buzzfeed--2020-04-20--The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Put Gen Z And Young Millennials' Lives On Hold

During our lifetimes , the US has always felt like it was in crisis .
I talked with nine young millennials and Gen Z ’ ers about what the coronavirus pandemic means for their futures .
Gia W. realized things weren ’ t going well when she was kicked out of an office in the middle of a job interview .
The entire building was shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic .
That surreal experience is just the literal version of what thousands and thousands in Gen Z are experiencing in real time : a sudden stop to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Companies across the United States are starting to rescind job offers , cancel listings , and cut costs to figure out how to weather a financial crisis .
The recent graduate worries that even the work she is doing — for a small marketing firm — may start to run out as other companies rethink budgets .
“ I ’ m scared that I might end up unemployed and living in my parents ’ basement , which is where I ’ m calling you from right now , ” Gia told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if no one could have predicted the coronavirus pandemic , America ’ s college students and early twentysomethings somehow aren ’ t surprised .
We were mostly toddlers and small children on September 11 .
Many of our first full memories of national news concern the 2008 financial crisis , the housing market collapse , and the subsequent recession that left many of our young parents in financial nightmares that stalled them for years .
Now , we find ourselves in a once-in-a-century pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis .
I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting on young Americans like myself and what ’ s shaped their political ideology .
Most have few to no memories of the US before 9/11 , unlike millennials and other older generations .
The country has always felt like it was in a free fall — adrift with a government that they think lacks the imagination and willingness to address the problems that they ’ ll be handed long into their futures .
In New Hampshire , students told me they were so anxious about their futures and climate change that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate for candidates and the Green New Deal .
Students at HBCUs across Atlanta told me they were nervous about which candidate would become the Democratic Party ’ s presidential nominee because they wanted to see drastic changes .
“ I don ’ t want the next 20 years to look like the previous 20 years , ” a student at Morehouse explained .
“ I don ’ t believe that just moving 2 feet is enough — [ to paraphrase ] Malcolm X , if there ’ s a knife in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep and you take it out 6 inches , you haven ’ t done anything to help me , really.
” A year ago , two teenagers who had launched a pseudo-ironic , pseudo-sincere presidential campaign for Mike Gravel — an old-school , 89-year-old leftist — told me as much .
“ Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in a country where there ’ s no hope and it ’ s incredibly difficult to do better than your parents , ” one said .
“ We are a generation of people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve seen endless wars , and we grew up in the middle of the financial crisis .
How much faith do you expect us to have in that kind of politics ?
” And that was all before the COVID-19 pandemic hit .
Since the illnesses began and the economic loss started to be felt , I ’ ve interviewed nine young millennials and members of Gen Z across drastically different backgrounds — regionally , socioeconomically , and in their upbringings .
Their concerns have metastasized into existential dread , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generation whose adulthoods could be picked apart and reshaped by a job market that could be far worse than the one that picked apart and reshaped their childhoods .
During our lifetimes , the country has always felt like it was in crisis or teetering on the edge of another : an endless sinking feeling that begins when you realize just how severe the situation might turn out to be — climate change , gun violence , debt .
You get the sense there ’ s no turning back to the world you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first — a 30,000-foot view of the circumstances and how you think they ’ ll play out coming into focus ; you start to see the pieces of a puzzle you desperately don ’ t want to fit together begin to form .
You ’ re free-falling into a version of the future you didn ’ t want .
That sinking , weightless feeling is what it ’ s felt like , for the most part , to be alive for the past 20 years .
Susana Simmonds , 21 , remembers when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orleans after they immigrated to the United States in 2001 .
They would drive the hour from Baton Rouge for visits to the Venezuelan consulate for visa paperwork .
After Hurricane Katrina wrecked the city , however , they didn ’ t go for about a year .
When they finally did , she said , she realized the disparities in the government ’ s response to Americans in crisis .
“ There were still houses that were literally upside down , ” Simmonds recalled .
“ I remember it all seeming like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of people that needed help and I was wondering , ‘ When is someone going to do something ?
’ It ’ s weird to recognize when you ’ re 7 or 8 years old.
” Now a senior at the University of Texas at Austin , Simmonds said that she hasn ’ t fully trusted the government to protect citizens since then — something that deepened as she watched her friends who lived in Houston suffer after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 .
She ’ s concerned that the same slow-moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response to the pandemic as she looks back at the lengthy recovery efforts it took for her neighbors and friends whose homes were washed away or flooded .
