Trump said .
`` I just do n't know .
I 'm not aware of it . ''
Maxwell is the daughter of Robert Maxwell , a publishing tycoon and former member of the British Parliament who died in 1991 after falling overboard from his luxury yacht , Lady Ghislaine , named after the youngest of his nine children .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire on perjury and conspiracy charges , accusing her of helping Epstein “ recruit , groom , and ultimately abuse victims ” between 1994 and 1997 .
The six-count indictment against Maxwell outlines an alleged years-long partnership between Epstein and Maxwell in which the pair went to great lengths to procure young victims .
Epstein 's 'co-conspirators ' : Barr cites 'serious irregularities ' at jail , says Epstein 'co-conspirators should not rest easy '

Michael Collins, David Jackson and Courtney Subramanian, USA TODAY

Trump says of sex trafficking suspect Ghislaine Maxwell, 'I wish her well'
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump says of Ghislaine Maxwell, 'I wish her well' President Donald Trump offered sympathetic words to Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime companion who stands accused of facilitating the abuse of girls by the sex offender. But Trump says he hasn't been following her case closely. (July 21) AP
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump sent well wishes to accused child abuser – and close friend of Jeffrey Epstein – Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday but said he has not been following her case.
"I wish her well," Trump said during a White House news conference otherwise devoted to COVID-19.
Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and longtime confidante, is accused of helping lure girls as young as 14 to be sexually abused by Epstein, the financier who died by hanging in his jail cell last year.
Maxwell, who lived with Epstein for years and traveled the world with him, is accused of facilitating his crimes at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and other locations and in some cases joining in the sexual abuse, according to a grand jury indictment.
Maxwell pleaded not guilty last week to the charges.
Not guilty plea: Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty, ordered held without bond in case tied to Epstein child sex trafficking ring
Trump and Maxwell sometimes ran in the same social circles. After her arrest, Trump's critics circulated photos of the two of them together, sometimes in the company of Epstein and first lady Melania Trump.
In raising the Maxwell case with Trump, a reporter asked: "Do you feel she's going to turn in powerful men?"
Trump said he had met Maxwell "numerous times" over the years because he lived in Palm Beach. But he said he knows nothing about the charges against her, including an allegation that she arranged an assignation between a young girl and Prince Andrew of Great Britain.
"I haven't really been following it too much," Trump said. "I just wish her well, frankly."
As for the British prince, "whatever it is, I don't know the situation with Prince Andrew," Trump said. "I just don't know. I'm not aware of it."
Maxwell is the daughter of Robert Maxwell, a publishing tycoon and former member of the British Parliament who died in 1991 after falling overboard from his luxury yacht, Lady Ghislaine, named after the youngest of his nine children.
Maxwell was arrested earlier this month in New Hampshire on perjury and conspiracy charges, accusing her of helping Epstein “recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims” between 1994 and 1997.
The six-count indictment against Maxwell outlines an alleged years-long partnership between Epstein and Maxwell in which the pair went to great lengths to procure young victims.
Epstein's 'co-conspirators': Barr cites 'serious irregularities' at jail, says Epstein 'co-conspirators should not rest easy'


usatoday--2020-07-22--Opinion: #BoycottMLB brigade is not the kind of fans baseball wants

