usatoday--2020-09-11--Lawmaker who brought newborn to work joins other elected women challenging parenthood

This story was published in partnership with The 19th , a nonprofit , nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender , politics and policy .
Buffy Wicks held her newborn as she stood to speak on the floor of the California State Assembly .
“ Please , please , please pass this bill , ” said the masked lawmaker during a short speech on housing legislation , her 1-month-old growing increasingly fussy .
“ And I ’ m gon na go finish feeding my daughter.
” Wicks did not intend to bring Elly , her newborn , onto the chamber floor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Capitol altogether .
Wicks requested to vote by proxy two weeks before — which would have allowed someone else to vote on her behalf while she stayed home on maternity leave .
She gave birth in late July .
The chamber has rules allowing proxy voting if a lawmaker is at a higher risk for COVID-19 .
In the California Senate , Republicans were allowed to vote remotely after a lawmaker tested positive for the virus .
But Wicks said she was told that maternity leave was not an eligible reason for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the moment , which was captured on video Aug. 31 , and ricocheted around social media for the rest of the week , a growing public outrage over the assemblymember having to bring her baby to work during a pandemic .
Several news reports followed .
Hillary Clinton tweeted about it .
“ Any working mom has been in this situation , right ?
Your daughter ’ s crying .
She ’ s hungry .
She ’ s wondering why she ’ s not eating , ” said Wicks , a Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of two had wanted to give remarks “ and get off the floor and get back to her.
” Wicks is the latest in a long list of mothers in elected office who have challenged outdated notions around parenthood , leading in some cases to policy changes .
Her experience may also preview new challenges in statehouses around the country during the pandemic .
Brittany Pettersen , a Democratic state senator in Colorado , gave birth to a boy in early January .
As one of the first lawmakers in the statehouse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she openly questioned why the Legislature had no maternity leave policy .
With the support of legislative leadership , Pettersen went on a short leave .
But she had to characterize her maternity leave as a chronic illness to get paid .
“ I was stunned , ” said Pettersen , who is also a vocal supporter of legislation to expand paid family and medical leave in the state .
Pettersen plans to introduce legislation that would allow lawmakers to take paid maternity leave , which she explained as her son cooed loudly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not a chronic illness , ” she said of her experience .
“ I was having a baby .
And there should be a policy in place in our workplace.
” Earlier this year , Josie Raymond became the first representative in the Kentucky statehouse to give birth while serving in office .
The Democrat brought her newborn daughter onto the chamber floor and to legislative meetings .
Legislative leadership there had approved her requests for an aisle seat and a private nursery room nearby so she could better balance work and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help of a nanny ) .
But when Raymond ’ s legislative colleagues asked leadership on her behalf about whether she could do proxy or remote voting , she said they quickly shut down the subject — there was no precedent for it , she and her colleagues were told .
So Raymond brought her baby in for floor votes .
Several weeks later the pandemic hit , and lawmakers approved remote voting for all .
“ It ’ s these things that they tell us .
‘ Oh , we can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And then when it ’ s someone else ’ s necessity , suddenly it happens , ” she said .
Mothers have challenged legislative policies in all levels of government .
The city council in Eau Claire , Wisconsin , in 2017 banned children from their dais , the sitting area among council members .
Councilwoman Catherine Emmanuelle said the vote came after she asked to breastfeed her son at the dais during meetings .
A year later , after several members lost re-election , a new council overturned the ban .
Emmanuelle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the council , said legislative bodies have the power to be more flexible , especially during the pandemic .
“ One thing I think is really interesting that COVID has taught us is while it ’ s not always ideal to work with your kids it is possible .
And so we ’ re throwing this dichotomy out the window of , ‘ You can only do one or the other .
You can do both.
’ ” she said .
“ And the employer or , in this case , the legislative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ‘ Let ’ s be flexible and meet people where they ’ re at.
’ So that we open up the doors for anybody to serve in elected office , versus creating barriers.
” In 2018 , a newly elected U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth made headlines by becoming the first U.S. senator to bring her newborn onto the chamber floor as she cast a vote .
That was only possible after she pushed the Senate to change a longstanding rule that prohibited children on the chamber floor .
Years earlier , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was pregnant with her first child , Democratic leadership denied her request to vote by proxy .
Duckworth was eight months pregnant at the time .
A ’ shanti F. Gholar is president of Emerge , the national organization that trains Democratic women to run for office .
She said what happened to Wicks in California highlights how women face obstacles in fighting for equal representation in state government .
“ When they created our democracy , and elected positions , they never anticipated for women to be a part of that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anticipated for people of color to be a part of that .
So it goes back to the fact that we are playing in a system that was not built for us .
So , is it shocking when these things happen ?
Yes .
But is it really shocking ?
No , because they never imagined us being involved.
” Women have traditionally waited until their children are older to run for office .
That has shifted in recent years , with more women entering office as the mothers of young children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That means legislative leaders need to be proactive in making legislative policies more family friendly , said Simona Grace , the founder of Moms in Office , a political action committee that works to elect mothers .
“ Do we really have to wait for these instances to occur ?
” Grace said , referring to what happened to Wicks .
“ Or can we actually make some conscious and intentional steps so we ’ re being more welcoming toward women ?
” In at least 35 states , the U.S. Virgin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislative chambers have introduced or enacted bills or resolutions related to their legislative operations in response to COVID-19 , according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .
Some of those policies include remote meetings and vote by proxy , though there are some limitations due to state constitutions .
A similar policy to vote by proxy in the U.S. House has led to litigation .
It ’ s unclear how many statehouse policies over voting and meetings will extend into the new year as the pandemic continues .
Raymond , the Kentucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislative meetings remotely during the pandemic .
A mother of three , she was the first candidate in the state to get approval to use campaign funds to pay for child care , which remains an ongoing challenge in other states .
She ’ s waiting to see what happens with remote legislative meetings and voting in a few months and whether child care and school will be available .
“ I ’ m already feeling a little panicked thinking , ‘ What am I going to do with them ?
Am I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when I go back in January ? '
” she said .
Wicks said she made the trip from her home in Oakland to the state Capitol in Sacramento because it was the final day of the session .
She wanted to ensure that certain bills advanced , including a bill that would make it easier to create multi-unit housing .
She wanted to do her job .
“ I think it struck a chord with people in that women across the country , while maybe they haven ’ t been on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ ve been in a situation .
Or they ’ ve had to manage being a mom and being a career person or going to their job or dealing with those countervailing pressures , ” she said .
There is still emerging data around the health effects of COVID-19 on pregnant people , who might be at an increased risk for severe illness , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Stephen Patrick , director of the Center for Child Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with COVID-19 , they may have to deliver early .
At least one other Democratic lawmaker in the California statehouse , Assemblymember Monique Limón , is pregnant and was at the state Capitol to vote .
She did not request a proxy vote .
“ For newborns , the risk appears to be much lower , ” Patrick said in an email .
“ But parents , regardless of if they are legislators or not , should not be forced to expose their newborns to COVID-related risks .
Being a new parent is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line , we should be protecting both pregnant and parenting women.
” Both Wicks and Limón are members of the California Legislative Women ’ s Caucus .
Recently , the group released a statement vowing to make recommendations to legislative leadership in both chambers to “ improve internal policies for women in the Legislature.
” “ This event was a difficult reminder of what women experience every day in all work environments — and the Legislature is clearly no exception , ” according to the statement .
“ We must do better.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , denied Wicks ’ request to vote by proxy .
His spokesperson , Katie Talbot , initially defended Rendon in a statement that read in part , “ The house resolution pertaining to proxy voting is very specific , in that only members at a higher risk from Covid-19 will be considered eligible for proxy voting .
This bar of eligibility was always intended to be high , to ensure the protection of our legislative process.
” Later , Rendon apologized , noting : “ Inclusivity and electing more women into politics are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nevertheless , I failed to make sure our process took into account the unique needs of our Members .
The Assembly needs to do better .
I commit to doing better.
” Wicks said she intends to push for new vote by proxy accommodations in the California statehouse around not just lawmakers ’ children , but others in their households with compromised immune systems .
Women are often primary caregivers for aging parents .
“ My hope is that coming out of this , we can redefine that policy , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the housing bill was bittersweet .
It failed in the Senate on a technicality .
But Wicks was the deciding vote on a separate bill to expand family leave in the state .
“ I don ’ t know if that ’ s ironic or serendipitous , ” she said .
“ That is exactly why it ’ s very important that you have people with different diverse life experiences at the table when these decisions are being made , including moms who have young kids .
Because moms who have young kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave .
Because we ’ re living it and breathing it every single day .
”

