usatoday--2020-11-20--Nurses like me face sexual harassment. COVID-19 masks, unfortunately, bring relief.

Eleven months into the COVID-19 pandemic , with a collection of colorful cloth masks hanging by my back door , I know that in addition to protecting against the spread of the virus , masks have protected me from another unwanted intrusion .
As a health care provider , I often find that wearing a face mask weakens my practice .
But as a woman , I 've found it 's a relief .
I 've worked as a community health nurse doing home visits for most of the past seven years .
When I arrive outside someone 's home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplies : gloves , face shield , mask , sanitizer , stethoscope , blood pressure cuff , pulse oximeter .
I feel like an astronaut exploring a new planet as I knock on someone 's door in my layers of plastic and fabric .
But wearing a mask has made so many personal interactions more difficult .
I 've talked with clients about their suicidal thoughts , the death of loved ones during the pandemic , their fears , and loneliness .
How can I convey compassion behind all these layers ?
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of facial expressions are gone .
I try to put into words what used to be a more nuanced quilt of nonverbal and verbal communication .
I accept that some things are just lost .
And while some things are harder beneath the layers , there have been gains .
That I like disappearing behind a layer of fabric says something about the culture , as I feel less vulnerable to sexual harassment .
As a nurse , that began for me when I was still a student .
Talking with a patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Louis with my nurse preceptor , one of the family members interrupted us to tell us that while he thought we were both cute , he thought my nurse preceptor was prettier .
I was dumbfounded .
In the middle of trying to do our jobs , caring for the health of a hospitalized child , we were being reviewed and ranked based on our appearances .
These types of comments have continued throughout my career , both in the hospital and home setting , which can feel especially vulnerable .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most basic elements of training is to position yourself closest to the exit , should you need to immediately leave if things become unsafe .
Luckily , I ’ ve never had to , but I have felt acutely aware of my vulnerability working in people ’ s homes .
Once , when I needed to assess a pressure sore on the lower back of one of my client ’ s in his apartment , he said that he would love to pull down his pants for me .
Holiday compromises : Cook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving plans The interaction had suddenly shifted from routine and medical to predatory .
But I had developed tools at that point .
I had learned to work through the shock , and told him how inappropriate his behavior was .
Later , I reported the incident to my manager and we discussed a plan moving forward .
These are n't skills anyone should have to develop , but many of us do , no matter where we work .
While more men have gone into the nursing profession , the field continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , as of 2019 , 89 % of registered nurses identify as female .
Nurses are often sexualized in our culture , from short-skirted Halloween costumes to cartoons that show children representations of curvy , coy nurses .
These images may seem irrelevant , but they perpetuate a stereotype of nurses as female , sexual , and non-intellectual .
Anthony Fauci Q & A : In coronavirus war , hang on , help is on the way with COVID-19 vaccine Nurses , like other service-providers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harassment from the people they are tasked with caring for .
One 2018 poll of health care providers found that 71 % of nurses had experienced sexual harassment from a patient .
Educational institutions need to prepare students before they arrive in the field on their rights , responsibilities , and various paths to address real-world sexual harassment situations they may encounter .
For me , it has been empowering to learn how to directly respond to comments when I feel safe enough to do that .
I ’ ve had patients apologize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professional working relationships beyond these comments .
When something off happens , it doesn ’ t mean that the only path is to refuse to engage .
I ’ ve found power in direct conversations and in moving forward with the nurse-patient relationship .
Still , it ’ s exhausting .
Masks have been a reprieve from the day-to-day experiences of being an American woman .
Masks have made me question the notion that I should wear make-up to feel professional in a meeting or job interview .
Masks have made me feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be a false sense of security , but it reflects the vulnerability many women often feel , when our appearances at times seem to be elevated above our professional experience .
I 'm not advocating that women ever be required to conceal their bodies more in public , as some cultures demand .
And I also acknowledge that the majority of my day-to-day work experiences feel professional , safe , and respectful .
But the relief I 've experienced wearing a mask should make everyone consider how women are treated when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re dressed like the men are , but experiencing work in a very different way .
Liz Brockland , RN , BSN , is a community health nurse at Rush University College of Nursing and a Public Voices Fellow in The OpEd Project .

Nurses like me face sexual harassment. COVID-19 masks, unfortunately, bring relief. Nurses are sexualized by our culture and interactions with patients can often turn predatory. Masks have given me a reprieve gazes and comments.
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: How Herd Immunity works, why you still need to wear a mask Without masks and a vaccine, we could reach Herd Immunity from COVID-19, but deaths would skyrocket. We break down the science of it. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Eleven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, with a collection of colorful cloth masks hanging by my back door, I know that in addition to protecting against the spread of the virus, masks have protected me from another unwanted intrusion.
As a health care provider, I often find that wearing a face mask weakens my practice. But as a woman, I've found it's a relief.
I've worked as a community health nurse doing home visits for most of the past seven years. When I arrive outside someone's home, I do an inventory of my supplies: gloves, face shield, mask, sanitizer, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter. I feel like an astronaut exploring a new planet as I knock on someone's door in my layers of plastic and fabric.
But wearing a mask has made so many personal interactions more difficult. I've talked with clients about their suicidal thoughts, the death of loved ones during the pandemic, their fears, and loneliness.
How can I convey compassion behind all these layers? I nod more, now that the subtleties of facial expressions are gone. I try to put into words what used to be a more nuanced quilt of nonverbal and verbal communication. I accept that some things are just lost.
Harassment in health care
And while some things are harder beneath the layers, there have been gains. That I like disappearing behind a layer of fabric says something about the culture, as I feel less vulnerable to sexual harassment.
As a nurse, that began for me when I was still a student. Talking with a patient's family in a pediatric hospital in St. Louis with my nurse preceptor, one of the family members interrupted us to tell us that while he thought we were both cute, he thought my nurse preceptor was prettier.
I was dumbfounded. In the middle of trying to do our jobs, caring for the health of a hospitalized child, we were being reviewed and ranked based on our appearances.
These types of comments have continued throughout my career, both in the hospital and home setting, which can feel especially vulnerable.
As a home visitor, one of the most basic elements of training is to position yourself closest to the exit, should you need to immediately leave if things become unsafe. Luckily, I’ve never had to, but I have felt acutely aware of my vulnerability working in people’s homes.
Once, when I needed to assess a pressure sore on the lower back of one of my client’s in his apartment, he said that he would love to pull down his pants for me.
Holiday compromises: Cook your turkey, but cancel your traditional Thanksgiving plans
The interaction had suddenly shifted from routine and medical to predatory. But I had developed tools at that point. I had learned to work through the shock, and told him how inappropriate his behavior was.
Later, I reported the incident to my manager and we discussed a plan moving forward. These aren't skills anyone should have to develop, but many of us do, no matter where we work.
Overwhelmingly 'women's work'
While more men have gone into the nursing profession, the field continues to be dominated by women. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2019, 89% of registered nurses identify as female.
Nurses are often sexualized in our culture, from short-skirted Halloween costumes to cartoons that show children representations of curvy, coy nurses. These images may seem irrelevant, but they perpetuate a stereotype of nurses as female, sexual, and non-intellectual.
Anthony Fauci Q&A: In coronavirus war, hang on, help is on the way with COVID-19 vaccine
Nurses, like other service-providers, face the challenge of dealing with sexual harassment from the people they are tasked with caring for. One 2018 poll of health care providers found that 71% of nurses had experienced sexual harassment from a patient.
Educational institutions need to prepare students before they arrive in the field on their rights, responsibilities, and various paths to address real-world sexual harassment situations they may encounter.
For me, it has been empowering to learn how to directly respond to comments when I feel safe enough to do that. I’ve had patients apologize to me and we’ve maintained professional working relationships beyond these comments.
When something off happens, it doesn’t mean that the only path is to refuse to engage. I’ve found power in direct conversations and in moving forward with the nurse-patient relationship.
Still, it’s exhausting. Masks have been a reprieve from the day-to-day experiences of being an American woman. Masks have made me question the notion that I should wear make-up to feel professional in a meeting or job interview. Masks have made me feel protected from gazes and comments. It may be a false sense of security, but it reflects the vulnerability many women often feel, when our appearances at times seem to be elevated above our professional experience.
I'm not advocating that women ever be required to conceal their bodies more in public, as some cultures demand. And I also acknowledge that the majority of my day-to-day work experiences feel professional, safe, and respectful.
But the relief I've experienced wearing a mask should make everyone consider how women are treated when the masks come off, and we’re dressed like the men are, but experiencing work in a very different way.
Liz Brockland, RN, BSN, is a community health nurse at Rush University College of Nursing and a Public Voices Fellow in The OpEd Project.


usatoday--2020-11-20--Tamarin spends quality time with sloth during snack time at a zoo in Providence

Tamarin spends quality time with sloth during snack time at a zoo in Providence The two-toed sloth and golden lion @ @ @ @ @ time at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence , Rhode Island .

Snack time: Tamarin hangs out with sloth at a Providence zoo
The two-toed sloth and golden lion tamarin got in some quality time at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island.
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-11-20--How to make the perfect Thanksgiving turkey

How to make the perfect Thanksgiving turkey From thawing to seasoning to carving and serving , we 've got you @ @ @ @ @ the perfect turkey for your Thanksgiving feast !

Thanksgiving: How to make the perfect turkey
From thawing to seasoning to carving and serving, we've got you covered on how to make the perfect turkey for your Thanksgiving feast!
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-11-20--President Trump announces regulations that could lower prices for many prescription drugs

President Trump announces regulations that could lower prices for many prescription drugs President Donald Trump unveiled two rules designed to @ @ @ @ @ drugs .

President Donald Trump unveils rules designed to lower drug prices
President Donald Trump unveiled two rules designed to lower prices for many prescription drugs.
Associated Press, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-11-20--Michigan Senate Leader confronted by activists while traveling to meet President Trump

Michigan Senate Leader confronted by activists while traveling to meet President Trump Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey was confronted @ @ @ @ @ while reportedly on his way to meet with President Trump .

MI Senate Leader confronted while traveling to meet President Trump
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey was confronted by activists at the airport while reportedly on his way to meet with President Trump.
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-11-20--Ivanka Trump calls New York investigations into Trump Organization tax write-offs political 'harassm

White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Thursday denounced a pair of fraud investigations by New York authorities into the Trump Organization 's taxes as political `` harassment . ''
New York Attorney General Letitia James ' office sent a subpoena to the Trump Organization for records related to consulting fees paid to Ivanka Trump as part of a broad civil investigation into President Donald Trump 's business dealings , The Associated Press reported .
The New York Times reported that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. , who is conducting a parallel criminal investigation , had issued a similar subpoena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` This is harassment pure and simple , '' said the president 's oldest daughter in a tweet linking to the Times article about the probes .
`` This ‘ inquiry ’ by NYC democrats is 100 % motivated by politics , publicity and rage .
They know very well that there ’ s nothing here and that there was no tax benefit whatsoever .
These politicians are simply ruthless . ''
The New York authorities ' investigations followed the Times ' reporting on tax filings from Trump and the Trump Organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts flagged as legally dubious , were used to drastically reduce their tax liability .
Among the write-offs were $ 26 million in consulting fees between 2010 and 2018 .
More : Donald Trump , Seven Springs and his $ 21 million tax deduction draw scrutiny One $ 747,622 payment for consulting fees exactly matched a payment to a company co-owned by Ivanka Trump that she listed on a 2017 disclosure she filed when she joined the White House , the Times reported .
Ivanka Trump was still a Trump Organization executive when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consulting fee should not pose any legal problems for Ivanka Trump if she paid income tax on the money , according to the Associated Press .
But the Internal Revenue Service could disallow the Trump Organization 's deduction and impose civil penalties if they believe the consulting fee write-off constituted an attempt to avoid taxes .
The Times reported that Ivanka Trump did not appear to be a target of the city or state investigations .
The probes are partly tied to allegations by Trump ’ s former lawyer , Michael Cohen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inflate the value of some assets to impress banks and business partners , but give lower estimates of their worth for tax purposes .
Vance has been involved in a long court battle seeking access to Trump ’ s tax filings as part of the investigation .

Ivanka Trump calls New York investigations into Trump Organization tax write-offs political 'harassment'
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump's tax return details revealed in New York Times series President Trump paid little to no federal income taxes in recent years, according to the first series of New York Times stories on his tax returns. USA TODAY
White House adviser Ivanka Trump on Thursday denounced a pair of fraud investigations by New York authorities into the Trump Organization's taxes as political "harassment."
New York Attorney General Letitia James' office sent a subpoena to the Trump Organization for records related to consulting fees paid to Ivanka Trump as part of a broad civil investigation into President Donald Trump's business dealings, The Associated Press reported. The New York Times reported that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who is conducting a parallel criminal investigation, had issued a similar subpoena. Both James and Vance are Democrats.
"This is harassment pure and simple," said the president's oldest daughter in a tweet linking to the Times article about the probes. "This ‘inquiry’ by NYC democrats is 100% motivated by politics, publicity and rage. They know very well that there’s nothing here and that there was no tax benefit whatsoever. These politicians are simply ruthless."
The New York authorities' investigations followed the Times' reporting on tax filings from Trump and the Trump Organization that showed large deductions, which some experts flagged as legally dubious, were used to drastically reduce their tax liability. Among the write-offs were $26 million in consulting fees between 2010 and 2018.
More: Donald Trump, Seven Springs and his $21 million tax deduction draw scrutiny
This is harassment pure and simple. This ‘inquiry’ by NYC democrats is 100% motivated by politics, publicity and rage. They know very well that there’s nothing here and that there was no tax benefit whatsoever. These politicians are simply ruthless.https://t.co/4dQoDzQlRX — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 20, 2020
One $747,622 payment for consulting fees exactly matched a payment to a company co-owned by Ivanka Trump that she listed on a 2017 disclosure she filed when she joined the White House, the Times reported. Ivanka Trump was still a Trump Organization executive when the consulting fee was paid.
The consulting fee should not pose any legal problems for Ivanka Trump if she paid income tax on the money, according to the Associated Press. But the Internal Revenue Service could disallow the Trump Organization's deduction and impose civil penalties if they believe the consulting fee write-off constituted an attempt to avoid taxes.
The Times reported that Ivanka Trump did not appear to be a target of the city or state investigations.
The probes are partly tied to allegations by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who said his old boss would often inflate the value of some assets to impress banks and business partners, but give lower estimates of their worth for tax purposes.
Vance has been involved in a long court battle seeking access to Trump’s tax filings as part of the investigation.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Trump's tax returns: 5 key takeaways from experts


usatoday--2020-11-20--President Trump is seeking a recount in two Wisconsin counties, but what he's really doing is prepar

President Trump is seeking a recount in two Wisconsin counties, but what he's really doing is preparing for a lawsuit.

MADISON - President Donald Trump for now is seeking a recount in two Wisconsin counties , but what he ’ s really doing is preparing for a lawsuit .
Why ?
Trump could see a long-shot chance of getting multiple states to change their vote totals .
Or , a legal challenge could provide Trump fodder to keep his base revved up for a 2024 run , alleging the long-standing process of electing presidents that delivered former Vice President Joe Biden a victory was unfair .
The recount petition he filed Wednesday asked to throw out broad swaths of votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic areas — something the county clerks there are sure to reject .
But by pursuing the recount , Trump has given himself a vehicle for a lawsuit that would likely go before a judge by early December .
It could quickly get to the state Supreme Court , where conservatives hold a 4-3 majority .
More : Biden won , but technically the election 's not over : What to expect in the next 60 days The influence of the high court would be felt from the start .
Under state law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will get to choose which judge initially hears a recount lawsuit .
She will also get to select the court that hears any appeals .
Democrats called Trump 's arguments against counting some ballots baseless and said clerks were unlikely to accept his claims when they begin recounting votes on Friday .
But they also expressed worries that the state ’ s high court , with its history of siding with Republicans , could go along with a request to toss ballots in Milwaukee and Dane counties and shift the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A court changing the result of an election that was decided by more than 20,600 votes would be extremely rare , and there is no guarantee the justices would agree with Trump .
Even if they did , changing Wisconsin 's results wouldn ’ t be enough to take away the presidency from Biden because of his victories in other states .
At a late-night meeting Wednesday to authorize the recount , Democrats and Republicans on the state Elections Commission could agree on little — other than that the recount is headed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP legislative leaders to meet with Trump at White House amid election fight “ This is going to be for the courts to decide .
I don ’ t believe it ’ s for us to decide , ” Republican Commissioner Dean Knudson told his colleagues .
Kyle Kondik , managing editor of Sabato ’ s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics , said even if Wisconsin judges took the rare action of reversing the state ’ s election outcome , Trump would need two more states to follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second term .
“ Let ’ s say they could say they could get a lawsuit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court that would flip the election … that would , to me , be unprecedented in modern times — something like that happening given the number of votes involved , ” he said .
“ They would not only need that in one state they would need that in multiple states.
” Kondik said the Wisconsin effort could be about laying the groundwork for a 2024 campaign , but Trump would likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with fraud regardless .
`` He ’ s behaving exactly the way I expected him to behave .
… You could see it coming from a mile away .
He questioned the integrity of the last election that he won , ” Kondik said of the 2016 race .
“ He already is alleging those things and whether there ’ s a recount in Wisconsin or not wouldn ’ t change that sort of rhetoric .
… I think the president ’ s rhetoric is irresponsible and not based in reality in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any other losing candidate he has the right to abide by the rules.
” Jeffrey Mandell , a Madison attorney who has represented Democrats in election cases , said he thought Trump 's arguments lacked merit .
Judges may quickly find that Trump took too long to file a legal challenge if he ’ s focused on practices that have been in place for years , Mandell said .
But he noted no one ever knows what will happen when a case , especially a high-stakes political one , is put before a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things to the court , you ’ re putting things into the hands of a small number of individual people who could do almost anything and I think that ’ s part of what ’ s going on ( with Trump ’ s legal strategy ) , ” said Mandell , who last month launched Law Forward , a legal center focused on election issues .
Barry Burden , director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison , said the recount effort is clearly not actually about changing the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said , Trump ’ s goals could be to put a cloud over the election results , raise suspicions , and to lay groundwork for the future .
“ He ’ s soothing his ego , he ’ s shaping his legacy .
I think he ’ s protecting his brand also — he wants to leave office and do something , ” Burden said .
“ So you can see why he would want to leave and not be deemed a loser ... but why other people in his party in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really mysterious.
” Wisconsin Republicans have at least endorsed the idea of a recount and some have supported Trump ’ s allegations of fraud or irregularities without evidence .
Burden said the allegiance , despite evidence debunking Trump ’ s allegations , is likely because Trump still has a significant influence in the Republican Party .
“ There are a lot of voters out there who are enthusiastic about Trump so Republicans need to keep winning those votes to win their seats , ” he said .
Trump has raised three main arguments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Sen. Lindsey Graham faces ethics complaint over call to top election official in Georgia about ballots To be valid , absentee ballots in Wisconsin must come in an envelope that is signed by the voter and a witness and include the witness ’ address .
In cases where witnesses don ’ t provide their addresses , clerks have been allowed to fill the addresses in if they know that information from talking to the voter , talking to the witness or looking at voter rolls , tax databases or other information .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ under guidance pushed by Republicans on the Elections Commission at the time , including Stephen King , who Trump later named as the U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic .
Trump didn ’ t dispute the state ’ s witness policy when he narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016 , but he now says it is illegal .
He argues only the voter or witness can write in the address .
Clerks say witnesses often forget to fill out their address or fail to supply a part of it , such as the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the witness is the spouse of the voter and lives at the same address .
Most voters must provide a photo ID to get an absentee ballot , but those who identify themselves as indefinitely confined do not .
This spring , Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell and Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson suggested voters could label themselves as indefinitely confined if they were staying at home because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The state Republican Party sued and the state Supreme Court found the advice was faulty .
The clerks rescinded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Elections Commission that noted it ’ s up to voters to determine for themselves whether they are indefinitely confined .
About 215,000 voters statewide called themselves indefinitely confined from the Nov. 3 election — up from 72,000 in a lower-turnout election for state Supreme Court last year .
Trump argues the ballots should be thrown out for voters who said they were indefinitely confined if they don ’ t meet the criteria .
He hasn ’ t said how that would be determined for thousands of voters .
State law requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who vote in person early to apply for absentee ballots in writing .
In an apparent reference to those who voted early in person in Milwaukee , Trump contends more than 60,000 voters in the state ’ s most populous county didn ’ t submit written applications .
Those voters signed a statement on their ballot envelope that is labeled “ absentee ballot application/certification.
” That document has been treated as an application for an absentee ballot for more than a decade around the state , according to elections officials .
The Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are unlikely to give Trump much ground as they recount the vote .
Their review is expected to change the totals slightly , but not enough to change the outcome .
A 2016 recount in the presidential contest resulted in a shift of 131 votes — nowhere near what Trump would need this time .
But during or after the recount , Trump can head to court if he doesn ’ t like the determinations of the canvassers .
Allies of Trump have compared the 2020 election outcome to the 2000 contest between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Republican who ultimately was named the winner of the contest .
But the situations are different .
The 2000 presidential race was decided by fewer than 600 votes in Florida , where Bush was leading by a small margin when a recount was called .
Gore was ahead in the popular vote nationally .
Now , Biden is ahead in both electoral votes and by nearly 6 million votes nationally .
In 2000 , a recount of the presidential vote in Florida ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that race by halting the Florida recount .
Trump ’ s focus is on two counties In Wisconsin , Trump is trying to eliminate ballots in two Democratic counties while leaving ballots unexamined in the other 70 counties .
If he were to prevail , clerks would have to toss aside ballots for Biden while letting stand ballots for Trump that were cast in the same manner in other counties .
It comes as Trump 's campaign argues in court that Pennsylvania 's election system is unfair because voters there are n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , he contends absentee voters and in-person voters should n't be treated differently .
Mark Thomsen , a Democrat on the Elections Commission from Milwaukee , called it unfair for Trump to allege clerks across the state conducted the election illegally but try to change votes in only two counties .
“ I ’ ve never felt so attacked by — to say that it ’ s all unfair and then just pick out our county , ” Thomsen said .
After the recount is complete , Biden can ask to conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state .
He hasn ’ t said whether would do that , and time is against him because of the need to finalize the state ’ s vote .
The initial recount must be completed by Dec. 1 , the deadline for the state Elections Commission to certify the state ’ s vote .
If Biden were to ask for an additional recount , the state couldn ’ t meet that deadline .
Other , more pressing deadlines come soon after the state deadline .
Wisconsin has until Dec. 8 to certify its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a safe-harbor date for determining its results .
The Electoral College meets six days later , on Dec. 14 , to determine the presidency .
Congress counts the electoral votes on Jan. 6 .
Missing the safe-harbor deadline would create the possibility that Congress , rather than Wisconsin officials , would determine the results of the state 's election .
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley @ jrn.com .
Follow him on Twitter at @ patrickdmarley .

Patrick Marley and Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

President Trump is seeking a recount in two Wisconsin counties, but what he’s really doing is preparing for a lawsuit.
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump supporters defiant in support of president Defiant supporters of President Trump held a rally in Washington on Saturday a week after the presidential race was called for Joe Biden. (Nov. 14) AP
MADISON - President Donald Trump for now is seeking a recount in two Wisconsin counties, but what he’s really doing is preparing for a lawsuit.
Why? Trump could see a long-shot chance of getting multiple states to change their vote totals. Or, a legal challenge could provide Trump fodder to keep his base revved up for a 2024 run, alleging the long-standing process of electing presidents that delivered former Vice President Joe Biden a victory was unfair.
The recount petition he filed Wednesday asked to throw out broad swaths of votes in the state’s two most Democratic areas — something the county clerks there are sure to reject.
But by pursuing the recount, Trump has given himself a vehicle for a lawsuit that would likely go before a judge by early December. It could quickly get to the state Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 4-3 majority.
More: Biden won, but technically the election's not over: What to expect in the next 60 days
How a contentious election affects a peaceful transition of power What history has shown us about contested elections and peaceful transitions of power. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The influence of the high court would be felt from the start. Under state law, Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack will get to choose which judge initially hears a recount lawsuit. She will also get to select the court that hears any appeals.
Democrats called Trump's arguments against counting some ballots baseless and said clerks were unlikely to accept his claims when they begin recounting votes on Friday. But they also expressed worries that the state’s high court, with its history of siding with Republicans, could go along with a request to toss ballots in Milwaukee and Dane counties and shift the state’s 10 electoral votes from Biden to Trump.
A court changing the result of an election that was decided by more than 20,600 votes would be extremely rare, and there is no guarantee the justices would agree with Trump. Even if they did, changing Wisconsin's results wouldn’t be enough to take away the presidency from Biden because of his victories in other states.
At a late-night meeting Wednesday to authorize the recount, Democrats and Republicans on the state Elections Commission could agree on little — other than that the recount is headed to court.
More: Michigan's GOP legislative leaders to meet with Trump at White House amid election fight
“This is going to be for the courts to decide. I don’t believe it’s for us to decide,” Republican Commissioner Dean Knudson told his colleagues.
Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said even if Wisconsin judges took the rare action of reversing the state’s election outcome, Trump would need two more states to follow suit for the effort to deliver him a second term.
“Let’s say they could say they could get a lawsuit in the Wisconsin Supreme Court that would flip the election … that would, to me, be unprecedented in modern times — something like that happening given the number of votes involved,” he said. “They would not only need that in one state they would need that in multiple states.”
Kondik said the Wisconsin effort could be about laying the groundwork for a 2024 campaign, but Trump would likely make the case the election was rife with fraud regardless.
"He’s behaving exactly the way I expected him to behave. … You could see it coming from a mile away. He questioned the integrity of the last election that he won,” Kondik said of the 2016 race. “He already is alleging those things and whether there’s a recount in Wisconsin or not wouldn’t change that sort of rhetoric. … I think the president’s rhetoric is irresponsible and not based in reality in a lot of ways, but just like any other losing candidate he has the right to abide by the rules.”
Jeffrey Mandell, a Madison attorney who has represented Democrats in election cases, said he thought Trump's arguments lacked merit. Judges may quickly find that Trump took too long to file a legal challenge if he’s focused on practices that have been in place for years, Mandell said.
But he noted no one ever knows what will happen when a case, especially a high-stakes political one, is put before a court.
“Any time you take things to the court, you’re putting things into the hands of a small number of individual people who could do almost anything and I think that’s part of what’s going on (with Trump’s legal strategy),” said Mandell, who last month launched Law Forward, a legal center focused on election issues.
Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the recount effort is clearly not actually about changing the election result given the margin.
Instead, he said, Trump’s goals could be to put a cloud over the election results, raise suspicions, and to lay groundwork for the future.
“He’s soothing his ego, he’s shaping his legacy. I think he’s protecting his brand also — he wants to leave office and do something,” Burden said. “So you can see why he would want to leave and not be deemed a loser ... but why other people in his party in leadership are aiding and abetting this is really mysterious.”
Wisconsin Republicans have at least endorsed the idea of a recount and some have supported Trump’s allegations of fraud or irregularities without evidence. Burden said the allegiance, despite evidence debunking Trump’s allegations, is likely because Trump still has a significant influence in the Republican Party.
“There are a lot of voters out there who are enthusiastic about Trump so Republicans need to keep winning those votes to win their seats,” he said.
Trump has raised three main arguments against counting votes in Wisconsin.
More: Sen. Lindsey Graham faces ethics complaint over call to top election official in Georgia about ballots
Witness addresses
To be valid, absentee ballots in Wisconsin must come in an envelope that is signed by the voter and a witness and include the witness’ address. In cases where witnesses don’t provide their addresses, clerks have been allowed to fill the addresses in if they know that information from talking to the voter, talking to the witness or looking at voter rolls, tax databases or other information.
That policy was set four years ago under guidance pushed by Republicans on the Elections Commission at the time, including Stephen King, who Trump later named as the U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic. Trump didn’t dispute the state’s witness policy when he narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016, but he now says it is illegal. He argues only the voter or witness can write in the address.
Clerks say witnesses often forget to fill out their address or fail to supply a part of it, such as the city or ZIP code. In many cases, the witness is the spouse of the voter and lives at the same address.
Indefinitely confined voters
Most voters must provide a photo ID to get an absentee ballot, but those who identify themselves as indefinitely confined do not. This spring, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell and Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson suggested voters could label themselves as indefinitely confined if they were staying at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The state Republican Party sued and the state Supreme Court found the advice was faulty. The clerks rescinded their advice and pointed voters to guidance from the Elections Commission that noted it’s up to voters to determine for themselves whether they are indefinitely confined.
About 215,000 voters statewide called themselves indefinitely confined from the Nov. 3 election — up from 72,000 in a lower-turnout election for state Supreme Court last year.
Trump argues the ballots should be thrown out for voters who said they were indefinitely confined if they don’t meet the criteria. He hasn’t said how that would be determined for thousands of voters.
Absentee ballot applications
State law requires those who vote by mail and those who vote in person early to apply for absentee ballots in writing. In an apparent reference to those who voted early in person in Milwaukee, Trump contends more than 60,000 voters in the state’s most populous county didn’t submit written applications.
Those voters signed a statement on their ballot envelope that is labeled “absentee ballot application/certification.” That document has been treated as an application for an absentee ballot for more than a decade around the state, according to elections officials.
Court fight likely
The Democratic county clerks and their boards of canvassers are unlikely to give Trump much ground as they recount the vote.
Their review is expected to change the totals slightly, but not enough to change the outcome. A 2016 recount in the presidential contest resulted in a shift of 131 votes — nowhere near what Trump would need this time.
But during or after the recount, Trump can head to court if he doesn’t like the determinations of the canvassers.
Allies of Trump have compared the 2020 election outcome to the 2000 contest between Democrat Al Gore and George W. Bush, a Republican who ultimately was named the winner of the contest.
But the situations are different.
The 2000 presidential race was decided by fewer than 600 votes in Florida, where Bush was leading by a small margin when a recount was called. Gore was ahead in the popular vote nationally.
Now, Biden is ahead in both electoral votes and by nearly 6 million votes nationally.
In 2000, a recount of the presidential vote in Florida ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court — a case that left Bush as the winner in that race by halting the Florida recount.
Trump’s focus is on two counties
In Wisconsin, Trump is trying to eliminate ballots in two Democratic counties while leaving ballots unexamined in the other 70 counties. If he were to prevail, clerks would have to toss aside ballots for Biden while letting stand ballots for Trump that were cast in the same manner in other counties.
It comes as Trump's campaign argues in court that Pennsylvania's election system is unfair because voters there aren't treated the same way. In that case, he contends absentee voters and in-person voters shouldn't be treated differently.
Mark Thomsen, a Democrat on the Elections Commission from Milwaukee, called it unfair for Trump to allege clerks across the state conducted the election illegally but try to change votes in only two counties.
“I’ve never felt so attacked by — to say that it’s all unfair and then just pick out our county,” Thomsen said.
After the recount is complete, Biden can ask to conduct a recount in the rest of the state. He hasn’t said whether would do that, and time is against him because of the need to finalize the state’s vote.
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The clock is ticking
The initial recount must be completed by Dec. 1, the deadline for the state Elections Commission to certify the state’s vote. If Biden were to ask for an additional recount, the state couldn’t meet that deadline.
Other, more pressing deadlines come soon after the state deadline.
Wisconsin has until Dec. 8 to certify its results under a federal law that establishes a safe-harbor date for determining its results. The Electoral College meets six days later, on Dec. 14, to determine the presidency. Congress counts the electoral votes on Jan. 6.
Missing the safe-harbor deadline would create the possibility that Congress, rather than Wisconsin officials, would determine the results of the state's election.
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.


usatoday--2020-11-21--'It's scary': Family members returning home bring higher COVID risk for Thanksgiving gatherings

At a time when Americans are pondering how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely amid the country ’ s worst surge in coronavirus cases , many families will be faced with yet another complicating factor : the return home of students .
Public health experts are discouraging nonessential travel and gatherings of multiple households for Thanksgiving , fearing those activities may further spread a virus that has sickened more than 11.5 million and killed in excess of 251,000 in the U.S. On Thursday , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against traveling for Thanksgiving .
Colleges and universities have reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a New York Times tracker .
Returning students – whether they lived in dorms or off-campus housing in the fall term – “ exponentially increase the risk ( of infection ) , ’ ’ especially if they take some form of mass transportation to get back home .
That ’ s the assessment of Dr. Teresa Bartlett , senior medical officer for the claims management firm Sedgwick , who advises companies about medical strategies and safety practices .
Naturally , her work has been focused on the pandemic for the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the field , Bartlett is concerned that holiday gatherings , combined with pandemic fatigue and the need to move indoors as the weather gets colder , will exacerbate what ’ s already a major national spike in COVID-19 cases .
No Trump talk : How to keep politics out of Thanksgiving 2020 : Pass the turkey , not the touchy subjects .
The U.S. recorded more than 1 million new infections in the first 10 days of November and has logged upwards of 100,000 daily cases since Nov. 3 , after never before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The current daily average for the month stands at 130,000 , a surge that has strained health care systems in many parts of the country and prompted some states – including California , Washington and Michigan this week – to tighten COVID-related restrictions .
More than 30 states have imposed mandatory mask requirements .
Decisions on whether to share a turkey and stuffing with friends and relatives are now fraught with peril .
“ You need to really seriously consider the risk vs. reward , ’ ’ Bartlett said .
“ And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they just want to see their family , but add a glass of wine with the Thanksgiving dinner and people ’ s judgment kind of goes out the window after that , and maybe they ’ ll hug or get closer to what they should .
It ’ s scary , the potential of what could happen here.
’ ’ That ’ s why Dr. Eric Cioe-Peña and his wife are eschewing get-togethers with their numerous relatives in the New York City area .
Normally , they would split Thanksgiving and Christmas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family members and the other one with hers .
Cioe-Peña , an emergency room physician and director of Global Health at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park , New York , wants to model the behavior he ’ d like to see in his patients .
“ We ’ re going to have to make sacrifices , ’ ’ he said .
“ My wife and I decided this year ’ s going to be nuclear family and we ’ re not inviting anybody over.
’ ’ Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the CDC , have already warned about the potential for a proliferation of infections from holiday parties , even if they ’ re small and only among relatives .
Memorial Day get-togethers were partly blamed for the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases the U.S. experienced early in the summer .
Events like an August wedding in Maine that led to more than 175 infections and a September Sweet 16 party in Long Island , New York , that was linked to 37 positive tests have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ functions turning into super spreader events .
Health officials are increasingly pointing to small gatherings as sources of multiple infections , some of which have led to deaths .
“ All along there have been issues about attending weddings , funerals , religious gatherings and other events that are part of our normal life , ’ ’ said Dr. Steven Woolf , director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University .
“ They bring people together and potentially become vectors for the virus .
As many public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these events and can be transmitted from person to person.
’ ’ The CDC last week updated its guidance about holiday celebrations with advice on how to reduce the risk of infection .
The tips for in-person gatherings include commonly known mitigation measures such as holding events outdoors , limiting their size and length , having participants wear masks and maintaining social distance .
The CDC also encourages hosts to request that guests avoid contact with people from outside their household for two weeks before the activity .
The impracticality of some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to fit everybody at a table 6 feet apart , or to eat a meal outdoors in the late November chill – combined with defiance and pandemic fatigue will likely lead many to ignore the suggestions .
Comic touch : Jimmy Fallon has Twitter serving up new Thanksgiving traditions for the coronavirus pandemic and we are thankful “ I know there will be plenty of families who mock this kind of advice and say , ‘ That ’ s ridiculous .
We ’ re going to get together and enjoy Thanksgiving like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one ’ s going to tell us otherwise , ’ ’ ’ Woolf said .
“ That may give them a sense of independence , but then the virus gets to Grandma and she ends up in the hospital on a ventilator , and then you live with the guilt.
’ ’ Woolf and other experts recommend virtual events , with families from separate households sitting at their Thanksgiving tables at the same time and connecting through a video platform like Zoom , which might give a sense of sharing the meal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be congregating inside , opening windows would at least improve ventilation and could help diffuse the virus , reducing the chances of contagion .
The need for in-person contact can be a powerful draw , and even more so among those who have avoided traveling to see relatives as the pandemic has stretched over months .
Craig Smith , an associate professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University , said isolation over long stretches of sheltering in place can lead to a profound sense of loneliness and disconnection , particularly for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to balance parenting with work .
Missing out on family gatherings would only aggravate those feelings .
“ Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays are especially tough because , on top of the normal need to interact with friends and family , they are lifelong rituals for people of sharing those particular days and those particular meals , ’ ’ Smith said .
“ So for many people , there ’ s going to be a palpable sense of loss when they ’ re unable to get their whole family together , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ A recent study indicates the risk of catching the virus on planes is minimal because of their high turnover of airflow and use of HEPA filters .
Plus , the CDC has strongly recommended that all passengers traveling on public transportation – including airplanes – and the onboard personnel wear face masks to avoid spreading the virus .
The agency also endorsed the removal , whenever possible , of anyone who refuses to comply .
Those developments may prompt travelers eager for a family embrace to book a Thanksgiving or Christmas trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noting that exposure to the virus could occur at several stages of a trip and insisting it ’ s best to avoid mingling with members of households from different areas , especially those from places with high infection rates .
“ People should carefully weigh the risk of travel and risk of disease at the destination before deciding to go , ’ ’ said Dr. Jeff Goad , who teaches epidemiology , public health and travel medicine at Chapman University .
“ Certainly , older individuals and those with pre-existing medical conditions should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of the emerging options for travelers and others who want to visit loved ones is getting tested for the coronavirus in advance , which could provide some reassurance but also a false sense of security because tests do n't always detect the virus during the incubation period .
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong , an infectious disease specialist at the University of California-San Francisco who has studied the impact of small gatherings on virus transmission , said this approach is gaining popularity , especially with the use of inexpensive antigen tests .
Chin-Hong points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the costlier PCR tests , which are regarded as the gold standard , and better at detecting who ’ s infected than discerning who ’ s not with total certainty .
He still advices advises limiting the size of holiday get-togethers and offers a list of things participants shouldn ’ t do , like “ huddling closely together at the end of the night as one large group to sing Christmas carols ’ ’ or “ debuting your French horn for the guests ’ ’ because wind instruments can create aerosols .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and/or relatives , Chin-Hong suggests getting the test done three to four days before the trip and sticking strictly to a safety protocol before they meet , adding , “ A negative test is only one strategy , and safe practices for COVID prevention should still be maintained as a multimodal strategy to keep us all safe during these trying times .
’ ’

'It's scary': Family members returning home bring higher COVID risk for Thanksgiving gatherings
Show Caption Hide Caption Thanksgiving: 8 items you need for dinner outside If you're planning on having Thanksgiving dinner outside, here are eight must-haves. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
At a time when Americans are pondering how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely amid the country’s worst surge in coronavirus cases, many families will be faced with yet another complicating factor: the return home of students.
Public health experts are discouraging nonessential travel and gatherings of multiple households for Thanksgiving, fearing those activities may further spread a virus that has sickened more than 11.5 million and killed in excess of 251,000 in the U.S. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against traveling for Thanksgiving.
Colleges and universities have reported 252,000-plus cases since the pandemic began, according to a New York Times tracker. Returning students – whether they lived in dorms or off-campus housing in the fall term – “exponentially increase the risk (of infection),’’ especially if they take some form of mass transportation to get back home.
That’s the assessment of Dr. Teresa Bartlett, senior medical officer for the claims management firm Sedgwick, who advises companies about medical strategies and safety practices. Naturally, her work has been focused on the pandemic for the past several months.
Like other specialists in the field, Bartlett is concerned that holiday gatherings, combined with pandemic fatigue and the need to move indoors as the weather gets colder, will exacerbate what’s already a major national spike in COVID-19 cases.
No Trump talk: How to keep politics out of Thanksgiving 2020: Pass the turkey, not the touchy subjects.
The U.S. recorded more than 1 million new infections in the first 10 days of November and has logged upwards of 100,000 daily cases since Nov. 3, after never before reaching six figures in a day. The current daily average for the month stands at 130,000, a surge that has strained health care systems in many parts of the country and prompted some states – including California, Washington and Michigan this week – to tighten COVID-related restrictions. More than 30 states have imposed mandatory mask requirements.
Decisions on whether to share a turkey and stuffing with friends and relatives are now fraught with peril.
“You need to really seriously consider the risk vs. reward,’’ Bartlett said. “And I recognize people are fatigued of it and they just want to see their family, but add a glass of wine with the Thanksgiving dinner and people’s judgment kind of goes out the window after that, and maybe they’ll hug or get closer to what they should. It’s scary, the potential of what could happen here.’’
That’s why Dr. Eric Cioe-Peña and his wife are eschewing get-togethers with their numerous relatives in the New York City area. Normally, they would split Thanksgiving and Christmas, sharing one of the holidays with his family members and the other one with hers.
Cioe-Peña, an emergency room physician and director of Global Health at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York, wants to model the behavior he’d like to see in his patients.
“We’re going to have to make sacrifices,’’ he said. “My wife and I decided this year’s going to be nuclear family and we’re not inviting anybody over.’’
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost authority on infectious diseases, and Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, have already warned about the potential for a proliferation of infections from holiday parties, even if they’re small and only among relatives.
Memorial Day get-togethers were partly blamed for the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases the U.S. experienced early in the summer. Events like an August wedding in Maine that led to more than 175 infections and a September Sweet 16 party in Long Island, New York, that was linked to 37 positive tests have highlighted the danger of relatively small social functions turning into super spreader events.
Health officials are increasingly pointing to small gatherings as sources of multiple infections, some of which have led to deaths.
“All along there have been issues about attending weddings, funerals, religious gatherings and other events that are part of our normal life,’’ said Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University. “They bring people together and potentially become vectors for the virus. As many public health experts mention, the virus is attending these events and can be transmitted from person to person.’’
The CDC last week updated its guidance about holiday celebrations with advice on how to reduce the risk of infection. The tips for in-person gatherings include commonly known mitigation measures such as holding events outdoors, limiting their size and length, having participants wear masks and maintaining social distance. The CDC also encourages hosts to request that guests avoid contact with people from outside their household for two weeks before the activity.
The impracticality of some of the safety measures – it’s hard to fit everybody at a table 6 feet apart, or to eat a meal outdoors in the late November chill – combined with defiance and pandemic fatigue will likely lead many to ignore the suggestions.
Comic touch: Jimmy Fallon has Twitter serving up new Thanksgiving traditions for the coronavirus pandemic and we are thankful
“I know there will be plenty of families who mock this kind of advice and say, ‘That’s ridiculous. We’re going to get together and enjoy Thanksgiving like it’s supposed to be and no one’s going to tell us otherwise,’’’ Woolf said. “That may give them a sense of independence, but then the virus gets to Grandma and she ends up in the hospital on a ventilator, and then you live with the guilt.’’
Woolf and other experts recommend virtual events, with families from separate households sitting at their Thanksgiving tables at the same time and connecting through a video platform like Zoom, which might give a sense of sharing the meal. If members of different households will be congregating inside, opening windows would at least improve ventilation and could help diffuse the virus, reducing the chances of contagion.
The need for in-person contact can be a powerful draw, and even more so among those who have avoided traveling to see relatives as the pandemic has stretched over months.
Craig Smith, an associate professor of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt University, said isolation over long stretches of sheltering in place can lead to a profound sense of loneliness and disconnection, particularly for those who have young children and are trying to balance parenting with work. Missing out on family gatherings would only aggravate those feelings.
“Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays are especially tough because, on top of the normal need to interact with friends and family, they are lifelong rituals for people of sharing those particular days and those particular meals,’’ Smith said. “So for many people, there’s going to be a palpable sense of loss when they’re unable to get their whole family together, but the risks of course are enormous.’’
A recent study indicates the risk of catching the virus on planes is minimal because of their high turnover of airflow and use of HEPA filters. Plus, the CDC has strongly recommended that all passengers traveling on public transportation – including airplanes – and the onboard personnel wear face masks to avoid spreading the virus. The agency also endorsed the removal, whenever possible, of anyone who refuses to comply.
Thanksgiving: Avoid these common dinner mistakes Avoid common Thanksgiving mistakes with these tips. ProblemSolved, USA TODAY
Those developments may prompt travelers eager for a family embrace to book a Thanksgiving or Christmas trip. Medical professionals still urge caution, noting that exposure to the virus could occur at several stages of a trip and insisting it’s best to avoid mingling with members of households from different areas, especially those from places with high infection rates.
Muted celebration: Scaled-back Thanksgiving dinner plans amid coronavirus crisis leave turkey farmers, grocers in limbo
“People should carefully weigh the risk of travel and risk of disease at the destination before deciding to go,’’ said Dr. Jeff Goad, who teaches epidemiology, public health and travel medicine at Chapman University. “Certainly, older individuals and those with pre-existing medical conditions should only travel if absolutely necessary.’’
One of the emerging options for travelers and others who want to visit loved ones is getting tested for the coronavirus in advance, which could provide some reassurance but also a false sense of security because tests don't always detect the virus during the incubation period.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California-San Francisco who has studied the impact of small gatherings on virus transmission, said this approach is gaining popularity, especially with the use of inexpensive antigen tests.
Chin-Hong points out these tests are less sensitive than the costlier PCR tests, which are regarded as the gold standard, and better at detecting who’s infected than discerning who’s not with total certainty.
He still advices advises limiting the size of holiday get-togethers and offers a list of things participants shouldn’t do, like “huddling closely together at the end of the night as one large group to sing Christmas carols’’ or “debuting your French horn for the guests’’ because wind instruments can create aerosols.
For those determined to travel to see friends and/or relatives, Chin-Hong suggests getting the test done three to four days before the trip and sticking strictly to a safety protocol before they meet, adding, “A negative test is only one strategy, and safe practices for COVID prevention should still be maintained as a multimodal strategy to keep us all safe during these trying times.’’


usatoday--2020-11-21--Coronavirus updates: Donald Trump Jr. tests positive; model estimates 471k US deaths by March; Cuomo

Coronavirus updates: Donald Trump Jr. tests positive; model estimates 471k US deaths by March; Cuomo to receive International Emmy

The U.S reported a record high of more than 195,000 new daily cases of COVID-19 Friday , the same week the nation surpassed 250,000 deaths from the coronavirus , by far the largest total in the world .
Experts say it will get worse .
`` Cases and deaths continue to increase steadily in most states , '' a Thursday Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation briefing says .
`` The pace of increase is faster than we expected , leading us to revise upward our forecast of deaths by March 1 to 471,000 . ''
The influential model 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing mandates by that time .
If they do n't , IHME researchers say deaths and cases will be even higher .
Meanwhile , numerous high-profile political figures including Donald Trump Jr. have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days .
Florida Sen. Rick Scott announced Friday he has tested positive .
He is the second Republican senator , along with Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa , to announce positive tests this week .
And Rudy Giuliani 's son , Andrew , announced Friday he has tested positive for COVID-19 , a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his father and other members of President Donald Trump 's legal team alleging baseless claims of widespread election fraud .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has reported more than 11.9 million cases and more than 254,000 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
The global totals : 57.6 million cases and 1.37 million deaths .
🗺 Mapping coronavirus : Track the U.S. outbreak in your state .
This file will be updated throughout the day .
For updates in your inbox , subscribe to The Daily Briefing newsletter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Toronto and the surrounding Peel Region will go into lockdown on Monday .
Premier Doug Ford and health officials say they won ’ t allow indoor organized events or social gatherings except for members of the same household .
Restaurants and bars will only be allowed to offer takeout and delivery .
Retail will only be open for curbside pickup or delivery except for big box stores .
The stricter measures come as Ontario reports 1,418 new cases of COVID-19 Friday , including 393 in Toronto and 400 new cases in Peel Region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. David Williams says Ontario flattened the epidemic curve before and he 's confident it can be done again .
Meanwhile , Russia on Saturday reported a new daily high in infections and deaths .
North Macedonia declared its first-ever nationwide state of emergency .
Japan is scaling back on a government-backed campaign to encourage travel and dining out .
And cases are surging in South Korea and New Delhi , India .
At a time when Americans are pondering how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely amid the country 's worst surge in coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with yet another complicating factor : the return home of students .
Colleges and universities have reported 252,000-plus cases since the pandemic began , according to a New York Times tracker .
Returning students – whether they lived in dorms or off-campus housing in the fall term – `` exponentially increase the risk ( of infection ) , '' especially if they take some form of mass transportation to get back home .
That 's the assessment of Dr. Teresa Bartlett , senior medical officer for the claims management firm Sedgwick , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practices .
Like other specialists in the field , Bartlett is concerned that holiday gatherings , combined with pandemic fatigue and the need to move indoors as the weather gets colder , will exacerbate what ’ s already a major national spike in COVID-19 cases .
Read more .
And the International Emmy goes to : New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo .
Cuomo , a Democrat whose daily briefings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic received extensive airplay across the nation , will receive the International Emmy Founders Award .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his use of television to inform people of the latest coronavirus updates at the height of the state 's outbreak in March and April , according to The International Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences , which granted him the award .
Cuomo held more than 100 consecutive days of COVID-19 briefings , many of which were broadcast on cable news networks internationally .
The governor will receive the International Emmy during a virtual award ceremony Monday .
It 's a separate ceremony from the better-known Primetime and Daytime Emmys , which focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic ?
We 've done it before On Thanksgiving more than a century ago , many Americans , like today , were living under various phases of quarantines and face mask orders .
Millions were mourning loved ones .
And health officials in many cities were issuing the same holiday warning : Stay home and stay safe .
`` See that Thanksgiving celebrations are restricted as much as possible so as to prevent another flare-up , '' said a notice in the Omaha World Herald on Thanksgiving Day , Nov. 28 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the U.S. – in the midst of the suffrage movement , Jim Crow and the tail end of WWI – was battling the ebbing second wave of the H1N1 influenza epidemic , also known as the Spanish flu .
Read about how Americans celebrated Thanksgiving that year , and what happened next .
Texas National Guard to provide aid to El Paso morgues during COVID-19 crisis The Texas National Guard will be providing help to El Paso morgues as the region continues to be slammed by COVID-19 deaths .
`` After completing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground in El Paso County this week , the state has mobilized a team of 36 Texas National Guard personnel to provide mortuary affairs support beginning at 9 o ’ clock tomorrow ( Saturday ) morning , '' Seth Christensen , spokesperson for the Texas Division of Emergency Management , said .
After the announcement , El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego requested additional aid from Gov .
Greg Abbott in the form of leeway to impose some restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 .
Samaniego said in a letter to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was ended by an appellate court was done so erroneously and the order was not inconsistent with Abbott 's statewide restrictions .
President Donald Trump 's son , Donald Trump Jr. , tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week , according to his spokesman .
`` Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result .
He ’ s been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines , '' his office said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the president to test positive in recent days .
Earlier on Friday , Rudy Giuliani 's son , Andrew , announced he also tested positive a day after attending a press conference held by his father at the Republican National Committee headquarters .
The White House has struggled to contain at least three outbreaks of the virus in recent months .
Trump was hospitalized after he tested positive , and several aides have since been infected .
Pfizer said Friday it is filing for emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to market .
Health and other frontline workers could get the vaccine as soon as December but reaching everyone could take up to a year .
The move follows an announcement from Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech that its vaccine appears 95 % effective against the coronavirus .
Also this week , drug company Moderna released positive news , with its vaccine also showing a high rate of efficacy .
Both candidates , each of which require two shots , protect more than 90 % of those immunized , self-reported results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisory board will review Pfizer 's application before the vaccine is able to get into peoples ' arms .
`` If we do get people vaccinated to a high degree , then you can start talking about this umbrella or blanket of protection on society that would diminish dramatically the risk of a person being exposed or even being infected , '' Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation 's top infectious disease expert , told USA TODAY earlier this week .
Fauci says Santa Claus wo n't be spreading COVID-19 this Christmas Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infectious disease expert , said Santa Claus is coming to town .
And he 's not bringing COVID-19 .
It should come as no surprise .
As children already know , Santa is superhuman .
He flies around the world in one night , delivers millions of toys and eats his weight in cookies .
But with millions of Americans already sick with COVID-19 , children have been worried about Santa , especially this Christmas Eve when he visits millions of homes .
And there 's no denying that Santa , because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first glance appear to be at higher risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19 .
Fauci is telling kids not to worry , though .
`` Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody , '' he said .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending against travel for Thanksgiving .
Dr. Henry Walke , the CDC ’ s COVID-19 incident manager , said the `` tragedy that could happen '' is that family members could end up severely ill , hospitalized or dying .
The CDC ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high profile about the risks of traveling as coronavirus cases rise nationwide .
Officials in California , Illinois and other states have urged residents to avoid nonessential travel even as airlines tout holiday fare deals .
`` These times are tough , it ’ s been a long outbreak , almost 11 months , and we understand people are tired , '' Walke said .
`` But this year we ’ re asking them to limit their travel . ''
• In your inbox : Stay up to date with the latest news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TODAY Network .
Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter .
• Tips for coping : Every Saturday and Tuesday we 'll be in your inbox , offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in these difficult times .
Sign up for Staying Apart , Together .
• On Facebook : A lot is still unknown about the coronavirus .
But what we do know , we 're sharing with you .
Join our Facebook group , Coronavirus Watch , to receive daily updates in your feed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .

Coronavirus updates: Experimental drug cocktail given to Trump gets FDA authorization; US hits 12 million cases; California curfew to begin
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19 death toll in US reaches 250,000 A coronavirus vaccine might not be widely available until several months into 2021. USA TODAY
The U.S reported its 12 millionth case of COVID-19 on Saturday, days after the nation surpassed 250,000 deaths from the coronavirus — by far the largest total in the world. Experts say it will get worse.
"Cases and deaths continue to increase steadily in most states," a Thursday Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation briefing says. "The pace of increase is faster than we expected, leading us to revise upward our forecast of deaths by March 1 to 471,000."
The influential model's projections assume 40 states will reinstate social distancing mandates by that time. If they don't, IHME researchers say deaths and cases will be even higher.
Meanwhile, numerous high-profile political figures including Donald Trump Jr. have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days. Florida Sen. Rick Scott announced Friday he has tested positive. He is the second Republican senator, along with Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, to announce positive tests this week.
And Rudy Giuliani's son, Andrew, announced Friday he has tested positive for COVID-19, a day after he attended a news conference with his father and other members of President Donald Trump's legal team alleging baseless claims of widespread election fraud.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 12 million cases and more than 255,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 57.9 million cases and 1.37 million deaths.
🗺 Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.
📰 What we're reading: It's a hard time to be in college. Now more than ever, students are facing incredible mental health stressors.
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The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has granted Regeneron Pharmaceutical an Emergency Use Authorization for a drug cocktail to treat COVID-19. President Donald Trump has touted the experimental antibody treatment and took it while he was being treated for the disease.
"In a clinical trial, the investigational therapy was shown to reduce COVID-19-related hospitalization or ER visits in certain patients who are at high risk for progressing to severe," the FDA tweeted Saturday.
The drug, a pair of monoclonal antibodies, is intended to mimic the natural process of the immune system, providing it with molecules the body normally manufactures to fight off specific diseases.
Trump was able to get it under a "compassionate use" exemption, which the company said at the time it has granted to fewer than 10 people, after requests from their doctors and approval by the FDA.
A similar monoclonal antibody treatment was also given emergency authorization earlier this month.
The FDA has not licensed either drug but instead granted a fast-tracked authorization process that differs from a regular drug license application in several ways, though the companies still needed to prove the drugs are safe and effective.
Both drugs are intended for patients who have been diagnosed but are not sick enough to be hospitalized. About 9% of the patients in the trial who received a placebo ended up in the hospital compared to 3% who received the active drug.
— Joel Shannon, Karen Weintraub and Elizabeth Weise
Starting Saturday night, California will join other states and nations in trying a partial overnight curfew as its latest desperate attempt to stem a surge in coronavirus cases, though experts said its effect may be more symbolic than real and many law enforcement agencies are refusing to enforce it.
Officials said what they are calling a limited stay-at-home order is aimed at discouraging late gatherings where people are more likely to let down their guard, their inhibitions — and their required masks — while drinking and socializing.
Dr. Mark Cullen, an infectious disease expert who recently retired from Stanford University, said the underlying goal is based on a reasonable interpretation of data blaming gatherings for surging infections. But the point will be lost on most, he fears, partially because California is allowing many exemptions for things like getting groceries, filling prescriptions, picking up takeout, and even walking dogs.
Officials in London who tried a similar approach found that “if anything, for the young people it may have increased their social gathering activities,” said Dr. Lee Riley, an infectious disease professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. “They can’t go out, so they congregate in somebody’s home or dormitories.”
— The Associated Press
Maine has reported its 10,000th case of COVID-19, leaving Vermont as the sole state under that mark. Texas and California have both reported around 1.1 million cases, and Florida was on track to hit 1 million cases in one or two weeks.
As of Friday evening, 42 states reported more new cases in the past week than the week before, and 44 reported a higher rate of tests coming back positive, according to Johns Hopkins.
Millions of jobless Americans could suddenly be cut off from their unemployment benefit the day after Christmas if Congress fails to extend relief programs, with many facing lasting scars as the worst pandemic in a century threatens to deepen their economic pain.
About 12 million workers could lose one of two critical unemployment lifelines from the CARES Act on Dec. 26, including 7.3 million who could be cut off from Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and 4.6 million who may lose Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, according to estimates from The Century Foundation, a nonprofit think tank.
The loss in jobless aid would come as other stimulus relief is set to expire after December, including a federal ban on rental evictions that could put 30 to 40 million people at risk of eviction as moratoriums expire, according to the Aspen Institute, another think tank.
– Jessica Menton
We already know that wearing face masks in public spaces slows the spread of COVID-19. And now the coronavirus situation in Kansas is providing further proof.
Gov. Laura Kelly issued a face mask mandate in early July, and the counties that upheld the order saw a decline in cases, while the counties that opted out saw cases rise, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
"Countywide mask mandates appear to have contributed to the mitigation of COVID-19 transmission in mandated counties," according to the report, which analyzed county-level data one month before, and after, the governor's mandate went into effect.
As of mid-August, 24 of Kansas’s 105 counties had abided by the state mandate or adopted their own mask mandate, and 81 counties had opted out, as Kansas law allows. At that time, the number of new daily cases per capita – calculated as a 7-day rolling average – had decreased an average of 6% among counties with a mask mandate and increased by 100% in counties without a mandate. Read more.
The province of Ontario announced Friday that Toronto and the surrounding Peel Region will go into lockdown on Monday.
Premier Doug Ford and health officials say they won’t allow indoor organized events or social gatherings except for members of the same household. Restaurants and bars will only be allowed to offer takeout and delivery. Retail will only be open for curbside pickup or delivery except for big box stores.
The stricter measures come as Ontario reports 1,418 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, including 393 in Toronto and 400 in Peel Region. Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams says Ontario flattened the epidemic curve before and he's confident it can be done again.
Meanwhile, Russia on Saturday reported a new daily high in infections and deaths. North Macedonia declared its first-ever nationwide state of emergency. Japan is scaling back on a government-backed campaign to encourage travel and dining out. And cases are surging in South Korea and New Delhi, India.
– The Associated Press
At a time when Americans are pondering how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely amid the country's worst surge in coronavirus cases, many families will be faced with yet another complicating factor: the return of students.
Colleges and universities have reported 252,000-plus cases since the pandemic began, according to a New York Times tracker. Returning students – whether they lived in dorms or off-campus housing in the fall term – "exponentially increase the risk (of infection)," especially if they take some form of mass transportation to get home.
That's the assessment of Dr. Teresa Bartlett, senior medical officer for the claims management firm Sedgwick, who advises companies about medical strategies and safety practices. Like other specialists in the field, Bartlett is concerned that holiday gatherings, combined with pandemic fatigue and the need to move indoors as the weather gets colder, will exacerbate what’s already a major national spike in COVID-19 cases. Read more.
And the International Emmy goes to: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, a Democrat whose daily briefings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic received extensive airplay across the nation, will receive the International Emmy Founders Award.
The governor is being recognized in part for his use of television to inform people of the latest coronavirus updates at the height of the state's outbreak in March and April, according to The International Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences, which granted him the award.
Cuomo held more than 100 consecutive days of COVID-19 briefings, many of which were broadcast on cable news networks internationally. The governor will receive the International Emmy during a virtual award ceremony Monday. It's a separate ceremony from the better-known Primetime and Daytime Emmys, which focus on American television.
– Jon Campbell, New York State Team
On Thanksgiving more than a century ago, many Americans, like today, were living under various phases of quarantines and face mask orders. Millions were mourning loved ones. And health officials in many cities were issuing the same holiday warning: Stay home and stay safe.
"See that Thanksgiving celebrations are restricted as much as possible so as to prevent another flare-up," said a notice in the Omaha World Herald on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 1918.
By late November of 1918, the U.S. – in the midst of the suffrage movement, Jim Crow and the end of WWI – was battling the ebbing second wave of the H1N1 influenza epidemic, also known as the Spanish flu. Read about how Americans celebrated Thanksgiving that year, and what happened next.
The Texas National Guard will be providing help to El Paso morgues as the region continues to be slammed by COVID-19 deaths.
"After completing an assessment of the situation on the ground in El Paso County this week, the state has mobilized a team of 36 Texas National Guard personnel to provide mortuary affairs support beginning at 9 o’clock tomorrow (Saturday) morning," Seth Christensen, spokesperson for the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said.
After the announcement, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego requested additional aid from Gov. Greg Abbott in the form of leeway to impose some restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19. Samaniego said in a letter to the governor's office that his previous order that was ended by an appellate court was done so erroneously and the order was not inconsistent with Abbott's statewide restrictions.
– El Paso Times
Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for COVID-19
President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, according to his spokesman.
"Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result. He’s been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines," his office said in a statement.
Trump Jr. is the latest person close to the president to test positive in recent days. Earlier on Friday, Rudy Giuliani's son, Andrew, announced he also tested positive a day after attending a press conference held by his father at the Republican National Committee headquarters.
The White House has struggled to contain at least three outbreaks of the virus in recent months. Trump was hospitalized after he tested positive, and several aides have since been infected.
– David Jackson
Pfizer takes candidate vaccine to FDA for emergency authorization
Pfizer said Friday it is filing for emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine, the next step in bringing its candidate vaccine to market. Health and other frontline workers could get the vaccine as soon as December but reaching everyone could take up to a year.
The move follows an announcement from Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech that its vaccine appears 95% effective against the coronavirus. Also this week, drug company Moderna released positive news, with its vaccine also showing a high rate of efficacy. Both candidates, each of which require two shots, protect more than 90% of those immunized, self-reported results indicate.
The FDA and an independent advisory board will review Pfizer's application before the vaccine is able to get into peoples' arms.
"If we do get people vaccinated to a high degree, then you can start talking about this umbrella or blanket of protection on society that would diminish dramatically the risk of a person being exposed or even being infected," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told USA TODAY earlier this week.
– Cara Richardson
Coronavirus: How vaccines are developed and tested Pressure to create a coronavirus vaccine is increasing by the day, but for a safe vaccine to enter the market, it takes time. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Fauci says Santa Claus won't be spreading COVID-19 this Christmas
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said Santa Claus is coming to town. And he's not bringing COVID-19.
It should come as no surprise. As children already know, Santa is superhuman. He flies around the world in one night, delivers millions of toys and eats his weight in cookies.
But with millions of Americans already sick with COVID-19, children have been worried about Santa, especially this Christmas Eve when he visits millions of homes. And there's no denying that Santa, because he is older and overweight, would at first glance appear to be at higher risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19.
Fauci is telling kids not to worry, though. "Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody," he said.
— Adrianna Rodriguez and Grace Hauck
CDC recommends against holiday travel
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending against travel for Thanksgiving. Dr. Henry Walke, the CDC’s COVID-19 incident manager, said the "tragedy that could happen" is that family members could end up severely ill, hospitalized or dying. The CDC’s warning is the latest and most high profile about the risks of traveling as coronavirus cases rise nationwide. Officials in California, Illinois and other states have urged residents to avoid nonessential travel even as airlines tout holiday fare deals.
"These times are tough, it’s been a long outbreak, almost 11 months, and we understand people are tired," Walke said. "But this year we’re asking them to limit their travel."
– Sara M. Moniuszko
COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-11-21--Clemson-Florida State postponed after medical personnel 'unable to mutually agree' on playing game

Saturday 's game between No .
4 Clemson and Florida State in Tallahassee has been postponed , the ACC announced just three hours before the scheduled kickoff .
`` The postponement follows this morning ’ s game conference call at which time both teams ’ medical personnel were unable to mutually agree on moving forward with the game , '' the conference said in a statement .
This is the third ACC game that has been postponed this weekend .
Wake Forest 's matchup against Duke was originally postponed but the league announced Saturday it will be not be played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Miami , originally scheduled to be played on Saturday , was rescheduled tentatively for Saturday , Dec. 19 .
`` We are disappointed that we will not be able to play today ’ s game against Florida State , '' Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich said on Twitter .
`` Clemson has followed all of the ACC 's protocols in preparation for this game . ''
“ Our first priority is the health of our student-athletes , and I appreciate the protocols that have been put in place by FSU and the ACC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing us to play this season .
“ It ’ s unfortunate that we will not have the opportunity to compete today , but we hope to be able to play Clemson in December .
I am thankful for the support and coordination between our administration , Clemson , and the ACC office . ''
For the week , 18 games were either canceled or postponed , the most of any week this season and the third consecutive week the numbers have increased .

Clemson-Florida State postponed after medical personnel 'unable to mutually agree' on playing game
Show Caption Hide Caption Alabama remains at No. 1 followed by Notre Dame in Amway Coaches Poll USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down the latest Amway Coaches Poll. USA TODAY
Saturday's game between No. 4 Clemson and Florida State in Tallahassee has been postponed, the ACC announced just three hours before the scheduled kickoff.
"The postponement follows this morning’s game conference call at which time both teams’ medical personnel were unable to mutually agree on moving forward with the game," the conference said in a statement.
This is the third ACC game that has been postponed this weekend. Wake Forest's matchup against Duke was originally postponed but the league announced Saturday it will be not be played. Georgia Tech's football game at Miami, originally scheduled to be played on Saturday, was rescheduled tentatively for Saturday, Dec. 19.
"We are disappointed that we will not be able to play today’s game against Florida State," Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich said on Twitter. "Clemson has followed all of the ACC's protocols in preparation for this game."
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell also issued a statement Saturday morning:
“Our first priority is the health of our student-athletes, and I appreciate the protocols that have been put in place by FSU and the ACC to ensure everyone’s health while allowing us to play this season.
“It’s unfortunate that we will not have the opportunity to compete today, but we hope to be able to play Clemson in December. I am thankful for the support and coordination between our administration, Clemson, and the ACC office."
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was set to return after missing the Tigers last two games following a positive test, expressed his disappointment on Twitter.
Man, we were ready to play. — Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) November 21, 2020
For the week, 18 games were either canceled or postponed, the most of any week this season and the third consecutive week the numbers have increased.