usatoday--2020-08-12--These siblings were separated in 1946. Here's how they finally reconnected in 2020.

PALM SPRINGS , Calif. — At age 4 , Lamar Hoke Jr. walked into his mother ’ s bedroom one morning to find her dead behind the newspaper she was reading .
He ran to get his sister , Connie , who was 11 at the time , and , after she confirmed what he saw , the two of them sprinted down the street to get their grandmother .
After that , their memories are all a mess .
The two siblings , who were living in St. Louis , had different fathers .
Lamar 's lived in Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his dad and paternal grandmother more than 300 miles away .
Connie 's dad , a bachelor who raised her for the first few years of her life , was n't ready to look after a pre-teen girl on his own , so Connie went to stay with a foster family in her St. Louis neighborhood .
That was in 1946 .
They ’ ve been trying to find each other ever since .
“ Big sister ” came close once .
After she was married , Connie Stanley found an old box @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letters .
One was from Lamar ’ s father in Chicago .
She wrote to the address telling her baby brother that she had gotten married , had children and that she had named one of them – Eric Lamar – after him .
When Lamar got the letter , he was delirious with joy , carrying it with him everywhere he went .
“ Look , I got a letter from my sister , ” he ’ d say as he walked around his high school campus .
“ I kept the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to everybody I saw.
” Then maybe the address faded , or maybe Lamar , in all the excitement , lost the letter .
What ’ s for sure is that he never wrote back and , without the address on the envelope , he never could .
“ Because I didn ’ t answer the letter , she probably thinks I don ’ t care about her , ” Lamar , who lives in Palm Springs and is now 78 , remembered thinking .
That guilt is part of the reason Lamar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find his sister – even becoming an actor in hopes that she would see him on television and recognize him .
He wondered what had happened to the girl who protected him from neighborhood kids who laughed at him while he played outside naked .
The girl who had explained to him while he sat on the swings that they weren ’ t going to be able to stay together – that he was going to have to go live with his father and grandmother .
“ She was beautiful , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
‘ 74 years is a long time to look for somebody ’ Connie was looking too .
And when her brother did n't answer her , she thought she must have had the wrong address and did n't write again .
“ I never thought anything negative , ” she said while sitting at her table in the home she shares with her daughter and grandsons in Fairview Heights , Ill. , just 20 minutes from the Missouri border .
In the years since , Connie lost her husband and one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few “ greats.
” Everywhere she traveled with her foster family and , later , her husband , she would flip through the yellow pages looking for her brother 's name .
Again and again , there was no Lamar Hoke .
`` I can ’ t say my life was bad , ” she said .
“ If my brother had been in my life , I could say I had a perfect life.
” Her husband ’ s family treated her like one of their own , but when her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there was always a pang of sadness as she kept quiet about her little brother .
“ Deep down inside , ” she said , “ I wanted something to call mine.
” Back in Chicago , Lamar graduated high school , attended film school , and served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War .
He too got married , had three sons and nine grandchildren .
Because of his interest in the film and television industry , he moved his family to California in 1981 .
And all that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long-lost sister .
“ Connie is it , ” he said .
“ Since we were separated , I ’ ve been looking for her.
” In the last decade , Lamar ’ s wife , Josette , started an Ancestry.com account as a way to try to find Connie .
It helped her connect with Lamar ’ s uncle ’ s family .
They went to a family reunion with them , meeting cousins and others from his mother 's family , in Sacramento in 2013 .
Nearly 300 family members Lamar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him with open arms , but Connie wasn ’ t among them .
“ It was surreal , ” he said .
The family knew about her , but not where she was .
“ It had been a sad thing that I looked for her , looked for her , looked for her then I ’ d get tired and I ’ d stop , ” Lamar said .
He ’ d find another relative and regain hope , just to hit a dead end .
It was the same for Connie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and starts that when her daughter found a man named Lamar Hoke Jr. on Facebook last year , she wasn ’ t sure they should even reach out .
“ Seventy-four years is a long time to look for somebody – all your life peeping behind rocks , in corners , looking in phone books and suddenly there he is , sitting there at a piano on Facebook , ” Connie said .
“ I didn ’ t want him to think I was some kind of troll or somebody trying to hack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s where my kids took over , ” Connie said .
Her daughter , Victoria , decided to reach out .
Assuming the old man at the piano wasn ’ t on Facebook often , she sent a message on the social media platform to the man 's son , Hasan , and asked if he was related to Lamar Hoke Jr. She also reached out to Lamar on Instagram , but he does n't ever use his account , so he never saw the message .
“ I thought , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hear anything back , ' ” Connie said .
And for months , they did n't .
Then , this past June , about a year after those first messages were sent , Hasan finally noticed .
The delay was not intentional .
He simply hadn ’ t seen the message because of a feature on Facebook that keeps messages from people you aren ’ t connected to in a separate inbox that many people don ’ t check .
When Victoria told her mother they ’ d found him , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t play.
” Connie didn ’ t know how to react – she barely reacted at all .
“ I just didn ’ t believe it , ” she said .
Her children couldn ’ t understand why she wasn ’ t happier , why she wasn ’ t jumping up and down .
“ It was like a dream , ” she said .
“ I ’ m going to wake up in a minute and it ’ s not going to be true.
” When Lamar ’ s son relayed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the phone number Victoria had sent , being a year old , wouldn ’ t be good anymore .
“ It was really touch-and-go for a minute , ” Lamar said , remembering the last couple of months .
He wasn ’ t sure whether he and his sister would ever reconnect despite finally finding one another .
They finally spoke for the first time on June 25 .
“ I picked up the phone and said , ‘ I ’ ve been looking for you all my life , ’ and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , pacing around the room .
“ I was getting all worked up and she says , ‘ Stop that !
’ ” Seventy-four years later , Connie didn ’ t want her baby brother crying over her .
Since then , they ’ ve talked on the phone nearly every dayand have video chatted via Zoom – something that ’ s normal in the time of COVID-19 , but not ideal for rekindling lost relationships .
“ We picked up right where we left off in love , ” Lamar said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lamar , the slightly more excitable of the two , talks over his big sister , but catches himself .
They laugh a lot – mostly at Lamar for getting emotional or , in this last call , for the daily naps he takes while Connie , seven years his senior , never naps at all .
But there are serious conversations , too .
Lamar wants to know more about their childhood before they were separated .
Connie has blocked a lot out .
What she does know , she doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She used to tell her husband that she didn ’ t want to talk about those years .
She remembers the picnic they were at when their mother told the family that she had cancer and that there was nothing doctors could do for her .
She remembers her mother dying slowly .
When they found their mother dead that day , she was only 28 years old .
“ Lamar and I would do , I guess , what sisters and brothers do , we clinged to each other , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things when we were together – some of it was good and some of it was really traumatic.
” Growing up , Lamar didn ’ t know how his mother died .
He had never even seen a picture of her .
He also didn ’ t know that the foster family Connie went to live with tried to convince his paternal grandmother to let them take him , too .
He didn ’ t know that his sister was looking for him .
“ I thought I ’ d lost you forever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their recent phone conversations .
“ I thought I ’ d lost you forever too , ” Lamar said .
“ If it wasn ’ t for COVID , we ’ d have seen each other by now.
” “ Oh my goodness , yes , ” she said .
“ Even If I had to walk.
” With nearly 1,800 miles separating the siblings , getting together isn ’ t an option yet .
And that 's frustrating .
Lamar and Josette live near Palm Springs International Airport and could hop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for coronavirus .
Both Lamar and Connie have sons living in the Dallas area , they could meet there .
But not yet .
“ When can we see each other ?
” It ’ s the topic of every conversation .
“ I just have to see my brother , so COVID ’ s gon na have to do something , ” Connie says .
“ I was willing to go to Dallas , COVID or no COVID.
” “ If I have to get a hazmat suit , I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But both know their families won ’ t let them take the risk .
Both know what the risk would be – that it could mean losing each other again and forever .
“ I ’ ve imagined it , ” Lamar said .
“ I run up and grab her , hug her , kiss her , say ‘ Hey , hi !
’ then I think about the virus again.
” “ It would be pretty crazy not to hug or show some affection after 74 years , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve connected , he said , but the virus has made things much more complicated .
Zoom calls just aren ’ t the same , but , for now , they ’ ll have to do .
“ I don ’ t want to leave this world … without seeing him , ” Connie said .
Despite the time and miles between them , their affection for one another knows no bounds .
They answer and end every call with loving nicknames : sweetie , darling , lovely one .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past , ” Connie says .
“ Today is all we have .
”

