thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-10--We've Watched The Crown Season 4 – And It's Easily Its Best Series Yet

Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher are rarely uttered in the same breath, but both women defined 1980s Britain and both are introduced in the first episode of The Crown’s fourth season.
For fans, this is incredibly exciting. They have patiently waited through decades of monarchical history dating back to the Queen’s coronation in the 1940s to get to Diana and Thatcher. While the older stories were gripping, for many they have lacked the contemporary resonance of the 1980s and for many viewers this season will be the first time the Netflix drama has been within living memory.
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Having seen new episodes from season four ahead of the launch on 15 November, it feels like the most energised series yet. It fizzes with a new set of strong lead performances telling unbelievable – but mostly factual – stories from the past. Here are our biggest takeaways...
It’s funnier than ever
Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret Netflix
In one episode, Thatcher goes on a hunt, accompanying the Queen. “I couldn’t help noticing ma’am, you didn’t bring any outdoor shoes,” notes one courtier at Balmoral where the prime minister has gone for a royal visit.
“That’s right,” retorts Margaret, adding, “what a straaaaange thing to say,” as Gillian Anderson hammily drags it out her vowels. The prime minister is genuinely contemplating why she’s been asked about sensible shoes. Could going to the countryside actually mean going outside?
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What follows is a camp reimagining of Thatcher trailing a stag across the Scottish Highlands accompanied by a gunman and Her Majesty the Queen. Thatcher, unprepared, is dressed to the nines in a two-piece power suit designed for delivering evening speeches in, not the kill for the table, but begrudgingly she’s off hunting at first light on Her Majesty’s invitation.
She has on a pair of muddy outdoor shoes the Queen has offered her, and slips across the dewy early morning grass with the efficiency of a deer on ice skates and the look of a toddler who’s dropped her ice cream.
It’s a hilariously camp instance that is funny for how feasible it feels.
Later, a begrudging Thatcher and husband Dennis attend a Scottish sports day, which includes log throwing, as guests of the Queen. Gillian Anderson brilliantly embodies Thatcher’s snobbishness in her body language: she gives the prime minister a quivering lip as she struggles to hold her public face, bemoaning what an utter waste of time this all is.
Thatcher would much rather be behind her desk working but she’s paralysed, stuck here in the depths of the countryside, and it’s joyously funny.
In the meantime, the rest of the royals, bedecked in wax jackets and appropriate shoes, jump in and out of muddy Land Rovers, embracing the culture of the outdoors to which Thatcher is so allergic.
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Gillian Anderson relaxes into the role Thatcher – although not everyone will enjoy it
Gillian Anderson plays Margaret Thatcher Netflix
Thatcher was loved and despised – division which led her to become immortalised as one of the most famous prime minsters. But in recent years portrayals of her have become more pervasive than footage of actual Thatcher herself.
Meryl Streep did a cracking job at capturing her in The Iron Lady, Spitting Image had their go, and now it’s Gillian Anderson’s turn.
It feels as if she takes a while to warm into the character in the initial few scenes, including in episode one where she experiences a fraught audience with the Queen. In that scene, Gillian’s performance feels like it drifts into pastiche: the delivery is extra slow, her words extra incensed and head bobs an inch or two more dramatic than the Iron Lady’s herself.
But within half an episode, Gillian relaxes into Thatcher’s tailored business suits: she peers listlessly out of a plane window while bemoaning the royals, asserts that she, and only she, unpacks her husband’s clothes on trips away and tirelessly lectures anyone she meets about the value of hard work. Across these moments, Gillian captures what many perceived to be Thatcher’s irritating tone deafness, but also how her single-mindedness makes her vulnerable.
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As we mentioned above, Gillian also manages to make her performance light and comedic when appropriate, but Thatcher supporters may find that she’s gone a little OTT with the delivery.
Emma Corrin’s Princess Diana will win over royal fans and detractors – just like the Lady herself did
Emma Corrin makes her debut as Princess Diana Netflix
Director Ben Caron deliciously plays around with the audience’s thirst for Diana in episode one when she first appears non-recognisably (no spoilers here.) She might not be instantly Diana, but the introduction of an unknown character is so stylistically handled in the scene, it’s easy to work out what’s going on after a few seconds.
When she finally appears, Emma Corrin as Diana is majestic. At 24, she naturally conveys the lightness, energy and naivety of Diana in those early years before her life become complicated. Emma reveals the Diana before she became fatigued, and before the affairs – a young woman in awe of Prince Charles.
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She depicts how overwhelming that must have felt – her eyes dart nervously in their sockets as she greets the royals all at once, and is criticised by Princess Margaret for not bowing to each family member in the right order. She looks curious, excited and concerned all at once and it feels haunting.
As do scenes that echo decades of TV news coverage – scenes of the soon-to-be royal as she goes about her life in London followed by a throng of photographers.
Overall, it feels eerily close to home
The show has now moved on to the 1980s Netflix
Of course, for many of The Crown’s audience, the 1980s are within living memory. For those slightly younger, Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher are two figures with stories which pervade the news today, so even for younger viewers this season feels palpably modern.
This sense of the show being brought gradually up-to-date will create more anticipation ahead of season five – which will likely tackle the tragic death of Diana in 1997 – and season six, which was confirmed earlier this autumn.
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But for now, the fashions, particularly of Princess Diana, and everything from the cars being driven, to the attitudes of the characters, feel relatable.
The Queen and Prince Charles, played by Josh O'Connor and Olivia Colman Netflix
There’s a unique sense of pleasure in events from living memory being recalled in a glossy high-budget TV drama – we’re all enjoying a bit of nostalgia more than ever right now – and The Crown’s fourth season finds its magic by blending familiar stories from the royal family with surprising revelations we never knew before.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--AJ Pritchard Confirms I'm A Celebrity Stint Following Positive Covid-19 Test

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AJ Pritchard has been given the go-ahead to take part in this year’s I’m A Celebrity after previously testing positive for coronavirus.
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has returned two negative tests since contracting Covid-19, meaning he is now free to enter the new Welsh castle later this week.
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ITV confirmed one star on this year’s line-up had tested positive for the virus at the weekend, with AJ now confirming he was the celebrity in question.
AJ Pritchard ITV
Speaking to Metro, he said: “Yes I did have a positive coronavirus test early into my isolation. I’m very happy to report that I’ve had two tests recently and they have both come back very negative which means I’m 100% going into the jungle.”
Someone might want to tell him the show has relocated from the Australian jungle to Gwrych Castle in Wales...
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He continued: “It’s a big relief for everybody. I just want to thank ITV for all their stringent measures. The whole point of us going into lockdown and isolating is just in case this does happen.”
This year's I'm A Celebrity line-up ITV
The 10 stars are currently in complete isolation in various locations across north Wales to ensure they are Covid-free prior to entering the castle.
Earlier this week, Vernon showed fans around his quarantine quarters, which proved to be much more luxurious than where he’ll be spending the next few weeks.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Boris Johnson Defends Spending £130m On PR Consultants During Covid

Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. PA
Boris Johnson was accused of a “lax attitude” towards spending public cash after it emerged the government has blown £130m on PR consultants.
Labour leader Keir Starmer took the prime minister to task in the Commons over the hefty sum spent on media management since January, and said spending on some PPE had been wasted.
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The government has repeatedly come under attack for its spend on consultants during the pandemic.
Some PR firms used by the government have proved to have links to senior Tories, and Labour said the £130m doesn’t include existing spend on special advisers and civil servants working on government communications.
“This is not the prime minister’s money, it is taxpayers’ money,” Starmer said during prime minister’s questions. “The prime minister may well not know the value of the pound in his pocket, but the people who send us here do and they expect us to spend it wisely.”
Calling for Johnson to boost the comparatively small £6m package for armed forces charities, Starmer said the £670,000 spent on PR by the government’s taskforce, reported earlier this week, was “the tip of the iceberg”.
He said: “The chancellor’s package for forces charities was just £6m during this pandemic and that’s just not sufficient. Can I ask the prime minister to reconsider that support on their behalf?
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“Because at the same time, we’ve all seen this weekend that the government can find £670,000 for PR consultants. That’s the tip of the iceberg.
“New research today shows that the government has spent at least £130million of taxpayers’ money on PR companies and that’s this year alone.
“Does the prime minister think that that’s a reasonable use of taxpayers’ money?”
Johnson attempted to defend the huge spend by saying some of it was targeted at countering anti-vaxxer disinformation campaigns amid the Covid-19 crisis.
He said: “I think he’s referring to the vaccines taskforce and after days in which the Labour Party has attacked the vaccines taskforce I think it might be in order for him to pay tribute to them for securing 40m doses.
Government spend on public relations this year, according to the Treasury Government spend on public relations this year, according to the Treasury
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“And by the way, the expenditure to which he refers was to help raise awareness of vaccines, to fight the anti-vaxxers and to persuade the people of this country – 300,000 – to take part in trials without which we can’t have vaccines.
“So I think he should take it back.”
Starmer went on to target government spending on PPE contracts.
Giving the example of a company awarded “about £150m” to produce face masks, Starmer said the government has “a lax attitude to taxpayers’ money”, adding: “How many usable face masks were actually provided to NHS workers on the front line under that contract?”
Johnson replied: “We’re in the middle of a global pandemic in which this government has so far secured and delivered 32bnitems of personal protective equipment.
“And yes, it is absolutely correct that it has been necessary to work with the private sector, with manufacturers who provide equipment such as this – some of them more effectively than others.
“But it is the private sector that in the end makes the PPE, it is the private sector that provides the testing equipment, and it is the private sector that, no matter how much the party opposite may hate them, it is the private sector that provides the vaccines and the scientific breakthroughs.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Keir Starmer Condemns ‘Bad Taste’ Extinction Rebellion Cenotaph Protest