Lawmaker who brought newborn to work joins other elected women challenging parenthood
This story was published in partnership with The 19th, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy.
Buffy Wicks held her newborn as she stood to speak on the floor of the California State Assembly.
“Please, please, please pass this bill,” said the masked lawmaker during a short speech on housing legislation, her 1-month-old growing increasingly fussy. “And I’m gonna go finish feeding my daughter.”
Wicks did not intend to bring Elly, her newborn, onto the chamber floor. She tried to avoid bringing her to the Capitol altogether. Wicks requested to vote by proxy two weeks before — which would have allowed someone else to vote on her behalf while she stayed home on maternity leave. She gave birth in late July.
The chamber has rules allowing proxy voting if a lawmaker is at a higher risk for COVID-19. In the California Senate, Republicans were allowed to vote remotely after a lawmaker tested positive for the virus. But Wicks said she was told that maternity leave was not an eligible reason for a proxy vote.
Wicks later reflected on the moment, which was captured on video Aug. 31, and ricocheted around social media for the rest of the week, a growing public outrage over the assemblymember having to bring her baby to work during a pandemic. Several news reports followed. Hillary Clinton tweeted about it.
“Any working mom has been in this situation, right? Your daughter’s crying. She’s hungry. She’s wondering why she’s not eating,” said Wicks, a Democrat, to The 19th. The mother of two had wanted to give remarks “and get off the floor and get back to her.”
Wicks is the latest in a long list of mothers in elected office who have challenged outdated notions around parenthood, leading in some cases to policy changes. Her experience may also preview new challenges in statehouses around the country during the pandemic.
Brittany Pettersen, a Democratic state senator in Colorado, gave birth to a boy in early January. As one of the first lawmakers in the statehouse to give birth while serving in office, she openly questioned why the Legislature had no maternity leave policy.
With the support of legislative leadership, Pettersen went on a short leave. But she had to characterize her maternity leave as a chronic illness to get paid.
“I was stunned,” said Pettersen, who is also a vocal supporter of legislation to expand paid family and medical leave in the state.
Pettersen plans to introduce legislation that would allow lawmakers to take paid maternity leave, which she explained as her son cooed loudly in the background.
“It’s not a chronic illness,” she said of her experience. “I was having a baby. And there should be a policy in place in our workplace.”
Earlier this year, Josie Raymond became the first representative in the Kentucky statehouse to give birth while serving in office. The Democrat brought her newborn daughter onto the chamber floor and to legislative meetings. Legislative leadership there had approved her requests for an aisle seat and a private nursery room nearby so she could better balance work and having her newborn close (with the help of a nanny).
But when Raymond’s legislative colleagues asked leadership on her behalf about whether she could do proxy or remote voting, she said they quickly shut down the subject — there was no precedent for it, she and her colleagues were told. So Raymond brought her baby in for floor votes. Several weeks later the pandemic hit, and lawmakers approved remote voting for all.
“It’s these things that they tell us. ‘Oh, we can’t possibly ever make that happen.’ And then when it’s someone else’s necessity, suddenly it happens,” she said.
Mothers have challenged legislative policies in all levels of government. The city council in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 2017 banned children from their dais, the sitting area among council members. Councilwoman Catherine Emmanuelle said the vote came after she asked to breastfeed her son at the dais during meetings. A year later, after several members lost re-election, a new council overturned the ban.
Emmanuelle, who is now vice president of the council, said legislative bodies have the power to be more flexible, especially during the pandemic.
“One thing I think is really interesting that COVID has taught us is while it’s not always ideal to work with your kids it is possible. And so we’re throwing this dichotomy out the window of, ‘You can only do one or the other. You can do both.’ ” she said. “And the employer or, in this case, the legislative body, has the ability to say, ‘Let’s be flexible and meet people where they’re at.’ So that we open up the doors for anybody to serve in elected office, versus creating barriers.”
CDC: Pregnant people with COVID-19 more likely to be hospitalized Breaking from their earlier guidance, the CDC now says pregnant women with COVID-19 are at higher risk than non-pregnant people. USA TODAY
In 2018, a newly elected U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth made headlines by becoming the first U.S. senator to bring her newborn onto the chamber floor as she cast a vote. That was only possible after she pushed the Senate to change a longstanding rule that prohibited children on the chamber floor.
Years earlier, when Duckworth served in the U.S. House and was pregnant with her first child, Democratic leadership denied her request to vote by proxy. Duckworth was eight months pregnant at the time.
A’shanti F. Gholar is president of Emerge, the national organization that trains Democratic women to run for office. She said what happened to Wicks in California highlights how women face obstacles in fighting for equal representation in state government.
“When they created our democracy, and elected positions, they never anticipated for women to be a part of that,” Gholar said. “They never anticipated for people of color to be a part of that. So it goes back to the fact that we are playing in a system that was not built for us. So, is it shocking when these things happen? Yes. But is it really shocking? No, because they never imagined us being involved.”
Women have traditionally waited until their children are older to run for office. That has shifted in recent years, with more women entering office as the mothers of young children or having children while serving in office.
That means legislative leaders need to be proactive in making legislative policies more family friendly, said Simona Grace, the founder of Moms in Office, a political action committee that works to elect mothers.
“Do we really have to wait for these instances to occur?” Grace said, referring to what happened to Wicks. “Or can we actually make some conscious and intentional steps so we’re being more welcoming toward women?”
In at least 35 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, legislative chambers have introduced or enacted bills or resolutions related to their legislative operations in response to COVID-19, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some of those policies include remote meetings and vote by proxy, though there are some limitations due to state constitutions. A similar policy to vote by proxy in the U.S. House has led to litigation.
It’s unclear how many statehouse policies over voting and meetings will extend into the new year as the pandemic continues. Raymond, the Kentucky representative, has been participating in interim legislative meetings remotely during the pandemic. A mother of three, she was the first candidate in the state to get approval to use campaign funds to pay for child care, which remains an ongoing challenge in other states. She’s waiting to see what happens with remote legislative meetings and voting in a few months and whether child care and school will be available.
“I’m already feeling a little panicked thinking, ‘What am I going to do with them? Am I going to take them to the Capitol when I go back in January?' ” she said.
Wicks said she made the trip from her home in Oakland to the state Capitol in Sacramento because it was the final day of the session. She wanted to ensure that certain bills advanced, including a bill that would make it easier to create multi-unit housing. She wanted to do her job.
“I think it struck a chord with people in that women across the country, while maybe they haven’t been on the floor of the assembly with their newborn, they’ve been in a situation. Or they’ve had to manage being a mom and being a career person or going to their job or dealing with those countervailing pressures,” she said.
There is still emerging data around the health effects of COVID-19 on pregnant people, who might be at an increased risk for severe illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Stephen Patrick, director of the Center for Child Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said when pregnant people become severely ill with COVID-19, they may have to deliver early.
At least one other Democratic lawmaker in the California statehouse, Assemblymember Monique Limón, is pregnant and was at the state Capitol to vote. She did not request a proxy vote.
“For newborns, the risk appears to be much lower,” Patrick said in an email. “But parents, regardless of if they are legislators or not, should not be forced to expose their newborns to COVID-related risks. Being a new parent is hard.”
Patrick added: “Bottom line, we should be protecting both pregnant and parenting women.”
Both Wicks and Limón are members of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. Recently, the group released a statement vowing to make recommendations to legislative leadership in both chambers to “improve internal policies for women in the Legislature.”
“This event was a difficult reminder of what women experience every day in all work environments — and the Legislature is clearly no exception,” according to the statement. “We must do better.”
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Democrat, denied Wicks’ request to vote by proxy. His spokesperson, Katie Talbot, initially defended Rendon in a statement that read in part, “The house resolution pertaining to proxy voting is very specific, in that only members at a higher risk from Covid-19 will be considered eligible for proxy voting. This bar of eligibility was always intended to be high, to ensure the protection of our legislative process.”
Later, Rendon apologized, noting: “Inclusivity and electing more women into politics are core elements of our Democratic values. Nevertheless, I failed to make sure our process took into account the unique needs of our Members. The Assembly needs to do better. I commit to doing better.”
Wicks said she intends to push for new vote by proxy accommodations in the California statehouse around not just lawmakers’ children, but others in their households with compromised immune systems. Women are often primary caregivers for aging parents.
“My hope is that coming out of this, we can redefine that policy,” she said.
The vote that Wicks cast on the housing bill was bittersweet. It failed in the Senate on a technicality. But Wicks was the deciding vote on a separate bill to expand family leave in the state.
“I don’t know if that’s ironic or serendipitous,” she said. “That is exactly why it’s very important that you have people with different diverse life experiences at the table when these decisions are being made, including moms who have young kids. Because moms who have young kids are going to vote for expanded family leave. Because we’re living it and breathing it every single day.”


usatoday--2020-09-11--'What … was I doing?': Kate Winslet 'regrets' working with Woody Allen, Roman Polanski