These siblings were separated in 1946. Here's how they finally reconnected in 2020.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — At age 4, Lamar Hoke Jr. walked into his mother’s bedroom one morning to find her dead behind the newspaper she was reading. He ran to get his sister, Connie, who was 11 at the time, and, after she confirmed what he saw, the two of them sprinted down the street to get their grandmother.
After that, their memories are all a mess.
The two siblings, who were living in St. Louis, had different fathers. Lamar's lived in Chicago, so he went to live with his dad and paternal grandmother more than 300 miles away. Connie's dad, a bachelor who raised her for the first few years of her life, wasn't ready to look after a pre-teen girl on his own, so Connie went to stay with a foster family in her St. Louis neighborhood.
That was in 1946.
They’ve been trying to find each other ever since.
“Big sister” came close once. After she was married, Connie Stanley found an old box of her mother's that contained some letters. One was from Lamar’s father in Chicago. She wrote to the address telling her baby brother that she had gotten married, had children and that she had named one of them – Eric Lamar – after him.
When Lamar got the letter, he was delirious with joy, carrying it with him everywhere he went. “Look, I got a letter from my sister,” he’d say as he walked around his high school campus. “I kept the letter on me and I showed it to everybody I saw.”
Then maybe the address faded, or maybe Lamar, in all the excitement, lost the letter. What’s for sure is that he never wrote back and, without the address on the envelope, he never could.
“Because I didn’t answer the letter, she probably thinks I don’t care about her,” Lamar, who lives in Palm Springs and is now 78, remembered thinking. That guilt is part of the reason Lamar spent his whole adult life trying to find his sister – even becoming an actor in hopes that she would see him on television and recognize him.
He wondered what had happened to the girl who protected him from neighborhood kids who laughed at him while he played outside naked. The girl who had explained to him while he sat on the swings that they weren’t going to be able to stay together – that he was going to have to go live with his father and grandmother.
“She was beautiful,” he remembers. "She was my protector."
‘74 years is a long time to look for somebody’
Connie was looking too. And when her brother didn't answer her, she thought she must have had the wrong address and didn't write again.
“I never thought anything negative,” she said while sitting at her table in the home she shares with her daughter and grandsons in Fairview Heights, Ill., just 20 minutes from the Missouri border.
In the years since, Connie lost her husband and one son. She has 19 grandchildren and a few “greats.”
Everywhere she traveled with her foster family and, later, her husband, she would flip through the yellow pages looking for her brother's name. Again and again, there was no Lamar Hoke.
"I can’t say my life was bad,” she said. “If my brother had been in my life, I could say I had a perfect life.”
Her husband’s family treated her like one of their own, but when her friends talked about their brothers and sisters, there was always a pang of sadness as she kept quiet about her little brother.
“Deep down inside,” she said, “I wanted something to call mine.”
Back in Chicago, Lamar graduated high school, attended film school, and served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War. He too got married, had three sons and nine grandchildren.
Because of his interest in the film and television industry, he moved his family to California in 1981. And all that time, he too longed for his long-lost sister.
“Connie is it,” he said. “Since we were separated, I’ve been looking for her.”
In the last decade, Lamar’s wife, Josette, started an Ancestry.com account as a way to try to find Connie. It helped her connect with Lamar’s uncle’s family. They went to a family reunion with them, meeting cousins and others from his mother's family, in Sacramento in 2013. Nearly 300 family members Lamar had never met were there, welcoming him with open arms, but Connie wasn’t among them.
“It was surreal,” he said. The family knew about her, but not where she was. “It had been a sad thing that I looked for her, looked for her, looked for her then I’d get tired and I’d stop,” Lamar said. He’d find another relative and regain hope, just to hit a dead end.
It was the same for Connie. There had been so many stops and starts that when her daughter found a man named Lamar Hoke Jr. on Facebook last year, she wasn’t sure they should even reach out.
“Seventy-four years is a long time to look for somebody – all your life peeping behind rocks, in corners, looking in phone books and suddenly there he is, sitting there at a piano on Facebook,” Connie said. “I didn’t want him to think I was some kind of troll or somebody trying to hack him out of something.”
“That’s where my kids took over,” Connie said.
Her daughter, Victoria, decided to reach out. Assuming the old man at the piano wasn’t on Facebook often, she sent a message on the social media platform to the man's son, Hasan, and asked if he was related to Lamar Hoke Jr. She also reached out to Lamar on Instagram, but he doesn't ever use his account, so he never saw the message.
“I thought, ‘whatever, we’re not going to hear anything back,'” Connie said.
And for months, they didn't.
Then, this past June, about a year after those first messages were sent, Hasan finally noticed. The delay was not intentional. He simply hadn’t seen the message because of a feature on Facebook that keeps messages from people you aren’t connected to in a separate inbox that many people don’t check.
When Victoria told her mother they’d found him, she said: “Girl, don’t play.”
Connie didn’t know how to react – she barely reacted at all.
“I just didn’t believe it,” she said. Her children couldn’t understand why she wasn’t happier, why she wasn’t jumping up and down. “It was like a dream,” she said. “I’m going to wake up in a minute and it’s not going to be true.”
‘I’d thought I’d lost you forever’
When Lamar’s son relayed the message to him, Lamar was scared that the phone number Victoria had sent, being a year old, wouldn’t be good anymore.
“It was really touch-and-go for a minute,” Lamar said, remembering the last couple of months. He wasn’t sure whether he and his sister would ever reconnect despite finally finding one another.
They finally spoke for the first time on June 25.
“I picked up the phone and said, ‘I’ve been looking for you all my life,’ and got emotional about it,” he said, pacing around the room. “I was getting all worked up and she says, ‘Stop that!’”
Seventy-four years later, Connie didn’t want her baby brother crying over her.
Since then, they’ve talked on the phone nearly every day and have video chatted via Zoom – something that’s normal in the time of COVID-19, but not ideal for rekindling lost relationships.
“We picked up right where we left off in love,” Lamar said during a video call on Thursday. Lamar, the slightly more excitable of the two, talks over his big sister, but catches himself. They laugh a lot – mostly at Lamar for getting emotional or, in this last call, for the daily naps he takes while Connie, seven years his senior, never naps at all.
But there are serious conversations, too. Lamar wants to know more about their childhood before they were separated. Connie has blocked a lot out. What she does know, she doesn’t want Lamar to ask about. She used to tell her husband that she didn’t want to talk about those years.
She remembers the picnic they were at when their mother told the family that she had cancer and that there was nothing doctors could do for her. She remembers her mother dying slowly. When they found their mother dead that day, she was only 28 years old.
“Lamar and I would do, I guess, what sisters and brothers do, we clinged to each other,” she said. “I can remember some things when we were together – some of it was good and some of it was really traumatic.”
Growing up, Lamar didn’t know how his mother died. He had never even seen a picture of her. He also didn’t know that the foster family Connie went to live with tried to convince his paternal grandmother to let them take him, too. He didn’t know that his sister was looking for him.
“I thought I’d lost you forever,” Connie told him during one of their recent phone conversations.
“I thought I’d lost you forever too,” Lamar said. “If it wasn’t for COVID, we’d have seen each other by now.”
“Oh my goodness, yes,” she said. “Even If I had to walk.”
Still a world away
With nearly 1,800 miles separating the siblings, getting together isn’t an option yet. And that's frustrating.
Lamar and Josette live near Palm Springs International Airport and could hop on a plane tomorrow, if not for coronavirus. Both Lamar and Connie have sons living in the Dallas area, they could meet there. But not yet.
“When can we see each other?” It’s the topic of every conversation.
“I just have to see my brother, so COVID’s gonna have to do something,” Connie says. “I was willing to go to Dallas, COVID or no COVID.”
“If I have to get a hazmat suit, I don’t care,” says Lamar.
But both know their families won’t let them take the risk. Both know what the risk would be – that it could mean losing each other again and forever.
“I’ve imagined it,” Lamar said. “I run up and grab her, hug her, kiss her, say ‘Hey, hi!’ then I think about the virus again.”
“It would be pretty crazy not to hug or show some affection after 74 years,” he said. It’s a miracle they’ve connected, he said, but the virus has made things much more complicated.
Zoom calls just aren’t the same, but, for now, they’ll have to do.
“I don’t want to leave this world … without seeing him,” Connie said.
“It’s just god’s timeline,” Lamar said.
Despite the time and miles between them, their affection for one another knows no bounds. They answer and end every call with loving nicknames: sweetie, darling, lovely one.
“We found each other and the past is the past,” Connie says. “Today is all we have.”
Follow Maria Sestito on Twitter @RiaSestito.