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Keir Starmer has criticised an Extinction Rebellion protest at the Cenotaph on Armistice Day as “bad taste”.
The climate demonstrators – among them a Northern Ireland veteran – unveiled a banner reading “Honour Their Sacrifice, Climate Change Means War” at the war memorial on Whitehall in central London on Wednesday.
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The British Legion responded by stressing that Armistice Day was “a time for remembrance, and not for political protest”. And Labour has now added to the criticism.
Starmer’s approach marks a shift from his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn, who praised XR for past protests.
A spokesperson for Starmer told reporters: “Today is Armistice Day when the whole country is remembering the sacrifices of those men and women who have fought for our freedoms.
“No one can doubt how serious the climate emergency is.
“But the protests at the cenotaph are wrong. They’re in bad taste and we do not support them.”
Boris Johnson also condemned the protest.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said: “The cenotaph is a memorial to those who fought and died to preserve all our freedoms.
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“On today of all days, when we joined together to pay tribute to our war dead, this action was profoundly disrespectful.”
After the banner was displayed, British Army veteran and Extinction Rebellion member Donald Bell observed a two-minute silence before hanging a wreath of poppies bearing the message: “Act now.”
Today, #RemembranceDay, British Army veteran and member of #ExtinctionRebellion, Donald Bell, called on the government to honour the sacrifice of those who gave their lives is past wars by acting to prevent #ClimateConflict. https://t.co/NLK65kPwau pic.twitter.com/ThaZHInvyx — Extinction Rebellion UK 🌍 (@XRebellionUK) November 11, 2020
Bell, 64, who completed four tours in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, said: “Unchecked climate change means a return to a world at war.
“I took action today knowing that I would be criticised.
“I knew that I would be accused of being disrespectful and hated by many for speaking out in this way. Remembrance Day is never an easy time for veterans and this was not an easy decision for me to make.
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“This government’s own climate advisers, the committee on climate change, said last year that they have a ‘Dad’s Army’ approach to protecting British people from the impacts of climate change.
“Their report in June this year showed that the government has failed to meet all but two of the 31 milestones it set itself for reducing emissions.
“This government is criminally negligent and young people today will pay the price for their failure.”
A Royal British Legion spokesperson said: “War memorials and graves honour the memory of every member of the armed forces who has made the ultimate sacrifice and deserve to be treated with the utmost respect.
“The armed forces community, past and present, have made sacrifices in defence of the freedoms we have today, including the freedom of speech.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Black People Are Being Failed By The UK's Equality Watchdog, Say MPs

Black Lives Matter protesters hold up posters as they march through Notting Hill during the "Million People March" through central London in August 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is failing to protect Black people’s human rights, an explosive parliamentary report has found.
Following Black Lives Matter protests in response to George Floyd’s murder earlier this year, the Joint Committee on Human Rights examined racial inequalities in Britain highlighted by the mass demonstrations across health, criminal justice, immigration and democracy.
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Equality watchdog the EHRC has been unable to adequately provide leadership and gain trust in the protection and promotion of Black human rights, the panel established.
The EHRC is funded by the government’s equalities office, currently headed by Kemi Badenoch – who recently came under fire for saying white privilege doesn’t exist.
The commission often works with government to influence progress – a failure on its part reflects poorly on the government by default.
The report entitled Black People, Racism and Human Rights makes 20 recommendations. It reads: “This committee has long been concerned that the EHRC’s powers in relation to human rights are not fit for purpose. This undermines its ability to protect Black people’s rights more effectively.”
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Moreover, there are no Black people at top-level within the EHRC, which has “left the Black community without a clear visible champion for their rights”.
As it stands, there has been no national organisation whose priority it is to champion race equality since the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) was folded into the EHRC in 2007, 30 years after it was formed. Current shadow justice minister David Lammy said at the time the decision was “a mistake”.
In order to address this issue, the commission has recommended that Black people are represented in the higher echelons of the EHRC and a separate body, similar to CRE, be recreated to tackle systemic injustices.
The EHRC told HuffPost UK there were a number of recommendations in the report that it agrees with.
Protester Patrick Hutchinson carries an injured counter-protester to safety, near the Waterloo station during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd. Dylan Martinez / Reuters
In the meantime, the cross-party panel has called on the government to set out a comprehensive race equality strategy.
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The government recently established the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities which is expected to report before the end of 2020. The commission submitted that it should focus on taking action to reduce inequalities and secure Black people’s human rights, as opposed to more seemingly-futile fact finding.
Crucially, the committee also highlighted an important fact that some people within marginalised communities know well: many government reviews into inequalities have been commissioned over the years but there’s a been a lack of progress in acting upon the findings.
“Whilst the issues of racial inequality have been the subject of repeated reviews, the lack of progress in implementing the findings of those reviews has become a source of intense frustration and concern. Where actions have been taken, they have often been superficial and not had lasting effect,” the joint committee report read.
“Our aim for this inquiry emphatically was not to embark on a new round of fact-finding in areas where the facts are already well established and considered recommendations have been made. Instead we call for action to implement these recommendations and look to how best to overcome the seeming inability for government to act.”
The conclusions of the report, which comes after the EHRC last week launched a review into the racial inequalities faced by health and social care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, are a sad indictment on British society.
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While the death rate for Black women in childbirth is five times higher than for white women and the NHS acknowledges and regret this disparity, it has no target to end it which has been serious cause for concern for campaigners. For the first time in parliamentary history, the joint committee has urged the NHS to rectify this.
In August, HuffPost UK collaborated with Black British lifestyle publication on a series of articles about family and parenting. The flagship news feature addressed the Black maternal mortality rate using exclusive data around the subject collated by Black Ballad and startling anecdotal accounts.
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc via Getty Images
The impact on the Black community of Covid-19 has been disproportionately severe and any lessons learned review or public inquiry into the government’s response to Covid-19 must prioritise consideration of this unequal impact, the committee added.
Further key findings reached include:
The majority (over 75%) of Black people in the UK do not believe their human rights are equally protected compared to white people
Over 60% of Black people in the UK do not believe their health is as equally protected by the NHS compared to white people.
85% of black people are not confident that they would be treated the same as a white person by the police.
The committee was appointed by the House of Lords and the House of Commons, the committee consists of six members from each house – half of whom are Tories.
The report was tweeted out at 1am on Wednesday morning and, though parliamentary reports are typically embargoed until 12.01am on any given day, a number of Black campaigners questioned whether the document was deliberately snuck out in the still of the night by the government because of its findings.
A spokesperson for the committee, which is separate from the government, said that committee reports are published under embargo which is always lifted shortly after midnight on the day of publication so as to maximise coverage.
A spokesperson from the EHRC said: “The human rights of Black people and the inequality that still exists in Britain has been in the spotlight during the pandemic and with the Black Lives Matter movement. These are not new problems and we have long been championing the improvements needed for people from ethnic minorities.
“Our unique powers make us well placed to achieve this. We have been calling for a cross-government race strategy to galvanise action and taken an in-depth look at issues such as racism in universities. We have challenged race discrimination through the courts, supporting landmark cases that have had widespread impact.
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“This report makes a number of recommendations that we agree with. We will continue our work to help improve the lives of people from ethnic minorities and are constantly looking at our programmes to see what more can be done.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Piers Morgan And Susanna Reid Hit Out At Government Ministers For 'Snubbing' Kate Garraway

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Piers Morgan has once again hit out at the government over its apparent ban on ministers appearing on Good Morning Britain to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.
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“OK, don’t come on when I am on. But to not come on when Kate is presenting. Really?” Piers questioned.
“You are going to snub someone whose husband is in a coma from Covid. It’s shameful.”
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain ITV/Shutterstock
Co-presenter Susanna Reid also said: “If there is one member of the team to whom they owe a particular duty to explain policy and answer questions, it would be Kate. It’s shocking that they haven’t done that.”
Piers then added: “The government’s handling of the pandemic has been woeful and cost thousands of unnecessary deaths, and they should have their feet held to the fire.
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“But they have managed to get to a position where they don’t expose themselves to any ferocious fires any more. It’s very nice for them but in my view they are just a bunch of gutless little weasels.”
Kate Garraway posing with her husband Derek Draper, after leaving I'm A Celebrity last year James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock
Earlier this week, Piers hit out live on air, as the 200th day since a government official appeared on GMB approached.
He said: “[The government has] a democratic duty to talk to this programme as they do to talk to every programme. And it is really scandalous that we’re approaching 200 days of the entire government boycotting the main commercial breakfast TV show.
“And if you care about democracy, you should be as incensed about this as we are. And frankly, if they can’t cope with a fiery, passionate interrogation about this kind of story, this kind of crisis, why would we trust them to run the country? Because that’s one of the problems, they can’t even cope with an interview. They can’t even cope with people like me, raising our voices.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Trump Fact-Check: Why His Claims About Winning The US Election Are False

