buzzfeed--2020-06-21--Trump Tried To Quietly Replace A Prosecutor Taking Aim At His Allies. It’s Not The First Time That B

“ I learned in a press release from the Attorney General that I was ‘ stepping down ’ as United States Attorney .
I have not resigned , and have no intention of resigning , my position , to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York , ” Berman said .
“ I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.
” This was all apparently news to Berman .
Two hours after Barr ’ s statement went out , the Twitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office posted a statement from Berman saying he wasn ’ t going anywhere .
Late Friday night , Barr announced Trump had chosen a new nominee to serve as US attorney for the Southern District of New York , one of the most powerful federal prosecutor offices in the country .
Berman was “ stepping down , ” Barr said , and he thanked Berman for his “ tenacity and savvy ” in leading the office since 2018 .
The nearly-daylong standoff marked the second time now that Trump has failed trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quietly step aside .
It lasted just long enough for the House Judiciary Committee to launch an investigation and for top Democrats in the Senate to demand probes by the Justice Department 's inspector general and the Senate Judiciary Committee .
`` I know that under her leadership , the Office 's unparalleled AUSAs , investigators , paralegals , and staff will continue to safeguard the Southern District 's enduring tradition of integrity and independence , '' he said .
Berman said in a statement that he decided to step down following Barr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operation of law and have Deputy US Attorney Audrey Strauss become Acting US Attorney . ''
WASHINGTON — Manhattan US attorney Geoffrey Berman said Saturday evening that he will leave his position `` effective immediately , '' ending a dramatic standoff with Attorney General Bill Barr , who first announced that Berman was `` stepping down '' Friday , then later said President Donald Trump had fired him for refusing to leave his post .
Berman has been serving as US attorney since he was appointed on an “ interim ” basis by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and by court appointment since April 2018 .
Barr ’ s statement on Friday did not specify why Trump decided to replace Berman now .
His office is prosecuting former associates of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani for campaign finance violations and is reportedly investigating Giuliani ’ s activities as well .
The office also subpoenaed the committee that managed Trump ’ s inauguration festivities in 2016 and has brought charges out of that investigation .
On Saturday , the Justice Department released a letter that Barr sent notifying Berman that Trump had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rejecting any argument by Berman that his judicial appointment meant he could n't be removed from office until there was a Senate-confirmed successor .
Barr wrote that he was `` surprised and quite disappointed '' by Berman 's statement on Friday night , and referenced earlier discussions he said they had about Berman staying on in the Justice Department or moving to another role in the administration .
`` Unfortunately , with your statement of last night , you have chosen public spectacle over public service , '' Barr wrote .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no intention of resigning , I have asked the President to remove you as of today , and he has done so . ''
Speaking to reporters on Saturday , Trump said the decision to remove Berman was up to Barr and that he was `` not involved . ''
In his statement on Friday night , Berman had concluded by saying that he intended `` to ensure that this Office 's important cases continue unimpeded . ''
Barr on Saturday bristled at what he saw as a suggestion by Berman that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were appropriately handled .
`` This is obviously false .
I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in the normal course and pursuant to the Department ’ s applicable standards , policies , and guidance , '' Barr wrote , adding that if any supervisors in New York had concerns about `` improper interference '' with a case , they should submit a report to the department 's inspector general .
The late-night back-and-forth over Berman ’ s seat echoed the Friday in March 2017 when Sessions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama-appointed US attorneys nationwide .
Most of the US attorneys agreed to submit their resignations at Sessions ’ request , but not Preet Bharara , the US attorney in Manhattan at the time .
The next day , Bharara tweeted that he had refused to resign , and forced the Trump administration to fire him .
The fight over who runs the Manhattan US attorney ’ s office was the latest legal mess to come out of the Trump administration ’ s pattern of shattering norms in how the president and administration officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s another complication of Trump ’ s decision not to fill vacancies with Senate-confirmed appointees .
It ’ s not clear what would have happened if Berman refused to leave .
The fight could have end up in court , which would lead to a rare public airing of intra-Justice Department politics and grievances .
But it was likely to create confusion about the legitimacy of actions taken by federal prosecutors in Manhattan acting under Berman ’ s authority , had he not stepped down Saturday .
Trump never installed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ousting Bharara in 2017 , leading to the murky position that Berman was in .
Had the dispute over Berman ’ s job landed in court , it wouldn ’ t have been the first time Trump had to defend his appointments .
In March 2020 , a federal judge in Washington , DC , ruled that Trump ’ s appointment of Ken Cuccinelli as acting head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services was unlawful , and the judge blocked several immigration policies that Cuccinelli had signed off on .
Senate Democrats and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court over Trump ’ s appointment of Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general after Trump fired Jeff Sessions .
But Barr was confirmed and Whitaker left before a court could rule on the merits of whether Whitaker ’ s appointment — which bucked the standard process for temporarily filling a cabinet-level vacancy — was lawful .
Barr initially said Friday that Trump would nominate Jay Clayton , the current head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission , to take over for Berman .
Clayton has never served as a federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US attorney nominee .
Before Clayton 's confirmation , the US Attorney for New Jersey , Craig Carpenito , would temporarily lead the Southern District starting July 3 , Barr said — Carpenito , like Berman , was not confirmed by the Senate and has been serving by court appointment since April 2018 .
In Barr 's letter to Berman on Saturday , though , Barr said that Strauss , the Deputy US Attorney in New York , would take over as acting US attorney now that Berman had been fired by Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Barr said he had discussed with Berman was taking over for Clayton as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission ; the other position Barr said the two men discussed was head of the Justice Department 's Civil Division .
Trump ’ s attempt to replace Berman with a US attorney of his choice was further complicated by the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee traditionally has waited to act on US attorney nominees unless they have the backing of their home state senators ; senators submit what are known as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This would have potentially given the Democratic senators from New York — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — power to hold up Clayton ’ s nomination .
Schumer also released a statement calling on Clayton to withdraw from consideration for the US attorney post and for the Justice Department ’ s inspector general to investigate .
Senate Republicans have moved forward on Trump ’ s nominees for federal appeals court seats without blue slips over objection from Democrats who protested that it was a break in tradition , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Saturday saying he would continue to honor the practice for US attorneys .
“ I have not been contacted by the administration in this regard .
However , I know Mr. Clayton and believe him to be a fine man and accomplished lawyer , ” Graham said .
“ As to processing U.S. Attorney nominations , it has always been the policy of the Judiciary Committee to receive blue slips from the home state senators before proceeding to the nomination .
As chairman , I have honored that policy and will continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a US attorney to replace Bharara .
Instead , Sessions announced in January 2018 that he had appointed Berman as “ interim ” US attorney .
Under federal law , the attorney general has the power to do this , but there are limits — an “ interim ” appointment expires either when a presidentially-appointed official is confirmed by the Senate , or after 120 days .
If the 120-day period runs out and there ’ s no Senate-confirmed official , the federal district court for that US attorney office can appoint a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a court-appointed US attorney — like Berman — serves “ until the vacancy is filled.
” Meanwhile , a separate section of the US Code that lays out the process for presidentially-appointed US attorneys states that , “ Each United States attorney is subject to removal by the President.
” Berman appeared to disagree with Barr and Trump about how these two provisions work together .
Berman ’ s statement on Friday night made clear that he believes the president can ’ t remove a court-appointed US attorney , and that only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @


buzzfeed--2020-06-21--Police Pulled Over Two Black Men For Having An Air Freshener In Their Car. A Court Ruled The Stop Wa

Police Pulled Over Two Black Men For Having An Air Freshener In Their Car. A Court Ruled The Stop Was Legitimate.

Still image from police body camera footage after Napoleon Jackson and Kittrell Freeman were pulled over in Chicago in September 2018 because of a hanging air freshener .
WASHINGTON — In September 2018 , Napoleon Jackson was driving a car in the South Side of Chicago .
Kittrell Freeman sat in the front passenger seat .
A police officer pulled Jackson over , and a later search of the car revealed a loaded rifle and two handguns .
But the officer didn ’ t know there were guns in the car when she stopped Jackson .
She did know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ d run a license plate check after Jackson first passed her on the street .
Why did she pull him over ?
She ’ d seen a tree-shaped air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror .
Jackson and Freeman faced federal gun charges — they each had previous felony convictions that made it illegal for them to possess guns .
They argued their cases should be tossed out because the air freshener–based stop was unlawful .
Jackson was sentenced to nine months in prison .
Freeman is serving five years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruled the presence of the air freshener alone was enough to justify the stop .
Chicago ’ s municipal code prohibits objects that obstruct the windshield , and the officer had “ reasonable suspicion ” to think Jackson ’ s air freshener violated that law , the court found .
Laws that allow police to stop people for relatively minor infractions — especially when the people disproportionately affected are Black — are under scrutiny again after George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last month .
Police officers had arrested Floyd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $ 20 bill at a store .
Floyd was initially compliant , resisted being handcuffed , and then was compliant again , according to the criminal complaint filed against the police officer who used a knee chokehold to hold Floyd on the ground for nearly nine minutes .
The 7th Circuit ’ s decision was the latest in a long line of cases involving police stops and air fresheners .
Laws that prohibit anything that obstructs the view of a driver , similar to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States .
Defendants like Jackson and Freeman who ended up facing far more serious criminal charges after being stopped because of an air freshener have raised challenges to these police encounters in state and federal courts , with mixed success .
Research by the Stanford Open Policing Project found that Black and Latino drivers nationwide are stopped by police and have their cars searched at higher rates than white drivers .
A study released by the ACLU of Illinois in 2019 found that Black and Latino drivers who were stopped were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates than white drivers , even though data showed they weren ’ t any more likely to have contraband in their cars .
Other studies have found racial disparities specifically in traffic stops for minor , “ non-moving ” violations , a category that would likely include windshield obstructions .
Courts previously have accepted arguments that police used the presence of air fresheners as a pretext to stop Black and Latino drivers — in 2010 , a federal judge in Arkansas ruled that a police officer had engaged in a pattern of racially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the officer cited dangling air fresheners as a reason for making traffic stops .
A Minnesota appeals court in 1994 upheld a judge ’ s order dismissing a case where a police officer said he ’ d stopped a Black man driving a car at 3 a.m. because of a hanging air freshener .
There was no evidence the air freshener was blocking the man ’ s view , the appeals court found .
“ The trial court could legitimately find that in the absence of an objective legal reason , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air freshener as a pretext to stop Hardy because he was an African-American driving around shopping centers in the middle of the night , ” a Minnesota appeals judge wrote at the time .