usatoday--2020-08-13--Trump to campaign in 4 states - including in Biden's hometown - during week of Democratic National C

Trump to campaign in 4 states - including in Biden's hometown - during week of Democratic National Convention

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will hit the road next week while Democrats rally around Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention .
Trump plans to visit four states that could go a long way toward deciding the fall race between him and Biden : Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Minnesota , and Arizona , the president said during a `` tele-rally '' with Wisconsin supporters on Wednesday .
`` I 'll be there very soon , '' Trump said .
A week-long series of events will include a visit to the city where Biden was born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Aug. 19 , the same day the former vice president is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech .
More : Trump attacks Kamala Harris over Kavanaugh hearings in first remarks since she was named Biden 's running mate Noting that Biden plans to speak remotely from Delaware rather than travel to Milwaukee , Trump said during the tele-rally that Democrats are `` going to ignore Wisconsin just like they did in 2016 . ''
Trump carried Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , and Arizona as part of his Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show him trailing Biden in those states this year .
Trump narrowly lost Minnesota four years ago , but aides feel he can turn that state in his favor this time around .
The Trump team discussed Trump 's Democratic convention week schedule a day after Biden announced Harris would be his running mate .
As Democratic speakers critique the Trump administration , the president plans to be in battleground states drawing contrasts with Biden on issues like `` law and order , '' health care , immigration , China and the response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DNC lineup of speakers headlined by the Obamas and Jill Biden as keynotes Because of COVID concerns , Democrats are planning a virtual four-day convention based in Milwaukee .
It will feature `` nightly themes '' devoted to `` We the People , '' `` Leadership Matters , '' A More Perfect Union , '' and `` America 's Promise , '' all to be capped by Biden 's acceptance speech .
Trump plans to travel on three of the four days of the Democratic convention next week , said aides who spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
- Monday : Mankato , Minnesota , and Oshkosh , Wisconsin .
Trump plans to speak about jobs and the economy at both stops , and is likely to discuss the civil unrest in Minneapolis and other cities as well .
– Tuesday : Yuma , Arizona , where immigration will be a major topic .
– Thursday : Scranton , where the president plans to discuss jobs and trade policy .
His speech will come well before Biden makes his acceptance speech that night .
Trump and the Republicans have yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events .
The president has said he may deliver his nomination acceptance speech either at the White House or in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania .

Donald Trump to campaign in 4 states — including in Joe Biden's hometown — during week of Democratic National Convention
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump says VP pick Harris was 'disrespectful' to Biden during primary President Trump said he was surprised by Joe Biden's vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris saying she was, "very very nasty." USA TODAY, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will hit the road next week while Democrats rally around Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention.
Trump plans to visit four states that could go a long way toward deciding the fall race between him and Biden: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Arizona, the president said during a "tele-rally" with Wisconsin supporters on Wednesday.
"I'll be there very soon," Trump said.
A week-long series of events will include a visit to the city where Biden was born — Scranton, Pennsylvania — on Thursday, Aug. 20, the same day the former vice president is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech.
More: Trump attacks Kamala Harris over Kavanaugh hearings in first remarks since she was named Biden's running mate
Noting that Biden plans to speak remotely from Delaware rather than travel to Milwaukee, Trump said during the tele-rally that Democrats are "going to ignore Wisconsin just like they did in 2016."
Trump carried Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona as part of his Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, but some current polls show him trailing Biden in those states this year. Trump narrowly lost Minnesota four years ago, but aides feel he can turn that state in his favor this time around.
The Trump team discussed Trump's Democratic convention week schedule a day after Biden announced Harris would be his running mate.
As Democratic speakers critique the Trump administration, the president plans to be in battleground states drawing contrasts with Biden on issues like "law and order," health care, immigration, China and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More: DNC lineup of speakers headlined by the Obamas and Jill Biden as keynotes
More: Biden and Democrats unveil details of DNC convention including nightly themes
Because of COVID concerns, Democrats are planning a virtual four-day convention based in Milwaukee. It will feature "nightly themes" devoted to "We the People," "Leadership Matters," A More Perfect Union," and "America's Promise," all to be capped by Biden's acceptance speech.
Trump plans to travel on three of the four days of the Democratic convention next week, said aides who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling.
The travel plan:
- Monday: Mankato, Minnesota, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Trump plans to speak about jobs and the economy at both stops, and is likely to discuss the civil unrest in Minneapolis and other cities as well.
– Tuesday: Yuma, Arizona, where immigration will be a major topic.
– Thursday: Scranton, where the president plans to discuss jobs and trade policy. His speech will come well before Biden makes his acceptance speech that night.
Trump and the Republicans have yet to announce most of their convention week events. The president has said he may deliver his nomination acceptance speech either at the White House or in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.


usatoday--2020-08-12--DNC lineup of speakers headlined by the Obamas and Jill Biden as keynotes

