usatoday--2020-10-27--Election 2020 live updates: Biden in Georgia, Trump makes Midwest swing 7 days before Election Day

Joe Biden 's campaign heads south on Tuesday , with the former vice president stumping in Georgia as his former boss , President Barack Obama , encourages Floridians to vote at an Orlando rally .
Biden 's Southern push comes exactly one week before Election Day , when the Democrats hope Sun Belt voters help hand Biden an Electoral College victory .
Southern states are just a few of the battleground areas the two sides are fighting for in the run-up to Nov. 3 .
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have been on a Rust Belt swing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Pennsylvania .
Trump campaigns in Michigan and Wisconsin today before heading to Nebraska .
Trump and Republicans completed their sprint to get Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court before Election Day .
Barrett was confirmed in a narrow Senate vote Monday evening and then sworn in shortly after at the White House by Justice Clarence Thomas .
She 'll take the judicial oath on Tuesday , allowing her to begin work on the court .
• Trump 's promises : Trump made promises to his supporters on manufacturing jobs , immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at whether the president delivered on 10 topics .
• The quest for 270 : Here 's how the Biden and Trump campaigns can achieve the Electoral College votes to claim victory .
• Where are Pence and Harris ?
: Sen. Kamala Harris campaigns in Reno , Nevada , and Las Vegas Tuesday while Vice President Mike Pence gives speeches in South Carolina and North Carolina .
• Bernie Sanders : Trump is invoking Sen. Bernie Sanders at his rallies in an effort to drive a wedge through the Democratic party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becomes the fifth woman to serve on the Supreme Court .
Meet the four other women who preceded her .
📊 What the polls are saying : USA TODAY 's average of averages showed Trump gained on Biden in nine of the 12 battleground states over the past week , though Biden still leads in 10 of those states .
📆 Seven days until Election Day , 85 days until Inauguration Day , 66 days left in 2020 .
🗳 Voting : See USA TODAY 's Voter Guide for information on registering to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what the candidates think about the issues .
We will update this article throughout the day .
You can follow all of USA TODAY 's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter .
President Donald Trump held a hasty swearing-in ceremony Monday night following the Senate 's confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett .
Trump rushed back from the campaign trail in Pennsylvania for a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in the midst of a global pandemic .
The event took place near the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal appeals court judge from Indiana was introduced in a crowded setting that contributed to the spread of COVID-19 , both at the White House and in the Senate .
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas , the longest-serving member of the current court , delivered the constitutional oath of office .
Most of the assembled guests wore masks .
On Tuesday , Chief Justice John Roberts will complete the process by delivering the judicial oath to the court 's newest member .

Election 2020 live updates: Trump campaign website hacked
Show Caption Hide Caption Obama: Trump turned the White House into a 'hot zone' Former President Barack Obama mocked President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying Trump "turned the White House into a hot zone." (Oct. 27) AP
Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned in Georgia on Tuesday, quoting President Franklin D. Roosevelet at a stop in Warm Springs:
"‘Today … we must cultivate the science of human relationships — the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together in the same world at peace,’” Biden said. “To live together and work together. That’s how I see America. That’s how I see the presidency, and that’s how I see the future.”
Meanwhile, his former boss, President Barack Obama, accused President Donald Trump of whining at an Orlando, Florida, rally.
Florida and Georgia are just a few of the battleground areas the two sides are fighting for with exactly one week until Election Day Nov. 3. Trump has been on a Rust Belt swing as of late, with a focus on Pennsylvania, where Biden also visited yesterday. Trump campaigns in Michigan and Wisconsin today before heading to Nebraska.
Sen. Kamala Harris campaigns in Reno, Nevada, and Las Vegas Tuesday while Vice President Mike Pence gives speeches in South Carolina and North Carolina.
☕ The latest:
📊 What the polls are saying: USA TODAY's average of averages showed Trump gained on Biden in nine of the 12 battleground states over the past week, though Biden still leads in 10 of those states.
📆 Seven days until Election Day, 85 days until Inauguration Day, 66 days left in 2020.
🗳 Voting: See USA TODAY's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote, when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues.
We will update this article throughout the day. You can follow all of USA TODAY's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter.
Trump campaign website hacked
President Donald Trump’s campaign website was hacked Tuesday – a week before the election – an aide to the president's reelection confirmed.
“Earlier this evening, the Trump campaign website was defaced and we are working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of the attack,” Trump spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in statement.
Screen grabs of Trump’s site posted on social media showed a page that said the website had been “seized” and that it was “time to allow the world to know the truth.” The website was restored shortly after the attack, Murtaugh said.
The campaign said there was no exposure to sensitive data.
— John Fritze
As part of his political war against mail-in voting, President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday the law requires naming a "winner" on Election Night, and forbids states from counting ballots for days and weeks afterward, but that is simply not the case.
"It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on November 3rd, instead of counting ballots for two weeks, which is totally inappropriate and I don't believe that that's by our laws," Trump told reporters as he left the White House on a Midwest campaign trip.
In fact, the law allows states to count ballots for weeks and gives them a little more than a month to do so.
WHEN WILL WE KNOW? A look at possible scenarios for president
And states do not declare winners on Election Night; media organizations do so based on projections of votes cast while states tabulate ballots in processes that could indeed take days or weeks to complete.
The reasons include overseas ballots, military voting, and mail-in voting – and many states are expecting more mail-in votes this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There's also the prospect of recounts, as happened in Florida in the 2000 presidential election.
There is also the possibility that one candidate could be "ahead" on Election Night, but fall behind and lose the state in the days after that after ballots legally submitted are counted.
The law provides for all this; states don't have to report official results until the Electoral College meets in December, and that is 41 days after Election Day.
So if the media doesn't call a state or an election right away, "that's not because of some nefarious plot," tweeted Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas.
Responding to a Trump tweet that states "must have final total on November 3," Vladeck said: "It's simply because the results are sufficiently close in the right number of states that it isn't yet clear who won – and won't be until those states finish counting all legal ballots."
–David Jackson
Former President Barack Obama rallied voters again in Florida with an acid mixture of criticism and ridicule of Trump.
"Our current president, he whines that '60 Minutes' is too tough,” Obama said of Trump’s interview that was broadcast Sunday. “You think he's gonna stand up to dictators? He thinks Lesley Stahl is a bully.”
Obama’s appearance in Orlando for Biden followed campaign visits Saturday to Miami and Wednesday to Philadelphia. Florida is a swing state that Trump won in 2016, and the corridor along Interstate 4 between Orlando and Tampa is the most fought-over part of the state.
OBAMA BLASTS TRUMP: Trump only out to benefit himself, Obama says in Philly
Obama made many of the same points criticizing Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic collapse. But his sharpest commentary landed as humor, such as when Trump complains about the amount of news coverage about the number of deaths and cases of COVID-19.
"He's jealous of COVID's media coverage!" Obama said. "If he had been focused on COVID from the beginning, cases would not be reaching new record highs.”
Obama, the first Black president, also ridiculed Trump’s comment in the Thursday debate that he was the best president for Blacks since Abraham Lincoln, which drew boos from the crowd in 273 cars for the drive-in event.
"His son-in-law says Black folks have to want to be successful," Obama said of comments Monday on "Fox & Friends" by Jared Kushner, a senior White House aide and Trump’s son-in-law. "That's the problem. Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?"
Jared Kushner criticized for comments on Black Americans When asked about Trump's policies for Black Americans, Jared Kushner said, "He can't want them to be successful more than they want to be successful." USA TODAY
Obama said leaders of China, North Korea and Russia want Trump to remain in office.
“We know because you've been giving them whatever you want. Of course they want you to win,” Obama said. “That's not a good thing. You shouldn't brag that some of our greatest adversaries want you in office," he said. "Why are you bragging about that? It doesn't make any sense."
--Bart Jansen
Trump aimed to appeal to three Midwestern states he carried in 2016 but now risks losing in this year's uphill contest with Biden.
Trump held rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin on Tuesday, he then travels to Omaha, Neb., to address a congressional district he won in 2016 to earn a single electoral vote. The Omaha event also figures to draw television coverage just across the border in western Iowa, another state Trump carried that now features a close race with Biden.
Wisconsin is swinging between pandemic, politics The must-win swing state of Wisconsin finds itself at the crossroads of the coronavirus pandemic and politics ahead of the 2020 presidential election. (Oct. 27) AP
Speaking in rain-soaked Lansing, the state capital of Michigan, Trump predicted that a "red wave" would wash over Michigan and other states.
"You have to get out there and vote," Trump told backers at one point.
A week out from Election Day, and with more than 60 million early votes already cast, the Trump campaign is engaged in a state-by-state slog designed to make up ground and capture the 270 electoral votes necessary for re-election.
Biden and supporters said Trump is losing in the Midwest and elsewhere because of his policies, particularly his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for places like Michigan and Wisconsin, Democratic National Committee spokesman Daniel Wessel said that "Trump failed to bring back factories, boost job growth, or deliver the manufacturing renaissance he promised, even before the pandemic hit."
TRUMP: Did he deliver on 2016 promises to Michigan?
"Now," he added, "millions are still out of work, the economic recovery is slowing, and coronavirus cases and deaths are once again surging across the Midwest. Voters know Trump has failed them."
– David Jackson
A group of former U.S. attorneys appointed by Republican presidents are endorsing Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, citing what they described as politicization of the Justice Department under President Donald Trump.
"The president has clearly conveyed that he expects his Justice Department appointees and prosecutors to serve his personal and political interests in the handling of certain cases – such as the investigations into foreign election interference and the prosecution of his political associates – and has taken action against those who have stood up for the interests of justice," according to a statement from 20 U.S. attorneys who were appointed by Republican presidents, including George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower.
– Kristine Phillips
A federal judge Tuesday blocked the Justice Department's effort to intervene in a defamation case against President Donald Trump brought by E. Jean Carroll, who claimed the president disparaged her when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in the mid-1990s.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the government's central argument that Trump was acting in his official duties as president last year when he denied magazine writer Carroll's allegation that he had raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in New York City.
The Justice Department's intervention was seen as an effort to shield the president from the potentially damaging legal action in the midst of a re-election campaign. The judge's ruling effectively keeps Carroll's claim alive.
Nineteen women, including Carroll, have accused Trump of non-consensual sexual contact.
– Kevin Johnson
Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to U.S. Supreme Court ahead of election Amy Coney Barrett was President Donald Trump's third Supreme Court nominee, following Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch. USA TODAY, Wochit
President Donald Trump held a hasty swearing-in ceremony Monday night following the Senate's confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett.
Trump rushed back from the campaign trail in Pennsylvania for a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in the midst of a global pandemic.
The event took place near the Rose Garden, where a month earlier the federal appeals court judge from Indiana was introduced in a crowded setting that contributed to the spread of COVID-19, both at the White House and in the Senate.
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving member of the current court, delivered the constitutional oath of office. Most of the assembled guests wore masks.
On Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts completes the process by delivering the judicial oath to the court's newest member.
– Richard Wolf and David Jackson