Kate Winslet says she regrets working with embattled directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski .
During an interview with Vanity Fair , the actress broke her silence on the misconduct and sexual assault allegations surrounding the two directors .
She `` takes responsibility '' for working with Allen , 84 , on 2017 's `` Wonder Wheel '' and Polanski , 87 , on 2011 's `` Carnage . ''
`` It ’ s like , what the ( expletive ) was I doing working with Woody Allen and Roman Polanski ? ''
Winslet , 44 , told the outlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me now how those men were held in such high regard , so widely in the film industry and for as long as they were .
It ’ s ( expletive ) disgraceful . ''
Watch Kate Winslet and Idris Elba 's deleted scene from 'Mountain Between Us' Although Winslet said she `` can ’ t turn back the clock , '' the actress said she now has `` to take responsibility for the fact that I worked with them both . ''
`` I ’ m grappling with those regrets , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t able to just be ( expletive ) truthful about all of it ? ''
she added .
Moving forward , Winslet said she has a duty to set a `` decent example to younger women '' by carefully considering the roles she accepts and the stories she tells .
She admits this revelation came after working on Francis Lee 's film `` Ammonite , '' which centers around the budding love between fossil hunter Mary Anning ( Winslet ) and the wife of a wealthy visitor , Charlotte Murchison ( Saoirse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the largely virtual Toronto International Film Festival .
`` 'Ammonite ' has made me really aware of being even more committed to honoring what women want to be saying for themselves in films and how we really want to be portrayed , regardless of sexual orientation , '' Winslet said , describing the film as `` so loving , so tender and so beautiful . ''
She added : `` Life is ( expletive ) short and I ’ d like to do my best when it comes to setting a decent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re handing them a pretty ( expletive ) world , so I ’ d like to do my bit in having some proper integrity . ''
Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet kiss , fall in love in first trailer for Francis Lee 's 'Ammonite' This marks the first time Winslet has specifically denounced the embattled directors .
In 2017 , she defended working with Allen and Polanski ahead of the `` Wonder Wheel '' premiere at the New York Film Festival .
`` As the actor in the film , you just have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t know anything , really , and whether any of it is true or false , ' `` she told The New York Times .
`` Having thought it all through , you put it to one side and just work with the person .
Woody Allen is an incredible director .
So is Roman Polanski .
I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men , and that ’ s the truth . ''
However , Winslet changed her stance and condemned abuse of power in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Circle film awards in January 2018 , although she did n't go as far as naming anyone in particular .
`` There are directors , producers and men of power who have for decades been awarded and applauded for their highly regarded work by both this industry and moviegoers alike , '' she said during her acceptance speech .
She added : `` It has become clear to me that by not saying anything , I might be adding to the anguish of many courageous women and men .
Sexual abuse is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center of much controversy since the '90s .
His adoptive step-daughter , Dylan Farrow , has alleged he sexual abused her when she was a child .
Allen has always denied the allegations .
And he raised eyebrows for marrying Soon-Yi Previn , the adopted daughter of longtime partner Mia Farrow , when he was 61 and she 27 .
They have now been married nearly 23 years .
Polanski fled the country in 1978 after pleading guilty to the rape of a 13-year-old girl .
He 's been unable to return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his best-director Oscar for `` The Pianist '' in 2003 , or to appear at the Academy Awards ceremonies when he was nominated for best director in 1981 for `` Tess . ''
The sexual abuse allegations against both directors resurfaced amid the # MeToo era .
Woody Allen says abuse controversy was ' a false allegation but a great tabloid drama '

'What … was I doing?': Kate Winslet 'regrets' working with Woody Allen, Roman Polanski
Show Caption Hide Caption Backlash expected as Woody Allen's memoir is released Hillel Italie, Publishing Editor at the Associated Press, discusses the content and release of Woody Allen's autobiography, 'Apropos of Nothing.' (March 23) AP
Kate Winslet says she regrets working with embattled directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress broke her silence on the misconduct and sexual assault allegations surrounding the two directors. She "takes responsibility" for working with Allen, 84, on 2017's "Wonder Wheel" and Polanski, 87, on 2011's "Carnage."
"It’s like, what the (expletive) was I doing working with Woody Allen and Roman Polanski?" Winslet, 44, told the outlet. "It’s unbelievable to me now how those men were held in such high regard, so widely in the film industry and for as long as they were. It’s (expletive) disgraceful."
Watch Kate Winslet and Idris Elba's deleted scene from 'Mountain Between Us'
Although Winslet said she "can’t turn back the clock," the actress said she now has "to take responsibility for the fact that I worked with them both."
"I’m grappling with those regrets, but what do we have if we aren’t able to just be (expletive) truthful about all of it?" she added.
Moving forward, Winslet said she has a duty to set a "decent example to younger women" by carefully considering the roles she accepts and the stories she tells. She admits this revelation came after working on Francis Lee's film "Ammonite," which centers around the budding love between fossil hunter Mary Anning (Winslet) and the wife of a wealthy visitor, Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan). The film premieres Friday at the largely virtual Toronto International Film Festival.
"'Ammonite' has made me really aware of being even more committed to honoring what women want to be saying for themselves in films and how we really want to be portrayed, regardless of sexual orientation," Winslet said, describing the film as "so loving, so tender and so beautiful."
She added: "Life is (expletive) short and I’d like to do my best when it comes to setting a decent example to younger women. We’re handing them a pretty (expletive) world, so I’d like to do my bit in having some proper integrity."
Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet kiss, fall in love in first trailer for Francis Lee's 'Ammonite'
This marks the first time Winslet has specifically denounced the embattled directors.
In 2017, she defended working with Allen and Polanski ahead of the "Wonder Wheel" premiere at the New York Film Festival.
"As the actor in the film, you just have to step away and say, 'I don’t know anything, really, and whether any of it is true or false,' " she told The New York Times. "Having thought it all through, you put it to one side and just work with the person. Woody Allen is an incredible director. So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and that’s the truth."
However, Winslet changed her stance and condemned abuse of power in the film industry at the London Critics’ Circle film awards in January 2018, although she didn't go as far as naming anyone in particular.
"There are directors, producers and men of power who have for decades been awarded and applauded for their highly regarded work by both this industry and moviegoers alike," she said during her acceptance speech.
She added: "It has become clear to me that by not saying anything, I might be adding to the anguish of many courageous women and men. Sexual abuse is a crime."
Allen has been the center of much controversy since the '90s. His adoptive step-daughter, Dylan Farrow, has alleged he sexual abused her when she was a child. Allen has always denied the allegations.
And he raised eyebrows for marrying Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of longtime partner Mia Farrow, when he was 61 and she 27. They have now been married nearly 23 years.
Polanski fled the country in 1978 after pleading guilty to the rape of a 13-year-old girl. He's been unable to return to the U.S., not even to collect his best-director Oscar for "The Pianist" in 2003, or to appear at the Academy Awards ceremonies when he was nominated for best director in 1981 for "Tess."
The sexual abuse allegations against both directors resurfaced amid the #MeToo era.
Contributing: Amy Haneline, Maria Puente
Roman Polanski: Oscar winner loses his bid for Academy reinstatement
Woody Allen says abuse controversy was 'a false allegation but a great tabloid drama'


usatoday--2020-09-11--These 1990s vehicles are hot on the collectible car market

Sorry if this makes you feel old , but some cars from the 1990s are now considered classics .
Want proof ?
Look no further than the collectible car market , where interest in certain ‘ 90s vehicles is soaring .
Don ’ t get too excited quite yet .
That old Ford Taurus gathering dust in your garage isn ’ t worth much .
Neither is the Chevrolet Corsica rusting in the driveway .
But the Cadillac Eldorado , Toyota Supra and Lincoln Town Car you ’ ve been holding onto just might be worth something .
Chalk it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interested in the cars they grew up around , as well as older buyers looking for a more affordable classic ride than the hot-rods from the 1950s and 1960s , said John Wiley , manager of valuation analytics for classic car insurer Hagerty .
Lucid Motors reveals Lucid Air : Luxury electric car with 517-mile range is aimed at Tesla There ’ s another practical benefit : In many states , cars from the ‘ 90s can now get collector car license plates , which come with driving restrictions but typically cost much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Plus , collector cars can be privately imported from foreign markets once it ’ s been 25 years since their introduction , expanding the range of classic cars that people can own .
Another reason ?
There were notable powertrain and durability improvements from the 1980s to the 1990s , meaning the cars are often still driveable .
“ They often have better performance and there are other good features about them , but they ’ re still reasonably reliable , '' Wiley said .
Another thing that Wiley believes is attractive to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have modern , and often faulty , infotainment systems .
“ You don ’ t have to worry about the connectivity of your car .
I think people appreciate that sometimes , ” he said .
This list of 12 of the hottest collectible cars from the 1990s , which was provided to USA TODAY exclusively by Hagerty , is based on year-over-year increases in insurance quote requests ( which the company considers to be a concrete indicator of rising interest ) : “ When it was launched in ’ 89 , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Since then it ’ s become the solution to every car enthusiast ’ s needs and a large part of that is that it ’ s been affordable .
But it ’ s becoming more valuable.
” When it comes to valuation , the model year doesn ’ t matter as much as the condition of the car , like with most vehicles from this era , Wiley said .
This two-wheel-drive pickup has a big engine – 454 cubic inches , as you might 've guessed – in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ riding the wave of America ’ s pickup love affair .
Long known as a luxury car used to ferry business people from place to place , this discontinued nameplate is making a comeback on the collector market .
“ It ’ s still a big luxury car that ’ s rear-wheel drive and has a big V8 engine , so that ’ s appealing to the right people , ” Wiley said .
The Porsche 911 is a mainstay on any list of popular collector cars .
but this one is particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the rarest 911s out there , ” Wiley said .
Known also to Porsche fans as the 964 , “ values of this have actually been going up pretty consistently the last several years , ” Wiley said .
The MR2 was originally billed as “ an affordable mid-engine Ferrari competitor ” when it debuted in the early 1980s , Wiley said .
This version , the second generation of the small coupe , is “ a little bigger and has a lot of performance , ” Wiley said .
Notably , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a new MR2 .
That “ tends to make it more collectible , ” he said .
Long discussed as a discontinued nameplate that General Motors could revive , the Eldorado maintains a foothold in the minds of many Cadillac devotees .
“ It ’ s a much bigger and more stylish car than the one that it replaced , ” Wiley said .
“ The ‘ 80s version was pretty tiny and not particularly like a Cadillac .
But the ‘ 90s version is a larger car .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s a lot of modern performance for not much money.
” This pickup was Ford ’ s response to the Chevrolet 454 SS by the company 's archrival , GM .
It has a 351-cubic-inch engine , but it was “ faster and handled a little bit better , ” Wiley said .
Not that dissimilar from the Lincoln Town Car , the Fleetwood has a rear-wheel-drive and an 8-cylinder engine in the body of a big luxury sedan .
“ These are a little more expensive but not much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in good condition : $ 25,000 ( non-turbocharged ) to $ 50,000 ( twin-turbocharged ) The Supra has increased in public awareness since Toyota recently revived the nameplate as a sports car with 21st Century engineering and creature comforts .
But this model might be the most famous one since it was featured in the original “ Fast and Furious ” movie .
“ That one was heavily modified , ” Wiley said , “ whereas nowadays it ’ s the stock , unmodified examples that are most collectible.
” Named to Hagerty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which predicts the year 's hottest collector vehicles , the Acura Integra Type R offers a lot of power in a small package .
“ They ’ re known for being these really fun-to-drive lightweight cars with high performance , ” Wiley said .
With a type of naturally aspirated engine that 's becoming hard to find , the Integra Type R is now selling for more than its original retail price in some cases , albeit without inflation factored in .
The first Wrangler was called the YJ and was developed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American Motors Corporation , or AMC .
This particular model is the second version of the Wrangler and the first developed when it was owned by Chrysler .
It offers “ the best combination of traditional Jeep characteristics , ” Wiley said .
“ They brought back round headlights , it got a better suspension and it introduced the Rubicon trend ” for off-roading .
The vehicle appears to be appealing to drivers who want a vehicle for off-roading that they don ’ t have to worry about getting dinged up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition : $ 25,000 ( for the 240-horsepower model ) and $ 40,000 ( for the 315-horsepower model ) This vehicle was “ BMW ’ s answer to the Miata , ” Wiley said .
With a nontraditional hatchback-style shape , it offers “ great driving and a lot of fun , ” Wiley said .
“ I think the funny looks made it a little bit of a cult car initially , but now it ’ s getting wider ” attention , he said .