The Democratic National Convention is turning to former President Barack Obama , Michelle Obama and Jill Biden as keynote speakers for the first three nights of next week 's convention before presumptive nominee Joe Biden , who has now completed his ticket by choosing California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate , delivers his acceptance speech to cap Thursday .
Under the banner `` Uniting America , '' the convention – previously set for Milwaukee but moved to a virtual format amid the coronavirus pandemic – will seek to also tell the stories of Americans who are struggling amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More : Exclusive : Joe Biden and Democrats unveil details of DNC convention including nightly themes , ways to watch Biden will accept the presidential nomination and attend the convention from Wilmington , Delaware , but Democratic officials have not announced a specific location for his speech .
Other speakers will attend virtually as well .
Here 's the nightly lineup of speakers , according to a schedule the Democratic National Convention Committee released Tuesday , with more speakers to be announced later this week .
Democrats are using Monday to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political spectrum with speeches from Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , and former Ohio Gov .
John Kasich , a 2016 Republican candidate for president who has been critical of Trump .
Sanders is the standard-bearer of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party , while Biden has appealed to more centrist Democrats .
But the former Senate colleagues have worked together since Sanders exited the race , previously establishing several Biden-Sanders unity task forces .
Monday 's theme , `` We the People , '' will focus on `` Americans rising up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ singling out what the campaign calls the nation 's three crises : the pandemic , the struggling economy and racial injustice .
Other speakers Monday include : Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto , D-N.M. ; New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ; Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer ; Rep. , D-S.C. ; Rep. Bennie Thompson , D-Miss .
; Rep. Gwen Moore , D-Wis. ; Sen. Doug Jones , D-Ala. ; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar , D-Minn .
In another display of unity from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party , U.S. Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
More : AOC and other Bernie Sanders allies are helping shape policy for Joe Biden .
Here 's who else is helping The Tuesday lineup also includes former President Bill Clinton and Jill Biden , wife of Joe Biden , who is the night 's keynote speaker .
Tuesday 's `` Leadership Matters '' theme will feature small-business owners , front-line health care workers , racial justice leaders , veterans , activists and others who the Biden campaign says are `` looking for leadership '' out of the White House .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates ; Sen .
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. ; former Secretary of State John Kerry ; and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester , D-Del .
The convention lineup Wednesday includes former President Obama , 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton , Biden 's onetime primary opponent Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass.
, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi .
On Wednesday , the convention will also hear from Biden 's newly announced vice president nominee , Kamala Harris .
More : It 's decision time for Joe Biden : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aim of Wednesday 's `` A More Perfect Union '' will be to tout Biden 's `` Build Back Better '' plans for the economy and recovering from the pandemic .
Other speakers Wednesday will include : Wisconsin Gov .
Tony Evers ; New Mexico Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham ; and former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords .
Biden will deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday .
Leading up to that moment , speakers will include Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , whose national profile has risen amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a running mate : Sens .
Tammy Baldwin , D-Wis. , and Tammy Duckworth .
D-Ill. Thursday 's theme is `` America 's Promise . ''
Speakers will cast Biden as a man of character , decency , compassion and resilience – `` a fighter '' who gets back up .
The night will lean into Biden 's biography and his long record in Washington .
Other speakers Thursday include : Sen. Cory Booker , D-N.J. ; California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ; former South Bend , Indiana , mayor and presidential candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Del .
; and the Biden family .
The DNC did not say which family members will speak .
Other speakers scheduled throughout the week , but who are not elected public officials , include : Lang is a United Auto Workers union official , as well as a team leader at General Motors ' Lake Orion , Michigan , facility .
Biden has focused often on appeals to union- and blue-collar workers in the Midwest , and Trump won Michigan in 2016 by a narrow margin .
It 's considered a key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Joe Biden understands that auto workers are the heart of the economy in Michigan , '' Lang said in a statement released by the Biden campaign .
`` And he 's spent his career fighting for us . ''
As a paramedic in Fort Myers , 26-year-old Martinez has been on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic .
He also is a covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) program .
DACA is a program created by President Obama in 2012 that provides work authorization and prevents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. as children .
The Supreme Court denied the Trump administration 's attempt to end the program earlier this summer .
More:3 cases of COVID-19 detected among workers who sought access to Democratic convention site in Milwaukee Chaparro Hernandez teaches in a bilingual program for second and third graders and is one of two Milwaukee educators that are scheduled to speak at the convention .
She plans to focus on how the pandemic has changed schools and affected educators and students , saying Biden is the leader the country needs to recover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .
Buckholt is a retired educator and also is scheduled to speak .
She has a chronic disease that she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel costs $ 15,000 a week to treat .

Sarah Elbeshbishi and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY

DNC lineup of speakers headlined by the Obamas and Jill Biden as keynotes
Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden will not travel for 2020 DNC due to coronavirus concerns Joe Biden will not be traveling to Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention due to coronavirus concerns. USA TODAY
The Democratic National Convention is turning to former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden as keynote speakers for the first three nights of next week's convention before presumptive nominee Joe Biden, who has now completed his ticket by choosing California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, delivers his acceptance speech to cap Thursday.
Under the banner "Uniting America," the convention – previously set for Milwaukee but moved to a virtual format amid the coronavirus pandemic – will seek to also tell the stories of Americans who are struggling amid the global coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn.
More: Exclusive: Joe Biden and Democrats unveil details of DNC convention including nightly themes, ways to watch
Biden will accept the presidential nomination and attend the convention from Wilmington, Delaware, but Democratic officials have not announced a specific location for his speech. Other speakers will attend virtually as well.
Here's the nightly lineup of speakers, according to a schedule the Democratic National Convention Committee released Tuesday, with more speakers to be announced later this week.
Monday: Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, John Kasich
Democrats are using Monday to show support from opposite ends of the of political spectrum with speeches from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a 2016 Republican candidate for president who has been critical of Trump.
Michelle Obama will be Monday's keynote speaker while Eva Longoria, former "Desperate Housewives" actress, will be the night's emcee.
Sanders is the standard-bearer of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, while Biden has appealed to more centrist Democrats. But the former Senate colleagues have worked together since Sanders exited the race, previously establishing several Biden-Sanders unity task forces.
Monday's theme, "We the People," will focus on "Americans rising up to take our country back" by singling out what the campaign calls the nation's three crises: the pandemic, the struggling economy and racial injustice.
Other speakers Monday include: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-N.M.; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; Rep. Jim Clyburn , D-S.C.; Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.; Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis.; Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala.; and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
Tuesday: Jill Biden, Bill Clinton, AOC, Sally Yates
In another display of unity from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., will speak Tuesday.
More: AOC and other Bernie Sanders allies are helping shape policy for Joe Biden. Here's who else is helping
The Tuesday lineup also includes former President Bill Clinton and Jill Biden, wife of Joe Biden, who is the night's keynote speaker.
"Black-ish" actress Tracee Ellis Ross will also be a part of the convention as the emcee.
Tuesday's "Leadership Matters" theme will feature small-business owners, front-line health care workers, racial justice leaders, veterans, activists and others who the Biden campaign says are "looking for leadership" out of the White House.
Other speakers Tuesday are: former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates; Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; former Secretary of State John Kerry; and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del.
Wednesday: Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris
The convention lineup Wednesday includes former President Obama, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, Biden's onetime primary opponent Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
On Wednesday, the convention will also hear from Biden's newly announced vice president nominee, Kamala Harris.
More: It's decision time for Joe Biden: His VP pick could make history
Actress Kerry Washington, who is well-known for her role as Olivia Pope in "Scandal", will be emceeing.
The aim of Wednesday's "A More Perfect Union" will be to tout Biden's "Build Back Better" plans for the economy and recovering from the pandemic.
Other speakers Wednesday will include: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers; New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham; and former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Thursday: Joe Biden, Tammy Duckworth, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Andrew Yang
Biden will deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday.
Leading up to that moment, speakers will include Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose national profile has risen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Other speakers include women Biden had considered as a running mate: Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Tammy Duckworth. D-Ill.
Former "Veep" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus will be the emcee for Thursday night."
Thursday's theme is "America's Promise." Speakers will cast Biden as a man of character, decency, compassion and resilience – "a fighter" who gets back up. The night will lean into Biden's biography and his long record in Washington.
Other speakers Thursday include: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.; California Gov. Gavin Newsom; former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg; Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.; former New York City mayor and presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg; and the Biden family. The DNC did not say which family members will speak.
Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who ended his campaign in February and endorse Biden for president in March, will also be speaking on Thursday after not initially being included.
Other speakers scheduled throughout the week, but who are not elected public officials, include:
Gerald Lang, Michigan UAW official
Lang is a United Auto Workers union official, as well as a team leader at General Motors' Lake Orion, Michigan, facility. Biden has focused often on appeals to union- and blue-collar workers in the Midwest, and Trump won Michigan in 2016 by a narrow margin. It's considered a key pickup state for Democrats this year.
"Joe Biden understands that auto workers are the heart of the economy in Michigan," Lang said in a statement released by the Biden campaign. "And he's spent his career fighting for us."
Florida paramedic Aldo Martinez
As a paramedic in Fort Myers, 26-year-old Martinez has been on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic. He also is a covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
DACA is a program created by President Obama in 2012 that provides work authorization and prevents deportation for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's attempt to end the program earlier this summer.
More: 3 cases of COVID-19 detected among workers who sought access to Democratic convention site in Milwaukee
Elementary school teacher Luz Chaparro Hernandez and retired educator Julie Buckholt
Chaparro Hernandez teaches in a bilingual program for second and third graders and is one of two Milwaukee educators that are scheduled to speak at the convention.
She plans to focus on how the pandemic has changed schools and affected educators and students, saying Biden is the leader the country needs to recover from the pandemic, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Buckholt is a retired educator and also is scheduled to speak. She has a chronic disease that she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel costs $15,000 a week to treat.
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.