Two weeks ago there was a US presidential election, won by Joe Biden and lost by Donald Trump.
Everyone in the world appears to know this. Except Donald Trump.
Instead the now-outgoing president has spent the days since tweeting all manner of lies and general nonsense. Unfortunately, given his not inconsiderable level of influence, millions of people are paying attention to his claims, and some – on both sides of the Atlantic – are repeating them.
So here, painstakingly, is every one of the claims he’s made on Twitter since losing the vote, and an explanation of why it’s wrong.
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Let’s start with an easy one...
CLAIM: ‘I won the election.’
I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
REALITY: He did not. Not by any measure. Even with votes still to come in in two states, Joe Biden won both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
And not even by a little bit – by loads. Biden currently leads the Electoral College 290 to 214, and the popular vote 79.2m to Trump’s 73.4m.
CLAIM: Trump won the state of Pennsylvania
700,000 ballots were not allowed to be viewed in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh which means, based on our great Constitution, we win the State of Pennsylvania! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2020
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REALITY: We can’t say it better than Twitter did when it marked this tweet as misleading: “Official sources called this differently.”
CLAIM: ’Hundreds of thousands’ of people marched in Washington to support the president
Hundreds of thousands of people showing their support in D.C. They will not stand for a Rigged and Corrupt Election! https://t.co/tr35WKTKM8 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2020
REALITY: There are 20,000 people at most at the “Million MAGA March” in Washington on November 14, but that didn’t stop the Trump team lying about crowd sizes (sound familiar?)
The president wasn’t the worst offender however – White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed there were “more than one MILLION”.
AMAZING!
More than one MILLION marchers for President @realDonaldTrump descend on the swamp in support.
Best base in political history — we LOVE you guys!!! ❤🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vU65nqCSns — Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) November 14, 2020
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CLAIM: There were more votes than registered people in Wayne County, Michigan
Well, it’s really quite simple. You just can’t have more votes than people! https://t.co/kVtop3WsLp — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2020
REALITY: This is false. Two Republican officials in Wayne County initially refused to certify results based on claims that were unfounded, but have since U-turned and certified Biden’s victory.
One of them, Monica Palmer, had said poll books in certain precincts in Detroit were out of balance, the Associated Press reports.
But Jonathan Kinloch, a Democrat on the panel, said the discrepancies were the result of “human error” and called it “reckless and irresponsible” not to certify the results, and the panel eventually agreed after two judges found no evidence of wrongdoing at a Detroit convention centre.
There has been no evidence of widespread voting fraud in Michigan, or in any other state. Federal and state officials from both parties have declared the 2020 election safe and secure.
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CLAIM: Republican election observers were not allowed into rooms where votes were being counted
THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES. BAD THINGS HAPPENED WHICH OUR OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE SENT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER ASKED FOR THEM! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
REALITY: Trump has made this claim repeatedly, both on Twitter and in various remarks and statements since the weekend, and about locations in various states across the US. They are all false.
No election observers from either side have been barred from counting rooms and Democrats have not stopped Republican representatives from being able to observe the process.
He’s likely referring to social distancing measures that were in place at counts given the ongoing pandemic.
In Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign won a minor victory in court when a judge ruled the president’s representatives could get closer than Covid guidelines allowed to the election workers processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia.
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But even this was nonsensical, as they already had observers in the counting rooms. Trump’s lawyers admitted this in court when one said there were “a non-zero” number of observers there, as they bizarrely put it.
Additionally, counting in Philadelphia was being livestreamed for all to see.
People were screaming STOP THE COUNT & WE DEMAND TRANSPARENCY (As Legal Observers were refused admittance to count rooms)! https://t.co/CW1tivI45c — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
Trump also claimed his “campaign has been denied access to observe any counting in Detroit”, another false claim.
Absentee ballots were counted at a downtown convention centre, where some 134 counting boards were set up. Each party was allowed one poll watcher per board, said city clerk Janice Winfrey.
She said she was not aware of any Republican poll watchers being removed but noted some had been “very aggressive, trying to intimidate the poll workers and processors”.
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CLAIM: Votes were ‘illegally received’ after voting deadlines
Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states. As a separate matter, hundreds of thousands of Votes were illegally not allowed to be OBSERVED... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
REALITY: Again, a false claim with no evidence to back it up. Many states allow votes received in the mail after Election Day to be counted and it is not illegal.
In Pennsylvania, ballots received after 8pm on Election Day were only a fragment of the total vote count, AP reports. Across the state, counties reported receiving fewer than 8,000 in total after Tuesday out of nearly seven million cast.
Most of those ballots were sitting segregated waiting to be counted and were not included in vote totals when the result was called for Biden on Saturday, and officials were weeding out ballots that weren’t postmarked by November 3.
CLAIM: The Trump campaign is making ‘BIG PROGRESS’
WE ARE MAKING BIG PROGRESS. RESULTS START TO COME IN NEXT WEEK. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2020
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REALITY: This might seem like an odd thing to say given the election is over and Trump has lost, but that’s not to say he has given up hope of... well, completely undermining democracy.
The Trump campaign has launched a series of legal challenges in states where the vote took longer to count than normal due to the increase this election in mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic – Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania.
These lawsuits have taken various forms, including attempts to get judges to reject ballots containing mistakes, claims some ballots could not be read by scanning machines and even one in Arizona that claimed any ballot filled out with a Sharpie pen was illegitimate.
Aside from the minor victory in Pennsylvania mentioned above, none have so far been successful as they are either based on nonsense or backed up with no evidence.
CLAIM: Dead people voted for Joe Biden
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REALITY: There is no evidence to support it but false claims have been circulating widely on social media.
The AP contacted one of the people named in one such video. She was very much alive and had just beaten her husband at cribbage.
Experts told the AP that it is common for state voter rolls to include voters with birthdates that make them appear impossibly old, but these are usually explained by human error, software quirks or voter confidentiality issues.
In Pennsylvania, some active voters are listed with the birthdate “01/01/1800.” That date is used for “confidentiality reasons of the registered voters”, such as if they’re victims of domestic violence, according to a state website.
And sometimes people who appear to be voting while dead simply share a deceased person’s name and birthday, Roberts said.
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In fact, the only reported case involving someone trying to vote in the name of a dead person was a registered Republican and Trump supporter in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, arrested last month.
Robert R Lynn allegedly requested an absentee ballot for his mother, who died in 2015.
CLAIM: The election was ‘stolen’
“We believe these people are thieves. The big city machines are corrupt. This was a stolen election. Best pollster in Britain wrote this morning that this clearly was a stolen election, that it’s impossible to imagine that Biden outran Obama in some of these states. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2020
REALITY: Despite making a hell of a lot of noise claiming so, neither Trump nor any member of his team has provided any evidence the election was “stolen”.
There’s really nothing more to it than that.
There is, however, the mini-mystery of who the “best pollster in Britain” is – HuffPost UK is making some enquiries and will report back soon.
CLAIM: The US media shouldn’t declare the winner
Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be? We have all learned a lot in the last two weeks! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2020
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REALITY: Trump wasn’t complaining in 2016 when the “lamestream media” declared him winner – because that’s how the US electoral system works.
Due to the way the Electoral College works, the actual official vote isn’t tallied until December. No one wants to wait that long.
Enter the media, who have turned an unofficial role as announcer into a trusted and highly accurate (barring one notable exception) election day staple.
And as much as Trump would like to say otherwise, the calls are made purely based on the numbers and do not take into account political factors.
The gold standard has been set by the Associated Press, whose executive editor Sally Buzbee told The New York Times earlier this month: “If there’s no way for the trailing candidate to catch up, no legal way, no mathematical way, then the race is decided, essentially.
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“And if there is any uncertainty, or if there are enough votes out to change the result, then we don’t call the race.”
The AP called the race in Arizona for Biden, long before other networks, at 2.50am EST (5.50am GMT) on Wednesday. It said its analysis of ballots cast statewide concluded Trump could not catch up in the ballots left to be counted, and while the call initially proved controversial it has remained accurate with more than 99% of ballots now counted.
The AP has been calling elections since 1848, when Zachary Taylor became the 12th president of the United States.
CLAIM: The Pfizer vaccine announcement was withheld so Trump couldn’t claim credit
The @US_FDA and the Democrats didn’t want to have me get a Vaccine WIN, prior to the election, so instead it came out five days later – As I’ve said all along! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2020
REALITY: The company itself learned of the interim results on Sunday, and the FDA was not involved in Pfizer’s decision to announce its early results.
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Additionally, the Pfizer vaccine was not funded by Trump’s “Operation Warp Speed”, so he could not have claimed credit for it anyway.
CLAIM: The media ran ‘suppression polls’
The Fake Pollsters at @ABC/@washingtonpost produced a possibly illegal suppression Poll just before the Election showing me down 17 points in Wisconsin when, in fact, on Election Day, the race was even - & we are now preparing to win the state. Many such “deplorable” instances! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2020
REALITY: First of all, a “suppression poll” is a poll released ahead of an election with the aim of deterring a specific demographic from voting.
In the context in which Trump is using the term, he is alleging the media published polls showing Biden so far ahead that Trump voters wouldn’t bother showing up to vote, thinking their ballot wouldn’t make any difference.
It needs to be noted that there is an actual concern at the root of all this. As HuffPost’s polling editor Ariel Edwards-Levy, wrote this week: “In Wisconsin, for instance, where Biden eked out a tight win, final polls showed Biden up by an average of roughly 7 or 8 points.
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“In Texas, averages showed a tight race with Trump less than 2 points ahead, well below his actual margin of victory.”
But rather than a deliberate plot to bring down Trump, it looks more likely that polling methods are not as accurate as you’d hope. Edwards-Levy says that “nonresponse bias, in which certain groups simply don’t answer the phone” could be key.
She adds: “Polls are specifically missing a group of ‘low social trust’ voters who have little faith in the country’s civic institutions and who break heavily toward the GOP.”
It’s also worth noting that even if Trump were correct and suppression polls had been published, they had no effect – voters turned out in record numbers this election for both Trump and Biden.
CLAIM: A company that makes polling equipment is linked to Hillary Clinton and tried to rig the election
It attempted to alter our election and got caught? https://t.co/J8mcH4SpxG — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2020
REALITY: Dominion is the second-largest voting machine vendor in the US, and its equipment was used in several battleground states in the 2020 election.
Trump supporters became suspicious of the company after Michigan’s Antrim County initially reported a landslide win for Joe Biden which turned out to be wrong – Trump actually won a majority of votes in that county.
The mistake was due to human error, not Dominion’s equipment, but this has not stopped false rumours of the company’s links to Democrats and interference in the election to circulate.
Dominion did donate between $25,001 and $50,000 to the Clinton Foundation in 2014, according to reporting by the Washington Post, but its lobbyists have also donated to Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell.
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CLAIM: The election apparatus in Georgia is run by Democrats
REALITY: This claim wasn’t made on Twitter but it deserves a special mention. The election apparatus in Georgia is not run by Democrats. It is overseen by a Republican, secretary of state Brad Raffensperger.
CLAIM: 71,000,000 Legal Votes. The most EVER for a sitting President!
71,000,000 Legal Votes. The most EVER for a sitting President! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Lucille Bridges, Mother Of Activist Ruby Bridges, Dies At 86

