washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Brian Sims, Zulu king, to hold reign despite Mardi Gras 2021 parade cancellation

NEW ORLEANS — The Zulu king will have an unusually long reign , but he ’ s not exactly enjoying it .
In May 2019 , Brian Sims was elected king of the venerable New Orleans social club , or krewe , whose signature painted coconuts and muscular parade are internationally recognized symbols of Mardi Gras .
Mr. Sims presided over the Zulu spectacle in February .
Next year , however , New Orleans will have no parade thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ So many people look forward to seeing us , ” said a forlorn Mr. Sims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a huge disappointment to us and to that man who is out there at 5 a.m. with his barbecue grill and his family , waiting eagerly for us to come out.
” City officials this month canceled the 2021 New Orleans parades .
Mardi Gras 2020 was celebrated just a couple of months after the first human infections of the novel coronavirus were reported in Wuhan , China , and when many officials were encouraging Americans to congregate and celebrate major urban events .
Mardi Gras was denounced as a superspreader event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the hardest-hit states .
But New Orleans without Mardi Gras is like a tropical resort without a beach .
The impact on the city ’ s pocketbook will be huge , and residents will lose a vital thread in the fabric of the city ’ s life .
Zulu is watching the situation carefully and has refrained from telling its roughly 800-male members that the parade has been canceled , Mr. Sims said .
“ We don ’ t know exactly what happens yet as it pertains to Mardi Gras , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t formally announced yet that it ’ s really not going to happen.
” It is almost as difficult to picture New Orleans without Carnival as it is to picture Carnival without Zulu .
Professor Longhair ’ s music , with its looping ragtime-style piano riffs , is the recognized soundtrack to the Rabelaisian event , and he is explicit on this point in “ Go to the Mardi Gras.
” “ You know when you get to New Orleans / Somebody ’ ll show you the Zulu king , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already had hiccups .
Zulu ’ s parade route , which snakes from midtown down to St. Charles and the heart of the city and then wends its way over to the edge of Treme and the French Quarter , was altered this year because of a horrific construction accident .
In October 2018 , construction of the Hard Rock Hotel on St. Charles and Rampart Street collapsed .
The crumpled concrete structure , which imprisoned the remains of two workers for 10 months , still teetered over the block 16 months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ route .
That didn ’ t change the incredible jolt Mr. Sims experienced when he rode atop the first of the 30-odd floats that comprise Zulu ’ s parade .
He made the turn onto St. Charles , where a sea of humanity roared with excitement .
“ The howling and the screaming humbles you , ” he said .
“ I just thought of my past and all my years with Zulu and my mom and was amazed it had got to be monarch , to this level .
I ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years to come.
” Indeed , Mr. Sims , 49 , grew up with Zulu , whose clubhouse is on Broad Street and sat in several feet of water after the levees broke in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 .
His mother , who raised him alone , ran the lounge at Zulu .
Mr. Sims made money by painting coconuts for other members .
By the time Mr. Sims graduated from Warren Easton High School , his role models were all Zulu members .
The club includes many of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black community .
City Council member Roy Glapion Jr. , who died in 1999 , was one of his chief mentors .
“ The brotherhood took me in , ” Mr. Sims said .
“ It ’ s a melting pot of men .
There are also longshoremen and men who run market stalls .
It ’ s a genuine melting pot .
It really is a gumbo.
” Mr. Sims was made a member of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club .
At age 25 , he became the youngest “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history , which dates to 1909 .
Although many Mardi Gras krewes have complicated “ courts ” surrounding the annual king , the “ big shot ” is one of seven characters unique to Zulu .
His job , in addition to being the king ’ s gatekeeper , is “ to show up the king , ” Mr. Sims said .
“ You wear fancier clothes and hats , you throw your money around more , ” he said .
“ But you can ’ t get to the king without going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ active in the community year-round , Mr. Sims said , and most New Orleans ‘ krewes have nonprofit status with the IRS .
Zulu ’ s Toys for Tots program leads to a joyous giveaway event outside the Broad Street clubhouse , and amassing the thousands of toys is a year-round project , he said .
They also distributed food baskets during holidays .
Since Mr. Sims became a member , Zulu has launched a Junior Zulus program whose members offer the same sort of guidance and mentorship that older members gave him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozen Zulu aristocrats .
“ That ’ s another loss for us because we would have honored in the parade the members we lost , ” Mr. Sims said .
“ We lost a king .
It really is an internal and an external loss.
” “ Loss ” is rarely a word associated with a Zulu parade , which features thousands of costumed riders rolling through the city on double-decked floats , clad in grass skirts and usually in blackface , throwing beads , stuffed animals and the coveted coconuts .
Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of all sexes and races ride in the parade .
Now , however , all that is on hiatus .
Like so many other cities , New Orleans moves under a coronavirus cloud of lockdowns and rules that , even if fitfully followed , have ruined social events , big and small , that many residents long took for granted .
In a normal year , Zulu ’ s 525 charter members would have gathered on the third Sunday in May and elected a new king and new characters .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Sims said .
“ We bring voting machines , the actual machines , out onto Broad Street , and when they stand up on that porch banister and call your name and your friends are pouring champagne over your head , it ’ s all overwhelming.
” A regional sales manager for a large biotech company , Mr. Sims still savors that overwhelming moment .
But he wants a new man to experience it , too .
“ Zulu will be back , ” he said .
“ There was Katrina ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID , and we ’ ll come back .
”

THE BIG TALK
An occasional interview series with Americans who are challenging the status quo.
NEW ORLEANS — The Zulu king will have an unusually long reign, but he’s not exactly enjoying it.
In May 2019, Brian Sims was elected king of the venerable New Orleans social club, or krewe, whose signature painted coconuts and muscular parade are internationally recognized symbols of Mardi Gras.
Mr. Sims presided over the Zulu spectacle in February. Next year, however, New Orleans will have no parade thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So many people look forward to seeing us,” said a forlorn Mr. Sims. “It’s a letdown, a huge disappointment to us and to that man who is out there at 5 a.m. with his barbecue grill and his family, waiting eagerly for us to come out.”
City officials this month canceled the 2021 New Orleans parades. Mardi Gras 2020 was celebrated just a couple of months after the first human infections of the novel coronavirus were reported in Wuhan, China, and when many officials were encouraging Americans to congregate and celebrate major urban events.
Mardi Gras was denounced as a superspreader event when COVID-19 erupted nationwide and Louisiana became one of the hardest-hit states.
But New Orleans without Mardi Gras is like a tropical resort without a beach. The impact on the city’s pocketbook will be huge, and residents will lose a vital thread in the fabric of the city’s life.
Zulu is watching the situation carefully and has refrained from telling its roughly 800-male members that the parade has been canceled, Mr. Sims said.
“We don’t know exactly what happens yet as it pertains to Mardi Gras,” he said. “So we haven’t formally announced yet that it’s really not going to happen.”
It is almost as difficult to picture New Orleans without Carnival as it is to picture Carnival without Zulu. Professor Longhair’s music, with its looping ragtime-style piano riffs, is the recognized soundtrack to the Rabelaisian event, and he is explicit on this point in “Go to the Mardi Gras.”
“You know when you get to New Orleans / Somebody’ll show you the Zulu king,” he sings.
Mr. Sims’ reign has already had hiccups.
Zulu’s parade route, which snakes from midtown down to St. Charles and the heart of the city and then wends its way over to the edge of Treme and the French Quarter, was altered this year because of a horrific construction accident.
In October 2018, construction of the Hard Rock Hotel on St. Charles and Rampart Street collapsed. The crumpled concrete structure, which imprisoned the remains of two workers for 10 months, still teetered over the block 16 months later and forced Zulu to alter its route.
That didn’t change the incredible jolt Mr. Sims experienced when he rode atop the first of the 30-odd floats that comprise Zulu’s parade. He made the turn onto St. Charles, where a sea of humanity roared with excitement.
“The howling and the screaming humbles you,” he said. “I just thought of my past and all my years with Zulu and my mom and was amazed it had got to be monarch, to this level. I’ll ride this high for many, many years to come.”
Indeed, Mr. Sims, 49, grew up with Zulu, whose clubhouse is on Broad Street and sat in several feet of water after the levees broke in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
His mother, who raised him alone, ran the lounge at Zulu. Mr. Sims made money by painting coconuts for other members.
By the time Mr. Sims graduated from Warren Easton High School, his role models were all Zulu members. The club includes many of the most accomplished professionals in New Orleans’ Black community. City Council member Roy Glapion Jr., who died in 1999, was one of his chief mentors.
“The brotherhood took me in,” Mr. Sims said. “It’s a melting pot of men. There are also longshoremen and men who run market stalls. It’s a genuine melting pot. It really is a gumbo.”
Mr. Sims was made a member of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club. At age 25, he became the youngest “big shot” in Zulu’s history, which dates to 1909.
Although many Mardi Gras krewes have complicated “courts” surrounding the annual king, the “big shot” is one of seven characters unique to Zulu. His job, in addition to being the king’s gatekeeper, is “to show up the king,” Mr. Sims said.
“You wear fancier clothes and hats, you throw your money around more,” he said. “But you can’t get to the king without going through the big shot.”
Zulu is active in the community year-round, Mr. Sims said, and most New Orleans’ krewes have nonprofit status with the IRS. Zulu’s Toys for Tots program leads to a joyous giveaway event outside the Broad Street clubhouse, and amassing the thousands of toys is a year-round project, he said.
They also distributed food baskets during holidays. Since Mr. Sims became a member, Zulu has launched a Junior Zulus program whose members offer the same sort of guidance and mentorship that older members gave him.
COVID-19 has claimed more than a dozen Zulu aristocrats.
“That’s another loss for us because we would have honored in the parade the members we lost,” Mr. Sims said. “We lost a king. It really is an internal and an external loss.”
“Loss” is rarely a word associated with a Zulu parade, which features thousands of costumed riders rolling through the city on double-decked floats, clad in grass skirts and usually in blackface, throwing beads, stuffed animals and the coveted coconuts. Although club members are all Black men, people of all sexes and races ride in the parade.
Now, however, all that is on hiatus. Like so many other cities, New Orleans moves under a coronavirus cloud of lockdowns and rules that, even if fitfully followed, have ruined social events, big and small, that many residents long took for granted.
In a normal year, Zulu’s 525 charter members would have gathered on the third Sunday in May and elected a new king and new characters.
“That’s an amazing moment,” Mr. Sims said. “We bring voting machines, the actual machines, out onto Broad Street, and when they stand up on that porch banister and call your name and your friends are pouring champagne over your head, it’s all overwhelming.”
A regional sales manager for a large biotech company, Mr. Sims still savors that overwhelming moment. But he wants a new man to experience it, too.
“Zulu will be back,” he said. “There was Katrina; we came back. Now there is COVID, and we’ll come back.”
• James Varney can be reached at jvarney@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--49ers blindsided by county rules that make them homeless