WASHINGTON — In September 2018, Napoleon Jackson was driving a car in the South Side of Chicago. Kittrell Freeman sat in the front passenger seat. A police officer pulled Jackson over, and a later search of the car revealed a loaded rifle and two handguns.
But the officer didn’t know there were guns in the car when she stopped Jackson. She did know that the car wasn’t stolen; she’d run a license plate check after Jackson first passed her on the street. Why did she pull him over? She’d seen a tree-shaped air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror.
Jackson and Freeman faced federal gun charges — they each had previous felony convictions that made it illegal for them to possess guns. They argued their cases should be tossed out because the air freshener–based stop was unlawful. Jackson was sentenced to nine months in prison. Freeman is serving five years. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled the presence of the air freshener alone was enough to justify the stop. Chicago’s municipal code prohibits objects that obstruct the windshield, and the officer had “reasonable suspicion” to think Jackson’s air freshener violated that law, the court found.
Laws that allow police to stop people for relatively minor infractions — especially when the people disproportionately affected are Black — are under scrutiny again after George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis last month. Police officers had arrested Floyd, a Black man, after he was accused of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a store. Floyd was initially compliant, resisted being handcuffed, and then was compliant again, according to the criminal complaint filed against the police officer who used a knee chokehold to hold Floyd on the ground for nearly nine minutes.
The 7th Circuit’s decision was the latest in a long line of cases involving police stops and air fresheners. Laws that prohibit anything that obstructs the view of a driver, similar to the one in Chicago, are common across the United States. Defendants like Jackson and Freeman who ended up facing far more serious criminal charges after being stopped because of an air freshener have raised challenges to these police encounters in state and federal courts, with mixed success.
Research by the Stanford Open Policing Project found that Black and Latino drivers nationwide are stopped by police and have their cars searched at higher rates than white drivers. A study released by the ACLU of Illinois in 2019 found that Black and Latino drivers who were stopped were asked to consent to searches at higher rates than white drivers, even though data showed they weren’t any more likely to have contraband in their cars. Other studies have found racial disparities specifically in traffic stops for minor, “non-moving” violations, a category that would likely include windshield obstructions.
Courts previously have accepted arguments that police used the presence of air fresheners as a pretext to stop Black and Latino drivers — in 2010, a federal judge in Arkansas ruled that a police officer had engaged in a pattern of racially profiling Latino drivers, and noted instances when the officer cited dangling air fresheners as a reason for making traffic stops.
A Minnesota appeals court in 1994 upheld a judge’s order dismissing a case where a police officer said he’d stopped a Black man driving a car at 3 a.m. because of a hanging air freshener. There was no evidence the air freshener was blocking the man’s view, the appeals court found.
“The trial court could legitimately find that in the absence of an objective legal reason, the officer used the mere presence of the air freshener as a pretext to stop Hardy because he was an African-American driving around shopping centers in the middle of the night,” a Minnesota appeals judge wrote at the time.


buzzfeed--2020-06-22--Trump Defended His Ability To Walk Down A Ramp At His First Rally During The Pandemic

President Donald Trump spent more than 10 minutes bragging about his ability to walk down a ramp and drink water out of a glass during his Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , where COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise .
The rally billed by the president 's reelection campaign as a massive relaunch was instead marked by empty seats and familiar discursions .
Ramps , though , have become a new fixation .
`` Anyway , that 's a long story , '' Trump said after about 14 minutes of explaining what happened when he walked down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at West Point the week before .
`` But here 's the story .
More the ramp than the water , but I have lived with the ramp and the water since I left West Point . ''
During that speech in New York , Trump seemed to struggle to lift a glass of water to his mouth , and later labored as he slowly walked offstage and down a ramp , leading to wild speculation about his health .
That speculation , Trump said , reached his wife .
As he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Melania Trump after his West Point speech , she informed him he was trending online .
He asked if it was because of the speech .
`` No , they do n't mention the speech , '' he said she told him .
`` They mention the fact that you may have Parkinson 's disease . ''
Trump insisted in Tulsa that the conditions at West Point — namely the sun , the fatigue of saluting 600 cadets , and his leather shoes — were to blame for the viral video clips .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president drank from a glass of water and was met with chants of `` four more years '' from a crowd far smaller than his campaign had advertised .

President Donald Trump spent more than 10 minutes bragging about his ability to walk down a ramp and drink water out of a glass during his Saturday campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise.
The rally billed by the president's reelection campaign as a massive relaunch was instead marked by empty seats and familiar discursions.
Ramps, though, have become a new fixation.
"Anyway, that's a long story," Trump said after about 14 minutes of explaining what happened when he walked down a ramp after his speech to graduates at West Point the week before. "But here's the story. More the ramp than the water, but I have lived with the ramp and the water since I left West Point."
During that speech in New York, Trump seemed to struggle to lift a glass of water to his mouth, and later labored as he slowly walked offstage and down a ramp, leading to wild speculation about his health.
That speculation, Trump said, reached his wife. As he had it Saturday night, when he called Melania Trump after his West Point speech, she informed him he was trending online. He asked if it was because of the speech. "No, they don't mention the speech," he said she told him. "They mention the fact that you may have Parkinson's disease."
Trump insisted in Tulsa that the conditions at West Point — namely the sun, the fatigue of saluting 600 cadets, and his leather shoes — were to blame for the viral video clips.
About 13 minutes into his story, the president drank from a glass of water and was met with chants of "four more years" from a crowd far smaller than his campaign had advertised.


buzzfeed--2020-06-22--Trump Tried To Quietly Replace A Prosecutor Taking Aim At His Allies. It’s Not The First Time That B

Trump Tried To Quietly Replace A Prosecutor Taking Aim At His Allies. It’s Not The First Time That Backfired.