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Lucille Bridges, the mother of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, who walked with her then-6-year-old daughter past crowds screaming racist slurs as she became the first Black student at her all-white New Orleans elementary school, has died at the age of 86.
On her Instagram account Tuesday evening, Ruby Bridges said, “Today our country lost a hero. Brave, progressive, a champion for change. She helped alter the course of so many lives by setting me out on my path as a six year old little girl. Our nation lost a Mother of the Civil Rights Movement today. And I lost my mom. I love you and am grateful for you. May you Rest In Peace.”
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Bridges gave birth to Ruby in Tylertown, Mississippi, in 1954 — the same year as the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, decision that ended racial segregation in schools.
Her daughter went on to become an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, memorialised in Norman Rockwell’s famous painting “The Problem We All Live With” which depicts a tiny Ruby in a white dress carrying her notebooks and a ruler surrounded by much taller US Marshals. But Ruby Bridges once credited her parents as the forces behind her history-making achievement.
“My parents are the real heroes,” the US Marshals Service once quoted her as saying during a ceremony at an art gallery showing the painting. “They (sent me to that public school) because they felt it was the right thing to do.”
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Mayor LaToya Cantrell recognised Lucille Bridges’ contributions in a statement Tuesday night.
“Today we mourn the loss of one of the mothers of the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans with the passing of Lucille Bridges — mother of five, including Ruby Bridges,” Cantrell said. “May she rest in God’s perfect peace.”
Cantrell said Ruby’s father, Abon Bridges, was initially reluctant to send his daughter to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School as a first-grader in 1960, at the request of the NAACP. But his wife insisted. According to the National Women’s History Museum, Lucille Bridges wanted her daughter to have the education she never had. She walked her daughter to school every day, the museum said.
“Lucille’s strength was unbounded during this period,” Cantrell said, adding: “Lucille insisted, seeing the action as an opportunity to help all Black children, and walked Ruby, with federal marshals, past chanting and taunting white protesters and to the schoolhouse. Mother and daughter both revealed their character and courage.”
Lucille Bridges, whose family endured death threats and racial hatred as Ruby Bridges, her daughter, was the first black child to attend an all-white school in1960 New Orleans. Youtube
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Bridges, too, endured hardship as she pushed for her daughter to receive an equal education, WGNO-TV reported.
The news outlet said Bridges was born to sharecroppers in Mississippi and did not finish an elementary school education. But she was determined for her daughter to pursue the same opportunities that her white peers received.
The Bridges eventually moved to New Orleans in search of better work and education opportunities for their family, according to the National Women’s History Museum. Abon Bridges died in 1978.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Why Are You So Obsessed With Joe Biden And Brexit?

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Of course, it’s all about us. Rather than agonising over what the US election might mean for the climate crisis, for relations with China, or for the future of the world trading system, we are obsessed by what its implications are for Brexit.
Which is weird. But all the more so when you realise that the answer is “not that much at all”.
Think about it. The idea that the government is going to fundamentally change its approach to Brexit and strive harder to agree a deal on the future relationship because of the election of Joe Biden rests on some rather shaky assumptions.
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First, that, had Trump won, he would somehow have helped us following a no-deal outcome. Certainly, the incumbent would have been happy to see the UK and its European partners at loggerheads, as they certainly would be if the Brexit negotiations broke down.
US President-elect Joe Biden ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images
Yet, experience suggests he was as likely to see our resulting isolation as an opportunity to pressure us to make compromises – on China, on trade terms, on whatever – than to extend a helping hand to dig Boris Johnson out of a hole.
Second, the assumption that Biden changes everything flies in the face of the fact that, well before the vote in the US, the British government had made it clear that, whatever its ‘Trump-lite’ rhetoric domestically, it intended to carve out a niche for itself internationally as a defender of liberal internationalism.
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On Russia, Iran, and the Paris climate agreement, the British government took issue with the approach of the man in the White House.
Third, the notion that Johnson was willing to risk a no-deal outcome because of a desire to cuddle up to Trump thereafter ignores the sheer unpopularity of the latter with the British people.
By October 2020, 58% of respondents thought Trump had been “a terrible president”, with the figure for “good” and “great” combined standing at 11%. For a government as sensitive to public opinion as ours, the idea of basing a strategy on the (unfounded) assumption that we could cosy up to a deeply unpopular president makes little sense.
Then, there are the facts. Assuming the government is interested in the fate of the British economy, the forecasts paint a pretty clear picture. According to our own work at the UK in a Changing Europe, if we accept (as most economists do) that restrictions on trade affect productivity, the kind of deal currently being negotiated would result in a permanent drop in per capita income to the tune of -6.4% over the long run. The equivalent figure for a no-deal outcome would be -8.1%. Even assuming President Trump would have agreed to an ambitious trade deal following no-deal, the forecast gains would be trivial in comparison – 0.07-0.16% of GDP in the long run, according to the government’s own figures.
This is not to say that there is no rationale for failing to reach an agreement. There are those within the UK government sufficiently committed to “taking back control” that they will not want to sign up to any agreement that involves commitments on regulatory standards or subsidies.
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For them, the political imperative of sovereignty trumps (apologies) economic considerations. Again, however, the position of the United States is of secondary importance, though the irritation of the Biden team over threats to resile on our obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement is real enough (though far from the only reputational consequences should the government follow through on them).
I’m not claiming for a moment that the identity of the US President is or should be absent from the calculations of the government. If nothing else, to the extent that Johnson oscillates between his more “Trumpist” and more “liberal” instincts, the election will provide a fillip to the latter.
That being said, if the argument that “it will annoy the US president” really is the clinching argument against a no-deal outcome in the corridors of Downing Street, one has to wonder either about the quality of advice the prime minister is getting, or about whether he has grasped the implications of that advice.
Consequently, I’m not convinced that events over the Pond will be a determining factor when it comes to what happens to Brexit. Or at least, for the sake of what faith I have in the UK government, I hope to God it won’t be.
Anand Menon is director of UK in Changing Europe, and professor of European politics and foreign affairs, King’s College London


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--BAME Communities Could Get Priority And Tailored Roll-Out Of Covid Vaccine, Health Chief Says

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Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities could get prioritisation for a Covid vaccine, the independent body in charge of its delivery has suggested.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said that while age was the overwhelming risk factor for the disease, it was “really, really important” to take into account racial disparities and associated health inequalities.
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Prof Lim said that BAME communities would benefit not just from being put on the priority list but also from a tailored roll-out of the vaccination programme with local leaders best able to help encourage take-up.
His comments come after questions were raised about why people from BAME backgrounds are not mentioned in the government’s priority list for a vaccine – despite the health secretary saying they could be among “the first” way back in June.
“[The question] About prioritisation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, that’s really, really important,” Lim said.
“We know that there has been a disproportionate representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups for severe Covid disease, and the underlying factors behind that association are complex, and they are multiple.”
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Lim’s remarks came at the first of a series of regular scientific briefings organised by Downing Street to update the public on progress in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam and Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, stressed that the accelerated programme for approval of any vaccine would not put safety at risk.
Normal approval systems can take many years but the UK government along with other countries has decided to speed up its systems to allow the possible go-ahead of a vaccine within months.
A Pfizer vaccine was this week shown to have 90% effectiveness, and other rival vaccines such as one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University, are expected to report trial results soon.
Van-Tam, who revealed he was willing to work some evenings and weekends to administer the jab to patients, said that the system had to focus on getting pensioners ready to receive it.
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Lim said that the first phase of the vaccination scheme was designed to protect “over 99%” of those most at risk of dying from the virus, with care home residents and staff first in line, followed by those over 60.
But he also said that adults with an underlying health condition would then be prioritised before over-50s were vaccinated in the first phase of the programme. Younger people and possibly those at risk of long-Covid would get the vaccine in its next stage.
Prof Wei Shen Lim HuffPost UK
Asked directly about BAME groups, Lim said their risk factors were extensive and varied and “include social factors and societal factors”.
“Some of which for example are occupations. We know there are more Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups represented in health care, and in social care, for instance.
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“There are differences in the amount of health conditions that some groups have, there are differences in terms of how big households are, whether they’re multi-generational households or not, there are differences in access to health care.
“Lots of these social and societal factors also describe health inequalities. And one of the opportunities we should take with this vaccination programme is to try and mitigate these health inequalities.
“That’s done, not simply by prioritisation, but by tailoring our implementation in such a way that every patient group or people who are able to have access to vaccines to their best advantage.”
Lim went on to say that local BAME community leaders would play a key role.
“That may mean, we have a special implementation programme delivered by local community leaders who understand your communities, can engage communities, can communicate in the correct way.
“And make sure that nobody has poor access to vaccines, perhaps by having flexible modes of delivery. But all of these processes in terms of implementation help reduce health inequalities which is by far, the real important point that has been raised by the Covid pandemic.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Amanda Holden Proves Why She'd Be The Perfect I'm A Celebrity Contestant With Cockroach Challenge