These 1990s vehicles are hot on the collectible car market
Sorry if this makes you feel old, but some cars from the 1990s are now considered classics.
Want proof? Look no further than the collectible car market, where interest in certain ‘90s vehicles is soaring.
Don’t get too excited yet. That old Ford Taurus gathering dust in your garage isn’t worth much. Neither is the Chevrolet Corsica rusting in the driveway.
But the Cadillac Eldorado, Toyota Supra and Lincoln Town Car you’ve been holding on to just might be worth something.
Chalk it up to nostalgic millennials, who are interested in the cars they grew up around, as well as older buyers looking for a more affordable classic ride than the hot-rods from the 1950s and 1960s, said John Wiley, manager of valuation analytics for classic car insurer Hagerty.
Save better, spend better: Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here
Lucid Motors reveals Lucid Air: Luxury electric car with 517-mile range is aimed at Tesla
New electric car manufacturer: Lucid Motors is coming for Tesla The Lucid Air luxury EV completed a quarter-mile track at an amazing 9.9 seconds, faster than the Tesla Model S. Digital Trends, Digital Trends
Redesigned S-Class revealed: Mercedes overhauls luxury car, adding augmented reality windshield, 'evasive steering'
There’s another practical benefit: In many states, cars from the ‘90s can now get collector car license plates, which come with driving restrictions but typically cost much less than regular vehicle registration fees. Plus, collector cars can be privately imported from foreign markets once it’s been 25 years since their introduction, expanding the range of classic cars that people can own.
Another reason? There were notable power train and durability improvements from the 1980s to the 1990s, meaning the cars are often still drivable.
“They often have better performance and there are other good features about them, but they’re still reasonably reliable," Wiley said.
Another thing that Wiley believes is attractive to collectors: 1990s vehicles don’t have modern, and often faulty, infotainment systems.
“You don’t have to worry about the connectivity of your car," he said. "I think people appreciate that sometimes."
This list of 12 of the hottest collectible cars from the 1990s, which was provided to USA TODAY exclusively by Hagerty, is based on year-over-year increases in insurance quote requests (which the company considers to be a concrete indicator of rising interest):
1990-1998 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Increase in insurance quotes: 18%
Average value in good condition: $7,000
This convertible is a perennial favorite.
“When it was launched in ’89, it really changed the game,” Wiley said. “Since then it’s become the solution to every car enthusiast’s needs and a large part of that is that it’s been affordable. But it’s becoming more valuable.”
When it comes to valuation, the model year doesn’t matter as much as the condition of the car, like with most vehicles from this era, Wiley said.
1990-1993 Chevrolet 454 SS pickup
Increase in insurance quotes: 39%
Average value in good condition: $15,000
This two-wheel-drive pickup has a big engine – 454 cubic inches, as you might've guessed – in a small body. It appears to be riding the wave of America’s pickup love affair.
“It’s a pretty fun, no-frills-enjoyment truck,” Wiley said.
1990-1997 Lincoln Town Car
Increase in insurance quotes: 17%
Average value in good condition: $5,000
Long known as a luxury car used to ferry business people from place to place, this discontinued nameplate is making a comeback on the collector market.
“It’s still a big luxury car that’s rear-wheel drive and has a big V8 engine, so that’s appealing to the right people,” Wiley said.
1990-1994 Porsche 911
Increase in insurance quotes: 10%
Average value in good condition: $81,000
The Porsche 911 is a mainstay on any list of popular collector cars. but this one is particularly notable since it’s “one of the rarest 911s out there,” Wiley said.
Known also to Porsche fans as the 964, “values of this have actually been going up pretty consistently the last several years,” Wiley said.
1991-1995 Toyota MR2
Increase in insurance quotes: 28%
Average value in good condition: $10,000
The MR2 was originally billed as “an affordable mid-engine Ferrari competitor” when it debuted in the early 1980s, Wiley said.
This version, the second generation of the small coupe, is “a little bigger and has a lot of performance,” Wiley said.
Notably, this vehicle wasn’t directly replaced with a new MR2. That “tends to make it more collectible,” he said.
1992-2002 Cadillac Eldorado
Increase in insurance quotes: 13%
Average value in good condition: $5,000
Long discussed as a discontinued nameplate that General Motors could revive, the Eldorado maintains a foothold in the minds of many Cadillac devotees.
“It’s a much bigger and more stylish car than the one that it replaced,” Wiley said. “The ‘80s version was pretty tiny and not particularly like a Cadillac. But the ‘90s version is a larger car. It’s front-wheel drive, it has a V8. It’s a lot of modern performance for not much money.”
1993-1995 Ford F-150 SVT Lightning
Increase in insurance quotes: 23%
Average value in good condition: $10,000
This pickup was Ford’s response to the Chevrolet 454 SS by the company's archrival, GM.
It has a 351-cubic-inch engine, but it was “faster and handled a little bit better,” Wiley said.
1993-1996 Cadillac Fleetwood
Increase in insurance quotes: 10%
Average value in good condition: $6,000
Not that dissimilar from the Lincoln Town Car, the Fleetwood has a rear-wheel-drive and an 8-cylinder engine in the body of a big luxury sedan.
“These are a little more expensive but not much,” Wiley said.
1993-1998 Toyota Supra
Increase in insurance quotes: 17%
Average value in good condition: $25,000 (non-turbocharged) to $50,000 (twin-turbocharged)
The Supra has increased in public awareness since Toyota recently revived the nameplate as a sports car with 21st Century engineering and creature comforts.
But this model might be the most famous one since it was featured in the original “Fast and Furious” movie.
“That one was heavily modified,” Wiley said, “whereas nowadays it’s the stock, unmodified examples that are most collectible.”
The nicest, twin-turbocharged, unmodified models run about $200,000.
1997-2001 Acura Integra Type R
Increase in insurance quotes: 21%
Average value in good condition: $30,000
Named to Hagerty’s 2020 Bull Market List, which predicts the year's hottest collector vehicles, the Acura Integra Type R offers a lot of power in a small package.
“They’re known for being these really fun-to-drive lightweight cars with high performance,” Wiley said.
With a type of naturally aspirated engine that's becoming hard to find, the Integra Type R is now selling for more than its original retail price in some cases, albeit without inflation factored in.
1997-2006 Jeep Wrangler (TJ)
Increase in insurance quotes: 10%
Average value in good condition: $10,000
The first Wrangler was called the YJ and was developed in 1986 when the brand was owned by the American Motors Corporation, or AMC. This particular model is the second version of the Wrangler and the first developed when it was owned by Chrysler.
It offers “the best combination of traditional Jeep characteristics,” Wiley said. “They brought back round headlights, it got a better suspension and it introduced the Rubicon trend” for off-roading.
The vehicle appears to be appealing to drivers who want a vehicle for off-roading that they don’t have to worry about getting dinged up, he added.
1998-2002 BMW M coupe
Increase in insurance quotes: 44%
Average value in good condition: $25,000 (for the 240-horsepower model) and $40,000 (for the 315-horsepower model)
This vehicle was “BMW’s answer to the Miata,” Wiley said.
With a nontraditional hatchback-style shape, it offers “great driving and a lot of fun,” Wiley said.
“I think the funny looks made it a little bit of a cult car initially, but now it’s getting wider” attention, he said.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.


usatoday--2020-09-11--My son born after 9/11 begins college amid coronavirus. What will his generation show us?