Berman had been serving as US attorney since he was appointed on an “interim” basis by then–attorney general Jeff Sessions in January 2018, and by court appointment since April 2018. Barr’s statement on Friday did not specify why Trump decided to replace Berman now. His office is prosecuting former associates of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani for campaign finance violations and is reportedly investigating Giuliani’s activities as well. The office also subpoenaed the committee that managed Trump’s inauguration festivities in 2016 and has brought charges out of that investigation.
On Saturday, the Justice Department released a letter that Barr had sent notifying Berman that Trump had officially fired him at Barr's request, rejecting any argument by Berman that his judicial appointment meant he couldn't be removed from office until there was a Senate-confirmed successor. Barr wrote that he was "surprised and quite disappointed" by Berman's statement on Friday night, and referenced earlier discussions he said they had had about Berman staying on in the Justice Department or moving to another role in the administration.
"Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service," Barr wrote. "Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so."
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump said the decision to remove Berman was up to Barr and that he was "not involved."
In his statement on Friday night, Berman had concluded by saying that he intended "to ensure that this Office's important cases continue unimpeded." Barr on Saturday bristled at what he saw as a suggestion by Berman that he needed to stay to make sure cases were appropriately handled.
"This is obviously false. I fully expect that the office will continue to handle all cases in the normal course and pursuant to the Department’s applicable standards, policies, and guidance," Barr wrote, adding that if any supervisors in New York had concerns about "improper interference" with a case, they should submit a report to the department's inspector general.
The late-night back-and-forth over Berman’s seat echoed the Friday in March 2017 when Sessions and Trump ousted nearly all of the remaining Obama-appointed US attorneys nationwide. Most of the US attorneys agreed to submit their resignations at Sessions’ request, but not Preet Bharara, the US attorney in Manhattan at the time. The next day, Bharara tweeted that he had refused to resign, and forced the Trump administration to fire him.
The fight over who runs the Manhattan US attorney’s office was the latest legal mess to come out of the Trump administration’s pattern of shattering norms in how the president and administration officials fill high-level executive branch jobs. And it’s another complication of Trump’s decision not to fill vacancies with Senate-confirmed appointees.
It’s not clear what would have happened if Berman refused to leave. The fight could have ended up in court, which would lead to a rare public airing of intra–Justice Department politics and grievances. But it was likely to create confusion about the legitimacy of actions taken by federal prosecutors in Manhattan acting under Berman’s authority, had he not stepped down Saturday.
Trump never installed a Senate-confirmed US attorney in New York after ousting Bharara in 2017, leading to the murky position that Berman was in.
Had the dispute over Berman’s job landed in court, it wouldn’t have been the first time Trump had to defend his appointments. In March 2020, a federal judge in Washington, DC, ruled that Trump’s appointment of Ken Cuccinelli as acting head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services was unlawful, and the judge blocked several immigration policies that Cuccinelli had signed off on.
Senate Democrats and other groups took the Trump administration to court over Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general after Trump fired Jeff Sessions. But Barr was confirmed and Whitaker left before a court could rule on the merits of whether Whitaker’s appointment — which bucked the standard process for temporarily filling a cabinet-level vacancy — was lawful.
Barr initially said Friday that Trump would nominate Jay Clayton, the current head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, to take over for Berman. Clayton has never served as a federal prosecutor, which is unusual for a US attorney nominee. Before Clayton's confirmation, the US attorney for New Jersey, Craig Carpenito, would temporarily lead the Southern District starting July 3, Barr said — Carpenito, like Berman, was not confirmed by the Senate and has been serving by court appointment since April 2018.
In Barr's letter to Berman on Saturday, though, Barr said that Strauss, the deputy US attorney in New York, would take over as acting US attorney now that Berman had been fired by Trump. Notably, one of the jobs that Barr said he had discussed with Berman was taking over for Clayton as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission; the other position Barr said the two men discussed was head of the Justice Department's Civil Division.
Trump’s attempt to replace Berman with a US attorney of his choice was further complicated by the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee traditionally has waited to act on US attorney nominees unless they have the backing of their home state senators; senators submit what are known as “blue slips” to signal approval. This would have potentially given the Democratic senators from New York — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — power to hold up Clayton’s nomination.
Schumer also released a statement calling on Clayton to withdraw from consideration for the US attorney post and for the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate.
Senate Republicans have moved forward on Trump’s nominees for federal appeals court seats without blue slips over objection from Democrats who protested that it was a break in tradition, but Committee Chair Lindsey Graham released a statement on Saturday saying he would continue to honor the practice for US attorneys.
“I have not been contacted by the administration in this regard. However, I know Mr. Clayton and believe him to be a fine man and accomplished lawyer,” Graham said. “As to processing U.S. Attorney nominations, it has always been the policy of the Judiciary Committee to receive blue slips from the home state senators before proceeding to the nomination. As chairman, I have honored that policy and will continue to do so.”
Trump never nominated a US attorney to replace Bharara. Instead, Sessions announced in January 2018 that he had appointed Berman as “interim” US attorney. Under federal law, the attorney general has the power to do this, but there are limits — an “interim” appointment expires either when a presidentially appointed official is confirmed by the Senate, or after 120 days.
If the 120-day period runs out and there’s no Senate-confirmed official, the federal district court for that US attorney office can appoint a US attorney. Federal law says that a court-appointed US attorney — like Berman — serves “until the vacancy is filled.” Meanwhile, a separate section of the US Code that lays out the process for presidentially appointed US attorneys states, “Each United States attorney is subject to removal by the President.”
Berman appeared to disagree with Barr and Trump about how these two provisions work together. Berman’s statement on Friday night made clear that he believes the president can’t remove a court-appointed US attorney, and that only a Senate-confirmed official can take his place.


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--Ariana Grande, For One, Is Super Excited That Gyms Have Reopened In California

When Ariana stopped by the gym today , masks had not yet been required inside of them .
Just earlier @ @ @ @ @ and former California governor ) , Arnold Schwarzenegger , visited an LA gym just to @ @ @ @ @ out that masks were n't obligatory , according to CBSLA and KCAL-TV news reporter Tina @ @

When Ariana stopped by the gym today, masks had not yet been required inside of them. Just earlier today, another celebrity (and former California governor), Arnold Schwarzenegger , visited an LA gym just to turn back around upon finding out that masks weren't obligatory, according to CBSLA and KCAL-TV news reporter Tina Patel.


buzzfeed--2020-06-19--Experts Are Calling For A Top Science Journal To Retract A Paper On Face Masks And COVID-19

“ The paper made extraordinary claims about routes of transmission , the effectiveness of mask-wearing , and by implication , the ineffectiveness of other non-pharmaceutical interventions .
While we agree that mask-wearing plays an important role in slowing the spread of COVID-19 , the claims in this study were based on easily falsifiable claims and methodological design flaws , ” the letter says .
“ Given the scope and severity of the issues we present , and the paper ’ s outsized and immediate public impact , we ask that the Editors of PNAS retract this paper immediately.
” On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium , an expert group formed at Johns Hopkins to provide assessments of new research on the virus , had reviewed the paper and agreed that it should be retracted .
Soon after the paper appeared online , other scientists started posting eviscerating critiques of its assumptions and methods on Twitter .
“ There were just so many errors and issues with the paper that it almost seemed hard to know where to start , ” Kate Grabowski , an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s retraction , told Buzzfeed News .
Neither of those conclusions is justified by the evidence , the paper ’ s critics say .
Still , the findings were shared widely on social media and covered uncritically by some news outlets including Forbes and the Los Angeles Times .
Molina ’ s PNAS paper went much further , however , claiming that airborne transmission through microscopic droplets is the “ dominant ” way in which the coronavirus spreads .
Molina ’ s team also estimated that rules requiring the wearing of masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York City between April 17 and May 9 , and 78,000 infections in Italy between April 6 and May 9 .
As scientists have learned more about the role people without visible symptoms play in spreading the disease , health officials have recommended widespread use of face coverings .
And a systematic review of the available evidence published on June 1 in the Lancet concluded that wearing masks “ could result in a large reduction in risk of infection.
” Recently , mandates to wear face masks have become a flashpoint in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of COVID-19 .
The paper was published on June 11 in PNAS , the flagship journal of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences , by researchers including Mario Molina of the University of California , San Diego .
Molina is an atmospheric chemist who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research showing how chemicals called CFCs , once widely used in aerosol sprays and as refrigerants , were destroying the ozone layer that protects us from the sun ’ s damaging ultraviolet rays .
“ One of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people will take this as rigorous science and base their actions on it , ” Noah Haber , a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University who helped organize the letter calling for the paper ’ s retraction , told BuzzFeed News .
The scientists , who sent a signed letter to the journal PNAS on Thursday , say that the paper is based on false statements and flawed statistical analysis and could encourage people to put themselves at risk by congregating in groups , believing that wearing a mask is enough to protect them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including leading epidemiologists studying COVID-19 , are calling on a top journal to retract a paper from a Nobel Prize–winning chemist that claimed that wearing face masks is the crucial factor in slowing the spread of the coronavirus — diminishing the role that social distancing measures play in protecting the public .
The biggest problem with the paper , according to Grabowski , is that its conclusions about the effectiveness of mask-wearing , compared to other measures to slow the spread of the virus , are based on false statements .
Molina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference between New York City and the rest of the US in terms of regulatory measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 was a mandate that people should wear face coverings outside the home , introduced in New York City on April 17 .
The paper also stated : “ With social distancing , quarantine , and isolation in place worldwide and in the United States since the beginning of April , airborne transmission represents the only viable route for spreading the disease.
” Neither of those assumptions is true , Grabowski and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conclusion that mask-wearing is the crucial intervention just doesn ’ t hold up .
“ There was a patchwork of varying behaviors and rules with varying degrees of adoption , ” Daniel Larremore , a computational biologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder , who also signed the letter , told BuzzFeed News .
He is studying data on people ’ s movements provided by Facebook and other technology companies , and has found that some people continued to move around even when stay-at-home orders were in place .
What ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studies that isolation and social distancing measures have slowed transmission of the coronavirus .
The letter requesting the paper ’ s retraction also slams the statistical methods used by Molina ’ s team .
The researchers fitted straight lines to curves showing the growing number of cases , noted the timing of any mandate to wear face masks , and then looked at how the slope of the curve became more shallow after that .
But this ignores the fact that case curves for infectious diseases tend to naturally level out after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s impossible to attribute the change to face masks alone .
Molina ’ s team also ignored the lag of one to two weeks , caused by the disease ’ s incubation period and delays in diagnosis , needed to see any noticeable effect on case numbers after a policy change .
Contacted by BuzzFeed News before the letter requesting retraction was sent to PNAS , Molina rejected criticisms of his paper .
“ We just looked at the data that is published and it ’ s surprisingly linear until something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Molina argued that epidemiologists have overlooked the importance of microscopic droplets containing the virus .
Specialists in air pollution , he argued , are used to thinking about the dangers of aerosols of tiny particles .
“ This is obvious to people who deal with air quality , ” he said .
“ The only thing new here is that we apply this to the coronavirus.
” Other authors of the paper include Renyi Zhang , a former student of Molina ’ s who is now a professor of atmospheric chemistry at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Station , and his daughter Annie Li Zhang , who was an undergraduate student in chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin .
Renyi Zhang declined to speak to BuzzFeed News .
“ This paper is a peer-reviewed scientific publication .
Its content can be debated in a legitimate , scientific fashion .
However , we prefer not to engage in scientific debates via social media platform , ” he told BuzzFeed News by email , referring to criticisms of the paper on Twitter .
Annie Li Zhang did not respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the research .
The fight over the paper also exposes long-running concerns about a quirk of the journal PNAS that allows members of the academy , like Molina , to bypass the normal mechanism of peer review , by which journal editors select independent scientific experts to vet a paper for publication .
Under the journal ’ s “ contributed track , ” academy members can submit up to two papers a year for which they select the reviewers themselves .
Some scientists have criticized the practice as an anachronism that allows the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ image of the academy as an “ old boys ’ club.
” The letter requesting the retraction of the paper also calls on PNAS to “ reassess the Contributed Submission editorial process by which it was published.
” Academy members have so far been unwilling to give up this perk , but over the years the rules for the contributed track have been tightened , reducing how frequently it can be used .
Journal policies also demand that “ the subject matter must be within the member 's area of expertise.
” Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s paper , and neither of the reviewers , are experts in infectious disease epidemiology .
Responding to queries from BuzzFeed News before the letter requesting retraction , PNAS Editor-in-Chief May Berenbaum , an evolutionary biologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , said by email that she was aware of the criticisms of the paper .
“ There are ongoing discussions about the paper among members of the journal leadership team , members of the Editorial Board , and other NAS members , ” she said , adding that she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the publication of the paper had complied with the rules for the contributed track .
Berenbaum did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter calling for the paper ’ s retraction .
This is not the first controversy surrounding research on COVID-19 , as scientists from many fields have rushed in to respond to the crisis .
In the early days of the pandemic , there was widespread concern that “ preprints ” of studies , posted online without peer review , were stoking misinformation and panic .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released as a preprint was criticized for its flawed methodology and undisclosed conflict of interest .
And earlier this month , high-profile papers published in the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine were retracted after Surgisphere , a small company that claimed to have provided health records collected from tens of thousands of patients , was unable to disclose the data behind the studies .

More than 40 scientists, including leading epidemiologists studying COVID-19, are calling on a top journal to retract a paper from a Nobel Prize–winning chemist that claimed that wearing face masks is the crucial factor in slowing the spread of the coronavirus — diminishing the role that social distancing measures play in protecting the public.
The scientists, who sent a signed letter to the journal PNAS on Thursday, say that the paper is based on false statements and flawed statistical analysis and could encourage people to put themselves at risk by congregating in groups, believing that wearing a mask is enough to protect them from infection.
“One of the things we really worry about is that people will take this as rigorous science and base their actions on it,” Noah Haber, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University who helped organize the letter calling for the paper’s retraction, told BuzzFeed News.
The paper was published on June 11 in PNAS, the flagship journal of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, by researchers including Mario Molina of the University of California, San Diego. Molina is an atmospheric chemist who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research showing how chemicals called CFCs, once widely used in aerosol sprays and as refrigerants, were destroying the ozone layer that protects us from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays.
Recently, mandates to wear face masks have become a flashpoint in the hyper-politicized debate over restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19.
As scientists have learned more about the role people without visible symptoms play in spreading the disease, health officials have recommended widespread use of face coverings. And a systematic review of the available evidence published on June 1 in the Lancet concluded that wearing masks “could result in a large reduction in risk of infection.”
Molina’s PNAS paper went much further, however, claiming that airborne transmission through microscopic droplets is the “dominant” way in which the coronavirus spreads. Molina’s team also estimated that rules requiring the wearing of masks prevented at least 66,000 coronavirus infections in New York City between April 17 and May 9, and 78,000 infections in Italy between April 6 and May 9.
Neither of those conclusions is justified by the evidence, the paper’s critics say. Still, the findings were shared widely on social media and covered uncritically by some news outlets including Forbes and the Los Angeles Times.
Soon after the paper appeared online, other scientists started posting eviscerating critiques of its assumptions and methods on Twitter. “There were just so many errors and issues with the paper that it almost seemed hard to know where to start,” Kate Grabowski, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University who signed the letter calling for the study’s retraction, told Buzzfeed News.
On June 12, Grabowski posted that four scientists with the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium, an expert group formed at Johns Hopkins to provide assessments of new research on the virus, had reviewed the paper and agreed that it should be retracted.
“The paper made extraordinary claims about routes of transmission, the effectiveness of mask-wearing, and by implication, the ineffectiveness of other non-pharmaceutical interventions. While we agree that mask-wearing plays an important role in slowing the spread of COVID-19, the claims in this study were based on easily falsifiable claims and methodological design flaws,” the letter says. “Given the scope and severity of the issues we present, and the paper’s outsized and immediate public impact, we ask that the Editors of PNAS retract this paper immediately.”


buzzfeed--2020-06-22--These Pictures Show What It's Like To Survive COVID-19

Photographer Morgana Wingard is a resident of New York City and experienced firsthand the trajectory of COVID-19 as it spread across the city this past spring , infecting 211,000 and killing over 17,000 people there .
After reporting on the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa , Wingard took note of the striking parallels between these two crises and how the proliferation of information from those who survived Ebola had helped to further curb the spread of the outbreak .
By late April , New York state was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the US and had reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documented cases and some 15,000 deaths .
At its peak , over 500 COVID-19 deaths were being reported each day with an additional 1,700 daily hospital admissions .
More than 100 days after this lockdown was first enacted , New York state is no longer the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the US — now it has one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 infections in the country .
Meanwhile , states that prematurely eased restrictions on business and movements are now experiencing a surge in new cases .
In 21 states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the rise , with some local health authorities noting an increase in their seven-day average as high as 92 % .
To help share vital information and warnings about the dangers of the coronavirus , Wingard started the Coronavirus Survivor Diaries project , an ongoing documentary series that shares the faces and stories of those who have survived COVID-19 .
Here , Wingard speaks with BuzzFeed News about how this pandemic mirrors and differs from her experience during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa , as well as the importance of telling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
How did the Coronavirus Survivor Diaries project begin ?
Morgana Wingard : As COVID-19 began to spread in New York earlier this year , I was eerily reminded of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014 .
I had moved there the year before and spent months helping international humanitarian organizations share their stories of social impact .
After most of my friends were evacuated when Ebola spread to the capital in the summer of 2014 , I stayed for several more months dominated by a virus that fueled uncertainty , fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — much like the environment today .
I learned more than I ever expected about epidemiology , responding to an unprecedented medical emergency , and the critical impact of communication in such a situation .
It was one of the hardest times in my life , but I wouldn ’ t take it back for the world because of what I learned .
As an unexpected witness , I observed what didn ’ t work .
But then I discovered what did .
My biggest takeaway was that survivors have a critical role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact , many of the answers that we seek can be found in the survivors — both in their bodies and in their stories .
Then , just as now , people needed to hear from people they know and trust so that humanitarian organizations could work with survivors to pass on vital information to warn , educate , and encourage their communities that Ebola is real , what they can do to protect themselves , and what to do if someone starts getting sick .
Just as importantly , they offered hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m not a first responder who can provide lifesaving care .
I ’ m not a scientist who can develop a vaccine .
I ’ m not a politician who can make important public health decisions .
So , it feels like I ’ m too far removed to be able to make a real difference .
I ’ m just a storyteller .
But I believe there ’ s power in learning from each other 's stories .
So , when the COVID-19 outbreak began spreading in my current home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this personal project to document and share these important stories through a series of portraits and first-person accounts of COVID-19 survivors that can spread awareness now and document our shared experience for history .
During the Ebola outbreak we had started a project called Ebola Diaries , so I decided to call this project Coronavirus Survivor Diaries .
In your opinion , how does the coronavirus pandemic in the US differ from the Ebola outbreak in Liberia ?
The coronavirus pandemic is different from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa because everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak was isolated to three countries on one continent .
This virus has spread to six continents and almost no country is untouched .
The beautiful thing about that is that everyone is going through this together so there is a level of mutual understanding as we share this experience and in some ways it brings us together .
How do you meet these survivors ?
I find survivors through various means , but mostly on social media .
I ’ ve been amazed at how open people have been with a complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moments of their COVID journeys and allow them to photograph them — albeit at a safe distance with masks .
Why is it important to tell their stories ?
It ’ s important to tell survivor stories for two reasons .
First , many of the answers that we seek can be found in the information that survivors have to share : how it ’ s contracted , how it spreads , what it does to the body , what helped them heal , how they coped , etc .
Second , survivors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their communities by telling them facts about their experiences that dispel myths and encourage people to take the disease seriously while at the same time giving them hope that they can get through it .
How has your impression of the coronavirus pandemic changed since beginning work on this project ?
We were initially told the virus was a respiratory disease .
It ’ s clear from speaking with many survivors that it attacks much more than just the lungs .
I thought that the United States was better prepared to respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprised at our response .
In some ways , African countries have responded far better than we have .
Liberia took the threat of this virus extremely seriously .
The roles reversed .
They quarantined anyone coming into the country from New York before there were any known cases in Liberia .
I ’ m proud of them .
I think we can learn a lot from their example .

Photographer Morgana Wingard is a resident of New York City and experienced firsthand the trajectory of COVID-19 as it spread across the city this past spring, infecting 211,000 and killing over 17,000 people there. After reporting on the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Wingard took note of the striking parallels between these two crises and how the proliferation of information from those who survived Ebola had helped to further curb the spread of the outbreak.
By late April, New York state was the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the US and had reached a peak infection rate of approximately 250,000 documented cases and some 15,000 deaths. At its peak, over 500 COVID-19 deaths were being reported each day with an additional 1,700 daily hospital admissions.
More than 100 days after this lockdown was first enacted, New York state is no longer the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the US — now it has one of the lowest rates of COVID-19 infections in the country. Meanwhile, states that prematurely eased restrictions on business and movements are now experiencing a surge in new cases. In 21 states across the US, COVID-19 cases are on the rise, with some local health authorities noting an increase in their seven-day average as high as 92%.
To help share vital information and warnings about the dangers of the coronavirus, Wingard started the Coronavirus Survivor Diaries project, an ongoing documentary series that shares the faces and stories of those who have survived COVID-19.
Here, Wingard speaks with BuzzFeed News about how this pandemic mirrors and differs from her experience during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, as well as the importance of telling the stories of those who have survived.


buzzfeed--2020-06-18--This Woman Cheated On Her Boyfriend With His Best Friend — Should She Tell Him The Truth?

Look .
I do n't need to explain why what you two did was really , really bad .
You @ @ @ @ @ a `` horrible person , '' and I do n't want to pile onto that @ @ @ @ @ taken the positive step of asking for help .
However , I am going to @ @ @ @ @ in your DM that rubbed me the wrong way — not because I want you @ @ @ @ @ but because I think you should re-evaluate how you talk about this situation before you @ @ @ @ @ .

Look. I don't need to explain why what you two did was really, really bad. You say you already feel like a "horrible person," and I don't want to pile onto that, especially when you've taken the positive step of asking for help. However, I am going to call out a few things in your DM that rubbed me the wrong way — not because I want you to feel even worse, but because I think you should re-evaluate how you talk about this situation before you come clean to your boyfriend.


buzzfeed--2020-06-17--We'll Be Really Impressed If You Can Correctly Answer All 8 Of These Questions About Acne

You should look for skincare products that ... All of the above You should look for skincare products that do @ @ @ @ @ FDA recommends that you avoid oily products and look for noncomedogenic ones , which do @ @ @ @ @ products like antibacterial soap on your face can actually harm your skin .

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buzzfeed--2020-06-15--If You've Ever Struggled With Your Acne, These Decisions Will Be Nearly Impossible

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buzzfeed--2020-06-15--“Black Lives Matter,” Say These Companies That Sell Skin Lightening Products

`` We believe Black people should have the right to live without fear , ” wrote Olay on Instagram — at the same time it sold `` White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence . ''
On June 3 , US skincare brand Olay posted a message in support of a newly trendy topic for cosmetic companies : racial justice .
“ Black Lives Matter , ” the caption reads .
“ We stand against racism and injustice .
We believe Black people should have the right to live without fear.
” Olay and its parent company , consumer products giant Procter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million to an anti-racism fund .
( Procter & Gamble reported annual sales of more than $ 67 billion in 2019 . )
But a few days later , the Olay Malaysia Instagram account sent a very different message .
In a repost of her April 15 sponcon , a smiling Malaysian influencer wearing a white hijab promotes a product called “ White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence '' — a product Olay says provides “ dual whitening action ” for “ luminous fairness '' and `` inhibits melanin formation in the deepest layer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promises to inhibit the production of melanin — the natural pigment that gives human skin its color — and banish “ dulling yellow skin ” to produce a “ smoother , fresher , whiter and more translucent complexion , ” according to Olay 's website in the Philippines .
It contains niacinamide , which is used for fading hyperpigmentation , among other uses .
“ I see total hypocrisy , ” said Joanne Rondilla , a professor of sociology at San Jose State University whose research has focused on skin lightening in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skincare industry herself .
“ The optimist in me says I appreciate the sentiment , but none of this matters if you ’ re not going to put an actual plan in place.
” An Olay spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that the company , which does not sell skin whitening products in the US , believes that there needs to be a “ more diverse and inclusive standard of beauty , ” comparing its skin lightening products to tanners or makeup .
“ How each person defines beauty is a choice .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or makeup to achieve a darker skin tone , while others are looking to even dark spots and preserve their natural skin tone , ” the spokesperson said .
“ In Asia , where these products are predominantly sold , many people describe their skin tone as ‘ yellowing ’ as they age and are seeking products to help restore their natural skin tone.
” Olay is one of the many leading American and European beauty brands that sell skin whitening products , mostly to customers in Asia and Africa , while proclaiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests in the United States .
As the purchasing power of consumer classes in countries like India , Indonesia , China , Nigeria , and Ghana has grown , skin whitening has become a multibillion-dollar market , dominated by multinational conglomerates like Procter & Gamble , Unilever , L ’ Oréal , and Johnson & Johnson .
Olay was not the only brand to publicly support Black Lives Matter while also selling skin lightening products .
Johnson & Johnson , another consumer products giant , also sells fairness creams in Asia ( Fairness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The company ’ s skincare brand Neutrogena sells a product called `` Fine Fairness Overnight Brightening Cream '' in its Malaysian online store that includes “ white lily extract ” to achieve “ long lasting fairness.
” According to Neutrogena ’ s website , one of the product ’ s benefits is that it “ restores skin ’ s natural whitening power.
” The brand said on June 2 on Instagram that it would donate $ 200,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter , adding , “ We have a responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against systemic racism.
” In response to questions from BuzzFeed News , a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said the company has decided to discontinue the Fine Fairness line , which was available in India and Southeast Asia among other markets , adding , “ This product uses a retinol formula to lighten stubborn dark spots — it does not bleach the skin.
” The company said it made the decision based on conversations with retailers .
Products aimed at lightening skin tones range from skin bleaching creams , often using a chemical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to products branded as natural or nonprescription strength including kojic acid , licorice root , and bearberry , according to Suzanne Friedler , a board-certified dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology PC .
“ In many places outside the US , questionable ingredients such as corticosteroids , mercury , hydrogen peroxide , and glutathione may be found in lightening agents , ” she said .
“ These products have the potential to damage and thin out the skin.
” Many countries , including in Asia and Africa , have looser regulations on nonprescription skincare products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not every country requires cosmetics companies to disclose the ingredients of their products .
So it ’ s tough to tell which products contain what skin lightening ingredients , even when the products promise to lighten skin tone .
But advocates say that even marketing that references skin whitening is harmful because it drives demand for more dangerous products and reinforces the notion that whiter is better .
In the US and Europe , companies are more likely to advertise products using words like “ brightening ” or “ spot reducing.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Garnier , a brand owned by French cosmetics giant L'Oréal , has a dedicated page on its Indian online shop for whitening products for men , including one called `` PowerWhite Fairness Face Wash. '' An ad for the product promises to make your skin one tone lighter by counteracting pollution .
Garnier USA said on Instagram on June 2 , “ We stand with the Black community and against racial injustice , ” and the same day , Blackout Tuesday , posted a black square to express support for the Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to requests for comment .
Consumer products giant Unilever owns one of India ’ s best-known skin whitening brands , Fair and Lovely .
On June 3 , the company posted on Instagram , “ We have a responsibility for racial justice , ” saying it had pledged “ more than $ 1 million to date ” in donations to social justice organizations and activists .
The post was flooded with angry comments calling the company hypocritical .
“ Stop making and selling fairness and skin lightening products across the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have done enough damage to us dark skinned Indian women .
Just stop.
” Shivani Priya , an Indian fashion designer who commented on the post , told BuzzFeed News that as someone who previously used Fair and Lovely , `` I can tell you that it doesn ’ t work and it promotes the inherent racism that still exists in our country.
” On June 9 , the author and TV host Padma Lakshmi chimed in too .
“ For years I ’ ve been saying that ‘ Fair & Lovely ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GO !
!
” she wrote on Instagram .
“ Anyone else out there sick and tired of being told that fair=lovely ?
Because I sure as hell am .
“ I ’ ve been hearing that crap since my girlhood and it did a number on my self-esteem , '' she added .
Unilever did not return repeated requests for comment .
Critics of skin whitening say the practice is not a personal choice , but rather deeply rooted in colonial history and viewed as necessary to improve job , marriage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expense of skin health .
Skin lightening products can contain mercury and other harmful chemicals that can do lasting damage .
Marketing for skin lightening products — whether or not they contain harmful ingredients — often casts lighter skin tones as a beauty ideal .
Consumer advocates in Asia and Africa have spent years protesting against skin lightening .
Last year , Amira Adawe , founder of the US-based Beautywell Project , led a campaign that persuaded Amazon to stop the sale of some skin whitening products on its platform .
And in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rwanda , and Ivory Coast have banned certain kinds of skin whiteners that include ingredients like mercury , hydroquinone , and steroids .
Some skin whitening products are also banned or heavily regulated in Australia , Japan , and the EU .

Olay was not the only brand to publicly support Black Lives Matter while also selling skin lightening products.
Johnson & Johnson, another consumer products giant, also sells fairness creams in Asia (Fairness in India typically means fair skin). The company’s skincare brand Neutrogena sells a product called "Fine Fairness Overnight Brightening Cream" in its Malaysian online store that includes “white lily extract” to achieve “long lasting fairness.” According to Neutrogena’s website, one of the product’s benefits is that it “restores skin’s natural whitening power.” The brand said on June 2 on Instagram that it would donate $200,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, adding, “We have a responsibility to use our voice to speak up against systemic racism.”
In response to questions from BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said the company has decided to discontinue the Fine Fairness line, which was available in India and Southeast Asia among other markets, adding, “This product uses a retinol formula to lighten stubborn dark spots — it does not bleach the skin.” The company said it made the decision based on conversations with retailers.
Products aimed at lightening skin tones range from skin bleaching creams, often using a chemical banned in several countries called hydroquinone, to products branded as natural or nonprescription strength including kojic acid, licorice root, and bearberry, according to Suzanne Friedler, a board-certified dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology PC.
“In many places outside the US, questionable ingredients such as corticosteroids, mercury, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione may be found in lightening agents,” she said. “These products have the potential to damage and thin out the skin.”
Many countries, including in Asia and Africa, have looser regulations on nonprescription skincare products than the US and the EU, and not every country requires cosmetics companies to disclose the ingredients of their products. So it’s tough to tell which products contain what skin lightening ingredients, even when the products promise to lighten skin tone. But advocates say that even marketing that references skin whitening is harmful because it drives demand for more dangerous products and reinforces the notion that whiter is better. In the US and Europe, companies are more likely to advertise products using words like “brightening” or “spot reducing.”


buzzfeed--2020-06-13--This Guy Keeps Checking Out Women In Public — Should His Girlfriend Dump Him?

But `` if you want '' is the keyword here , because no matter what the deal with your boyfriend @ @ @ @ @ actually your responsibility to fix it .
If you 're otherwise happy in your relationship @ @ @ @ @ take on this extra labor of making him a better human being , go for @ @ @ @ @ of you .
But if you 'd rather not spend your time and energy dealing @ @ @ @ @ out other girls , please feel 100 % free to walk away from the relationship @ @ @ @ @ lessons on his own .

But "if you want" is the keyword here, because no matter what the deal with your boyfriend is, it's not actually your responsibility to fix it. If you're otherwise happy in your relationship, and you WANT to take on this extra labor of making him a better human being, go for it! That's nice of you. But if you'd rather not spend your time and energy dealing with a boyfriend who checks out other girls, please feel 100% free to walk away from the relationship and let him learn those lessons on his own.


buzzfeed--2020-06-22--Women Are Playing "Never Have I Ever" Using Female Realities And It's A Terrifying Truth

Here are the `` put a finger down '' experiences she outlines in her video : – Put a finger down if you 've been drugged .
– Put a finger down if your friends have been drugged .
– Put a finger down if you 've been followed .
– Put a finger down if you walk to your car with your keys or pepper spray as a weapon .
– Put a finger down if you check your backseat and lock your doors the second you get inside your car .
– Put a finger down if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Put a finger down if you did something with a man that you did n't want to do because you were scared to say no for your own safety .
– Put a finger down if you 've experienced something really scary or even illegal and you were scared to report it because you did n't think anybody would listen .
– Put a finger down if when you hear or see a man running behind you , you freak out .
– Put a finger down if something bad happened to you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you thought would protect you did n't .

Here are the "put a finger down" experiences she outlines in her video:
– Put a finger down if you've been drugged.
– Put a finger down if your friends have been drugged.
– Put a finger down if you've been followed.
– Put a finger down if you walk to your car with your keys or pepper spray as a weapon.
– Put a finger down if you check your backseat and lock your doors the second you get inside your car.
– Put a finger down if you've been sexually touched inappropriately.
– Put a finger down if you did something with a man that you didn't want to do because you were scared to say no for your own safety.
– Put a finger down if you've experienced something really scary or even illegal and you were scared to report it because you didn't think anybody would listen.
– Put a finger down if when you hear or see a man running behind you, you freak out.
– Put a finger down if something bad happened to you and the men who were around that you thought would protect you didn't.


buzzfeed--2020-06-13--"We're Tired, We're Overworked, And We're Scared": Five Medical Workers On Their COVID-19 Experience

Curious about what it 's like to be on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic ?
In the interactive @ @ @ @ @ interview five healthcare workers on their experiences at hospitals around the country .

Curious about what it's like to be on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic? In the interactive video below, you can interview five healthcare workers on their experiences at hospitals around the country.


buzzfeed--2020-06-11--New York's Latest Coronavirus Sex Advice Basically Encourages Glory Holes And Zoom Orgies

Remember back in mid-March , right as the coronavirus pandemic was taking off in the United States , New York City officials issued some helpful advice on sex practices during the outbreak ?
The guide , issued by the New York City Health Department , advised residents on `` how to enjoy sex and avoid spreading COVID-19 '' by essentially sticking to masturbation and only having sex with people in your household , meaning your partner or consenting roommate ( if that 's the deal you have with them — not wise , IMHO !
!
! )
.
Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because the good folks at the health department are back , and they are feeling KINKY .
On Monday , the city updated its advisory , and among its new recommendations are masks , glory holes , and Zoom orgies .
`` Wear a face covering or mask , '' advised health officials .
`` Maybe it ’ s your thing , maybe it ’ s not , but during COVID-19 wearing a face covering that covers your nose and mouth is a good way to add a layer of protection during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread the virus further , and if you or your partner have COVID-19 and don ’ t know it , a mask can help stop that spread . ''
`` Make it a little kinky , '' they suggested before alluding to something that can only be construed as a glory hole .
`` Be creative with sexual positions and physical barriers , like walls , that allow sexual contact while preventing close face to face contact . ''

Remember back in mid-March, right as the coronavirus pandemic was taking off in the United States, New York City officials issued some helpful advice on sex practices during the outbreak?
The guide, issued by the New York City Health Department, advised residents on "how to enjoy sex and avoid spreading COVID-19" by essentially sticking to masturbation and only having sex with people in your household, meaning your partner or consenting roommate (if that's the deal you have with them — not wise, IMHO!!!).
Well, get ready, you horny quarantinos, because the good folks at the health department are back, and they are feeling KINKY.
On Monday, the city updated its advisory, and among its new recommendations are masks, glory holes, and Zoom orgies.
"Wear a face covering or mask," advised health officials. "Maybe it’s your thing, maybe it’s not, but during COVID-19 wearing a face covering that covers your nose and mouth is a good way to add a layer of protection during sex. Heavy breathing and panting can spread the virus further, and if you or your partner have COVID-19 and don’t know it, a mask can help stop that spread."
"Make it a little kinky," they suggested before alluding to something that can only be construed as a glory hole. "Be creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls, that allow sexual contact while preventing close face to face contact."


buzzfeed--2020-06-11--Coronavirus Contact Tracers Are Facing Death Threats And Comparisons To Nazis On Facebook And YouTub

Coronavirus Contact Tracers Are Facing Death Threats And Comparisons To Nazis On Facebook And YouTube

ISD has also uncovered death threats against contact tracers posted to Facebook .
One , posted to a group called Reopen Missouri , features an image of a gun with the caption , “ Public Service Announcement ...
When the Contact Tracer arrives at your door ...
This is the proper greeting.
” Another post asks , “ Question , who will shoot at Contact Tracers if they try and Force You To Comply ?
” The first reply : a GIF of a man enthusiastically waving a raised hand .
The new ISD report showed four types of activity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ FEMA internment camps , ” big tech involvement , global elites , and the 2020 US elections .
Although contact tracing has spawned fears of increased surveillance worldwide , it has also been essential in tracking and slowing the spread of the virus .
“ We very quickly started to see a pretty concerted effort to direct existing conspiracy theories and disinformation tropes toward the contact tracing narrative , ” Chloe Colliver , head of digital analysis and policy at ISD , told BuzzFeed News .
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has found dozens of Facebook posts and YouTube videos spreading hoaxes and lies about contact tracers have received hundreds of thousands of views since the beginning of the pandemic .
In reality , contact tracers carrying out the essential work of tracking the spread of the novel coronavirus are key public health responders to the pandemic .
But online , they are being compared to the German secret police and facing death threats , according to a new report shared exclusively with BuzzFeed News .
The first was a video from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Contact Tracers , ” posted to YouTube and shared across Facebook .
The video was viewed over 300,000 times and spread through Facebook , according to ISD 's research .
ISD believes the second spike came from former Republican congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine , who tweeted a video in which she criticized the COVID-19 Testing , Reaching , and Contacting Everyone Act ( HR 6666 ) by seeming to imply a nefarious contact tracing connection between Microsoft founder Bill Gates , financier George Soros , former president Bill Clinton , and former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush , the TRACE Act aims to increase the capacity to map the spread of the coronavirus .
It has also been a major driver of anti–contact tracing sentiment .
BuzzFeed News asked Facebook about the disinformation themes highlighted in ISD 's report and sent three examples of explicit threats against contact tracers .
“ Based on the screenshots provided to us , these posts would violate our policies .
We ’ re working to determine if the content truly exists on our platform — as we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove it if it does , ” a Facebook spokesperson said .
A quick search of the platform showed at least two of the examples are still live .
One has either been removed or deleted , but the page that posted it remains online .
Thirteen hours after this article was published , Facebook said the company removed examples sent by BuzzFeed News but did not address larger issues of threats against contact tracers on the platform .
According to YouTube , several of the videos highlighted in the report did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the social media network said it was removing comments that did not adhere to its harassment policies .
Reached for comment , a CDC spokesperson clarified that contact tracing is done primarily by phone and noted that the institute is happy to help platforms like Facebook and YouTube direct users to credible information about the process .
The “ CDC will work with social media platforms to explain exactly how contact tracing works to hopefully alleviate concerns about how contact tracing is conducted , '' the spokesperson said .
News outlets have debunked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims that it allows for people to be forced into “ quarantine camps ” or “ FEMA camps.
” Some of the posts highlighted by ISD compare contact tracers to German secret police .
In reality , participation is entirely voluntary , Reuters reported .
But correcting bad information like this and stemming its spread is difficult , particularly when it 's seeded to communities that already have affinities for anti-vaccination propaganda and QAnon conspiracy theories .
“ There ’ s clearly a legacy issue with the residual presence of those groups that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grow significant audiences over the last couple of years , ” Colliver said , noting that these groups have also been targeting people genuinely worried about the economic costs of the coronavirus lockdown .
“ The Reopen networks … were full of members who weren ’ t ideologically particularly extreme , but are concerned about the economic or social repercussions of coronavirus lockdown , ” Colliver said .
“ They ’ re being exploited by actors who have extremist agendas or conspiratorial world views.
” The conditions are ripe for anti–contact tracing sentiment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The UK and Germany both have communities that have similar ideological beliefs to groups spreading these conspiracies across the US .
While there ’ s no evidence of covert state-sponsored activity egging on contact tracing distrust , the Russian propaganda outlet RT has been running divisive stories on the topic , Colliver said .
“ It 's just their favorite kind of thing , ” she said .
“ And it 's a gift on the plate for them , really .
”

The first was a video from a Canadian QAnon influencer, titled “Beware the Contact Tracers,” posted to YouTube and shared across Facebook. The video was viewed over 300,000 times and spread through Facebook, according to ISD's research.
ISD believes the second spike came from former Republican congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine, who tweeted a video in which she criticized the COVID-19 Testing, Reaching, and Contacting Everyone Act (HR 6666) by seeming to imply a nefarious contact tracing connection between Microsoft founder Bill Gates, financier George Soros, former president Bill Clinton, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Written by Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush, the TRACE Act aims to increase the capacity to map the spread of the coronavirus. It has also been a major driver of anti–contact tracing sentiment.
BuzzFeed News asked Facebook about the disinformation themes highlighted in ISD's report and sent three examples of explicit threats against contact tracers.
“Based on the screenshots provided to us, these posts would violate our policies. We’re working to determine if the content truly exists on our platform — as we’ve discovered no evidence yet — and will remove it if it does,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
A quick search of the platform showed at least two of the examples are still live. One has either been removed or deleted, but the page that posted it remains online.
Thirteen hours after this article was published, Facebook said the company removed examples sent by BuzzFeed News but did not address larger issues of threats against contact tracers on the platform.
According to YouTube, several of the videos highlighted in the report did not break the company's policy, but the social media network said it was removing comments that did not adhere to its harassment policies.
Reached for comment, a CDC spokesperson clarified that contact tracing is done primarily by phone and noted that the institute is happy to help platforms like Facebook and YouTube direct users to credible information about the process. The “CDC will work with social media platforms to explain exactly how contact tracing works to hopefully alleviate concerns about how contact tracing is conducted," the spokesperson said.
News outlets have debunked false rumors about the bill, including claims that it allows for people to be forced into “quarantine camps” or “FEMA camps.” Some of the posts highlighted by ISD compare contact tracers to German secret police. In reality, participation is entirely voluntary, Reuters reported.
But correcting bad information like this and stemming its spread is difficult, particularly when it's seeded to communities that already have affinities for anti-vaccination propaganda and QAnon conspiracy theories. “There’s clearly a legacy issue with the residual presence of those groups that have been allowed to proliferate and to grow significant audiences over the last couple of years,” Colliver said, noting that these groups have also been targeting people genuinely worried about the economic costs of the coronavirus lockdown.
“The Reopen networks … were full of members who weren’t ideologically particularly extreme, but are concerned about the economic or social repercussions of coronavirus lockdown,” Colliver said. “They’re being exploited by actors who have extremist agendas or conspiratorial world views.”
The conditions are ripe for anti–contact tracing sentiment to continue spreading across borders, Colliver said. The UK and Germany both have communities that have similar ideological beliefs to groups spreading these conspiracies across the US.
While there’s no evidence of covert state-sponsored activity egging on contact tracing distrust, the Russian propaganda outlet RT has been running divisive stories on the topic, Colliver said.
“It's just their favorite kind of thing,” she said. “And it's a gift on the plate for them, really.”


buzzfeed--2020-06-10--Lizzo Had The Perfect Response To A Comment Saying People Should Exercise Or "They'd Turn Out Like H

Lizzo Had The Perfect Response To A Comment Saying People Should Exercise Or "They'd Turn Out Like Her"

She said : `` So next time you wan na come to somebody and judge them — whether they drink @ @ @ @ @ 's , or work out or not work out — how about you look at @ @ @ @ @ worry about your own goddamn body . ''
`` Health is not just determined on @ @ @ @ @ the outside , '' she continued .
`` Health is also what happens on the @ @ @ @ @ of y'all need to do a fucking cleanse for your insides . ''

She continued: "If every time you see a big girl on this app, loving on herself and putting herself out there and being confident and loving her body, you think of me, or you think she looks like me, bitch, that is a what? Compliment."


buzzfeed--2020-06-10--Scientists Slammed The WHO’s Claim About “Very Rare” Transmission From Asymptomatic Cases

A high-stakes dispute over whether new COVID-19 cases are being spread by people without any symptoms has the World Health Organization once again on the defensive .
After calling asymptomatic transmissions “ very rare ” on Monday , triggering a firestorm of criticism from public health experts , the WHO ’ s Maria Van Kerkhove walked back her comments , saying Tuesday , “ We don ’ t have that answer yet , ” and adding , “ This is a major unknown.
” Initially , Van Kerkhove had pointed to a small number of studies suggesting that 14 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asymptomatic cases .
She also referenced unreleased contact tracing data submitted to the WHO by unidentified “ Member States ” suggesting that asymptomatic individuals were much less likely to transmit the virus to others than those who develop symptoms .
Scientists immediately called those statements into question .
Some estimates suggest that 40 % to 45 % of infections spring from people with no symptoms .
“ All of the best evidence suggests that people without symptoms can and do readily spread SARS-CoV2 , ” a Harvard Global Health Institute statement said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kilpatrick of the University of California , Santa Cruz called the dispute a “ P.R .
disaster ” for the WHO .
“ Abundant data now shows that transmission from people w/out symptoms makes up a huge fraction ( 40-50 % ) of transmission , ” Kilpatrick tweeted .
“ But a key question has been whether transmission is from pre-symptomatic people who develop symptoms later or truly asymptomatic people who never do.
” Many studies looking at asymptomatic spread to date have not been able to distinguish between truly asymptomatic individuals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are considered presymptomatic , meaning they just haven ’ t developed any symptoms yet .
That could potentially lower the percentage of new cases being driven by asymptomatic people , but we don ’ t yet have enough long-term data to know for sure .

A high-stakes dispute over whether new COVID-19 cases are being spread by people without any symptoms has the World Health Organization once again on the defensive.
After calling asymptomatic transmissions “very rare” on Monday, triggering a firestorm of criticism from public health experts, the WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove walked back her comments, saying Tuesday, “We don’t have that answer yet,” and adding, “This is a major unknown.”
Initially, Van Kerkhove had pointed to a small number of studies suggesting that 14% or fewer of coronavirus infections sprang from asymptomatic cases. She also referenced unreleased contact tracing data submitted to the WHO by unidentified “Member States” suggesting that asymptomatic individuals were much less likely to transmit the virus to others than those who develop symptoms.
Scientists immediately called those statements into question. Some estimates suggest that 40% to 45% of infections spring from people with no symptoms.
“All of the best evidence suggests that people without symptoms can and do readily spread SARS-CoV2,” a Harvard Global Health Institute statement said on Tuesday morning.
Infectious disease expert Marm Kilpatrick of the University of California, Santa Cruz called the dispute a “P.R. disaster” for the WHO. “Abundant data now shows that transmission from people w/out symptoms makes up a huge fraction (40-50%) of transmission,” Kilpatrick tweeted. “But a key question has been whether transmission is from pre-symptomatic people who develop symptoms later or truly asymptomatic people who never do.”
Many studies looking at asymptomatic spread to date have not been able to distinguish between truly asymptomatic individuals, who never experience symptoms, and those who are considered presymptomatic, meaning they just haven’t developed any symptoms yet. That could potentially lower the percentage of new cases being driven by asymptomatic people, but we don’t yet have enough long-term data to know for sure.


buzzfeed--2020-06-11--This Girl With Tourette Syndrome Shared A Video Of What Eating Dinner Is Like For Her, And It's Goin

This Girl With Tourette Syndrome Shared A Video Of What Eating Dinner Is Like For Her, And It's Going Viral

Sophie also said she is thankful that she has been able to have great experiences that she otherwise would n't @ @ @ @ @ n't have Tourette 's , like going to a summer camp for kids who have @ @ @ @ @ made lifelong best friends at the camp and we understand each other more than anyone @ @ @ @ @ my best friends from camp is Zac , and we are a perfect example of @ @ @ @ @ tics .
Many people think everyone with Tourette 's has the same tics and everyone @ @ @ @ @ this is completely not true .
In fact , only a small percentage of people @ @ @ @ @ , which is saying obscene words and phrases , '' she explained .

Sophie said she wishes people understood how complex Tourette Syndrome is. "I also wish people knew everybody with Tourette's can have different tics and anything can be a tic," she said, adding that some people were accusing her video of being fake when it was not. "For people who say I’m faking — you don’t have to believe me for it to be true. I won’t give up trying to help others just because some people claim I’m 'faking.'"


buzzfeed--2020-06-11--18 Common Ways Black People Are Racially Discriminated Against That Non-Black People Might Not Notic

18 Common Ways Black People Are Racially Discriminated Against That Non-Black People Might Not Notice

Being black is having to feel shame if you ’ re not too familiar with ONE bit of white pop @ @ @ @ @ fuss , but if we talk about any part of mainstream mainstreamm black culture and @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re meant to be understanding .
You are not the standard man .

Being black is having to feel shame if you’re not too familiar with ONE bit of white pop culture and them making a fuss, but if we talk about any part of mainstream mainstreamm black culture and they’re unfamiliar, we’re meant to be understanding. You are not the standard man.


buzzfeed--2020-06-13--19 Dumb — And I Do Mean Dumb — Things People Have Said About Not Wearing Masks

According to the CDC , a significant number of people with the coronavirus are asymptomatic .
They , along with @ @ @ @ @ can still transmit the virus without or before ever showing symptoms of COVID-19 .

