usatoday--2020-10-11--Trump's doctor, without addressing past tests, says president no longer a risk for transmitting COVI

Trump's doctor, without addressing past tests, says president no longer a risk for transmitting COVID-19

President Donald Trump ’ s physician said he is “ no longer considered a transmission risk to others ” on day 10 since the start of the president ’ s bout with COVID-19 .
In a memo released by the White House on Saturday night , Dr. Sean Conley added on to his previous assessment that Trump met the criteria to stop isolation .
The memo did not address whether Trump has tested negative for the virus .
`` Now at day 10 from symptom onset , fever-free for well over 24 hours and all symptoms improved , the assortment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus , '' Conley said .
The memo comes after Trump held his first public event at the White House Saturday since he tested positive Oct. 1 .
On Thursday , Conley said that Trump would be cleared to be around others again beginning Saturday and that he had completed his course of therapy for COVID-19 `` as prescribed by his team of physicians . ''
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say someone who tested positive should remain isolated until 10 days have passed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Moving forward , I will continue to monitor him clinically as he returns to an active schedule , '' Conley said in the Saturday memo .
Trump was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center over the previous weekend after his diagnosis , where he received supplemental oxygen and had a `` high fever '' before returning to the White House last Monday .
The president is scheduled to resume campaign rallies starting Monday , when he will be in Sanford , Fla .
He also has events planned for Johnstown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Des Moines , Iowa , on Wednesday .
2020 election live updates : Biden hopes Trump makes sure he 's COVID 'clear ' before events ; Christie out of hospital Was Trump ever on oxygen ?
: Health , security experts say America needs 'total honesty ' on president 's condition '' I 'm feeling great , I do n't know about you , '' Trump said in his Saturday address to hundreds of supporters at the White House .
The event occurred a day after Trump said he was `` medication-free '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He added that he did n't know the results of his most recent coronavirus test , which he said was administered earlier on Friday .
White House officials and Trump 's physician have refused to say when he last tested negative before his positive test last week .
Since Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19 , an array of White House officials and top Republicans have also tested positive , several who were in attendance at a Sept. 26 Rose Garden announcement of Trump 's Supreme Court pick .
That gathering has since been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A USA TODAY investigation found that individuals who tested positive in the president 's orbit may have exposed thousands of people across the country .
At least 6,000 people attended meetings , rallies and other gatherings with people tied to the outbreak in the White House in the week leading up to the Rose Garden event .
The Minnesota Health Department on Friday also said that nine people who reported attending president 's rally in Bemidji , Minn. last month are now positive for the virus , with one in intensive care .


usatoday--2020-10-11--Lindsey Graham opponent Jaime Harrison raises record-breaking $57 million since July, campaign says

Democrat Jaime Harrison announced Sunday that his campaign collected a record-shattering $ 57 million in contributions from July through September as he seeks to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham .
Harrison 's haul is the highest quarterly amount raised by a U.S. Senate candidate in American history , according to his campaign .
He has now raised a total of $ 86 million , a state record , in his bid to prevent Graham from winning a fourth term in the Senate .
`` This campaign is making history , because we ’ re focused on restoring hope back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's campaign spokesman , Guy King , in an email .
`` While Lindsey Graham continues playing political games in Washington , Jaime Harrison is remaining laser-focused on the real issues impacting people here — like healthcare , broadband access , and COVID relief for businesses and families .
After 25 years in Washington , Lindsey Graham has changed into someone voters no longer recognize , and these resources will be instrumental in our efforts to send Lindsey home in November . ''
More : Lindsey Graham , Jaime Harrison took part in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to respond to his opponent 's latest fundraising totals , but he and other South Carolina Republicans have criticized Harrison for collecting money from liberal groups and out-of-state donors .
Graham has until Thursday to report his campaign 's fundraising quarterly fundraising numbers .
Through June , he raised about $ 30 million for his reelection campaign , according to the Federal Election Commission .
The debate that was n't : COVID-19 dominates televised interviews with Graham and Harrison According to King 's email , Harrison 's campaign received 1.5 million contributions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His email did not specify how much of the money came from supporters in South Carolina .
The previous quarterly fundraising record belonged to Democrat Beto O ’ Rourke , who collected more than $ 38 million in the third quarter of 2018 while challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas .
Cruz narrowly defeated O'Rourke in that election .
Lindsey Graham in debate forum : Black people can go anywhere in SC politics , if they 're 'not liberal '

Lindsey Graham opponent Jaime Harrison raises record-breaking $57 million since July, campaign says
Show Caption Hide Caption Officials seek poll workers as pandemic surges State and local election officials across the U.S. are trying to recruit younger workers to staff polling places on Election Day. (Oct. 9) AP
Democrat Jaime Harrison announced Sunday that his campaign collected a record-shattering $57 million in contributions from July through September as he seeks to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Harrison's haul is the highest quarterly amount raised by a U.S. Senate candidate in American history, according to his campaign. He has now raised a total of $86 million, a state record, in his bid to prevent Graham from winning a fourth term in the Senate.
"This campaign is making history, because we’re focused on restoring hope back to South Carolina," said Harrison's campaign spokesman, Guy King, in an email. "While Lindsey Graham continues playing political games in Washington, Jaime Harrison is remaining laser-focused on the real issues impacting people here — like healthcare, broadband access, and COVID relief for businesses and families. After 25 years in Washington, Lindsey Graham has changed into someone voters no longer recognize, and these resources will be instrumental in our efforts to send Lindsey home in November."
More: Lindsey Graham, Jaime Harrison took part in separate interviews instead of debating
Graham has yet to respond to his opponent's latest fundraising totals, but he and other South Carolina Republicans have criticized Harrison for collecting money from liberal groups and out-of-state donors.
Graham has until Thursday to report his campaign's fundraising quarterly fundraising numbers. Through June, he raised about $30 million for his reelection campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.
The debate that wasn't: COVID-19 dominates televised interviews with Graham and Harrison
According to King's email, Harrison's campaign received 1.5 million contributions averaging $37 from 994,000 donors. His email did not specify how much of the money came from supporters in South Carolina.
The previous quarterly fundraising record belonged to Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who collected more than $38 million in the third quarter of 2018 while challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas. Cruz narrowly defeated O'Rourke in that election.
Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM.
Lindsey Graham in debate forum: Black people can go anywhere in SC politics, if they're 'not liberal'


usatoday--2020-10-11--Patriots shut down practice after new positive COVID test; Broncos game moved, per report

Sunday morning didn ’ t bring good news to the New England Patriots .
According to multiple reports , the Patriots have shut down Gillette Stadium after having another positive test for COVID-19 .
This marks the third person in Foxboro to test positive this week and the fourth overall .
The Patriots ' game against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium is being moved to next Sunday , forcing the Oct. 18 game between Miami Dolphins and Broncos to be rescheduled as well , ESPN reported .
The problems started last weekend when Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night — after Newton took an early test and was in the building and at practice .
The NFL pushed their game in Kansas City a day later and the Patriots traveled to Missouri on the same day that they played .
That decision might have been costly .
Due to COVID-19′s incubation period , it was impossible to tell if any of the Patriots on the team busses or multiple airplanes had the virus .
As it turned out , people did .
Stephon Gilmore , who played 100 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He reportedly had dinner with Newton the evening before the quarterback found out about his positive test .
The Pats also had practice squad defensive lineman Bill Murray test positive this week .
The multiple positive tests forced the league to shutdown Gillette Stadium on Wednesday , Thursday and Friday .
Instead of practicing , the Patriots held virtual meetings .
With no new negative results , the Patriots returned to practice on Saturday .
As it turns out , the negative tests before that day didn ’ t mean everyone was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this virus has made it tough to determine when teams and players are set to resume .
The Patriots were set to have a walkthrough on Sunday .
Now , players and coaches will stay in their homes .
If they play , they ’ ll do so with one practice after the Broncos had a full week of practices .
On Saturday , Bill Belichick accurately described the team ’ s situation as “ hour-by-hour.
” “ One thing that we ’ ve learned this year repeatedly has been we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to changes and modifications in the way we do things and in some cases decisions that really come down to a very short amount of time that we have to be ready to adjust to , ” Belichick said .
“ We ’ re certainly taking things day by day , probably hour by hour would be more accurate .
We ’ ll just see how we progress and then as we find out more on our end or if there are other things externally that we can ’ t control that affect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with those as they come .
”

Patriots shut down practice after new positive COVID test; Broncos game moved, per report
Show Caption Hide Caption Lorenzo's Locks: Three best bets to consider for NFL Week 5 SportsPulse: Lorenzo Reyes almost had his first perfect weekend in Week 4, but he's still on a roll. In Week 5 he gives you his three best bets. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
Sunday morning didn’t bring good news to the New England Patriots.
According to multiple reports, the Patriots have shut down Gillette Stadium after having another positive test for COVID-19. This marks the third person in Foxborough to test positive this week and the fourth overall.
The Patriots' game against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium is being moved to next Sunday, forcing the Oct. 18 game between Miami Dolphins and Broncos to be rescheduled as well, ESPN reported.
The problems started last weekend when Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19. The team found out late Friday night — after Newton took an early test and was in the building and at practice. The NFL pushed their game in Kansas City a day later and the Patriots traveled to Missouri on the same day that they played.
Stephon Gilmore, who played 100% of the defensive snaps, tested positive on Wednesday. According to multiple reports, he had dinner with Newton the evening before the quarterback found out about his positive test.
The Pats also placed practice squad defensive lineman Bill Murray on the COVID-19 reserve list. The multiple positive tests forced the league to shutdown Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Instead of practicing, the Patriots held virtual meetings. With no new negative results, the Patriots returned to practice on Saturday.
As it turns out, the negative tests before that day didn’t mean everyone was in the clear. The inconsistent incubation of this virus has made it tough to determine when teams and players are set to resume.
The Patriots were set to have a walkthrough on Sunday. Now, players and coaches will stay in their homes. If they play, they’ll do so with one practice after the Broncos had a full week of practices.
On Saturday, Bill Belichick accurately described the team’s situation as “hour-by-hour.”
“One thing that we’ve learned this year repeatedly has been we have to be ready to adjust and adapt to changes and modifications in the way we do things and in some cases decisions that really come down to a very short amount of time that we have to be ready to adjust to,” Belichick said. “We’re certainly taking things day by day, probably hour by hour would be more accurate. We’ll just see how we progress and then as we find out more on our end or if there are other things externally that we can’t control that affect us, then we’ll deal with those as they come.”