On Sept. 11 , 2001 , my husband called our home outside Washington , D.C. , from where he was working at the Treasury Department .
Turn the TV on , Bob said , and tell me why I 'm seeing people running out of the White House next door .
I turned it on just in time to see the second tower of the World Trade Center fall and to hear that another jet was supposedly heading for the White House .
Get out , I said , after sobbing through some jumbled explanations .
Do n't take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital on foot that Tuesday morning with thousands of other workers .
I drove to my job that evening as a news copy editor for USA TODAY , in a 31-story tower with our newspaper name in huge capital letters on top for any terrorist on an airplane to see .
Our office back then was just a couple of miles from the Pentagon that now was also burning from a hijacked jet attack .
Eighteen days later , I had a son in an emergency cesarean section , after he survived an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ History has its eyes on the Class of 2020 Last month , we moved this child into his freshman dorm at Virginia Tech .
But who knows how much longer he 'll stay there as other colleges are shutting down because returning students are spreading coronavirus infections .
The terrorist attacks on America 19 years ago killed several thousand people in one morning .
Since the first reported case of COVID-19 in Washington state nine months ago , the USA has documented 6.4 million cases and nearly 192,000 deaths .
As we helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room he 's sharing with a friend from high school , I could n't help but wonder what else is coming for this generation born into the unending war on terrorism and beginning college in a pandemic that has killed about 910,000 earthlings .
What inauspicious bookends !
How has this son responded to this virus ?
'The biggest stage of them all' In March , when America began shutting down , he was another high school senior struggling with on-the-fly virtual classes and anxious about what 's going to happen to college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to his new girlfriend , a redhead who speaks Spanish because she 's half Paraguayan .
Her family only several years ago moved back to America from Africa , where her father was working for the U.S. Agency for International Development , so her mother can be treated for advanced cancer .
Because his girlfriend 's mother is extremely vulnerable — and because our household includes grandparents in their late 70s — we watched this teenager suddenly taking it upon himself to research and help lead our family on how to fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love in a time of historic public health crisis , he turned into a protective old fart lecturing us on masks and social distancing , disciplining our quarantine bubble , going grocery shopping so the grandparents no longer had to .
We 're proud of the young adult our college freshman has become during the pandemic .
But I worry about a bigger crisis for his generation .
Despite the relentless fatal attack from this coronavirus on an impatient , undisciplined , leaderless America — and despite how far away it seems until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can get our lives back — vaccines and treatments one day soon will win .
What 's more dangerous is how the United States of America is now the Divided States of America , with a presidential election in less than two months .
Through no fault of its own , the Class of 2020 was cursed with not only COVID-19 but also social and political diseases for which our nation 's leaders ca n't or wo n't find a vaccine or treatment .
And now , as former Democratic presidential candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are `` walking across the biggest stage of them all . ''
How will our failures instruct this generation , as actor Tom Hanks put it in a virtual commencement address , `` to form the new structures and define the new realities and make the new world , the world after all that we have been through '' ?
You 're supposed to hope that the next generation will be better off than yours , as yours was better off than your parents ' , and so on .
But how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bequeathed them to make a better life not only for themselves but also for the rest of us ?
This son of ours born soon after 9/11 is named Kien-Tam , which means perseverance in Vietnamese .
Persevere , Class of 2020 , and show us what you 've got .
Thuan Le Elston is a member of USA TODAY 's Editorial Board .
Follow on her Twitter : @ thuanelston

My son born after 9/11 begins college amid coronavirus. What will his generation show us? How will COVID-19 as well as our social and political diseases instruct the Class of 2020? We'll need these graduates to help us build a better America.
On Sept. 11, 2001, my husband called our home outside Washington, D.C., from where he was working at the Treasury Department. Turn the TV on, Bob said, and tell me why I'm seeing people running out of the White House next door. I turned it on just in time to see the second tower of the World Trade Center fall and to hear that another jet was supposedly heading for the White House. Get out, I said, after sobbing through some jumbled explanations. Don't take the Metro!
Bob fled the nation's capital on foot that Tuesday morning with thousands of other workers. I drove to my job that evening as a news copy editor for USA TODAY, in a 31-story tower with our newspaper name in huge capital letters on top for any terrorist on an airplane to see. Our office back then was just a couple of miles from the Pentagon that now was also burning from a hijacked jet attack.
Eighteen days later, I had a son in an emergency cesarean section, after he survived an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck.
History has its eyes on the Class of 2020
Last month, we moved this child into his freshman dorm at Virginia Tech. But who knows how much longer he'll stay there as other colleges are shutting down because returning students are spreading coronavirus infections. The terrorist attacks on America 19 years ago killed several thousand people in one morning. Since the first reported case of COVID-19 in Washington state nine months ago, the USA has documented 6.4 million cases and nearly 192,000 deaths.
As we helped our son assemble shelves in the dorm room he's sharing with a friend from high school, I couldn't help but wonder what else is coming for this generation born into the unending war on terrorism and beginning college in a pandemic that has killed about 910,000 earthlings. What inauspicious bookends!
How has this son responded to this virus?
'The biggest stage of them all'
In March, when America began shutting down, he was another high school senior struggling with on-the-fly virtual classes and anxious about what's going to happen to college. By then, he had introduced us to his new girlfriend, a redhead who speaks Spanish because she's half Paraguayan. Her family only several years ago moved back to America from Africa, where her father was working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, so her mother can be treated for advanced cancer.
Because his girlfriend's mother is extremely vulnerable — and because our household includes grandparents — we watched this teenager suddenly taking it upon himself to research and help lead our family on how to fight off COVID-19. Out of a young love in a time of historic public health crisis, he turned into a protective old fart lecturing us on masks and social distancing, disciplining our quarantine bubble, going grocery shopping so the grandparents no longer had to.
We're proud of the young adult our college freshman has become during the pandemic. But I worry about a bigger crisis for his generation.
Despite the relentless fatal attack from this coronavirus on an impatient, undisciplined, leaderless America — and despite how far away it seems until we beat the virus into retreating so we can get our lives back — vaccines and treatments one day soon will win. What's more dangerous is how the United States of America is now the Divided States of America, with a presidential election in less than two months.
Through no fault of its own, the Class of 2020 was cursed with not only COVID-19 but also social and political diseases for which our nation's leaders can't or won't find a vaccine or treatment. And now, as former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang told graduates this year, they are "walking across the biggest stage of them all." How will our failures instruct this generation, as actor Tom Hanks put it in a virtual commencement address, "to form the new structures and define the new realities and make the new world, the world after all that we have been through"?
You're supposed to hope that the next generation will be better off than yours, as yours was better off than your parents', and so on. But how will our children build on what we bequeathed them to make a better life not only for themselves but also for the rest of us?
This son of ours born soon after 9/11 is named Kien-Tam, which means perseverance in Vietnamese. Persevere, Class of 2020, and show us what you've got.
Thuan Le Elston is a member of USA TODAY's Editorial Board. Follow on her Twitter: @thuanelston


usatoday--2020-09-11--Opinion: NFL season opener was a display of determination, defiance on 2020's top issues