usatoday--2020-10-27--Has President Trump delivered on 2016 steel, coal campaign promises for Pennsylvania? What the numbe

Has President Trump delivered on 2016 steel, coal campaign promises for Pennsylvania? What the numbers say

During his 2016 run for the White House , President Donald Trump repeatedly came to Pennsylvania with promises of rejuvenating steel and coal , the industries that define the Keystone State ’ s blue-collar roots .
“ To all the people of Pennsylvania I say , we are going to put the miners and the factory workers and the steel workers back to work , ” Trump told a cheering crowd at Lackawanna College in Scranton the day before the 2016 election .
Added to the mix was the relatively new industry of natural gas drilling , especially in southwestern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the landscape and spurred hopes of a decades-long boom .
Four years later , though , the promises Trump made have not exactly come to fruition .
However , according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis , there were 4,900 coal-mining jobs in Pennsylvania when he took office in January 2017 , and by this past August that number stood at 4,800 after hitting a 30-year low of 4,500 in April , May and June during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Purple haze PA : Why the Keystone State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Consol Energy , Inc. announced that it would lay off about 230 workers at its Enlow Fork mine in Washington and Greene counties in southwestern Pennsylvania after it was idled in April because of the pandemic .
Coal employment reached 5,200 in July 2019 before a small decline that accelerated this year .
Jeremy Weber , an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies energy and natural resources economics , said the continuing fall of coal is “ not for lack of policy ” to boost the industry .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what we know about this hot issue Although Trump has followed through on promises to cut environmental regulations to benefit coal , he said it has not been enough to offset other issues facing the industry .
“ Preserving coal production was going to be very , very difficult , ” said Weber , who pointed to the same factors as other analysts , such as falling demand , a shift to more environmentally friendly renewable energy sources and competition from cheaper natural gas .
Trump has followed through on relaxing environmental rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weber said , but companies that enjoyed a boom in the mid- to late-2000s in Pennsylvania have scaled back in recent years as production caused a market glut that drove prices down .
“ They ’ ve been so successful that they ’ ve not only driven down local and national price , but they ’ ve managed to drive down international prices , ” Weber said .
In early September , Trump came to Latrobe , Pennsylvania , about an hour east of Pittsburgh , and warned that if fracking – the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas drilling – were banned it would eliminate 900,000 jobs before claiming a few minutes later that there are 940,000 fracking-related jobs .
That , according to one fact check report , exaggerated the number of industry jobs by 3,500 percent .
Citing an analysis by the environmental group Food & Water Watch , Pittsburgh City Paper ’ s Ryan Deto wrote that there were about 26,000 fracking-related jobs in Pennsylvania between 2016 and 2018 in the state and that number likely declined in recent years as market prices have declined and companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for COVID-19 days after Pa. rally with thousands in Harrisburg The industry , though , has historically claimed many more jobs rely on it than some critics have claimed .
A 2017 report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute claimed the industry supported 322,600 jobs in Pennsylvania , including more than 216,000 related jobs in areas such as services , wholesale and retail , manufacturing , transportation and warehousing , and others .
Pennsylvania ’ s steel industry has struggled since the early 1980s when the collapse devastated mill towns across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many of those towns have never recovered and still suffer from bleak downtowns with boarded-up buildings and empty storefronts .
Plenty of current and former steelworkers flocked to Trump , who promised the industry ’ s rebirth .
“ We ’ re going to bring back your jobs to Pennsylvania , ” Trump said to a crowd in Ambridge , Beaver County , in October 2016 .
“ We ’ re going to bring back steel .
Your steel has been stolen from you in this area.
” While some companies have praised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playing field against cheaper imports , the taxes have taken a toll on companies that import steel , such as Allegheny Technologies Inc. ’ s Midland plant about 20 miles down the Ohio River from Ambridge .
That plant closed earlier this year , leaving 100 jobless .
Beaver County , which still has a majority Democratic voter registration , voted for Trump by a 19-point margin in 2016 .
ATI chief executive officer Robert Wetherbee wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in January that the plant was “ hemorrhaging money ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax on steel imported from Indonesia .
More : Trump men vs. Biden women : Which voting group in Pa. will pick the next president ?
The company tried but failed to get an exemption from the Trump administration .
There were about 11,300 jobs in iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing in Pennsylvania in January 2017 , according to the St. Louis Fed .
Those numbers climbed some during Trump ’ s first term , but never exceeded 12,000 .
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic , those jobs plummeted from 11,700 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to recover in August .
“ There ’ s a difference in bringing back the steel industry , even if that ’ s possible , and bringing it back in the traditional steel areas like here in southwestern Pennsylvania , ” said Chris Briem , a regional economist with the University of Pittsburgh ’ s Center for Social and Urban Research .
“ Clearly , ” he said , “ steel has not seen any great resurgence in the region .
”

J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau, Pocono Record

Campaigning in northeastern Pennsylvania, Donald Trump struck a law and order theme, listened as supporters chanted "lock her up," and doubled-down on his criticism of NATO and other U.S. allies for not paying more for defense. (July 27) AP
During his 2016 run for the White House, President Donald Trump repeatedly came to Pennsylvania with promises of rejuvenating steel and coal, the industries that define the Keystone State’s blue-collar roots.
“To all the people of Pennsylvania I say, we are going to put the miners and the factory workers and the steel workers back to work,” Trump told a cheering crowd at Lackawanna College in Scranton the day before the 2016 election.
Added to the mix was the relatively new industry of natural gas drilling, especially in southwestern Pennsylvania, where Marcellus Shale wells dotted the landscape and spurred hopes of a decades-long boom.
Four years later, though, the promises Trump made have not exactly come to fruition.
Did Trump put miners 'back to work'?
Trump’s western Pennsylvania rallies in 2016 featured crowds waving “Trump Digs Coal” signs.
However, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, there were 4,900 coal-mining jobs in Pennsylvania when he took office in January 2017, and by this past August that number stood at 4,800 after hitting a 30-year low of 4,500 in April, May and June during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purple haze PA: Why the Keystone State is always a presidential battleground
In July, Consol Energy, Inc. announced that it would lay off about 230 workers at its Enlow Fork mine in Washington and Greene counties in southwestern Pennsylvania after it was idled in April because of the pandemic.
Coal employment reached 5,200 in July 2019 before a small decline that accelerated this year.
Jeremy Weber, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies energy and natural resources economics, said the continuing fall of coal is “not for lack of policy” to boost the industry.
Trump talks fracking in PA: Here's what we know about this hot issue
Although Trump has followed through on promises to cut environmental regulations to benefit coal, he said it has not been enough to offset other issues facing the industry.
“Preserving coal production was going to be very, very difficult,” said Weber, who pointed to the same factors as other analysts, such as falling demand, a shift to more environmentally friendly renewable energy sources and competition from cheaper natural gas.
Video: Trump talks about Pa. fracking at Johnstown rally President Donald Trump touted his pro-fracking policies at a campaign rally in Johnstown, Pa. Oct. 14, 2020. Matthew Toth, York Daily Record
Trump has followed through on relaxing environmental rules on the natural gas drilling industry, Weber said, but companies that enjoyed a boom in the mid- to late-2000s in Pennsylvania have scaled back in recent years as production caused a market glut that drove prices down.
“They’ve been so successful that they’ve not only driven down local and national price, but they’ve managed to drive down international prices,” Weber said.
In early September, Trump came to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, about an hour east of Pittsburgh, and warned that if fracking – the term typically used to refer to natural gas drilling – were banned it would eliminate 900,000 jobs before claiming a few minutes later that there are 940,000 fracking-related jobs.
That, according to one fact check report, exaggerated the number of industry jobs by 3,500 percent.
Citing an analysis by the environmental group Food & Water Watch, Pittsburgh City Paper’s Ryan Deto wrote that there were about 26,000 fracking-related jobs in Pennsylvania between 2016 and 2018 in the state and that number likely declined in recent years as market prices have declined and companies made cuts.
More: Trump tests positive for COVID-19 days after Pa. rally with thousands in Harrisburg
The industry, though, has historically claimed many more jobs rely on it than some critics have claimed. A 2017 report commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute claimed the industry supported 322,600 jobs in Pennsylvania, including more than 216,000 related jobs in areas such as services, wholesale and retail, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and others.
Was steel industry helped?
Pennsylvania’s steel industry has struggled since the early 1980s when the collapse devastated mill towns across the state, especially in western Pennsylvania.
Many of those towns have never recovered and still suffer from bleak downtowns with boarded-up buildings and empty storefronts. Plenty of current and former steelworkers flocked to Trump, who promised the industry’s rebirth.
“We’re going to bring back your jobs to Pennsylvania,” Trump said to a crowd in Ambridge, Beaver County, in October 2016. “We’re going to bring back steel. Your steel has been stolen from you in this area.”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, Monday in Ambridge, Penn. AP
While some companies have praised Trump’s tariffs for leveling the playing field against cheaper imports, the taxes have taken a toll on companies that import steel, such as Allegheny Technologies Inc.’s Midland plant about 20 miles down the Ohio River from Ambridge. That plant closed earlier this year, leaving 100 jobless.
Beaver County, which still has a majority Democratic voter registration, voted for Trump by a 19-point margin in 2016.
ATI chief executive officer Robert Wetherbee wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in January that the plant was “hemorrhaging money” because of Trump’s 25 percent tax on steel imported from Indonesia.
More: Trump men vs. Biden women: Which voting group in Pa. will pick the next president?
The company tried but failed to get an exemption from the Trump administration.
There were about 11,300 jobs in iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing in Pennsylvania in January 2017, according to the St. Louis Fed.
Those numbers climbed some during Trump’s first term, but never exceeded 12,000. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, those jobs plummeted from 11,700 in March to 10,000 in April and had yet to recover in August.
“There’s a difference in bringing back the steel industry, even if that’s possible, and bringing it back in the traditional steel areas like here in southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Chris Briem, a regional economist with the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Social and Urban Research.
“Clearly,” he said, “steel has not seen any great resurgence in the region.”


