buzzfeed--2020-05-04--The Mental Health Crisis For Frontline Workers Has Already Begun

The economic ramifications of the coronavirus are bleak enough , but the mental health crisis that frontline workers are about to face may be even worse .
Dr. Shaili Jain , a psychiatrist and author of The Unspeakable Mind : Stories of Trauma and Healing from the Frontlines of PTSD Science , forecasts three particular mental health crises that will need to be addressed once we begin to reckon with the aftermath of the pandemic .
The first and most immediate , of course , is coping with the deaths caused by the coronavirus .
“ The second issue is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to follow , ” she told me .
“ We know from studies we ’ ve already done in prior decades that massive unemployment and financial distress leads to increases of PTSD.
” Jain referenced a 2016 study that showed links between economic hardship between 2001 and 2010 , and higher levels of abusive behavior in families , specifically that increased unemployment rates could have increased men ’ s controlling behavior toward their partners .
“ The trauma literally trickles down , ” she said .
( And already , there have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the pandemic . )
The third crisis , of course , is what will happen to frontline health care workers who have to power through and keep working with insufficient resources while the president suggests things like injecting light or disinfectants to cure the virus .
“ They ’ re at high rates to develop PTSD in the weeks and months that follow , ” Jain said .
“ Health care workers , we are trained to carry on and defer .
You do what needs to be done and the grieving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ psychological toll , we deal with that afterwards.
” Health care workers , like everyone else , will be affected by an economic recession .
Frontline workers are facing massive pay cuts , even as they work long hours in the face of the coronavirus .
The cancellation of elective medical procedures means hospitals are making less money , so health care workers are getting furloughed and having their benefits , like 401 ( k ) matching and bonuses , cut .
Some have had to quit because they feel — like workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working conditions are unsafe because of insufficient PPE .
The mental health ramifications will be their next uphill battle , and their burnout will affect all of us if we don ’ t have enough health care professionals able to work during the next waves of coronavirus cases , which are basically inevitable .
The mental health effects of coronavirus haven ’ t yet been fully documented , since we ’ re still in the thick of it , but what we know so far is bleak .
A study conducted in China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health care workers reporting depression , anxiety , and insomnia , particularly among women , nurses , and those on the front lines who were directly engaged in diagnosing and treating COVID-19 .
Past crises can also provide a sense of how this one might play out .
“ We have studies [ from ] after 9/11 or after Hurricane Katrina , ” Jain said .
“ We can predict what the trajectories are going to be.
” But there are no clear answers yet to the question of how all these people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re done triaging the most urgent damage caused by the virus .
Dr. Aaron Reeves , an associate professor at Oxford University , studies how social policy affects health , well-being , and equality .
He also does research on suicide rates during economic recessions .
During the last financial crisis , suicide rates spiked , as did measurements of domestic violence and marital discord .
“ The recession has already arrived , though it may not have formally shown up in some data sources , ” Reeves told me .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in creating that sense of hopelessness about the future.
” As we still struggle with how and when this pandemic will end , there ’ s a degree of uncertainty and hopelessness about the future .
And , Dr. Reeves added , the way we typically counter that is with support from loved ones .
But the social distancing rules necessary to fight the spread of the virus have broken down typical support networks , as we ’ ve been physically cut off from friends and family .
There ’ s also a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to treatment , along with underlying mental health conditions , like anxiety and depression , that were already present well before the pandemic .
And finally , there ’ s the issue of people grappling with their sense of identity as they lose their social network , their jobs , and their daily routines .
“ People ’ s identity is bound up with the work that they do , ” Dr. Reeves said .
“ In this kind of moment , your crisis in your sense of identity can be very , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suicide , though tragic , lines up with what we know about clinicians and mental health .
Physician suicide rates are already alarmingly high , more than double what they are for the rest of the population .
Doctors rank high in burnout and depression , and that was before a pandemic forced them to work long , harrowing shifts with insufficient supplies .
Health care workers also have to deal with “ moral injury , ” a term that comes from military parlance , which happens when someone has to do something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ In medicine , ” Jillian Mock writes for Scientific American , “ it can occur when the business side of health care hinders a physician ’ s ability to care for patients ; for instance , if there are not enough ventilators for the number of COVID-19 patients who need them.
” This pandemic is forcing health care workers to make decisions for the greater good , now often at their own expense or the expense of others , which can lead to even more anxiety and PTSD .
Instead of staying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privilege to do , they have to go to work , thereby putting themselves and their families at risk of getting sick .
They also have to make seemingly impossible choices , like who will get a ventilator when there are so many people who need one and so few available .
“ The optimist in me wants to think about post-traumatic growth , where people survive horrendous things like war , Holocaust , a pandemic , and they emerge almost enhanced , like a super-version of themselves , ” Jain said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ very aware that there was an epidemic of burnout in doctors and nurses before COVID hit , anyway.
” Jason Hill , an ER doctor working in Manhattan , wrote a three-week diary for BuzzFeed News cataloging the incredible burden the coronavirus has put on him and the people he works with .
“ I admitted four of my colleagues today , ” he wrote on April 3 .
“ Together we ’ ve saved lives and lost lives and everything in between .
But now they are on the other side of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the front line today.
” Hill bakes his purportedly single-use N95 mask in the oven to disinfect it , since he ’ s been wearing it for days in a row .
Some days at work , he hands out juice and blankets ; other days , he has to work as a palliative care doctor for patients who are beyond the point of being saved by any treatment .
Another New York City doctor spoke to BuzzFeed News in late March about his day-to-day in the hospital .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the hallway , ” he said .
“ The morale among ER people is extremely low .
People are anxious , making morbid jokes about dying .
Talking about what would happen if I quit , I didn ’ t sign up for this… An attending will come in and say , ‘ I ’ m flashing back to Vietnam.
’ ” Dr. Lia Okun , a psychologist and the associate director of house staff and medical student mental health services for NYU , told me : “ Our frontline workers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things for us .
The other side is they ’ re sacrificing a lot for us.
” At NYU , dozens of students volunteered to graduate early and began working in university-affiliated hospitals .
But others have been shut out of completing their clinical work , feel paralyzed about how to help now , and are simply waiting to be thrown into a public health emergency .
“ Physician burnout is something we ’ re quite concerned about , ” Okun said , because it can be a “ gateway ” into more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it means is they start feeling kind of numb , kind of hopeless .
Hopeless about their own efficacy to help , down on themselves and lacking empathy for themselves .
That ’ s what our brain and body does when we ’ re emotionally overwhelmed.
” Medical schools like NYU often offer their students mental health support , in order to prepare them for the inevitable hardships of being a working doctor .
Now that these students will be graduating into a world reshaped by COVID-19 , that support is even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therapy .
We always offered group psychotherapy for the students , ” Dr. Okun said .
“ One of the things that ’ s so different about the environment of PTSD is that we don ’ t really know how to predict how dangerous or not dangerous the situation is .
With the students , we talked a lot about what are the worst-case scenarios .
Yeah , maybe you could get sick .
Maybe you could get your family sick .
If it ’ s all true , would you still want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when health care workers have access to psychological support and treatment , that doesn ’ t necessarily mean they ’ ll be able to take advantage of it .
“ Part of what ’ s so complicated is the environment is so demanding that the interventions we want to help with on the mental side of this , they ’ re hard for people to access , ” Okun said .
“ They ’ re too busy.
” The idea of frontline health care workers as essentially civilian war heroes has been constant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in particular , television ads hail them as heroes — so do governments and even toy companies .
( Though it should be mentioned that many doctors are being targeted simply for doing their jobs . )
This is a fine sentiment to feel — and accurate , considering how many of us are lucky enough to simply stay home and wait out the pandemic , emerging every evening for a round of appreciative applause .
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the outbreak the biggest challenge for the world since WWII , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Vietnam War .
But the problem with the hero narrative is that not only does it suggest a kind of superhuman ability to overcome traumatic experiences and serious , dangerous shortages of PPE — heroes don ’ t need N95 masks , after all — it also suggests that the coronavirus was a sudden and unpredictable disaster .
When in fact , there are a number of ways this pandemic has been exacerbated by government failures .
“ There ’ s a lot of comparison to 9/11 and the frontline workers being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Okun said .
“ It ’ s hard to say because I think in some ways , the medical community understood much sooner and much earlier that this was going to be very bad in a way that maybe us in regular positions were not as able to understand.
” The burden of caring for the sick isn ’ t true just for emergency room doctors , but rather , everyone who works in or even adjacent to the health care system right now , including therapists .
Many are now overrun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine and the fear of living daily life in the face of so many risks and unknown factors .
“ This can really tap into existential issues , especially when your normal healthy ways of coping are cut out , ” Jain said .
“ We ’ re seeing it already , calls to mental health crisis lines are up .
I was on a call with a colleague this morning who says patients she hasn ’ t heard from for several months or a year , she ’ s hearing from them.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trauma isn ’ t just going to come from their own lives , but from trying to help other people with their struggles .
“ We have this term called vicarious traumatization .
Just by listening and supporting people that live with trauma and PTSD , you ’ re absorbing some of their trauma and pain .
It ’ s almost like , hey , part of the job , ” Jain said .
“ Fundamentally , the only way you can combat that is being vigorous about your own self-care.
” That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tough to maintain in a world where you ’ re discouraged from going outside , or seeing other people , or getting any kind of physical affection from anyone you ’ re not living with .
Any way you look at it , a significant part of the population is bound to deal with some form of PTSD after the immediate threats posed by COVID-19 have passed , whatever our new normal may be .
Frontline workers will have an even greater hurdle , considering the chaos and crushing loss they have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still measures that can be implemented to make this less of a burden for the people keeping us alive right now .
“ I admire this program implemented in London after the 2008 London terrorism bombings , ” Jain said .
The program used a “ screen and treat ” approach , identifying people who were traumatized by the bombing , as well as advertising resources to health workers in national and London media .
People who called into a dedicated helpline for the crisis were sometimes referred to the screening team if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ therapists did a nice job doing active outreach to identify people in need versus passively waiting for folks to show up — which many won ’ t , ” she added .
Jain said that while health care workers are good at taking care of each other , they ’ re not “ necessarily that good at taking care of their own health.
” But , of course , the other solution requires a total overhaul of what we think the American health care system should be .
“ I ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perhaps sparking a fundamental change in American health care , which has become very top heavy and business-focused , ” Jain said .
“ This has contributed to burnout and moral injury in doctors , and workplace attrition .
It would be great to see frontline clinicians have a seat at the table.
” Regardless if they ’ re a frontline worker or if they ’ re at home waiting for this miserable period in their life to pass , most people will leave this period with some kind of PTSD .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can eventually recover .
“ We do think a lot of people will heal naturally , ” Jain said .
“ This will be an awful time they ’ ll never forget .
But people will heal.
” ●

“In medicine,” Jillian Mock writes for Scientific American, “it can occur when the business side of health care hinders a physician’s ability to care for patients; for instance, if there are not enough ventilators for the number of COVID-19 patients who need them.” This pandemic is forcing health care workers to make decisions for the greater good, now often at their own expense or the expense of others, which can lead to even more anxiety and PTSD. Instead of staying home like many of us have the privilege to do, they have to go to work, thereby putting themselves and their families at risk of getting sick. They also have to make seemingly impossible choices, like who will get a ventilator when there are so many people who need one and so few available.
“The optimist in me wants to think about post-traumatic growth, where people survive horrendous things like war, Holocaust, a pandemic, and they emerge almost enhanced, like a super-version of themselves,” Jain said. “The realist in me is also very aware that there was an epidemic of burnout in doctors and nurses before COVID hit, anyway.”
Jason Hill, an ER doctor working in Manhattan, wrote a three-week diary for BuzzFeed News cataloging the incredible burden the coronavirus has put on him and the people he works with. “I admitted four of my colleagues today,” he wrote on April 3. “Together we’ve saved lives and lost lives and everything in between. But now they are on the other side of the curtain… The front line really feels like the front line today.” Hill bakes his purportedly single-use N95 mask in the oven to disinfect it, since he’s been wearing it for days in a row. Some days at work, he hands out juice and blankets; other days, he has to work as a palliative care doctor for patients who are beyond the point of being saved by any treatment.
Another New York City doctor spoke to BuzzFeed News in late March about his day-to-day in the hospital. “It’s pretty common to see someone crying in the hallway,” he said. “The morale among ER people is extremely low. People are anxious, making morbid jokes about dying. Talking about what would happen if I quit, I didn’t sign up for this… An attending will come in and say, ‘I’m flashing back to Vietnam.’”


buzzfeed--2020-05-03--This Teen's Boyfriend Controls Her Every Move — How Should She Dump Him?

No matter what happens , remember that you do n't have to go through this alone .
If you have @ @ @ @ @ friends about what 's been going on in your relationship .
Emotional abusers often try @ @ @ @ @ their social circles to make them easier to control .
So surround yourself with people @ @ @ @ @ on — they can serve as a shoulder to cry on , and a protective @ @ @ @ @ he comes knocking .

No matter what happens, remember that you don't have to go through this alone. If you haven't already, tell some friends about what's been going on in your relationship. Emotional abusers often try to isolate their partners from their social circles to make them easier to control. So surround yourself with people who know what's going on — they can serve as a shoulder to cry on, and a protective barrier from your ex if he comes knocking.


buzzfeed--2020-05-05--No, The CDC Did Not Revise Down The Number Of COVID-19 Deaths

A body is moved from a refrigeration truck serving as a temporary morgue to a vehicle at the Brooklyn Hospital Center , April 8 .
BuzzFeed News has reporters across five continents bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Young linked to a provisional count of COVID-19 deaths from the National Vital Statistics System , an intergovernmental system that tracks births and deaths in the US and which on Friday night put the figure close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC says more than 64,000 people have died in the US , but the false tweets accused them of quietly cutting that figure in half .
Several tweets went viral on Saturday that falsely accused the CDC of drastically revising down the number of COVID-19 deaths in the US , inflaming conspiracy theories that the coronavirus is not as serious as officials claim .
HOLY SHIT : Did I read this wrong or did the CDC just revised the national COVID-19 deaths to 37,308 ?
!
?
!
https : //t.co/FkhFUzPHaH Many responses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a conspiracy in ignoring the `` true '' death toll count .
But the table Young links to clearly states that data only covers the period from Feb. 1 to April 25 .
Moreover , the National Vital Statistics System website makes clear that it has a significant lag in counting deaths because it relies on tabulating official death certificates it receives .
`` It is important to note that it can take several weeks for death records to be submitted to National Center for Health Statistics ( NCHS ) , processed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reads a prominent disclaimer above the data .
`` Therefore , the data shown on this page may be incomplete , and will likely not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period , especially for the more recent time periods . ''
`` Data during this period are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed , submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes , '' reads another footnote .
In comparison , the CDC ’ s actual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a separate site and shows more than 64,000 people have died in the US .
As the CDC states , that tally is updated daily based on data received from state health bodies : `` Case notifications were received by CDC from U.S. public health jurisdictions and the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System ( NNDSS ) . ''
Neither that CDC figure , nor the National Vital Statistics System page , have been revised down .
In its count , the CDC also includes cases where COVID-19 was the probable cause of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of death .
As the CDC states , `` A probable case or death is defined by one of the following : Meeting clinical criteria AND epidemiologic evidence with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19 ; Meeting presumptive laboratory evidence AND either clinical criteria OR epidemiologic evidence ; Meeting vital records criteria with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19 . ''
Since the onset of the pandemic , coronavirus `` truthers '' have been pushing false narratives that claim the virus is concocted , largely overblown , or that health organizations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really sick .
Last month , a former Fox News commentator shared a video aiming to show that hospitals are n't as overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients as the media has portrayed .
In another tweet that started to spread on Saturday , Martin Cowen , a libertarian running to represent Georgia in the House of Representatives , also linked to the lagging National Vital Statistics System counter and questioned why it was far lower than another tracker .

Many responses to Young's tweet accused the media of a conspiracy in ignoring the "true" death toll count.
But the table Young links to clearly states that data only covers the period from Feb. 1 to April 25.
Moreover, the National Vital Statistics System website makes clear that it has a significant lag in counting deaths because it relies on tabulating official death certificates it receives.
"It is important to note that it can take several weeks for death records to be submitted to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), processed, coded, and tabulated," reads a prominent disclaimer above the data. "Therefore, the data shown on this page may be incomplete, and will likely not include all deaths that occurred during a given time period, especially for the more recent time periods."
"Data during this period are incomplete because of the lag in time between when the death occurred and when the death certificate is completed, submitted to NCHS and processed for reporting purposes," reads another footnote.
In comparison, the CDC’s actual most up-to-date count of COVID-19 deaths is on a separate site and shows more than 64,000 people have died in the US.
As the CDC states, that tally is updated daily based on data received from state health bodies: "Case notifications were received by CDC from U.S. public health jurisdictions and the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)."
Neither that CDC figure, nor the National Vital Statistics System page, have been revised down.
In its count, the CDC also includes cases where COVID-19 was the probable cause of death, not simply the confirmed cause of death. As the CDC states, "A probable case or death is defined by one of the following: Meeting clinical criteria AND epidemiologic evidence with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19; Meeting presumptive laboratory evidence AND either clinical criteria OR epidemiologic evidence; Meeting vital records criteria with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for COVID-19."
Since the onset of the pandemic, coronavirus "truthers" have been pushing false narratives that claim the virus is concocted, largely overblown, or that health organizations are lying about how many people are really sick. Last month, a former Fox News commentator shared a video aiming to show that hospitals aren't as overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients as the media has portrayed.
In another tweet that started to spread on Saturday, Martin Cowen, a libertarian running to represent Georgia in the House of Representatives, also linked to the lagging National Vital Statistics System counter and questioned why it was far lower than another tracker.


buzzfeed--2020-05-07--This Doctor Is Suggesting COVID-19 Lockdowns Are A Conspiracy To Take Away Your Freedom

On Sunday , April 5 , Dr. Annie Bukacek , wearing a white doctor ’ s coat and a pink stethoscope draped around her neck , stood behind a makeshift pulpit against the plain backdrop of a Hilton Garden Inn conference room in Kalispell , Montana .
She was there to deliver a sermon of sorts to members of the Liberty Fellowship , an anti-government , anti-globalism church led by a pastor named Chuck Baldwin that serves as a beacon for the extreme political right — a mix of constitutionalists , militia members , and separatists — in Montana ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a Facebook post and her own experience as a doctor , Bukacek made her case to the congregation : that the “ alleged death rate ” due to COVID-19 has been significantly inflated in order to justify otherwise unjust stay-at-home orders .
Doctors , Bukacek argued , rely on “ assumptions and educated guesses that go unquestioned , ” which has resulted in an overreporting of deaths .
“ Based on inaccurate , incomplete data , ” she said , “ people are being terrorized by fearmongers into relinquishing cherished freedoms.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that coronavirus deaths have actually been dramatically underreported . )
Like many others who ’ ve propagated falsehoods about COVID , Bukacek argues that because many who ’ ve succumbed to the disease also had other health concerns , they thus died with COVID-19 , not of COVID-19 .
( People with “ comorbidities ” like hypertension , diabetes , or immune deficiencies are indeed more likely to die from COVID-19 , but the infection itself is the trigger for the respiratory or organ failures that actually cause death . )
The video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radio , Infowars , QAnon accounts , and other media beacons of the far right .
But it ’ s also made its way to less conspiracy-minded audiences , with over a million views on Facebook and various YouTube channels .
For months , figures on the far right have been questioning the severity of government reaction to COVID-19 .
But Bukacek , who did not respond to multiple requests for an interview , is an unusual messenger for these unfounded claims .
As Baldwin was careful to note when he introduced her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ degree from the University of Illinois and completed her residency at the Oregon Health and Science University .
She is a member of the American College of Physicians , Montana Chapter .
She was voted the Best Family Physician in the area in both 2012 and 2019 .
And , most importantly , she is currently serving as a member of the Flathead County Board of Health .
The story of how a doctor now peddling potentially dangerous COVID-19 misinformation found her way onto a board entrusted with preserving communitywide health is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local political grudges and maneuvering .
Bukacek ’ s appointment was controversial when it happened and remains so ; there are currently competing petitions to keep her on and remove her from the board .
But the story also serves as a microcosm of the national conflict and confusion around the pandemic , as conspiracy theories and anti-government outrage have filled the vacuum created by the general lack of information about a new virus and constantly evolving — and confusing , and sometimes contradictory — public health messaging .
When Bukacek took the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Steve Bullock had already issued a stay-at-home order , closing all nonessential businesses and preventing gatherings over ten people unless appropriate social distancing could be maintained .
Most churches across the state had moved to online services .
But Liberty Fellowship — which already tapes and broadcasts their services every week — decided to meet in person anyway .
They asked at-risk individuals to stay home , directed attendees to spread out in the room , and had ample supplies of hand sanitizer .
At least that ’ s what they reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congregation was inside the conference room , and the livestream was focused on the pulpit .
When most pastors preach , they use Scripture and anecdotes to illustrate their points .
For that week ’ s sermon , titled “ Christianity 101 : The Cure Against a Medical Coup , ” Baldwin did that — but he also used Bukacek , a longtime member of the congregation and a fierce opponent of abortion and vaccinations .
( Bukacek , who is colloquially known as “ Dr .
Annie , ” prefers to describe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes to vaccines , and echoes inaccurate arguments concerning safety and herd immunity that are often used by others opposed to vaccines. )
.
Bukacek and Baldwin ’ s message arrived weeks before dozens of anti-lockdown protests began attracting national attention , but they telegraphed the character , and foundational arguments , of the movement to come .
No matter how or when a pandemic hit the United States , there was bound to be some resistance to government actions designed to stem its spread .
Resistance to government mandates is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ characteristic .
But as frustration with these measures grows , the ideology and talking points of anti-government “ medical freedom ” activists have moved from the fringes of the political spectrum to the mainstream , radicalizing people across the country .
For this growing number of skeptics , the experts , institutions , and authorities of mainstream science and medicine can no longer be trusted .
And that underlying distrust makes someone like Bukacek — a doctor who positions herself as a rebel unafraid to speak ( alleged ) truth to the medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are already nursing their own suspicions .
As Bukacek put it herself in an interview , describing the viral success of her video , “ Here 's a person that has credentials , who is speaking to them about what the CDC itself says about death certificates .
And they ’ re saying , ‘ I was right all along .
I knew it .
I knew something wasn ’ t right.
’ ” Figures like Bukacek do more than fan the flames of the conspiracy minded .
As evidenced by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side of her , they turn communities against one another at the very time when collaboration , whether on the federal or community level , is needed most .
“ This seems to be a clear opportunity to create antagonism between neighbors , ” said Cherilyn DeVries , who heads up the Flathead chapter of Love Lives Here , an affiliate of the Montana Human Rights Network .
“ As soon as this disease hit , we started posting and letting people know : These tense , uncertain environments are when extremists have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prey on divisions , and they try to radicalize people , wedging in their talking points in the midst of controversy.
” This sort of division is by no means limited to the local level .
Instead of coming together as a country to take on a once-in-a-century pandemic , national opinions about COVID-19 itself have begun to split along political affiliation , with President Trump himself referring to doctor-recommended social distancing as “ politically correct ” distancing and suggesting — to his own medical adviser ’ s apparent dismay — that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into our bodies .
( The president now claims he was being “ sarcastic.
” ) Bukacek ’ s not just speaking to a congregation in a conference room in the corner of Montana .
Like the president , she ’ s speaking to a frustrated , confused , and receptive audience of millions .
Bukacek , age 62 , has been a well-known figure in Montana for more than a decade .
She lives in the city of Kalispell but is known across the state for carrying plastic fetuses with her as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Montana Pro-Life Coalition .
She was investigated ( but not prosecuted ) for Medicaid fraud in 2009 , following allegations she had billed for time spent praying with patients .
( At the time , Bukacek said she had been unfairly targeted because of her anti-abortion activism ) .
Bukacek , who remains firmly opposed to what she calls “ Obamacare , ” no longer has admitting privileges at the area hospital , Kalispell Regional Healthcare .
But as the head of a private “ concierge ” practice called Hosanna Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she still prays with patients — both of which , to a certain swath of the Flathead population , are cherished services .
As one health professional in the area told me , “ the little old ladies just love her.
” That ’ s part of the reason Bukacek has found support from the community .
The other is that , unlike other political extremists who ’ ve arrived in the valley , she ’ s been here for a long time .
“ I usually tell people that we have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come in here from the outside , ” DeVries , the head of Love Lives Here , told me .
“ And we ’ ve gotten really good at kicking them out .
But Annie is a local person , supported by local people.
” She ’ s not going anywhere .
In 1990 , Flathead County — which covers an area roughly the size of Connecticut , to the direct west of Glacier National Park — was home to just under 60,000 residents .
Like the rest of Montana , it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe , than other places in the state , but it still prided itself on voting for person over party .
That began to change in the 1990s and 2000s , as conservatives started fleeing what they saw as overly progressive states in favor of the vast , seemingly unregulated expanse of North Idaho and Northwest Montana .
That included members of Pioneer Little Europe , who viewed the Valley as the place to establish a “ white-only ” homeland , but it also included retired cops sick of California and its shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grew to the roughly 103,000 of today , the area became not just more conservative , but a different kind of conservative : far more ideological , polemical , and committed to purity tests of “ true conservativism ” when it came to stances on abortion , religious freedoms , and gun rights .
As is the case in the GOP on the national level , the so-called Chamber of Commerce Republicans — often lambasted as RINOs , or Republicans in Name Only — have been gradually marginalized in the party and primaried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenger for a legislature seat once asked to be paid for his service in gold , and drafted a bill to let convicts opt for corporal punishment over jail sentences . )
Some of that work is supported and funded by larger organizations ; some is genuinely grassroots .
And some is centered around Liberty Fellowship .
An undergirding philosophy of the patriot movement is that the government has impinged upon Americans ’ God-given freedoms in pretty much all corners of our lives .
That includes medicine , and particularly vaccines .
Bukacek @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , advocates for “ medical freedom , ” and believes that vaccinations should be a matter of personal , informed decision — not mandated by public policy .
The influence of likeminded lawmakers has already made Idaho a haven for parents who don ’ t wish to vaccinate their children , and several legislators have attempted ( and , so far , failed ) to implement similar measures in Montana .
In Flathead County , the Board of Health — made up of nine members , appointed by the county commissioners , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was already concerned about declining vaccination rates among public school students .
Over the course of the 2018–2019 school year , the county ’ s vaccination rate fell from 93.7 % to 92.6 % , which may not seem like much , but is significant when a 95 % rate is ideal to maintain herd immunity .
The board embarked on a concerted campaign to up vaccination rates across the county .
People like Bukacek were an obstacle to that goal , but not a barrier .
But then , in December 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans , took drastic action .
Without public discussion , they removed two members of the Board of Health : Dr. David Myerowitz , its chair , and Dr. Wayne Miller , both of whom had served for over a decade .
In their place , they appointed Ardis Larsen , the wife of a local GOP rainmaker who has no medical qualifications and does not work in health care , and Dr. Bukacek .
The appointments , according to a dozen Flathead residents on both sides of the political spectrum , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was pointed but localized .
Myerowitz — who , before his appointment to the board , launched the heart transplant programs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Ohio State University — issued an extensive indictment of the machinations that predicated his removal .
( You can read it here . )
Joan Driscoll , a nurse practitioner at the Kalispell hospital and former member of the Board of Health , found the entire situation “ horrifying.
” “ I couldn ’ t believe they took two-forward thinking physicians off the board and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she told me , “ who doesn ’ t have admitting privileges at our hospital , and has always been on the right-wing fringe of our community.
” The primary concern was over Bukacek ’ s position on vaccination , and that her anti-abortion stance meant she would work to block or delay funding for women ’ s health programs .
But the county commissioners defended her appointment as a means of adding “ diversity ” to the board .
“ Bukacek is only one person on the board , ” County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December .
Myerowitz and Miller , she suggested , “ are just upset that they got kicked off the board … This is not a big deal .
It ’ s all being blown out of proportion.
” This might seem like small-town politics , and it is .
But small-town politics can have outsize implications , especially when something as society-throttling as a pandemic arrives .
On April 4 , Bukacek posed a question on Facebook : “ Know anyone personally with baseline good health who has been hospitalized for COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 ?
” The post has attracted more than 450 comments — a mix of people saying that they didn ’ t know anyone firsthand , or that an acquaintance had it and had been hospitalized , or that they themselves had tested positive .
The next day , Bukacek used those responses as opening evidence in her speech at Liberty Fellowship .
“ Last I counted , there were three or four who answered yes , and said their case fit the criteria and gave me some details , ” Bukacek said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four , giving them the benefit of the doubt that they were answering honestly to the best of their knowledge , does that mean that the person described was actually stricken with COVID-19 ?
” At that point , in early April , many people outside early hot spots in the US didn ’ t know anyone with COVID-19 .
It hadn ’ t spread extensively yet outside urban areas , and testing , in most places , remained very limited .
And in that gap — while most rural areas were under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bukacek began to cultivate existing doubt and confusion about the virus .
In an April 12 interview with former Presbyterian minister John Shuck , who has become a full-bore COVID-denier , she ’ s even more explicit .
“ I think many , if not most people , they have this feeling in their gut , ” she said .
“ I call it the Holy Spirit , but other people would say it ’ s like a gut feeling , that the stylish popular narrative about how scary this virus is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us all , they just have a feeling inside of them that this is not true .
It ’ s not ringing true to them .
They ’ re looking at their neighbors….they ’ re not seeing people , you know , drop dead from it .
And so people just aren ’ t buying it.
” The phenomenon Bukacek described is why some people are still skeptical of the importance of vaccines , too — they ’ re not seeing their friends and family drop dead from polio .
The most successful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst enemy : With time and buy-in , they erase the evidence of their own necessity .
And if you take away that sort of powerful anecdotal evidence , it makes it all the easier to fan anxieties about injecting a child with a live culture of a disease .
The maintenance of public health ( through vaccination ) seems worse to people than the alternative ( going about life as usual ) .
That logic has been a talking point among conservatives since the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic : the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aka social distancing and business shutdowns ) might be worse than the disease itself ( which , from some individuals ’ perspective , has no effect on them personally ) .
What makes social distancing hard for people to accept as a preventative tool is that it has to start early , before a disease is widespread , in order to be fully effective .
The evidence of its effectiveness is what ’ s missing : no loved ones dead , no ventilator shortages , no mass burials .
The cure , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than what it ’ s preventing — which makes it all the easier to question or protest .
“ It ’ s a smart tactic , ” said Heidi Lawrence , an assistant professor of English and rhetoric at George Mason University and author of Vaccine Rhetorics , after watching the video of Bukacek ’ s speech at Liberty Fellowship .
“ We know that testing is limited , that resources are scarce , and that actual scientific knowledge around the virus is incomplete , ” she said .
“ She ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justify taking down the CDC , and the government rationale for the closures , too.
” That ’ s a common strategy among vaccine skeptics , according to Lawrence .
“ You question the science behind a claim , rather than the claim itself , ” she said .
“ Instead of saying , ‘ I think there ’ s a problem with government overreach , ’ you say that overreach is based on a bad piece of scientific information.
” The laundry list of Bukacek ’ s qualifications that preceded her speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among vaccine skeptics .
“ When they write something , they always include the details of their degree , whether it ’ s an MA , a JD , an MD , ” Lawrence explained .
“ They ’ re trying to signal that they are , in fact , very smart , and educated — that ’ s what you see with the performativity of the white coat and the stethoscope in the video .
It ’ s a direct response to people calling them idiots.
” “ I think the reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s coming from a physician , ” Bukacek said , when questioned about the virality of her video .
“ Some people had a hunch in their gut about these death certificates , like how did they know these people were really dying from that ?
They had that feeling inside of them .
But because they don ’ t have an MD or PhD ... or they don ’ t have the confidence or the ability to stand up against the popular narrative , they just kept it to themselves.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Koltai , who just completed her dissertation on the way that vaccine discourse circulates online , told me .
“ You work really hard to get a degree , and it gives you some level of authority .
But the danger is that people with these degrees often dissent from the mainstream in areas outside of their expertise .
It ’ s like these economists and physicists trying to be epidemiologists on Twitter.
” Bukacek , whose specialty is internal medicine , appears to have no expertise in infectious diseases or public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invites viewers to watch as Bukacek “ blows the whistle ” — another common framework for vaccine skeptics , painting them as the only people willing to question corrupt , untrustworthy institutions .
In this case , Bukacek says the CDC has a history of making “ a big deal of out nothing ” during previous pandemics , and has created a “ huge financial incentive ” for hospitals to report COVID-19 deaths .
( Hospitals are receiving a 20 % payment increase for Medicaid patients treated for COVID-19 , but the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strain ; one data analysis concluded that most lose thousands of dollars on each case treated . )
She also questions scientists ’ predictions , based on existing data , about how the virus will continue to spread in the next year , which , she says , is just “ the next narrative.
” “ Where did they get this ?
” she asked Shuck during their interview .
“ I think they ’ re pulling it out of their hat .
They ’ re just coming up with it.
” She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expanding testing .
“ PROMOTING COVID 19 TESTING TO FEEL SAFE ...
THIS PROLONGS CONTAGION OF FEAR , ” she posted on Facebook earlier this week .
“ KEEP FIRMLY IN MIND : LOCKDOWN BASED on FEAR NOT FACTS.
” Bukacek has exploited that fear and confusion about the virus herself to fuel an even larger mistrust of the government and skepticism toward scientific findings and medical guidance .
And she ’ s been able to do so not just because she has a medical degree , or because YouTube and Facebook are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theories — but because faith in the overall project of “ public health ” has been deteriorating for years .
In the United States , public health boards were first established in the 1860s and ’ 70s , charged with implementing policies in line with the idea that a society , working as a whole , can help protect individuals from disease and generally increase quality of life .
Creating sanitation campaigns , tracing E. coli cases , or managing norovirus outbreaks at a nursing home — all of those things are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But another , far less discussed component of public health is engendering trust in public health — because sooner or later , people may need to trust medical advice that isn ’ t intuitively or automatically convincing in order to protect themselves and others .
“ Any advocate of vaccinations or any science that you can ’ t see , hear , or touch has an uphill road to walk , ” said Mark Navin , an associate professor of philosophy at Oakland University who specializes in the bioethics of public health .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a lot of ‘ common sense ’ and intuitionist ways of knowledge .
With COVID , for example , people might not see others dying , but exponential growth is also a really hard concept : how two deaths becomes four deaths , becomes 16 deaths , and the chart explodes really quickly.
” “ Every generation has to come and decide if they ’ re going to trust the government , and if they ’ re going to trust medicine , ” Navin said .
“ And we ’ ve taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ II era that people have this , but every generation has to come in and cultivate it.
” And that ’ s the problem with the current era .
There are some people , like Myerowitz , the doctor whom Bukacek replaced on the Flathead County Board of Health , who have firsthand experience with pandemics : When he was a young boy , Myerowitz nearly died from polio .
He was bedridden for an entire summer .
But others struggle with the intangibility or invisibility of public health success , either with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the vast majority of Americans do believe in vaccines , and have adhered to social distancing guidelines .
But when it comes to public health , distrust is contagious — and exacerbated by the relatively recent politicization and polarization of science .
“ Responses to pandemics , support for vaccinations , those parts of public health governance were , until very recently , bipartisan and sacrosanct , ” Navin explained .
This time around , though , initial skepticism around COVID-19 in the US was fueled , with extremely serious consequences , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump and Fox News .
( Both the Trump campaign and Fox News host Sean Hannity have disputed the claim that their responses were dismissive . )
A small faction of people on the far right and far left have resisted vaccinations for some time , but “ medical freedom ” has recently been taken up as a defining issue of the far right .
Ongoing protests against lockdowns across the nation are being organized and funded by many of the same groups that were instrumental in the rise of the tea party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures to combat the spread of coronavirus are attempting to keep up the appearance that their movement is nonpartisan and nonideological , and simply focused on getting people back to work .
But no number of Facebook posts advising protesters to keep their Confederate flags at home will keep the most fervent members of the movement from the front lines .
And once these issues become polarized , Navin points out , they also become integral to people ’ s identities .
Believers on both sides become more entrenched .
To concede to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” is to join them .
Which helps explain — at least in part — what ’ s going on in the Flathead Valley .
On April 6 , the day after Bukacek spoke at Liberty Fellowship , she helped organize one of the earliest protests against stay-at-home policies in the nation .
As the Kalispell City Council met online , voting to officially declare a “ state of emergency , ” Bukacek and around 30 others gathered outside the empty city hall .
In an email to local press , Bukacek claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law ” by complying with the stay-at-home orders .
At the protest , she held a sign reading “ HEIL RUSSELL , ” referring to Kalispell City Manager Doug Russell .
Bukacek is not the only person to publicly compare shutdown orders with Nazi rule .
Liberty Fellowships ’ s Chuck Baldwin refers to Dr. Fauci , the White House health adviser , as a “ Big Pharma Fascist , ” and in North Idaho , far-right state Rep. Heather Scott claimed her state ’ s stay-at-home order was “ no different than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling people , ‘ You are an essential worker or a nonessential worker , ’ and the nonessential workers got put on a train.
” Since the protest , Bukacek has met with a handful of other protesters called the “ People ’ s Meeting , ” led by Nick Ramlow , who owns a local construction company .
The meetings are held in an outbuilding at a home in Kalispell and broadcast on Facebook .
As with the broadcast of the Liberty Fellowship church service , the only person visible is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including Bukacek , are audible .
Ramlow , who moved to the Flathead area six years ago , is not a member of Liberty Fellowship .
But his anti-government politics align with theirs and he has mentioned Ammon Bundy — one of the leaders of the standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Northeast Oregon — as someone with whom he has “ cross-pollinated ideas.
” “ We ’ re the last stand , ” Ramlow told me when I reached him by phone , referring to Idaho , Wyoming , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where freedoms are still allowed.
” The shutdown , he said , made it clear that it was time to “ build a body of people who are willing to stand on principles , ” to draw up grievances against government officials engaging in overreach .
Ramlow expressed great admiration for “ Dr .
Annie , ” as he calls her .
“ There ’ s a great deal of energy that pulses through that woman , ” he said .
“ And she ’ s really pointing out how they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so that every case becomes COVID .
It ’ s exactly the same as the Salem Witch Trials , where you give bounties to people hunting witches — eventually they ’ re going to be paying people who are finding people who aren ’ t witches , you know ?
” Ramlow is currently running , as a libertarian , for the state legislature .
And the mayor of Kalispell , he said — along with other government officials — “ armed me with everything I needed to campaign .
As soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was all I needed to get my brand of freedom out there.
” He sees the ongoing purpose of the People ’ s Meetings as twofold : to file criminal complaints against public officials ordering lockdowns , and to organize local business owners in a pact to help one another keep their businesses open , regardless of the stay-at-home order .
Ramlow ’ s group , at least for now , will not need to take action .
On Sunday , April 26 , the state of Montana began to gradually reopen : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the week after , restaurants and bars .
No Flathead Valley business owners were called upon to protect others ’ freedom .
Ramlow attempted to serve cease-and-desist orders concerning the “ unlawful enforcement ” of remaining restrictions to various governmental offices , and solicited the home address of the Kalispell mayor on Facebook Classifieds for $ 100 so as to perform a citizen ’ s arrest .
But his actions have been largely ignored .
Still , these protests are not the end of something — they ’ re the beginning .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a way so that this doesn ’ t happen again , ” Ramlow told me .
“ You can think of this as being out in the desert , and you come across a den of snakes .
Well , after that , you never want to come across a den of snakes again .
We want our bite to be that toxic , that no one comes near it again.
” That ’ s some big , vaguely coded talk .
But so , too , was the talk around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement , led by the Bundys , and the apocalyptic prepper movements that have congregated in and around Northwest Montana .
Before the pandemic , the fire behind those groups had largely died out .
The further right arm of the local GOP was still powerful , but the tea party , at least as a coherent entity , had largely disappeared .
Ammon Bundy was in the suburbs of Boise , flailing about for a new cause to throw his weight behind .
With a president who is openly sympathetic to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less to fight against .
But COVID-19 and the scientific uncertainty , government-mandated lockdowns , and federally funded relief programs it ’ s given rise to have resparked the embers and united them around a common cause .
These groups know , better than others , never to waste a crisis .
For years , anti-vax and anti-government truthers have been anticipating a government mandate that everyone submit to a vaccine — no exceptions .
For them , the coronavirus pandemic is the Medical Conspiracy Super Bowl , the moment they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corner of Montana — and far beyond , thanks to the internet — Bukacek is just one of many players who ’ ve been waiting what feels like their entire lives to get off the bench .
The members of the Board of Health , according to the board ’ s bylines , serve at the pleasure of the county commissioners .
That means that nobody else — not the mayor , the city council , or the governor — can force Bukacek ’ s removal .
Two of the three commissioners voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And , at least as of now , it ’ s not going to happen .
Ten days after Bukacek ’ s Liberty Fellowship video was posted , the Board of Health held its first virtual meeting .
Several members of the community voiced their concerns about Bukacek ’ s appointment , given her remarks in the video and her coordination of the Kalispell protest , and asked for her dismissal from the board .
Bukacek held her ground , and criticized guidelines prohibiting visitors to long-term care and assisted living homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( In Toole County — just on the other side of Glacier Park — a COVID-19 outbreak in an assisted care facility has been responsible for six deaths , more than a third of Montana ’ s official count . )
Thus far , the only one of the county ’ s three commissioners to publicly criticize Bukacek has been Phil Mitchell .
According to locals , it ’ s not because he ’ s particularly brave , but because he ’ s already declared that he won ’ t be running for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 scandal involving Mitchell ’ s removal of $ 16,000 worth of trees on county land abutting his home .
“ I am disappointed in her and in fact I am pissed off , ” Mitchell told the Flathead Beacon on April 20 .
“ I am sorry that I put her on the board and I am sorry for how she has acted .
I ’ m frustrated but there ’ s not a lot I can do .
I ’ m only one commissioner.
” The other two , Pam Holmquist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their initial reasoning for appointing Bukacek to the board .
Holmquist pointed out that Bukacek is one member of nine ; as for Brodehl , he told me , “ It ’ s very important that we have a diverse board , with people who have and are willing to voice an opinion that represents their heart .
And there is a group of people in the valley who feel the same way.
” It ’ s also likely , given the political history of the area , that they ’ re concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Holmquist knows that if she votes to unseat Bukacek , she ’ s screwed , ” said one local politician , who requested anonymity in order to avoid retaliation .
“ And Brodehl knows the same thing.
” Brodehl wanted to be clear that Bukacek has promised that she would not speak on behalf of the board , and didn ’ t see an issue with her exercising her right to freedom of speech .
“ It ’ s the government ’ s job to do what ’ s right , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s right to me is following the constitution and the First Amendment .
And that ’ s allowing every side to this to voice their opinion.
” “ Saying that Annie provides a diversity of opinion is nonsense , ” Myerowitz , the former chair of the board , told me .
“ Would they appoint an alt-right military person to the Board of Health ?
That represents a part of this community too .
You have to invite people who share the vision of what a board of health does , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county .
Annie doesn ’ t believe in the basic principles of public health.
” Bukacek ’ s appointment represents the far-right libertarian mindset taken to its logical conclusion : a public health appointee who seemingly doesn ’ t believe in public health .
The doubt she ’ s sowing now foments what she and supporters call “ civil disobedience ” against stay-at-home advisories .
But that doubt and resistance may expand to include other attempts on the part of public health officials to track and mitigate the spread of the disease , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing or , in the years to come , vaccination .
In Idaho , Texas , and California , some of the most vocal and visible groups protesting the lockdowns have been groups advocating for medical freedom .
If they ’ re resisting medically informed guidance about prevention now , that resistance will likely only intensify when prevention turns into vaccination .
“ I already see this assumption that anti-vaxxers are going to line up for a COVID-19 vaccination , ” Lawrence , the anti-vax rhetoric scholar , told me .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they ’ ll be shown how wrong they are .
But I do not think that ’ s how it ’ s going to play out .
Many people will line up , and will clamor for it .
And others will be persuaded that vaccines are not to be trusted .
And right now , we ’ re getting ready to see what those arguments will look like.
” At this point , Bukacek wins if she stays on the Board of Health , and she wins if she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed now , she might not sit on the board , but she will still wear the lab coat .
Her video may have been marked as “ Partly False Information ” by Facebook ’ s fact-checkers , but for many , that designation only underlines the boldness of the truths she ’ s telling .
Every successful movement needs martyrs , and Bukacek — along with others fired , assailed , arrested , ridiculed , or threatened for their resistance — could easily become a unifying hero of the cause , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bukacek and others like her frame their opposition to COVID-19 restrictions , now and in the future , as part of a larger spiritual , political , and ideological battle .
Their resistance is local , and , even here in Montana , still very much in the minority .
Which perhaps explains the feeling of discombobulation , watching and hearing about the protests in the news or in your feeds : They ’ re such a small percentage of an otherwise largely compliant whole .
But in a state of emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaking to people ’ s deepest and darkest fears , to destabilize an entire society .
●

On Sunday, April 5, Dr. Annie Bukacek, wearing a white doctor’s coat and a pink stethoscope draped around her neck, stood behind a makeshift pulpit against the plain backdrop of a Hilton Garden Inn conference room in Kalispell, Montana. She was there to deliver a sermon of sorts to members of the Liberty Fellowship, an anti-government, anti-globalism church led by a pastor named Chuck Baldwin that serves as a beacon for the extreme political right — a mix of constitutionalists, militia members, and separatists — in Montana’s Flathead Valley. Based on responses from a Facebook post and her own experience as a doctor, Bukacek made her case to the congregation: that the “alleged death rate” due to COVID-19 has been significantly inflated in order to justify otherwise unjust stay-at-home orders.
Doctors, Bukacek argued, rely on “assumptions and educated guesses that go unquestioned,” which has resulted in an overreporting of deaths. “Based on inaccurate, incomplete data,” she said, “people are being terrorized by fearmongers into relinquishing cherished freedoms.” (The most recent CDC data suggests that coronavirus deaths have actually been dramatically underreported.) Like many others who’ve propagated falsehoods about COVID, Bukacek argues that because many who’ve succumbed to the disease also had other health concerns, they thus died with COVID-19, not of COVID-19. (People with “comorbidities” like hypertension, diabetes, or immune deficiencies are indeed more likely to die from COVID-19, but the infection itself is the trigger for the respiratory or organ failures that actually cause death.)
The video has since been picked up by talk radio, Infowars, QAnon accounts, and other media beacons of the far right. But it’s also made its way to less conspiracy-minded audiences, with over a million views on Facebook and various YouTube channels. For months, figures on the far right have been questioning the severity of government reaction to COVID-19. But Bukacek, who did not respond to multiple requests for an interview, is an unusual messenger for these unfounded claims.
As Baldwin was careful to note when he introduced her on camera, Bukacek received her medical degree from the University of Illinois and completed her residency at the Oregon Health and Science University. She is a member of the American College of Physicians, Montana Chapter. She was voted the Best Family Physician in the area in both 2012 and 2019. And, most importantly, she is currently serving as a member of the Flathead County Board of Health.
The story of how a doctor now peddling potentially dangerous COVID-19 misinformation found her way onto a board entrusted with preserving communitywide health is, as one might expect, filled with local political grudges and maneuvering. Bukacek’s appointment was controversial when it happened and remains so; there are currently competing petitions to keep her on and remove her from the board. But the story also serves as a microcosm of the national conflict and confusion around the pandemic, as conspiracy theories and anti-government outrage have filled the vacuum created by the general lack of information about a new virus and constantly evolving — and confusing, and sometimes contradictory — public health messaging.


buzzfeed--2020-05-02--This TikTok User Said Americans Devised A Plan To Drop Extra-Large Condoms On The Soviets During The

This TikTok User Said Americans Devised A Plan To Drop Extra-Large Condoms On The Soviets During The Cold War And It Is Actually True

If you ca n't understand TikTok user @ the.marchie because she 's laughing uncontrollably , she said , `` I @ @ @ @ @ the Cold War , there was a real , actual , real researched plan in @ @ @ @ @ extra-large condoms labeled 'medium ' all over the Soviet army so that they would think @ @ @ @ @ huge penises and they would feel inferior and quit . ''

If you can't understand TikTok user @the.marchie because she's laughing uncontrollably, she said, "I just found out, during the Cold War, there was a real, actual, real researched plan in which the Americans would drop extra-large condoms labeled 'medium' all over the Soviet army so that they would think that all American men had huge penises and they would feel inferior and quit."


buzzfeed--2020-05-03--19 Mental Health Misconceptions From TV Shows/Movies I Find Unbelievably Frustrating

`` It takes at least two weeks before you even notice if they 're even working , not to mention @ @ @ @ @ adjust to the medication .
Then , you may have to change the meds because @ @ @ @ @ right fit . ''

BuzzFeed Bring Me
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buzzfeed--2020-05-01--A Ruby Princess Crew Member Spent A Month On A Ventilator In A Coma. Doctors Couldn’t Contact His Wi

A Ruby Princess Crew Member Spent A Month On A Ventilator In A Coma. Doctors Couldn’t Contact His Wife.

A 38-year-old crew member on the controversial Ruby Princess cruise ship has spent the last month on a ventilator because of severe respiratory failure caused by COVID-19 , with officials unable to contact his wife .
An intensive care doctor treating the man was forced to approach a tribunal last Thursday to seek urgent approval to remove the breathing tube from his mouth and insert it through his neck instead .
The man , a foreign national , fell ill while on board the Ruby Princess .
He was intubated on the ship and later transferred to a public hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urgent hearing about his treatment , he had been intubated and sedated for 30 days , 25 of those as a hospital inpatient .
The man 's condition was improving and doctors had tried to reduce his sedation , but each time he became more conscious he became distressed and tried to remove his breathing tube .
The night before the hearing , the cuff of his tube had burst because it had not been replaced since he was first intubated .
His life was at real risk if the tube was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to perform a percutaneous tracheostomy — the surgical insertion of a tracheostomy tube under anaesthetic — which would allow doctors to gradually wake him up and wean him from the ventilation , but the man could not consent because he was in an induced coma .
The doctor , an advanced trainee in intensive care at the treating hospital , filed an urgent application with the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal on April 23 , which was heard by phone later that day .
The tribunal can act as guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The man , the doctor and the hospital were not identified in the tribunal 's decision .
The tribunal heard the man 's wife lived in a remote village and likely had limited access to mobile connection .
Nobody had been able to contact her .
The tribunal 's deputy president and head of the guardianship division , Malcolm Schyvens , and Dr Melanie Wroth agreed that the treatment should go ahead within 24 to 48 hours .
The crew member 's doctor said the procedure risked causing bleeding and scarring , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ procedure he was expected to make a full , but slow , recovery .
The Ruby Princess has been blamed for hundreds of coronavirus cases in Australia and more than 20 deaths .
An independent inquiry looking into how it was allowed to dock in Sydney despite passengers experiencing coronavirus symptoms is underway .

A 38-year-old crew member on the controversial Ruby Princess cruise ship has spent the last month on a ventilator because of severe respiratory failure caused by COVID-19, with officials unable to contact his wife.
An intensive care doctor treating the man was forced to approach a tribunal last Thursday to seek urgent approval to remove the breathing tube from his mouth and insert it through his neck instead.
The man, a foreign national, fell ill while on board the Ruby Princess. He was intubated on the ship and later transferred to a public hospital onshore.
On the day of the urgent hearing about his treatment, he had been intubated and sedated for 30 days, 25 of those as a hospital inpatient.
The man's condition was improving and doctors had tried to reduce his sedation, but each time he became more conscious he became distressed and tried to remove his breathing tube.
The night before the hearing, the cuff of his tube had burst because it had not been replaced since he was first intubated. His life was at real risk if the tube was not removed, his doctor said.
She wanted to perform a percutaneous tracheostomy — the surgical insertion of a tracheostomy tube under anaesthetic — which would allow doctors to gradually wake him up and wean him from the ventilation, but the man could not consent because he was in an induced coma.
The doctor, an advanced trainee in intensive care at the treating hospital, filed an urgent application with the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal on April 23, which was heard by phone later that day. The tribunal can act as guardian when a patient cannot consent. The man, the doctor and the hospital were not identified in the tribunal's decision.
The tribunal heard the man's wife lived in a remote village and likely had limited access to mobile connection. Nobody had been able to contact her.
The tribunal's deputy president and head of the guardianship division, Malcolm Schyvens, and Dr Melanie Wroth agreed that the treatment should go ahead within 24 to 48 hours.
The crew member's doctor said the procedure risked causing bleeding and scarring, but that if the crew member had the procedure he was expected to make a full, but slow, recovery.
The Ruby Princess has been blamed for hundreds of coronavirus cases in Australia and more than 20 deaths. An independent inquiry looking into how it was allowed to dock in Sydney despite passengers experiencing coronavirus symptoms is underway.


buzzfeed--2020-05-01--South Australia Is Waiting On One Man To Decide If Women Have To Travel For Medical Abortions In A P

South Australia Is Waiting On One Man To Decide If Women Have To Travel For Medical Abortions In A Pandemic

In every Australian jurisdiction bar one , women can access medical abortions over telehealth .
In South Australia , the law dictates a woman must physically see two different doctors at an approved hospital to get medical abortion pills .
Only a handful of hospitals in the state provide the pills , meaning the vast majority of rural and regional women have to travel to the capital Adelaide .
This presents a barrier to access in the best of times , but particularly in the coronavirus pandemic , where many medical appointments and other parts of daily life have moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Australia 's law has remained unchanged as the pandemic has played out , despite indications the government was considering temporarily allowing telehealth abortions ( which typically involve a referral for an ultrasound and blood test , a prescription for abortion drug RU486 and any follow-up consultations over phone or video call ) .
In early March the South Australian parliament passed the COVID-19 Emergency Response 2020 Act , which allows “ various temporary modifications ” of the state ’ s laws during the pandemic .
The state health minister and attorney-general indicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law to allow women to use telehealth services .
Chief medical officer Nicola Spurrier said last month the government was `` mindful '' that two doctors are currently required to examine a woman seeking an abortion .
But the man who ultimately has the power to make this change is not the health minister or the chief medical officer — it is police commissioner Grant Stevens .

In every Australian jurisdiction bar one, women can access medical abortions over telehealth. In South Australia, the law dictates a woman must physically see two different doctors at an approved hospital to get medical abortion pills.
Only a handful of hospitals in the state provide the pills, meaning the vast majority of rural and regional women have to travel to the capital Adelaide.
This presents a barrier to access in the best of times, but particularly in the coronavirus pandemic, where many medical appointments and other parts of daily life have moved online as people practise social distancing.
South Australia's law has remained unchanged as the pandemic has played out, despite indications the government was considering temporarily allowing telehealth abortions (which typically involve a referral for an ultrasound and blood test, a prescription for abortion drug RU486 and any follow-up consultations over phone or video call).
In early March the South Australian parliament passed the COVID-19 Emergency Response 2020 Act, which allows “various temporary modifications” of the state’s laws during the pandemic.
The state health minister and attorney-general indicated this could include a tweak to abortion law to allow women to use telehealth services. Chief medical officer Nicola Spurrier said last month the government was "mindful" that two doctors are currently required to examine a woman seeking an abortion.
But the man who ultimately has the power to make this change is not the health minister or the chief medical officer — it is police commissioner Grant Stevens.


buzzfeed--2020-05-01--The Latest Tactic For Getting Refugees Out Of Detention Hotels? Leaving Negative Online Reviews.

Hotel chains whose facilities have been used for months to detain refugees and asylum seekers are likely to be bombarded with negative online reviews to encourage them to stop the arrangement , after Amnesty International launched a new campaign on Friday .
More than 200 refugees and asylum seekers are currently detained at two budget hotels in Australia , where they say they risk contracting COVID-19 and can not socially distance .
The Australian government has so far ignored calls from infectious diseases doctors and over 1,000 other health workers , religious leaders , charities and human rights organisations to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk posed by the crowded facilities , where many men share rooms .
After the hotel chains ignored its direct appeal to terminate their contracts with the government , Amnesty International is asking its supporters to leave negative reviews for the two hotels online .
On April 7 , Amnesty International wrote to the Mantra Group and the Central Apartment Group , asking them to stop holding refugees and asylum seekers in their hotels , the Mantra Bell City in Melbourne 's Preston and the Kangaroo Point Central hotel in inner-city Brisbane .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a health emergency breaking out in your hotel ...
The only way to protect the health of refugees and asylum seekers is to release them from [ the hotels ] into the community , '' national director Sam Klintworth wrote .
`` Whilst the government is ignoring the experts ' advice to do this , you can put pressure on them to act now . ''

Hotel chains whose facilities have been used for months to detain refugees and asylum seekers are likely to be bombarded with negative online reviews to encourage them to stop the arrangement, after Amnesty International launched a new campaign on Friday.
More than 200 refugees and asylum seekers are currently detained at two budget hotels in Australia, where they say they risk contracting COVID-19 and cannot socially distance.
The Australian government has so far ignored calls from infectious diseases doctors and over 1,000 other health workers, religious leaders, charities and human rights organisations to release detainees to curb the public health risk posed by the crowded facilities, where many men share rooms.
After the hotel chains ignored its direct appeal to terminate their contracts with the government, Amnesty International is asking its supporters to leave negative reviews for the two hotels online.
On April 7, Amnesty International wrote to the Mantra Group and the Central Apartment Group, asking them to stop holding refugees and asylum seekers in their hotels, the Mantra Bell City in Melbourne's Preston and the Kangaroo Point Central hotel in inner-city Brisbane.
"We are on the brink of a health emergency breaking out in your hotel ... The only way to protect the health of refugees and asylum seekers is to release them from [the hotels] into the community," national director Sam Klintworth wrote. "Whilst the government is ignoring the experts' advice to do this, you can put pressure on them to act now."
Neither hotel group has responded.


buzzfeed--2020-04-30--Politicians Are Being Flooded With Letters From People Who Think Writing The Words “My Will” Lets Th

Politicians Are Being Flooded With Letters From People Who Think Writing The Words “My Will” Lets Them Dodge Vaccination Laws

Australian politicians have been inundated with letters , emails and calls during the coronavirus pandemic from anti-vaccine campaigners .
Their tactics , according to form letters shared widely on Facebook , include an interpretation of a decades-old booklet that advises using the phrase `` my will '' to force politicians to act , and claiming that requiring vaccines for aged care visitors violates international human rights law .
It 's not working .
Several federal politicians receiving the missives told BuzzFeed News they are roundly ignoring the correspondence .
As scientists race to invent a coronavirus vaccine , some governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flu shot to lessen the overall burden on health systems while the pandemic plays out .
Both of these developments have stirred up anti-vaxxer activity around the world , with some spreading conspiracy theories of a global mandatory vaccination regime .
In Australia , a restriction on anyone visiting or working in an aged care facility unless they have had a flu vaccination kicks in on May 1 .
Aged care facilities have been hit hard by the pandemic , with many of the country 's COVID-19 deaths linked to nursing homes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule , anti-vaxxers have circulated instructions on social media for people to contact their representatives , leading to an influx of letters for politicians .
One popular type of form letter among anti-vaxxers , known as a `` My Will '' letter , is drawn from an obscure , 10-page booklet authored by former Australian politician Arthur Chresby in 1979 titled Your Will Be Done .

Australian politicians have been inundated with letters, emails and calls during the coronavirus pandemic from anti-vaccine campaigners.
Their tactics, according to form letters shared widely on Facebook, include an interpretation of a decades-old booklet that advises using the phrase "my will" to force politicians to act, and claiming that requiring vaccines for aged care visitors violates international human rights law.
It's not working. Several federal politicians receiving the missives told BuzzFeed News they are roundly ignoring the correspondence.
As scientists race to invent a coronavirus vaccine, some governments have also urged people to get a flu shot to lessen the overall burden on health systems while the pandemic plays out.
Both of these developments have stirred up anti-vaxxer activity around the world, with some spreading conspiracy theories of a global mandatory vaccination regime.
In Australia, a restriction on anyone visiting or working in an aged care facility unless they have had a flu vaccination kicks in on May 1. Aged care facilities have been hit hard by the pandemic, with many of the country's COVID-19 deaths linked to nursing homes.
Since prime minister Scott Morrison announced the rule, anti-vaxxers have circulated instructions on social media for people to contact their representatives, leading to an influx of letters for politicians.
One popular type of form letter among anti-vaxxers, known as a "My Will" letter, is drawn from an obscure, 10-page booklet authored by former Australian politician Arthur Chresby in 1979 titled Your Will Be Done.


buzzfeed--2020-05-03--A Viral TikTok Just Explained Why We're All Brushing Our Teeth Wrong, And I Learned Something New

Dr. M says that it 's important to use the alcohol-based mouthwash ( like Listerine ) first if you have @ @ @ @ @ you 're going to want to brush for two minutes .
Then you 're going @ @ @ @ @ Whether you brush or floss first is n't actually super important , but the next @ @ @ @ @ 're going to want to use a fluoride mouthwash last , '' he states .

Dr. M says that it's important to use the alcohol-based mouthwash (like Listerine) first if you have sensitive/bleeding gums. "Then you're going to want to brush for two minutes. Then you're going to want to floss. Whether you brush or floss first isn't actually super important, but the next step is important. You're going to want to use a fluoride mouthwash last," he states.


buzzfeed--2020-05-03--19 Funny Period Tweets That Made Me Laugh For A Hot Second

Well , hello there .
If you 're like me and you hate periods with a passion , then you @ @ @ @ @ place .
Because these funny period tweets are here to comfort you like two Tylenols @ @ @ @ @

Well, hello there. If you're like me and you hate periods with a passion, then you've come to the right place. Because these funny period tweets are here to comfort you like two Tylenols and a heating pad.


buzzfeed--2020-06-23--A Judge Ruled The Trump Administration Must Face A Lawsuit Over Denying Coronavirus Checks To Undocu

A Judge Ruled The Trump Administration Must Face A Lawsuit Over Denying Coronavirus Checks To Undocumented Parents

WASHINGTON — A lawsuit filed by US citizen children whose undocumented immigrant parents were denied coronavirus stimulus checks can move forward after a judge rejected the Trump administration ’ s early attempt to get the case tossed out .
A federal judge in Maryland on Friday denied the government ’ s motion to dismiss the lawsuit , finding the families had the standing to sue and rejecting arguments raised by the Justice Department that the administration was immune against these types of constitutional claims over how Congress and the Treasury Department chose to administer billions of dollars in relief money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) Act , families who are eligible for stimulus checks can get up to $ 500 for each child under 17 , on top of the $ 1,200 maximum payment for individual adults .
But the law requires anyone receiving the money to have a Social Security number .
Undocumented immigrants who aren ’ t authorized to work can still file taxes using a separate identification number , but Congress didn ’ t make them eligible for the relief funds .
The parents at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and would otherwise meet the eligibility requirements , according to the lawsuit filed in May in federal court in Maryland .
The parents and their kids , who are all named as plaintiffs , argue denying a federal benefit to these children is unconstitutional because they ’ re being discriminated against and treated differently from other US citizen children .
The ruling means lawyers for the families can begin seeking records and other evidence from the administration .
“ The judge 's opinion rejects the government 's efforts to dispose of this case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Mary McCord , a lawyer for the families with the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center , wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News .
“ Plaintiffs hope that [ C ] ongress will take note and enact legislation to revise the CARES Act to provide badly needed emergency funds to U.S. citizen children , regardless of whether their parents are documented.
” US District Judge Paul Grimm wrote that even though the children aren ’ t the ones receiving the checks ( the checks would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the taxpayers ) they had made a clear enough argument at this early stage of the case that they were directly harmed and had standing to file a lawsuit .
The families had said that they needed the money to pay for cleaning supplies and COVID-related safety measures and to help cover other basic living expenses .
Grimm rejected the government ’ s arguments that it was immune from this type of constitutional claim seeking to force a federal official to take a particular action — in this case , Treasury Secretary Steven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t sue for money damages .
Finally , the judge ruled that the US citizen children had made enough of a legitimate claim that they suffered a constitutional violation for the case to move forward .
The Justice Department had argued that requiring a Social Security number was a legitimate policy choice to help carry out the requirements of the CARES Act .
The families countered that the government failed to show how allegedly discriminating against these US citizen children would advance any bureaucratic goals .
Grimm sided with the families , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the CARES Act discriminates against the Citizen Children Plaintiffs and the Parent Plaintiffs as their representatives based on their parents ’ alienage.
” Representatives of the Justice Department and the Treasury Department did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday .
The case is one of several lawsuits pending in federal court over how Congress and the Trump administration are handling the stimulus money for individuals and businesses .
There ’ s a separate case pending in Maryland about the denial of checks to households where couples filed jointly and one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owners with past criminal records , adult entertainers , and lobbyists have also sued over being excluded from a small business relief program , and Native American tribal governments have challenged the Treasury Department ’ s management of funds meant specifically to benefit their communities .

WASHINGTON — A lawsuit filed by US citizen children whose undocumented immigrant parents were denied coronavirus stimulus checks can move forward after a judge rejected the Trump administration’s early attempt to get the case tossed out.
A federal judge in Maryland on Friday denied the government’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, finding the families had the standing to sue and rejecting arguments raised by the Justice Department that the administration was immune against these types of constitutional claims over how Congress and the Treasury Department chose to administer billions of dollars in relief money.
Under the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, families who are eligible for stimulus checks can get up to $500 for each child under 17, on top of the $1,200 maximum payment for individual adults. But the law requires anyone receiving the money to have a Social Security number. Undocumented immigrants who aren’t authorized to work can still file taxes using a separate identification number, but Congress didn’t make them eligible for the relief funds.
The parents at issue paid federal and state taxes, and would otherwise meet the eligibility requirements, according to the lawsuit filed in May in federal court in Maryland. The parents and their kids, who are all named as plaintiffs, argue denying a federal benefit to these children is unconstitutional because they’re being discriminated against and treated differently from other US citizen children.
The ruling means lawyers for the families can begin seeking records and other evidence from the administration.
“The judge's opinion rejects the government's efforts to dispose of this case and recognizes the urgency of the matter,” Mary McCord, a lawyer for the families with the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center, wrote in an email to BuzzFeed News. “Plaintiffs hope that [C]ongress will take note and enact legislation to revise the CARES Act to provide badly needed emergency funds to U.S. citizen children, regardless of whether their parents are documented.”
US District Judge Paul Grimm wrote that even though the children aren’t the ones receiving the checks (the checks would be made out to their parents as the taxpayers) they had made a clear enough argument at this early stage of the case that they were directly harmed and had standing to file a lawsuit. The families had said that they needed the money to pay for cleaning supplies and COVID-related safety measures and to help cover other basic living expenses.
Grimm rejected the government’s arguments that it was immune from this type of constitutional claim seeking to force a federal official to take a particular action — in this case, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — and that the families couldn’t sue for money damages.
Finally, the judge ruled that the US citizen children had made enough of a legitimate claim that they suffered a constitutional violation for the case to move forward. The Justice Department had argued that requiring a Social Security number was a legitimate policy choice to help carry out the requirements of the CARES Act. The families countered that the government failed to show how allegedly discriminating against these US citizen children would advance any bureaucratic goals.
Grimm sided with the families, writing that they had “adequately pled that the CARES Act discriminates against the Citizen Children Plaintiffs and the Parent Plaintiffs as their representatives based on their parents’ alienage.”
Representatives of the Justice Department and the Treasury Department did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday.
The case is one of several lawsuits pending in federal court over how Congress and the Trump administration are handling the stimulus money for individuals and businesses. There’s a separate case pending in Maryland about the denial of checks to households where couples filed jointly and one person is an undocumented immigrant.
Business owners with past criminal records, adult entertainers, and lobbyists have also sued over being excluded from a small business relief program, and Native American tribal governments have challenged the Treasury Department’s management of funds meant specifically to benefit their communities.


buzzfeed--2020-06-22--Here’s Trump Trashing 12 Of His “Best People” Who Then Spoke Out Against Him

From Jeff Sessions to John Bolton , the president has insisted he only hires `` the best people . ''
He tends to change his mind and insult them when they leave .
April 19 , 2018 : `` I think he 's going to be a fantastic representative of our team .
He 's highly respected by everybody in this room . ''
June 18 , 2020 : `` Wacko John Bolton ’ s 'exceedingly tedious ' ( New York Times ) book is made up of lies & fake stories .
Said all good about me , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
A disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war .
Never had a clue , was ostracized & happily dumped .
What a dope ! ''
Nov. 23 , 2016 : `` I know the guy , he 's a decent guy , he 's a very smart guy .
He 's done a good job . ''
Jan. 3 , 2018 : `` Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency .
When he was fired , he not only lost his job , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates , often described as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican party .
`` Now that he is on his own , Steve is learning that winning isn ’ t as easy as I make it look .
Steve had very little to do with our historic victory , which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country .
Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years by Republicans .
Steve doesn ’ t represent my base — he ’ s only in it for himself .
`` Steve pretends to be at war with the media , which he calls the opposition party , yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was .
It is the only thing he does well .
Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clue , whom he helped write phony books . ''
Feb. 8 , 2017 : `` General Kelly is an extremely talented man and a very good man -- now Secretary Kelly , Homeland Security .
...
He 's a great man . ''
Feb. 13 , 2020 : `` When I terminated John Kelly , which I couldn ’ t do fast enough , he knew full well that he was way over his head .
Being Chief of Staff just wasn ’ t for him .
He came in with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but like so many X ’ s , he misses the action & just can ’ t keep his mouth shut . ''
Jan. 27 , 2017 : `` Secretary Mattis devoted his life to serving his country .
He 's a man of honor , a man of devotion , and a man of total action . ''
June 3 , 2020 : `` Probably the only thing Barack Obama & I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis , the world ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his letter of resignation , & felt great about it .
His nickname was 'Chaos ' , which I didn ’ t like , & changed to 'Mad Dog ' ... His primary strength was not military , but rather personal public relations .
I gave him a new life , things to do , and battles to win , but he seldom 'brought home the bacon ' .
I didn ’ t like his 'leadership ' style or much else about him , and many others agree .
Glad he is gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` He has devoted his life to the cause of justice and believes deeply that all people are equals in the eyes of the law — and very importantly for Jeff and for so many of us , also in the eyes of God .
`` He ’ s a man of integrity , a man of principle , and a man of total , utter resolve .
You just got a little witnessing of that .
That resolve is what we need right now .
America faces many challenges .
We face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat of deadly terror .
And it ’ s not getting better , but it will get better very soon .
It ’ s going to get a lot better .
`` These dangerous times require a determined attorney general , which is what Jeff is . ''
May 24 , 2020 : `` Jeff Sessions was a disaster as attorney general .
Should have never been attorney general , was not qualified .
He 's not mentally qualified to be attorney general .
He was the biggest problem . ''
April 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge the great work being done by our Secretary of State , Rex Tillerson , to strengthen the NATO Alliance , as well as the Secretary 's trip to Moscow to promote the security interest of the United States and its allies .
He did a terrific job .
Just watched parts of it — an absolutely terrific job . ''
May 23 , 2019 : `` Rex Tillerson ... did n't have the mental capacity needed .
He was dumb as a rock and I could n't get rid of him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hell . ''
July 21 , 2017 : “ Anthony is a person I have great respect for , and he will be an important addition to this Administration .
He has been a great supporter and will now help implement key aspects of our agenda while leading the communications team . ''
Aug. 19 , 2019 : `` Anthony Scaramucci is a highly unstable 'nut job ' who was with other candidates in the primary who got shellacked , & then unfortunately wheedled his way into my campaign .
I barely knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incompetence-made a fool of himself , bad on TV .
Abused staff , got fired .
Wrote a very nice book about me just recently .
Now the book is a lie ?
Said his wife was driving him crazy , 'something big ' was happening with her .
Getting divorced .
He was a mental wreck .
We didn ’ t want him around .
Now Fake News puts him on like he was my buddy ! ''
April 12 , 2017 : `` I have confidence in him . ''
April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a proven LEAKER & LIAR .
Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was , in fact , fired .
He leaked CLASSIFIED information , for which he should be prosecuted .
He lied to Congress under OATH .
He is a weak and untruthful slimeball who was , as time has proven , a terrible Director of the FBI .
His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case , and the events surrounding it , will go down as one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was my great honor to fire James Comey ! ''

Nov. 23, 2016: "I know the guy, he's a decent guy, he's a very smart guy. He's done a good job."
Jan. 3, 2018: "Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican party.
"Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn’t as easy as I make it look. Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country. Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans. Steve doesn’t represent my base — he’s only in it for himself.
"Steve pretends to be at war with the media, which he calls the opposition party, yet he spent his time at the White House leaking false information to the media to make himself seem far more important than he was. It is the only thing he does well. Steve was rarely in a one-on-one meeting with me and only pretends to have had influence to fool a few people with no access and no clue, whom he helped write phony books."