usatoday--2020-08-12--$400 in weekly unemployment benefits could actually be just $300 for many because of how aid will be

WASHINGTON – The extra $ 400 in weekly unemployment benefits President Donald Trump promised last week will likely be just $ 300 for many jobless Americans .
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Tuesday the administration has slightly modified its plans for the enhanced benefits after states raised concerns they could not afford their share of the cost .
An executive order Trump signed Saturday calls for an additional $ 400 in weekly unemployment benefits , but says states would have to pay a quarter of the cost , or $ 100 .
But governors in cash-strapped states complained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find the extra money , so the administration looked for a way around that requirement .
Kudlow told reporters at the White House Tuesday the administration has decided states won ’ t have to chip in the extra $ 100 as long as they already provide at least $ 100 in state unemployment benefits .
Most states already meet that requirement and won ’ t have to put up the extra money , he said .
That means most eligible claimants will get an extra $ 300 in federal benefits on top of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We felt that was a good , generous compromise , ” Kudlow said .
'We have to reach an agreement ' : Dems , White House open to deal on COVID-19 relief despite Trump 's orders Kudlow said the checks should start going out in a couple of weeks and will be retroactive to Aug. 1 .
The average state unemployment benefit is around $ 400 per week , so with the federal supplement , many Americans can expect to receive $ 700 in weekly unemployment benefits , Kudlow said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiations with congressional leaders collapsed late last week without an agreement on a new relief package to help Americans still suffering from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic .
Congress voted in March to provide $ 600 in supplemental unemployment benefits , but those benefits expired at the end of July .
Besides extending unemployment benefits , Trump signed executive orders suspending some student loan payments , protecting some renters from eviction and deferring payroll taxes .
The decision to let states count existing unemployment benefits as their 25 % match for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal questions surround Trump ’ s orders .
Some Democrats and other critics have argued they are on shaky legal ground or are even unconstitutional .
Michael Collins covers the White House .
Reach him on Twitter @ mcollinsNEWS .
'An administrative nightmare ' : Trump 's executive action is a scramble for unemployment aid

$400 in weekly unemployment benefits could actually be just $300 for many because of how aid will be calculated
Show Caption Hide Caption White House: states can access aid in week or two Governors were scrambling Monday to determine if they could implement President Donald Trump's executive order to partially extend unemployment assistance payments to millions of Americans struggling to find work in the pandemic-scarred economy. (Aug. 10) AP
WASHINGTON – The extra $400 in weekly unemployment benefits President Donald Trump promised last week will likely be just $300 for many jobless Americans.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Tuesday the administration has slightly modified its plans for the enhanced benefits after states raised concerns they could not afford their share of the cost.
An executive order Trump signed Saturday calls for an additional $400 in weekly unemployment benefits, but says states would have to pay a quarter of the cost, or $100.
But governors in cash-strapped states complained it would be difficult for them to find the extra money, so the administration looked for a way around that requirement.
Kudlow told reporters at the White House Tuesday the administration has decided states won’t have to chip in the extra $100 as long as they already provide at least $100 in state unemployment benefits. Most states already meet that requirement and won’t have to put up the extra money, he said.
That means most eligible claimants will get an extra $300 in federal benefits on top of what they already receive from the state.
“We felt that was a good, generous compromise,” Kudlow said.
'We have to reach an agreement': Dems, White House open to deal on COVID-19 relief despite Trump's orders
Federal Reserve: How creating money could save US economy Where does the U.S. stimulus money come from? Here's how the Federal Reserve is saving the economy from the COVID-19 crisis. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Kudlow said the checks should start going out in a couple of weeks and will be retroactive to Aug. 1. The average state unemployment benefit is around $400 per week, so with the federal supplement, many Americans can expect to receive $700 in weekly unemployment benefits, Kudlow said.
Trump ordered the extra unemployment benefits after negotiations with congressional leaders collapsed late last week without an agreement on a new relief package to help Americans still suffering from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
Congress voted in March to provide $600 in supplemental unemployment benefits, but those benefits expired at the end of July.
Besides extending unemployment benefits, Trump signed executive orders suspending some student loan payments, protecting some renters from eviction and deferring payroll taxes.
The decision to let states count existing unemployment benefits as their 25% match for the federal aid could add to the legal questions surround Trump’s orders. Some Democrats and other critics have argued they are on shaky legal ground or are even unconstitutional.
Michael Collins covers the White House. Reach him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.
'An administrative nightmare': Trump's executive action is a scramble for unemployment aid


usatoday--2020-08-13--Jobless claims slip below 1M for first time since March as Congress wrangles over more aid

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week , slipping below 1 million for the first time since @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus pandemic began in the spring .
About 963,000 filed initial jobless claims , @ @ @ @ @ , the Labor Department said Thursday .
It 's the first time weekly claims have @ @ @ @ @ five months , and was sharply lower than the 1.25 million some economists expected .
@ @ @ @ @ applications is still historic , dwarfing the previous all-time weekly high of 695,000 during another @ @ @ @ @ And the latest tally means a stunning 56.2 million Americans sought unemployment aid in just @ @ @ @ @ drops:1.8M jobs added in July , unemployment falls to 10.2 % as some states halt @ @ @ @ @ To save or to spend ?
: Americans are sitting on record cash savings amid @ @ @ @