usatoday--2020-10-11--Titans' COVID-19 outbreak continues with staff member testing positive Sunday, threatening Bills gam

NASHVILLE , Tenn. — After steps forward Friday and Saturday , the Titans took another step back Sunday .
The team on Sunday had one staff member test positive for COVID-19 , another setback in a month full of them .
It was n't immediately clear how Sunday 's positive test would affect the Titans ' rescheduled game against the Buffalo Bills at 6 p.m. Tuesday .
“ This morning we learned that a staff member tested positive , '' the Titans said in a statement Sunday .
`` We have temporarily closed our facility and are in communication with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... All media scheduled for today will be re-scheduled . ''
It marked the ninth time in the last 13 days that Tennessee returned at least one positive coronavirus test .
The Titans , dealing with the league 's first teamwide coronavirus outbreak , had returned to their team facility Saturday for the first time since it was forced to close on Sept. 29 .
A total of 24 members of the team , including 13 players and 11 personnel , have tested positive since Sept. 24 .
The outbreak , which included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday , forced the NFL to postpone the Titans ' originally scheduled Sunday game at Nissan Stadium until Tuesday .
Titans-Bills would represent the NFL 's first Tuesday game since the Vikings played the Eagles in Philadelphia on Dec. 28 , 2010 .
A blizzard delayed that originally scheduled Sunday game .
Before that , the NFL had n't had a Tuesday game since 1946 .
The list of Titans players who have been placed on the COVID-19/reserve list since Sept. 24 are :

Titans' COVID-19 outbreak continues with staff member testing positive Sunday, threatening Bills game
Show Caption Hide Caption Lorenzo's Locks: Three best bets to consider for NFL Week 5 SportsPulse: Lorenzo Reyes almost had his first perfect weekend in Week 4, but he's still on a roll. In Week 5 he gives you his three best bets. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After steps forward Friday and Saturday, the Titans took another step back Sunday.
The team on Sunday had one staff member test positive for COVID-19, another setback in a month full of them. It wasn't immediately clear how Sunday's positive test would affect the Titans' rescheduled game against the Buffalo Bills at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
“This morning we learned that a staff member tested positive," the Titans said in a statement Sunday. "We have temporarily closed our facility and are in communication with the league on the next steps. ... All media scheduled for today will be re-scheduled."
It marked the ninth time in the last 13 days that Tennessee returned at least one positive coronavirus test.
The Titans, dealing with the league's first teamwide coronavirus outbreak, had returned to their team facility Saturday for the first time since it was forced to close on Sept. 29.
A total of 24 members of the team, including 13 players and 11 personnel, have tested positive since Sept. 24. The outbreak, which included three more positive tests between Wednesday and Thursday, forced the NFL to postpone the Titans' originally scheduled Sunday game at Nissan Stadium until Tuesday.
Titans-Bills would represent the NFL's first Tuesday game since the Vikings played the Eagles in Philadelphia on Dec. 28, 2010. A blizzard delayed that originally scheduled Sunday game. Before that, the NFL hadn't had a Tuesday game since 1946.
The list of Titans players who have been placed on the COVID-19/reserve list since Sept. 24 are:
defensive lineman DaQuan Jones
long snapper Beau Brinkley
tight end Tommy Hudson (practice squad)
outside linebacker Kamalei Correa
cornerback Kristian Fulton
cornerback Greg Mabin (practice squad)
wide receiver Adam Humphries
wide receiver Cam Batson (practice squad)
defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons
fullback Khari Blasingame
wide receiver Corey Davis
tight end MyCole Pruitt
defensive back Breon Borders (practice squad)
Follow Erik Bacharach on Twitter @ErikBacharach.


usatoday--2020-10-11--Would Amy Coney Barrett really strike down Obamacare? What liberals misunderstand

In the presidential debate , Joe Biden portrayed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett as part of a plot by Donald Trump to put an end to the Affordable Care Act , aka Obamacare .
The Supreme Court has oral arguments scheduled for Nov. 10 in a case challenging Obamacare ’ s constitutionality .
Republicans are marching double-time to get Barrett confirmed before the election , which would enable her to participate in the Obamacare case .
According to Democrats , a vote to confirm Barrett is a vote to repeal Obamacare and leave millions of Americans without health insurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlikely that the conservatives on the court will decide to hold that Obamacare , as currently constituted , is unconstitutional , including Barrett if she is confirmed .
In fact , it is more likely that the court accepted the case to put an end to the legal cloud over the program resulting from lower court decisions and actions .
In the debate , Biden materially misrepresented what Barrett has written about Obamacare .
She has not expressed an opinion about the constitutionally of Obamacare as currently constituted .
In a book review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Law School , Barrett did criticize the 2012 Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of Obamacare as it was constituted at that time .
Before the court were two fundamental issues .
Did Congress have the authority to require people to purchase health insurance ?
And if not , could the unconstitutional mandate be severed from the rest of Obamacare , or was it so intrinsic to the overall scheme that the entire law had to be struck down ?
USA TODAY Editorial Board : Donald Trump would repeal and replace Obamacare with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and swingman Anthony Kennedy — found that the mandate was unconstitutional and so intrinsic to the scheme that the entire law had to be scrapped .
Four justices — the liberals — found that Congress had the authority to impose the mandate , so no problem .
Chief Justice John Roberts found that the penalty for not complying with the mandate was actually a tax and within Congress ’ taxing authority .
And thus Obamacare was spared .
In the Notre Dame article , Barrett criticized Roberts for twisting the statute ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program .
She did so to illustrate the difference between Roberts ’ jurisprudence of seeking interpretations that uphold government action , to that of originalists and textualists who stick to original or plain meaning and let the chips fall where they may .
The status of Obamacare is materially different today than it was in 2012 .
And the principles of originalism and textualism dictate a different result .
Since 2012 , Trump and congressional Republicans have , as a practical matter , eliminated the mandate that people purchase health insurance by reducing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty is zero , hard to argue any longer that it is a tax .
And if it ’ s not a tax , then the two questions the court considered in 2012 return .
Chances are that conservatives on the court will still find that Congress doesn ’ t have the authority to order people to buy particular products , such as health insurance .
So , the toothless mandate is unconstitutional .
But the question of severability is fundamentally different .
Basically , the court looks at two things : Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
And would Congress have enacted the program without it ?
In 2012 , it was possible to conclude that the mandate was intrinsic to the overall program and that Congress wouldn ’ t have enacted Obamacare without it .
In 2020 , it is impossible to fairly reach those conclusions .
The law exists as Congress has chosen to amend it .
Effectively no mandate .
But everything else in place : the exchanges , the community rating , the subsidies .
Impossible to argue that what Congress has chosen to create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obamacare functions .
Policies are available .
People buy them .
So , impossible to argue any longer that the program can ’ t work without the mandate .
If the court decides that the mandate is unconstitutional but severable , that is not without consequences .
Biden says he wants to restore the penalties for not buying health insurance .
Such a decision would preclude that .
But Obamacare as it exists today would be undisturbed .
The liberal assumption that Barrett is an automatic vote to strike down Obamacare entirely is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Legal conservatives don ’ t want the judiciary to be just another political branch of government .
Liberals have a hard time understanding such a way of thinking .
Robert Robb is an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com , where this column originally appeared .
Follow him on Twitter : @ RJRobb

Would Amy Coney Barrett really strike down Obamacare? What liberals misunderstand The liberal assumption that Amy Coney Barrett will vote to entirely strike down Obamacare is revealing, in an unintended way.
Show Caption Hide Caption How a Supreme Court justice is nominated, confirmed, and opposed The Supreme Court is a vital component of our democracy. Here's how the process works to nominate, confirm, and oppose a potential justice. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
In the presidential debate, Joe Biden portrayed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett as part of a plot by Donald Trump to put an end to the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.
The Supreme Court has oral arguments scheduled for Nov. 10 in a case challenging Obamacare’s constitutionality. Republicans are marching double-time to get Barrett confirmed before the election, which would enable her to participate in the Obamacare case.
According to Democrats, a vote to confirm Barrett is a vote to repeal Obamacare and leave millions of Americans without health insurance.
In reality, it is highly unlikely that the conservatives on the court will decide to hold that Obamacare, as currently constituted, is unconstitutional, including Barrett if she is confirmed. In fact, it is more likely that the court accepted the case to put an end to the legal cloud over the program resulting from lower court decisions and actions.
Biden misrepresented what Barrett wrote
In the debate, Biden materially misrepresented what Barrett has written about Obamacare. She has not expressed an opinion about the constitutionally of Obamacare as currently constituted.
In a book review for a publication of the Notre Dame Law School, Barrett did criticize the 2012 Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of Obamacare as it was constituted at that time.
Before the court were two fundamental issues. Did Congress have the authority to require people to purchase health insurance? And if not, could the unconstitutional mandate be severed from the rest of Obamacare, or was it so intrinsic to the overall scheme that the entire law had to be struck down?
USA TODAY Editorial Board: Donald Trump would repeal and replace Obamacare with a nothingburger
Four justices — the conservatives and swingman Anthony Kennedy — found that the mandate was unconstitutional and so intrinsic to the scheme that the entire law had to be scrapped. Four justices — the liberals — found that Congress had the authority to impose the mandate, so no problem.
Chief Justice John Roberts found that the penalty for not complying with the mandate was actually a tax and within Congress’ taxing authority. And thus Obamacare was spared.
Barrett was criticizing Roberts' logic
In the Notre Dame article, Barrett criticized Roberts for twisting the statute’s text and obvious meaning to rescue the program. She did so to illustrate the difference between Roberts’ jurisprudence of seeking interpretations that uphold government action, to that of originalists and textualists who stick to original or plain meaning and let the chips fall where they may.
The status of Obamacare is materially different today than it was in 2012. And the principles of originalism and textualism dictate a different result.
Since 2012, Trump and congressional Republicans have, as a practical matter, eliminated the mandate that people purchase health insurance by reducing the penalty to zero.
If the penalty is zero, hard to argue any longer that it is a tax. And if it’s not a tax, then the two questions the court considered in 2012 return.
Chances are that conservatives on the court will still find that Congress doesn’t have the authority to order people to buy particular products, such as health insurance. So, the toothless mandate is unconstitutional.
Chances are, Obamacare will remain
But the question of severability is fundamentally different.
Basically, the court looks at two things: Is the mandate intrinsic to the overall program? And would Congress have enacted the program without it?
In 2012, it was possible to conclude that the mandate was intrinsic to the overall program and that Congress wouldn’t have enacted Obamacare without it. In 2020, it is impossible to fairly reach those conclusions.
The law exists as Congress has chosen to amend it. Effectively no mandate. But everything else in place: the exchanges, the community rating, the subsidies. Impossible to argue that what Congress has chosen to create is contrary to congressional intent.
And Obamacare functions. Policies are available. People buy them. So, impossible to argue any longer that the program can’t work without the mandate.
If the court decides that the mandate is unconstitutional but severable, that is not without consequences. Biden says he wants to restore the penalties for not buying health insurance. Such a decision would preclude that.
But Obamacare as it exists today would be undisturbed.
The liberal assumption that Barrett is an automatic vote to strike down Obamacare entirely is revealing, in an unintended way. Legal conservatives don’t want the judiciary to be just another political branch of government. Liberals have a hard time understanding such a way of thinking.
Robert Robb is an editorial columnist for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, where this column originally appeared. Follow him on Twitter: @RJRobb


usatoday--2020-10-11--The top 10 performances from college football in Week 6

Week 6 of college football was not kind to defenses across the board .
Running backs and wideouts reigned supreme and left countless defenders heartbroken on the way to end zones across the country in high-scoring shootouts .
Quarterbacks enjoyed comfortable pockets and propelled their teams to wins with both their arms and their legs .
And of course , some of these players played the hero role as their underdog teams came out on top against some touted opponents .
1 .
Terrace Marshall Jr. , LSU , WR : Marshall was electric in LSU 's 45-41 loss to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort , including a 75-yard deep ball through the heart of the Tigers secondary .
2 .
Michael Carter , North Carolina , RB : The Tar Heels called their tailback 's number throughout their 56-45 win against Virginia Tech and the senior answered every time .
Carter had 214 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns in the high-scoring affair .
3 .
Sam Ehlinger , Texas QB : The Texas signal caller led the Longhorns through the air and on the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rival Oklahoma .
Ehlinger threw for 287 yards , rushed for 112 and had a total of six touchdowns in the latest iteration of the Red River Showdown .
His efforts were in vain , however .
The Sooners won 53-45 .
FALLING SHORT : Sam Ehlinger heroics ca n't do enough to save No .
22 Texas HIGHS AND LOWS : Winners and losers from Week 6 include Texas A & M , LSU BULLDOGS BITE : Georgia uses strong second half to take down Tennessee 4 .
Kevin Harris , South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yards in the Gamecocks ' 41-7 blowout win over Vanderbilt .
With 171 yards on the ground and 29 yards receiving , Harris ' two-touchdown performance was a special one .
5 .
Isaiah Spiller , Texas A & M RB : Spiller took advantage of a struggling Florida defense in Texas A & M 's first win over a top-five team under head coach Jimbo Fisher .
Spiller ran for 174 yards and found the end zone twice in the upset victory .
6 .
Connor Bazelak , Missouri QB : Bazelak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset win over No .
16 LSU .
He completed 29 of 34 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-41 home victory against the defending national champions .
7 .
Mac Jones , Alabama QB , and Najee Harris , Alabama RB : The Crimson Tide put up 63 points and 723 yards in their victory at Mississippi and their junior quarterback and senior running back were at the center of things .
Jones was 28-for-32 passing for 417 yards and two touchdowns , while Harris tied a school record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 203 yards on 26 carries .
8 .
Travis Etienne , Clemson RB : The ACC 's all-time leading rusher continues to add to his impressive career numbers .
The senior rolled up 149 yards on the ground and 73 receiving as the No .
1 Tigers cruised to a 42-17 defeat of No .
7 Miami ( Fla. ) .
9 .
Monty Rice , Georgia LB : It was a dominant performance by the Bulldogs on defense against Tennessee with their senior stalwart leading the way .
Rice had a team-high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His fumble recovery for a score after his sack of Jarrett Guarantano in the fourth quarter were the final points in a 44-21 victory .
10 .
Brock Purdy , Iowa State QB : The Cyclones remain unbeaten in the Big 12 after taking down Texas Tech with Purdy at the controls of their offense .
The junior was an efficient 32-of-43 for 302 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-15 win .
Myles Brennan , LSU QB : Although LSU lost to an underdog Mizzou squad , it was n't for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center .
The shredded the Missouri defense in the losing effort and threw for 430 yards and four touchdowns .
Macon Clark , Tulane DB : Clark performed valiantly in Tulane 's 49-31 loss to Houston .
Even though the opposition nearly scored 50 points , Clark was the one positive in the secondary with four tackles and two interceptions — one of which was a pick six .
Caleb Chapman , Texas A & M WR : Chapman manhandled the Florida secondary during the Aggies 41-38 win over Florida .
The 6-foot-5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and registered nine catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns .
T.J. Pledger , Oklahoma RB : Pledger was huge for the Sooners in their four-overtime win over Texas .
He had 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns off of 22 carries and tacked on 24 receiving yards for Oklahoma .

The top 10 performances from college football in Week 6
Week 6 of college football was not kind to defenses across the board. Running backs and wideouts reigned supreme and left countless defenders heartbroken on the way to end zones across the country in high-scoring shootouts.
Quarterbacks enjoyed comfortable pockets and propelled their teams to wins with both their arms and their legs. And of course, some of these players played the hero role as their underdog teams came out on top against some touted opponents.
Ranking the top 10 performances from Week 6:
1. Terrace Marshall Jr., LSU, WR: Marshall was electric in LSU's 45-41 loss to Missouri. He racked up 11 receptions for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the losing effort, including a 75-yard deep ball through the heart of the Tigers secondary.
2. Michael Carter, North Carolina, RB: The Tar Heels called their tailback's number throughout their 56-45 win against Virginia Tech and the senior answered every time. Carter had 214 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns in the high-scoring affair.
3. Sam Ehlinger, Texas QB: The Texas signal caller led the Longhorns through the air and on the ground in a four-overtime thriller against Big 12 rival Oklahoma. Ehlinger threw for 287 yards, rushed for 112 and had a total of six touchdowns in the latest iteration of the Red River Showdown. His efforts were in vain, however. The Sooners won 53-45.
FALLING SHORT: Sam Ehlinger heroics can't do enough to save No. 22 Texas
HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from Week 6 include Texas A&M, LSU
BULLDOGS BITE: Georgia uses strong second half to take down Tennessee
4. Kevin Harris, South Carolina RB: Harris had 200 all-purpose yards in the Gamecocks' 41-7 blowout win over Vanderbilt. With 171 yards on the ground and 29 yards receiving, Harris' two-touchdown performance was a special one.
5. Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M RB: Spiller took advantage of a struggling Florida defense in Texas A&M's first win over a top-five team under head coach Jimbo Fisher. Spiller ran for 174 yards and found the end zone twice in the upset victory.
6. Connor Bazelak, Missouri QB: Bazelak led the charge for Missouri in its upset win over No. 16 LSU. He completed 29 of 34 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-41 home victory against the defending national champions.
SEC STUNNER: No. 16 LSU falls to winless Missouri in 45-41 shootout
7. Mac Jones, Alabama QB, and Najee Harris, Alabama RB: The Crimson Tide put up 63 points and 723 yards in their victory at Mississippi and their junior quarterback and senior running back were at the center of things. Jones was 28-for-32 passing for 417 yards and two touchdowns, while Harris tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns as he totaled 203 yards on 26 carries.
8. Travis Etienne, Clemson RB: The ACC's all-time leading rusher continues to add to his impressive career numbers. The senior rolled up 149 yards on the ground and 73 receiving as the No. 1 Tigers cruised to a 42-17 defeat of No. 7 Miami (Fla.).
9. Monty Rice, Georgia LB: It was a dominant performance by the Bulldogs on defense against Tennessee with their senior stalwart leading the way. Rice had a team-high eight tackles and two tackles for loss. His fumble recovery for a score after his sack of Jarrett Guarantano in the fourth quarter were the final points in a 44-21 victory.
10. Brock Purdy, Iowa State QB: The Cyclones remain unbeaten in the Big 12 after taking down Texas Tech with Purdy at the controls of their offense. The junior was an efficient 32-of-43 for 302 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-15 win.
Honorable mention
Myles Brennan, LSU QB: Although LSU lost to an underdog Mizzou squad, it wasn't for Brennan's lack of performance from under center. The shredded the Missouri defense in the losing effort and threw for 430 yards and four touchdowns.
Macon Clark, Tulane DB: Clark performed valiantly in Tulane's 49-31 loss to Houston. Even though the opposition nearly scored 50 points, Clark was the one positive in the secondary with four tackles and two interceptions — one of which was a pick six.
Caleb Chapman, Texas A&M WR: Chapman manhandled the Florida secondary during the Aggies 41-38 win over Florida. The 6-foot-5 wideout took advantage of some one-on-one matchups and registered nine catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
T.J. Pledger, Oklahoma RB: Pledger was huge for the Sooners in their four-overtime win over Texas. He had 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns off of 22 carries and tacked on 24 receiving yards for Oklahoma.