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said the team was blindsided by new coronavirus regulations put in place by Santa Clara County officials that will force the 49ers to find a temporary new home for practice and games .
The county announced the new rules Saturday that include a three-week ban on practices and games for contact sports starting Monday .
The Niners were on a plane getting ready to travel to Los Angeles where they beat the Rams 23-20 on Sunday when the players and coaches heard about the new rules that will force the team out of its homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with them as a partner , just trying to figure it out , ” Shanahan said .
“ For us to be heading out here yesterday and the relationship we have with them , for all of our players and coaches and everyone on that plane and our wives to find that out while we ’ re getting on a plane and no one to tell us .
It was just extremely disappointing.
” Along with banning contact sports , the new rules also require anyone who has traveled more than 150 miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days .
The 49ers were set to return from the trip Sunday night just hours before the rules go into effect .
The 49ers will now need to find a new place to practice and to play games .
They have two home games scheduled during this three-week stretch : Dec. 7 against Buffalo and Dec. 13 against Washington .
While there are options outside Santa Clara in the Bay Area , including the Raiders ’ old home at Oakland Coliseum , it appears more likely that the team will play its home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this market .
The Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys have no home games scheduled on the same day as Niners home games the rest of the season .
“ They made that decision and we ’ ve got to deal with it , ” Shanahan said .
“ But to find that out through a tweet or a press conference where I have an entire plane coming up to me , I have all wives , everyone ’ s girlfriends , everyone ’ s family members , kids , saying that what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be gone for the entire month of December ?
Are we going to be quarantined for 14 days when we get back ?
That ’ s all we could talk about for the last 18 hours because we got no answers from them .
I was just very disappointed.
” The Niners have a few days to finalize their decision .
With their next game not until a week from Monday , the team won ’ t start practicing until Thursday .
“ We ’ ll see what the future holds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s tough for us but it ’ s more tough for the families .
We ’ ll see what happens .
We ’ ll adjust and we ’ ll be ready.
” The rules also will impact the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and college teams at Stanford and San Jose State .
Stanford and San Jose State also have several sports in season .
The Cardinal have one scheduled home football game left on Dec. 12 against Oregon State and will need to find a place to practice out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spartans have home football games on Dec. 5 against Hawaii and Dec. 11 against Nevada .
San Jose State practiced before the season a few hundred miles away at Humboldt State because of restrictions in Santa Clara County .
San Jose State officials planned to meet with county officials on Sunday to get more details and then will formulate a plan .
“ We are in a fluid situation with our football and basketball teams since their seasons are in progress , ” athletic director Marie Tuite said .
“ We will make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where our contests are being played in conjunction with university administration and the Mountain West.
” Stanford ’ s second-ranked women ’ s basketball team will not play its scheduled home game Monday against San Diego .
The team is looking for a place to practice .
The NHL hasn ’ t announced a date for the start of training camp but the Sharks have said they would look into alternate sites if needed .
Several Sharks players have been holding informal workouts at the team facility in small groups .

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said the team was blindsided by new coronavirus regulations put in place by Santa Clara County officials that will force the 49ers to find a temporary new home for practice and games.
The county announced the new rules Saturday that include a three-week ban on practices and games for contact sports starting Monday. The Niners were on a plane getting ready to travel to Los Angeles where they beat the Rams 23-20 on Sunday when the players and coaches heard about the new rules that will force the team out of its homes.
“We’ve been working with them as a partner, just trying to figure it out,” Shanahan said. “For us to be heading out here yesterday and the relationship we have with them, for all of our players and coaches and everyone on that plane and our wives to find that out while we’re getting on a plane and no one to tell us. It was just extremely disappointing.”
A county spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Along with banning contact sports, the new rules also require anyone who has traveled more than 150 miles from the county to quarantine for 14 days. The 49ers were set to return from the trip Sunday night just hours before the rules go into effect.
The 49ers will now need to find a new place to practice and to play games. They have two home games scheduled during this three-week stretch: Dec. 7 against Buffalo and Dec. 13 against Washington.
While there are options outside Santa Clara in the Bay Area, including the Raiders’ old home at Oakland Coliseum, it appears more likely that the team will play its home games at an existing NFL stadium out of this market. The Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys have no home games scheduled on the same day as Niners home games the rest of the season.
“They made that decision and we’ve got to deal with it,” Shanahan said. “But to find that out through a tweet or a press conference where I have an entire plane coming up to me, I have all wives, everyone’s girlfriends, everyone’s family members, kids, saying that what they heard there. Are we going to be gone for the entire month of December? Are we going to be quarantined for 14 days when we get back? That’s all we could talk about for the last 18 hours because we got no answers from them. I was just very disappointed.”
The Niners have a few days to finalize their decision. With their next game not until a week from Monday, the team won’t start practicing until Thursday.
“We’ll see what the future holds,” quarterback Nick Mullens said. “It’s tough for us but it’s more tough for the families. We’ll see what happens. We’ll adjust and we’ll be ready.”
The rules also will impact the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and college teams at Stanford and San Jose State.
Stanford and San Jose State also have several sports in season. The Cardinal have one scheduled home football game left on Dec. 12 against Oregon State and will need to find a place to practice out of the county this week.
The Spartans have home football games on Dec. 5 against Hawaii and Dec. 11 against Nevada. San Jose State practiced before the season a few hundred miles away at Humboldt State because of restrictions in Santa Clara County.
San Jose State officials planned to meet with county officials on Sunday to get more details and then will formulate a plan.
“We are in a fluid situation with our football and basketball teams since their seasons are in progress,” athletic director Marie Tuite said. “We will make decisions on team practices and when and where our contests are being played in conjunction with university administration and the Mountain West.”
Stanford’s second-ranked women’s basketball team will not play its scheduled home game Monday against San Diego. The team is looking for a place to practice.
The NHL hasn’t announced a date for the start of training camp but the Sharks have said they would look into alternate sites if needed. Several Sharks players have been holding informal workouts at the team facility in small groups.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Democrat wins in Georgia create immigrant sanctuaries