She ’ s worried that her entrance into graduate school and her ability to work in labs on campus may be delayed if there ’ s not enough action taken to push the country toward recovery .
“ I ’ m worried that I may just be stuck in limbo , ” Simmonds said .
That worry was echoed by everyone I ’ ve spoken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent decisions ( a planned move or a new school ) , to the increased burden of responsibility they may need to take on ( to help parents or siblings ) , to the physical limitations of being stuck in one place ( back in their hometowns or far away ) .
“ It leaves you scared and wondering , Did I make the right choice ?
” Stephanie Preising , 24 , told me .
Preising is supposed to move from Connecticut to upstate New York for her doctorate program in plant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a first-generation college student who immigrated to the United States from Peru in 2000 and now she ’ s worried that her fixed salary from her PhD program won ’ t cover any expenses her family might have if they lose their jobs during the recession .
She said her family started to fret in mid-March about their income .
Would her dad , a school custodian in Connecticut , still be paid when schools closed ?
“ We all sat around the other morning and looked at each other and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check , ’ ” Preising said .
“ What happens when the money stops rolling in ?
” The 2008 financial crisis derailed her parents ’ dreams , said Preising , who was around 12 at the time .
“ I saw them take any and every job they could to keep us from going completely bankrupt and to keep our apartment and car — unfortunately , that didn ’ t work out.
” Her parents tried to hide those circumstances from their children , but she and her siblings knew .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something ’ s wrong , ” Preising said .
“ I saw my parents go into major debt , I saw them working 50 to 60 hours a week , and I never want to see them struggle like that again.
” Regalado is the first member of his undocumented family to attend college — at Sacramento State University — and he ’ s spent his time mentoring students of color through a program with AmeriCorps .
Now , he ’ s weighing his options : continue that work or find a job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s concerned the program might run out of funding — or he might need to support family members , who aren ’ t able to continue working their off-the-books jobs , which are already in decline as the country sits at home under a soft lockdown .
There will be no economic relief for a majority of Regalado ’ s family because they won ’ t qualify for the assistance , safety net programs , or coronavirus stimulus checks .
They live on the margins of American society .
Regalado has begun to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the table at his home .
“ I just wanted to put my whole family on , ” Regalado said about being the first in his family to attend college and his hope that his degree would place him in a better position to find a job that would provide some economic stability .
“ I ’ m fortunate right now because I can still work and serve the students over FaceTime right now.
” But he ’ s constantly thinking : Is the new job he was hoping to get after graduation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to sign another lease in Sacramento to maintain the job he has now ?
Should he just quit and go work at a grocery store ?
“ I have to go where the pay is and it ’ s difficult right now.
” He ’ s never really trusted the government to assist his family , pointing to his constant anxiety around ICE raids , which he ’ s worried about since roughly 2012 , when he was 15 — that was when he began to realize the implications they could have for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how worried people became when news spread that immigration officers were doing “ roundups.
” Regalado told me that a potential ICE raid would push him toward playing a bigger role in providing economic stability for his family if anyone were to be deported .
“ Just who we are , as brown people , we ’ re often overlooked and singled out when it comes to situations like this.
” “ We ’ re good right now , ” he reiterated , “ but my top priority is making sure food is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to the front lines to do that , to work at a grocery store or something else , then I ’ ll do that .
I don ’ t want to but I will.
” For Téa Franco , it was watching her own parents struggle when she was a child during the recession that made her realize that she would need to be realistic about her dreams — and instilled in her the belief that the government wasn ’ t doing enough to support its citizens .
When the recession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his promotion at work , then she watched her parents fail to keep their family home .
She ’ s now a senior at Winthrop University in South Carolina and plans on attending graduate school in the fall .
But her views are still shaped by what happened in those childhood years , and how the financial industry hurt her parents .
Franco said that before the financial crisis , her parents had been convinced to take out a mortgage for a home that they couldn ’ t actually afford .
She pointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the government wasn ’ t doing enough to protect citizens and when she began to realize that things were starting to look bleak for many families across the country .
“ They got a bunch of vulnerable people to pay more for houses than they could really afford , and my parents were some of those vulnerable people , ” Franco said .
“ They had bought a new house and we thought everything was going well and it turned out that it was a house that they couldn ’ t actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost our house , too .
“ 2008 was not a great time for the Franco family.
” Even before then , Franco ’ s family had never really had an excessive amount of money .
She ’ d thought that it was just something that her family had dealt with .
“ 2008 was the first time that I was conscious of the fact that things weren ’ t going well for a lot of people , ” Franco said .
“ That was the first time I realized that this was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this wasn ’ t our fault — it was partially the government ’ s fault for not protecting people .
These bad things are happening to my friends and my family and there was nothing I could do about it.
” Her parents raised her to believe she could do whatever she wanted , but in the years since that crisis , she ’ s approached things differently .
“ It was around that same time when I started to leave my big dreams behind , and I started to think , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realistic choice ?
What ’ s going to help me make sure that I don ’ t lose my job like my parents did when I get older ?
” “ I just remember feeling like there was something different , ” Sumaya Lohia , a 21-year-old biomedical engineering student , recalled about her family ’ s financial decisions during the 2008 crisis .
“ When we lived in California , my family was considering buying houses and then all of a sudden we were like , Oh !
Well , maybe not.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ working at a Frito-Lay plant in an engineering role after graduation , says the uncertainty of the job market because of the pandemic has made her uncertain about the future .
While the plant has said they still plan on hiring new workers , she ’ s worried that “ anything could happen.
” She ’ s still unsure about her decisions but she ’ s started to weigh the pros and cons of attending graduate school to weather the coming financial crisis ; she ’ s frustrated that the government 's response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an entire generation of Americans in a precarious situation .
“ I ’ ve always felt like I ’ ve had to look over my shoulder to see what ’ s coming next , and it ’ s frustrating , ” Lohia said .
“ Watching how the government has handled this pandemic so far has made me frustrated .
There are people out there who know what the right course of action is and they ’ re just not willing to listen or take some advice.
” What many of the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stasis of the Great Recession years : Americans moved less often because there were fewer job opportunities to move for ; they were less likely to purchase homes , have children , or require different housing needs at the start of the crisis .
They remember the stories from people they know , and the broader coverage : For a decade , people have written about older millennials permanently affected by the Great Recession .
It ’ s not a promising sign for the early twentysomethings now .
They ’ re worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same position .
“ Do I take a job at a grocery store just to have a job ?
What happens if I end up stuck there because I never have enough to get out of this area ?
” Rachel Feagley , a recent 24-year-old college graduate from central Pennsylvania , told me about her current outlook .
“ It ’ s just a waterfall of bad situations.
” She ’ d read the stories about people who got stuck , underemployed , after the 2008 recession and continued to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It took them years to progress toward their goals .
“ I ’ m scared that the same thing might happen to me .
I don ’ t want that.
” Feagley graduated from college two years ago with a degree in wildlife conservation , but she ’ s always been planning her escape from Huntingdon , a small town an hour away from Penn State .
“ There ’ s not a lot of opportunities here naturally , ” Feagley said .
“ The factories are shutting down , main street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always been in my head that if I want to get ahead I need to leave.
” She did leave to attend college in upstate New York — but after her first year there , a family issue brought her back home to Pennsylvania .
In 2018 , she graduated from Juniata College in her hometown .
“ I tried to leave and then I got sucked right back in , ” Feagley said .
During her senior year , she started applying for environmental volunteering opportunities with the Peace Corps , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexico .
Her move was abrupt — Feagley said that she was on a plane just two weeks after her graduation — and that it “ just felt right.
” She spent nearly two years there cultivating a relationship with her host family and fell in love with the country , and she didn ’ t plan on returning to the United States after she finished her service .
In mid-March , 22 months into her 27-month mission , Feagley was notified that she and more than 7,000 other volunteers around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States with only two days to pack , say their goodbyes , and figure out what they ’ d be doing back in the US once they landed .
Members of her family are immunocompromised , so she had to self-quarantine .
She spent her first two weeks — and her 24th birthday — alone in a half-furnished apartment figuring out her next moves .
Would she have health insurance after the three months that Peace Corps volunteers are typically offered when completing their service ?
Would she even qualify for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( As of now , she won ’ t be able to file for unemployment because people who serve in the Peace Corps are considered volunteers , not employees . )
“ I feel very alone and very unsure , and that ’ s not a great combination for trying to reenter a country that you don ’ t know , ” Feagley said .
“ This isn ’ t the United States that I left two years ago .
I feel so out of touch with what ’ s happening here.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about where she might be able to eventually find work .
That ’ s also caused problems .
She ’ s trying to get a car so she can get a job — but dealerships are mostly shut down , and she ’ s struggled to find a notary for a private sale .
“ I ’ m essentially stuck in my town that has a grocery store and a few pharmacies right now and they pay maybe 10 or 13 dollars right now , ” Feagley explained .
“ I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the future seems very bleak right now .
I ’ m not seeing that ending soon and it only adds to my hopelessness.
” “ I ’ m 24 , you know , I had dreams bigger than where I grew up , ” Feagley said looking back at the reality of the past month .
“ When I finally got a taste for them … now I ’ m back .
My biggest fear right now is getting stuck in a job to get by and taking a while to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , my former colleague Ben Smith wrote a story reflecting on his experience coming of age as a young reporter in a changing Eastern Europe in the early ’ 00s .
The “ brutal human consequences of politics felt foreign to someone raised on the verities of the American 1990s , the minor dramas and major victories of the Clinton presidency , ” he wrote about the assumed repercussions of a line of reporting he ’ d chased down .
It ’ s a sentence that captivated me and that has lingered in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve talked to young people across the country who feel like they ’ ve always been experiencing the human consequences of politics and government inaction in the 2000s and 2010s .
One of my earliest memories of America is from September 2001 .
I was one of the first students dismissed from my first-grade classroom in Queens , where I saw the frantic look in a group of parents ’ eyes staring up at me through the bright , red mesh stairs .
I had that panicked feeling a second time in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first home in South Carolina to a subprime mortgage , and again in 2005 , while I watched footage of New Orleanians standing on their roofs waving for help , and again in 2007 when the housing bubble burst , and again when my parents lost jobs and worried about money throughout the financial crisis .
I felt it again in 2012 , when I saw the first reports of the Sandy Hook school shooting , and in 2014 when photos of Michael Brown lying in the street started appearing on Twitter , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a church in Charleston , and murdered nine parishioners .
Onward and onward from that summer : police shootings , increasingly dire warnings about climate change , the mass shootings , and the public displays of white nationalism .
After graduating from college and getting a job in the field I ’ d dreamed about , the sinking feeling went away .
But as I was talking to students and other twentysomethings , I realized my own experience isn ’ t very different from most of theirs .
That widely felt experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US , or at least part of it : Nearly all of the young Americans I ’ ve spoken with said they were pushed leftward politically by the circumstances they saw people endure over the course of their lives and the harshness of the future that they were going to inherit from older generations .
Gia — whose job interview got cut short by a building closure — supported Sen. Bernie Sanders during this year ’ s Democratic primary .
She said she was radicalized politically by her upbringing in Detroit during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe toll on the city ’ s auto industry workers .
She said that her neighborhood became a wasteland of empty homes and “ for sale ” signs .
“ I saw so many people whose only options were to abandon their homes and leave and run — and these were full families who had no safety net , no one to take care of them , nothing to fall back on and their only option left was to abandon their lives , ” she said .
Her patriotism was severely diminished .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ illusion .
I don ’ t see how older generations can be so patriotic , because when you ’ re in a time of need , your government has not been there for you.
” Gia sees parallels to 2008–09 now as she watches the country respond to the growing crisis around the pandemic and the dire economic downturn affecting millions of American families .
“ We can see that now more than ever with no one having access to health care and they ’ re pulling out all of these socialist measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is having a meltdown right now , ” she said .
“ It ’ s similar to what happened in 2008 with all of the bailouts , and I feel like we shouldn ’ t have to rely on capitalism and business to take care of us.
” Somewhat at odds , the people I spoke with are both tired of waiting on politicians to figure things out after the fact and want a vastly more robust government .
“ It feels like there are so many things that are out of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we as a generation are constantly being shaped by these forces that don ’ t understand us and don ’ t want to understand us , ” Jennifer West , a senior at Dartmouth University , told me .
West , a history major , had planned to take a year off after graduating to work before applying to graduate school or law school .
She ’ s heard from friends who have been through monthslong recruitment processes for jobs that have now been postponed or outright canceled .
She ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who haven ’ t started that search will find few to no job opportunities to apply for — especially for those who won ’ t qualify for stimulus benefits or those whose parents lose their jobs , and what that might mean for their health insurance .
“ This has brought to light a lot of the issues that people have known about for a very long time but that haven ’ t always been visible .
Things like rampant inequality , things like a need for everyone in the country to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impossible demand of paying rent while having a minimum wage job , ” West said .
“ It ’ s not necessarily that we want to place our trust in government , ” she added .
“ It ’ s that we ’ re starting to demand a higher standard than what we ’ re getting right now.
” Hailey Modi , a 21-year-old biomedical engineering student at UT Austin , agrees .
Modi told me that after the 2016 election — the first event that had genuinely shocked her — she turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had gone wrong .
It was the only political outlook that had made sense to her as she tried to figure out how the country should address disparities .
“ Our whole lives , these structures have failed us and we are looking for political stances outside the mainstream — because we feel like we don ’ t have time to solve these issues like income inequality and climate change .
Incremental change isn ’ t going to get us there in time to prevent — this is dramatic , but it feels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
It ’ s a sentiment I ’ ve heard across races , states , and socioeconomic status — like Bernie Sanders said recently , his movement was winning “ ideologically ” and “ generationally.
” “ The future of our country rests with young people , ” he said .
“ The future of the country is with our ideas.
” The widespread support for Sanders also intermingles the humor and nihilism of a generation of Americans who want to push the government to do more but have no hope in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There are times where I ’ m like , well , no matter what we do things are never going to get better , ” Franco , the college senior in South Carolina , told me .
“ I was kind of feeling that way a couple weeks ago when Bernie Sanders started losing a bunch of the primary elections and it was clear that Joe Biden was going to be the nominee .
That was a point where I was like , ‘ Well , we can vote , we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls and protest , and nothing will really change.
” “ My mind goes there sometimes , ” she added .
“ But then I look back at past revolutions and how long they took and how many people had to get together and agree on something over and over and over again and how resilient and persistent they had to be to get there.
” Look around the internet and you ’ ll find signs of a generation fed up with the circumstances of their lives .
You ’ ll find viral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenage years ” were “ defined by economic recession ” and whose young adulthoods are being defined by “ reactionary global fascism and then ultimately cut short by a global pandemic.
” You ’ ll come across bits and pieces of videos of Greta Thunberg , a 17-year-old international climate activist , objectively dragging adults for their inaction on climate change ; or a clip of Paul Rudd emphatically saying “ Hey !
Look at us !
Who woulda thought ?
Not me !
” under a caption about experiencing two “ once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You might stumble on a clip of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram Live telling people to message their elected officials ' offices while casually giving out tips for making margaritas .
“ They want to continue to get away with doing far too little , and in this moment there is no such thing as doing too much , ” she says as she casually pours triple sec and lime juice into a NutriBullet blender .
“ I mean , honestly , have you ever had a point in your life when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Where they gave you too much ?
Never happened to me !
I ’ ve never seen that in my life.
” The generation of Americans who have come of age in the shadow of 9/11 and spent their formative years watching their parents , relatives , and friends ’ parents suffer during the economic crisis have long felt that the government isn ’ t doing enough to help citizens .
In a recent Pew research study , 70 % of Gen Z ’ ers and 64 % of millennials surveyed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should do more to solve problems .
“ It feels like something honestly happens every five years or so that negatively affects this generation and millennials who remember 9/11 a lot better , ” Gia W. told me .
“ School shootings , financial meltdowns , crises — all of those things have impacted the way I think about [ how ] life is going to work out for me.
” “ I think it ’ s affected the way that most of our generation thinks about their lives , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future-oriented , and I think a lot of it has to do with going through these detrimental situations like the environment and the last election .
Our generation feels like we ’ re not being taken care of and that nobody really cares about what happens to us , and we ’ ve kind of just come to terms with the fact that we probably won ’ t have a good outlook for the future.
” Modi also believes that younger Americans , like Generation Z , have grown up in a society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some form of crisis .
It ’ s pushed them further left as they try to find solutions to make society equitable .
“ I ’ ve noticed that in slightly older generations like millennials that there was some hope , but that was taken away through 9/11 and throughout the 2008 recession , ” Modi said .
“ For Gen Z , that hope was never there .
“ We grew up in a world where things have already gone terribly wrong and our lives are just preparing for the worst .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to believe in candidates because I ’ ve grown up in this world where everything is going wrong all of the time.
” ●

Gia W. realized things weren’t going well when she was kicked out of an office in the middle of a job interview. The entire building was shutting down because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That surreal experience is just the literal version of what thousands and thousands in Gen Z are experiencing in real time: a sudden stop to their lives just when they’re beginning.
Companies across the United States are starting to rescind job offers, cancel listings, and cut costs to figure out how to weather a financial crisis. The recent graduate worries that even the work she is doing — for a small marketing firm — may start to run out as other companies rethink budgets.
“I’m scared that I might end up unemployed and living in my parents’ basement, which is where I’m calling you from right now,” Gia told me over an early-morning phone call.
Even if no one could have predicted the coronavirus pandemic, America’s college students and early twentysomethings somehow aren’t surprised. We were mostly toddlers and small children on September 11. Many of our first full memories of national news concern the 2008 financial crisis, the housing market collapse, and the subsequent recession that left many of our young parents in financial nightmares that stalled them for years.
Now, we find ourselves in a once-in-a-century pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis.
I’ve spent much of the last two years reporting on young Americans like myself and what’s shaped their political ideology. Most have few to no memories of the US before 9/11, unlike millennials and other older generations. The country has always felt like it was in a free fall — adrift with a government that they think lacks the imagination and willingness to address the problems that they’ll be handed long into their futures.
In New Hampshire, students told me they were so anxious about their futures and climate change that they were putting their education on pause to advocate for candidates and the Green New Deal. Students at HBCUs across Atlanta told me they were nervous about which candidate would become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee because they wanted to see drastic changes.
“I don’t want the next 20 years to look like the previous 20 years,” a student at Morehouse explained. “I don’t believe that just moving 2 feet is enough — [to paraphrase] Malcolm X, if there’s a knife in my back and it’s 9 inches deep and you take it out 6 inches, you haven’t done anything to help me, really.”
A year ago, two teenagers who had launched a pseudo-ironic, pseudo-sincere presidential campaign for Mike Gravel — an old-school, 89-year-old leftist — told me as much. “Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in a country where there’s no hope and it’s incredibly difficult to do better than your parents,” one said. “We are a generation of people who were not even conscious before 9/11, we’ve seen endless wars, and we grew up in the middle of the financial crisis. How much faith do you expect us to have in that kind of politics?”
And that was all before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Since the illnesses began and the economic loss started to be felt, I’ve interviewed nine young millennials and members of Gen Z across drastically different backgrounds — regionally, socioeconomically, and in their upbringings. Their concerns have metastasized into existential dread, and further radicalized the political views of a generation whose adulthoods could be picked apart and reshaped by a job market that could be far worse than the one that picked apart and reshaped their childhoods.
During our lifetimes, the country has always felt like it was in crisis or teetering on the edge of another: an endless sinking feeling that begins when you realize just how severe the situation might turn out to be — climate change, gun violence, debt. You get the sense there’s no turning back to the world you knew prior.
It eases on at first — a 30,000-foot view of the circumstances and how you think they’ll play out coming into focus; you start to see the pieces of a puzzle you desperately don’t want to fit together begin to form. You’re free-falling into a version of the future you didn’t want. That sinking, weightless feeling is what it’s felt like, for the most part, to be alive for the past 20 years.


buzzfeed--2020-04-20--Barack Obama Was Hilariously Labeled A "Former Chicago Resident" In The New Michael Jordan Docuserie

Barack Obama Was Hilariously Labeled A "Former Chicago Resident" In The New Michael Jordan Docuseries

Former president Barack Obama was interviewed , and viewers noticed he got some pretty cheeky billing : The Last Dance , a new docuseries about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s , aired its first two episodes Sunday night on ESPN .
People really got a kick out of it .
my new goal in life is to meet the person who decided Barack Obama would be `` Former Chicago Resident '' Similarly , former president Bill Clinton appeared in the episode , but his chyron said `` former Arkansas governor . ''
Imagine having the pull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for your basketball documentary and calling them “ Former Chicago Resident ” and “ Former Arkansas Governor ” # TheLastDance But the titles were n't mistakes .
They were n't meant as a roast either , director Jason Hehir explained to the Athletic .
Hehir said the two former presidents were specified in how they would have been connected to Jordan and the team during their dominance at the time .
In his interview , the `` former Chicago resident '' recalled what Michael Jordan meant to his city .
“ When Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have the money to buy tickets for Bulls games , even the discount ones back in the day , ” Obama said in the episode , according to the Chicago Tribune .
“ I was pretty broke , but suddenly you have a sports figure that puts Chicago on the map and that everybody was able to rally around .
”

But the titles weren't mistakes. They weren't meant as a roast either, director Jason Hehir explained to the Athletic.
Hehir said the two former presidents were specified in how they would have been connected to Jordan and the team during their dominance at the time.
In his interview, the "former Chicago resident" recalled what Michael Jordan meant to his city.
“When Michael first came to town, I didn’t have the money to buy tickets for Bulls games, even the discount ones back in the day,” Obama said in the episode, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I was pretty broke, but suddenly you have a sports figure that puts Chicago on the map and that everybody was able to rally around.”


buzzfeed--2020-04-20--The NLRB Is Looking Into Claims That Amazon Violated Employees' Rights During The Coronavirus Pandem

The NLRB Is Looking Into Claims That Amazon Violated Employees' Rights During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Former injured Amazon employees join labor organizers and community activists to demonstrate and hold a press conference outside of an Amazon Go store in the loop to express concerns about what they claim is the company 's `` alarming injury rate '' among warehouse workers in Chicago , Dec. 19 , 2019 .
The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
Employees in Chicago allege that instead of responding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their warehouse after two workers tested positive for the coronavirus , Amazon instead retaliated against them .
The company , they charged , is going after labor leaders on the pretext that they violated new social distancing rules .
Workers in other places , including New York and Minnesota , have accused the company of similar tactics in recent weeks .
The labor board ’ s inquiry , which experts say is unusual , comes as Amazon is under national scrutiny for firing at least four employees who engaged in walkouts and work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Federal labor regulators have indicated they will be watching Amazon after workers in Chicago filed charges against the company alleging it retaliated against them for participating in protests about working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic , according to public documents filed this week .
“ They ’ re just trying to pressure us and intimidate us so that we don ’ t try to do this type of activity again . ''
“ They ’ re just trying to pressure us and intimidate us so that we don ’ t try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Samir Quasir , an Amazon employee in Chicago who filed a charge with labor regulators this week alleging that the company retaliated against him after he participated in two protests and one walkout earlier this month .
His bosses , he said , alleged that he had violated 6 feet of social distancing , a rule he said he may have inadvertently violated , but that Amazon selectively enforces .
“ There ’ s a pattern here , ” he said .
“ I do feel targeted.
” Regarding these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to comment on individual employees , but said it “ respect [ s ] the rights of employees to protest and recognize their legal right to do so ; however , these rights do not provide blanket immunity against bad actions , particularly those that endanger the health , well-being or safety of their colleagues.
” The workers ’ allegations are part of an effort on behalf of workers in Amazon facilities across the country to push the country ’ s largest online retailer to offer higher wages and better working conditions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ charge with the labor board , and dozens of other complaints have been withdrawn by workers or dismissed by the board in the last decade .
In Chicago , the effort is being led by a group called DCH1 Amazonians United , one of whose members , Ted Miin , filed a charge February alleging that his manager had singled him out for distributing pamphlets about workers rights .
Such distribution is protected under federal laws that protect employees ’ right to discuss working conditions .
On Thursday , the labor board ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a written response that an Amazon manager had unlawfully interrogated Miin about his workplace organizing , but declined to punish Amazon because the incident was “ isolated in nature ” and “ because there have not been any meritorious charges against the Employer within the past several years.
” However , the regional director also said that he would consider levying punishments “ If a meritorious charge involving other unfair labor practices is filed against ” Amazon within the next six months .
Workers in Chicago are flooding the board with similar complaints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Chicago have filed additional allegations of retaliation against Amazon with the National Labor Relations Board .
Among them is one from Quasir , who said he was called into a meeting with HR after participating in walkouts demanding improved coronavirus protections .
Quasir said he was asked to sign a written statement about the walkouts , which Quasir said he feared could be used against him .
After he refused , Amazon gave him a “ final written warning ” for allegedly violating 6-foot social distancing rules meant to protect employees from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ verbal warning , and then a couple written warnings , and then a final written warning , and then they can terminate you after that .
But I never got a verbal warning , ” Quasir told BuzzFeed News .
“ [ It was ] straight to a final written warning.
” A second employee who requested anonymity out of fear of further retaliation said she was written up for entering the Amazon delivery station where she works without a badge when she and other protesters were delivering a petition to Amazon management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ third employee also filed a charge of retaliation this week .
The labor board is in the process of investigating those charges , and two additional employees are planning to file new charges soon , sources told BuzzFeed News .
Do you have questions you want answered ?
You can always get in touch .