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I’m A Celebrity might have already announced its line-up for 2020, but we think there should be a last-minute addition.
Enter Amanda Holden.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge has proved she’d be an excellent campmate after undertaking a Bushtucker Trial-style challenge for her Heart Breakfast radio show.
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Amanda Holden did her own Bushtucker Trial on Heart Radio Heart
A screaming Amanda had a hard time putting her hand in a box of cockroaches in a video Heart shared on its Twitter page on Wednesday, and now we immediately need to see her do more.
Let’s just say, Mandy doesn’t exactly stay keep her cool...
Can @AmandaHolden stay calm with her hand in a box of creepy crawlies?! 😱 🐜🙈
We strap a heart monitor to her to find out 😬@JamieTheakston | https://t.co/rvjFrbUE6D pic.twitter.com/rqamEephx6 — Heart (@thisisheart) November 11, 2020
Amanda admitted she was a “screamer” as she shared the video on Twitter, while she added on Instagram: “This is why I will only watch but never do @imacelebrity.”
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However, Amanda has previously said she would do I’m A Celebrity on one very important condition.
“If Ant and Dec announced it would be their last ever series, then I think they’d get to choose who is in it, and we’d all have to do it,” she told The Sun.
“But I can’t see their show ever ending, so I’m safe. But it’s my favourite reality show to watch.”
ITV bosses are currently gearing up for the 20th series of I’m A Celebrity, which moved from its usual home in the Australian jungle to a remote castle in Wales due to the pandemic.
This year's I'm A Celebrity line-up ITV
The 10 celebrities taking part in the show have now been announced, and are currently in isolation prior to entering the castle later this week.
I’m A Celebrity kicks off on Sunday at 9pm on ITV, while Heart Breakfast airs weekdays from 6.30-10am.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Share It Widely. Valved Face Masks Are Bad News.

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For months, health experts have been warning against the use of valved masks in the UK – but they’re still sold in shops and pharmacies.
This might be about to change however, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its guidance on wearing face masks, stating: “Exhalation valves are discouraged because they bypass the filtration function of the fabric mask rendering it unserviceable for source control.”
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Such masks are problematic because the valve part can act as an exhaust pipe for the wearer’s breath, propelling it into the surrounding air. And here lies the problem, because the whole point of wearing a mask is to protect those around you. But a valved mask essentially does the opposite.
Matthew Staymates, a mechanical engineer and fluid dynamicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has been studying different mask types to determine which are the most effective at reducing disease transmission.
The exhalation valves on N95 masks are designed to improve user comfort by reducing filtration resistance during exhalation – making the mask more breathable. But this comfort may come at a high price if it harms other people’s health.
The valve is “basically a little flap that opens up when exhaling, which lets air out without being filtered through the mask material,” Staymates said. “I was able to visually show how this exhalation valve operates and compared it to an N95 that doesn’t have this valve.”
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Matthew Staymates / AIP Still images extracted from video footage of a mannequin exhaling with an exhalation valve (left), no exhalation valve (centre), and no mask (right).
Staymates looked at the basic flow dynamics of N95 masks with or without exhalation valves, using schlieren imaging – which visualises fluid flow away from the surface of an object – and light scattering.
His research concluded that N95 masks with an exhalation valve are not appropriate masks for filtering out respiratory droplets, whereas N95 masks without valves are effective at blocking most droplets from penetrating through the mask material.
Matthew Staymates / AIP Schlieren images of an adult male exhaling in an N95 respirator with an exhalation valve (left) and without an exhalation valve (right).
“Our current understanding is that Covid-19 is transmitted in part via respiratory droplets, so N95s with valves are not good for source control during this pandemic,” he said.
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“My hope is that this work will help inform a large audience that valves on a mask are not helpful as we fight this global pandemic together.”
N95 masks are considered the crème de la crème of face masks, so if the valves on those aren’t particularly good at keeping a person’s germs in, it doesn’t hold much hope for any knock-off versions available on the high street.
Earlier on in the year, a video shared on the UK prime minister’s Twitter account came under fire for promoting the use of valved masks.
The animated video explained that mask-wearing would be made mandatory in England. Halfway through, an animated man was seen wearing a face mask which appeared to have a valve on it. The caption read: “By wearing a face covering, you are protecting others and slowing the spread of the virus.”
Not long after the chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, was spotted wearing a valved mask in a public appearance, sparking criticism.
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Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, an expert in primary care at University of Oxford, told HuffPost UK at the time that “some masks have a valve that isn’t as dangerous as most valves, but it’s still a very dumb thing for a politician to wear a valved mask because it gives the message that valved masks, in general, are a good thing.”
“They’re not,” she added, “they’re a bad thing.” So bad in fact that quite early on in the pandemic, masks with valves were banned in some US cities and counties.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--First Dates Announces New Spin-Off For Teenagers Looking For Love

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Channel 4 has announced details of a brand new First Dates spin-off, which will really live up to its name by having teenagers on the show for the first time.
First Dates: Teens will see hopefuls between the ages of 16 and 19 dining out at one of the dating show’s new locations in Manchester, on what’s been billed as their “first, first dates”.
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A press release announcing the new series said it will give its young stars the opportunity to “put their phones in their pocket, escape from the pressures of social media and talk face-to-face with a potential match”.
Channel 4 has also insisted that all of the dates featured on the show will have been “conducted in compliance with strict Covid-19 filming protocols and the most up to date government guidelines”.
First Dates’ resident maitre d’ Fred Sirieix will, of course, also be back for the teen spin-off, which will air on E4 in 2021.
Fred Sirieix will be back for the new incarnation of First Dates Channel 4
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“We’re very excited to be opening the doors of our brand-new restaurant in Manchester to a clientele we’ve not served before – teens!” Fred explained. “We’ll be creating a warm and welcoming space for them to meet new people and hopefully make a connection.
“Most importantly, we will be looking after them like our own and will provide a space where they can just be themselves without any distractions from the outside world, or their phones! It’s going to be so much fun and I can’t wait to get started!”
First Dates first burst onto our screens in 2013, and has since ran for a total of 15 series, as well as Valentine’s, Christmas and celebrity specials.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Eric Trump’s Latest Attempt To Question The US Election Goes Awry

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Eric Trump on Tuesday appeared to continue to deny the 2020 election defeat of his father when he shared this image on Twitter:
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People interpreted the graphic as suggesting outgoing President Donald Trump would somehow ultimately end up victorious against President-elect Joe Biden.
The president has so far refused to concede the election and has made baseless allegations of mass voter fraud. He’s stalled the transition process, accused Democrats of rigging the vote and in the early hours of last Wednesday, with millions of ballots still left to count, even made a false declaration of victory.
Eric Trump and his brother, Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, have assisted their father in spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation about the election in a desperate effort to throw the result into question.
Last week, Eric Trump was busted for tweeting a fake video that purported to show ballots for his father being burned. He has also conspiratorially tweeted that “people know exactly what is going on in this country.” Earlier Tuesday, Eric Trump was widely mocked on Twitter for urging people to vote – one week late.
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Eric Trump shared the graphic without comment.
But critics on Twitter had plenty to say:
This is what happens when people who don't understand facts or data try to make graphs. — Stop the Orange Coup (@inimitablejkc) November 11, 2020
You are here pic.twitter.com/30whF9uWoz — chiyo nukaga (@chiyonukaga) November 11, 2020
The red line is the Covid curve. — Leslie - 71 to 46. 🇺🇲 (@Leslieoo7) November 10, 2020
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If this supposedly represents votes how the fuck does the line go down Eric? Explain https://t.co/8gkBlNUnCx — Ryan Whorton (@RealRyanWhorton) November 10, 2020
Oxford Circus? — Stephen Monks (@StephenMonks1) November 11, 2020
Eric you lost — Casey Stanton (@CaseyStanton) November 10, 2020
Is this the map to the Four Seasons? https://t.co/0ADD9bW7uJ — Abe Pakatawhainu (@TopHatOrTrilby) November 11, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--21 Great Statues Of Women Who Don't Have Their Fannies Out

JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images
It took a decade of campaigning, but the “mother of feminism” Mary Wollstonecraft has finally been immortalised with a statue. And she’s butt naked.
The work, by Maggi Hambling, was designed to celebrate the writer and human rights advocate while also representing “everywoman”, the artist says. It was unveiled in Newington Green, London, on Tuesday, close to where Wollstonecraft lived and worked. But it’s quickly gained criticism.
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Novelist Jojo Moyes was among those who pointed out “you don’t see a lot of statues commemorating male political figures without their pants on”, while writer and researcher Caroline Criado Perez, author of Invisible Women, called the statue “disrespectful to Wollstonecraft herself”.
Hambling’s justification for the design also seems to have missed the mark. The artist claims Wollstonecraft “has to be naked because clothes define people.”
“We all know that clothes are limiting and she is everywoman,” she added. “As far as I know, she’s more or less the shape we’d all like to be.”
The campaigners who called for the statue claim more than 90% of London’s monuments celebrate men, and many on Twitter have lamented the “missed opportunity” to finally get something right.
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But elsewhere in the UK and globally, there are empowering statues of women, who (shock horror) are clothed, proving just how easily it can be done. Writer and journalist Caitlin Moran has been busy retweeting images of them. Here are just some of our favourite sculptures that sidestep any fanny-flashing.
Maureen McLean/Shutterstock
This statue in memory of Crimean war nurse Mary Seacole stands proudly outside Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Hospital, in Westminster, London. It was highlighted on Twitter by Sally Clayden (and others).
David Mbiyu/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
This sculpture of Joan Littlewood, theatre director at the Theatre Royal between 1914-2002, brings joy to passers by at Stratford East, London. It was highlighted by @AtticDings on Twitter.
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PA
No round up would be complete without this sculptor of Emmeline Pankhurst by Hazel Reeves. She’s joined in the photo above by Helen Pankhurst, Emmeline’s great granddaughter, in St Peter’s Square in Manchester.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Millicent Fawcett is another suffragette leader to have (eventually) been honoured in stone. Gillian Wearing’s statue was unveiled in London’s Parliament Square in 2018 after a campaign and petition led by Caroline Criado Perez, and was, remarkably, the square’s first statue made by, and of, a woman.
High Level/Shutterstock
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We also adore Wearing’s “A Real Birmingham Family”, which was erected outside the Central Library, Centenary Square, Birmingham. The statue is based on two real sisters and their children – thanks to Sarah Hamstera for sharing it.
Harry Lloyd-Evans/Shutterstock
This statue, titled ‘A surge of Power (Jen Reid) 2020’ by artist Marc Quinn, was put up on the empty plinth of the toppled statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston, which was pulled down during a Black Lives Matter protest. Quinn’s statue, was also removed for being “illegally erected”, but its short life in Bristol was powerful (if controversial – being made by a white man). Thanks to Hattie French for highlighting it.
Here are some of the other empowering artworks shared:
And Bessie Braddock in Liverpool pic.twitter.com/n0dLQ52xzV — Miftin (@Miftin81) November 10, 2020
@caitlinmoran I’m afraid the dog is mostly naked and proudly so, but People Like Us in Cardiff Bay is joyous and must be one of the few black women immortalised across the UK, though we are all looking forward to the new Betty Campbell due soon. pic.twitter.com/1Mx1GvYsjK — Cathy Owens (@cathy_owens) November 10, 2020
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Don’t forget the totally bad ass Ángeles Rodríguez Hidalgo statue in Madrid. pic.twitter.com/yQSYAEtaVW — 🄲🄰🄴🅂🄰🅁 🄵🄻🅄🄽🄺 (@Caesar_Flunk) November 10, 2020
@caitlinmoran This is the Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker in Belfast. https://t.co/wmYulbf70y pic.twitter.com/4Wny0uOVxH — Gary Hall (@Garybo1977) November 10, 2020
@caitlinmoran just a woman in Blackburn, trying to get her shopping done with a small child in tow, clothed. #Wollstonecraft pic.twitter.com/Prn9FKxFsV — pip haworth (@pipkok) November 10, 2020
The great (and late) Swedish actress Margaretha Krook Standing on the corner of her workplace of +40 years, The Royal Dramaten in Stockholm. This spot was her favourite to sneak out to, having a fag, gazing over the water. The statue is heated by electricity to body temperature❤ pic.twitter.com/n08JPBEtK8 — Lina (@linafarggren) November 10, 2020
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A couple from Scotland... pic.twitter.com/JMRWF6U43u — Jill Stevenson (@JillSte30653970) November 10, 2020
👍wartime heroines here in Staffordshire pic.twitter.com/aQ9mdn4As1 — Louise Fisher (@LouiseFishe) November 10, 2020
.@caitlinmoran Angelina Eberly, savior of the Texas archives, "whose vigilance and short temper preserved Austin as the capital of Texas." https://t.co/k5oXoOVvfD pic.twitter.com/sW6btV7UB2 — Jenny Johnson (@jennyj1j) November 10, 2020
Pretty sure Minna Canth would have insisted on pockets. And this certainly suggests.... https://t.co/pKl02UCcoL pic.twitter.com/e51PIat4To — Kersantti Karoliina *Still into postponing death* (@finnbird) November 10, 2020
This lady took on neo-nazis with a practical bag, wearing a sensible coat. https://t.co/AFsDAcjpYS pic.twitter.com/9mQWDAEr75 — Bryony (@crow_184) November 10, 2020
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Charlotte Mary Yonge (clothed & reading) in Eastleigh, Hants. pic.twitter.com/Qu2koVsdh6 — Andy Walker (@Big_Mr_Walker) November 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Great British Bake Off's Axed Baker's Goodbye Letter Was Just As Moving As You'd Expect

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Warning! This article contains spoilers from the latest episode of The Great British Bake Off.
Former Great British Bake Off contestant Marc has penned an emotional letter following his elimination during Tuesday’s episode.
Marc was sent packing after his jelly art cake in this week’s Showstopper Challenge was compared to “concrete” by judge Paul Hollywood.
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After his exit aired, an open letter from Marc was shared on the official Bake Off Twitter account, in which he described taking part in the Channel 4 show as “the most crazy, intense, wonderful, once in a lifetime experience”.
Marc was axed from The Great British Bake Off Channel 4
He wrote: “I feel honoured to be part of this year’s Great British Bake Off! The bond and friendships made this year are extra special as we were living, baking and socialising 24/7.”
Marc also said that being able to share the “bonkers experience” with his daughters and dog Hamish, who also moved into the Bake Off bubble at Down Hall hotel during filming, had “just made it one of the most memorable periods of my life”.
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He added: “A massive thank you to Love Productions, the amazing camera and sound crew, the food team, the runners, the Down Hall staff for making us so welcome. Love you all – Marc :).”
“Just the most crazy, intense, wonderful, once in a lifetime experience”
Here’s a letter from marvellous Marc to all you Bake Off fans. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/WtLOLS5Bgk — British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 10, 2020
Dessert Week saw the bakers creating canapé-sized cheesecakes, while Prue Leith tasked them with a Technical Challenge that took them back to the 18th century – and it’s fair to say the Sussex Pond Puddings prompted some strong reactions on Twitter.
Meanwhile, it was Hermine who was crowned Star Baker for the second week running.
Following Marc’s elimination, four contestants are now left in the running to be crowned this year’s Bake Off champion, with next week marking the semi-final of the competition.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Hoarding Is All Too Familiar To Second Generation Brits. Here's Why

When we first saw supermarket shelves stripped bare during the pandemic, think-pieces began to pick at the edges at of our panic-buying. “In uncertain times, it’s nice to feel like you have control over something,” suggested The Insider. “You know if the worst comes to the worst, you can feed your family.”
If the sudden ‘unknown’ of coronavirus triggered such widespread behaviour, what about the impact of unrelenting uncertainty?
Namale Dembele, 26, a second generation Ivorian, has seen her parents’ constant unease, navigating life and work in London while awaiting legal documentation. “When they first came here, they didn’t have papers so when police cars went by, they would always worry it was for them,” says Dembele.
From a prudence to prepare emerged a sort of economical hibernation. “If there’s two or three of something, there will be a time when it could come in useful to us. They just saw that as being a little more secure.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Stephen Colbert Shows How Quickly His Celebration Turned To Rage

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US talk show host Stephen Colbert’s elation over Joe Biden’s victory against Donald Trump quickly took a dark turn on Tuesday.
“Yesterday, I was pouring champagne to toast the new administration,” Stephen Colbert said, the champagne bottle next to him. “And today...”
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Then, he broke the bottle and held it up menacingly, declaring: “I will cut you if you come near me because there’s some crazy [redacted] going on out there!”:
The reason for his anger? Trump’s relentless attempts to use lawsuits to overturn the election results.
Colbert also noted that Attorney General Bill Barr had ordered prosecutors to investigate claims of voter fraud on Trump’s behalf around the nation, despite no evidence.
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“Now the DOJ is just chasing down urban legends that get passed around the Internet. Get ready for their new task force to catch the Slender Man,” Colbert said. “Hot tip: He’s married to Ivanka.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Sky News Presenter Adam Boulton Loses Patience With Trump Supporter

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Sky News reporter Adam Boulton lost patience with a Republican strategist during a live interview in which he repeatedly debunked claims that Joe Biden had not won the election.
Live from Washington Boulton interviewed Erin Elmore, the executive director of anti-immigration, anti-globalist organisation USA Strong, who insisted that Biden could not yet be referred to as president-elect – a claim Boulton repeatedly questioned.
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Elmore replied: “Darling, I told you that he is not the president-elect of the United States, which he is not. He has not been certified by each state’s secretary of state and the Electoral College has not met yet.
“So if you want to be a proper Brit and be technical, those are the technicalities.”
It is common practice for a president-elect to be named as soon as the result of an election becomes clear, even without full confirmation from a secretary of state and before the meeting of the Electoral College, which doesn’t take place until early December.
Donald Trump was declared president-elect on election night itself back in November 2016, and Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton called him to concede just minutes after Trump passed the 270-vote threshold.
More than a week on from the election, and days after Biden’s win became clear, Trump has still refused to concede to Biden – a move the new president-elect has described as “an embarrassment”.
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During the interview with Elmore, Boulton highlighted that the result of the 2020 election had been recognised by some prominent Republicans already, including former president George W. Bush and four Republican senators.
He said: “Look, it’s not a question. I know technically he hasn’t been sworn in yet and the Electoral College hasn’t met, we all know that.
“But we also know that any previous candidate, other than Donald Trump, would have admitted that he’d lost and conceded by now.”
Unsurprisingly, Elmore didn’t agree – blaming the “mainstream media” and “big tech” for “gaslighting” the public and likening the current situation to an episode of Black Mirror.
“What you’re doing is encouraging people to indulge in baseless conspiracy theories,” Boulton replied.
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The interview continued on a similar note, with Elmore highlighting her legal credentials as a qualified attorney, continuing to argue that no victory for Biden could be declared until the technical electoral process had been completed.
While a number of social media users criticised Boulton as “aggressive”, he earned praise on Twitter for his no-nonsense approach.
Serious question: Am I viewing this completely wrong?
Many people are demolishing Adam Boulton for this interview.
Yes, he’s a bit aggressive. But wouldn’t you be?
She’s blatantly lying.
He’s not arguing his opinion.
He’s stating objective facts.pic.twitter.com/PKJLJbNiyw — Dr. Jennifer Cassidy (@OxfordDiplomat) November 10, 2020
Adam Boulton is a MOOD right now on @SkyNews — Katie Clark (@Katie_NQ) November 10, 2020
I am howling - kudos to Adam Boulton, we need more journalism like this in the U.K. pic.twitter.com/ub3zCuu4OX — Nadine Batchelor-Hunt (@nadinebh_) November 10, 2020
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It was announced on Saturday that Biden had surpassed the 270 electoral college votes needed to claim victory in the US election – a win that Trump has since repeatedly called into question with unfounded claims of electoral fraud.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Mads Mikkelsen Tipped To Replace Johnny Depp In Fantastic Beasts Film Series