KANSAS CITY , Mo .
— At last , after what felt like the longest and most arduous offseason in league history , the NFL officially returned on Thursday night .
The Kansas City Chiefs raised their Super Bowl banner and proceeded to dispatch the visiting Houston Texans 34-20 at a sparsely attended Arrowhead Stadium .
But the final score , the stats and highlight plays .. none of them matter in the grand scheme of things .
Thursday night was bigger than just a football game .
The 2020 NFL season opener actually represented two celebrations of defiance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ league , whose owners and chief executives resolved throughout the offseason that they would not bend to the deadly pandemic that nearly brought our country to a complete halt in the spring and has altered our way of life at virtually every turn .
Defiance and determination of players , who this offseason had finally seen one too many persons of color fall prey to police brutality , systemic oppression and racism , and thus committed to using their platforms to demand change , regardless of whomever their message angered .
So after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its players simultaneously battled wars on multiple fronts , on Thursday night , the two sides came together and flexed on a national stage , each determined to send clear messages : The Shield , as the league is known , is indeed as powerful and unyielding as owners always believed it was .
And the unified voices and wills of a couple thousand purpose-driven men will not be silenced , and efforts centered on cultivating long-lasting change will not be ignored .
It was one game , one night in the spotlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ players , Thursday night was the only evening that mattered .
The season opener sparked and continued the motion necessary to bring the league , its players and their fans to their desired destination .
Months ago , the idea of the NFL opening the season on time seemed virtually impossible .
Analysts , reporters and medical experts all watched with skepticism as everyone from Commissioner Roger Goodell to NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith to chief medical officers of both the league and players ' union declared their intention of contriving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe working conditions , testing schedules and modified financial arrangements that would provide for an on-time start to the season .
COVID-19 forced the alteration of the NFL draft .
It robbed teams and players of offseason programs and preseason games .
But determination and a vigilant approach to the implementation of testing , safety and prevention measures ushered the league through an altered training camp schedule .
The steadfastness enabled the league to survive a wave of false positive test results that briefly threatened to shut down multiple team facilities .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 numbers steadily decreased to the point that only one player tested positive in the most recent round of testing , no team experienced an outbreak of any kind and the Chiefs-Texans opener kicked off without a hitch .
Never underestimate the persistence of billionaires .
Meanwhile , for many NFL players , the offseason represented the stirring of the soul and the awakening of a call to become more than athletes .
The killings of Ahmaud Arbery , Breonna Taylor and George Floyd ignited a fire within the NFL player membership .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ angered to the point they could no longer sit silently and let a few of their brethren wage war on racism .
Together , they purposed to use their voices to speak for the voiceless .
Together , they lobbied the NFL and the owners to use their influence to lobby lawmakers for reform .
It mattered not that they faced the risk of alienating a portion of the league 's fan base , those Americans who had stubbornly miscast Colin Kaepernick ’ s protests in 2016 as unpatriotic , anti-flag and anti-military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the loudest opponents to their cause holds the highest office in the land .
The league ’ s brightest stars — including Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson , who faced off Thursday night — understood that together , their voices could not be ignored .
And they were right .
Goodell lent his voice to the cause , admitting that he and league leadership had erred in not listening as players tried to draw attention to the country ’ s problem with racism and police brutality towards people of color .
The league @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and launched multiple initiatives designed to help bring about change in the form of voter registration , education , prison reform and more .
Owners and teams made statements that they , too , believed that Black lives matter and intended to become better allies .
So , Thursday night , the stage was set for the season opener , but also for the players ’ messages to continue to reach the nation .
“ End racism ” was painted on the boarder of one end zone at Arrowhead Stadium .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ painted on the other .
Signage and video boards reminded fans to vote and declared “ Black Lives Matter.
” And before kick off , the NFL played “ Lift Every Voice and Sing ” after a video highlighting the Black struggle and unyielding hope .
The Chiefs took the field for both the playing of the song known as the Black national anthem and for the playing of `` The Star-Spangled Banner . ''
The Texans remained in the locker room but joined the Chiefs immediately afterward at the center of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arm-in-arm , hand-in-hand .
Proudly , they stood during a requested moment of silence to promote racial equality in America .
They bravely stood despite a smattering of boos rained down from the ignorant minority among the fans .
“ The story was told there , ” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game .
“ Whether it was the national anthems and how those were presented , the singers — Alicia Keys was phenomenal — and then guys joining hands together for a cause .
Really , just to make us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we all are .
We have a chance to be unstoppable when we all come together.
” Never underestimate the resolve of players , who now understand the power of their influence ever again .
With their protests and signs of unity complete , the Texans and Chiefs turned their attention to football .
Mahomes and the Chiefs ’ offense dazzled as always .
Watson provided his usual highlights , although he and his teammates came up short .
And Game 1 of Week 1 came and went without a hitch , without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice-seeking player silenced .
Sunday and Monday feature the remaining 15 games of the Week 1 slate .
And until the games pass and teams return to their headquarters and resume testing , we wo n't know how effective the league ’ s health and safety measures for a non-bubble-execution of play will prove .
There ’ s no way to know if the league can avoid an outbreak .
But for Thursday night , the NFL chalked up a win in its COVID-19 battle .
Meanwhile , it ’ ll take much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ fight against racism to truly manifest .
Hearts and minds must change , and it ’ s harder to measure true intent of individuals .
But the voices are being heard .
The messages are being conveyed .
Despite the teeth-gnashing of some fans who hate to acknowledge the problems being highlighted , the players will continue to use their platforms in an attempt to spark change .
Thursday night represented the celebrations of defiance and determination , and the league and its players hope that the payoffs for their efforts extend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Follow USA TODAY Sports ’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ ByMikeJones and listen to the Football Jones podcast on iTunes .
If you love talking football , we have the perfect spot for you .
Join our Facebook Group , The Ruling Off the Field , to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders .
Do the right thing , sign up now !

Opinion: NFL season opener was a display of determination, defiance on 2020's top issues
Show Caption Hide Caption What NFL kickoff weekend will look like and what it means to us Sports, Seriously: Nancy Armour believes we will see plenty of social justice demonstrations this NFL Kickoff weekend. She also believes it's a weekend to enjoy some normalcy as football becomes the first sport to start on time amidst the pandemic. USA TODAY
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At last, after what felt like the longest and most arduous offseason in league history, the NFL officially returned on Thursday night.
The Kansas City Chiefs raised their Super Bowl banner and proceeded to dispatch the visiting Houston Texans 34-20 at a sparsely attended Arrowhead Stadium. But the final score, the stats and highlight plays .. none of them matter in the grand scheme of things.
Thursday night was bigger than just a football game. The 2020 NFL season opener actually represented two celebrations of defiance and determination.
Defiance and determination of a league, whose owners and chief executives resolved throughout the offseason that they would not bend to the deadly pandemic that nearly brought our country to a complete halt in the spring and has altered our way of life at virtually every turn.
Defiance and determination of players, who this offseason had finally seen one too many persons of color fall prey to police brutality, systemic oppression and racism, and thus committed to using their platforms to demand change, regardless of whomever their message angered.
So after an offseason in which the league and its players simultaneously battled wars on multiple fronts, on Thursday night, the two sides came together and flexed on a national stage, each determined to send clear messages:
The Shield, as the league is known, is indeed as powerful and unyielding as owners always believed it was.
And the unified voices and wills of a couple thousand purpose-driven men will not be silenced, and efforts centered on cultivating long-lasting change will not be ignored.
It was one game, one night in the spotlight. But for the NFL and its players, Thursday night was the only evening that mattered. The season opener sparked and continued the motion necessary to bring the league, its players and their fans to their desired destination.
Months ago, the idea of the NFL opening the season on time seemed virtually impossible. Analysts, reporters and medical experts all watched with skepticism as everyone from Commissioner Roger Goodell to NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith to chief medical officers of both the league and players' union declared their intention of contriving a plan that would provide the league safe working conditions, testing schedules and modified financial arrangements that would provide for an on-time start to the season.
COVID-19 forced the alteration of the NFL draft. It robbed teams and players of offseason programs and preseason games. But determination and a vigilant approach to the implementation of testing, safety and prevention measures ushered the league through an altered training camp schedule. The steadfastness enabled the league to survive a wave of false positive test results that briefly threatened to shut down multiple team facilities. And in the last few weeks, the COVID-19 numbers steadily decreased to the point that only one player tested positive in the most recent round of testing, no team experienced an outbreak of any kind and the Chiefs-Texans opener kicked off without a hitch.
Never underestimate the persistence of billionaires.
Meanwhile, for many NFL players, the offseason represented the stirring of the soul and the awakening of a call to become more than athletes.
The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd ignited a fire within the NFL player membership. Many high-profile players of all races were angered to the point they could no longer sit silently and let a few of their brethren wage war on racism. Together, they purposed to use their voices to speak for the voiceless. Together, they lobbied the NFL and the owners to use their influence to lobby lawmakers for reform.
It mattered not that they faced the risk of alienating a portion of the league's fan base, those Americans who had stubbornly miscast Colin Kaepernick’s protests in 2016 as unpatriotic, anti-flag and anti-military. It mattered not that one of the loudest opponents to their cause holds the highest office in the land.
The league’s brightest stars — including Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, who faced off Thursday night — understood that together, their voices could not be ignored.
And they were right. Goodell lent his voice to the cause, admitting that he and league leadership had erred in not listening as players tried to draw attention to the country’s problem with racism and police brutality towards people of color. The league listened to what mattered to its players and launched multiple initiatives designed to help bring about change in the form of voter registration, education, prison reform and more.
Owners and teams made statements that they, too, believed that Black lives matter and intended to become better allies.
So, Thursday night, the stage was set for the season opener, but also for the players’ messages to continue to reach the nation. “End racism” was painted on the boarder of one end zone at Arrowhead Stadium. “It takes all of us,” was painted on the other. Signage and video boards reminded fans to vote and declared “Black Lives Matter.”
And before kick off, the NFL played “Lift Every Voice and Sing” after a video highlighting the Black struggle and unyielding hope. The Chiefs took the field for both the playing of the song known as the Black national anthem and for the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The Texans remained in the locker room but joined the Chiefs immediately afterward at the center of the field. The men stood together, arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand.
Proudly, they stood during a requested moment of silence to promote racial equality in America. They bravely stood despite a smattering of boos rained down from the ignorant minority among the fans.
“The story was told there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after the game. “Whether it was the national anthems and how those were presented, the singers — Alicia Keys was phenomenal — and then guys joining hands together for a cause. Really, just to make us all better and a stronger country than we all are. We have a chance to be unstoppable when we all come together.”
Never underestimate the resolve of players, who now understand the power of their influence ever again.
With their protests and signs of unity complete, the Texans and Chiefs turned their attention to football.
Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense dazzled as always. Watson provided his usual highlights, although he and his teammates came up short. And Game 1 of Week 1 came and went without a hitch, without a coronavirus-related absence and without a single justice-seeking player silenced.
Sunday and Monday feature the remaining 15 games of the Week 1 slate. And until the games pass and teams return to their headquarters and resume testing, we won't know how effective the league’s health and safety measures for a non-bubble-execution of play will prove. There’s no way to know if the league can avoid an outbreak.
But for Thursday night, the NFL chalked up a win in its COVID-19 battle.
Meanwhile, it’ll take much longer for the results of the players’ fight against racism to truly manifest. Hearts and minds must change, and it’s harder to measure true intent of individuals.
But the voices are being heard. The messages are being conveyed. Despite the teeth-gnashing of some fans who hate to acknowledge the problems being highlighted, the players will continue to use their platforms in an attempt to spark change.
Thursday night represented the celebrations of defiance and determination, and the league and its players hope that the payoffs for their efforts extend well beyond Game 1 of Week 1.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones and listen to the Football Jones podcast on iTunes.
If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Do the right thing, sign up now!