usatoday--2020-10-10--Dear Tim Cook, here are some new iPhone features I'd love to see in 2020

As the CEO of Apple , for the past several years I 've written you with a wish list of new features I wanted to see on the next iPhones , as you prepared to launch the new editions .
Sometimes you agreed with me , like in 2016 when I requested water-resistant iPhones , and other times you passed , like in 2018 when I begged for a Wide Selfie mode to get more people into the shot – like Samsung offered on some phones .
But as you prepare Tuesday to show the world what you have in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extra power , faster processing , 5G connectivity and beautiful screens that you 'll surely be touting – may I go over a few things I 'd love to see too ?
I have a list , but one feature tops it so dominantly that it pretty much dwarfs everything else .
Face ID has to go Face ID has got to go .
It never worked well to begin with , but in the COVID era , even with your software fix attempts , the iPhone just ca n't recognize me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if I 'm wearing a mask .
I 'm thrilled to see that Touch ID , which for my money always worked better anyway , is returning on a new iPad set for release later this month .
The iPad will have Touch ID built into the power button , which is great .
I also love how the new Samsung Galaxy S models and the new OnePlus phones have fingerprint sensors directly on the screen itself .
I would be happy with either .
As long as I can start drastically cutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day I have to type the passcode into the phone .
You 'll likely be highly touting 5G , and the fact that the new iPhones will connect to the new , supposedly faster , wireless networks .
That 's all well and good , but it 's not a feature that 's going to change my life tomorrow .
The 5G networks , as we know them now , are either very spotty ( in terms of Verizon ) or barely any faster than 4G ( via AT & T and T-Mobile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm sure .
But for now , removal of Face ID would be a much bigger deal than 5G .
► Retire 64 GB .
Come on , when you sell a device that takes amazing , higher resolution photos and videos , access to a world of data-hogging apps and an ever growing operating system , you could fill 64 GB ( the entry point for most iPhone storage capacity ) in a matter of weeks .
On my phone , I have a whopping 293 GBs full of photos , videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visuals , and apps alone account for 89 GB – way more than any entry level iPhone could handle .
Look , you do n't offer expandable storage , like competitors , so why not share some of the Apple wealth and this year match competitors with 128 GB minimum storage , or better yet , show a little COVID era kindness , and give everybody 256 GB .
Apple has apparently decided not to ship charging bricks with the new phones , in the name of ecology .
So please pass on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Always on display .
The new Series 6 Apple Watch finally fixed what I always thought was a fatal flaw .
Every time you looked at it , the screen was dark , until you shook it back to life .
Now you can read the watch face any time , and that makes a huge difference .
Why not apply the same technology to an iPhone that 's always dark when you reach for it to check the time , weather and appointments ?
► Battery and screen .
For years I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a screen that wo n't crack .
I 'm not alone .
As David Grenewetzki , who writes apps for Apple Watch said on Facebook , `` Nobody is arguing for thinner and thinner phones . ''
They just want a phone that does n't have to be constantly charged .
► Really improved optics .
I 'm with photographer and educator Scott Kelby , who puts a way improved camera at the top of his list .
`` A real telephoto zoom lens , '' he says .
`` Not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The latest Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 10x zoom that produces fine photos .
If Samsung can do it , so can Apple , right ?
► Cables : Kelby has another on his wish list that I could n't agree with more .
It 's time to say goodbye to the Lightning charging connector , and shift to the industry standard of USB-C. `` We all know it ’ s coming – can we just be done with it and make the transition now ?
, '' says Kelby .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ USB-C , it 's made my life so much simpler .
One cable can charge my GoPro , drone , Android phones and even an iPad .
Remember the days of struggling with USB , Micro-USB and Mini-USB cables to charge various products ?
Mr. Cook , it 's time .
Even if you do n't come through on any of these , I ca n't wait to watch you from the other side of my computer on Apple.com or the Apple YouTube channel Tuesday at 1 p.m .
ET .
And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great surprises .
In other tech news this week House Judiciary Committee says big tech should be broken up .
Naturally , Amazon , Apple , Facebook and Google parent Alphabet disagree .
For instance , Apple told USA TODAY : `` We have always said that scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate but we vehemently disagree with the conclusions reached in this staff report with respect to Apple .
Our company does not have a dominant market share in any category where we do business . ''
Apple is correct that Samsung is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PC makers for laptops , but Apple likes to tout that its Apple Watch outsells all the Swiss watch makers combined and analysts say the more people buy iPads than other tablets .
Facebook said it would ban the conspiracy group QAnon on the social network .
The company will remove any Facebook pages , groups and Instagram accounts aligned with the conspiracy group .
Until now , Facebook only said it would take action against QAnon activity containing discussions about potential violence .
Also this week , Facebook said it would ban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
Hey Google , can you open and operate my app now ?
Yes indeed .
Google introduced new features for the Google Assistant , but only on Android phones , to do such things as log calories on MyFitnessPal or have the news read to you from Twitter by voice .
This week Google also introduced the vastly improved successor to the Google Home speaker , called Nest Audio .
How do you respond to an all-caps post ?
Our president does it all the time .
Is it screaming or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read my Gmail , why not Google too ?
Hospitals have been hit hard by ransomware Should big tech be broken up ?
What we 're really watching in streaming

Dear Tim Cook, here are some new iPhone features I'd love to see in 2020
Dear Tim Cook,
As the CEO of Apple, for the past several years I've written you with a wish list of new features I wanted to see on the next iPhones, as you prepared to launch the new editions.
Sometimes you agreed with me, like in 2016 when I requested water-resistant iPhones, and other times you passed, like in 2018 when I begged for a Wide Selfie mode to get more people into the shot – like Samsung offered on some phones.
But as you prepare Tuesday to show the world what you have in store with four new models – beyond the extra power, faster processing, 5G connectivity and beautiful screens that you'll surely be touting – may I go over a few things I'd love to see too?
I have a list, but one feature tops it so dominantly that it pretty much dwarfs everything else.
Face ID has to go
Face ID has got to go. It never worked well to begin with, but in the COVID era, even with your software fix attempts, the iPhone just can't recognize me, and so many other readers, if I'm wearing a mask.
I'm thrilled to see that Touch ID, which for my money always worked better anyway, is returning on a new iPad set for release later this month. The iPad will have Touch ID built into the power button, which is great. I also love how the new Samsung Galaxy S models and the new OnePlus phones have fingerprint sensors directly on the screen itself.
I would be happy with either. As long as I can start drastically cutting down on the number of times a day I have to type the passcode into the phone.
You'll likely be highly touting 5G, and the fact that the new iPhones will connect to the new, supposedly faster, wireless networks. That's all well and good, but it's not a feature that's going to change my life tomorrow. The 5G networks, as we know them now, are either very spotty (in terms of Verizon) or barely any faster than 4G (via AT&T and T-Mobile). That will change, I'm sure. But for now, removal of Face ID would be a much bigger deal than 5G.
Additional considerations:
► Retire 64 GB. Come on, when you sell a device that takes amazing, higher resolution photos and videos, access to a world of data-hogging apps and an ever growing operating system, you could fill 64 GB (the entry point for most iPhone storage capacity) in a matter of weeks. On my phone, I have a whopping 293 GBs full of photos, videos and apps. But take away the visuals, and apps alone account for 89 GB – way more than any entry level iPhone could handle. Look, you don't offer expandable storage, like competitors, so why not share some of the Apple wealth and this year match competitors with 128 GB minimum storage, or better yet, show a little COVID era kindness, and give everybody 256 GB.
Apple has apparently decided not to ship charging bricks with the new phones, in the name of ecology. So please pass on the savings with extra storage.
► Always on display. The new Series 6 Apple Watch finally fixed what I always thought was a fatal flaw. Every time you looked at it, the screen was dark, until you shook it back to life. Now you can read the watch face any time, and that makes a huge difference. Why not apply the same technology to an iPhone that's always dark when you reach for it to check the time, weather and appointments?
► Battery and screen. For years I've been begging for an all-day battery and a screen that won't crack. I'm not alone. As David Grenewetzki, who writes apps for Apple Watch said on Facebook, "Nobody is arguing for thinner and thinner phones." They just want a phone that doesn't have to be constantly charged.
► Really improved optics. I'm with photographer and educator Scott Kelby, who puts a way improved camera at the top of his list. "A real telephoto zoom lens," he says. "Not a 4x. Like a 10x or 20x." The latest Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 10x zoom that produces fine photos. If Samsung can do it, so can Apple, right?
► Cables: Kelby has another on his wish list that I couldn't agree with more. It's time to say goodbye to the Lightning charging connector, and shift to the industry standard of USB-C. "We all know it’s coming – can we just be done with it and make the transition now?," says Kelby.
Since more gadget makers started working with USB-C, it's made my life so much simpler. One cable can charge my GoPro, drone, Android phones and even an iPad. Remember the days of struggling with USB, Micro-USB and Mini-USB cables to charge various products? Mr. Cook, it's time.
Even if you don't come through on any of these, I can't wait to watch you from the other side of my computer on Apple.com or the Apple YouTube channel Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some great surprises.
In other tech news this week
House Judiciary Committee says big tech should be broken up. Naturally, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google parent Alphabet disagree. For instance, Apple told USA TODAY: "We have always said that scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate but we vehemently disagree with the conclusions reached in this staff report with respect to Apple. Our company does not have a dominant market share in any category where we do business." Apple is correct that Samsung is No. 1 for phones and Windows PC makers for laptops, but Apple likes to tout that its Apple Watch outsells all the Swiss watch makers combined and analysts say the more people buy iPads than other tablets.
Facebook said it would ban the conspiracy group QAnon on the social network. The company will remove any Facebook pages, groups and Instagram accounts aligned with the conspiracy group. Until now, Facebook only said it would take action against QAnon activity containing discussions about potential violence. Also this week, Facebook said it would ban political ads after polls close on election day.
Hey Google, can you open and operate my app now? Yes indeed. Google introduced new features for the Google Assistant, but only on Android phones, to do such things as log calories on MyFitnessPal or have the news read to you from Twitter by voice. This week Google also introduced the vastly improved successor to the Google Home speaker, called Nest Audio.
How do you respond to an all-caps post? Our president does it all the time. Is it screaming or enthusiasm?
This week's Talking Tech podcasts
Hey Google, Alexa can read my Gmail, why not Google too?
Hospitals have been hit hard by ransomware
Should big tech be broken up?
Vote by smartphone in 2020
What we're really watching in streaming
Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter


usatoday--2020-10-07--Housing the homeless, feeding school children: How Black families devastated by police violence are

When Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the country following George Floyd 's death , Bridgett Floyd thought theshow of support would mark an end to police violence against Black people .
But two weeks later Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer .
Two months after that , Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by a Kenosha , Wisconsin , police officer .
Then it was cyclist Dijon Kizzee , who was killed by Los Angeles County sheriff 's deputies Aug. 31 .
Most recently , a white Texas police officer was charged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 31-year-old Black man .
`` To continually turn on the TV and see police brutality is still being done , there has to be a change , '' said Bridgett Floyd , who is George Floyd 's younger sister .
Bridgett Floyd sprung into action .
She and her siblings launched the George Floyd Memorial Foundation in September , joining a growing movement of Black families devastated by police brutality and racist violence who are fighting to end the unjust treatment of people of color .
The families have created foundations to lobby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investment in Black and brown neighborhoods and provide a support system for each other .
They 've stood on the front lines of the fight for racial justice , often holding back tears as they speak out at protests , press conferences and meetings with officials .
Some families are still seeking justice in their own cases .
On Monday , prosecutors in California announced they would reopen the case of Oscar Grant following demands from his family .
Grant was fatally shot by Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2009 .
Mehserle was charged with murder , but a jury only convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and he served 11 months .
Relatives have also run for political office .
In August , Sybrina Fulton , whose 17-year-old son Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012 , narrowly lost the race for Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners in Florida .
Lesley McSpadden , whose 18-year-old son Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in 2014 , lost her bid for Ferguson City Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacted by police violence spoke at the Get Your Knee Off Our Necks Commitment March on Washington in August that marked the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington and called for national police reform .
Some also met with President Donald Trump at the White House in June to seek justice in their cases .
Black Americans are three times more likely than white Americans to be killed by police , according to a study published this year by the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health .
Advocacy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the grieving process .
After facing the hurt , they have a desire to keep their loved one 's legacy alive and prevent more Black families from experiencing the same grief .
“ We pretty much want to be on the front lines to help fight systemic racism , ” Bridgett Floyd said .
`` And being that my brother is n't here to be the voice that people need to hear , we are going to make sure that we ( are ) that voice by promoting global awareness , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
George Floyd died on Memorial Day after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes .
Dig deeper on race and identity : Subscribe to This Is America , USA TODAY 's newsletter Bridgett Floyd said she created the George Floyd Memorial Foundation to bridge the gap between the community and law enforcement .
It strives to propose police reform , engage in protests , encourage voting , host community events , educate the public on racial injustice and open centers that will be safe havens for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she also wants to create a second chance program that provides services for men and women released from prison .
The Floyd family officially launched the foundation during a National Homeless Day event in Minneapolis on Sept. 13 .
At the event , the family presented a $ 5,000 donation to the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center where George Floyd worked .
Benjamin Crump , a prominent civil rights attorney who represents several Black families changed forever by police violence , including the Floyds , said the launch event was fitting because George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who would take homeless people to medical appointments and basketball games .
Crump said he , too , thought the global response to George Floyd 's death would lead to better police relations in the Black community .
`` I still thought George ’ s case was one of such proportion that police were going to stop , at least for a while , killing us , '' Crump told USA TODAY .
“ But that ’ s not the case and we ’ ve got work to do , and that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foundation is needed more than ever.
” Some Black families crushed by racist violence and police brutality this year are gradually finding their voice .
At a news conference in Louisville , Kentucky , Sept. 25 , Breonna Taylor 's aunt , Bianca Austin , read a statement from Taylor 's mother , Tamika Palmer , responding to news that the three Louisville officers who fatally shot Taylor in March were not indicted for her death .
Instead , one officer , Brett Hankison , was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a neighboring unit where three people were home .
`` This has been emotionally , mentally and physically draining for my sister , '' Austin said .
Wanda Cooper-Jones , whose son , Ahmaud Arbery , was chased and killed by three white men on Feb. 23 as he jogged through a southern Georgia neighborhood , spoke at the Commitment March on Washington and joined Breonna Taylor protests in Louisville this summer .
Cooper-Jones said while she was still grieving , she wanted to show her support for Palmer .
The two mothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I thought about the days after Ahmaud was killed and I was surrounded by family , '' Cooper-Jones said in an interview with USA TODAY .
`` But no one I was surrounded by could feel what I was going through .
And it was important to be around someone who could feel the same the pain . ''
Cooper-Jones said she does n't believe Arbery or Taylor 's cases have gotten justice .
She wants the three district attorneys who failed to arrest the men who killed Arbery to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Gregory and Travis McMichael and William `` Roddie '' Bryan were not arrested and charged with murder until after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case in May .
The three men remain in jail , awaiting trial .
Cooper-Jones said she eventually wants to create a foundation that caters to young Black males .
Her goal would be to keep them out of the criminal justice system and on a path to success .
`` I want to help the youth , I love children , '' Cooper-Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grieving and trying to get back to normal . ''
Fighting for justice has bonded many Black families together .
Cephus Johnson , Oscar Grant 's uncle , recalled being angry after Grant 's death .
Witnesses recorded video of the officer shooting Grant in the back as he lied face down on the train platform .
`` When I saw the video I could remember collapsing , '' Johnson said , adding that he was shocked to see such unjust treatment of a Black person in a nation where everyone should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had texted Grant , 22 , hours before he was killed .
Grant was heavy on his spirit that night , he said .
“ Uncle loves you and God loves you , '' the text read .
Years later , after seeing the outpouring of support from the Oakland community , he decided to become an advocate for change .
In 2014 , he founded Families United 4 Justice – a network of Black people who have lost family members to police brutality or racist violence .
The nonprofit 's main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services for its families .
Johnson said Families United 4 Justice successfully pushed California lawmakers to pass several police reform laws .
Notably , the group lobbied for the bill known as `` Stephon Clark 's Law , '' which was passed in 2019 and requires police to use deadly force only when `` necessary '' instead of the previous wording of `` reasonable . ''
Families United 4 Justice hosts a conference every year where families gather for workshops on dealing with the media , telling their story , and the history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , some 175 families attended the conference held in Las Vegas , Johnson said .
Johnson said Families United 4 Justice has helped him cope with Grant 's death , helping him make new friends who ultimately feel like sisters and brothers .
Smaller chapters of Families United 4 Justice have been created in cities across the country , he said .
“ Everybody knows now that something has to be done , ” Johnson said .
“ Because there is a real internal struggle within this country when it comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people are suffering at the hands of the police.
” Valerie Castile , whose son , Philando Castile , was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer in 2016 , also wanted to help other families hurt by police brutality .
Castile said after accepting that she would never get her son back , she founded the Philando Castile Relief Foundation in 2018 .
The organization offers meals , grief counseling services , funeral attire and grocery store gift cards for families .
The foundation also strives to end child hunger .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid off more than $ 150,000 in school lunch debt for students in Minneapolis-St. Paul area schools , Valerie Castile said .
Before his death , Philando Castile was a school lunch supervisor at J. J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul .
He knew all of his students by name , he knew their food allergies , memorized their school lunch account pin numbers and enjoyed mentoring them , Valerie Castile said .
“ Our communities are struggling on so many different levels and what happened to Philando was wrong on so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I had to take time to look at the overall big picture .
It 's very important that we stand with our community because we have been oppressed for so long . ''