Unemployment claims slip below 1M for first time since March but job losses remain high as Congress wrangles over more aid
Show Caption Hide Caption Michigan woman: People "really, really struggling" Two Michigan women are decrying the expiration of a supplemental $600 weekly federal unemployment payment. (Aug. 7) AP
The number of Americans applying for unemployment dropped last week, slipping below 1 million for the first time since the economic shutdown sparked by the coronavirus pandemic began in the spring.
The number of new applications for benefits, a rough gauge of layoffs, declined to 963,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the second straight drop, from 1.2 million the previous week. And it's the first time weekly claims have dipped below 1 million since the week ending March 14, with the figure sharply below the 1.25 million some economists expected
But while the downward slide is a welcome trend, it doesn't mean the economy has rebounded.
"Another larger-than-expected decline in jobless claims suggests that the jobs recovery is regaining some momentum,'' Oxford Economics said in an investors note. "But with a staggering 28 million workers still claiming some form of jobless benefits, much labor market progress remains to be done."
The latest stream of applications is still historic, dwarfing the previous all-time weekly high of 695,000 during another economic downturn in 1982. And the latest tally means a stunning 56.2 million Americans sought unemployment aid in just 21 weeks.
Jobless rate drops: 1.8M jobs added in July, unemployment falls to 10.2% as some states halt reopening, others throttle back
To save or to spend?: Americans are sitting on record cash savings amid pandemic and uncertain economy
Did end of $600 discourage jobless claims?
The number of claims has ebbed and flowed in recent weeks, but stubbornly remained above 1 million until now, painting a stark picture of the financial toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken as businesses cut staff and consumers warily watch their spending.
While the lower number of first-time jobless claims last week may signal that more Americans are finding work or being rehired, it might also reflect fewer people applying for assistance now that an extra weekly federal benefit of $600 has ended.
"The expiration of the $600/week supplement to unemployment benefits ... at the end of July may have made filing for benefits less attractive, leading to reduced filings,'' Daniel Silver of J.P. Morgan said in an investors note.
Continuing unemployment claims shrank to 15.5 million in the week ending Aug. 1, their lowest level since the start of April, but that is still "historically high ... underscoring the painfully slow recovery in the labor market,'' Oxford said.
Unemployment hits Sunbelt
Unemployment slipped to 10.2% in July, down from 11.1% in June. But the economy continues to stumble through fits and starts, with hard-hit industries like hospitality and retail companies bolstering their staff in some parts of the country, while businesses in the Sunbelt cut jobs as the coronavirus spikes there.
It's far too early to declare “mission accomplished,” Bankrate.com senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick said in an interview. "What we’re really doing is recovering some of the jobs lost.”
Hospitals appear to be stabilizing after shedding jobs earlier in the pandemic due to a postponement of elective procedures, he noted. Dentist offices have also reopened after temporary closures, fueling some job gains.
But travel businesses like airlines and hotel companies are still sluggish, with business travel in particular slow to bounce back, he said.
Early signs that the outbreak is ebbing in key hot spots might also have partially fueled the improved numbers, Hamrick said.
“All told, I think people are trying to walk a delicate balancing act here between resuming as much of their economic activity as they feel is safe and warranted,” Hamrick said.
And the amount of shifts Americans are working is increasing just 0.5% a week on average in August. says Dave Gilbertson, vice president of strategy and operations for Kronos, a workforce management software company.
"This indicates that while businesses may be recalling some furloughed employees, they continue to struggle to generate enough activity to return to full staffing capacity,'' Gilbertson said in an emailed statement, "hindered by a combination of summer seasonality, statewide reopening pauses or reversals, and, in some sectors, below-average consumer demand.''
Congress stalled over $600 benefit
Meanwhile, the extra financial aid and protections extended to help out-of-work Americans weather the economic downturn remains in limbo, with Congress unable to sign off on a new aid package. And the encouraging jobless claims report could make more federal aid appear less necessary.
“If it was going to take a sense of urgency to get Democrats and Republicans to come to an agreement, the stock market trading right near record highs and jobless claims back below a million aren't providing any ammunition,” Bespoke Investment Group analyst Paul Hickey wrote in an analysis Thursday.
Democrats want to reinstate the extra $600 through the end of the year while Republicans want to reduce it to $200 a week.
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum that would provide unemployed Americans with an additional $400 per week. But that will likely be pared back to $300 after states balked at the requirement that they kick in a quarter of the funding, a contribution they say they can't afford as they deal with their own budget shortfalls.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Tuesday that the states won't have to pay the additional $100 if they already provide at least that amount in jobless benefits, which most states do. Kudlow added that the checks should start going out in the next two weeks, but critics of the memorandum say that it may not be legal or even constitutional for Trump to bypass Congress and take such a step by executive action.
Could spending by shoppers slip?
Many businesses have also gone through the forgivable federal loans they received if they held onto or rehired their workers, leading to new rounds of layoffs.
Because those funds are running out, and Congress has not passed another financial assistance package "we may see a reversal in the gains in August,'' Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist at Moody’s Analytics, said in an investors note. "Without this extra support, consumer spending will certainly weaken.''
A deal will probably eventually be reached, she says. But it will take more than money to get the economy going again.
"We are still confident that Congress and the White House will rally to provide about $1.5 trillion in support,'' she said. "Yet, until a vaccine is widely available we do not expect the economy and labor market can climb completely out of the hole... Indeed we expect the economy to barely eke out any gains until 2021."
Contributing: Nathan Bomey
Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones


usatoday--2020-08-13--One injured after bullet rips into US Air Force helicopter over Virginia; FBI, military investigatin

Federal officials are investigating after a U.S. Air Force helicopter on a routine training mission was shot at in Virginia on Monday , causing an injury to one of the craft 's crew members .
An Air Force UH-1N Huey helicopter was conducting a routine training mission when it was struck by a bullet a little before 1 p.m. Monday , an Air Force official not authorized to speak publicly said .
The helicopter was about 1,000 feet above ground and heading for the Manassas Regional Airport and the shot was fired near Middleburg , Va , the official added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manassas Regional Airport after the bureau received reports that the helicopter was shot from the ground , the FBI Washington Field Office ( WFO ) said in a statement to USA TODAY .
The person who was injured suffered a `` non-threatening injury , for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital , '' according to the bureau .
`` WFO is working jointly with our law enforcement partners , including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations , to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident , '' the field @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incident was first reported by McClatchy .
A Joint Base Andrews spokesperson confirmed the helicopter is assigned to the base 's 1st Helicopter Squadron and added `` initial findings are that the helicopter was struck by a bullet resulting in a minor injury to an aircrew member and damage to the aircraft . ''
`` The FBI asks that anyone near this area at the time of the incident who may have information please call the FBI at 202-278-2000 , '' the FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement .

One injured after bullet rips into US Air Force helicopter over Virginia; FBI, military investigating
Show Caption Hide Caption Military helicopter fired at in northern Virginia The FBI is investigating after shots were reportedly fired at an Air Force helicopter near Manassas on Monday. Fox - 5 DC, Fox - 5 DC
Federal officials are investigating after a U.S. Air Force helicopter on a routine training mission was shot at in Virginia on Monday, causing an injury to one of the craft's crew members.
An Air Force UH-1N Huey helicopter was conducting a routine training mission when it was struck by a bullet a little before 1 p.m. Monday, an Air Force official not authorized to speak publicly said.
The helicopter was about 1,000 feet above ground and heading for the Manassas Regional Airport and the shot was fired near Middleburg, Va, the official added.
FBI agents were dispatched to the Manassas Regional Airport after the bureau received reports that the helicopter was shot from the ground, the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) said in a statement to USA TODAY.
History made: Air Force general Charles 'CQ' Brown makes history as first African American service chief
The person who was injured suffered a "non-threatening injury, for which he was treated and subsequently released from the hospital," according to the bureau.
"WFO is working jointly with our law enforcement partners, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident," the field office said in a statement.
The incident was first reported by McClatchy.
A Joint Base Andrews spokesperson confirmed the helicopter is assigned to the base's 1st Helicopter Squadron and added "initial findings are that the helicopter was struck by a bullet resulting in a minor injury to an aircrew member and damage to the aircraft."
"The FBI asks that anyone near this area at the time of the incident who may have information please call the FBI at 202-278-2000," the FBI Washington Field Office said in a statement.
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-08-13--Tropical Depression 11 is taking its sweet time to become Josephine

Tropical Depression 11 has so far defied forecasts for it to muscle-up to Josephine , but the National Hurricane Center still expects the 10th named storm of the season to form later Thursday .
Wind shear has prevented the tropical cyclone from getting its act together , keeping its center south of its organized thunderstorms and leaving it with sustained winds of 35 mph .
Winds of 39 mph are needed for Josephine to be named .
As of the 5 a.m .
ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center , the would-be Josephine was about 1,075 miles east-southeast of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a speeding 15 mph .
It ’ s riding the underbelly of the Bermuda High .
Once it reaches a weakness in the counterclockwise swirl that typically lives between Bermuda and the Azores , it will take a more northerly heading .
AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said that `` we expect this system to move on a curved path to the west-northwest and then to the northwest in the coming days . ''
This projected path could take Josephine relatively close to the Leeward Islands in the northeastern part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center of the storm stays over the open water , the system could pass close enough to bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the Leeward Islands .
The storm is not forecast to strengthen into a hurricane , forecasters said , and may actually dissipate within the next five days .
Once named , Josephine will shatter the early-season formation record for the J-named storm in the basin : The current record belongs to Jose , which developed on Aug. 22 , 2005 .
In an average hurricane season , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form until Oct. 19 .
On the heels of Isaias , forecasters say 10 more hurricanes are likely this season With 9 storms so far this hurricane season , what happens if we run out of names ?
Kimberly Miller reports for the Palm Beach Post ; Doyle Rice for USA TODAY