usatoday--2020-10-27--Donald Trump campaigned in 2016 on remaking Michigan manufacturing. Did he deliver?

President Donald Trump ran for election in 2016 on a promise to restore and protect manufacturing jobs across the U.S. and nowhere did he make that guarantee more fervently than in Michigan , where he said he 'd take bold action if necessary to remake the state 's predominant auto industry .
Four years later , however , there is not much doubt that he and his administration have failed to take significant steps to make Michigan — as he said at a rally in Sterling Heights the weekend before the 2016 election — `` the manufacturing hub of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a recession spurred by COVID-19 took hold this year , it was clear that earlier job and wage gains seen in Michigan were slowing , despite the president 's continued claims that he had helped create `` the best economy ever seen . ''
Since then , it 's gotten far , far worse , with some 272,000 fewer people working in the state in September compared with a year ago and the unemployment rate 5.4 percentage points higher despite the recovery being well underway .
The administration 's handling – or mishandling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics believe – of the pandemic may be the most important challenge he faces in his reelection bid .
But his opponent , former Vice President Joe Biden , and the Democrats are already trying to use the slowdown in manufacturing against him , while Trump is hitting Biden for his vote as a senator more than a quarter century ago for the North American Free Trade Agreement , which many believe caused the state to lose jobs , though Biden had supported reworking the deal .
There 's nothing unusual about inflamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument for winning in the industrial Midwest was almost entirely about reversing what he described as decades of bad trade agreements overnight and his ability to force new deals on trading partners that would revitalize manufacturing , a broad sector of the economy that covers making everything from cars and trucks to boats , chemicals , paper products , furniture , aerospace equipment and more .
Now , with Trump running for reelection , that record is on the line , especially with Biden running on a labor-friendly message and a claim he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or auto-related jobs by hastening already emerging growth in electric and electric-hybrid vehicles .
Trump can certainly point to a strong , if volatile , stock market that had gained 43 % as of Friday .
But that 's no better than on par with the gains seen during President Barack Obama 's second term in office .
Meanwhile : • Manufacturing in Michigan has been down sharply since the pandemic hit in March but even before that , it had only grown slightly , by about 1 % , compared with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during Obama 's second term .
• Auto and auto parts manufacturers in Michigan employed about 2,400 fewer people as of February of this year , before the pandemic , compared with when Trump took office in January 2017 .
• While overall wages in Michigan since 2016 were up by about 9 % as of May 2019 — the most recent date wage estimates were reported by federal analysts — compared with to about 2 % under Obama 's last three years , growth among production workers ' wages has actually slowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % during Trump 's term .
And it 's not yet known how far that has fallen in the recent recession .
`` ( With Trump ) it 's pretty much just been a continuation of the same economic atmosphere we had under the Obama administration , '' said Sean Crawford , a 38-year-old materials driver at Flint Truck Assembly who has worked for General Motors since 2008 and who discounts Trump 's talk of helping workers as `` symbolic window-dressing . ''
In recent years , he has seen GM 's Lordstown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ production of the Blazer moved to Mexico and some functions at other plants outsourced to third-party vendors .
`` I 'm not saying Trump specifically is responsible but his policies have n't been friendly toward labor . ''
That 's not to say Trump has n't had some victories .
As promised , his administration renegotiated NAFTA , though Democrats in Congress had a strong hand in the final product , and it is far from clear just how large an effect the changes made in requiring more auto content produced by workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which should shift some work away from Mexico and back into the U.S. — will have for U.S. autoworkers in the years to come .
Meanwhile , two new major assembly facilities have been announced since Trump took office in January 2017 , a Jeep plant on Detroit 's east side and , last month , Ford said it would build a $ 700 million plant at its Rouge complex to make the all-electric F-150 truck .
General Motors has announced it 's investing $ 150 million in its existing Michigan plants .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ misrepresents the magnitude of new facilities and ignores setbacks such as a 40-day strike that rocked GM last year and the idling of several plants nationwide , including Warren transmission .
And a large percentage of vehicles sold in the U.S. still clearly come from , or have content originating from , outside the country .
A look at statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration each year indicates that among the Detroit-based automakers , General Motors , Ford and Fiat Chrysler ( or FCA ) , the average percentage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down — not up — since Trump took office in 2017 .
There are varied reasons for that , as automakers shift product lineups in a globally connected supply chain and react to a long-predicted slowdown .
But that does n't change the promises Trump has made and continues to make .
In a speech accepting his reelection nomination on Aug. 27 , he said , `` Over the next four years , we will make America into the manufacturing superpower of the world , '' reiterating the message from the last campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Dow Jones Industrial Average — a list of stocks that has come to represent the strength of American investments — has continued to rise , that does n't benefit everyone .
Not all Americans have stocks , with some surveys showing the figure without them approaching almost half of families — with the greatest number of those without in the lowest income brackets .
Neither Michigan nor the U.S. has seen any economy-changing resurgence in manufacturing jobs , despite gains in some other parts of the country prior to COVID .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ FCA saw slowdowns in 2019 that , in several cases , led plants to be closed .
Even before the pandemic , Michigan saw trade-related job losses more than double from 2017-19 compared with 2014-16 .
The 40-day national strike by the UAW of GM went ahead in 2019 with Trump saying little more than that he was `` sad '' about it , despite having touted himself as an expert deal-maker and ally of autoworkers .
Meanwhile , the trade deficit between U.S. imports versus exports in autos and auto parts grew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the last full year of Obama 's term , to about $ 209 billion in 2019 .
A long-threatened 25 % tariff on imported autos and auto parts — sparked by dubious claim that imports threaten national security — has been shelved for more than a year with questions about whether it would do more harm than good and whether the president even has the legal authority to resurrect it .
Some Michigan autoworkers say the problem is n't with Trump , but with opponents in the Democratic Party or even among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get things done and there are forces ... blatantly trying to undermine his efforts , '' said John McIntosh , 58 , who works on the design staff at GM 's Technical Center Warren .
`` That 's why some people might believe he has n't gotten through with everything he 's promised .
I assure you it 's not because of a lack of effort on his part . ''
The president 's party , however , controlled both chambers of Congress for the first two years of his term , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lift to get things done , as it was in the case of a 2017 tax cut that reduced rates for corporations and wage-earners , especially those in higher income brackets .
But in many areas , such as infrastructure , little has changed , and there are arguments to be made that several of his actions — from sparking a trade war with China to overselling his ability to make deals that would guarantee more jobs for manufacturers — have had little effect , if not a negative one , to date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times reported that job growth had slowed in Michigan and some other states most directly linked with Trump 's election amid Trump 's trade wars .
Here 's a look at some of Trump 's promises and what the economic data shows for Michigan : There 's no question that Trump went into the 2016 campaign with Michigan and manufacturing — specifically automaking — on his mind .
Early on , he chastised Ford for moving production to Mexico and in the weeks leading up to the election he said he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former manufacturing might .
`` My plan includes a pledge to restore manufacturing in the United States .
We are going to start making things again , '' he said at a Halloween rally in Grand Rapids that year .
A few days later , on Nov. 6 , he told a packed audience at Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights he would make Michigan `` the manufacturing hub of the world once again , '' repeating it several times .
He went on to win Michigan by just two-tenths of 1 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11,000 votes .
And Trump has said again and again that it was his promises to workers that turned the trick .
The U.S. has — or had , prior to the onslaught of COVID-19 — created manufacturing jobs , without question : In February , national manufacturing employment was 12.85 million , up about 3.9 % , or 483,000 jobs from the 12.37 million figure when Trump took office in January 2017 .
But that February figure was still down slightly from where it had been , at 12.87 million , near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that overall increase by February 2020 was better than the 3.2 % increase , or about 386,000 manufacturing jobs , Obama saw created over his second term , the difference would n't suggest a massive resurgence .
Meanwhile , in the last eight months , manufacturing has dropped precipitously .
As of last month , it was at 12.2 million nationally , a loss of 164,000 jobs — or about 1.3 % — compared with towhen Trump took office .
Michigan did better under Obama 's second term When Trump took office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the manufacturing sector , including autos and auto parts , according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics ( BLS ) , which tracks employment data .
That number would grow to 634,200 by December 2018 , before falling by February of this year to 623,700 .
That amounts to growth over the president 's first term of 6,600 jobs , or about 1 % .
Compare that with Obama 's second term , however , when Michigan manufacturing grew by nearly 78,600 jobs , or nearly 14.6 % .
Not that either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to be : Twenty years ago , about 890,000 Michiganders worked in manufacturing and various forces — global supply chains , competition , technological advances and productivity gains — have all had a role in reducing that number .
`` The unhappy fact is that it was n't like we were having this great big comeback , '' said John Austin , director of the Ann Arbor-based Michigan Economic Center , which researches the state 's economic future and coordinates with policy leaders on potential changes and outcomes .
`` Certainly during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been helped . ''
Austin has also written that Michigan 's reliance on manufacturing and the global forces that have buffeted that industry in recent decades make it potentially even more susceptible to `` deeper and extended economic impacts '' from any long-term economic slowdown caused by coronavirus .
Auto jobs in Michigan have stalled too What 's true for manufacturing overall generally holds for auto manufacturing jobs in Michigan as well .
As of February , motor vehicle manufacturers ' employed 40,300 , down from the 42,300 when Trump took office .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was at 131,500 , down slightly from 131,900 in January 2017 .
Both , however , rose dramatically during Obama 's second term .
Kristin Dziczek , vice president of industry , labor & economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor said Michigan 's auto industry `` had a strong recovery through about 2017 and then it kind of started to level off . ''
During the strike , she said employment fell , then recovered .
But because of global forces , trade issues , cyclical slowdowns and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ramp up in years when workers contracts are being negotiated then drop until the next one — `` It did n't recover all the way . ''
Then , the pandemic hit , and although plants are largely reopened — or were fitted to make ventilators or other equipment — employment is still well down on lagging demand .
Auto and auto parts manufacturing together employed 156,000 in the state in August , the most recent figure put out by BLS .
That 's down from 169,100 in March but up from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Any additional shocks caused by COVID-19 in Michigan or anywhere else could send that number falling again , however .
`` You need healthy workers , healthy demand and healthy supply chains , '' Dziczek said , rattling off the lessons taught by COVID-19 .
`` ( They ) are all connected . ''