usatoday--2020-09-11--Events honoring the lives lost in the 9/11 terror attacks will look different this year. Here's how

The coronavirus pandemic has upended traditions , customs and annual events — big and small .
That includes the annual commemorations honoring the lives lost in the September 11 , 2001 terror attacks .
Tribute events are taking on an assortment of forms this year in light of social distancing guidelines as organizers seek unconventional ways to safely commemorate the victims .
Many local municipalities are holding virtual commemorations , while others will continue to hold in-person events with distance and mask requirements in place .
Here is a list of major tributes being held throughout the United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , D.C. metropolitan area .
New York City 's annual twin lights display honoring the victims of 9/11 will still be held .
Following an announcement last month by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum that the commemoration would be cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns , New York state officials confirmed days later that it would still be held .
“ This year it is especially important that we all appreciate and commemorate 9/11 , the lives lost and the heroism displayed as New Yorkers are once again called upon to face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew Cuomo said in a statement .
The museum , which has been shut down since March because of the coronavirus , will reopen for families on Friday ; it will reopen to the general public the next day .
Advance tickets are required .
Buildings throughout the city , including One World Trade Center and the Empire State Building , will also shine blue lights .
Also , the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will hold an event that will feature an in-person reading of the names of the 3,000 victims of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , D.C. and Shanksville , Pennsylvania .
Vice President Mike Pence will be in attendance and is scheduled to speak .
A livestream will be available on the foundation 's Facebook page .
Arlington , the site of the Pentagon Memorial honoring the 184 people who died in the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77 , will be holding a virtual event , including a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m. , the minute when the plane crashed into the Pentagon .
The event will be closed to the public , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on its website .
President Donald Trump will be in attendance at the Flight 93 memorial for a private event .
Trump and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt will make remarks , The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown reported .
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will also be at the Memorial Friday , though Bernhardt 's press secretary did not confirm to the Tribune-Democrat whether he would be in attendance at the event or only visiting the memorial .
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be livestreamed via the National Park Service ’ s EarthCam .
The park , located in Stonycreek Township , Pennsylvania , will be open to the public after the event .

Events honoring the lives lost in the 9/11 terror attacks will look different this year. Here's how to watch them.
Show Caption Hide Caption 9/11: The staggering numbers in the September 11th attacks We will never forget the lives lost on September 11th at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. USA TODAY
The coronavirus pandemic has upended traditions, customs and annual events — big and small.
That includes the annual commemorations honoring the lives lost in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. Tribute events are taking on an assortment of forms this year in light of social distancing guidelines as organizers seek unconventional ways to safely commemorate the victims.
Many local municipalities are holding virtual commemorations, while others will continue to hold in-person events with distance and mask requirements in place. Here is a list of major tributes being held throughout the United States, including New York City and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
New York City
New York City's annual twin lights display honoring the victims of 9/11 will still be held.
Following an announcement last month by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum that the commemoration would be cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, New York state officials confirmed days later that it would still be held.
“This year it is especially important that we all appreciate and commemorate 9/11, the lives lost and the heroism displayed as New Yorkers are once again called upon to face a common enemy,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
The museum, which has been shut down since March because of the coronavirus, will reopen for families on Friday; it will reopen to the general public the next day. Advance tickets are required.
Buildings throughout the city, including One World Trade Center and the Empire State Building, will also shine blue lights.
Also, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation will hold an event that will feature an in-person reading of the names of the 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks. It follows events in Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Vice President Mike Pence will be in attendance and is scheduled to speak. A livestream will be available on the foundation's Facebook page.
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington, the site of the Pentagon Memorial honoring the 184 people who died in the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77, will be holding a virtual event, including a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m., the minute when the plane crashed into the Pentagon.
The event will be closed to the public, but the county will host a livestream on its website.
Flight 93 National Memorial
President Donald Trump will be in attendance at the Flight 93 memorial for a private event. Trump and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt will make remarks, The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown reported.
Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will also be at the Memorial Friday, though Bernhardt's press secretary did not confirm to the Tribune-Democrat whether he would be in attendance at the event or only visiting the memorial.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.
The event will be livestreamed via the National Park Service’s EarthCam. The park, located in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, will be open to the public after the event.
Follow Joshua Bote on Twitter: @joshua_bote.


usatoday--2020-09-11--How to make backyard camping magical

How to make backyard camping magical

If you ca n't get out of the city , try camping in your own backyard .

Family-friendly backyard camping ideas
If you can't get out of the city, try camping in your own backyard.
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-09-11--Puppy learns what it's like to float away with help of balloons and his human

Puppy learns what it 's like to float away with help of balloons and his human This English bulldog puppy @ @ @ @ @ would be like to float away with the help of balloons and his human .

Puppy and his human recreate memorable scene from Pixar's 'Up'
This English bulldog puppy wanted to know what it would be like to float away with the help of balloons and his human.
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-09-11--New York Times reporter removed from Trump rally after showing people without masks

DETROIT — Kathleen Gray , a longtime political reporter for the Detroit Free Press who now works for the New York Times , said she was removed from President Donald Trump 's Michigan rally on Thursday after tweeting that few in the crowd appeared to be wearing masks .
`` First for me : Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out , '' Gray said in a post on Twitter .
Earlier she had posted photos of the crowd and said `` Maybe 10 % have masks . ''
National media reported that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rally at MBS International Airport in Freeland because she did not have campaign-issued credentials and was working in the general audience area rather than in a designated press area .
Gray told Bridge Magazine that she had missed the deadline to get credentials but had tried multiple times to contact the campaign to get them after that and received no response .
She acknowledged that she entered the general admission section of the rally because she did n't have the campaign-issued media credentials .
More : Trump warns in Michigan that 'globalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overseas 'Dynamite behind every door ' : More of Trump 's comments on Obama , race and world leaders from Bob Woodward 's book '' They said because I was using my work Twitter account and since I did n't have media credentials I could n't be working there , and I had to leave , '' Gray told Bridge .
Neither she nor Trump campaign officials immediately responded to requests for comment from the Free Press .
Gray 's removal came shortly after she had been tweeting comments and photos that showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing masks .
Wearing a mask is required in Michigan in places where it is impossible to keep a social distance of 6 feet or greater in order to deter the spread of coronavirus .
Gray covered politics for the Free Press for nearly 20 years before leaving earlier this year .
Earlier in the week , Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer told CNN it was `` very distressing '' that Trump might come to the state and encourage people , directly or indirectly , to not wear masks .
Trump did not wear @ @ @ @ @ @

New York Times reporter removed from Trump rally after showing people without masks
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump announces Operation Warp Speed to develop effective vaccine President Donald Trump announces Operation Warp Speed, the initiative to develop, manufacture and distribute an effective coronavirus vaccine Detroit Free Press, Wochit
DETROIT — Kathleen Gray, a longtime political reporter for the Detroit Free Press who now works for the New York Times, said she was removed from President Donald Trump's Michigan rally on Thursday after tweeting that few in the crowd appeared to be wearing masks.
"First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out," Gray said in a post on Twitter. Earlier she had posted photos of the crowd and said "Maybe 10% have masks."
First for me: Trump campaign tracked me down from pics i tweeted and escorted me out. — Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020
Trump rally in freeland attracts thousands . Maybe 10% have masks. — Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020
Crammed in crowd in the rain for trump rally in michigan. Not many masks pic.twitter.com/5DZ6JBVNK8 — Kathy Gray (@michpoligal) September 10, 2020
National media reported that Trump campaign officials said she was removed from the rally at MBS International Airport in Freeland because she did not have campaign-issued credentials and was working in the general audience area rather than in a designated press area.
Gray told Bridge Magazine that she had missed the deadline to get credentials but had tried multiple times to contact the campaign to get them after that and received no response.
She acknowledged that she entered the general admission section of the rally because she didn't have the campaign-issued media credentials.
More: Trump warns in Michigan that 'globalist sellout' Biden will send American jobs overseas
'Dynamite behind every door': More of Trump's comments on Obama, race and world leaders from Bob Woodward's book
"They said because I was using my work Twitter account and since I didn't have media credentials I couldn't be working there, and I had to leave," Gray told Bridge.
Neither she nor Trump campaign officials immediately responded to requests for comment from the Free Press.
Gray's removal came shortly after she had been tweeting comments and photos that showed participants in the rally who were not wearing masks. Wearing a mask is required in Michigan in places where it is impossible to keep a social distance of 6 feet or greater in order to deter the spread of coronavirus.
Gray covered politics for the Free Press for nearly 20 years before leaving earlier this year. Earlier in the week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told CNN it was "very distressing" that Trump might come to the state and encourage people, directly or indirectly, to not wear masks.
Trump did not wear a mask at the rally.
Follow Todd Spangler on Twitter @tsspangler


usatoday--2020-09-11--Trump announces deal between Israel and Bahrain to normalize relations

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced Friday that Bahrain would move to normalize relations with Israel , building on the president 's push for closer ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors .
The White House announced last month that the United Arab Emirates and Israel had agreed to formalize diplomatic relations , paving the way for Friday 's deal with Bahrainand giving Trump a fresh foreign policy win ahead of the November election .
`` Another HISTORIC breakthrough today !
Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal – the second Arab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 days ! ''
Trump tweeted on Friday .
The president tweeted out a copy of the six-paragraph deal between Israel , Bahrain and the U.S. , which said Bahrain and Israel will establish `` full diplomatic relations . ''
`` Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability , security and prosperity , '' the statement said .
Trump will welcome UAE and Israeli officials to the White House next week for a signing ceremony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bin Hamad Al Khalifa is also scheduled to attend that ceremony .
As part of the deal with the UAE , Israel agreed to temporarily halt its controversial plan to annex parts of the West Bank , land that Palestinians see as vital to their hopes of a future state .
The only other Arab nations to have active diplomatic ties with Israel are Egypt and Jordan .
Bahrain , an island kingdom , is a pivotal U.S. ally in the Middle East .
The country hosts the U.S. Navy ’ s Fifth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Command .
“ This is a truly historic day , '' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday .
“ When I took office the Middle East was in a state of absolute chaos.
” Trump has delegated Middle East peace negotiations to his son and adviser , Jared Kushner .
In a briefing with reporters on Friday , Kushner did not answer questions about whether Israel had made concessions to win the deal , nor did he say whether the U.S. had agreed to push through new arms sales to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kingdom .
`` This deal was a great breakthrough for them and for their people , '' Kushner said in sidestepping those issues .
After the White House unveiled the UAE deal , questions emerged about whether the Trump administration had agreed to sell that country F-35 fighter jets as part of the agreement .
Last month , the UAE ’ s minister of state for foreign affairs , H.E .
Anwar Gargash , confirmed UAE is pursuing a deal on the F-35s with the Trump administration .
But he said it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions about whether it was part of the Israel-UAE peace deal .
During a forum hosted by the Atlantic Council , Gargash said an F-35 deal is “ on the table ” and noted the UAE had first requested those planes six years ago .
He said the peace deal should eliminate concerns that the UAE represents a military threat to Israel and thus should pave the way for an F-35 sale to go through .
“ We ought to get them , ” he said , particularly now that “ the whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war ” with Israel no longer exists .
When pressed on possible arms sales to Bahrain , Kushner said many details of the agreement would be hashed out in the coming weeks .
`` We 've been able to broker this breakthrough at the leadership level , and now people will get together on the working levels ... to start talking through some of the opportunities , '' he said .
Kushner portrayed the Bahrain deal as a watershed moment in Middle East peace .
`` We 're seeing the beginning of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I do believe that it 's an inevitability that all countries in the Middle East will normalize relations with Israel . ''
And Trump , who has promoted the UAE-Israel agreement on the campaign trail , told reporters Thursday that `` you 'll be hearing other countries coming in over a relatively short period of time .
And you could have peace in the Middle East . ''
“ ...
I can see a lot of good things happening with respect to the Palestinians , ” the president added .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not gained any traction .
The Palestinians do not see the Trump administration as a neutral negotiator , in large part because of the president 's staunchly pro-Israel policies .
And while Kushner 's proposal endorsed a `` two-state '' solution – an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel – Trump 's commitment to it has been an open question .
It also sought to limit Palestinians to specific parts of East Jerusalem and leave Israel in sole charge of holy sites that are sacred to both sides .
Critics say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of diplomacy that began years ago .
`` President Trump taking credit for this is like the rooster taking credit for the dawn , '' said Brian Katulis , senior fellow at the Center for American Progress specializing in the Middle East .
“ This latest agreement by itself is an encouraging sign of progress in a region that has been racked with conflict and civil wars .
But it ’ s hard to credit the Trump administration with this deal , '' he said .
Katulis argued that agreement is due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in motion for many years .
`` It is unlikely that this deal , combined with the one between Israel and the United Arab Emirates , will fundamentally shift the overall instability in the Middle East .
These deals do nothing to de-escalate tensions with Iran , and it does not appear to produce any progress on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , ” he said .
William Wechsler , director of the Atlantic Council ’ s Middle East Programs , said there 's no question the deal marks a shift in the dynamics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are witnessing the emergence of a new geopolitics of the Middle East , '' he said .
But `` the U.S. is unfortunately seen to be in the early stages of withdrawing from the region , exacerbated by U.S. troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan driven by our election calendar and President Trump ’ s repeated insistence that the U.S. no longer has interests in maintaining the free flow of energy , something that has defined our role for forty years , '' he said .
Wechsler said the danger is that `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be even less stable than even the dangerous one to which we have become accustomed , with a larger number of actors and a more uncertain future .
If the U.S. was to reaffirm its traditional role and avoid withdrawal , that would go a long way toward reinforcing this emerging coalition and thus improving regional security and diminishing everyone ’ s uncertainty about the future .
”

Deirdre Shesgreen and David Jackson, USA TODAY

Trump announces deal between Israel and Bahrain to normalize relations
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump: More Middle East talks after UAE-Israel deal President Donald Trump said Thursday the United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state. (Aug. 13) AP
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced Friday that Bahrain would move to normalize relations with Israel, building on the president's push for closer ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
The White House announced last month that the United Arab Emirates and Israel had agreed to formalize diplomatic relations, paving the way for Friday's deal with Bahrain and giving Trump a fresh foreign policy win ahead of the November election.
"Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain agree to a Peace Deal – the second Arab country to make peace with Israel in 30 days!" Trump tweeted on Friday.
The president tweeted out a copy of the six-paragraph deal between Israel, Bahrain and the U.S., which said Bahrain and Israel will establish "full diplomatic relations."
"Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security and prosperity," the statement said.
Trump will welcome UAE and Israeli officials to the White House next week for a signing ceremony on Tuesday. Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa is also scheduled to attend that ceremony.
As part of the deal with the UAE, Israel agreed to temporarily halt its controversial plan to annex parts of the West Bank, land that Palestinians see as vital to their hopes of a future state.
The only other Arab nations to have active diplomatic ties with Israel are Egypt and Jordan.
Bahrain, an island kingdom, is a pivotal U.S. ally in the Middle East. The country hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
“This is a truly historic day," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. “When I took office the Middle East was in a state of absolute chaos.”
Trump has delegated Middle East peace negotiations to his son and adviser, Jared Kushner. In a briefing with reporters on Friday, Kushner did not answer questions about whether Israel had made concessions to win the deal, nor did he say whether the U.S. had agreed to push through new arms sales to Bahrain or provide other assistance to the kingdom.
"This deal was a great breakthrough for them and for their people," Kushner said in sidestepping those issues.
After the White House unveiled the UAE deal, questions emerged about whether the Trump administration had agreed to sell that country F-35 fighter jets as part of the agreement.
Last month, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, H.E. Anwar Gargash, confirmed UAE is pursuing a deal on the F-35s with the Trump administration. But he said it’s been a longstanding request and sidestepped questions about whether it was part of the Israel-UAE peace deal.
During a forum hosted by the Atlantic Council, Gargash said an F-35 deal is “on the table” and noted the UAE had first requested those planes six years ago. He said the peace deal should eliminate concerns that the UAE represents a military threat to Israel and thus should pave the way for an F-35 sale to go through.
“We ought to get them,” he said, particularly now that “the whole idea of a state of belligerency or war” with Israel no longer exists.
When pressed on possible arms sales to Bahrain, Kushner said many details of the agreement would be hashed out in the coming weeks.
"We've been able to broker this breakthrough at the leadership level, and now people will get together on the working levels ... to start talking through some of the opportunities," he said.
Kushner portrayed the Bahrain deal as a watershed moment in Middle East peace.
"We're seeing the beginning of a new Middle East," he said. "I do believe that it's an inevitability that all countries in the Middle East will normalize relations with Israel."
And Trump, who has promoted the UAE-Israel agreement on the campaign trail, told reporters Thursday that "you'll be hearing other countries coming in over a relatively short period of time. And you could have peace in the Middle East."
“... I can see a lot of good things happening with respect to the Palestinians,” the president added.
But Kushner's much-touted plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not gained any traction.
The Palestinians do not see the Trump administration as a neutral negotiator, in large part because of the president's staunchly pro-Israel policies. And while Kushner's proposal endorsed a "two-state" solution – an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel – Trump's commitment to it has been an open question. It also sought to limit Palestinians to specific parts of East Jerusalem and leave Israel in sole charge of holy sites that are sacred to both sides.
Critics say Trump is taking credit for the fruits of diplomacy that began years ago.
"President Trump taking credit for this is like the rooster taking credit for the dawn," said Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress specializing in the Middle East.
“This latest agreement by itself is an encouraging sign of progress in a region that has been racked with conflict and civil wars. But it’s hard to credit the Trump administration with this deal," he said.
Katulis argued that agreement is due to shifting interests and alliances that have been in motion for many years.
"It is unlikely that this deal, combined with the one between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, will fundamentally shift the overall instability in the Middle East. These deals do nothing to de-escalate tensions with Iran, and it does not appear to produce any progress on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said.
William Wechsler, director of the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs, said there's no question the deal marks a shift in the dynamics of the Middle East.
"We are witnessing the emergence of a new geopolitics of the Middle East," he said.
But "the U.S. is unfortunately seen to be in the early stages of withdrawing from the region, exacerbated by U.S. troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan driven by our election calendar and President Trump’s repeated insistence that the U.S. no longer has interests in maintaining the free flow of energy, something that has defined our role for forty years," he said.
Wechsler said the danger is that "this new regional geopolitics is likely to be even less stable than even the dangerous one to which we have become accustomed, with a larger number of actors and a more uncertain future. If the U.S. was to reaffirm its traditional role and avoid withdrawal, that would go a long way toward reinforcing this emerging coalition and thus improving regional security and diminishing everyone’s uncertainty about the future.”