Housing the homeless, feeding school children: How Black families devastated by police violence are fighting to end racism
Show Caption Hide Caption George Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd testifies before Congress George Floyd's brother gave an emotional opening during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on policing. USA TODAY
When Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the country following George Floyd's death, Bridgett Floyd thought the show of support would mark an end to police violence against Black people.
But two weeks later Rayshard Brooks was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer. Two months after that, Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer. Then it was cyclist Dijon Kizzee, who was killed by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies Aug. 31. Most recently, a white Texas police officer was charged Monday with murdering Jonathan Price, a 31-year-old Black man.
"To continually turn on the TV and see police brutality is still being done, there has to be a change," said Bridgett Floyd, who is George Floyd's younger sister.
Bridgett Floyd sprung into action. She and her siblings launched the George Floyd Memorial Foundation in September, joining a growing movement of Black families devastated by police brutality and racist violence who are fighting to end the unjust treatment of people of color.
The families have created foundations to lobby for police reform, racial equality and investment in Black and brown neighborhoods and provide a support system for each other. They've stood on the front lines of the fight for racial justice, often holding back tears as they speak out at protests, press conferences and meetings with officials.
Some families are still seeking justice in their own cases.
On Monday, prosecutors in California announced they would reopen the case of Oscar Grant following demands from his family. Grant was fatally shot by Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle in Oakland, California, on New Years Day in 2009. Mehserle was charged with murder, but a jury only convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and he served 11 months.
Relatives have also run for political office.
In August, Sybrina Fulton, whose 17-year-old son Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in 2012, narrowly lost the race for Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners in Florida. Lesley McSpadden, whose 18-year-old son Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in 2014, lost her bid for Ferguson City Council in Missouri last year.
Many families impacted by police violence spoke at the Get Your Knee Off Our Necks Commitment March on Washington in August that marked the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington and called for national police reform. Some also met with President Donald Trump at the White House in June to seek justice in their cases.
Black Americans are three times more likely than white Americans to be killed by police, according to a study published this year by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Advocacy, the families say, is often part of the grieving process.
After facing the hurt, they have a desire to keep their loved one's legacy alive and prevent more Black families from experiencing the same grief.
“We pretty much want to be on the front lines to help fight systemic racism,” Bridgett Floyd said. "And being that my brother isn't here to be the voice that people need to hear, we are going to make sure that we (are) that voice by promoting global awareness, and peaceful protests for justice and police brutality."
George Floyd died on Memorial Day after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Dig deeper on race and identity: Subscribe to This Is America, USA TODAY's newsletter
Bridgett Floyd said she created the George Floyd Memorial Foundation to bridge the gap between the community and law enforcement. It strives to propose police reform, engage in protests, encourage voting, host community events, educate the public on racial injustice and open centers that will be safe havens for young Black men. Bridgett Floyd said she also wants to create a second chance program that provides services for men and women released from prison.
The Floyd family officially launched the foundation during a National Homeless Day event in Minneapolis on Sept. 13. At the event, the family presented a $5,000 donation to the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center where George Floyd worked.
Benjamin Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney who represents several Black families changed forever by police violence, including the Floyds, said the launch event was fitting because George Floyd was known as a selfless man who would take homeless people to medical appointments and basketball games.
Crump said he, too, thought the global response to George Floyd's death would lead to better police relations in the Black community.
"I still thought George’s case was one of such proportion that police were going to stop, at least for a while, killing us," Crump told USA TODAY. “But that’s not the case and we’ve got work to do, and that’s why the (George Floyd) foundation is needed more than ever.”
Mothers speak out against violence
Some Black families crushed by racist violence and police brutality this year are gradually finding their voice.
At a news conference in Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 25, Breonna Taylor's aunt, Bianca Austin, read a statement from Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, responding to news that the three Louisville officers who fatally shot Taylor in March were not indicted for her death. Instead, one officer, Brett Hankison, was indicted on three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for firing bullets that went into a neighboring unit where three people were home.
Breonna Taylor's mom: 'the system as a whole has failed her' The aunt of Breonna Taylor reads a statement from Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, describing her heartbreak and anger. USA TODAY
"This has been emotionally, mentally and physically draining for my sister," Austin said.
Wanda Cooper-Jones, whose son, Ahmaud Arbery, was chased and killed by three white men on Feb. 23 as he jogged through a southern Georgia neighborhood, spoke at the Commitment March on Washington and joined Breonna Taylor protests in Louisville this summer.
Cooper-Jones said while she was still grieving, she wanted to show her support for Palmer. The two mothers met in Louisville and embraced each other.
"I thought about the days after Ahmaud was killed and I was surrounded by family," Cooper-Jones said in an interview with USA TODAY. "But no one I was surrounded by could feel what I was going through. And it was important to be around someone who could feel the same the pain."
Cooper-Jones said she doesn't believe Arbery or Taylor's cases have gotten justice. She wants the three district attorneys who failed to arrest the men who killed Arbery to be held accountable by "whatever means necessary."
Gregory and Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan were not arrested and charged with murder until after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case in May. The three men remain in jail, awaiting trial.
Cooper-Jones said she eventually wants to create a foundation that caters to young Black males. Her goal would be to keep them out of the criminal justice system and on a path to success.
"I want to help the youth, I love children," Cooper-Jones said. "But I'm still grieving and trying to get back to normal."
Families unite in advocacy
Fighting for justice has bonded many Black families together.
Cephus Johnson, Oscar Grant's uncle, recalled being angry after Grant's death. Witnesses recorded video of the officer shooting Grant in the back as he lied face down on the train platform.
"When I saw the video I could remember collapsing," Johnson said, adding that he was shocked to see such unjust treatment of a Black person in a nation where everyone should be created equal.
He found peace knowing he had texted Grant, 22, hours before he was killed. Grant was heavy on his spirit that night, he said. “Uncle loves you and God loves you," the text read.
Years later, after seeing the outpouring of support from the Oakland community, he decided to become an advocate for change.
In 2014, he founded Families United 4 Justice – a network of Black people who have lost family members to police brutality or racist violence. The nonprofit's main goals are police accountability and holistic support services for its families.
Johnson said Families United 4 Justice successfully pushed California lawmakers to pass several police reform laws. Notably, the group lobbied for the bill known as "Stephon Clark's Law," which was passed in 2019 and requires police to use deadly force only when "necessary" instead of the previous wording of "reasonable."
Families United 4 Justice hosts a conference every year where families gather for workshops on dealing with the media, telling their story, and the history of policing among other topics. In 2019, some 175 families attended the conference held in Las Vegas, Johnson said.
Johnson said Families United 4 Justice has helped him cope with Grant's death, helping him make new friends who ultimately feel like sisters and brothers. Smaller chapters of Families United 4 Justice have been created in cities across the country, he said.
“Everybody knows now that something has to be done,” Johnson said. “Because there is a real internal struggle within this country when it comes to the state and the people. And the people are suffering at the hands of the police.”
Valerie Castile, whose son, Philando Castile, was fatally shot by a Minneapolis police officer in 2016, also wanted to help other families hurt by police brutality.
Castile said after accepting that she would never get her son back, she founded the Philando Castile Relief Foundation in 2018. The organization offers meals, grief counseling services, funeral attire and grocery store gift cards for families.
The foundation also strives to end child hunger. Since it launched, the organization has paid off more than $150,000 in school lunch debt for students in Minneapolis-St. Paul area schools, Valerie Castile said.
Before his death, Philando Castile was a school lunch supervisor at J. J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul. He knew all of his students by name, he knew their food allergies, memorized their school lunch account pin numbers and enjoyed mentoring them, Valerie Castile said.
“Our communities are struggling on so many different levels and what happened to Philando was wrong on so many levels," Valerie Castile said. "I had to take time to look at the overall big picture. It's very important that we stand with our community because we have been oppressed for so long."


usatoday--2020-10-11--Amid pandemic and presidential race, Supreme Court confirmation hearing will be unprecedented