Kimberly Miller and Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Tropical Storm Josephine forms in Atlantic, the 10th storm of a record-setting season
Show Caption Hide Caption Josephine to pass east and north of the Leeward Islands The tropical storm is slowly moving west-northwest and could make impacts through Saturday morning. Accuweather
Tropical Storm Josephine formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday morning, forecasters from the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm, which is the 10th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
Josephine shattered the early-season formation record for the J-named storm in the basin: The previous record belonged to Jose, which developed on Aug. 22, 2005.
In an average hurricane season, the 10th named storm doesn’t form until Oct. 19.
As of the 5 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Josephine was about 865 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands and traveling west-northwest at 16 mph.
No coastal watches or warnings were in effect.
Josephine is riding the underbelly of the Bermuda High. Once it reaches a weakness in the counterclockwise swirl that typically lives between Bermuda and the Azores, it will take a more northerly heading.
AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski said that "we expect this system to move on a curved path to the west-northwest and then to the northwest in the coming days."
This projected path could take Josephine relatively close to the Leeward Islands in the northeastern part of the Caribbean this weekend.
Even if the center of the storm stays over the open water, the system could pass close enough to bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the Leeward Islands.
How to prepare for hurricane season It's important to take these steps before hurricane season. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
The storm is not forecast to strengthen into a hurricane, forecasters said, and may actually dissipate within the next five days.
So far this year, Cristobal, Danielle, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna and Isaias have also set records for being the earliest named Atlantic storms of their respective place in the alphabet. Only Hanna and Isaias this year have developed into hurricanes.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Kimberly Miller reports for the Palm Beach Post; Doyle Rice for USA TODAY
Hurricane season:
On the heels of Isaias, forecasters say 10 more hurricanes are likely this season
With 9 storms so far this hurricane season, what happens if we run out of names?


usatoday--2020-08-13--COVID-19 claims Texas funeral home matriarch who for decades helped Latino families cope with death

AUSTIN – For decades , Lois Villaseñor had helped Latino families coping with the death of loved ones .
Recently , the East Austin funeral home she and her late husband founded in the late 1950s has been busier , as the coronavirus pandemic swept over the community it serves .
The business has adopted funeral rites — limited , masked services with burials often viewed through car windows .
In late July , at age 87 , Villaseñor herself died of COVID-related complications , one of scores of coronavirus deaths last month in Travis County at the height — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas .
Her service , like so many others nowadays in this time of remote grieving , was livestreamed .
Villaseñor had long been retired from Mission Funeral Home — she had been living at home , suffering from dementia at the time of her death , according to her son , Charles Villaseñor II , who now runs the business — but her death signifies not only the long reach of the virus , especially among Latinos , but another rip in the fabric of fast-changing East Austin .
“ When they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Charles Villaseñor II said of his parents .
There was no funeral home catering to Latinos , he said , and his parents “ filled the void , ” building a funeral home on East Cesar Chavez Street — then known as East First Street .
“ They provided a place where people came together as a community and show respect , a place that gave the community dignity , a place where people could come together , ” he said .
At the funeral service last week at Our Lady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street , state Sen. Carol Alvarado , D-Houston , whose family were friends with the Villaseñors , said the funeral home was key to the tissue of the area .
“ Long before scooters arrived in Austin , or hipsters or manbuns , Charles and Lois were building a community here on the East Side , ” Alvarado said .
“ The foundation they laid , the real estate they bought , the businesses they helped build , is why this particular part of Austin can grow and prosper.
” “ They started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ la nuestra gente , ” she continued .
Villaseñor ’ s death came at the end of the coronavirus ’ deadliest month , thus far , in Texas .
More than 4,500 people died in Texas in July of COVID-19 — more than half of the total deaths in the state since the first Texan was confirmed to have succumbed to the virus in March — and the disease has disproportionately affected Latinos .
Testing : Leaders were slow to bring COVID-19 testing to Latino communities .
Now people are sick .
Statewide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 cases — in keeping with their portion of the state population .
But they make up 51.4 % of fatalities from COVID-19 , according to the latest statistics from the Texas Department State of Health Services .
In Travis County , which is 33.6 % percent Hispanic , 51 % of the cases are Hispanic and 48 % of the deaths are Hispanic , according to Austin Public Health figures .
The infection rate among Latinos likely underestimates how many are infected for a variety of reasons .
Notably , testing sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poorer communities of color .
Testing costs , the stigma of a positive test , and — among people living in the country illegally — the fear of deportation are also contributing factors , said Jamboor Vishwanatha , director of the Texas Center for Health Disparities at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth .
Asked in late July on Telemundo McAllen about people who might fear getting tested because of their citizenship status , Gov .
Greg Abbott encouraged people to get tested .
“ The primary concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
“ There are no questions about ... status.
” The disproportionate death rate among Latinos is due to “ sociological factors such as lack of transportation , the lack of availability of testing sites , ” Vishwanatha said .
“ Work conditions , too , in which they ’ re considered essential workers , all these have made the situation bad .
“ The death rate is really exposing societal issues — access to health care , lack of health insurance , worry about losing income , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you will you lose your job , ” he said .
“ These are leading people to perhaps not seek medical care .
It ’ s also exposing other health disparities , there is more cardio-vascular disease , more hypertension , cancer.
” Lois Villaseñor was well looked after by her family and at-home medical attendants , her son said .
She was born in Cuero , Texas , to a migrant farming family , picking cotton in her early years .
When she was a teenager , national news regarding the treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an hour away from Cuero in the small town of Three Rivers .
When the body of Private Felix Longoria , who had been killed in the Philippines during World War II was returned home to Three Rivers in the late 1940s , the local funeral parlor refused to hold a wake , claiming , “ The whites would not like it.
” Longoria could be buried only in the separate Mexican section of the cemetery .
Eventually , after a campaign from his widow , then-freshman Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson got involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery .
Lois and her husband , Charles L. Villaseñor , who had trained in the funeral business in Houston , struck out to Austin in the late 1950s .
“ We came to Austin and looked around , and we chose East Austin because we wanted to be a part of the Hispanic community.
” she told the Austin Chronicle in 2004 .
She continued : “ We saw there was a void in funeral services available to the families here .
This was way back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Mission Funeral Home was the first to build a “ parlor ” so Latino families could gather at a funeral chapel to pay respects to loved ones .
In 1961 , she was one of only a handful of women to graduate from a mortuary college in Houston .
She was the first Latino woman to serve on the Texas Funeral Service Commission as a 1989 appointee of Gov .
Bill Clements .
She also served on the boards of Catholic charities and Latino political groups , serving at one point as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The matriarch of the family , she was known for her impeccable dress and her pioneering sense of adventure , at one point obtaining a pilot ’ s license .
She liked taking day trips to San Antonio to visit the Market Square and to dine at Mi Tierra , all the while keeping the books at the business .
Her husband of 37 years , Charles Villaseñor , died in 1991 , and she continued at the helm until her son succeeded her in 1992 .
The business now has four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she is survived by her daughters , Rebecca Villaseñor Burrisk and Melissa Villaseñor-Dye ; two grandsons , Charles Douglas Dye and Spencer Keith Dye ; brother , Adam Peña ; and many other family members and friends .
“ My mother understood that you never know a family ’ s grief until it happens to you .
That understanding now comes full circle for me , ” said Charles Villaseñor II .
Today that includes the increasing challenges of COVID19-related deaths .
“ Funerals for families whose loved ones suffered from COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother would have wanted Mission Funeral Homes to continue providing the same level of compassionate care for others that we are now providing to our own beloved mother , ” he said .