Before we dive in, it's important to note that the CDC recommends that people wear "face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain" in order to protect others


buzzfeed--2020-06-08--We May Get A Coronavirus Vaccine This Year. But It Probably Won’t Stop The Pandemic.

The first COVID-19 vaccine likely won ’ t be effective enough to end the global pandemic , vaccine experts say .
Instead , we may live with the virus for years before a winning one emerges .
In July , the first large-scale human trial of two coronavirus vaccine candidates will start , according to US health officials , who are sounding increasingly confident that some kind of vaccine will be ready to be distributed widely by December .
“ I 'm cautiously optimistic that with the multiple candidates that we have with different platforms that we 're gon na @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci , speaking on Tuesday at a briefing held by the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA ) .
He predicted that nearly 100 million doses of a successful vaccine would be available by November or December , and perhaps 200 million doses by the beginning of 2021 , largely due to taxpayer and philanthropic investments in factories that will be built to manufacture the massive quantity of vaccines .
The White House ’ s Operation Warp Speed is expected to name five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & Johnson , Merck , and Pfizer — to lead the vaccine effort in the US , according to the New York Times .
Vaccines essentially imitate an infection — without getting you sick — training your immune system to quickly produce antibodies to repel a real attack .
The biggest hope for a vaccine came after a May study showed that nearly everyone who recovers from COVID-19 produces antibodies to the coronavirus , also called SARS-CoV-2 , meaning that the virus can be fought with vaccination .
“ That 's a pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you 're going to make an immune response in response to a vaccine , ” said Fauci .
But what makes a successful vaccine ?
The first ones to emerge from the 10 candidates now being tested in people worldwide are likely to resemble the seasonal flu shot .
These vaccines need to be administered year after year and are sometimes only around 30 % effective at blocking an infection , while at the same time promising milder symptoms to people who do get sick .
That ’ s in stark contrast to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measles , where two shots confer immunity for a lifetime .
“ When people talk about the race for the COVID-19 vaccine , I have to say , ‘ Be careful what you wish for , ’ ” said vaccinologist Peter Hotez of the Baylor College of Medicine .
“ History tells us that the first ones have a built-in obsolescence.
” Here ’ s what our vaccine future might look like : There are four types of coronavirus vaccines in progress — some promising and others hyped .
Along with the 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 120 others are under study in test tubes and lab animals , according to the World Health Organization .
Each one aims to , hopefully , produce enough of the right “ neutralizing ” antibodies to prevent future infections .
The trials take two groups of study volunteers , randomly picked to either get a real vaccine or a placebo , and then measure for differences in how many people get infected or have severe symptoms .
Broadly speaking , the candidates work by four methods , only two of which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past vaccines .
The first is to give people a weakened or killed form of an actual virus , used in polio , chicken pox , and flu vaccines .
The second proven way is to just inject a small fragment of the virus to trigger immune readiness , like the HPV vaccine or newer flu vaccines .
A third cutting-edge approach is under study by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford , whose vaccine is expected to enter a large human trial in July .
It works by taking a chimpanzee virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that cover the surface of SARS-CoV-2 .
The chimp virus causes a harmless infection in humans , but the spike proteins will prime the immune system to recognize signs of a future SARS-CoV-2 invasion .
That 's in theory .
“ There is n't a guarantee ever that you 're going to get an effective vaccine , ” said Fauci .
The US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has provided more than $ 1 billion for the Oxford vaccine ’ s development , and AstraZeneca has announced a plan to test the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United Kingdom .
But in early data , the vaccine has underwhelmed observers , who noted it didn ’ t prevent infections in monkeys , just lessened their symptoms .
William Haseltine , a former Harvard Medical School professor known for pivotal research on cancer and HIV , noted the neutralizing antibodies produced by the vaccines were “ extremely low , ” in Forbes .
“ Time will tell if this is the best approach , ” Haseltine concluded .
“ I wouldn ’ t bet on it.
” The fourth approach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the genes that cells need to produce the coronavirus spike are injected into a person .
Those spike proteins , dutifully produced by cells in response to the genes , alarm the immune system and should produce immunity .
One genetic vaccine that ’ s emerged as a Wall Street favorite is being developed by a company called Moderna .
Expected to begin large-scale human trials by July under Operation Warp Speed , the company has dismayed scientists by only releasing press releases with sparse data on its small safety experiments in people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

The first COVID-19 vaccine likely won’t be effective enough to end the global pandemic, vaccine experts say. Instead, we may live with the virus for years before a winning one emerges.
In July, the first large-scale human trial of two coronavirus vaccine candidates will start, according to US health officials, who are sounding increasingly confident that some kind of vaccine will be ready to be distributed widely by December.
“I'm cautiously optimistic that with the multiple candidates that we have with different platforms that we're gonna have a vaccine,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci, speaking on Tuesday at a briefing held by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). He predicted that nearly 100 million doses of a successful vaccine would be available by November or December, and perhaps 200 million doses by the beginning of 2021, largely due to taxpayer and philanthropic investments in factories that will be built to manufacture the massive quantity of vaccines.
The White House’s Operation Warp Speed is expected to name five companies — Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Pfizer — to lead the vaccine effort in the US, according to the New York Times.
Vaccines essentially imitate an infection — without getting you sick — training your immune system to quickly produce antibodies to repel a real attack. The biggest hope for a vaccine came after a May study showed that nearly everyone who recovers from COVID-19 produces antibodies to the coronavirus, also called SARS-CoV-2, meaning that the virus can be fought with vaccination. “That's a pretty good proof of concept to say that you're going to make an immune response in response to a vaccine,” said Fauci.
But what makes a successful vaccine? The first ones to emerge from the 10 candidates now being tested in people worldwide are likely to resemble the seasonal flu shot. These vaccines need to be administered year after year and are sometimes only around 30% effective at blocking an infection, while at the same time promising milder symptoms to people who do get sick. That’s in stark contrast to other vaccines, like the one for measles, where two shots confer immunity for a lifetime.
“When people talk about the race for the COVID-19 vaccine, I have to say, ‘Be careful what you wish for,’” said vaccinologist Peter Hotez of the Baylor College of Medicine. “History tells us that the first ones have a built-in obsolescence.”
Here’s what our vaccine future might look like:
There are four types of coronavirus vaccines in progress — some promising and others hyped.
Along with the 10 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines now in human trials, more than 120 others are under study in test tubes and lab animals, according to the World Health Organization. Each one aims to, hopefully, produce enough of the right “neutralizing” antibodies to prevent future infections. The trials take two groups of study volunteers, randomly picked to either get a real vaccine or a placebo, and then measure for differences in how many people get infected or have severe symptoms.
Broadly speaking, the candidates work by four methods, only two of which have long been proven to work in past vaccines. The first is to give people a weakened or killed form of an actual virus, used in polio, chicken pox, and flu vaccines. The second proven way is to just inject a small fragment of the virus to trigger immune readiness, like the HPV vaccine or newer flu vaccines.
A third cutting-edge approach is under study by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, whose vaccine is expected to enter a large human trial in July. It works by taking a chimpanzee virus and coating it with the tiny spikes that cover the surface of SARS-CoV-2. The chimp virus causes a harmless infection in humans, but the spike proteins will prime the immune system to recognize signs of a future SARS-CoV-2 invasion.
That's in theory. “There isn't a guarantee ever that you're going to get an effective vaccine,” said Fauci. The US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has provided more than $1 billion for the Oxford vaccine’s development, and AstraZeneca has announced a plan to test the candidate in more than 10,000 people in the United Kingdom. But in early data, the vaccine has underwhelmed observers, who noted it didn’t prevent infections in monkeys, just lessened their symptoms. William Haseltine, a former Harvard Medical School professor known for pivotal research on cancer and HIV, noted the neutralizing antibodies produced by the vaccines were “extremely low,” in Forbes.
“Time will tell if this is the best approach,” Haseltine concluded. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
The fourth approach is a genetic vaccine, where only the genes that cells need to produce the coronavirus spike are injected into a person. Those spike proteins, dutifully produced by cells in response to the genes, alarm the immune system and should produce immunity.
One genetic vaccine that’s emerged as a Wall Street favorite is being developed by a company called Moderna. Expected to begin large-scale human trials by July under Operation Warp Speed, the company has dismayed scientists by only releasing press releases with sparse data on its small safety experiments in people, feeding hype about its vaccine candidate.


buzzfeed--2020-06-12--This Woman's Analogy For Why "All Lives Matter" Is Wrong Perfectly Explains It In The Simplest Way

`` I had seen the burning house analogy resurfacing on social media recently , and I thought that it was @ @ @ @ @ of explaining things .
Years ago , when the BLM movement was just beginning , @ @ @ @ @ by artist Kris Straub using the same analogy that caused me to change my mind @ @ @ @ @ made me realize how counterproductive and insensitive it is to say 'all lives matter ' @ @ @ @ @ .
I figured if the analogy could change my mind , it could change someone @ @ @ @ @ , '' she explained .

"I had seen the burning house analogy resurfacing on social media recently, and I thought that it was a simple yet powerful way of explaining things. Years ago, when the BLM movement was just beginning, it was actually a comic by artist Kris Straub using the same analogy that caused me to change my mind on the movement. It made me realize how counterproductive and insensitive it is to say 'all lives matter' at a time like this. I figured if the analogy could change my mind, it could change someone else’s as well," she explained.