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It looks like Warners Bros may have already found a replacement for Johnny Depp in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film.
Last week, it was confirmed that Johnny had stepped down the role of Grindelwald, a character first introduced in the Harry Potter book series, at the request of Warner Bros.
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“In light of recent events, I would like to make the following short statement,” he wrote.
“I wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts and I have respected that and agreed to that request.”
In their own statement, Warner Bros announced their intention to recast the role of Grindelwald, saying: “We thank Johnny for his work on the films to date.
“Fantastic Beasts 3 is currently in production, and the role of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. The film will debut in theatres worldwide in the summer of 2022.”
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Johnny Depp at the premiere of The Crimes Of Grindelwald Samir Hussein via Getty Images
Multiple US outlets, including Variety and Deadline, have now reported that Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is in talks to take over the role of Grindelwald in the third Fantastic Beasts film, for which Johnny had filmed just one scene before his exit from the franchise.
HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for both Mads Mikkelsen and Warner Bros for comment.
Mads Mikkelsen Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Mads’ past big-screen roles include playing James Bond villain Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and research scientist Galen Erso in the Star Wars spin-off Rogue One.
His other recent credits include the Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate, taking the lead in the TV series Hannibal and playing the “The Accountant” in Rihanna’s controversial Bitch Better Have My Money music video.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Britney Spears Refuses To Perform While Her Dad Still Controls Her Estate

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Britney Spears’ attorney has said the singer has refused to perform as long as her father is still in charge of her estate.
Since 2008, Britney’s affairs have been overseen by her dad, Jamie Spears, due to a conservatorship that was created after she went through a public breakdown.
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The chart-topping star has now requested that Jamie be removed as conservator of her estate, and a court heard on Tuesday that Britney will no longer perform while he is in charge.
During a hearing at a court in Los Angeles, Britney’s attorney Samuel D Ingham told the court the singer has a fraught relationship with her father, claiming she had told him “on many occasions” that she is “afraid” of Jamie Spears.
He also said the case is now at a crossroads, as Britney and her father have no “viable working relationship” and have not spoken to one another in a “long while”.
Britney Spears at a Grammys event in 2017 Lester Cohen via Getty Images
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Jamie’s attorney, Vivian Thoreen, dismissed this testimony, claiming the reason Jamie had not spoken to his daughter was because Britney’s attorney had asked him not to.
Thoreen also said it would be “extraordinary” to replace Jamie as Britney’s conservator, saying that under his guidance, the star’s estate has gone from being the subject of tens of millions of dollars of lawsuits to being worth $60 million (£45 million).
In court filings, Britney said she wanted private wealth management firm the Bessemer Trust appointed as “sole conservator”.
Judge Brenda Penny agreed to make the firm co-conservator of the case, but did not suspend Jamie from his role, saying she would hear that part of the case at a later date.
Britney’s mum, Lynne, agreed that her ex-husband should be replaced as head of the star’s estate.
Last year, the #FreeBritney movement – a campaign set up by a group of fans calling for the singer to be released from her conservatorship – garnered plenty of media attention.
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According to one Change.org petition set up by fans, which has gained more than 100,000 signatures, the conservatorship currently in place means Britney is not allowed to drive, hang out with friends, vote, or spend any of her money without gaining permission from her father.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Trump’s Like ‘Barricaded Subject’ In Hostage Situation, Says Ex-FBI Assistant Director

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Frank Figliuzzi, the FBI’s former assistant director for counterintelligence, praised President-elect Joe Biden for how he’s handling President Donald Trump, who has refused to concede and is filing legal actions to overturn the 2020 election results.
“We’re coming very close to having what the bureau calls a barricaded subject,” Figliuzzi said on MSNBC on Tuesday. “The barricaded subject is in the White House.”
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Biden, he said, is “right on the money” with how negotiators handle a barricaded subject initially.
“We saw a very calm Joe Biden today,” Figliuzzi said of the president-elect shrugging off many of Trump’s antics.
“That is exactly what you do in the initial stages,” he explained, adding that this involves letting the subject vent.
But eventually, he said, Biden will have to call the SWAT team.
That could be in the form of a legal challenge, or “it may be that US marshals have to come take the president out,” he said. “As we say to a barricaded subject, we can do this the hard way or we can do this the easy way.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--Trump's Mass Voter Fraud Conspiracies Could Get Somebody Killed

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Enabled by top Republicans, President Donald Trump and his campaign have made wild, unsubstantiated claims about mass voter fraud in the 2020 election that threaten to undermine American faith in the electoral process and representative democracy. They also may put lives at risk.
Current and former law enforcement officials told HuffPost that they’re worried conspiracy theorists will turn violent after latching onto ludicrous claims that election officials engaged in a massive criminal conspiracy to steal the election from Trump.
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There’s no truth to that notion. Not a single credible elections expert will tell you otherwise. Not even the Trump campaign has directly made allegations of mass fraud in court, instead mostly focusing on tangential and routine election complaints that likely won’t have any impact on the vote count in states like Pennsylvania, where President-elect Joe Biden leads by more than 45,000 votes ― surpassing the margin by which Trump carried it four years ago.
But Greg Brower, a former Republican-appointed US attorney and a former FBI official, told HuffPost he was concerned about the potential for extremist violence, and he was sure the FBI and other law enforcement officials were on the watch too. He said it was “stunning” that the president wouldn’t help dismiss conspiracy theories that had the potential to spark violence and would make the jobs of law enforcement more difficult.
“It’s been happening for four years now, but it’s still stunning to most of us, I think, that the president does absolutely nothing to try to tamp that down. In fact, he encourages it,” Brower said. “I know it’s very frustrating for law enforcement, but the president doesn’t appear to be willing yet to face the facts, encourage his followers to remain calm and accept the fact that he has lost, and move on.”
The FBI declined to comment.
A Trump supporter holds a sign outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia after Joe Biden was projected the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Nov. 7. BRYAN R. SMITH via Getty Images
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Law enforcement officials in areas where Trump has focused his bogus allegations are also on alert.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told HuffPost that he was pleased that armed militias didn’t end up hanging out at polling places on Election Day, but said his office ended up getting a lot of calls from individuals who had been taken in by social media disinformation that was unmoored from reality.
“We’re having a conversation with members of his base who believe that there is a satanic, pedophilic, sex ring running out of a pizza parlour,” Krasner said, referring to the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory that targeted a Washington, D.C., restaurant (and landed one conspiracy theorist in prison for firing a weapon in the restaurant). “I have trouble figuring out whether these people are actually part of an elaborate ‘Saturday Night Live’ routine, or if we should be terrified because they like AR-15s.”
The Threat Of Violence
There were widespread fears that the actual voting process last week could be under violent threat from right-wing groups. The threat did not materialise, but that doesn’t mean the danger is gone.
Mary McCord, the Justice Department’s former top national security official, said that with increased law enforcement attention, there have been fewer private, heavily armed vigilante groups on the streets after the election than there were in response to coronavirus-related restrictions and in response to racial justice protests. But conspiracy theories about stolen elections could certainly pose a real threat to the United States.
“There’s no question that the disinformation coming from the president and his surrogates about ballot fraud is fueling far-right groups in ways that present threats to public safety,” McCord said. “But more attention is being paid to them by federal, state and local law enforcement and that is having an impact.”
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Bill Fulton, a former FBI informant and an expert on right-wing domestic terrorism who works with state and federal governments, told HuffPost that domestic extremists were already poised to believe that Democrats are evil and could be pushed past their breaking point by the conspiracy theory ― endorsed by Trump ― that they were stealing the election.
“The latest round of conspiracy theories is just a continuation of the hell that the last four years has been if you work in a counter-domestic extremism capacity,” Fulton said. “This is nothing new, it’s just a little more dangerous now.”
“What we call it is walking them to the edge,” Fulton said. “You have the president of the United States taking these people to the edge, and the second that something happens he’s going to turn around and go, ‘Well, I didn’t tell them to do that.’ It gives him that plausible deniability, and that’s what’s scary.”
The longer this all goes on, Fulton said, the more dangerous it becomes. If people are kept at a heightened state, there’s a larger possibility that someone will snap. They might think it’s their patriotic duty to act.
“You can’t keep people on the edge for that long,” Fulton said. “A lot of these guys think that they’re like defending the United States. They think they’re patriots. That is powerful. Patriots go to war for their country all the time... When you start mixing that, you end up with really, really bad shit happening.”
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There’s plenty of incidents of Trump fans being inspired by his rhetoric and committing violence. Trump “super fan” Cesar Sayoc, who mailed poorly made explosive devices to Trump critics in 2018, is in federal prison. So are three Trump supporters from Kansas who plotting a terrorist attack on Muslims back in 2016 after the then-candidate demonised members of the religion. (Afterwards, the defendants tried to ask a judge for leniency because of Trump’s rhetoric, but the judge didn’t buy it.) A former Coast Guard lieutenant labelled a domestic terrorist by federal prosecutors was sentenced earlier this year after he reportedly compiled a hit list of journalists and Trump’s political enemies. There are plenty of other domestic extremists who echoed Trump’s rhetoric even without explicitly aligning themselves with him.
In Philadelphia, a heavily Democratic city where Trump nonetheless performed better in 2020 than he did in 2016, the impact of that increased polarisation and the explosive growth of conspiracy theories fueled by the president of the United States have already been felt. Elections officials in the city, as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, received death threats, and two armed men who reportedly believed in conspiracy theories about the vote count drove into the city in a Hummer slapped with stickers and hats referencing the QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that Trump is working to end a global child sex trafficking ring that is plotting against the US.
Two men were arrested after Philly police got a tip they were armed and making threats against the Philadelphia Convention Center, where votes are being counted. Police seized weapons and a Hummer with stickers on it promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory: https://t.co/zpZPNlZP5k pic.twitter.com/AHA9EsXUsb — NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) November 6, 2020
In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Proud Boys, white nationalists, QAnon believers and other extremists yelled “Stop the steal!” at a protest outside the state Capitol. A SUV with a Confederate bumper sticker drove around the Capitol with a “Make America Great Again” flag flying out the back, as pro-Trump protesters insisted that their mass voter fraud conspiracies were true.
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A Nonsensical, But Dangerous, Theory
The Trump campaign has offered no meaningful evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 elections, and it requires a series of massive logical leaps to even approach that conclusion. It would mean a disparate group of election officials in several different states — including Republicans, or those in states where the election process is controlled by Republicans — all coordinated to steal tens of thousands of votes, while still making sure Democrats lost almost every consequential House race and retained only a small chance to take the Senate.
Beyond what people may do with that information now, the long-term effects are likely to be disastrous.
David Iglesias, a former Republican-appointed US attorney, told HuffPost that Trump’s outrageous claims of mass voter fraud smell of “desperation.” But, as a broader group of Republican-appointed US attorneys warned, they “have the potential to undermine the rule of law.”
And it’s not just Trump — senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and house minority leader Kevin McCarthy have not disputed the president’s claims and repeated some of them.
“The longer that Leader McConnell and Leader McCarthy continue to echo the president’s baseless claims, the longer it’s going to take for Americans to accept the outcome and move on,” Brower said.
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Krasner, a Democrat and progressive prosecutor who has been targeted by Trump-appointed US attorney William McSwain, said he agreed with state representative Malcolm Kenyatta who said that Pennsylvania Republicans were “acting more like a cult than a caucus” after they refused to allow mail-in ballots to be counted before Election Day (which delayed the vote count in the commonwealth).
“It’s terrible. It’s incredibly cynical,” Krasner said. “You simultaneously have a Republican Party doing its level best to make sure votes get counted as slowly as possible, then you’ve got Trump hollering that any vote counted after midnight on Election Day don’t count. They knew what was going on. They knew he was going to do that. It’s kind of like a couple of kids raiding the cookie jar, it’s not even clever.”
Republican voters are already highly susceptible to false claims of mass voter fraud, which conservatives have been playing up for years as part of an effort to support voting restrictions that would disproportionately impact Democratic voters. There are, of course, instances of election fraud and very occasional efforts significant enough to impact local races that are decided by just a handful of ballots.
But Trump built his political career promoting the racist conspiracy theory that former President Barack Obama wasn’t a citizen. Now, without any evidence, he’s painting a picture of a much broader criminal conspiracy to steal tens of thousands of votes, an implausible criminal endeavour which would require the cooperation of members of both parties.
It’s worth pointing out how vast a criminal conspiracy would have to be to effect the election in the way Trump has suggested. It defies all logic.
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“It’s easy to identify and prosecute, but more fundamentally, virtually impossible to pull off,” Brower said. “In my experience as a prosecutor, it’s not possible for massive conspiracies like that to exist and be successful. It’s just too many people, it takes too much coordination. Fortunately, for us as law-abiding Americans, it’s just not possible.”
Moreover, Brower said, why would these theoretical criminal mastermind conspirators allow so many Democratic Senate candidates to lose? “It makes no sense,” Brower said.
As U.S. attorney in Nevada, Brower said, he set up a task force to look at voter fraud, but said history has shown that there’s almost never any significant incidents. Brower, who also served as an elected Republican in the Nevada legislature, said he can’t remember a serious discussion about the possibility that fraud impacted the outcome of any election, even close ones.
“There’s never really been any evidence of it in any substantial way,” Brower said. “You don’t hear Republicans complaining about fraud in any races where the Republican won, or any of the states in which President Trump won.”
The Trump campaign hasn’t actually made any substantive allegations of voter fraud in court, either. Brower said Trump’s legal team may eventually convince “some poor sap to swear out an affidavit that’s false” that could generate an investigation, but says it’ll almost certainly fall apart upon scrutiny. “It’s just really kind of pathetic,” he said.
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In Pennsylvania, the campaign is instead complaining about the distance at which Republican (and Democratic) election watchers stood during ballot counting and the fact that elections officials in Democratic-leaning counties in the commonwealth seemed to do a much better job helping voters who cast mail-in ballots than officials in Republican counties.
Vanita Gupta, the president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the former head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said that there’s no substance to the complaints brought forward by the Trump campaign, and that voters “overwhelmingly picked” Biden.
“This effort is about disruption, disinformation, sowing chaos and trying to undermine the legitimacy of Biden’s victory,” she said.
‘Insert Underpants Gnome’
All of the lawsuits that have been filed may help soothe Trump’s ego, but there’s almost no chance they’ll have an actual impact on the election. Justin Levitt, an election law expert, compared the Trump campaign’s post-election legal strategy to the business plan of the “underpants gnomes” in an old episode of “South Park,” in that the lawsuits don’t offer any path toward ultimately preventing Trump’s electoral college defeat. (Phase 1: Collect underpants. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit.)
“Some of these lawsuits are nonsense, and will lose. Some are legit on their own terms – modestly incremental access for observers ― and may win, but won’t change the result,” Levitt said.
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“The endgame may be fundraising or further delegitimisation of the process,” he said. “But supporters who believe that the current batch of litigation is going to affect the outcome are skipping some pretty important steps. [Insert underpants gnome.]”
Even some conservatives who have been warning about the threat of voter fraud for years have attempted to clamp down on the unsubstantiated claims of mass voter fraud.
J. Christian Adams, a right-wing former Justice Department official, told The Daily Signal that he’d received more than 20 emails asking for investigations of rumours that had been floating around online. When The Epoch Times ― a foreign-owned publication which The New York Times called “a leading purveyor of right-wing misinformation” ― wrote a story claiming that “10,000 Dead People Returned Mail-in Ballots in Michigan,” Adams wrote on Twitter that it was “100 percent NOT accurate.” Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation, who has been warning of voter fraud for years and has supported strict voter ID laws that would disproportionately impact Democratic voters, said there are “a lot of stories and rumours that turn out not to be true” and that it would be nearly impossible for tens of thousands of ballots to have gone to Biden without any votes going to Trump, as some have falsely claimed.
It wasn’t lost on Krasner that the man he called an “explicitly racist president” had targeted a city with a majority Black and brown population.
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“Their strategy was a racist strategy, and it played out in a way that they weren’t expecting,” Krasner said. “The people who turned out in those enormous numbers who swelled the numbers of Democrats and won the states, were Black and brown, and they were young.”
In other words, Philly doesn’t forget, and it loves a good rivalry.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-11--UK Set To Hit 50,000 Covid-19 Deaths, Months After Being Told 20,000 Would Be 'Good Result'

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The UK is set to surpass 50,000 Covid-19 deaths, little more than seven months after the nation was warned that 20,000 deaths would be “a good result”.
With the current death toll for people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test standing at 49,770, it is likely the country will pass the grim milestone today.
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On Tuesday the UK’s daily death toll was 532 – exceeding 500 in a single day for the first time since May.
Days after the entire UK went into the strictest nationwide lockdown in March, Stephen Powis, the medical director of National Health Service England, said a death toll lower than 20,000 would be “a good result”.
The UK will have done well if it comes through the coronavirus crisis with fewer than 20,000 deaths, a senior UK health official said https://t.co/9pyIr7bpAl pic.twitter.com/XieLaSmz35 — Reuters (@Reuters) March 28, 2020
Little more than seven months on, the nation’s death toll – as reported by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – stands at more than double that figure.
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When Powis made his comment during a Downing Street press conference on March 28, the UK had just surpassed 1,000 deaths in total.
The number of new confirmed cases that day stood at just 2,821, a sharp contrast to the 20,412 announced on Tuesday – although the introduction of widespread testing does mean that many more cases are now being identified than were in March.
The most widely-shared figure for the current UK death toll is one that focuses on the deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.
But if you look at the number of deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate but not within the 28-day timeframe, the current toll stands at 61,648.
Hospitalisations are still currently significantly lower than they were during the first wave of the virus. On November 5 – the most recent date we currently have data for – 13,070 people were in hospital with Covid-19, compared with 19,849 on April 12.
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The number of confirmed patients in mechanical ventilation beds also remains much lower than the April peak, with 1,200 patients recorded on November 6.