COVID-19 claims Texas funeral home matriarch who for decades helped Latino families cope with death
Show Caption Hide Caption Why people of color are dying at higher rates from COVID-19 Communities of color are dying at higher rates from the novel coronavirus than white Americans. Here's how structural inequities play a role. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
AUSTIN – For decades, Lois Villaseñor had helped Latino families coping with the death of loved ones.
Recently, the East Austin funeral home she and her late husband founded in the late 1950s has been busier, as the coronavirus pandemic swept over the community it serves. The business has adopted funeral rites — limited, masked services with burials often viewed through car windows.
In late July, at age 87, Villaseñor herself died of COVID-related complications, one of scores of coronavirus deaths last month in Travis County at the height — thus far — of the pandemic in Texas. Her service, like so many others nowadays in this time of remote grieving, was livestreamed.
Villaseñor had long been retired from Mission Funeral Home — she had been living at home, suffering from dementia at the time of her death, according to her son, Charles Villaseñor II, who now runs the business — but her death signifies not only the long reach of the virus, especially among Latinos, but another rip in the fabric of fast-changing East Austin.
“When they came to Austin it was very segregated,” Charles Villaseñor II said of his parents.
There was no funeral home catering to Latinos, he said, and his parents “filled the void,” building a funeral home on East Cesar Chavez Street — then known as East First Street.
“They provided a place where people came together as a community and show respect, a place that gave the community dignity, a place where people could come together,” he said.
At the funeral service last week at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on East Ninth Street, state Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, whose family were friends with the Villaseñors, said the funeral home was key to the tissue of the area.
“Long before scooters arrived in Austin, or hipsters or manbuns, Charles and Lois were building a community here on the East Side,” Alvarado said. “The foundation they laid, the real estate they bought, the businesses they helped build, is why this particular part of Austin can grow and prosper.”
“They started here because of their drive to help la nuestra gente,” she continued.
Disproportionate toll
Villaseñor’s death came at the end of the coronavirus’ deadliest month, thus far, in Texas.
More than 4,500 people died in Texas in July of COVID-19 — more than half of the total deaths in the state since the first Texan was confirmed to have succumbed to the virus in March — and the disease has disproportionately affected Latinos.
Testing: Leaders were slow to bring COVID-19 testing to Latino communities. Now people are sick.
CDC: Hispanic, Black children at higher risk of coronavirus-related hospitalization
Statewide, Hispanics make up 39.7% of COVID-19 cases — in keeping with their portion of the state population. But they make up 51.4% of fatalities from COVID-19, according to the latest statistics from the Texas Department State of Health Services.
In Travis County, which is 33.6% percent Hispanic, 51% of the cases are Hispanic and 48% of the deaths are Hispanic, according to Austin Public Health figures.
(African-Americans make up 15.1% of cases statewide and 12.8% of fatalities. The state is 12.3% Black.)
The infection rate among Latinos likely underestimates how many are infected for a variety of reasons.
Notably, testing sites are less likely to be located in poorer communities of color. Testing costs, the stigma of a positive test, and — among people living in the country illegally — the fear of deportation are also contributing factors, said Jamboor Vishwanatha, director of the Texas Center for Health Disparities at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
Asked in late July on Telemundo McAllen about people who might fear getting tested because of their citizenship status, Gov. Greg Abbott encouraged people to get tested. “The primary concern is the health care of everybody,” he said. “There are no questions about ... status.”
The disproportionate death rate among Latinos is due to “sociological factors such as lack of transportation, the lack of availability of testing sites,” Vishwanatha said. “Work conditions, too, in which they’re considered essential workers, all these have made the situation bad.
“The death rate is really exposing societal issues — access to health care, lack of health insurance, worry about losing income, and the fear that if you’re diagnosed you will you lose your job,” he said. “These are leading people to perhaps not seek medical care. It’s also exposing other health disparities, there is more cardio-vascular disease, more hypertension, cancer.”
A home in East Austin
Lois Villaseñor was well looked after by her family and at-home medical attendants, her son said.
She was born in Cuero, Texas, to a migrant farming family, picking cotton in her early years.
When she was a teenager, national news regarding the treatment of Latinos by funeral parlors unfolded about an hour away from Cuero in the small town of Three Rivers.
When the body of Private Felix Longoria, who had been killed in the Philippines during World War II was returned home to Three Rivers in the late 1940s, the local funeral parlor refused to hold a wake, claiming, “The whites would not like it.” Longoria could be buried only in the separate Mexican section of the cemetery. Eventually, after a campaign from his widow, then-freshman Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson got involved, arranging a burial for Longoria with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
Lois and her husband, Charles L. Villaseñor, who had trained in the funeral business in Houston, struck out to Austin in the late 1950s.
“We came to Austin and looked around, and we chose East Austin because we wanted to be a part of the Hispanic community.” she told the Austin Chronicle in 2004.
She continued: “We saw there was a void in funeral services available to the families here. This was way back when the bodies would lie at home.” Mission Funeral Home was the first to build a “parlor” so Latino families could gather at a funeral chapel to pay respects to loved ones.
In 1961, she was one of only a handful of women to graduate from a mortuary college in Houston.
She was the first Latino woman to serve on the Texas Funeral Service Commission as a 1989 appointee of Gov. Bill Clements. She also served on the boards of Catholic charities and Latino political groups, serving at one point as the president of the local LULAC council.
The matriarch of the family, she was known for her impeccable dress and her pioneering sense of adventure, at one point obtaining a pilot’s license. She liked taking day trips to San Antonio to visit the Market Square and to dine at Mi Tierra, all the while keeping the books at the business.
Her husband of 37 years, Charles Villaseñor, died in 1991, and she continued at the helm until her son succeeded her in 1992. The business now has four locations.
In addition to her son, she is survived by her daughters, Rebecca Villaseñor Burrisk and Melissa Villaseñor-Dye; two grandsons, Charles Douglas Dye and Spencer Keith Dye; brother, Adam Peña; and many other family members and friends.
“My mother understood that you never know a family’s grief until it happens to you. That understanding now comes full circle for me,” said Charles Villaseñor II.
Today that includes the increasing challenges of COVID19-related deaths.
“Funerals for families whose loved ones suffered from COVID-19 have been all consuming, but my mother would have wanted Mission Funeral Homes to continue providing the same level of compassionate care for others that we are now providing to our own beloved mother,” he said.
Follow Asher Price on Twitter: @asherprice


usatoday--2020-08-12--Toddler gets life-saving kidney from 21-year-old

Breast cancer survivor Lisa Chesson was medically unable to donate her kidney to her toddler , but then a 21-year-old @ @ @ @ @ to help him .

Toddler gets life-saving kidney from 21-year-old
Breast cancer survivor Lisa Chesson was medically unable to donate her kidney to her toddler, but then a 21-year-old she barely knew signed up to help him.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-08-13--Donald Trump to campaign in 4 states — including in Joe Biden's hometown — during week of Democratic

Donald Trump to campaign in 4 states — including in Joe Biden's hometown — during week of Democratic National Convention

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will hit the road next week while Democrats rally around Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris during the Democratic National Convention .
Trump plans to visit four states that could go a long way toward deciding the fall race between him and Biden : Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Minnesota , and Arizona , the president said during a `` tele-rally '' with Wisconsin supporters on Wednesday .
`` I 'll be there very soon , '' Trump said .
A week-long series of events will include a visit to the city where Biden was born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Aug. 20 , the same day the former vice president is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech .
More : Trump attacks Kamala Harris over Kavanaugh hearings in first remarks since she was named Biden 's running mate Noting that Biden plans to speak remotely from Delaware rather than travel to Milwaukee , Trump said during the tele-rally that Democrats are `` going to ignore Wisconsin just like they did in 2016 . ''
Trump carried Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , and Arizona as part of his Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show him trailing Biden in those states this year .
Trump narrowly lost Minnesota four years ago , but aides feel he can turn that state in his favor this time around .
The Trump team discussed Trump 's Democratic convention week schedule a day after Biden announced Harris would be his running mate .
As Democratic speakers critique the Trump administration , the president plans to be in battleground states drawing contrasts with Biden on issues like `` law and order , '' health care , immigration , China and the response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DNC lineup of speakers headlined by the Obamas and Jill Biden as keynotes Because of COVID concerns , Democrats are planning a virtual four-day convention based in Milwaukee .
It will feature `` nightly themes '' devoted to `` We the People , '' `` Leadership Matters , '' A More Perfect Union , '' and `` America 's Promise , '' all to be capped by Biden 's acceptance speech .
Trump plans to travel on three of the four days of the Democratic convention next week , said aides who spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
- Monday : Mankato , Minnesota , and Oshkosh , Wisconsin .
Trump plans to speak about jobs and the economy at both stops , and is likely to discuss the civil unrest in Minneapolis and other cities as well .
– Tuesday : Yuma , Arizona , where immigration will be a major topic .
– Thursday : Scranton , where the president plans to discuss jobs and trade policy .
His speech will come well before Biden makes his acceptance speech that night .
Trump and the Republicans have yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events .
The president has said he may deliver his nomination acceptance speech either at the White House or in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania .