usatoday--2020-07-31--Coronavirus updates: Police departments feeling pain from pandemic; Hong Kong delays elections; COVI

Coronavirus updates: Police departments feeling pain from pandemic; Hong Kong delays elections; COVID takes toll Eid al Adha celebrations

Dr. Anthony Fauci returns to Capitol Hill on Friday to testify before a special House panel .
His testimony comes at a time when early progress on combating COVID-19 seems to have been lost and uncertainty clouds the nation ’ s path forward .
Also in Washington , the extra $ 600 in federal unemployment aid that helped many Americans stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic is expiring as plans for additional stimulus stalled in a deadlocked Senate .
A new survey shows fewer Americans want to resume daily activities like going to restaurants or sending children to school as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year approaches , state officials are releasing guidelines for schools to reopen .
Increasingly , teachers are worried about their students ' mental health .
Here are some significant developments : • A Florida couple was arrested for breaking COVID-19 quarantine and declared an `` immediate danger . ''
• Also in Florida , Gov .
Ron DeSantis has seen his popularity take a dive amid the state 's widely panned response to the pandemic .
• Buddy , the first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in the United States , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The U.S. has recorded more than 152,000 deaths and over 4.4 million cases of COVID-19 , according to Johns Hopkins University .
Worldwide , there have been over 671,000 deaths and 17 million cases .
📰 What we 're reading : Kids ' mental health can struggle during online school .
Here 's how teachers are planning ahead .
Our live blog is being updated throughout the day .
Refresh for the latest news , and get updates in your inbox with The Daily Briefing .
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislative elections by one year , citing a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the semi-autonomous Chinese city .
The postponement is a setback for the pro-democracy opposition , which was hoping to capitalize on disenchantment with the current pro-Beijing majority to make gains .
A group of 22 lawmakers issued a statement ahead of the announcement accusing the government of using the outbreak as an excuse to delay the vote .
Virus takes its toll on Muslim holiday , with curbs on travel , large gatherings The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Muslim families worldwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eid al-Adha , the second of two major Muslim holidays , as families scale back travel and adhere to face social distancing guidelines .
Eid al-Adha , which marks the end of the hajj , or pilgrimage , season , is a three-day celebration in Muslim-majority countries .
In the United States , most observe just one day .
This year Saudi Arabia suspended travel to Mecca for the annual hajj .
Worldwide , many gatherings will take place online this year , unlike big celebrations such as a gathering of 30,000 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nearly half of more than 250 law enforcement agencies surveyed this month say they already being hit by stiff budget reductions because of the coronavirus pandemic and the national movement to defund the police .
The report slated for release this week by the Police Executive Research Forum , a nonpartisan research organization , finds few agencies , regardless of size , are being spared .
Deep reductions have been ordered or proposed in Los Angeles ; New York ; Seattle ; Baltimore County , Maryland ; Tempe , Arizona ; and Eureka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is being pulled from equipment , hiring and training accounts , even as a number of cities also are tracking abrupt spikes in violent crime , the report concluded .
More record cases in 6 states ; record deaths in 9 A weekly USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Thursday shows six states set records for new cases while nine states had a record number of deaths .
New case records were set in Hawaii , Mississippi , Missouri , Montana , Oklahoma and Oregon , and also Puerto Rico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Arkansas , Florida , Idaho , Mississippi , Montana , Nevada , North Carolina , Oklahoma and Oregon .
Minnesota schools will have flexibility in reopening Minnesota Gov .
Tim Walz unveiled a reopening plan Thursday that includes an equation for districts to use to decide whether to reopen with in-person class , distance learning or a hybrid option dependent on the viral activity in the surrounding county and the district 's ability to meet mitigation requirements .
Experts from the health and education departments will partner with school districts and charter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they should use at the beginning of the year .
School districts will announce separately which learning models they will be using .
“ With this approach , we are pairing the knowledge and data from our departments of health and education with the expertise of our local school districts to make the best decisions for our students across the state , '' Walz said .
The announcement comes a month after state health and education officials asked districts to prepare for the three scenarios — and be prepared to switch between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus .
Louisiana Gov .
John Bel Edwards said Thursday he expects to extend the mask mandate , bar closures and other COVID restrictions beyond Aug. 7 when his current order is set to expire .
`` People should not expect us to be making major changes every two weeks , '' Edwards said during a public press briefing .
`` I do n't want people thinking there are going to be major changes .
That does n't seem likely based on current data . ''
Edwards will officially announce his decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signal that the modified Phase 2 of reopening order will remain in place .
Though the governor said there are hopeful signs of a plateau in the infection based on a three-day run of fewer hospitalizations , `` We remain No .
1 among states in per capita cases . ''
Extra $ 600 in unemployment aid set to lapse as talks deadlock A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Washington for the weekend without acting to extend a $ 600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wreak havoc on the country .
Friday 's expiration of the $ 600 jobless benefit sent Republicans controlling the Senate scrambling to respond .
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell made a procedural move to make it easier to reach a potential compromise next week that would extend the bonus unemployment benefit while talks on a broader COVID relief measure grind on .
`` We 're so far apart on a longer-term deal right now , that even if we said 'yes ' to a longer-term deal you could ( have ) weeks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows .
The first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in the US has died Buddy the German Shepherd has died .
He was the first pet dog in the United States to test positive for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
After months of him being ill , his owners and vet made the difficult decision to euthanize him , according to an exclusive report by National Geographic .
The beloved dog died July 11 in Staten Island , New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus in mid-April , right before his seventh birthday .
He was struggling to breathe , lost weight and became increasingly lethargic .
After multiple visits to three different veterinarians , heart medications , steroids and other medical interventions , Buddy was tested for COVID-19 on May 15 .
But it wasn ’ t until June 2 the New York City Department of Health called the Mahoney family to tell them that their dog had indeed contracted the virus .
Bryan Cranston is revealing that he had coronavirus .
Now , he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of helping others .
`` I had COVID-19 a little while ago , '' Cranston , in a mask , tells fans in an Instagram video posted Thursday .
In the post 's caption , he writes that he got the virus despite strictly following protocols .
`` I 'm very lucky , '' he says , `` very mild symptoms . ''
Text at the bottom of Cranston 's video describes the Emmy winner 's symptoms as including a slight headache , chest tightness and loss of taste and smell .
Since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started giving plasma at the UCLA Blood and Plasma Donation Center , `` because I have the antibodies . ''
Text on the selfie video reads that doing so `` will help people recover faster and be used in scientific research studies about this virus . ''
For the second time this month , the European Union extended its travel ban on Americans on Thursday , as COVID-19 infections continued to rise across the United States .
The EU first started lifting its travel restrictions outside the bloc on July 1 , welcoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , South Korea and Australia .
The U.S. was left off that initial list , and the EU extended its ban on Americans visiting the bloc on July 16 .
The announcement , by the European Council , came after EU officials conducted their biweekly review of travel restrictions , examining coronavirus trends and containment measures in each country to determine whether to add or narrow the list of permitted travelers .
The key measurement : The pandemic outbreak in a given country needs to be equally contained – or better – than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seven-day rolling average , daily cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. have fallen to 65,266 , down about 3 % from a week ago , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
Researchers prefer to see two weeks of trending data , but University of Florida biostatistician Ira Longini said he thinks `` the direction is real . ''
More good news : The percentage of positive tests nationwide dropped from an average of 8.5 % to 7.8 % over the past week .
Still , Dr. Ali Khan , dean of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health , warns that yet another boom in cases is possible .
“ This disease will continue to hopscotch around until it finds tinder – susceptible individuals – like any good fire , ” Khan said .
For the third consecutive day , the Florida Department of Health reported a new daily record for COVID-19 deaths Thursday .
The 253 fatalities represented a jump of almost 20 % from the record set the previous day .
The total death toll among Florida residents now stands at 6,586 , almost half of them in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns Hopkins data through late Wednesday shows seven states set records for new cases while eight states had a record number of deaths .
New case records were set in Arkansas , Hawaii , Minnesota , Missouri , Montana , New Mexico and West Virginia .
Record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas , California , Florida , Idaho , Montana , Oregon , Tennessee and Texas .
Herman Cain , one-time presidential hopeful and former CEO of Godfather ’ s Pizza , died Thursday after being hospitalized in Atlanta for coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his website and social media .
`` Herman Cain – our boss , our friend , like a father to so many of us – has passed away , '' wrote Dan Calabrese on Cain 's website .
Calabrese said Cain , 74 , was `` pretty healthy '' in recent years but that his history with cancer landed him in a high-risk group for the coronavirus .
Cain recently joined Newsmax TV and was working toward launching a weekly show .
Newsmax said Cain had attended a rally for President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , less than two weeks before he was diagnosed .
Newsmax said it was not known where Cain , chair of Black Voices for Trump , was infected .
On Facebook : There 's still a lot 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 chat with others in the community about COVID-19 .
In your inbox : Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter here .
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 here .

Jessica Flores and Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY

Coronavirus updates: Colleges could reopen if they test students every 2 days; Fauci 'cautiously optimistic' for vaccine this year
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: FDA opens the door to rapid at-home testing At-home testing could transform the fight against the novel coronavirus. USA TODAY
In its biggest coronavirus vaccine deal yet, the U.S. said Friday it will pay French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Great Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline up to $2.1 billion to test and produce 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine.
The deal is part of Operation Warp Speed, a White House-led initiative aimed at getting a vaccine to stop SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
On Capitol Hill, Dr. Anthony Fauci testified Friday before a special House panel. He told the committee that he's "cautiously optimistic" that by late fall or early winter a vaccine now being tested would be deemed safe and effective.
Also in Washington, the extra $600 in federal unemployment aid that helped many Americans stay afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic is expiring as plans for additional stimulus stalled in a deadlocked Senate.
Here are some significant developments:
A new survey shows fewer Americans want to resume daily activities like going to restaurants or sending children to school as cases spike.
It could be safe for students to return to campus this fall if colleges conduct rapid coronavirus screening every two days, according to a study published Friday.
An outbreak at a Georgia summer camp provides further evidence that children of all ages are susceptible to infection and "might play an important role in transmission," according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report Friday.
The pandemic is forcing Muslim families worldwide to readjust their celebrations this week for Eid al-Adha, the second of two major Muslim holidays, as families scale back travel and adhere to face social distancing guidelines.
A Florida couple was arrested for breaking COVID-19 quarantine and declared an "immediate danger."
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has recorded more than 152,000 deaths and over 4.4 million cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been over 671,000 deaths and 17 million cases.
📰 What we're reading: Kids' mental health can struggle during online school. Here's how teachers are planning ahead.
Our live blog is being updated throughout the day. Refresh for the latest news, and get updates in your inbox with The Daily Briefing.
Georgia to reopen temporary hospital at giant convention center
After winding down operations at the end of May, a temporary hospital at one of the nation's largest convention centers will reopen and begin receiving COVID-19 patients next week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday.
The Georgia World Congress Center will reopen with a total capacity of 120 beds and will house an initial surge of 60 beds.
"These additional hospital beds will provide relief to surrounding healthcare facilities while providing top notch care for patients," Kemp said in a statement.
More than 3,700 people have died and more than 186,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Georgia, which was the first state to begin reopening businesses at the end of April.
Study finds children carry more virus, but experts aren't surprised
A study out a Chicago children’s hospital Thursday found that children younger than 5 years with mild to moderate COVID-19 had high amounts of virus in their noses and throats as compared with older children and adults, suggesting that young children "can potentially be important drivers of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the general population."
However, more virus doesn't necessarily mean more transmission, scientists say. Young children still appear to be less likely to transmit, get infected and be symptomatic, said George Rutherford, head of infectious disease and global epidemiology at the University of California-San Francisco.
"It’s obviously something that is counterintuitive to the prevailing narrative," said Rutherford, who is also a pediatrician.
– Elizabeth Weise and Grace Hauck
Florida sheriffs meet with Trump after conference with COVID infected colleague
Florida sheriffs who had attended a conference this week with a COVID-19-infected colleague met Friday afternoon with President Donald Trump.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood reported his positive test just hours before more than a dozen other sheriffs stood with Trump on the Tampa International Airport tarmac.
Chitwood had attended the Florida Sheriff's Association conference earlier this week in Bonita Springs. Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and law enforcement officers from around the state were also at the conference.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who hosted the conference and whose agency polices Bonita Springs, stood behind Trump along with 14 other sheriffs as Trump praised them and announced he had received "dozens" of their endorsements. Neither Trump nor the sheriffs wore masks. Two of the sheriffs said they had been rapid-tested for COVID-19 before meeting with Trump.
CDC ensemble forecasts 20,000 more deaths in 3 weeks
The U.S. may see more than 20,000 more COVID-19-related deaths in the next three weeks, according to a forecast published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday.
The ensemble forecast, which combines projections from 32 modeling groups, projects 173,000 total COVID-19 deaths by August 22, with a range of 168,000 to 182,000 total deaths. The forecast suggests weekly reports of new deaths may increase over the next month, with 5,000 to 11,000 new deaths reported during the week ending August 22.
Study: Colleges could reopen safely if they screen students every 2 days
It could be safe for students to return to campus this fall if colleges conduct rapid coronavirus screening every two days, according to a study published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers at Yale, Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital.
The researchers created a computer model to simulate a medium-sized college with about 5,000 students – all younger than 30 years, nonimmune and living in a congregate setting – and initially assumed that there were 10 undetected, asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 on campus.
The model found that by screening every two days with a rapid and inexpensive test – even if not always accurate – coupled with "strict behavioral interventions," a college could maintain a "controllable number" of infections at a cost of $470 per student per semester.
Outbreak at summer camp further evidence kids play 'important role' in transmission
About 260 people at an overnight Georgia summer camp – including 51 kids 10 years and younger – tested positive for the coronavirus after the camp did not implement several precautionary measures, providing further evidence that children of all ages are susceptible to infection and "might play an important role in transmission," according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report Friday.
Among 597 people at the camp, test results were available for 344 attendees, and 76% of those tests were positive. Among campers aged 6-10 who provided test results, 51% were positive, along with 44% of those aged 11-17 years, and 33% of those aged 18-21 years.
The camp implemented "most" of the CDC’s recommendations for reducing the risk of transmission – such as requiring all participants to provide documentation of a negative test before arriving – but did not mandate face masks for campers or open windows and doors for increased ventilation in buildings.
"These findings demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 spread efficiently in a youth-centric overnight setting, resulting in high attack rates among persons in all age groups, despite efforts by camp officials to implement most recommended strategies to prevent transmission. Asymptomatic infection was common and potentially contributed to undetected transmission," the authors wrote.
US strikes biggest coronavirus vaccine deal yet
The United States announced Friday it will pay French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and Great Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline up to $2.1 billion to test and produce 100 million doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine.
More than half of the money will support further development and early-stage clinical trials to ensure it is safe and effective. The rest will pay for the first 100 million doses, with an option on 500 million more. The majority of the $2.1 billion will go to Sanofi, which made the vaccine candidate. GlaxoSmithKline made a booster that improves how the body responds to it.
The deal is part of Operation Warp Speed, a White House-led initiative aimed at getting a vaccine to stop SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Trump administration initiative has now spent more than $8 billion on experimental vaccines that may or may not make it across the finish line.
– Elizabeth Weise
Florida school district shares 'apocalyptic' video of its reopening
A video shared by a Florida school district showing examples of what reopening its schools will look has gone viral on TikTok and other social media, with parents and critics decrying it as an "apocalyptic" and "heartbreaking" viewing experience.
The two-minute clip, shared by the School District of Manatee County on its Facebook page July 21, shows students wearing masks and social distancing in classrooms, lunch lines and cafeteria spaces as a protective measure against COVID-19.
"I'm not gonna lie, it looks a little apocalyptic," said Tiffany Jenkins, a Florida comedian and public speaker with three children who attend another district in the area.
– Joshua Bote
Vietnam records first COVID-19 death after tourists flock to Da Nang beaches
Vietnam on Friday reported its first-ever death of a person with the coronavirus as it struggles with a renewed outbreak after 99 days with no local cases.
The Health Ministry said a 70-year-old man died after contracting the disease while being treated for a kidney illness at a hospital in Da Nang. More than 100 new cases have been confirmed in the past week, more than half of them patients at the hospital.
Da Nang is Vietnam’s most popular beach destination, and thousands of visitors were in the city for summer vacation. Across the country, authorities are rushing to test people who have returned home from the coastal city and have reimposed virus restrictions.
– Associated Press
Fauci 'cautiously optimistic' of safe, effective vaccine by early winter
Dr. Anthony Fauci told Congress on Friday that experts are "cautiously optimistic" that by late fall or early winter a COVID-19 vaccine now being tested would be deemed safe and effective. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the vaccine began Phase 3 testing last week involving 30,000 individuals that will last several months.
"We hope that at a time we get into the late fall and early winter we will have a vaccine that we can say would be safe and effective," he said. "No one can guarantee the safety or effectiveness unless you do the trial, but we are cautiously optimistic that this week be successful because of the early studies on humans."
Fauci, CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, and Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, appeared before the House select subcommittee on national coronavirus strategy.
Florida Gov. DeSantis’ popularity plummets amid widely-panned coronavirus response
In the span of a few months, Gov. Ron DeSantis has gone from one of the most admired state leaders in America to one of the most disparaged, with an approval rating that has dropped precipitously as coronavirus cases surged.
A pair of recent polls indicate more Floridians now disapprove of the job DeSantis is doing than approve. The latest was released Friday by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. It shows that 49% of Florida voters disapprove of the governor’s job performance, compared to 45% who approve. That’s a 17 percentage point drop from the 62% of Florida voters who approved of DeSantis in a Mason-Dixon poll from last year.
As the virus has raged out of control, DeSantis has closed bars but taken few other steps to contain the virus. He repeatedly played down the explosion of new cases, at first attributing it to more testing and then arguing that the big increase in cases isn’t such a big deal because many of those infected are younger and less likely to get seriously ill.
– Zac Anderson, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Hong Kong postpones elections by a year, citing coronavirus
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the government will postpone highly anticipated legislative elections by one year, citing a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
The postponement is a setback for the pro-democracy opposition, which was hoping to capitalize on disenchantment with the current pro-Beijing majority to make gains. A group of 22 lawmakers issued a statement ahead of the announcement accusing the government of using the outbreak as an excuse to delay the vote.
Virus takes its toll on Muslim holiday, with curbs on travel, large gatherings
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Muslim families worldwide to readjust their celebrations this week for Eid al-Adha, the second of two major Muslim holidays, as families scale back travel and adhere to face social distancing guidelines.
Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of the hajj, or pilgrimage, season, is a three-day celebration in Muslim-majority countries. In the United States, most observe just one day.
This year Saudi Arabia suspended travel to Mecca for the annual hajj. Worldwide, many gatherings will take place online this year, unlike big celebrations such as a gathering of 30,000 people in a football stadium in Minnesota.
– Jordan Culver
Police departments face deep cuts as virus, 'defund' movement takes its toll
Nearly half of more than 250 law enforcement agencies surveyed this month say they already being hit by stiff budget reductions because of the coronavirus pandemic and the national movement to defund the police.
The report slated for release this week by the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonpartisan research organization, finds few agencies, regardless of size, are being spared. Deep reductions have been ordered or proposed in Los Angeles; New York; Seattle; Baltimore County, Maryland; Tempe, Arizona; and Eureka, California.
Much of the funding is being pulled from equipment, hiring and training accounts, even as a number of cities also are tracking abrupt spikes in violent crime, the report concluded.
– Kevin Johnson and Kristine Phillips
More record cases in 6 states; record deaths in 9
A weekly USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Thursday shows six states set records for new cases while nine states had a record number of deaths. New case records were set in Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma and Oregon, and also Puerto Rico. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Oregon.
– Mike Stucka
Minnesota schools will have flexibility in reopening
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz unveiled a reopening plan Thursday that includes an equation for districts to use to decide whether to reopen with in-person class, distance learning or a hybrid option dependent on the viral activity in the surrounding county and the district's ability to meet mitigation requirements.
Experts from the health and education departments will partner with school districts and charter schools to help determine which learning model they should use at the beginning of the year. School districts will announce separately which learning models they will be using.
“With this approach, we are pairing the knowledge and data from our departments of health and education with the expertise of our local school districts to make the best decisions for our students across the state," Walz said.
The announcement comes a month after state health and education officials asked districts to prepare for the three scenarios — and be prepared to switch between the options based on local spread of the novel coronavirus.
– Jenny Berg, St. Cloud Times
More COVID-19 headlines
Louisiana to extend face mask mandate, bar closures
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday he expects to extend the mask mandate, bar closures and other COVID restrictions beyond Aug. 7 when his current order is set to expire.
"People should not expect us to be making major changes every two weeks," Edwards said during a public press briefing. "I don't want people thinking there are going to be major changes. That doesn't seem likely based on current data."
Edwards will officially announce his decision next week, but sent a clear signal that the modified Phase 2 of reopening order will remain in place. Though the governor said there are hopeful signs of a plateau in the infection based on a three-day run of fewer hospitalizations, "We remain No. 1 among states in per capita cases."
– Greg Hilburn, Monroe News-Star
Extra $600 in unemployment aid set to lapse as talks deadlock
A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Washington for the weekend without acting to extend a $600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country.
Friday's expiration of the $600 jobless benefit sent Republicans controlling the Senate scrambling to respond. Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell made a procedural move to make it easier to reach a potential compromise next week that would extend the bonus unemployment benefit while talks on a broader COVID relief measure grind on.
"We're so far apart on a longer-term deal right now, that even if we said 'yes' to a longer-term deal you could (have) weeks of negotiation without getting to common ground," said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
– Andrew Taylor, Associated Press
The first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in the US has died
Buddy the German Shepherd has died. He was the first pet dog in the United States to test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. After months of him being ill, his owners and vet made the difficult decision to euthanize him, according to an exclusive report by National Geographic. The beloved dog died July 11 in Staten Island, New York.
Buddy first exhibited symptoms of the virus in mid-April, right before his seventh birthday. He was struggling to breathe, lost weight and became increasingly lethargic. After multiple visits to three different veterinarians, heart medications, steroids and other medical interventions, Buddy was tested for COVID-19 on May 15. But it wasn’t until June 2 the New York City Department of Health called the Mahoney family to tell them that their dog had indeed contracted the virus.
– Adrianna Rodriguez
Actor Bryan Cranston reveals he had COVID-19, donates plasma
Bryan Cranston is revealing that he had coronavirus. Now, he says he's using his antibodies in hopes of helping others. "I had COVID-19 a little while ago," Cranston, in a mask, tells fans in an Instagram video posted Thursday. In the post's caption, he writes that he got the virus despite strictly following protocols.
"I'm very lucky," he says, "very mild symptoms." Text at the bottom of Cranston's video describes the Emmy winner's symptoms as including a slight headache, chest tightness and loss of taste and smell.
Since recovering, Cranston explains that he has started giving plasma at the UCLA Blood and Plasma Donation Center, "because I have the antibodies." Text on the selfie video reads that doing so "will help people recover faster and be used in scientific research studies about this virus."
– Carly Mallenbaum
EU extends ban on American travelers, again
For the second time this month, the European Union extended its travel ban on Americans on Thursday, as COVID-19 infections continued to rise across the United States. The EU first started lifting its travel restrictions outside the bloc on July 1, welcoming visitors from 14 countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The U.S. was left off that initial list, and the EU extended its ban on Americans visiting the bloc on July 16.
The announcement, by the European Council, came after EU officials conducted their biweekly review of travel restrictions, examining coronavirus trends and containment measures in each country to determine whether to add or narrow the list of permitted travelers. The key measurement: The pandemic outbreak in a given country needs to be equally contained – or better – than in the EU.
– Curtis Tate and Deirdre Shesgreen
New cases trending down nationally?
Based on a seven-day rolling average, daily cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. have fallen to 65,266, down about 3% from a week ago, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Researchers prefer to see two weeks of trending data, but University of Florida biostatistician Ira Longini said he thinks "the direction is real."
More good news: The percentage of positive tests nationwide dropped from an average of 8.5% to 7.8% over the past week. Still, Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health, warns that yet another boom in cases is possible. “This disease will continue to hopscotch around until it finds tinder – susceptible individuals – like any good fire,” Khan said.
– John Bacon
Florida daily death toll continues to climb
For the third consecutive day, the Florida Department of Health reported a new daily record for COVID-19 deaths Thursday. The 253 fatalities represented a jump of almost 20% from the record set the previous day. The total death toll among Florida residents now stands at 6,586, almost half of them in July.
A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Wednesday shows seven states set records for new cases while eight states had a record number of deaths. New case records were set in Arkansas, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico and West Virginia. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.
– Mike Stucca and Cheryl McCloud
Former presidential hopeful Herman Cain dies of COVID-19
Herman Cain, one-time presidential hopeful and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, died Thursday after being hospitalized in Atlanta for coronavirus treatment a month ago, according to his website and social media.
"Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away," wrote Dan Calabrese on Cain's website.
Calabrese said Cain, 74, was "pretty healthy" in recent years but that his history with cancer landed him in a high-risk group for the coronavirus. Cain recently joined Newsmax TV and was working toward launching a weekly show.
Newsmax said Cain had attended a rally for President Donald Trump in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June, less than two weeks before he was diagnosed. Newsmax said it was not known where Cain, chair of Black Voices for Trump, was infected.
– Nicholas Wu and Jeanine Santucci
More COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY
On Facebook: There's still a lot 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 chat with others in the community about COVID-19.
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usatoday--2020-07-31--GLAAD Media Awards: Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union honor trans daughter, Lil Nas X wins

On Thursday night , the GLAAD Media Awards had its 31st annual show , but the first one to be presented virtually .
The streamed format – which was presented on YouTube and Facebook – allowed for a slew of stars to make quick appearances to present and accept awards .
Among those stars : Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade , proud LGBTQ+ allies who presented the award for drama series ( which went to `` Pose '' ) and used their moments onscreen to talk about how they 're proud parents of a transgender child .
`` Our daughter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Wade said , admitting that he did n't always understand what it meant for someone to live their truth .
`` I want to thank Zaya for teaching me and GLAAD for elevating the images and messages that accelerate acceptance in every family . ''
Union added , `` That mission means even more to us now as we raise all of our Black children .
Black lives matter and Black trans lives matter .
We are calling on all of our racial justice warriors out there to open your hearts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that we can work together and empower each other and save lives . ''
The hour-long event featured comedy bits , musical performances and cameos from presenters and winners .
Lil Nas X , in a sheer ruffled top , thanked everyone for his outstanding-artist award .
And Dolly Parton sang a capella and said she was `` thrilled '' to receive an award for show `` Dolly Parton 's Heartstrings . ''
Beanie Feldstein , who accepted an award for `` Booksmart '' in a split-screen video with director Olivia Wilde @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honor `` meant so much to me as a queer actor . ''
She continued : `` Embrace what you are , because there 's only one you . ''
Presenter Cara Delevingne , in a furry rainbow coat , shared a similar sentiment .
`` Every little bit of you is special , '' she declared .
`` Pose '' stars MJ Rodriguez , Dominique Jackson , Indya Moore , Angelica Ross , Angel Bismark Curiel , Ryan Jamaal Swain , Hailie Sahar and Billy Porter all said parts of a shared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Our commitment to telling our story will never waver , '' promised Porter in front of a sign that said `` Vote Betches . ''
Demi Lovato , who introduced performer Shea Diamond ( who rocked a performance of her song `` We Are Here '' ) , said , `` To all the trans youth , I want to make sure you know that you matter . ''
She added : `` Be proud of who you are , keep your voices loud and strong , and know that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Levy and Noah Reid celebrated their `` Schitt 's Creek '' win with plenty of gratitude , especially for fans who kissed ( and sent photos as proof ) under the billboard in Los Angeles that features their characters , David and Patrick , smooching .
Chloe x Halle ended the show with a vibrant performance of `` Do It '' dressed as Spice Girls with `` RuPaul ’ s Drag Race '' alums Vanessa Vanjie Mateo , Mayhem Miller and Naomi Smalls .
Outstanding individual episode ( in a series w/o a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doors Down '' `` Dolly Parton 's Heartstrings '' ( Netflix ) Outstanding kids & family programming [ TIE ] : `` The Bravest Knight '' ( Hulu ) and `` High School Musical : The Musical : The Series '' ( Disney+ ) Outstanding reality program : `` Are You the One ? ''
( MTV ) Outstanding variety or talk show episode : “ Jonathan Van Ness : Honey , she 's an onion with all sorts of layers ” from `` The Late Show With Stephen Colbert '' ( CBS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Am I Next ?
Trans and Targeted ” from `` Nightline '' ( ABC ) Outstanding TV journalism segment : “ One-on-one with Mayor Pete Buttigieg ” from `` The Rachel Maddow Show '' ( MSNBC ) Outstanding newspaper article : “ Military reports no discharges under trans ban — But Advocates Have Doubts ” by Chris Johnson ( Washington Blade ) Outstanding digital journalism article : “ Trump administration to LGBT couples : Your ‘ out of wedlock ’ kids aren ’ t citizens ” by Scott Bixby ( TheDailyBeast.com ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Stonewall 50 : The Revolution ” produced by Sekiya Dorsett , Brooke Sopelsa , Elizabeth Kuhr , Shahrzad Elghanayan , Wesley Oliver , Tim Fitzsimons , Victor Limjoco ( NBC OUT and Nightly Films )

GLAAD Media Awards: Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union honor trans daughter, Lil Nas X wins
On Thursday night, the GLAAD Media Awards had its 31st annual show, but the first one to be presented virtually. The streamed format – which was presented on YouTube and Facebook – allowed for a slew of stars to make quick appearances to present and accept awards.
Among those stars: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, proud LGBTQ+ allies who presented the award for drama series (which went to "Pose") and used their moments onscreen to talk about how they're proud parents of a transgender child.
"Our daughter Zaya is leading us on this journey," Wade said, admitting that he didn't always understand what it meant for someone to live their truth. "I want to thank Zaya for teaching me and GLAAD for elevating the images and messages that accelerate acceptance in every family."
Union added, "That mission means even more to us now as we raise all of our Black children. Black lives matter and Black trans lives matter. We are calling on all of our racial justice warriors out there to open your hearts and your minds to the LGBTQ+ community so that we can work together and empower each other and save lives."
The hour-long event featured comedy bits, musical performances and cameos from presenters and winners.
Highlights included:
Lil Nas X, in a sheer ruffled top, thanked everyone for his outstanding-artist award. And Dolly Parton sang a capella and said she was "thrilled" to receive an award for show "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings."
Beanie Feldstein, who accepted an award for "Booksmart" in a split-screen video with director Olivia Wilde and co-star Kaitlyn Dever, said the honor "meant so much to me as a queer actor." She continued: "Embrace what you are, because there's only one you." Presenter Cara Delevingne, in a furry rainbow coat, shared a similar sentiment. "Every little bit of you is special," she declared.
"Pose" stars MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Angelica Ross, Angel Bismark Curiel, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Hailie Sahar and Billy Porter all said parts of a shared speech in celebration of their win. "Our commitment to telling our story will never waver," promised Porter in front of a sign that said "Vote Betches."
Demi Lovato, who introduced performer Shea Diamond (who rocked a performance of her song "We Are Here"), said, "To all the trans youth, I want to make sure you know that you matter." She added: "Be proud of who you are, keep your voices loud and strong, and know that we’re fighting for you."
Dan Levy and Noah Reid celebrated their "Schitt's Creek" win with plenty of gratitude, especially for fans who kissed (and sent photos as proof) under the billboard in Los Angeles that features their characters, David and Patrick, smooching.
Chloe x Halle ended the show with a vibrant performance of "Do It" dressed as Spice Girls with "RuPaul’s Drag Race" alums Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, Mayhem Miller and Naomi Smalls.
The winners:
Outstanding film - wide release: "Booksmart" (United Artists Releasing)
Outstanding film - limited release: "Rafiki" (Film Movement)
Outstanding drama series: "Pose" (FX)
Outstanding comedy series: "Schitt’s Creek" (Pop)
Outstanding individual episode (in a series w/o a regular LGBTQ character): "Two Doors Down" "Dolly Parton's Heartstrings" (Netflix)
Outstanding TV movie: "Transparent: Musicale Finale" (Amazon)
Outstanding limited series: "Tales of the City" (Netflix)
Outstanding documentary: "State of Pride" (YouTube)
Outstanding kids & family programming [TIE]: "The Bravest Knight" (Hulu) and "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" (Disney+)
Outstanding reality program: "Are You the One?" (MTV)
Outstanding music artist: Lil Nas X, 7 (Columbia)
Outstanding comic book: "Star Wars: Doctor Aphra," by Simon Spurrier, Emilio Laiso, Andrea Broccardo, Wilton Santos, Caspar Wijngaard, Marc Deering, Don Ho, Walden Wong, Chris Bolson, Scott Hanna, Elsa Charretier, Rachelle Rosenberg, Chris O'Halloran, Stephane Paitreau, Lee Loughridge, Edgar Delgado, Jim Campbell, Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)
Outstanding video game: "The Outer Worlds" (Private Division)
Outstanding Broadway production: "The Inheritance," by Matthew Lopez
Outstanding variety or talk show episode: “Jonathan Van Ness: Honey, she's an onion with all sorts of layers” from "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (CBS)
Outstanding TV journalism – newsmagazine: “Am I Next? Trans and Targeted” from "Nightline" (ABC)
Outstanding TV journalism segment: “One-on-one with Mayor Pete Buttigieg” from "The Rachel Maddow Show" (MSNBC)
Outstanding newspaper article: “Military reports no discharges under trans ban — But Advocates Have Doubts” by Chris Johnson (Washington Blade)
Outstanding magazine article: “The trans obituaries project” by Raquel Willis (OUT)
Outstanding magazine overall coverage: Advocate
Outstanding digital journalism article: “Trump administration to LGBT couples: Your ‘out of wedlock’ kids aren’t citizens” by Scott Bixby (TheDailyBeast.com)
Outstanding digital journalism – video or multimedia: “Stonewall 50: The Revolution” produced by Sekiya Dorsett, Brooke Sopelsa, Elizabeth Kuhr, Shahrzad Elghanayan, Wesley Oliver, Tim Fitzsimons, Victor Limjoco (NBC OUT and Nightly Films)
Outstanding blog: My Fabulous Disease
Special recognition: "Special" (Netflix)
Special recognition: Karen Ocamb, former news editor, Los Angeles Blade
Special recognition: Mark Segal, founder and publisher, Philadelphia Gay News
Outstanding Spanish-language scripted television series: El Corazón Nunca Se Equivoca (Univision)
Outstanding Spanish-language TV journalism – Newsmagazine [TIE]: “Después de Stonewall” (CNN en Español) and “Orgullo” Despierta América (Univision)
Outstanding Spanish-language TV interview: “Cómo y Cuándo Salir del Clóset” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)
Outstanding Spanish-language TV journalism segment: “Amor Sin Condición” Noticiero Univision 33 (Univision)
Outstanding Spanish-language digital journalism article: “Soy Gay y Estoy Orgulloso de Poder Decirlo: Jorge Luis Martínez, patinador mexicano” por Mario Villagrán (GQ Mexico)
Outstanding Spanish-language digital journalism - video or mMultimedia “América a Fondo: Brigitte Baptiste, el Rostro de la (bio) Diversidad” por David Casasús (EFE)


usatoday--2020-07-31--Opinion: NBA TV viewer experience needs tweaking but it beats no games at all

Let ’ s start with the premise that we prefer watching NBA games with fans in attendance and work from there .
Given the circumstances of a global pandemic and the league trying to do everything it can to finish the season safely and limit COVID-19 cases on its Disney campus , we can still enjoy fanless games on TV – in all their awkwardness , too .
Give the NBA and its TV partners credit for creating an atmosphere that limits the oddness .
It could be a much worse experience , and it 's likely to improve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can accept , and even appreciate , unusual viewing experiences .
This is one of those times as the NBA resumed its season Thursday with two games – Utah defeated New Orleans 106-104 and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 .
Hiding lower-bowl seats and using virtual fans on screens weren ’ t as distracting as one might have thought had the idea been proposed five months ago before COVID-19 altered life .
Virtual fans beat cardboard cutouts , and the way the cameras focused on the court , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans ” were omnipresent .
They served a purpose .
Yes , it looks strange with no actual fans in courtside seats and filling the seats behind the benches and backboards .
A couple of times , the camera angles gave the impression of watching an NBA2K video game .
The between-quarter interviews with coaches was strange since coach and reporter had to social distance from each other .
That ’ s something the networks will revamp .
But viewers can get past all the peccadillos by focusing on the game .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most .
NEW REALITY : NBA players , coaches adjusting to lack of fans , noise The digital advertising boards around the court , the Smoothie King logo on the court ( it was considered a Pelicans “ home ” game ) and other TV graphics provided and the announcing from TNT ’ s Ian Eagle , Stan Van Gundy , Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller also gave viewers a familiarity that aided the viewing experience .
It was a chef ’ s kiss when the Lakers ’ starters were introduced by revered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is not there but whose voice was recorded for the moment .
Special touches like that will go a long way in pleasing fans .
The telecasts had a Summer League feel to them .
The viewer could hear sneakers squeaking more than a normal game .
You could tell the game wasn ’ t being played in a regular NBA arena .
One aspect worth monitoring is the emotion players derive from that fan atmosphere .
There was no home crowd or road crowd to energize a player , and except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ games seemed to lack normal intensity .
What else was missing ?
I ’ m not alone in wanting to hear more live dialogue among players , coaches and referees – not the sanitized and edited version following commercial breaks .
I also understand why the NBA is hesitant to broadcast some of that talk live , as USA TODAY Sports reported in May .
I didn ’ t hear much extra-curricular noise , such as too much music , and the sound of the digital cheering was a little low on my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't like artificial crowd noise ) .
If you visit nba.com or the NBA app , you can participate in the virtual cheering .
If you ’ re an NBA League Pass subscriber , you have options online ( or mobile ) to choose the feed from either team ’ s local TV crew , a feed of four different angles on one screen or you can choose to watch from either baseline as if you ’ re watching from a courtside seat behind the basket .
Those are all options that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it ’ s something League Pass viewers may take advantage of more .
And maybe the best thing about the viewing experience was that with the score tied late in the fourth quarter between New Orleans and Utah , the suspense carried the moment .
I forgot it was two teams inside a bubble playing with no fans in central Florida .
Eagle , on the call , said it well : “ For me , it just feels like a tight NBA game on Thursday night on TNT .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a work in progress , so that viewing experience we have early in the restart may not be the same in September .
And it ’ s better than not having basketball on TV .

Opinion: NBA TV viewer experience needs tweaking but it beats no games at all
Show Caption Hide Caption Predicting the NBA Finals Sports Pulse: Jeff Zillgitt on who he thinks will make it to the NBA Finals this season SportsPulse, USA TODAY
Let’s start with the premise that we prefer watching NBA games with fans in attendance and work from there.
Given the circumstances of a global pandemic and the league trying to do everything it can to finish the season safely and limit COVID-19 cases on its Disney campus, we can still enjoy fanless games on TV – in all their awkwardness, too.
Give the NBA and its TV partners credit for creating an atmosphere that limits the oddness. It could be a much worse experience, and it's likely to improve.
Anyway, in usual times, we can accept, and even appreciate, unusual viewing experiences.
This is one of those times as the NBA resumed its season Thursday with two games – Utah defeated New Orleans 106-104 and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101.
Hiding lower-bowl seats and using virtual fans on screens weren’t as distracting as one might have thought had the idea been proposed five months ago before COVID-19 altered life. Virtual fans beat cardboard cutouts, and the way the cameras focused on the court, it’s not like the “fans” were omnipresent. They served a purpose.
Yes, it looks strange with no actual fans in courtside seats and filling the seats behind the benches and backboards. A couple of times, the camera angles gave the impression of watching an NBA2K video game.
The between-quarter interviews with coaches was strange since coach and reporter had to social distance from each other. That’s something the networks will revamp.
But viewers can get past all the peccadillos by focusing on the game. After all, that’s what matters most.
NEW REALITY: NBA players, coaches adjusting to lack of fans, noise
The digital advertising boards around the court, the Smoothie King logo on the court (it was considered a Pelicans “home” game) and other TV graphics provided and the announcing from TNT’s Ian Eagle, Stan Van Gundy, Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller also gave viewers a familiarity that aided the viewing experience.
It was a chef’s kiss when the Lakers’ starters were introduced by revered Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter, who is not there but whose voice was recorded for the moment. Special touches like that will go a long way in pleasing fans.
The telecasts had a Summer League feel to them. The viewer could hear sneakers squeaking more than a normal game. You could tell the game wasn’t being played in a regular NBA arena.
One aspect worth monitoring is the emotion players derive from that fan atmosphere. There was no home crowd or road crowd to energize a player, and except for moments here and there, the games seemed to lack normal intensity.
What else was missing? I’m not alone in wanting to hear more live dialogue among players, coaches and referees – not the sanitized and edited version following commercial breaks. I also understand why the NBA is hesitant to broadcast some of that talk live, as USA TODAY Sports reported in May.
I didn’t hear much extra-curricular noise, such as too much music, and the sound of the digital cheering was a little low on my TV (a good thing if you don't like artificial crowd noise). If you visit nba.com or the NBA app, you can participate in the virtual cheering.
If you’re an NBA League Pass subscriber, you have options online (or mobile) to choose the feed from either team’s local TV crew, a feed of four different angles on one screen or you can choose to watch from either baseline as if you’re watching from a courtside seat behind the basket. Those are all options that have been offered before in some capacity, but it’s something League Pass viewers may take advantage of more.
And maybe the best thing about the viewing experience was that with the score tied late in the fourth quarter between New Orleans and Utah, the suspense carried the moment. I forgot it was two teams inside a bubble playing with no fans in central Florida.
Eagle, on the call, said it well: “For me, it just feels like a tight NBA game on Thursday night on TNT. The NBA is back.”
This is also a work in progress, so that viewing experience we have early in the restart may not be the same in September. And it’s better than not having basketball on TV.
Follow USA TODAY Sports NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt


usatoday--2020-07-31--'I am sorry': Ellen DeGeneres apologizes to talk show staff after complaints of  mistreatment

'The Ellen DeGeneres Show ' will make staffing changes in response to an internal workplace review following complaints of employee mistreatment .
The host of the popular , long-running daytime talk show , which has aired in syndication since 2003 , apologized in a letter to staffers as an internal review of worker complaints conducted by parent company WarnerMedia comes to a close .
The Hollywood Reporter first reported on DeGeneres ' letter Thursday .
The review , which followed a July 16 BuzzFeed story in which mostly former employees anonymously alleged racism , intimidation and a toxic work culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result in staffing changes , Warner Bros. said .
DeGeneres addressed the complaints in her letter , which was obtained by USA TODAY .
`` On day one of our show , I told everyone in our first meeting that 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show ' would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice , and everyone would be treated with respect . ''
she wrote .
`` Obviously , something changed , and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anyone who knows me knows it ’ s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show . ''
Warner Bros. issued a statement to USA TODAY regarding the investigation , in which dozens of current and former employees were interviewed .
“ 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show ' is , and has always strived to be , a place that brings positivity to the world .
And though not all of the allegations were corroborated , we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management .
We have identified several staffing changes , along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised , and are taking the first steps to implement them , . ''
the statement said .
DeGeneres and the studio are `` committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion , '' the statement continued .
`` We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.
” In her letter , DeGeneres acknowledged her responsibility to the show that bears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal oversight .
`` As we ’ ve grown exponentially , I ’ ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I ’ d want them done .
Clearly some didn ’ t .
That will now change and I ’ m committed to ensuring this does not happen again , '' she wrote .
The Hollywood Reporter said one of three executive producers , Ed Glavin , was the source of many complaints and would be exiting soon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dispute some statements from those working on the show , while alluding to her own experiences as a trailblazing entertainer in empathizing with those who feel they were treated unfairly .
`` I ’ m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop , '' she wrote .
`` As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am , I truly understand and have deep compassion for those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unfairly , not equal , or – worse – disregarded .
To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me . ''

'I am sorry': Ellen DeGeneres apologizes to talk-show staff after complaints of mistreatment
Show Caption Hide Caption The future of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' explained USA TODAY's Gary Levin explains why he thinks Ellen DeGeneres will return to her daytime talk show despite allegations of mistreatment from staffers. Entertain This!, USA TODAY
'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' will make staffing changes in response to an internal workplace review following complaints of employee mistreatment.
The host of the popular, long-running daytime talk show, which has aired in syndication since 2003, apologized in a letter to staffers as an internal review of worker complaints conducted by parent company WarnerMedia comes to a close. The Hollywood Reporter first reported on DeGeneres' letter Thursday.
The review, which followed a July 16 BuzzFeed story in which mostly former employees anonymously alleged racism, intimidation and a toxic work culture, found "deficiencies" that will result in staffing changes, Warner Bros. said.
DeGeneres addressed the complaints in her letter, which was obtained by USA TODAY.
"On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' would be a place of happiness – no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect," she wrote. "Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show."
Warner Bros. issued a statement to USA TODAY regarding the investigation in which dozens of current and former employees were interviewed.
“'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world. And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management. We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them," the statement said.
Toxic culture allegations: 'Ellen DeGeneres Show' producers respond to claims of toxic workplace environment
DeGeneres and the studio are "committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion," the statement continued. "We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.”
In her letter, DeGeneres acknowledged her responsibility to the show that bears her name and promised to provide more personal oversight.
"As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again," she wrote.
The Hollywood Reporter said one of three executive producers, Ed Glavin, was the source of many complaints and would be exiting soon. Warner Bros. declined comment.
DeGeneres appeared to dispute some statements from those working on the show, while alluding to her own experiences as a trailblazing entertainer in empathizing with those who feel they were treated unfairly.
"I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop," she wrote. "As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or – worse – disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me."


usatoday--2020-07-31--Confederate monuments: What the men honored by statues did and believed

This story is part of The Confederate Reckoning , a collaborative project of USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the South to examine the legacy of the Confederacy and its influence on systemic racism today .
The white men stand , immortalized in metal and stone , in parks , public squares and the halls of government .
Statues of prominent figures in the Confederacy are a common sight in the South .
But the visibility of their monuments often belie the way their lives and legacies are obscured by myth .
Like other symbols of the Confederacy , such memorials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Southern heritage , or simply uncontroversial artifacts of history .
But for many people , they are ever-present reminders of racial discrimination and violent oppression that has never gone away .
The removal of statues of Confederate leaders — as well as those of others who promoted or profited from slavery and racism — has become a focal point of calls for a true confrontation with racial inequality in the United States .
As part of that conversation , USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the South are taking a critical look at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were and what they believed .
For more than four decades , a bronze sculpture of the bust of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been featured prominently in the Tennessee state Capitol .
A statue portraying Forrest was one of three removed in Memphis in late 2017 after the city found a loophole to legally take down the monument that residents widely agreed should not stand in a public park .
But as the fate of the Capitol bust hangs in the balance pending a state commission meeting later this year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black and white lawmakers , and Democrats and Republicans — who was Forrest and why is he so controversial more than 150 years after the Civil War ?
Among the most notorious parts of Forrest 's legacy is his reported involvement leading Confederate soldiers in the West Tennessee Battle of Fort Pillow in April 1864 , which has commonly become known as a massacre of surrendered Union troops , many of whom were Black .
Primary documents from a variety of sources refute arguments made by some Forrest apologists — including some who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legislature about the bronze bust and Forrest 's legacy — that he was not responsible for the mass killings at Fort Pillow .
`` We 've been going through these excuses for Bedford Forrest for the longest while , and none of them are holding up under scrutiny , '' said Richard Blackett , a history professor at Vanderbilt University .
In 1868 , Forrest gave an interview with a Cincinnati Commercial reporter that was widely published in newspapers around the country .
In the interview , he said the Ku Klux @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a benefit in Tennessee .
While he denied being an official member , he said he was part of the organization `` in sympathy , '' and later when Forrest testified before Congress about the KKK he eventually disclosed that he was familiar with rituals and practices .
Repeatedly in the 1868 interview , Forrest tried to suggest that he had more disdain for white Radical Republicans and Northerners trying to infiltrate Southern politics than he did African Americans , but he still remained fiercely opposed at that point to Blacks gaining the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in society .
`` I am opposed to it under any and all circumstances , '' Forrest said .
`` And here I want you to understand distinctly I am not an enemy to the negro .
We want him here among us ; he is the only laboring class we have . ''
Jefferson Davis was a man of many words .
He literally wrote volumes during his lifetime and spent the last decade of his life writing about the history of the Confederacy and an in-depth analysis of the Civil War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notably is known for his role with the Confederate States of America , of which he was named its first — and only — president .
Susannah Ural , professor of history and co-director of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi , said Davis seemed to be a natural choice for president of the Confederacy .
Although he did not support secession , he felt duty-bound to represent his state , which voted to secede , and the new government to which he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also believed secession was a right afforded to the states .
Davis wrote in his book , `` The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government , '' that slavery `` was not the cause of the war , but an incident . ''
In his preface to the book he said , `` the States had never surrendered their sovereignty , '' and that states should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding slavery .
Davis said the federal government was usurping its authority by forcing unwanted laws on the states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slavery , which was an integral part of the Southern states ' agricultural economy .
`` ( Slavery is ) the primary cause , but it 's not the only cause , '' Ural said .
`` When you talk about states ' rights , when you talk about what powers the federal government should have versus state authority , one of the central issues to states ' rights was the right to slavery . ''
However , she said , determining the Civil War happened because of slavery is n't entirely accurate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a war , and things that motivate people to fight in a war change over the course of time , '' she said .
`` To boil the Civil War down to slavery is problematic , but the bigger problem was that for decades , we just kind of pushed slavery aside and did n't really talk about it . ''
Even in his last days , Robert E. Lee , the Confederate general , had already become a myth — a myth that gave a defeated South something to cling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 1865 , Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia .
His exploits during the war and his canonization by defeated Southerners have rendered him among the most famous losers in military history .
To Emory Thomas , who wrote `` Robert E. Lee : A Biography , '' published in 1995 , historical evidence shows Lee was a man who lived by a strict moral code , a sense of honor and duty ; a great soldier and engineer who rose to the challenges he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a white supremacist .
While Lee believed slavery was morally wrong , he did not believe the abolition of it should come through the works of man , but , instead , the will of God .
In an interview , Thomas referenced a famous letter Lee wrote about slavery in 1857 .
In it , Lee distilled his views as a slave owner on race .
`` In this enlightened age , there are few I believe , but what will acknowledge , that slavery as an institution , is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages .
I think it , however , a greater evil to the white man than to the black race , '' Lee wrote .
`` The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa , morally , socially & physically .
The painful discipline they are undergoing , is necessary for their instruction as a race , & I hope will prepare & lead them to better things .
How long their subjugation may be necessary is known & ordered by a wise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result from the mild & melting influence of Christianity , than the storms & tempests of fiery Controversy . ''
In that letter , and other moments throughout his life , including testimony before Congress after the Civil War , Lee displayed views on race that Thomas described as compatible with social Darwinism — a worldview that arose later in the 19th century and early 20th that Western governments , particularly that of the U.S. , used to justify colonization , war and imperialism .
In 1862 , he would free his father-in-law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man 's will , a matter of weeks before the Emancipation Proclamation took effect .
`` He anticipated social Darwinism … In the evolutionary pyramid of human beings , I think he saw white folks like himself at the top .
And African Americans somewhere down the ranks , above American Indians whom he really thought were dreadful , '' Thomas said .
Known as the “ Boy Hero of the Confederacy , ” Sam Davis ' story was resurrected from obscurity in the late 1800s by journalist Archibald Cunningham , founder of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monuments erected in Sam Davis ' honor .
His boyhood home is on the National Register of Historic Places and operates as a museum .
Barely 21 in 1863 , Davis was hanged for his refusal to give Union Army Gen. Grenville Dodge the names of Confederate spies .
“ I would rather die a thousand deaths than betray a friend , ” Davis said moments before he was hanged on the Public Square in Pulaski , Tennessee .
Davis wasn ’ t a boy , but a young man whose bravery is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Lost Cause , said Brenden Martin , a Middle Tennessee State University history professor .
The underpinning of the Lost Cause was that the Confederacy was `` right all along '' and had a right to secede from the United States .
“ All you ’ ve got to do is look at the ( Confederate ) Articles of Secession .
… The people who brought about the secession ( from the United States ) made it clear it was about preserving the institution of slavery , '' Martin said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy , Martin said .
And the Davis family plantation was steeped in that economy .
Data from the American Battlefield Trust notes that Charles and Jane Davis , Sam Davis ' parents , originally owned a 830-acre plantation located in Smyrna .
By 1860 , there were 51 enslaved people owned by the Davis family .
Sam Davis also had his own slave , named Coleman Davis , who was gifted to him when he was a boy .
Anarcha was at least 17 when the doctor started experimenting on her .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ complications during a 72-hour labor that opened a hole between her bladder and vagina and left her incontinent .
The man who held Anarcha in bondage outside Montgomery sent her to Dr. J. Marion Sims sometime in 1845 .
She was one of at least seven enslaved women sent to Sims by white slaveholders .
They had the same condition as Anarcha , known as a vesicovaginal fistula .
Sims wanted to find a way to address it .
From 1845 to 1849 , the enslaved women became experiments .
By Sims ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Sims tried different approaches to repairing the fistula .
These women could not say no .
Neither Sims nor the white men who held them against their will showed interest in their opinions .
Deirdre Cooper Owens , a professor of medical history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of “ Medical Bondage : Race , Gender , and the Origins of American Gynecology , ” said if the women protested , they “ could get beaten , or they could get ignored.
” Anesthesia , Cooper Owens said , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite that , a statue of Sims unveiled in 1939 remains on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery .
A bust of Sims also stands in Columbia , South Carolina .
New York City officials removed a statue of Sims in Manhattan in 2018 .
Andrew Johnson considered himself a champion of the common man — but only when those common men were white .
The 17th president of the United States was a common man himself .
Born into poverty in 1808 , he escaped indentured servitude in North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where he worked as a tailor , owned slaves and launched his political career as a Democrat .
When President Abraham Lincoln died from an assassin 's bullet just six weeks after Johnson took office , a fractured country found its stubborn new president lacked Lincoln 's ability to navigate the end of the Civil War with nuance and sensitivity .
Although Johnson had helped Lincoln end slavery across the land , he now clashed with the Republican-controlled Congress by planting himself firmly in the way of rights for newly freed slaves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became the first president ever to be impeached .
Johnson believed in what 's called `` herrenvolk democracy '' — the idea that the lowest white man in the social hierarchy should be above the highest Black man , said Aaron Astor , a history professor at Maryville College who researches the Civil War-era South .
In 1860 , the year before the Civil War broke out , Johnson said white Southerners felt so threatened by the prospect of Black freedom that poor men would unite with slave owners to exterminate slaves rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a name well-known in Arkansas history as both a Civil War general of Native American troops and a newspaper editor .
Although Pike was known nationally after the Civil War for his involvement with the Freemasons , he gained national attention again on June 19 , 2020 , when a statue dedicated to him in Washington , D.C. , was toppled by a group of Black Lives Matter demonstrators .
The monument to Pike was the only one of a Confederate Civil War general in the District of Columbia .
Pike was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resisted secession , but followed the lead of his fellow Arkansans in fully supporting the Confederacy and even served as an appointed brigadier general in at least one battle in Arkansas .
By the end of his life , Pike had risen among the highest ranks of the Freemasons .
Before the Civil War , he had moved from the Fort Smith area to Little Rock to pursue a career as a journalist .
He eventually became editor and owner of The Advocate where he reported on the Supreme Court of Arkansas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1861 , Pike was called up to be a brigadier general over a troop made up of several Native American Tribes .
He was cited as being an advocate for Native Americans and the wrongs they suffered at the hands of the white man .
When it came to African Americans , however , Pike ’ s view of slavery was one that claimed it was a `` necessary evil . ''
He claimed that slaves would not be able to hold any other job and that they were treated well by their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own slave for “ necessary ” work .
Gen. Alfred Mouton has become one of Acadiana ’ s most polarizing historical figures .
His statue , standing on city property in the heart of downtown Lafayette , has been the focus of public outcry , protest and legal battles for decades .
As support is increasing to remove the statue , most of the controversy over Mouton has focused on the fact that he owned Black people as slaves and fought for white supremacy during the Deep South 's most oppressive era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a hero from Lafayette 's oldest family who fought to defend his hometown from Union forces during the Civil War , the famous son of former Gov .
Alexandre Mouton helped wage another civil war here .
Mouton , along with his father , trained the “ Vigilante Committee ” in Lafayette Parish , a group that would carry out their own form of violent justice against Black residents through whippings , expulsions and lynchings .
From the late 1850s to the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 , Mouton-backed vigilantes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's own civil war .

This story is part of The Confederate Reckoning, a collaborative project of USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the South to examine the legacy of the Confederacy and its influence on systemic racism today.
The white men stand, immortalized in metal and stone, in parks, public squares and the halls of government.
Statues of prominent figures in the Confederacy are a common sight in the South. But the visibility of their monuments often belie the way their lives and legacies are obscured by myth.
Like other symbols of the Confederacy, such memorials have been defended for generations as pieces of Southern heritage, or simply uncontroversial artifacts of history. But for many people, they are ever-present reminders of racial discrimination and violent oppression that has never gone away.
The removal of statues of Confederate leaders — as well as those of others who promoted or profited from slavery and racism — has become a focal point of calls for a true confrontation with racial inequality in the United States. As part of that conversation, USA TODAY Network newsrooms across the South are taking a critical look at several such figures to understand who they were and what they believed.
Nathan Bedford Forrest Read more Debate continues to rage over the legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest and his bust at the state Capitol in Nashville.
For more than four decades, a bronze sculpture of the bust of Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been featured prominently in the Tennessee state Capitol.
A statue portraying Forrest was one of three removed in Memphis in late 2017 after the city found a loophole to legally take down the monument that residents widely agreed should not stand in a public park.
But as the fate of the Capitol bust hangs in the balance pending a state commission meeting later this year — and after years of debate among Black and white lawmakers, and Democrats and Republicans — who was Forrest and why is he so controversial more than 150 years after the Civil War?
Among the most notorious parts of Forrest's legacy is his reported involvement leading Confederate soldiers in the West Tennessee Battle of Fort Pillow in April 1864, which has commonly become known as a massacre of surrendered Union troops, many of whom were Black.
Primary documents from a variety of sources refute arguments made by some Forrest apologists — including some who have raised the possibility during conversations at the legislature about the bronze bust and Forrest's legacy — that he was not responsible for the mass killings at Fort Pillow.
Gov. Lee speaks on Nathan Beford Forrest bust at State Capitol Commission meeting The State Capitol Commission holds meeting to discuss removal of Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from the Tennessee State Capitol. Nashville Tennessean
"We've been going through these excuses for Bedford Forrest for the longest while, and none of them are holding up under scrutiny," said Richard Blackett, a history professor at Vanderbilt University.
In 1868, Forrest gave an interview with a Cincinnati Commercial reporter that was widely published in newspapers around the country. In the interview, he said the Ku Klux Klan had "no doubt" been a benefit in Tennessee. While he denied being an official member, he said he was part of the organization "in sympathy," and later when Forrest testified before Congress about the KKK he eventually disclosed that he was familiar with rituals and practices.
Repeatedly in the 1868 interview, Forrest tried to suggest that he had more disdain for white Radical Republicans and Northerners trying to infiltrate Southern politics than he did African Americans, but he still remained fiercely opposed at that point to Blacks gaining the right to vote or having equal standing in society.
"I am opposed to it under any and all circumstances," Forrest said.
"And here I want you to understand distinctly I am not an enemy to the negro. We want him here among us; he is the only laboring class we have."
Jefferson Davis Read more Jefferson Davis, CSA president who didn't want to secede but wanted to keep slavery
Jefferson Davis was a man of many words. He literally wrote volumes during his lifetime and spent the last decade of his life writing about the history of the Confederacy and an in-depth analysis of the Civil War.
But Davis (1808-1889) most notably is known for his role with the Confederate States of America, of which he was named its first — and only — president.
Susannah Ural, professor of history and co-director of the Dale Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Southern Mississippi, said Davis seemed to be a natural choice for president of the Confederacy.
Although he did not support secession, he felt duty-bound to represent his state, which voted to secede, and the new government to which he was appointed president. However, he also believed secession was a right afforded to the states.
Kentucky state Rep. Jason Nemes: 'Jefferson Davis doesn't belong here' Nemes talked to reporters at the Capitol in Frankfort Friday, June 12, about the impending removal of the Jefferson Davis statue from the rotunda. Joseph Gerth/Courier Journal
Davis wrote in his book, "The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government," that slavery "was not the cause of the war, but an incident."
In his preface to the book he said, "the States had never surrendered their sovereignty," and that states should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding slavery.
Davis said the federal government was usurping its authority by forcing unwanted laws on the states, first and foremost the abolition of slavery, which was an integral part of the Southern states' agricultural economy.
"(Slavery is) the primary cause, but it's not the only cause," Ural said. "When you talk about states' rights, when you talk about what powers the federal government should have versus state authority, one of the central issues to states' rights was the right to slavery."
However, she said, determining the Civil War happened because of slavery isn't entirely accurate.
"There's never one cause of a war, and things that motivate people to fight in a war change over the course of time," she said. "To boil the Civil War down to slavery is problematic, but the bigger problem was that for decades, we just kind of pushed slavery aside and didn't really talk about it."
Robert E. Lee Read more Robert E. Lee, the general who became the face of 'Lost Cause' mythology
Even in his last days, Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general, had already become a myth — a myth that gave a defeated South something to cling to; a means of understanding its defeat.
In 1865, Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. His exploits during the war and his canonization by defeated Southerners have rendered him among the most famous losers in military history.
To Emory Thomas, who wrote "Robert E. Lee: A Biography," published in 1995, historical evidence shows Lee was a man who lived by a strict moral code, a sense of honor and duty; a great soldier and engineer who rose to the challenges he faced.
He was also a slave-owner and a white supremacist. While Lee believed slavery was morally wrong, he did not believe the abolition of it should come through the works of man, but, instead, the will of God.
A statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is removed from Lee Circle Friday, May 19, 2017, in New Orleans. Lee's was the last of four monuments to Confederate-era figures to be removed under a 2015 City Council vote on a proposal by Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Scott Threlkeld, AP
In an interview, Thomas referenced a famous letter Lee wrote about slavery in 1857. In it, Lee distilled his views as a slave owner on race.
"In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral & political evil in any Country. It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages. I think it, however, a greater evil to the white man than to the black race," Lee wrote. "The blacks are immeasurably better off here than in Africa, morally, socially & physically. The painful discipline they are undergoing, is necessary for their instruction as a race, & I hope will prepare & lead them to better things. How long their subjugation may be necessary is known & ordered by a wise Merciful Providence. Their emancipation will sooner result from the mild & melting influence of Christianity, than the storms & tempests of fiery Controversy."
In that letter, and other moments throughout his life, including testimony before Congress after the Civil War, Lee displayed views on race that Thomas described as compatible with social Darwinism — a worldview that arose later in the 19th century and early 20th that Western governments, particularly that of the U.S., used to justify colonization, war and imperialism.
In 1862, he would free his father-in-law's slaves, as required by the man's will, a matter of weeks before the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
"He anticipated social Darwinism … In the evolutionary pyramid of human beings, I think he saw white folks like himself at the top. And African Americans somewhere down the ranks, above American Indians whom he really thought were dreadful," Thomas said.
Sam Davis Read more Sam Davis, a slave-owning soldier mythologized as a 'Boy Hero'
Known as the “Boy Hero of the Confederacy,” Sam Davis' story was resurrected from obscurity in the late 1800s by journalist Archibald Cunningham, founder of the Confederate Veteran magazine. There are monuments erected in Sam Davis' honor. His boyhood home is on the National Register of Historic Places and operates as a museum.
Barely 21 in 1863, Davis was hanged for his refusal to give Union Army Gen. Grenville Dodge the names of Confederate spies. “I would rather die a thousand deaths than betray a friend,” Davis said moments before he was hanged on the Public Square in Pulaski, Tennessee.
The Sam Davis Memorial Association will host the Summer Soiree & SDMA Annual Membership Meeting from 6-8 p.m. Saturday at the historic site, 1399 Sam Davis Road in Smyrna. DNJ file
Davis wasn’t a boy, but a young man whose bravery is immortalized as a symbol of the Confederacy and the Lost Cause, said Brenden Martin, a Middle Tennessee State University history professor. The underpinning of the Lost Cause was that the Confederacy was "right all along" and had a right to secede from the United States.
“All you’ve got to do is look at the (Confederate) Articles of Secession. … The people who brought about the secession (from the United States) made it clear it was about preserving the institution of slavery," Martin said.
Slavery was the backbone of the Southern economy, Martin said.
And the Davis family plantation was steeped in that economy.
Data from the American Battlefield Trust notes that Charles and Jane Davis, Sam Davis' parents, originally owned a 830-acre plantation located in Smyrna. By 1860, there were 51 enslaved people owned by the Davis family. Sam Davis also had his own slave, named Coleman Davis, who was gifted to him when he was a boy.
Dr. J. Marion Sims Read more J. Marion Sims, a doctor who experimented on enslaved women who could not consent
Anarcha was at least 17 when the doctor started experimenting on her. The year before, she suffered terrible complications during a 72-hour labor that opened a hole between her bladder and vagina and left her incontinent.
The man who held Anarcha in bondage outside Montgomery sent her to Dr. J. Marion Sims sometime in 1845. She was one of at least seven enslaved women sent to Sims by white slaveholders. They had the same condition as Anarcha, known as a vesicovaginal fistula.
Sims wanted to find a way to address it. From 1845 to 1849, the enslaved women became experiments.
The statue of Dr. James Marion Sims sits in the shade of an old oak tree on the grounds of the state capitol building in Montgomery, Ala. on Friday September 29, 2017. Mickey Welsh / Advertiser
By Sims’ own account, Anarcha underwent 30 operations as Sims tried different approaches to repairing the fistula.
These women could not say no. Neither Sims nor the white men who held them against their will showed interest in their opinions. Deirdre Cooper Owens, a professor of medical history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of “Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology,” said if the women protested, they “could get beaten, or they could get ignored.”
Anesthesia, Cooper Owens said, was not in wide use at this time.
Despite that, a statue of Sims unveiled in 1939 remains on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery. A bust of Sims also stands in Columbia, South Carolina. New York City officials removed a statue of Sims in Manhattan in 2018.
President Andrew Johnson Read more Andrew Johnson, the impeached president who wanted 'a white man's government'
Andrew Johnson considered himself a champion of the common man — but only when those common men were white.
William Andrew Johnson, a former slave of President Andrew Johnson, in front of the White House in Washington, DC in February 1937. In his right hand he holds the cane presented to him by President Frankiln Roosevelt during a visit to the White House. Johnson was freed along with 10 other slaves in 1863. KNS FILE PHOTO
The 17th president of the United States was a common man himself. Born into poverty in 1808, he escaped indentured servitude in North Carolina before moving to Greeneville, Tennessee, where he worked as a tailor, owned slaves and launched his political career as a Democrat.
When President Abraham Lincoln died from an assassin's bullet just six weeks after Johnson took office, a fractured country found its stubborn new president lacked Lincoln's ability to navigate the end of the Civil War with nuance and sensitivity.
Although Johnson had helped Lincoln end slavery across the land, he now clashed with the Republican-controlled Congress by planting himself firmly in the way of rights for newly freed slaves. He soon grew widely unpopular and became the first president ever to be impeached.
Johnson believed in what's called "herrenvolk democracy" — the idea that the lowest white man in the social hierarchy should be above the highest Black man, said Aaron Astor, a history professor at Maryville College who researches the Civil War-era South.
In 1860, the year before the Civil War broke out, Johnson said white Southerners felt so threatened by the prospect of Black freedom that poor men would unite with slave owners to exterminate slaves rather than see them freed.
Albert Pike Read more Albert Pike served in a single battle as brigadier general of a Choctaw unit for the Confederacy. His monument in Washington, D.C. was toppled June 19.
Albert Pike is a name well-known in Arkansas history as both a Civil War general of Native American troops and a newspaper editor.
Although Pike was known nationally after the Civil War for his involvement with the Freemasons, he gained national attention again on June 19, 2020, when a statue dedicated to him in Washington, D.C., was toppled by a group of Black Lives Matter demonstrators. The monument to Pike was the only one of a Confederate Civil War general in the District of Columbia.
Pike was a Boston transplant to Arkansas who initially resisted secession, but followed the lead of his fellow Arkansans in fully supporting the Confederacy and even served as an appointed brigadier general in at least one battle in Arkansas.
By the end of his life, Pike had risen among the highest ranks of the Freemasons.
Before the Civil War, he had moved from the Fort Smith area to Little Rock to pursue a career as a journalist. He eventually became editor and owner of The Advocate where he reported on the Supreme Court of Arkansas.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Pike was called up to be a brigadier general over a troop made up of several Native American Tribes. He was cited as being an advocate for Native Americans and the wrongs they suffered at the hands of the white man.
When it came to African Americans, however, Pike’s view of slavery was one that claimed it was a "necessary evil." He claimed that slaves would not be able to hold any other job and that they were treated well by their masters. He even admitted to having his own slave for “necessary” work.
Alfred Mouton Read more Gen. Alfred Mouton led a civil war against Lafayette's Black residents
Gen. Alfred Mouton has become one of Acadiana’s most polarizing historical figures. His statue, standing on city property in the heart of downtown Lafayette, has been the focus of public outcry, protest and legal battles for decades.
As support is increasing to remove the statue, most of the controversy over Mouton has focused on the fact that he owned Black people as slaves and fought for white supremacy during the Deep South's most oppressive era.
While Mouton is hailed by some as a hero from Lafayette's oldest family who fought to defend his hometown from Union forces during the Civil War, the famous son of former Gov. Alexandre Mouton helped wage another civil war here.
The Alfred Mouton statue in downtown Lafayette went up in 1922. Mouton's family donated the much of the land in downtown Lafayette including the original city hall where the statue is located. David D'Aquin
Mouton, along with his father, trained the “Vigilante Committee” in Lafayette Parish, a group that would carry out their own form of violent justice against Black residents through whippings, expulsions and lynchings.
From the late 1850s to the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, Mouton-backed vigilantes fought against other groups in Lafayette Parish's own civil war.