In a mystifying development , people who apparently are baseball fans starved for the game ’ s return are joining a # BoycottMLB movement on Twitter .
They ’ ve waited months for the return of the game they love , and now that it ’ s almost here , they want to boycott it .
Why would people who love baseball do such a thing ?
Apparently , some of them are angry that Dr. Anthony Fauci is throwing out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals ’ home opener Thursday evening .
Many others are unhappy that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday during the playing of the national anthem .
These people might call themselves baseball fans , but they really are little more than ideologues .
They don ’ t like science , aren ’ t big fans of knowledge and despise the Black Lives Matter movement – or some combination of the three .
President Donald Trump , never one to be left on the sidelines when there is trouble afoot , didn ’ t personally join the # BoycottMLB brigade but did add his own special brand of fuel to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports , but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem , a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag , the game is over for me !
” A question : Isn ’ t this the man who defends the Confederate flag and is fighting to keep U.S. military bases named for traitors who fought against this country ?
A prediction : Trump is not going to be watching many sporting events this summer and fall .
If you have lived through the last eight weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be surprised by the Giants ’ peaceful protests ?
Wherever sports have been played since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd , in the United States and abroad , athletes have taken a knee , so of course baseball players are going to kneel .
Once the NBA and WNBA get started , kneeling will be commonplace , assuming the anthem is played beforehand .
And if high school , college and pro football is played this fall , well , let ’ s just say Trump is not going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Twitterverse to hold onto these last vestiges of another time – a whiter , sexist , intolerant time – has been rebuffed by people who , interestingly enough , know a bit about fan behavior , selling tickets and marketing sports teams .
In other words , successful capitalists who know exactly what works in 21st century America .
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban , when confronted with a tweet from a local radio talk show host who said he would be “ OUT ” if even one player kneels during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single word : “ Bye.
” Meanwhile , MLB ’ s official Twitter account proudly featured a video Monday night of the Giants kneeling during the anthem , adding the hashtag # BlackLivesMatter for its 8.5 million followers .
Someone chimed in asking MLB to stop posting those kinds of videos , saying it was “ a polarizing topic , ” adding , “ keep politics out of baseball !
” MLB also tweeted and retweeted the video of Alyssa Nakken ’ s historic appearance as the first female coach in MLB history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giants Monday evening .
Baseball clearly is on a roll .
We ’ re talking about sports , obviously , but we ’ re also talking about progress , activism and equality .
Boycott that at your peril , sports fans .

Opinion: #BoycottMLB brigade is not the kind of fans baseball wants
Show Caption Hide Caption Everything to know heading into a strange MLB Opening Day SportsPulse: Baseball is finally here. For real. It's MLB's opening week, and USA TODAY Sports' Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top story lines that will define this unprecedented season. USA TODAY
In a mystifying development, people who apparently are baseball fans starved for the game’s return are joining a #BoycottMLB movement on Twitter. They’ve waited months for the return of the game they love, and now that it’s almost here, they want to boycott it.
Why would people who love baseball do such a thing? Apparently, some of them are angry that Dr. Anthony Fauci is throwing out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals’ home opener Thursday evening. Many others are unhappy that a few San Francisco Giants took a knee Monday during the playing of the national anthem.
These people might call themselves baseball fans, but they really are little more than ideologues. They don’t like science, aren’t big fans of knowledge and despise the Black Lives Matter movement – or some combination of the three.
President Donald Trump, never one to be left on the sidelines when there is trouble afoot, didn’t personally join the #BoycottMLB brigade but did add his own special brand of fuel to the fire:
“Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!”
A question: Isn’t this the man who defends the Confederate flag and is fighting to keep U.S. military bases named for traitors who fought against this country?
A prediction: Trump is not going to be watching many sporting events this summer and fall.
If you have lived through the last eight weeks in America, how could you possibly be surprised by the Giants’ peaceful protests? Wherever sports have been played since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, in the United States and abroad, athletes have taken a knee, so of course baseball players are going to kneel.
Once the NBA and WNBA get started, kneeling will be commonplace, assuming the anthem is played beforehand. And if high school, college and pro football is played this fall, well, let’s just say Trump is not going to be happy.
The urge from Trump and the Twitterverse to hold onto these last vestiges of another time – a whiter, sexist, intolerant time – has been rebuffed by people who, interestingly enough, know a bit about fan behavior, selling tickets and marketing sports teams. In other words, successful capitalists who know exactly what works in 21st century America.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, when confronted with a tweet from a local radio talk show host who said he would be “OUT” if even one player kneels during the anthem, answered the broadcaster with a single word: “Bye.”
Meanwhile, MLB’s official Twitter account proudly featured a video Monday night of the Giants kneeling during the anthem, adding the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter for its 8.5 million followers.
Someone chimed in asking MLB to stop posting those kinds of videos, saying it was “a polarizing topic,” adding, “keep politics out of baseball!”
MLB offered a simple reply: “Supporting human rights is not political.”
Supporting human rights is not political. — MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2020
MLB also tweeted and retweeted the video of Alyssa Nakken’s historic appearance as the first female coach in MLB history when she coached first base for the Giants Monday evening.
Baseball clearly is on a roll. We’re talking about sports, obviously, but we’re also talking about progress, activism and equality. Boycott that at your peril, sports fans.