WASHINGTON – The 48-year-old federal judge who could cement a decades-long conservative era at the Supreme Court comes to her confirmation hearing this week facing political , philosophical and public health challenges .
Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana , a Notre Dame Law School professor for nearly two decades , can expect Democrats to ask why President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans should move her nomination amid a pandemic that has sidelined senators , White House staff and even the president himself .
She can expect to hear complaints that Republicans are rushing her confirmation at near-record speed just days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years after blocking President Barack Obama 's election-year nomination of federal Judge Merrick Garland .
She can expect to be contrasted with the women 's rights pioneer she would succeed , Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , in much the same way an even younger conservative nominee , Clarence Thomas , was compared to retiring Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall , a civil rights pioneer , in 1991 .
It will be difficult to top the explosiveness of the last such Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2018 , when Brett Kavanaugh was attacked as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexually assaulting a high school classmate decades earlier , which he denied .
Kavanaugh eventually was confirmed , 50-48 .
It will be equally hard to top the partisan machinations of the previous Supreme Court confirmation battle in 2017 , when Republicans eliminated the Senate filibuster for high court justices in order to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the seat Garland was denied .
Gorsuch made it to the court on a 54-45 vote .
But when it comes to the future of the court , Barrett 's nomination is far more consequential than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow conservative Associate Justice Antonin Scalia , for whom Barrett clerked .
Kavanaugh replaced Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy , a moderate who most often aligned with the court 's conservatives .
As Ginsburg 's successor , Barrett – who opposes abortion , favors expanded gun rights and has questioned the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act – could take the court so far to the right that liberal interest groups are demanding Democrats add more justices if they regain the levers of political power in Washington .
`` If she is someone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revisiting , reviewing , reconsidering , overturning long-settled cases , that could lead to a period of great instability , '' said Sen. Chris Coons , D-Del.
, a Judiciary Committee member , last week .
Trump made clear in the 2016 presidential campaign that he wanted judges who were `` pro-life '' and who would defend Americans ' gun rights under the Second Amendment .
He has sought to overturn the Affordable Care Act , Obama 's signature legislative achievement , by any means necessary ; the high court will hear a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November .
The president also made clear in recent days that he wants Barrett confirmed quickly so that she can rule on legal challenges following Election Day .
That is sure to lead Democrats on the judiciary committee to call for her to recuse herself from any such cases , a suggestion she is likely to sidestep .
More : Supreme Court begins 2020 term as a key election issue : Will it decide the election , too ?
Barrett will have advantages her recent predecessors in the committee 's hot seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , the public will not be admitted ; in 2018 , # MeToo activists and others stood and shouted periodically from the back of the room , disrupting the four-day hearing .
Fact check : 'Kingdom of God ' comment by Amy Coney Barrett lacks context in meme In addition , Democrats were burned once in 2017 when they confronted Barrett with questions about her deep Catholic faith and its impact on her jurisprudence .
She proved to be a Teflon nominee in that regard , and they are unlikely to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump 's third Supreme Court nominee , and each time he has sought to move the court further to the right , making for bitterly contested confirmation hearings .
Gorsuch came before the committee at the age of 49 in March of 2017 .
By then , it was more than 400 days since Scalia 's death , a year since Obama 's failed nomination of Garland , and seven weeks since Trump introduced Gorsuch in the East Room of the White House .
A federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denver , for more than a decade , Gorsuch inundated the panel with 175,000 pages of records , then avoided controversial subjects and skated through the process .
Still , Democrats used the power of the minority to block the required 60-vote threshold , forcing Republicans to change Senate rules and win confirmation by a simple majority .
Fact check : Republicans , not Democrats , eliminated the Senate filibuster on Supreme Court nominees It got worse in 2018 .
Kavanaugh , a powerful judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , arrived with a massive paper trail too voluminous for the panel to pile through between his July nomination and the start of the Supreme Court 's term in October .
Republicans released more than 400,000 pages of documents but concealed much from Kavanaugh 's time working for President George W. Bush as deputy White House counsel and staff secretary .
After the customary four-day hearing concluded , Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct as a teenager in the 1980s that required an additional hearing and nearly killed the nomination .
Barrett likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal level because of her gender and demeanor , and because she bested Democrats in the debate over her religious convictions three years ago .
But she ca n't expect Democrats ' votes , either in committee or the full Senate , because of the dramatic change she would deliver , the rush to confirm her before the election , and Republicans ' 2016 actions .
What she is sure to do is dodge Democrats ' questions about her views on issues that could come before the court .
That 's a common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as far as Ginsburg , who in 1993 insisted on offering `` no forecasts , no hints . ''
She was confirmed , 96-3 ; her predecessors , Scalia and Kennedy , were unanimous .
Things were different in 1991 , however , when President George H.W .
Bush 's nomination of Thomas to fill Marshall 's seat turned into what Thomas called a `` high-tech lynching . ''
He was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee , Anita Hill , and ultimately survived by a narrow 52-48 vote .
Conservatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her opponents to attack her personally , but they anticipate a focus on her judicial philosophy – one that puts the words of the Constitution and federal laws before the sanctity of high court precedents .
Barrett is prepared for that .
At Notre Dame last year , she said a nominee `` can ’ t answer about specific cases , but questions about judicial philosophy should be on the table ... .
You have a right to know what yardstick you ’ re using to make those decisions.
” More : We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's speeches .
Here ’ s what we learned about her judicial philosophy Here are some of the lines of attack Democrats likely will mount against Barrett : • Abortion : Barrett has written that Supreme Court precedents are not sacrosanct , which liberals have interpreted as a threat to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide .
As a law professor in 2006 , she signed an anti-abortion letter that accompanied a January 2006 newspaper ad calling for `` an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v .
Wade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jacksonville University , she said the right to abortion may be safe but that the Supreme Court could uphold further restrictions .
On the appeals court , she signed a dissent indicating she would have reheard Indiana 's defense of a law banning abortions based on sex , race or disability .
• Health care : Barrett wrote in 2017 that Chief Justice John Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning in order to save it .
Roberts interpreted as a tax the law ’ s penalty on those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court to uphold the constitutionality of the law .
More : Health care law faces another Supreme Court showdown , this time without Justice Ginsburg 's vote With a third major challenge set to be heard by the justices the week after the election , former vice president Joe Biden and Democrats have made the health care law their first line of attack against Barrett 's confirmation .
`` Literally in the midst of a public health pandemic , when over 210,000 people have died ... Donald Trump is in court right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affordable Care Act , '' Sen. Kamala Harris said during last week 's debate with Vice President Mike Pence .
• Guns : Barrett dissented when the appeals court upheld a decision restricting the Second Amendment rights of a felon convicted of mail fraud .
She said non-violent offenders should not lose their constitutional right to firearms possession .
In her committee questionnaire , she rated the dissent as her most important opinion .
More : Ginsburg 's death injects new urgency into Second Amendment debate Sen. Richard Blumenthal , D-Conn. , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 dead , has promised to make gun control an issue at the hearing .
• LGBTQ rights : In a 2016 speech , Barrett implied that same-sex marriage was an issue for state legislatures to decide , rather than the courts .
That was a year after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states can not ban gays and lesbians from marrying .
More : Supreme Court to decide if foster care agencies can snub gay , lesbian couples due to religious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about for the future of the court , it ’ s really a 'who decides the question ? '
'' she said .
• Voting rights : Just as Gorsuch was made to answer for Trump 's criticism of federal court judges in 2017 , Barrett likely will be asked about the president 's expressed desire to have her rule on post-election challenges .
She 's almost sure to be asked if she would recuse herself from those cases .
But when it comes to religion , Democrats will have to tread carefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a charismatic Christian religious group called People of Praise , but they recall the 2017 dialogue that cemented Barrett 's reputation among defenders of religious freedom .
Fact check : Post online satirizes Judge Amy Coney Barrett in 'yearbook ' photo with fake quote '' If you 're asking whether I take my faith seriously and I 'm a faithful Catholic , I am , '' Barrett responded , `` although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties @ @ @ @ @

Amid pandemic and presidential race, Supreme Court confirmation hearing will be unprecedented
Show Caption Hide Caption Amy Coney Barrett is nominated by President Trump to the Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett speaks at the White House after being put forward by President Trump as his nominee to fill Justice Ginsburg's vacant seat. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The 48-year-old federal judge who could cement a decades-long conservative era at the Supreme Court comes to her confirmation hearing this week facing political, philosophical and public health challenges.
Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a Notre Dame Law School professor for nearly two decades, can expect Democrats to ask why President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans should move her nomination amid a pandemic that has sidelined senators, White House staff and even the president himself.
She can expect to hear complaints that Republicans are rushing her confirmation at near-record speed just days before a presidential election – and four years after blocking President Barack Obama's election-year nomination of federal Judge Merrick Garland.
She can expect to be contrasted with the women's rights pioneer she would succeed, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in much the same way an even younger conservative nominee, Clarence Thomas, was compared to retiring Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, a civil rights pioneer, in 1991.
More: Read Barrett's opening statement for Monday's Senate hearing
It will be difficult to top the explosiveness of the last such Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 2018, when Brett Kavanaugh was attacked as a Republican political hack and accused of sexually assaulting a high school classmate decades earlier, which he denied. Kavanaugh eventually was confirmed 50-48.
It will be equally hard to top the partisan machinations of the previous Supreme Court confirmation battle in 2017, when Republicans eliminated the Senate filibuster for high court justices to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the seat Garland was denied. Gorsuch made it to the court on a 54-45 vote.
But when it comes to the future of the court, Barrett's nomination is far more consequential than those of her predecessors. Gorsuch succeeded fellow conservative Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, for whom Barrett clerked. Kavanaugh replaced Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, a moderate who most often aligned with the court's conservatives.
As Ginsburg's successor, Barrett – who opposes abortion, favors expanded gun rights and has questioned the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act – could take the court so far to the right that liberal interest groups are demanding Democrats add more justices if they regain the levers of political power in Washington.
More: Pence presses Harris over expanding the Supreme Court
"If she is someone who is more open even than Scalia to revisiting, reviewing, reconsidering, overturning long-settled cases, that could lead to a period of great instability," Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a Judiciary Committee member, said last week.
Trump made clear in the 2016 presidential campaign that he wanted judges who were "pro-life" and who would defend Americans' gun rights under the Second Amendment. He has sought to overturn the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature legislative achievement, by any means necessary; the high court will hear a new challenge to the health care law in November.
More: Six conservative justices? 10 ways the Supreme Court could change
The president also made clear in recent days that he wants Barrett confirmed quickly so she can rule on legal challenges after Election Day. That is sure to lead Democrats on the judiciary committee to call for her to recuse herself from any such cases, a suggestion she is likely to sidestep.
More: Supreme Court begins 2020 term as a key election issue: Will it decide the election, too?
Barrett will have advantages her recent predecessors in the committee's hot seat did not. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public will not be admitted; in 2018, #MeToo activists and others stood and shouted periodically from the back of the room, disrupting the four-day hearing.
Fact check: 'Kingdom of God' comment by Amy Coney Barrett lacks context in meme
In addition, Democrats were burned once in 2017 when they confronted Barrett with questions about her deep Catholic faith and its influence on her jurisprudence. She proved to be a Teflon nominee in that regard, and they are unlikely to try that failed tactic again.
Gorsuch and Kavanaugh
Barrett is Trump's third Supreme Court nominee, and each time he has sought to move the court further to the right, making for bitterly contested confirmation hearings.
Gorsuch came before the committee at age 49 in March 2017. By then, it was more than 400 days since Scalia's death, a year since Obama's failed nomination of Garland, and seven weeks since Trump introduced Gorsuch in the East Room of the White House.
A federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, based in Denver, for more than a decade, Gorsuch inundated the panel with 175,000 pages of records, then avoided controversial subjects and skated through the process. Still, Democrats used the power of the minority to block the required 60-vote threshold, forcing Republicans to change Senate rules and win confirmation by a simple majority.
Fact check: Republicans, not Democrats, eliminated the Senate filibuster on Supreme Court nominees
It got worse in 2018. Kavanaugh, a powerful judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for 12 years, arrived with a paper trail too voluminous for the panel to pile through between his July nomination and the start of the Supreme Court's term in October.
Republicans released more than 400,000 pages of documents but concealed much from Kavanaugh's time working for President George W. Bush as deputy White House counsel and staff secretary. After the customary four-day hearing concluded, Kavanaugh faced accusations of sexual misconduct as a teenager in the 1980s that required an additional hearing and nearly killed the nomination.
Barrett likely will face an easier time on a personal level because of her gender and demeanor, and because she bested Democrats in the debate over her religious convictions three years ago. But she can't expect Democrats' votes, either in committee or the full Senate, because of the dramatic change she would deliver, the rush to confirm her before the election and Republicans' 2016 actions.
What she is sure to do is dodge Democrats' questions about her views on issues that could come before the court. That's a common strategy of nominees dating back at least as far as Ginsburg, who in 1993 insisted on offering "no forecasts, no hints." She was confirmed 96-3; her predecessors, Scalia and Kennedy, were unanimous.
Things were different in 1991, however, when President George H.W. Bush's nomination of Thomas to fill Marshall's seat turned into what Thomas called a "high-tech lynching." He was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee, Anita Hill, and ultimately survived by a narrow 52-48 vote.
Philosophy 'on the table'
Conservatives spearheading Barrett's nomination don't expect her opponents to attack her personally, but they anticipate a focus on her judicial philosophy – one that puts the words of the Constitution and federal laws before the sanctity of high court precedents.
Barrett is prepared for that. At Notre Dame last year, she said a nominee "can’t answer about specific cases, but questions about judicial philosophy should be on the table.... You have a right to know what yardstick you’re using to make those decisions.”
More: We binge-watched 15 hours of Amy Coney Barrett's speeches. Here’s what we learned about her judicial philosophy
Here are some of the lines of attack Democrats likely will mount against Barrett:
• Abortion: Barrett has written that Supreme Court precedents are not sacrosanct, which liberals have interpreted as a threat to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. As a law professor in 2006, she signed an anti-abortion letter that accompanied a January 2006 newspaper ad calling for "an end to the barbaric legacy of Roe v. Wade."
More: Barrett signed anti-abortion letter accompanying ad calling to overturn Roe v. Wade
In a 2016 talk at Jacksonville University, she said the right to abortion may be safe but that the Supreme Court could uphold further restrictions. On the appeals court, she signed a dissent indicating she would have reheard Indiana's defense of a law banning abortions based on sex, race or disability.
• Health care: Barrett wrote in 2017 that Chief Justice John Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning in order to save it. Roberts interpreted as a tax the law’s penalty on those who don’t buy insurance, allowing the court to uphold the constitutionality of the law.
More: Health care law faces another Supreme Court showdown, this time without Justice Ginsburg's vote
With a third major challenge set to be heard by the justices the week after the election, former Vice President Joe Biden and Democrats have made the health care law their first line of attack against Barrett's confirmation.
"Literally in the midst of a public health pandemic, when over 210,000 people have died ... Donald Trump is in court right now trying to get rid of the Affordable Care Act," Sen. Kamala Harris said during last week's debate with Vice President Mike Pence.
• Gun control: Barrett dissented when the appeals court upheld a decision restricting the Second Amendment rights of a felon convicted of mail fraud. She said nonviolent offenders should not lose their constitutional right to firearms possession. In her committee questionnaire, she rated the dissent as her most important opinion.
More: Ginsburg's death injects new urgency into Second Amendment debate
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a Judiciary Committee member whose state endured the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School that left 26 dead, has promised to make gun control an issue at the hearing.
• LGBTQ rights: In a 2016 speech, Barrett implied that same-sex marriage was an issue for state legislatures to decide rather than the courts. That was a year after the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states cannot ban gays and lesbians from marrying.
More: Supreme Court to decide if foster care agencies can snub gay, lesbian couples due to religious objections
"What we’re talking about for the future of the court, it’s really a 'who decides the question?'" she said.
• Voting rights: Just as Gorsuch was made to answer for Trump's criticism of federal court judges in 2017, Barrett likely will be asked about the president's expressed desire to have her rule on post-election challenges. She's almost sure to be asked if she would recuse herself from those cases.
More: Supreme Court restores witness signature rule for absentee ballots in South Carolina
But when it comes to religion, Democrats will have to tread carefully. They may ask about her ties to a charismatic Christian religious group called People of Praise, but they recall the 2017 dialogue that cemented Barrett's reputation among defenders of religious freedom.
Fact check: Post online satirizes Judge Amy Coney Barrett in 'yearbook' photo with fake quote
"If you're asking whether I take my faith seriously and I'm a faithful Catholic, I am," Barrett responded, "although I would stress that my personal church affiliation or my religious belief would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge."


usatoday--2020-10-12--Lakers star LeBron James becomes first NBA player to win Finals MVP with three teams

LAKE BUENA VISTA , Fla. – Finals MVP with the Miami Heat , Finals MVP with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers .
LeBron James won his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP after the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 of the Finals on Sunday night .
James scored 28 points on 13-for-20 shooting , collected 14 rebounds and compiled 10 assists – his Finals-record 11th triple-double .
For the series , he averaged 29.8 points , 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists and shot 59.1 % from the field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Only Michael Jordan with six has more Finals MVPs than James , who also won the award in 2012 , 2013 and 2016 .
James becomes the first player in history to claim Finals MVPs with three teams .
`` What I 've learned being a Laker is that the Laker faithful do n't give a damn what you 've done before , ” James said Thursday .
“ Until you become a Laker , you 've got to do it with them , as well .
They do n't care about your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Laker .
Then you 've got to do it as a Laker , and then they respect you .
I 've learned that.
” Through two games of the series , Anthony Davis and James were neck-and-neck for the award .
But Davis had a quiet night in Miami ’ s Game 3 victory , and Miami ’ s Jimmy Butler inserted himself into the conversation with triple-doubles , including a Game 3 40-point , 13-assist , 11-rebound performance , in two victories .
As the series wore on , James , 35 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the series .
He had at least 25 points , nine rebounds and seven assists in every game .
James had 11 points , nine rebounds and six assists in the first half of the series clincher as Los Angeles built a 64-36 lead .

Lakers star LeBron James becomes first NBA player to win Finals MVP with three teams
Show Caption Hide Caption Why this NBA title is the most impressive one yet for Lakers, LeBron SportsPulse: The Lakers and LeBron are back on top. LA gets their 17th. LeBron get his 4th. Both should look at this championship for what it is- arguably their most impressive feat yet. SportsPulse, USA TODAY
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — NBA Finals MVP with the Miami Heat, NBA Finals MVP with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James won his fourth NBA championship and fourth Finals MVP after the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 of the Finals on Sunday night.
James scored 28 points on 13-for-20 shooting, collected 14 rebounds and compiled 10 assists — his Finals-record 11th triple-double.
"I have always believed in LeBron James," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "He's the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen, and if you think you know, you don't know, OK, until you're around him every day, you're coaching him, you're seeing his mind, you're seeing his adjustments, seeing the way he leads the group. You think you know. You don't know.
"It's just been a remarkable experience coaching him and seeing him take this group that was not in the playoffs last year, the roster was put together, you know, overnight, and just taking a group and leading us to the promised land, so they say.
"He was terrific the entire season leading us, and I can't say enough about him."
For the series, he averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists and shot 59.1% from the field, including 41.7% on 3-pointers.
Only Michael Jordan with six has more Finals MVPs than James, who also won the award in 2012, 2013 and 2016. James becomes the first player in history to claim Finals MVPs with three teams.
"What I've learned being a Laker is that the Laker faithful don't give a damn what you've done before," James said Thursday. "Until you become a Laker, you've got to do it with them, as well. They don't care about your resume at all until you become a Laker. Then you've got to do it as a Laker, and then they respect you. I've learned that."
What still motivates LeBron James?
"Thinking I have something to prove fuels me, and it fueled me over the last year-and-a-half, since my injury," he said after leading the Lakers back to the top of the NBA. pic.twitter.com/RrtOiO2nGe — USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) October 12, 2020
Through two games of the series, Anthony Davis and James were neck-and-neck for the award. But Davis had a quiet night in Miami’s Game 3 victory, and Miami’s Jimmy Butler inserted himself into the conversation with triple-doubles, including a Game 3 40-point, 13-assist, 11-rebound performance, in two victories.
As the series wore on, James, 35, began to leave his imprint on the series. He had at least 25 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in every game and emerged as the best and most dominant player on the court.
James had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the first half of the series clincher as Los Angeles built a 64-36 lead then had 17 points in the second half.
As important as his play is on the court, the Lakers needed his leadership, too.
"He's incredibly genuine, and I would say way more thoughtful than people might imagine," Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said. "He has the ability to get Anthony Davis dialed into a game, but he also has the ability to talk to our team chef and make sure that she's doing a great job at her work.
"There's no task too big or too small that he's not involved with that he doesn't have his fingerprints on, and to see his partnership with Anthony Davis, we really wanted to make this season about our two captains."
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.