Republicans ’ Georgia election troubles went deep down the ballot last month , including losing two sheriff ’ s jobs that flipped to Democrats , both of whom have promised to end cooperative agreements with ICE .
Craig Owens , the winner in Cobb County , has said he wants to suspend all dealings with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
Keybo Taylor , in Gwinnett County , hasn ’ t gone that far but is planning to cancel the 287 ( g ) agreement that effectively deputizes the county ’ s officers to begin the deportation process for deportable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results could be devastating to ICE .
Gwinnett this year ranks third of all U.S. counties in migrants flagged for deportation , with the vast majority of those coming out of the 287 ( g ) program .
In Athens-Clarke County doesn ’ t take part in 287 ( g ) , but the incoming sheriff , who unseated a fellow Democrat in a primary this year , campaigned on a promise of refusing other forms of cooperation with ICE , effectively creating a sanctuary .
“ Outsiders watching Georgia should know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning of the Democrats ’ takeover of a Republican stronghold , ” said D.A .
King , president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society , which pushes for enforcement of immigration laws .
“ The 287 ( g ) programs in both counties served to constantly reduce the overall jail population .
The howls from the leftists that 287 ( g ) was too successful should be remembered when illegal aliens released for ‘ minor offenses ’ go on to hurt or kill Americans in Georgia.
” Named after the section of immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( g ) program allows ICE to sign partnership agreements with state and local law enforcement .
Officers and deputies go through ICE training and can then begin the deportation process for migrants who come through their prisons or jails and are removable under the law .
There used to be another side to 287 ( g ) .
The task force model trained officers and deputies who went out on patrol , but the Obama administration canceled those agreements .
The Obama team did , though , see value in the jail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rap sheets were worthy targets for deportation .
Immigrant rights activists disagree .
They say too many migrants are being snared for what they consider to be relatively low-level offenses .
Activists have pressured some of the country ’ s largest jurisdictions to withdraw from the program and , in many cases , to refuse cooperation at all .
Prince William County in Virginia allowed its 287 ( g ) program to lapse this summer .
Los Angeles County ’ s sheriff canceled all cooperation in August .
All told , 28 jurisdictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center .
Still , more jurisdictions are enrolled now than were at the start off the Trump administration , thanks to strenuous efforts by ICE and sheriffs who see value in cooperating .
In Gwinnett , Sheriff Butch Conway decided to step down after 24 years and didn ’ t run this year .
He said the 287 ( g ) program cut his jail population over the past decade , even as the county grew by more than 300,000 residents .
He said working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s own efforts focused on criminals while protecting illegal immigrants who managed to keep clean rap sheets .
“ I had been with ICE prior to implementing the program when they attempted to apprehend subjects and took anyone at the location they found without documentation into custody to be deported .
Under 287 ( g ) , this didn ’ t occur , ” Sheriff Conway told The Washington Times .
He continued : “ I believe the program made us safer when serious offenders weren ’ t released back into the community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Neither Mr. Taylor nor Mr. Owens responded to multiple requests for comment from The Washington Times , but both confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this month that they will follow through on their promises to curtail cooperation .
The Times reached out to a number of Georgia-based migrant rights groups , but none replied for this article .
Not all will go free if Mr. Taylor holds to his promise to cooperate with ICE detainer requests .
But without deputies on duty 24/7 , some will be released without ICE having a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is still holding out hope for some cooperation .
“ We look forward to working with the newly elected sheriffs to continue our partnership and shared commitment to public safety , ” said Thomas Giles , director of ICE ’ s deportation operations in Atlanta .
Georgia ranks fifth among states with the most ICE detainers over the past 15 or so years , according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University .
Gwinnett is by far the largest source of those , and Cobb is second .
In 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inmates under the program and issued detainers on 2,168 .
More than 1,800 people were turned over to ICE .
Among those flagged were inmates connected to 20 murder cases , 10 rapes and more than 300 DUIs .
Over the past 15 years , Gwinnett ‘ s county jail ranked ninth of all facilities for ICE detainers , according to Syracuse ’ s TRAC data .
Through the first nine months of fiscal year 2020 , Gwinnett ranked third nationally , not because its numbers were rising but because other jurisdictions ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies .
Gwinnett ‘ s sheriff ’ s office said 13 of its people staff the 287 ( g ) program .
The numbers for Cobb are tougher to pin down .
A spokesman for the sheriff ’ s department there told The Times that the newspaper would have to submit an open-records request to the department .
The Times did so , was told no such information was available and was referred back to the spokesman .
According to TRAC , Cobb County fielded about 700 detainer requests in 2018 , 574 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nine months of fiscal year 2020 .

Republicans’ Georgia election troubles went deep down the ballot last month, including losing two sheriff’s jobs that flipped to Democrats, both of whom have promised to end cooperative agreements with ICE.
Craig Owens, the winner in Cobb County, has said he wants to suspend all dealings with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Keybo Taylor, in Gwinnett County, hasn’t gone that far but is planning to cancel the 287(g) agreement that effectively deputizes the county’s officers to begin the deportation process for deportable migrants booked into local jails.
The results could be devastating to ICE.
Gwinnett this year ranks third of all U.S. counties in migrants flagged for deportation, with the vast majority of those coming out of the 287(g) program.
In Athens-Clarke County doesn’t take part in 287(g), but the incoming sheriff, who unseated a fellow Democrat in a primary this year, campaigned on a promise of refusing other forms of cooperation with ICE, effectively creating a sanctuary.
“Outsiders watching Georgia should know that this is only the end of the beginning of the Democrats’ takeover of a Republican stronghold,” said D.A. King, president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society, which pushes for enforcement of immigration laws. “The 287(g) programs in both counties served to constantly reduce the overall jail population. The howls from the leftists that 287(g) was too successful should be remembered when illegal aliens released for ‘minor offenses’ go on to hurt or kill Americans in Georgia.”
Named after the section of immigration law that created it, the 287(g) program allows ICE to sign partnership agreements with state and local law enforcement. Officers and deputies go through ICE training and can then begin the deportation process for migrants who come through their prisons or jails and are removable under the law.
There used to be another side to 287(g). The task force model trained officers and deputies who went out on patrol, but the Obama administration canceled those agreements.
The Obama team did, though, see value in the jail model. It argued that immigrants with rap sheets were worthy targets for deportation.
Immigrant rights activists disagree. They say too many migrants are being snared for what they consider to be relatively low-level offenses.
Activists have pressured some of the country’s largest jurisdictions to withdraw from the program and, in many cases, to refuse cooperation at all.
Prince William County in Virginia allowed its 287(g) program to lapse this summer. Los Angeles County’s sheriff canceled all cooperation in August.
All told, 28 jurisdictions have ended 287(g) deals, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Still, more jurisdictions are enrolled now than were at the start off the Trump administration, thanks to strenuous efforts by ICE and sheriffs who see value in cooperating.
In Gwinnett, Sheriff Butch Conway decided to step down after 24 years and didn’t run this year. He said the 287(g) program cut his jail population over the past decade, even as the county grew by more than 300,000 residents.
He said working with ICE helped keep the deportation agency’s own efforts focused on criminals while protecting illegal immigrants who managed to keep clean rap sheets.
“I had been with ICE prior to implementing the program when they attempted to apprehend subjects and took anyone at the location they found without documentation into custody to be deported. Under 287(g), this didn’t occur,” Sheriff Conway told The Washington Times.
He continued: “I believe the program made us safer when serious offenders weren’t released back into the community to commit the same or worse offenses.”
Neither Mr. Taylor nor Mr. Owens responded to multiple requests for comment from The Washington Times, but both confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this month that they will follow through on their promises to curtail cooperation.
The Times reached out to a number of Georgia-based migrant rights groups, but none replied for this article.
Not all will go free if Mr. Taylor holds to his promise to cooperate with ICE detainer requests. But without deputies on duty 24/7, some will be released without ICE having a chance to pick them up.
ICE is still holding out hope for some cooperation.
“We look forward to working with the newly elected sheriffs to continue our partnership and shared commitment to public safety,” said Thomas Giles, director of ICE’s deportation operations in Atlanta.
Georgia ranks fifth among states with the most ICE detainers over the past 15 or so years, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.
Gwinnett is by far the largest source of those, and Cobb is second.
In 2019, Gwinnett conducted more than 5,000 interviews with inmates under the program and issued detainers on 2,168. More than 1,800 people were turned over to ICE.
Among those flagged were inmates connected to 20 murder cases, 10 rapes and more than 300 DUIs.
Over the past 15 years, Gwinnett’s county jail ranked ninth of all facilities for ICE detainers, according to Syracuse’s TRAC data.
Through the first nine months of fiscal year 2020, Gwinnett ranked third nationally, not because its numbers were rising but because other jurisdictions’ numbers are falling as they embrace sanctuary policies.
Gwinnett’s sheriff’s office said 13 of its people staff the 287(g) program.
The numbers for Cobb are tougher to pin down. A spokesman for the sheriff’s department there told The Times that the newspaper would have to submit an open-records request to the department. The Times did so, was told no such information was available and was referred back to the spokesman.
According to TRAC, Cobb County fielded about 700 detainer requests in 2018, 574 in 2019 and 299 through the first nine months of fiscal year 2020.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Ron Klain, Biden Chief of staff, called 'park ranger' for swamp