Despite disappointing reports, Trump touts economy Despite a rise in first time unemployment claims and a second dismal economic report, President Trump touted his economic stewardship at a small rally near the birthplace of his political rival, Joe Biden. (Aug. 20) AP
President Donald Trump ran for election in 2016 on a promise to restore and protect manufacturing jobs across the U.S. and nowhere did he make that guarantee more fervently than in Michigan, where he said he'd take bold action if necessary to remake the state's predominant auto industry.
Four years later, however, there is not much doubt that he and his administration have failed to take significant steps to make Michigan — as he said at a rally in Sterling Heights the weekend before the 2016 election — "the manufacturing hub of the world once again."
Even before a recession spurred by COVID-19 took hold this year, it was clear that earlier job and wage gains seen in Michigan were slowing, despite the president's continued claims that he had helped create "the best economy ever seen."
Since then, it's gotten far, far worse, with some 272,000 fewer people working in the state in September compared with a year ago and the unemployment rate 5.4 percentage points higher despite the recovery being well underway.
A vehicle is shown supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Sept. 13, 2016. Paul Sancya, AP
The administration's handling – or mishandling, as many of the president's critics believe – of the pandemic may be the most important challenge he faces in his reelection bid. But his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, and the Democrats are already trying to use the slowdown in manufacturing against him, while Trump is hitting Biden for his vote as a senator more than a quarter century ago for the North American Free Trade Agreement, which many believe caused the state to lose jobs, though Biden had supported reworking the deal.
There's nothing unusual about inflamed political rhetoric. But Trump's 2016 argument for winning in the industrial Midwest was almost entirely about reversing what he described as decades of bad trade agreements overnight and his ability to force new deals on trading partners that would revitalize manufacturing, a broad sector of the economy that covers making everything from cars and trucks to boats, chemicals, paper products, furniture, aerospace equipment and more.
Now, with Trump running for reelection, that record is on the line, especially with Biden running on a labor-friendly message and a claim he can help create 1 million new auto or auto-related jobs by hastening already emerging growth in electric and electric-hybrid vehicles.
Trump can certainly point to a strong, if volatile, stock market that had gained 43% as of Friday. But that's no better than on par with the gains seen during President Barack Obama's second term in office. Meanwhile:
Manufacturing in Michigan has been down sharply since the pandemic hit in March but even before that, it had only grown slightly, by about 1%, compared with a much larger growth of nearly 15% during Obama's second term.
Auto and auto parts manufacturers in Michigan employed about 2,400 fewer people as of February of this year, before the pandemic, compared with when Trump took office in January 2017.
While overall wages in Michigan since 2016 were up by about 9% as of May 2019 — the most recent date wage estimates were reported by federal analysts — compared with to about 2% under Obama's last three years, growth among production workers' wages has actually slowed from 6% under Obama to 3% during Trump's term. And it's not yet known how far that has fallen in the recent recession.
Sean Crawford. Sean Crawford
"(With Trump) it's pretty much just been a continuation of the same economic atmosphere we had under the Obama administration," said Sean Crawford, a 38-year-old materials driver at Flint Truck Assembly who has worked for General Motors since 2008 and who discounts Trump's talk of helping workers as "symbolic window-dressing." In recent years, he has seen GM's Lordstown, Ohio, plant shuttered, final production of the Blazer moved to Mexico and some functions at other plants outsourced to third-party vendors. "I'm not saying Trump specifically is responsible but his policies haven't been friendly toward labor."
Gains uneven despite some successes
That's not to say Trump hasn't had some victories.
As promised, his administration renegotiated NAFTA, though Democrats in Congress had a strong hand in the final product, and it is far from clear just how large an effect the changes made in requiring more auto content produced by workers making above $16 an hour — which should shift some work away from Mexico and back into the U.S. — will have for U.S. autoworkers in the years to come.
Meanwhile, two new major assembly facilities have been announced since Trump took office in January 2017, a Jeep plant on Detroit's east side and, last month, Ford said it would build a $700 million plant at its Rouge complex to make the all-electric F-150 truck. General Motors has announced it's investing $150 million in its existing Michigan plants.
But Trump on the campaign trail repeatedly misrepresents the magnitude of new facilities and ignores setbacks such as a 40-day strike that rocked GM last year and the idling of several plants nationwide, including Warren transmission.
And a large percentage of vehicles sold in the U.S. still clearly come from, or have content originating from, outside the country. A look at statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration each year indicates that among the Detroit-based automakers, General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler (or FCA), the average percentage of U.S.-Canadian content in their product lineups went down — not up — since Trump took office in 2017.
There are varied reasons for that, as automakers shift product lineups in a globally connected supply chain and react to a long-predicted slowdown. But that doesn't change the promises Trump has made and continues to make. In a speech accepting his reelection nomination on Aug. 27, he said, "Over the next four years, we will make America into the manufacturing superpower of the world," reiterating the message from the last campaign.
And while Trump can legitimately claim that the Dow Jones Industrial Average — a list of stocks that has come to represent the strength of American investments — has continued to rise, that doesn't benefit everyone. Not all Americans have stocks, with some surveys showing the figure without them approaching almost half of families — with the greatest number of those without in the lowest income brackets.
Neither Michigan nor the U.S. has seen any economy-changing resurgence in manufacturing jobs, despite gains in some other parts of the country prior to COVID.
General Motors announced the closing of GM Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant on Nov. 26, 2018. GM also announced the closing of two other assembly plants, one in Lordstown, Ohio and one in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Elaine Cromie, Special to The Free Press
Domestic automakers General Motors, Ford and FCA saw slowdowns in 2019 that, in several cases, led plants to be closed. Even before the pandemic, Michigan saw trade-related job losses more than double from 2017-19 compared with 2014-16. The 40-day national strike by the UAW of GM went ahead in 2019 with Trump saying little more than that he was "sad" about it, despite having touted himself as an expert deal-maker and ally of autoworkers.
Meanwhile, the trade deficit between U.S. imports versus exports in autos and auto parts grew from about $196.5 billion in 2016, the last full year of Obama's term, to about $209 billion in 2019. A long-threatened 25% tariff on imported autos and auto parts — sparked by dubious claim that imports threaten national security — has been shelved for more than a year with questions about whether it would do more harm than good and whether the president even has the legal authority to resurrect it.
Some Michigan autoworkers say the problem isn't with Trump, but with opponents in the Democratic Party or even among other Republicans.
"He has tried to get things done and there are forces ... blatantly trying to undermine his efforts," said John McIntosh, 58, who works on the design staff at GM's Technical Center Warren. "That's why some people might believe he hasn't gotten through with everything he's promised. I assure you it's not because of a lack of effort on his part."
John McIntosh. John McIntosh
The president's party, however, controlled both chambers of Congress for the first two years of his term, suggesting it should have been an easier lift to get things done, as it was in the case of a 2017 tax cut that reduced rates for corporations and wage-earners, especially those in higher income brackets. But in many areas, such as infrastructure, little has changed, and there are arguments to be made that several of his actions — from sparking a trade war with China to overselling his ability to make deals that would guarantee more jobs for manufacturers — have had little effect, if not a negative one, to date. Late last year, the New York Times reported that job growth had slowed in Michigan and some other states most directly linked with Trump's election amid Trump's trade wars.
Here's a look at some of Trump's promises and what the economic data shows for Michigan:
No major upswing in manufacturing jobs
There's no question that Trump went into the 2016 campaign with Michigan and manufacturing — specifically automaking — on his mind. Early on, he chastised Ford for moving production to Mexico and in the weeks leading up to the election he said he had plans to return the U.S. to its former manufacturing might.
"My plan includes a pledge to restore manufacturing in the United States. We are going to start making things again," he said at a Halloween rally in Grand Rapids that year. A few days later, on Nov. 6, he told a packed audience at Freedom Hill Amphitheater in Sterling Heights he would make Michigan "the manufacturing hub of the world once again," repeating it several times.
He went on to win Michigan by just two-tenths of 1%, beating Hillary Clinton by less than 11,000 votes. And Trump has said again and again that it was his promises to workers that turned the trick.
President-elect Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he arrives onstage at the DeltaPlex Arena, December 9, 2016, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. President-elect Donald Trump is continuing his victory tour across the country. Drew Angerer, Getty Images
The U.S. has — or had, prior to the onslaught of COVID-19 — created manufacturing jobs, without question: In February, national manufacturing employment was 12.85 million, up about 3.9%, or 483,000 jobs from the 12.37 million figure when Trump took office in January 2017.
But that February figure was still down slightly from where it had been, at 12.87 million, near the end of 2019. And while that overall increase by February 2020 was better than the 3.2% increase, or about 386,000 manufacturing jobs, Obama saw created over his second term, the difference wouldn't suggest a massive resurgence.
Meanwhile, in the last eight months, manufacturing has dropped precipitously. As of last month, it was at 12.2 million nationally, a loss of 164,000 jobs — or about 1.3% — compared with towhen Trump took office.
Michigan did better under Obama's second term
When Trump took office, there were about 617,100 Michigan workers in the manufacturing sector, including autos and auto parts, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which tracks employment data. That number would grow to 634,200 by December 2018, before falling by February of this year to 623,700. That amounts to growth over the president's first term of 6,600 jobs, or about 1%.
Compare that with Obama's second term, however, when Michigan manufacturing grew by nearly 78,600 jobs, or nearly 14.6%.
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Not that either can compare their numbers to what they used to be: Twenty years ago, about 890,000 Michiganders worked in manufacturing and various forces — global supply chains, competition, technological advances and productivity gains — have all had a role in reducing that number.
"The unhappy fact is that it wasn't like we were having this great big comeback," said John Austin, director of the Ann Arbor-based Michigan Economic Center, which researches the state's economic future and coordinates with policy leaders on potential changes and outcomes. "Certainly during Trump's tenure, Michigan hasn't been helped."
Austin has also written that Michigan's reliance on manufacturing and the global forces that have buffeted that industry in recent decades make it potentially even more susceptible to "deeper and extended economic impacts" from any long-term economic slowdown caused by coronavirus.
Auto jobs in Michigan have stalled too
What's true for manufacturing overall generally holds for auto manufacturing jobs in Michigan as well. As of February, motor vehicle manufacturers' employed 40,300, down from the 42,300 when Trump took office. Auto parts employment, a larger sector, was at 131,500, down slightly from 131,900 in January 2017. Both, however, rose dramatically during Obama's second term.
Kristin Dziczek, vice president of industry, labor & economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor said Michigan's auto industry "had a strong recovery through about 2017 and then it kind of started to level off." During the strike, she said employment fell, then recovered. But because of global forces, trade issues, cyclical slowdowns and the pace of investment — which tends to ramp up in years when workers contracts are being negotiated then drop until the next one — "It didn't recover all the way."
Then, the pandemic hit, and although plants are largely reopened — or were fitted to make ventilators or other equipment — employment is still well down on lagging demand. Auto and auto parts manufacturing together employed 156,000 in the state in August, the most recent figure put out by BLS. That's down from 169,100 in March but up from the nadir of 89,400 jobs in April.
Any additional shocks caused by COVID-19 in Michigan or anywhere else could send that number falling again, however. "You need healthy workers, healthy demand and healthy supply chains," Dziczek said, rattling off the lessons taught by COVID-19. "(They) are all connected."
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION IMAGES: Getty Images; AFP


usatoday--2020-10-27--Woman wounded in fatal Waukegan police shooting: 'Our 7-month-old son will never know his father'

CHICAGO – A Black woman wounded in the fatal police shooting of a Black teen in Illinois said Tuesday that a Waukegan police officer fired on her and her boyfriend while they had their hands raised in the air .
A police officer in Waukegan , just north of Chicago , shot and killed Marcellis Stinnette , 19 , and wounded Tafara Williams , 20 , on Oct. 20 when the car they were in allegedly reversed toward the officer , who fired into the car , according to police .
The officer , who was identified only as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was terminated Friday night `` for multiple policy and procedure violations , '' Department Commander Edgar Navarro said in a news release .
Video of the shooting will be released this week , the city 's mayor said Monday .
Williams , who suffered several gunshot wounds and remains hospitalized , spoke via Zoom at a press conference Tuesday with her lawyers , parents , aunt , brother and sister , who sang a song in Williams ' honor .
She offered a starkly different narrative of what happened that night .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
I lost the love of my life and the father of my 7-month-old son , '' Williams said through tears , seated on a hospital bed in a gown .
'Mama , they just shot us for nothing ' : Illinois police officer fatally shoots Black teen , injures woman Williams , the mother of two , said she had just put her children to bed and went outside the house to sit in the driver ’ s seat of her car to smoke , with Stinnette in the passenger seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up behind my parked car .
He didn ’ t turn on his lights or his sirens .
He got out of the police car , so I rolled down all the windows and turned on all the lights so the officer could see I had no weapons , and I wasn ’ t doing anything illegal , '' Williams said .
Williams said the officer called them both by name and started harassing Stinnette .
`` He stood near the car with his left hand on his gun , and he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from jail , ' '' Williams said .
Williams said that 's when she asked the officer if they could leave .
Williams said the officer `` took a few steps away from the car and got on his cell phone , '' and she drove away slowly because she was `` scared to get out of the car . ''
Williams said she drove several blocks away , and that the officer was not following her .
When she turned a corner , Williams said she saw another officer .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The officer was shooting at us .
The car ended up slamming into a building .
I kept screaming ' I don ’ t have a gun , ' but he kept shooting , '' Williams said .
`` He told me to get out of the car .
I had my hands up and I couldn ’ t move because I had been shot .
Marcellis had his hands up .
I kept asking him why he was shooting . ''
Williams said her blood was `` gushing '' out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't give them an ambulance until they got out of the car .
`` I could hear Marcellis still breathing .
I told them 'please don ’ t shoot I have a baby , we have a baby , we don ’ t want to die . '
'' Williams said an officer dragged her away from Stinnette and laid him on the ground and covered him with a blanket `` while he was still breathing . ''
Williams said she asked the officers to take Stinnette in the ambulance first , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart is completely broken , not only because I watched someone I love get shot , be in complete pain and die , but also because our 7-month-old son will never know his father , '' Williams said in a separate statement Tuesday .
Stinnette died of injuries from a gunshot wound , according to a preliminary autopsy report released last week .
Marcellis Stinnette : Illinois police officer who fatally shot Black teen has been fired Last week , Department Commander Edgar Navarro offered a different picture of what happened .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before midnight , when an officer approached a `` suspicious '' vehicle .
As the officer was conducting his investigation , the vehicle fled and was spotted moments later by another officer , who got out of his car to approach the vehicle , Navarro said .
`` That officer exited his vehicle , and the vehicle that he was investigating began to reverse towards the officer .
The officer then pulled out his duty weapon and fired into the vehicle , '' Navarro said .
The initial police report said the officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
He struck both Stinnette and Williams .
They both were taken to the hospital , where Stinnette died .
No firearms were found in the vehicle , Navarro said .
He did not elaborate on why the vehicle was initially stopped .
Illinois State Police 's Public Integrity Task Force was investigating the incident , and the Waukegan Police Department had turned over all reports , body cam and dashcam videos , Navarro said .
Lake County State 's Attorney Michael Nerheim said last week he would review the state police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ file '' available to the public once complete .
Family members and activists in Waukegan have held several marches and vigils in the past eight days , calling for justice for Stinnette and Williams .
`` Tafara is my child .
My only baby , '' Tina Johnson said through tears .
`` I ’ m asking you to pray for her , and my grandson Marcellis Stinnette , Jr. '' Trevor Williams , William 's father , said he wasn ’ t sleeping at night .
`` I ’ m asking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some help , '' he said .
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio M. Romanucci – who represent the families of George Floyd , Daniel Prude , Byron Williams and others – are representing Williams and said they would conduct their own investigation .
`` Once again , we stand before you and we talk about needless harm .
Harm that should never have happened .
Death that should never have happened , '' Romanucci said Tuesday .
`` He profiled these poor people because of the color of their skin .
That was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime at all . ''
Crump was expected to hold another press conference with the Rev .
Al Sharpton Tuesday night .
And social justice organizations from Chicago , Milwaukee , Kenosha and St. Paul were expected to attend a march in Waukegan Wednesday afternoon .
`` We were able to get the police fired because of his misconduct , and I ’ m not giving up 'til he ’ s arrested and charged , '' said Clyde McLemore , a 25-year resident of Waukegan and the founder of Lake County 's Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of more than 86,000 , Waukegan is majority Hispanic or Latino and about a quarter non-Hispanic white and a quarter Black , according to the Census Bureau .
The city is about 15 miles south of Kenosha , Wisconsin , where Jacob Blake , 29 , was shot in the back multiple times as he was getting into a car , triggering unrest in the city and sparking protests around the nation .
Of the more than 5,700 people police have shot since 2015 , 24 % were Black , even though Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. population , according to a Washington Post database of fatal shootings by on-duty police officers .
`` This happened to my child and her boyfriend , '' Johnson said .
`` If America doesn ’ t stop this disease of violence , it could be anyone 's child . ''

Woman wounded in fatal Illinois police shooting: 'Our 7-month-old son will never know his father'
Show Caption Hide Caption Waukegan shooting: Advocacy groups call for special prosecutor Bishop Tavis Grant of Rainbow P.U.S.H. Coalition speaks during a rally held in Waukegan following a police shooting that left a Black man dead. Associated Press, USA TODAY
CHICAGO – A Black woman wounded in the fatal police shooting of a Black teen in Illinois said Tuesday that a Waukegan police officer fired on her and her boyfriend while they had their hands raised in the air.
A police officer in Waukegan, just north of Chicago, shot and killed Marcellis Stinnette, 19, and wounded Tafara Williams, 20, on Oct. 20 when the car they were in allegedly reversed toward the officer, who fired into the car, according to police.
The officer, who was identified only as a Hispanic five-year member of the department, was terminated Friday night "for multiple policy and procedure violations," Department Commander Edgar Navarro said in a news release.
Video of the shooting will be released this week, the city's mayor said Monday.
Williams, who suffered several gunshot wounds and remains hospitalized, spoke via Zoom at a press conference Tuesday with her lawyers, parents, aunt, brother and sister, who sang a song in Williams' honor. She offered a starkly different narrative of what happened that night.
"I lost more than my boyfriend that day. I lost the love of my life and the father of my 7-month-old son," Williams said through tears, seated on a hospital bed in a gown.
'Mama, they just shot us for nothing': Illinois police officer fatally shoots Black teen, injures woman
Williams, the mother of two, said she had just put her children to bed and went outside the house to sit in the driver’s seat of her car to smoke, with Stinnette in the passenger seat.
"An officer arrived and pulled up behind my parked car. He didn’t turn on his lights or his sirens. He got out of the police car, so I rolled down all the windows and turned on all the lights so the officer could see I had no weapons, and I wasn’t doing anything illegal," Williams said.
Williams said the officer called them both by name and started harassing Stinnette. "He stood near the car with his left hand on his gun, and he said to Marcellis, 'I know you from jail,'" Williams said.
Williams said that's when she asked the officer if they could leave. Williams said the officer "took a few steps away from the car and got on his cell phone," and she drove away slowly because she was "scared to get out of the car."
Williams said she drove several blocks away, and that the officer was not following her. When she turned a corner, Williams said she saw another officer.
"There was a crash and I lost control. The officer was shooting at us. The car ended up slamming into a building. I kept screaming 'I don’t have a gun,' but he kept shooting," Williams said. "He told me to get out of the car. I had my hands up and I couldn’t move because I had been shot. Marcellis had his hands up. I kept asking him why he was shooting."
Williams said her blood was "gushing" out of her body, but that the officers wouldn't give them an ambulance until they got out of the car.
"I could hear Marcellis still breathing. I told them 'please don’t shoot I have a baby, we have a baby, we don’t want to die.'"
Williams said an officer dragged her away from Stinnette and laid him on the ground and covered him with a blanket "while he was still breathing." Williams said she asked the officers to take Stinnette in the ambulance first, but they didn't.
"My heart is completely broken, not only because I watched someone I love get shot, be in complete pain and die, but also because our 7-month-old son will never know his father," Williams said in a separate statement Tuesday.
Stinnette died of injuries from a gunshot wound, according to a preliminary autopsy report released last week.
Marcellis Stinnette: Illinois police officer who fatally shot Black teen has been fired
Last week, Department Commander Edgar Navarro offered a different picture of what happened. According to Navarro, the incident happened just before midnight, when an officer approached a "suspicious" vehicle. As the officer was conducting his investigation, the vehicle fled and was spotted moments later by another officer, who got out of his car to approach the vehicle, Navarro said.
"That officer exited his vehicle, and the vehicle that he was investigating began to reverse towards the officer. The officer then pulled out his duty weapon and fired into the vehicle," Navarro said.
The initial police report said the officer was "in fear for his safety." He struck both Stinnette and Williams. They both were taken to the hospital, where Stinnette died.
No firearms were found in the vehicle, Navarro said. He did not elaborate on why the vehicle was initially stopped.
Illinois State Police's Public Integrity Task Force was investigating the incident, and the Waukegan Police Department had turned over all reports, body cam and dashcam videos, Navarro said.
Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said last week he would review the state police investigation and make the "entire case file" available to the public once complete.
Family members and activists in Waukegan have held several marches and vigils in the past eight days, calling for justice for Stinnette and Williams.
"Tafara is my child. My only baby," Tina Johnson said through tears. "I’m asking you to pray for her, and my grandson Marcellis Stinnette, Jr."
Trevor Williams, William's father, said he wasn’t sleeping at night.
"I’m asking the federal government to please, give us some help," he said.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio M. Romanucci – who represent the families of George Floyd, Daniel Prude, Byron Williams and others – are representing Williams and said they would conduct their own investigation.
"Once again, we stand before you and we talk about needless harm. Harm that should never have happened. Death that should never have happened," Romanucci said Tuesday. "He profiled these poor people because of the color of their skin. That was their crime. They were committing no crime at all."
Crump was expected to hold another press conference with the Rev. Al Sharpton Tuesday night. And social justice organizations from Chicago, Milwaukee, Kenosha and St. Paul were expected to attend a march in Waukegan Wednesday afternoon.
"We were able to get the police fired because of his misconduct, and I’m not giving up 'til he’s arrested and charged," said Clyde McLemore, a 25-year resident of Waukegan and the founder of Lake County's Black Lives Matter chapter.
With a population of more than 86,000, Waukegan is majority Hispanic or Latino and about a quarter non-Hispanic white and a quarter Black, according to the Census Bureau.
The city is about 15 miles south of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake, 29, was shot in the back multiple times as he was getting into a car, triggering unrest in the city and sparking protests around the nation.
Of the more than 5,700 people police have shot since 2015, 24% were Black, even though Black Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, according to a Washington Post database of fatal shootings by on-duty police officers.
"This happened to my child and her boyfriend," Johnson said. "If America doesn’t stop this disease of violence, it could be anyone's child."


usatoday--2020-10-28--California Gov. Gavin Newsom touts 'extraordinary work' of firefighters against wind-whipped Orange

LOS ANGELES — Tens of thousands of residents in California 's Orange County remained under evacuation orders Tuesday as two wildfires continued to threaten upscale neighborhoods .
The Silverado Fire had consumed nearly 20 square miles with only 5 % containment , prompting an expansion of the evacuation orders to include sections of Mission Viejo , the Orange County Fire Authority reported .
About 70,000 Irvine residents were under evacuation order and another 6,000 in nearby Lake Forest .
In the afternoon , however , fire officials said some could begin returning home .
To the east , the Blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles — including 56 % of Chino Hills State Park at the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains , Assemblyman Philip Chen reported in his email newsletter to constituents .
There was no containment as of Tuesday night .
Officials said more than 8,700 homes are under evacuation .
They include 5,958 in the Chino Hills , 2,500 in Yorba Linda and 276 in Brea .
Ten Yorba Linda homes were damaged by the flames , but no structures had been reported lost in either of the two blazes .
California Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 90,000 Orange County residents are under evacuation orders .
He said winds were clocked at 88 mph in the county .
They gusted to 96 mph in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains .
He said the fact that there has been so little damage is a `` testament to the extraordinary work being done by local firefighters , not just our state firefighters . ''
About 1,000 firefighters were battling the Blue Ridge Fire and another 750 were on the lines of the Silverado Fire , OCFA reported .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crew were both critically burned Monday .
Both suffered second- and third-degree burns on more than half of their bodies .
Newsom said both are in critical condition .
Their efforts underscore the dangers , showing `` the extraordinary heroism of these men and women that go to the front lines , '' he said .
In Orange County , winds were expected to drop to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph later in the day , the OCFA said .
A drop in the winds allowed the use of 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended Monday .
Colorado wildfires:1 to 2 feet of snow helped contain the state 's largest-ever wildfires , but it may not be enough '' It 's windy , but not as bad as yesterday , '' OCFA Captain Thanh Nguyen said .
Cause of the fires was under investigation , but the area 's major electric utility reported it could have been the cause of one of them .
Two lines may have touched , creating a spark that set off the Silverado Fire , Southern California Edison reported to regulators .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cable lashed to a telecommunications wire came into contact with a power line carrying 12,000 volts above it , said SCE spokesman Chris Abel .
The report came despite SCE being among the state 's utilities that are preemptively cut power to 38,000 users when high winds are forecast to try to prevent wildfires – and the potential liability for any damages they cause with them .
Newsom said 42 fires were reported in the state over a 24-hour period as the winds picked up , with virtually all quickly brought under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a series of small fires broke out Sunday night but were contained .
The largest utility company , Pacific Gas & Electric , cut power to 345,000 customers as a precaution , affecting about 1 million people , but it had restored almost half of it by Monday night as the threat tapered off .

California Gov. Gavin Newsom touts 'extraordinary work' of firefighters against wind-whipped Orange County wildfires
Show Caption Hide Caption Southern California wildfires prompts thousands to evacuate The Silverado Fire and Blue Ride Fire in Southern California burns over 8,000 acres and forces thousands to evacuate their homes. Harrison Hill, USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES — Tens of thousands of residents in California's Orange County remained under evacuation orders Tuesday as two wildfires continued to threaten upscale neighborhoods.
The Silverado Fire had consumed more than 20 square miles with only 5% containment, prompting an expansion of the evacuation orders to include sections of Mission Viejo, the Orange County Fire Authority reported.
About 70,000 Irvine residents were under evacuation order and another 6,000 in nearby Lake Forest. In the afternoon, however, fire officials said some could begin returning home.
To the east, the Blue Ridge Fire has blackened more than 22 square miles — including 56% of Chino Hills State Park at the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains, Assemblyman Philip Chen reported in his email newsletter to constituents. There was no containment as of Tuesday night.
Officials said more than 8,700 homes are under evacuation. They include 5,958 in the Chino Hills, 2,500 in Yorba Linda and 276 in Brea. Ten Yorba Linda homes were damaged by the flames, but no structures had been reported lost in either of the two blazes.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that in total, more than 90,000 Orange County residents are under evacuation orders. He said winds were clocked at 88 mph in the county. They gusted to 96 mph in the nearby San Gabriel Mountains.
He said the fact that there has been so little damage is a "testament to the extraordinary work being done by local firefighters, not just our state firefighters."
Wildfires: Centuries of forest mismanagement, climate change Here's how Native Americans used controlled burns to maintain forests and why it's needed now more than ever. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
About 1,000 firefighters were battling the Blue Ridge Fire and another 750 were on the lines of the Silverado Fire, OCFA reported. It was there that two firefighters on a hand crew were both critically burned Monday. Both suffered second- and third-degree burns on more than half of their bodies.
Newsom said both are in critical condition. Their efforts underscore the dangers, showing "the extraordinary heroism of these men and women that go to the front lines," he said.
In Orange County, winds were expected to drop to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph later in the day, the OCFA said.
A drop in the winds allowed the use of 14 retardant-dropping helicopters to resume after having been suspended Monday.
Colorado wildfires: 1 to 2 feet of snow helped contain the state's largest-ever wildfires, but it may not be enough
"It's windy, but not as bad as yesterday," OCFA Captain Thanh Nguyen said.
Cause of the fires was under investigation, but the area's major electric utility reported it could have been the cause of one of them.
Two lines may have touched, creating a spark that set off the Silverado Fire, Southern California Edison reported to regulators. At 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, it appeared a cable lashed to a telecommunications wire came into contact with a power line carrying 12,000 volts above it, said SCE spokesman Chris Abel.
The report came despite SCE being among the state's utilities that are preemptively cut power to 38,000 users when high winds are forecast to try to prevent wildfires – and the potential liability for any damages they cause with them.
Newsom said 42 fires were reported in the state over a 24-hour period as the winds picked up, with virtually all quickly brought under control by firefighters.
In Northern California, a series of small fires broke out Sunday night but were contained. The largest utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric, cut power to 345,000 customers as a precaution, affecting about 1 million people, but it had restored almost half of it by Monday night as the threat tapered off.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Watch: Orphaned mountain lion cub rescued from wildfire


usatoday--2020-10-27--Report warns five states are at high risk for activity by armed groups around election

A new report says five states , including several that are presidential battlegrounds , are at a high risk for activity by armed groups of civilians around the Nov. 3 election .
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project ( ACLED ) and MilitiaWatch warned about such movements leading up to and following the election in Pennsylvania , Georgia , Michigan , Wisconsin and Oregon , especially in state capitals and surrounding towns , medium-sized cities and suburban areas .
“ Militia groups and other armed non-state actors pose a serious threat to the safety and security of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Throughout the summer and leading up to the general election , these groups have become more assertive , with activities ranging from intervening in protests to organizing kidnapping plots targeting elected officials.
” The report , titled “ Standing By : Right-Wing Militia Groups and the US Election , ” takes its name from President Donald Trump ’ s response in a recent debate when he was asked to condemn white nationalist groups and militias .
Instead , Trump told one such group , the Proud Boys , to , “ Stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several right-wing groups took as encouragement .
Armed groups use “ hybrid tactics ” ranging from training for urban and rural combat to using public relations and propaganda to acting as “ security operations ” for events .
More : Militias in Pennsylvania say they protect everyone 's rights .
Critics say that 's a sham .
“ There is an increasing narrative and trend that groups are organizing to ‘ supplement ’ the work of law enforcement or to place themselves in a narrowly defined ‘ public protection ’ role in parallel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the report said .
Pennsylvania Homeland Security Director Marcus Brown said security during the election is a main topic during discussions among his agency , the Pennsylvania Department of State , state police and the Pennsylvania National Guard .
“ The safety and security of people going out to vote is one of the issues we discuss every week , ” Brown said .
Pennsylvania is an open carry state , but there must be a balance between Second Amendment rights and the rights of voters to not feel threatened or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intimidation factor is the voter that ’ s showing up , ” he said .
“ Do they feel comfortable going into that polling place ?
” More : Trump makes campaign stops in Pa. , tries to secure large turnout as race tightens Brown acknowledged that officials are aware of the potential problems such groups might cause , but said the focus is not so much for Election Day .
“ The concern is less leading up to the election and Election Day than it is after the election if there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
ACLED and MilitaWatch identified nine , large multi-state right-wing groups that could present problems to Pennsylvania and other states , including Three Percenters , Proud Boys , Oath Keepers , Light Foot Militia , Civilian Defense Force , American Contingency , Patriot Prayer , Boogaloo Bois and People ’ s Rights .
Sam Jones , an ACLED spokesman , said his organization and MilitiaWatch have tracked more than 80 armed groups since the start of the summer , most of them right-wing groups , and identified the risks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ propensity for violence .
`` Still , these risks do not mean that violence is inevitable , '' Jones said .
`` Voters should not be intimidated .
Rather , we hope people are able to use the data to evaluate their own threat environment and organize locally to stay safe , reduce polarization in their communities and , ultimately , mitigate the risk of violence . ''
In Pennsylvania , the report says that groups to watch include Proud Boys , Boogaloo Bois , American Contingency , Civilian Defense Force , Light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an unaffiliated group specific to Pennsylvania .
There is also the Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia , the Domestic Terrorism Response Organization , a coalition formed this summer as response to the Antifa movement , and the Carlisle Light Infantry linked to the DTRO .
The Civilian Defense Force was formed this past summer to train volunteers for “ potential combat , ” the report says , and the Mountain Top Watch Militia held a recruiting event just outside Scranton , the hometown of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boys debate shoutout energized the entire far right .
The damage is done .
Armed individuals and groups have also frequently appeared at Black Lives Matter protests , claiming an intent to protect residents and property from possible rioting .
The report noted that armed groups appeared at BLM events in Juniata County and Berks County in the summer and in July several gathered in Gettysburg to allegedly protect Civil War monuments after a social media hoax fueled rumors that Antifa was planning a flag-burning event there .
Brown said officials know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
“ We have seen this touch areas from Scranton to Erie and then in smaller , more rural areas , ” he said .
“ We ’ re going to be monitoring all of it .
”

J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network PA State Capitol Bureau

Report warns that 5 states are at high risk for activity by armed groups around election
Show Caption Hide Caption Six men charged in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer A team of militia operatives is charged with conspiring to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Wibbitz - News, Wibbitz - News
A new report says five states, including several that are presidential battlegrounds, are at a high risk for activity by armed groups of civilians around the Nov. 3 election.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and MilitiaWatch warned about such movements leading up to and following the election in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon, especially in state capitals and surrounding towns, medium-sized cities and suburban areas.
“Militia groups and other armed non-state actors pose a serious threat to the safety and security of American voters,” the report said. “Throughout the summer and leading up to the general election, these groups have become more assertive, with activities ranging from intervening in protests to organizing kidnapping plots targeting elected officials.”
The report, titled “Standing By: Right-Wing Militia Groups and the US Election,” takes its name from President Donald Trump’s response in a recent debate when he was asked to condemn white nationalist groups and militias. Instead, Trump told one group, the Proud Boys, to “stand back and stand by,” which several right-wing groups took as encouragement.
Armed groups use “hybrid tactics” ranging from training for urban and rural combat to using public relations and propaganda to acting as “security operations” for events.
More: Militias in Pennsylvania say they protect everyone's rights. Critics say that's a sham.
“There is an increasing narrative and trend that groups are organizing to ‘supplement’ the work of law enforcement or to place themselves in a narrowly defined ‘public protection’ role in parallel with police departments of a given locale,” the report said.
Pennsylvania Homeland Security Director Marcus Brown said security during the election is a main topic during discussions among his agency, the Pennsylvania Department of State, state police and the Pennsylvania National Guard.
“The safety and security of people going out to vote is one of the issues we discuss every week,” Brown said.
Pennsylvania is an open carry state, but there must be a balance between Second Amendment rights and the rights of voters to not feel threatened or intimidated, Brown said.
“The intimidation factor is the voter that’s showing up,” he said. “Do they feel comfortable going into that polling place?”
More: Trump makes campaign stops in Pa., tries to secure large turnout as race tightens
Brown acknowledged that officials are aware of the potential problems such groups might cause, but said the focus is not so much for Election Day. “The concern is less leading up to the election and Election Day than it is after the election if there is disagreement as to who won the election,” he said.
ACLED and MilitaWatch identified nine, large multistate right-wing groups that could present problems to Pennsylvania and other states, including Three Percenters, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Light Foot Militia, Civilian Defense Force, American Contingency, Patriot Prayer, Boogaloo Bois and People’s Rights.
Sam Jones, an ACLED spokesman, said his organization and MilitiaWatch have tracked more than 80 armed groups since the start of the summer, most of them right-wing groups, and identified the risks related to each, such as their propensity for violence.
"Still, these risks do not mean that violence is inevitable," Jones said. "Voters should not be intimidated. Rather, we hope people are able to use the data to evaluate their own threat environment and organize locally to stay safe, reduce polarization in their communities and, ultimately, mitigate the risk of violence."
In Pennsylvania, the report says that groups to watch include Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, American Contingency, Civilian Defense Force, Light Foot Militia and Mountain Top Watch, an unaffiliated group specific to Pennsylvania.
There is also the Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, the Domestic Terrorism Response Organization, a coalition formed this summer as response to the Antifa movement, and the Carlisle Light Infantry linked to the DTRO.
The Civilian Defense Force was formed this past summer to train volunteers for “potential combat,” the report says, and the Mountain Top Watch Militia held a recruiting event just outside Scranton, the hometown of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, in September.
More: Trump's Proud Boys debate shoutout energized the entire far right. The damage is done.
Armed individuals and groups have also frequently appeared at Black Lives Matter protests, claiming an intent to protect residents and property from possible rioting.
The report noted that armed groups appeared at BLM events in Pennsylvania's Juniata County and Berks County in the summer and in July several gathered in Gettysburg to allegedly protect Civil War monuments after a social media hoax fueled rumors that Antifa was planning a flag-burning event there.
Brown said officials know that there has been armed civilian activity across the state. “We have seen this touch areas from Scranton to Erie and then in smaller, more rural areas,” he said. “We’re going to be monitoring all of it.”


usatoday--2020-10-27--White House science office lists 'ending the COVID-19 pandemic' as an accomplishment. It's not over

WASHINGTON – The White House ’ s science policy office on Tuesday listed “ ending the COVID-19 pandemic ” among the Trump administration 's first-term accomplishments , as the United States breaks records for new coronavirus cases daily .
A press release from the Office of Science and Technology Policy lists the `` decisive actions to engage scientists and health professionals in academia , industry , and government to understand , treat , and defeat the disease ” as a success .
However , the disease has not been defeated , and the White House has signaled they are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before a vaccine is available .
More : Donald Trump made many promises in 2016 and early in his term .
Which has he kept and what is he still working on ?
The U.S. reported 489,769 COVID-19 cases in just the last week , according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data .
It 's another record high since July when the nation saw a peak in cases .
The death rate has also edged back up to about 800 Americans per day , a level not seen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seven-day average of daily new cases is nearly 70,000 .
According to the Covid Tracking Project , nearly 43,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 .
President Donald Trump 's chief of staff , Mark Meadows , said Sunday that the Trump administration is `` not going to control the pandemic '' before a vaccine is available because COVID-19 `` is a contagious virus . ''
More : 'We ’ re not going to control the pandemic , ' Meadows says Fact check : COVID-19 vaccine wo n't be ready in weeks , nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Anthony Fauci , have maintained that a vaccine likely wo n't be widely available until mid-2021 .
Health officials have stressed preventative measures , such as face coverings and social distancing , as a way to control the spread .
The Trump White House and campaign have flouted some of these measures by defying state orders and federal health guidelines .
Trump rallies , for example , have left a trail of coronavirus outbreaks .
More : Trump ’ s campaign made stops nationwide .
Coronavirus cases surged in his wake in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistently downplayed the severity of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic , saying it 's `` going to disappear '' approximately 40 times , according to CNN , even as health officials are sounding the alarms as winter approaches .
Hospitals across the country have been straining with a flood of new cases , with some state 's considering rationing health care .
Medical care sites are being created , and some daily curfews have also been implemented .
El Paso issues daily curfew as COVID-19 patients flood hospitals : 'We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the U.S. has recorded more than 8.7 million cases and around 226,000 deaths , more than any other country .

White House science office lists 'ending the COVID-19 pandemic' as an accomplishment. It's not over yet.
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: How R-0 can be used to fight COVID-19 R-0 may be the most important scientific term you’ve never heard of when it comes to stopping the coronavirus pandemic. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The White House’s science policy office on Tuesday listed “ending the COVID-19 pandemic” among the Trump administration's first-term accomplishments, as the United States breaks records for new coronavirus cases daily.
The White House attempted to clarify Wednesday after a press release from the Office of Science and Technology Policy listed the "decisive actions to engage scientists and health professionals in academia, industry, and government to understand, treat, and defeat the disease” as a success.
However, the disease has not been defeated, and the White House has signaled they are not going to be able to control it before a vaccine is available.
More: Donald Trump made many promises in 2016 and early in his term. Which has he kept and what is he still working on?
The U.S. reported 489,769 COVID-19 cases in just the last week, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. It's another record high since July when the nation saw a peak in cases.
The death rate has also edged back up to about 800 Americans per day, a level not seen in more than a month, and the seven-day average of daily new cases is nearly 70,000. According to the Covid Tracking Project, nearly 43,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.
President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, said Sunday that the Trump administration is "not going to control the pandemic" before a vaccine is available because COVID-19 "is a contagious virus."
More: 'We’re not going to control the pandemic,' Meadows says
Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine won't be ready in weeks, nor mandatory
Leading health officials, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, have maintained that a vaccine likely won't be widely available until mid-2021.
Health officials have stressed preventative measures, such as face coverings and social distancing, as a way to control the spread. The Trump White House and campaign have flouted some of these measures by defying state orders and federal health guidelines. Trump rallies, for example, have left a trail of coronavirus outbreaks.
More: Trump’s campaign made stops nationwide. Coronavirus cases surged in his wake in at least five places.
White House strategic communications director Alyssa Farah attempted to clarify the press release Wednesday, saying on Fox News it was "poorly worded."
"The intent was to say that it is our goal to end the virus," Farah said. "Cases are still rising and we need the American public to remain vigilant. This is the top priority of the president, defeating this virus and rebuilding our economy."
WH Communications Director Alyssa Farah says news release lauding the Trump administration for 'ending the COVID-19 pandemic' was "poorly worded." pic.twitter.com/qgd3j54wyc — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) October 28, 2020
Trump has consistently downplayed the severity of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, saying it's "going to disappear" approximately 40 times, according to CNN, even as health officials are sounding the alarms as winter approaches.
Hospitals across the country have been straining with a flood of new cases, with some state's considering rationing health care. Medical care sites are being created, and some daily curfews have also been implemented.
El Paso issues daily curfew as COVID-19 patients flood hospitals: 'We are in a crisis stage'
As of Tuesday, the U.S. has recorded more than 8.7 million cases and around 226,000 deaths, more than any other country.
Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, Jessica Flores, Mike Stucka, David Jackson, Matthew Brown, Christal Hayes, Adrienne Dunn; USA TODAY