Few people in Joseph R. Biden ’ s inner circle have thrived in the swamp of Washington more swimmingly than Ron Klain .
Mr. Klain , tapped by the presumed president-elect to become White House chief of staff , also served as Mr. Biden ’ s chief of staff during his tenure as vice president .
The Harvard Law School graduate has worked three stints in the Clinton and Obama administrations , along with top jobs as a Democratic Senate aide .
The Indiana native has mingled his government service with lucrative revolving-door detours into the private sector as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has worked for special interests including Big Tech , Fannie Mae , a pharmaceutical firm and a company that has been called a front for the asbestos industry .
“ If you ’ re thinking of a swamp having park rangers , then Ron Klain is a park ranger , ” said Tom Fitton , president of the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch .
“ He ’ s someone whose job is to protect it.
” Mr. Klain , 59 , also worked as general counsel for a venture capital firm created by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has called him “ a talented manager and a wise counselor who understands government , business and the nonprofit sectors.
” As the postelection point man for Mr. Biden , Mr. Klain has been prominent in publicly pressuring President Trump to allow his administration to cooperate on the transition with the Biden team .
“ Donald Trump doesn ’ t get to decide if Joe Biden is president or not .
The American people decided , ” Mr. Klain said .
Mr. Trump relented last week , although he said it wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election to Mr. Biden .
The “ sheer magnitude ” of the job facing an incoming White House chief of staff is daunting even in a normal transition , said David Cohen , a political science professor at the University of Akron who has studied the West Wing post .
“ Any incoming chief of staff at the beginning of a new administration has to design and stand up a completely new organization , the White House , in just a matter of weeks — 400-plus White House staff positions ( not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) plus a new organizational chart , ” Mr. Cohen said .
“ And the chief must do this while making the new organization ’ s staff structure , the decision-making process , and the policy process compatible with the wishes and work style of the president-elect .
It ’ s a herculean task.
” He said Mr. Klain ‘ s biggest challenge is “ helping put together a White House staff and Cabinet that balances the competing interests of the progressive , liberal and centrist wings of the Democratic Party.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broad , and each faction will expect representation in the Biden administration and will be keeping score , ” he said .
The Biden campaign didn ’ t respond to requests for comment for this article .
When Mr. Biden announced his choice of Mr. Klain , he said his longtime aide ’ s “ deep , varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prominent role early in Barack Obama ‘ s presidency , when Mr. Biden administered the oft-criticized $ 821 billion economic “ stimulus ” plan .
Democrats said the measure helped pull the nation out of the Great Recession , although Mr. Obama later acknowledged that many “ shovel ready ” projects did not pan out .
Ray LaHood , a Republican who served as transportation secretary in the Obama administration , worked closely with Mr. Biden and his team on the recovery plan that delivered $ 48 billion to Mr. LaHood ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marks for his knowledge of how Washington works and his organizational skills .
“ Biden and Klain really ran a tight ship , ” Mr. LaHood said in an interview .
“ They wanted to make sure the money was being spent correctly .
They wanted to know where it was going , how many people were being employed.
” Still , examples of waste in the stimulus plan are legendary , and Mr. Klain was near the center of one of the most infamous cases .
The solar panel company Solyndra received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 .
The company was backed by the family foundation of George Kaiser , a major Obama fundraiser .
Mr. Biden was eager for the company to receive the money about the same time he was to deliver a major speech on green energy in September 2009 .
Mr. Biden said the government aid for Solyndra “ is exactly what the Recovery Act is all about.
” The next year , with mounting evidence that Solyndra was in dire financial condition , Mr. Obama was preparing to visit the company .
Presidential adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern that “ we clearly need to make sure that they are stable and solid.
” Mr. Klain looked into the matter and wrote back to her , “ Sounds like there are some risk factors here — but that ’ s true of any innovative company that POTUS would visit .
It looks OK to me , but if you feel otherwise , let me know.
” He told Ms. Jarrett in another email , “ The reality is that if POTUS visited 10 such places over the next 10 months , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election day 2012 — but that to me is the reality of saying that we want to help promote cutting edge , new economy industries.
” Mr. Obama went ahead with his visit in May 2010 and praised Solyndria as a shining example that was “ leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future ” for the U.S. and the rest of the world .
“ You ’ re demonstrating that the promise of clean energy isn ’ t just an article of faith — not anymore , ” Mr. Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now .
The future is here.
” Five months later , just before the midterm elections , Solyndra announced it was closing its original plant and laying off hundreds of workers .
An alarmed White House energy adviser emailed Mr. Klain and others , “ No es bueno.
” Solyndra filed for bankruptcy less than one year later .
Mr. LaHood , who also served as chief of staff to Republican House Minority Leader Robert Michel , said Mr. Klain clearly enjoys the trust of Mr. Biden .
“ They ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certainly there between Ron and President-elect Biden , ” he said .
“ They ’ ve spent their whole lives working in government , they know how the wheels of government work , they know the people to call .
They know the agencies to tap into when they want to solve a problem.
” He said the experience of both men in the Senate will serve Mr. Biden well as the administration pushes a liberal agenda in a closely divided Congress .
“ Ron has friends on both sides of the aisle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But more importantly , I think Biden has the cachet to be able to work both sides of the aisle .
I ’ m convinced that President Biden is going to be on the phone with senators .
I think his style will be a lot like Lyndon Johnson , in the sense that he can pick up the phone and call just about any senator.
” Mr. Obama chose Mr. Klain in October 2014 as his “ Ebola czar , ” a post that lasted about five months .
Although Mr. Klain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his supporters say he handled the role well and that it was good training for the task of handling the government ’ s response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ During the 2014 Ebola outbreak , Ron Klain got it exactly right , ” Dr. Tom Frieden , former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , said in a post on Twitter .
“ He got all of government working together in a concerted way and always respected public health and science.
” Long after the 2009 H1N1 swine flu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama administration ’ s response this way : “ We did every possible thing wrong .
… It is purely a fortuity that this isn ’ t one of the great mass casualty events in American history.
” Mr. Klain , like his boss , has criticized Mr. Trump severely for his response to the COVID-19 outbreak .
“ If you are not at your job today , it is because Donald Trump did not do his job ( to fight # coronavirus ) in January and February , ” Mr. Klain tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats clamoring for Mr. Trump ‘ s impeachment last winter over his dealings with Ukraine .
“ American foreign policy has become a cross between the Three Stooges and the Godfather , ” Mr. Klain said on MSNBC last November .
“ It ’ s an amazing mix of venal , violent corruption , and complete and utter incompetence .
The level of insanity , and craziness and venality is just unmatched.
” Mr. Klain clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White in 1987 and 1988 .
He is married to Monica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Geographic Society who led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Obama administration .
They have three children .

Few people in Joseph R. Biden’s inner circle have thrived in the swamp of Washington more swimmingly than Ron Klain.
Mr. Klain, tapped by the presumed president-elect to become White House chief of staff, also served as Mr. Biden’s chief of staff during his tenure as vice president. The Harvard Law School graduate has worked three stints in the Clinton and Obama administrations, along with top jobs as a Democratic Senate aide.
The Indiana native has mingled his government service with lucrative revolving-door detours into the private sector as a K Street lobbyist and lawyer. He has worked for special interests including Big Tech, Fannie Mae, a pharmaceutical firm and a company that has been called a front for the asbestos industry.
“If you’re thinking of a swamp having park rangers, then Ron Klain is a park ranger,” said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch. “He’s someone whose job is to protect it.”
Mr. Klain, 59, also worked as general counsel for a venture capital firm created by AOL founder Steve Case. Mr. Case has called him “a talented manager and a wise counselor who understands government, business and the nonprofit sectors.”
As the postelection point man for Mr. Biden, Mr. Klain has been prominent in publicly pressuring President Trump to allow his administration to cooperate on the transition with the Biden team.
SEE ALSO: Kate Bedingfield tap be Biden White House communications director
“Donald Trump doesn’t get to decide if Joe Biden is president or not. The American people decided,” Mr. Klain said.
Mr. Trump relented last week, although he said it wasn’t a sign that he was conceding the election to Mr. Biden.
The “sheer magnitude” of the job facing an incoming White House chief of staff is daunting even in a normal transition, said David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron who has studied the West Wing post.
“Any incoming chief of staff at the beginning of a new administration has to design and stand up a completely new organization, the White House, in just a matter of weeks — 400-plus White House staff positions (not to mention thousands in the executive branch) plus a new organizational chart,” Mr. Cohen said. “And the chief must do this while making the new organization’s staff structure, the decision-making process, and the policy process compatible with the wishes and work style of the president-elect. It’s a herculean task.”
He said Mr. Klain’s biggest challenge is “helping put together a White House staff and Cabinet that balances the competing interests of the progressive, liberal and centrist wings of the Democratic Party.”
“The coalition that elected Biden is very broad, and each faction will expect representation in the Biden administration and will be keeping score,” he said.
The Biden campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment for this article.
When Mr. Biden announced his choice of Mr. Klain, he said his longtime aide’s “deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again.”
Mr. Klain had a prominent role early in Barack Obama’s presidency, when Mr. Biden administered the oft-criticized $821 billion economic “stimulus” plan. Democrats said the measure helped pull the nation out of the Great Recession, although Mr. Obama later acknowledged that many “shovel ready” projects did not pan out.
Ray LaHood, a Republican who served as transportation secretary in the Obama administration, worked closely with Mr. Biden and his team on the recovery plan that delivered $48 billion to Mr. LaHood’s agency. He gave Mr. Klain high marks for his knowledge of how Washington works and his organizational skills.
“Biden and Klain really ran a tight ship,” Mr. LaHood said in an interview. “They wanted to make sure the money was being spent correctly. They wanted to know where it was going, how many people were being employed.”
Still, examples of waste in the stimulus plan are legendary, and Mr. Klain was near the center of one of the most infamous cases.
The solar panel company Solyndra received a $535 million loan guarantee in 2009. The company was backed by the family foundation of George Kaiser, a major Obama fundraiser.
Mr. Biden was eager for the company to receive the money about the same time he was to deliver a major speech on green energy in September 2009. Mr. Biden said the government aid for Solyndra “is exactly what the Recovery Act is all about.”
The next year, with mounting evidence that Solyndra was in dire financial condition, Mr. Obama was preparing to visit the company. Presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett emailed Mr. Klain to express concern that “we clearly need to make sure that they are stable and solid.”
Mr. Klain looked into the matter and wrote back to her, “Sounds like there are some risk factors here — but that’s true of any innovative company that POTUS would visit. It looks OK to me, but if you feel otherwise, let me know.”
He told Ms. Jarrett in another email, “The reality is that if POTUS visited 10 such places over the next 10 months, probably a few would be belly-up by election day 2012 — but that to me is the reality of saying that we want to help promote cutting edge, new economy industries.”
Mr. Obama went ahead with his visit in May 2010 and praised Solyndria as a shining example that was “leading the way toward a brighter and more prosperous future” for the U.S. and the rest of the world.
“You’re demonstrating that the promise of clean energy isn’t just an article of faith — not anymore,” Mr. Obama said. “It’s happening right now. The future is here.”
Five months later, just before the midterm elections, Solyndra announced it was closing its original plant and laying off hundreds of workers. An alarmed White House energy adviser emailed Mr. Klain and others, “No es bueno.”
Solyndra filed for bankruptcy less than one year later.
Mr. LaHood, who also served as chief of staff to Republican House Minority Leader Robert Michel, said Mr. Klain clearly enjoys the trust of Mr. Biden.
“They’re good friends, and the chemistry is certainly there between Ron and President-elect Biden,” he said. “They’ve spent their whole lives working in government, they know how the wheels of government work, they know the people to call. They know the agencies to tap into when they want to solve a problem.”
He said the experience of both men in the Senate will serve Mr. Biden well as the administration pushes a liberal agenda in a closely divided Congress.
“Ron has friends on both sides of the aisle,” Mr. LaHood said. “But more importantly, I think Biden has the cachet to be able to work both sides of the aisle. I’m convinced that President Biden is going to be on the phone with senators. I think his style will be a lot like Lyndon Johnson, in the sense that he can pick up the phone and call just about any senator.”
Mr. Obama chose Mr. Klain in October 2014 as his “Ebola czar,” a post that lasted about five months. Although Mr. Klain had no expertise in public health, his supporters say he handled the role well and that it was good training for the task of handling the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, Ron Klain got it exactly right,” Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a post on Twitter. “He got all of government working together in a concerted way and always respected public health and science.”
Long after the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, Mr. Klain reflected on the Obama administration’s response this way: “We did every possible thing wrong. … It is purely a fortuity that this isn’t one of the great mass casualty events in American history.”
Mr. Klain, like his boss, has criticized Mr. Trump severely for his response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“If you are not at your job today, it is because Donald Trump did not do his job (to fight #coronavirus) in January and February,” Mr. Klain tweeted in March.
He also was among the Democrats clamoring for Mr. Trump’s impeachment last winter over his dealings with Ukraine.
“American foreign policy has become a cross between the Three Stooges and the Godfather,” Mr. Klain said on MSNBC last November. “It’s an amazing mix of venal, violent corruption, and complete and utter incompetence. The level of insanity, and craziness and venality is just unmatched.”
Mr. Klain clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White in 1987 and 1988. He is married to Monica Medina, an environmental lawyer at the National Geographic Society who led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Obama administration. They have three children.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Thai pro-democracy protesters rally outside army base

BANGKOK ( AP ) - Thailand ’ s indefatigable pro-democracy activists took to Bangkok ‘ s streets again Sunday , this time to protest the army as they push forward with their campaign for sweeping reforms , including to the nation ’ s monarchy .
Around 800 protesters marched to the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment , which is closely associated with the country ’ s royal palace .
Their number grew to well over 1,000 as they settled in for speeches by protest leaders .
An advance group of protesters had already pulled away two decrepit buses that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the base and removed strands of razor wire .
A large contingent of riot police , several rows deep , stood their ground in front of the gate but no violence was reported by the end of the rally .
The protesters believe that the army undermines democracy in Thailand , and that King Maha Vajiralongkorn wields too much power and influence in what is supposed to be a democratic constitutional monarchy .
The student-led protesters for months now have been demanding reforms to make the monarchy more accountable , even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered taboo and comments judged defamatory of the king and key royals are punishable by up to 15 years in prison .
“ People should be able to criticize the king .
People should be able to inspect what he does .
In this way , people will respect and love him more , ” said activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk , who served seven years in prison for defaming the monarchy and is facing criminal charges in connection with this year ’ s protests .
The protesters also want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitution to be amended to make it more democratic .
As the army chief in 2014 , Prayuth led a coup ousting an elected government .
His military junta oversaw the rewriting of the constitution , which shifted power from elected politicians to unelected bodies , and he was returned to power after elections held under the new rules last year .
Prayuth faces a legal challenge on Wednesday , when the Constitutional Court is to rule on whether he illegally stayed in army housing after he retired from the military at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilty , he could be forced out of the prime minister ’ s post .
Protest leader Parit “ Penguin ” Chiwarak urged the crowd to rally outside the court on the day of the verdict .
The site of Sunday ’ s protest was symbolic for several reasons .
Last year , the 11th Infantry Regiment was shifted from the army ’ s chain of command and made part of the Royal Security Command , answerable directly to the king .
The action was one of several denounced by protesters as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not be allowed under constitutional rule .
Although it was a bloodless army revolt in 1932 that ended the absolute monarchy and installed constitutional rule , the military and the palace have been closely allied for decades .
By promoting and defending the royal institution , the army lays claim to being the protector of the nation , while the palace can count on the army to put down any threats to its position of privilege .
There have been 20 military coups since 1932 , the most recent ones in 2006 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bangkok , the 11th Infantry Regiment has been a key player in coups , or opposing them , according to the prevailing political climate .
While most coups are bloodless , the army has not hesitated to use force to crush threats to the established order .
In 2010 , more than 90 people were killed and almost 2,000 injured during nine weeks of protests that saw part of central Bangkok occupied by protesters who were eventually cleared out by the army .
Prayuth , then a senior army general , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans for Sunday ’ s protest , a group from Bangkok ’ s Thammasat University explained on Twitter that the regiment was targeted “ because this unit suppressed people in 2010 and it was the main force for the previous coups.
” Near the end of the rally , protesters threw red paint in the direction of the army base - some splattering on shields held by the police - to symbolize the 2010 bloodshed .
Associated Press journalist Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul contributed to this report .

BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand’s indefatigable pro-democracy activists took to Bangkok’s streets again Sunday, this time to protest the army as they push forward with their campaign for sweeping reforms, including to the nation’s monarchy.
Around 800 protesters marched to the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment, which is closely associated with the country’s royal palace. Their number grew to well over 1,000 as they settled in for speeches by protest leaders.
An advance group of protesters had already pulled away two decrepit buses that had been used to block the entrance to the base and removed strands of razor wire. A large contingent of riot police, several rows deep, stood their ground in front of the gate but no violence was reported by the end of the rally.
The protesters believe that the army undermines democracy in Thailand, and that King Maha Vajiralongkorn wields too much power and influence in what is supposed to be a democratic constitutional monarchy.
The student-led protesters for months now have been demanding reforms to make the monarchy more accountable, even though criticism of the institution has long been considered taboo and comments judged defamatory of the king and key royals are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
“People should be able to criticize the king. People should be able to inspect what he does. In this way, people will respect and love him more,” said activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, who served seven years in prison for defaming the monarchy and is facing criminal charges in connection with this year’s protests.
The protesters also want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to step down and the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic.
As the army chief in 2014, Prayuth led a coup ousting an elected government. His military junta oversaw the rewriting of the constitution, which shifted power from elected politicians to unelected bodies, and he was returned to power after elections held under the new rules last year.
Prayuth faces a legal challenge on Wednesday, when the Constitutional Court is to rule on whether he illegally stayed in army housing after he retired from the military at the end of September 2014. If found guilty, he could be forced out of the prime minister’s post. Protest leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak urged the crowd to rally outside the court on the day of the verdict.
The site of Sunday’s protest was symbolic for several reasons.
Last year, the 11th Infantry Regiment was shifted from the army’s chain of command and made part of the Royal Security Command, answerable directly to the king. The action was one of several denounced by protesters as an example of the palace taking powers that should not be allowed under constitutional rule.
Although it was a bloodless army revolt in 1932 that ended the absolute monarchy and installed constitutional rule, the military and the palace have been closely allied for decades. By promoting and defending the royal institution, the army lays claim to being the protector of the nation, while the palace can count on the army to put down any threats to its position of privilege.
There have been 20 military coups since 1932, the most recent ones in 2006 and 2014. Because it is based in Bangkok, the 11th Infantry Regiment has been a key player in coups, or opposing them, according to the prevailing political climate.
While most coups are bloodless, the army has not hesitated to use force to crush threats to the established order.
In 2010, more than 90 people were killed and almost 2,000 injured during nine weeks of protests that saw part of central Bangkok occupied by protesters who were eventually cleared out by the army. Prayuth, then a senior army general, was involved in the crackdown.
In announcing plans for Sunday’s protest, a group from Bangkok’s Thammasat University explained on Twitter that the regiment was targeted “because this unit suppressed people in 2010 and it was the main force for the previous coups.”
Near the end of the rally, protesters threw red paint in the direction of the army base - some splattering on shields held by the police - to symbolize the 2010 bloodshed.
___
Associated Press journalist Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Nevada surpasses 150,000 virus cases; over 2,100 deaths

CARSON CITY , Nev. ( AP ) - Nevada health officials say the number of confirmed coronavirus cases statewide has @ @ @ @ @ s coronavirus dashboard on Sunday reported 150,527 cases of COVID-19 since the outset of the @ @ @ @ @ more than 2,100 related deaths .
Concerned by the virus ’ continued spread , Gov @ @ @ @ @ 22 announced the state ’ s most expansive mask mandate to date and reduced the @ @ @ @ @ , bars and many other businesses from 50 % to 25 % .
The number @ @ @ @ @ be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested , and studies @ @ @ @ @ with the virus without feeling sick .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes @ @ @ @ @ such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For @ @ @ @ @ and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness , including @ @ @ @ @

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Nevada health officials say the number of confirmed coronavirus cases statewide has surpassed 150,000.
Nevada’s coronavirus dashboard on Sunday reported 150,527 cases of COVID-19 since the outset of the pandemic. There have been more than 2,100 related deaths.
Concerned by the virus’ continued spread, Gov. Steve Sisolak on Nov. 22 announced the state’s most expansive mask mandate to date and reduced the capacity at casinos, restaurants, bars and many other businesses from 50% to 25%.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Trump: Judges refuse to look at election fraud evidence

President Trump on Sunday said his legal team uncovered ample evidence of election fraud , including “ big massive dumps ” of extra ballots at the polls , but judges continued to reject as groundless his challenges of the Nov. 3 results .
The president ’ s legal challenges might never make it to the Supreme Court , he said , and he likely never will accept the legitimacy of a win by presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden , though this would not keep Mr. Biden from assuming the presidency .
“ We ’ re trying to put the evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t allow us to do it , ” Mr. Trump said on Fox News Channel ’ s “ Sunday Morning Futures.
” program .
“ We have so much evidence .
… They stuffed the ballot boxes .
Everyone knows it.
” Still , the president said his courtroom quest for a second term is likely futile unless a brave judge — or justice — steps up to fight the alleged election fraud .
Republican lawsuits across the country have suffered loss after loss as the president and his allies have labored to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden has begun forming his Cabinet and the Trump administration is assisting the Biden transition team .
Mr. Trump ‘ s accusations of fraud resonate with a majority of Republican voters , according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll .
It found that 52 % of Republicans believe Mr. Trump “ rightfully won ” the election and 68 % said they were concerned that the vote was “ rigged.
” Just 16 % of Democrats and one-third of independent voters worried that the election was fixed , according to the poll .
Mr. Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he loses the vote in the Electoral College , which convenes Dec. 14 .
But that won ’ t change his mind about election rigging , he said , citing massive dumps of mail-in ballots in battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania to deliver wins for Mr. Biden .
“ They stuffed the ballot boxes , ” he said .
“ They used COVID as the means to stuff the ballot boxes.
” Mr. Trump ‘ s legal team vowed to take the legal challenge to the justices after a federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state over the weekend .
It ’ s one of several Republican-led lawsuits in the battleground state that has been batted down .
If his attorneys were able to present evidence , Mr. Trump said , they could prove enough ballot fraud to flip the election results in his favor .
Most courts dismissed the cases before conducting evidentiary hearings .
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court batted down a challenge led by Republican lawmakers over the weekend , reversing a lower-court ruling three days earlier that put certification of the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have failed to allege that even a single mail-in ballot was fraudulently cast or counted , ” Justice David Wecht wrote in his concurrence .
In Pennsylvania , Mr. Biden is leading Mr. Trump by more than 80,000 votes , or 1.2 percentage points .
Rudolph W. Giuliani and Jenna Ellis , the president ’ s lead attorneys , told Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania last week that the assembly must investigate the election results because Democratic counties kept Republican poll observers from reviewing mail-in ballots .
They offered an expert witness who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud .
The legal team will be in Arizona on Monday to present evidence of election irregularities to state lawmakers .
Mr. Biden leads the president in Arizona by about 10,000 votes , or 0.3 percentage points .
Three weeks after major news organizations called the election , Mr. Trump remains far from his goal of reversing the projected outcome .
His most likely path to victory would have been through Pennsylvania .
If he prevailed there , he would also need to reverse projected losses in at least two other states to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win the White House .
The projected Electoral College vote has Mr. Biden on top by 306 to 232 .
The Trump campaign was fighting to make up ground in Wisconsin , with a recount underway in two of the state ’ s largest counties .
That recount wrapped up Sunday , netting Mr. Biden 87 more votes .
Mr. Trump lost in Wisconsin by about 20,600 votes , or 0.7 percentage points .
Sidney Powell , who is not on the president ’ s legal team but is filing pro-Trump lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with claims that Dominion Voting Systems software switched tens of thousands of votes for Mr. Trump to Mr. Biden .
“ We caught four or five glitches .
They are not glitches .
That was fraud , ” he said .
The Michigan lawsuit featured testimony by an expert witness , Russell Ramsland Jr. , who said Dominion is responsible for “ the injection or fabrication , of 289,866 illegal votes in Michigan , that must be disregarded.
” Mr. Biden is presumed to have won Michigan by roughly 154,188 votes , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The state canvassing board voted to certify the results last week .
In Georgia , Ms. Powell ’ s expert witness concluded “ at least 96,600 mail-in ballots were illegally counted , ” according to the Georgia complaint .
Officials in the Georgia certified the election for Mr. Biden after a hand recount .
Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump by about 12,600 votes , or a 0.2 percentage point margin .
The attorneys general for Michigan and Georgia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ms. Powell ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defendant in the cases , but the company has repeatedly denied wrongdoing .
“ Sidney Powell ’ s wild and reckless allegations are not only demonstrably false , they have led to stalking , harassment , and death threats to Dominion employees .
This criminal activity has been duly reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies , and we intend to hold Ms. Powell , and those aiding and abetting her fraudulent actions , accountable for any harm that may occur as a result , ” Dominion Voting Systems said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the media for giving short shrift to what he called a national disaster .
“ The whole world is watching , and nobody can believe what they are seeing , ” he said .
“ We don ’ t have freedom of the press in this country .
We have suppression .
”

President Trump on Sunday said his legal team uncovered ample evidence of election fraud, including “big massive dumps” of extra ballots at the polls, but judges continued to reject as groundless his challenges of the Nov. 3 results.
The president’s legal challenges might never make it to the Supreme Court, he said, and he likely never will accept the legitimacy of a win by presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden, though this would not keep Mr. Biden from assuming the presidency.
“We’re trying to put the evidence in, and the judges won’t allow us to do it,” Mr. Trump said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” program. “We have so much evidence. … They stuffed the ballot boxes. Everyone knows it.”
Still, the president said his courtroom quest for a second term is likely futile unless a brave judge — or justice — steps up to fight the alleged election fraud.
Republican lawsuits across the country have suffered loss after loss as the president and his allies have labored to prove election fraud.
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden has begun forming his Cabinet and the Trump administration is assisting the Biden transition team.
SEE ALSO: Pennsylvania Supreme Court tosses pro-Trump election lawsuit
Mr. Trump’s accusations of fraud resonate with a majority of Republican voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. It found that 52% of Republicans believe Mr. Trump “rightfully won” the election and 68% said they were concerned that the vote was “rigged.”
Just 16% of Democrats and one-third of independent voters worried that the election was fixed, according to the poll.
Mr. Trump said he plans to leave the White House if he loses the vote in the Electoral College, which convenes Dec. 14. But that won’t change his mind about election rigging, he said, citing massive dumps of mail-in ballots in battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania to deliver wins for Mr. Biden.
“They stuffed the ballot boxes,” he said. “They used COVID as the means to stuff the ballot boxes.”
Mr. Trump’s legal team vowed to take the legal challenge to the justices after a federal appeals court in Pennsylvania dismissed its lawsuit in the state over the weekend. It’s one of several Republican-led lawsuits in the battleground state that has been batted down.
If his attorneys were able to present evidence, Mr. Trump said, they could prove enough ballot fraud to flip the election results in his favor.
Most courts dismissed the cases before conducting evidentiary hearings.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court batted down a challenge led by Republican lawmakers over the weekend, reversing a lower-court ruling three days earlier that put certification of the state’s results on pause.
“They have failed to allege that even a single mail-in ballot was fraudulently cast or counted,” Justice David Wecht wrote in his concurrence.
In Pennsylvania, Mr. Biden is leading Mr. Trump by more than 80,000 votes, or 1.2 percentage points.
Rudolph W. Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, the president’s lead attorneys, told Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania last week that the assembly must investigate the election results because Democratic counties kept Republican poll observers from reviewing mail-in ballots.
They offered an expert witness who said spikes in postelection tabulations suggest probable fraud.
The legal team will be in Arizona on Monday to present evidence of election irregularities to state lawmakers. Mr. Biden leads the president in Arizona by about 10,000 votes, or 0.3 percentage points.
Three weeks after major news organizations called the election, Mr. Trump remains far from his goal of reversing the projected outcome.
His most likely path to victory would have been through Pennsylvania. If he prevailed there, he would also need to reverse projected losses in at least two other states to reach the 270 Electoral College votes required to win the White House.
The projected Electoral College vote has Mr. Biden on top by 306 to 232.
The Trump campaign was fighting to make up ground in Wisconsin, with a recount underway in two of the state’s largest counties.
That recount wrapped up Sunday, netting Mr. Biden 87 more votes.
Mr. Trump lost in Wisconsin by about 20,600 votes, or 0.7 percentage points.
Sidney Powell, who is not on the president’s legal team but is filing pro-Trump lawsuits, sued officials in Michigan and Georgia with claims that Dominion Voting Systems software switched tens of thousands of votes for Mr. Trump to Mr. Biden.
Mr. Trump echoed those allegations.
“We caught four or five glitches. They are not glitches. That was fraud,” he said.
The Michigan lawsuit featured testimony by an expert witness, Russell Ramsland Jr., who said Dominion is responsible for “the injection or fabrication, of 289,866 illegal votes in Michigan, that must be disregarded.”
Mr. Biden is presumed to have won Michigan by roughly 154,188 votes, or 2.8 percentage points, over Mr. Trump. The state canvassing board voted to certify the results last week.
In Georgia, Ms. Powell’s expert witness concluded “at least 96,600 mail-in ballots were illegally counted,” according to the Georgia complaint.
Officials in the Georgia certified the election for Mr. Biden after a hand recount. Mr. Biden defeated Mr. Trump by about 12,600 votes, or a 0.2 percentage point margin.
The attorneys general for Michigan and Georgia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ms. Powell’s lawsuits.
Dominion is not listed as a defendant in the cases, but the company has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
“Sidney Powell’s wild and reckless allegations are not only demonstrably false, they have led to stalking, harassment, and death threats to Dominion employees. This criminal activity has been duly reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, and we intend to hold Ms. Powell, and those aiding and abetting her fraudulent actions, accountable for any harm that may occur as a result,” Dominion Voting Systems said in a lengthy statement.
Mr. Trump chastised judges and the media for giving short shrift to what he called a national disaster.
“The whole world is watching, and nobody can believe what they are seeing,” he said. “We don’t have freedom of the press in this country. We have suppression.”
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Cuomo: Close loophole for officers accused of misconduct

ALBANY , N.Y. ( AP ) - Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that he will make proposals to close what he called “ bureaucratic loopholes ” that allow a police officer to maintain law enforcement credentials despite allegations of misconduct .
He referenced an Albany Times Union story about an East Greenbush officer who was allowed to resign in 2017 rather than being fired after being accused of inappropriate sexual advances toward women he met while on duty .
The officer was able to apply to other police departments , but told the Times Union he was no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on the allegations .
“ We have every community in the state , 550 municipalities with a police agency , now going through a reformation plan where they reimagine their police department , ” Cuomo said Sunday during a conference call with reporters .
“ There ’ s a role for the state in all of this also and people have to know that a police officer who breaks the rules and abuses his or her position is no longer going to be a police officer.
” Cuomo didn ’ t specify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuomo didn ’ t give specifics of what he would propose .

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that he will make proposals to close what he called “bureaucratic loopholes” that allow a police officer to maintain law enforcement credentials despite allegations of misconduct.
He referenced an Albany Times Union story about an East Greenbush officer who was allowed to resign in 2017 rather than being fired after being accused of inappropriate sexual advances toward women he met while on duty. The officer was able to apply to other police departments, but told the Times Union he was no longer working in law enforcement and declined to comment on the allegations.
“We have every community in the state, 550 municipalities with a police agency, now going through a reformation plan where they reimagine their police department,” Cuomo said Sunday during a conference call with reporters. “There’s a role for the state in all of this also and people have to know that a police officer who breaks the rules and abuses his or her position is no longer going to be a police officer.”
Cuomo didn’t specify what he will propose or when.
Cuomo didn’t give specifics of what he would propose.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Inside the Beltway: The media's dogged devotion to Biden

The season of media adoration is upon us .
The press is knee-deep in cuddly coverage of presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden though the results of the contested election have not been finalized .
The press has upped the ante ; we ’ re taking very cuddly coverage here .
“ The liberal media seems to prove that journalism may indeed be dead with the latest ‘ breaking news ’ report about Democrat Joe Biden .
After four years of presenting leaked lies from unnamed sources as hit pieces on President Trump , the mainstream media now seems to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalistic vacation under a potential Biden administration .
Hence , ‘ CBS Sunday Morning ’ dropped a new kind of bombshell as the Bidens ‘ exclusively ’ shared news about their pets , ” writes Frieda Powers , senior staff writer for BizPac Review .
The exclusive here was that the Bidens plan to bring two German shepherd dogs and a cat to the White House .
Ms .
Powers noted that The Washington Post and The Daily Beast were among major news organization joining in the fuss over incoming pets .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over pets potentially coming into the White House , while ignoring anything of substance on Biden and after years of trashing Trump , set the media up for a well-deserved backlash , ” she says .
Mr. Trump even caught grief in past coverage over the fact that he did not bring any pets with him to the White House when he took up residence .
Twitter lit up with commentary from those who reject the Biden adoration — among them David Martosko , the U.S. political editor for the Daily Mail .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that rivals rotting cabbage ?
The idea that this is breaking news , ” he tweeted .
President Trump has written multiple books about his life and philosophy .
Former first lady Michelle Obama is the author of a best-selling memoir , as is former President Barack Obama .
So what about some thoughts from first lady Melania Trump ?
She is currently in “ meetings ” to discuss a potential book deal , according to a report Sunday by the New York Post .
“ Melania is in meetings to write her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be her money — a chance for her to earn on her own , ” an unnamed source told the news organization .
“ I ’ m told her husband is encouraging her .
She ’ s not done , or going as quietly as you might expect , ” the source continued , noting that a memoir by Mrs. Trump “ could be worth big money.
” That could be true .
Mrs. Obama ’ s 2018 memoir “ Becoming ” sold a record-breaking 14 million copies .
With Mr. Obama , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Crown Books .
But there ’ s more than money at stake here .
“ A book from Melania could set the record straight on some of her notable White House episodes — from that infamous ‘ I really don ’ t care , do u ?
’ jacket that she wore in 2018 to enduring a coronavirus infection , ” the Post said .
The news of Mrs. Trump ‘ s possible memoir has already gone global in the meantime , picked up The Daily Mail , International Business Times and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C. knows : The media overwhelmingly protects Democrats .
D.C. is filled with bipartisan swamp supporters .
Government agencies protect themselves first .
Obama , Biden spied on Trump .
Our courts and judges are growing partisan .
Big Tech censors conservatives.
” — Richard Grenell , former acting director of the United States National Intelligence , in a terse but telling tweet on Sunday .
Monday could be very happy indeed for retailers .
“ Analysts expect Cyber Monday 2020 to be the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 12.7 billion , ” reports Quartz.com .
“ On Black Friday this year , consumers dropped $ 9 billion online , a 21.6 % increase over 2019 , according to data from Adobe Analytics .
The jump made this year ’ s Black Friday the second largest online spending day ever for Americans , just shy of the record $ 9.4 billion spent on Cyber Monday 2019 , ” the news organization continued .
“ Covid-19 restrictions drove some of the sales .
States that limited gatherings saw 265 % year-over-year growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compared to states without restrictions .
With consumers looking to avoid crowds and indoor shopping , Adobe also found a 52 % year-over-year increase in curbside and in-store pickup.
” But there is much competition from a similar phenomenon overseas .
“ Despite the significant amount of money expected to be dropped on Cyber Monday , the numbers pale in comparison to the world ’ s largest shopping event .
Single ’ s Day , held by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba , dwarfs both Black Friday and Cyber Monday by an order of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generated $ 74.1 billion this year , or nearly the GDP of Guatemala , ” the Quartz analysis said .
What ’ s this ?
New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy said something positive about President Trump ?
When it comes to Operation Warp Speed and the development of vaccines against coronavirus , Mr. Murphy had a say about the White House response to the pandemic , revealed during an appearance Sunday on Fox News .
“ So do you , governor , give credit to the Trump administration for where we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bret Baier .
“ I was on a call privately with Vice President [ Mike ] Pence just before Thanksgiving and said so .
We ’ re on calls regularly with the White House .
We ’ ve got one tomorrow , ” the governor noted .
• 86 % of the world ’ s population say they were “ treated with respect ” on the day before they were surveyed .
• 75 % of this population “ smiled or laughed a lot ” in that time period ; 71 % experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % “ felt well rested.
” • 49 % said “ they learned or did something interesting ” during the time period .
Source : A Gallup Global Emotions Report poll of 175,000 adults in 145 countries , conducted throughout 2019 and released Nov. 19 .

NEWS AND OPINION:
The season of media adoration is upon us. The press is knee-deep in cuddly coverage of presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden though the results of the contested election have not been finalized. The press has upped the ante; we’re taking very cuddly coverage here.
“The liberal media seems to prove that journalism may indeed be dead with the latest ‘breaking news’ report about Democrat Joe Biden. After four years of presenting leaked lies from unnamed sources as hit pieces on President Trump, the mainstream media now seems to be shifting its tone in readiness for a journalistic vacation under a potential Biden administration. Hence, ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ dropped a new kind of bombshell as the Bidens ‘exclusively’ shared news about their pets,” writes Frieda Powers, senior staff writer for BizPac Review.
The exclusive here was that the Bidens plan to bring two German shepherd dogs and a cat to the White House.
Ms. Powers noted that The Washington Post and The Daily Beast were among major news organization joining in the fuss over incoming pets.
“The level of fawning and wide-eyed wonder over pets potentially coming into the White House, while ignoring anything of substance on Biden and after years of trashing Trump, set the media up for a well-deserved backlash,” she says.
Mr. Trump even caught grief in past coverage over the fact that he did not bring any pets with him to the White House when he took up residence.
Twitter lit up with commentary from those who reject the Biden adoration — among them David Martosko, the U.S. political editor for the Daily Mail.
“Wonder why journalists have a reputation that rivals rotting cabbage? The idea that this is breaking news,” he tweeted.
A MELANIA MEMOIR
President Trump has written multiple books about his life and philosophy. Former first lady Michelle Obama is the author of a best-selling memoir, as is former President Barack Obama. So what about some thoughts from first lady Melania Trump?
She is currently in “meetings” to discuss a potential book deal, according to a report Sunday by the New York Post.
“Melania is in meetings to write her White House memoir. And it would be her money — a chance for her to earn on her own,” an unnamed source told the news organization.
“I’m told her husband is encouraging her. She’s not done, or going as quietly as you might expect,” the source continued, noting that a memoir by Mrs. Trump “could be worth big money.”
That could be true. Mrs. Obama’s 2018 memoir “Becoming” sold a record-breaking 14 million copies. With Mr. Obama, she received a $65 million advance from Crown Books.
But there’s more than money at stake here.
“A book from Melania could set the record straight on some of her notable White House episodes — from that infamous ‘I really don’t care, do u?’ jacket that she wore in 2018 to enduring a coronavirus infection,” the Post said.
The news of Mrs. Trump’s possible memoir has already gone global in the meantime, picked up The Daily Mail, International Business Times and Vanity Fair.
A HANDY SUMMATION
“Everyone outside of D.C. knows: The media overwhelmingly protects Democrats. D.C. is filled with bipartisan swamp supporters. Government agencies protect themselves first. Obama, Biden spied on Trump. Our courts and judges are growing partisan. Big Tech censors conservatives.”
— Richard Grenell, former acting director of the United States National Intelligence, in a terse but telling tweet on Sunday.
HAPPY CYBER MONDAY
Monday could be very happy indeed for retailers.
“Analysts expect Cyber Monday 2020 to be the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history, with anticipated sales of $10.8 billion to $12.7 billion,” reports Quartz.com.
“On Black Friday this year, consumers dropped $9 billion online, a 21.6% increase over 2019, according to data from Adobe Analytics. The jump made this year’s Black Friday the second largest online spending day ever for Americans, just shy of the record $9.4 billion spent on Cyber Monday 2019,” the news organization continued.
“Covid-19 restrictions drove some of the sales. States that limited gatherings saw 265% year-over-year growth in online shopping on Black Friday, compared to states without restrictions. With consumers looking to avoid crowds and indoor shopping, Adobe also found a 52% year-over-year increase in curbside and in-store pickup.”
But there is much competition from a similar phenomenon overseas.
“Despite the significant amount of money expected to be dropped on Cyber Monday, the numbers pale in comparison to the world’s largest shopping event. Single’s Day, held by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, dwarfs both Black Friday and Cyber Monday by an order of magnitude. The Nov. 11 shopping day generated $74.1 billion this year, or nearly the GDP of Guatemala,” the Quartz analysis said.
A SURPRISE IN THE GARDEN STATE
What’s this? New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said something positive about President Trump?
When it comes to Operation Warp Speed and the development of vaccines against coronavirus, Mr. Murphy had a say about the White House response to the pandemic, revealed during an appearance Sunday on Fox News.
“So do you, governor, give credit to the Trump administration for where we are on that front?” asked anchor Bret Baier.
“I do. Period,” Mr. Murphy.
“I was on a call privately with Vice President [Mike] Pence just before Thanksgiving and said so. We’re on calls regularly with the White House. We’ve got one tomorrow,” the governor noted.
POLL DU JOUR
• 86% of the world’s population say they were “treated with respect” on the day before they were surveyed.
• 75% of this population “smiled or laughed a lot” in that time period; 71% experienced “a lot of enjoyment.” 71% “felt well rested.”
• 49% said “they learned or did something interesting” during the time period.
• 39% experienced “a lot of worry”; 35% felt stress.
• 31% were in physical pain; 26% felt sad; 22% felt anger.
Source: A Gallup Global Emotions Report poll of 175,000 adults in 145 countries, conducted throughout 2019 and released Nov. 19.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Doug Mastriano in Trump Oval Office meeting pulled after coronavirus diagnosis

HARRISBURG , Pa. — A Pennsylvania state senator abruptly left a West Wing meeting with President Trump after being informed he had tested positive for the coronavirus , a person with direct knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press on Sunday .
Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano had gone to the White House last Wednesday with like-minded Republican state lawmakers shortly after a four-hour-plus public meeting that Mastriano helped host in Gettysburg – maskless – to discuss efforts to overturn president-elect Joe Biden ‘ s victory in the state .
Trump told Mastriano that White House medical personnel would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his son ’ s friend , who were also there for the Oval Office meeting and tested positive .
The meeting continued after Mastriano and the others left , the person said .
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private session because the matter is politically sensitive .
Positive coronavirus cases are surging across the United States and the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert said Sunday that the U.S. may see “ surge upon surge ” in the coming weeks .
The number of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ topped 200,000 for the first time Friday .
Everyone who will be in close proximity to the president must take a rapid test .
Trump was himself hospitalized in October after he contracted the virus .
Dozens of White House staffers and others close to the president have also tested positive , including the first lady and two of the president ’ s sons .
All participants in Wednesday ’ s meeting took COVID-19 tests , but the positive results were not announced until they were in the West Wing of the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president instantly called the White House doctor in and he took them back to , I guess , the medical place , ” the person said .
The meeting with Trump was to strategize about efforts regarding the election , the person said .
After Mastriano and the others left , the discussion with Trump continued for about a half-hour .
Mastriano did not return to the meeting .
Mastriano sought the meeting of the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Policy Committee earlier Wednesday that drew Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani , a second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd of onlookers .
Only a few of them were masked .
The committee let Giuliani and others , for several hours , air their beliefs that there had been problems with how the Pennsylvania vote was conducted and counted .
All claims were baseless ; no evidence was presented to support any of the allegations they made .
Trump even participated , calling from the White House while one of his lawyers held a phone up to a microphone .
He reiterated the same unfounded claims of fraud he ’ s been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have persisted despite Trump losing repeatedly in state and federal courts , including a Philadelphia-based federal appeals court ’ s decision Friday that said the Trump campaign ’ s “ claims have no merit , ” and a state Supreme Court decision Saturday that threw out a legal challenge to the election and effort to stop certification of its results .
Mastriano , a conservative from a rural district in central Pennsylvania and outspoken Trump supporter , did not return several messages left Sunday seeking comment .
Republican state Sen. Dave Argall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday in a text message to discuss Mastriano ‘ s medical condition and the White House visit .
“ I ’ ve received some conflicting information that I ’ m trying to resolve , ” Argall said in the text .
“ It ’ s my understanding a Senate statement later today will help us all to understand this better.
” Argall said he would not talk publicly about the matter “ until I know more.
” The person with knowledge of the White House visit said several people rode in a large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee met in a hotel , to the White House .
Mastriano , his son and his son ’ s friend drove in another vehicle .
It ’ s not clear why Mastriano ‘ s son and his friend accompanied the state senator to the meeting , which the person said was also attended by Trump and the president ’ s chief of staff , Mark Meadows , who tested positive in early November .
Mastriano has aggressively opposed policies under the administration of Democratic Gov .
Tom Wolf to mitigate the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He has led rallies where he advocated to reopen businesses despite the risk of infection and he has repeatedly and sharply denounced Wolf ’ s orders .
Mastriano also spoke to a few thousand Trump supporters who gathered outside the Capitol on Nov. 7 , hours after Democrat Joe Biden ‘ s national win became evident .

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania state senator abruptly left a West Wing meeting with President Trump after being informed he had tested positive for the coronavirus, a person with direct knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano had gone to the White House last Wednesday with like-minded Republican state lawmakers shortly after a four-hour-plus public meeting that Mastriano helped host in Gettysburg – maskless – to discuss efforts to overturn president-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
Trump told Mastriano that White House medical personnel would take care of him, his son and his son’s friend, who were also there for the Oval Office meeting and tested positive. The meeting continued after Mastriano and the others left, the person said.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private session because the matter is politically sensitive.
Positive coronavirus cases are surging across the United States and the nation’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday that the U.S. may see “surge upon surge” in the coming weeks. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States topped 200,000 for the first time Friday.
Everyone who will be in close proximity to the president must take a rapid test. Trump was himself hospitalized in October after he contracted the virus. Dozens of White House staffers and others close to the president have also tested positive, including the first lady and two of the president’s sons.
All participants in Wednesday’s meeting took COVID-19 tests, but the positive results were not announced until they were in the West Wing of the White House, the person said.
“The president instantly called the White House doctor in and he took them back to, I guess, the medical place,” the person said. The meeting with Trump was to strategize about efforts regarding the election, the person said.
After Mastriano and the others left, the discussion with Trump continued for about a half-hour. Mastriano did not return to the meeting.
Mastriano sought the meeting of the Pennsylvania Senate Republican Policy Committee earlier Wednesday that drew Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, a second Trump lawyer, several witnesses and a crowd of onlookers. Only a few of them were masked.
The committee let Giuliani and others, for several hours, air their beliefs that there had been problems with how the Pennsylvania vote was conducted and counted. All claims were baseless; no evidence was presented to support any of the allegations they made.
Trump even participated, calling from the White House while one of his lawyers held a phone up to a microphone. He reiterated the same unfounded claims of fraud he’s been tweeting about for weeks.
Those beliefs have persisted despite Trump losing repeatedly in state and federal courts, including a Philadelphia-based federal appeals court’s decision Friday that said the Trump campaign’s “claims have no merit,” and a state Supreme Court decision Saturday that threw out a legal challenge to the election and effort to stop certification of its results.
Mastriano, a conservative from a rural district in central Pennsylvania and outspoken Trump supporter, did not return several messages left Sunday seeking comment.
Republican state Sen. Dave Argall, who chairs the policy committee, declined Sunday in a text message to discuss Mastriano’s medical condition and the White House visit.
“I’ve received some conflicting information that I’m trying to resolve,” Argall said in the text. “It’s my understanding a Senate statement later today will help us all to understand this better.”
Argall said he would not talk publicly about the matter “until I know more.”
Senate Republican spokeswoman Kate Flessner declined comment, describing it as a personnel matter.
The person with knowledge of the White House visit said several people rode in a large van from Gettysburg, where the policy committee met in a hotel, to the White House. Mastriano, his son and his son’s friend drove in another vehicle.
It’s not clear why Mastriano’s son and his friend accompanied the state senator to the meeting, which the person said was also attended by Trump and the president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who tested positive in early November.
Mastriano has aggressively opposed policies under the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and keep people safe.
He has led rallies where he advocated to reopen businesses despite the risk of infection and he has repeatedly and sharply denounced Wolf’s orders. Mastriano also spoke to a few thousand Trump supporters who gathered outside the Capitol on Nov. 7, hours after Democrat Joe Biden’s national win became evident.