And if you 're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand , we ’ d also love to hear from you ( you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Labor Relations Board , said the decision in Chicago is an unusual one , and a sign that the regional director there is “ leaving the door open that if there ’ s more conduct that occurs , that he would add this one in to other events to allege as unlawful.
” “ To a certain extent , he ’ s invited them to file more charges , ” Liebman said .
The Amazon employee terminations could be taken into account in the eventuality of a hearing before a labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the board ultimately has little power to actually punish a company of Amazon ’ s size should its behavior be determined to be unlawful .
“ All they can do is get a slap on the hand , ” she said .
As people on lockdown across the country turn to Amazon for household supplies and food while avoiding brick-and-mortar stores , Amazon 's sales have skyrocketed .
But employees say the company hasn ’ t done enough to protect them from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon to take better care of its employees , the company has scrambled to implement safety procedures including temperature checks and the distribution of face masks , and is experimenting with disinfectant fogging and even creating its own COVID-19 test .
On Friday Amazon Senior Vice President of Global Affairs Jay Carney told CNN that he doesn ’ t know how many Amazon employees have tested positive for COVID-19 .
But the Athena Coalition , an alliance of organizations focused on Amazon , claims employees at more than 75 Amazon facilities so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has declined to shutter the vast majority of these facilities for disinfection , and employees in New York , Chicago , and Michigan organized protests and walkouts in opposition to that decision .
At the end of March , Amazon fired Chris Smalls , a New York–based employee who the company said terminated for entering an Amazon facility in violation of company orders to self-quarantine .
Last week , the company fired Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham , two Seattle-based corporate employees and organizers of the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice group who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers demanding better protections from Amazon .
And an Amazon employee and workplace organizer in Minnesota , Bashir Mohamed , told BuzzFeed News on Monday that he ’ d been fired by Amazon after collecting signatures on a petition related to the coronavirus .
Amazon said at the time that it respects workers ' rights to voice their concerns and that all three of those employees were fired for violating company policies .
Though no Amazon employees in Chicago have been fired , members of DCH1 Amazonians United say they see a connection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the targeting and retaliation they ’ re experiencing following the four walkouts they held , one of which was captured on video and involved a caravan of community members whose cars temporarily shut down the delivery station and ultimately were dispersed by police .
“ Management has been harassing and targeting individual DCH1 workers who participated in the four protest actions , ” the group said in a petition published Friday evening .
“ They are violating our rights , and are trying to intimidate us and bully us into submission.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees ' records and reinstate fired workers in other states .
DCH1 Amazonians United credits its protests and petitions for what it says are somewhat improved safety conditions at Amazon : Workers said they ’ re now provided with masks , their temperatures are checked before they start work , and while the building still hasn ’ t been closed for cleaning , the housekeeping crew has increased their efforts .
But they also said it ’ s difficult to adhere to 6-foot social distancing rules while rushing to move packages as fast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers who participated in the walkouts say those rules are being enforced selectively to target them .

“They’re just trying to pressure us and intimidate us so that we don’t try to do this type of activity again,” said Samir Quasir, an Amazon employee in Chicago who filed a charge with labor regulators this week alleging that the company retaliated against him after he participated in two protests and one walkout earlier this month. His bosses, he said, alleged that he had violated 6 feet of social distancing, a rule he said he may have inadvertently violated, but that Amazon selectively enforces. “There’s a pattern here,” he said. “I do feel targeted.”
Regarding these claims, a spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment on individual employees, but said it “respect[s] the rights of employees to protest and recognize their legal right to do so; however, these rights do not provide blanket immunity against bad actions, particularly those that endanger the health, well-being or safety of their colleagues.”
The workers’ allegations are part of an effort on behalf of workers in Amazon facilities across the country to push the country’s largest online retailer to offer higher wages and better working conditions. Amazon has previously settled at least one charge with the labor board, and dozens of other complaints have been withdrawn by workers or dismissed by the board in the last decade.
In Chicago, the effort is being led by a group called DCH1 Amazonians United, one of whose members, Ted Miin, filed a charge February alleging that his manager had singled him out for distributing pamphlets about workers rights. Such distribution is protected under federal laws that protect employees’ right to discuss working conditions.
On Thursday, the labor board’s regional director in Chicago announced in a written response that an Amazon manager had unlawfully interrogated Miin about his workplace organizing, but declined to punish Amazon because the incident was “isolated in nature” and “because there have not been any meritorious charges against the Employer within the past several years.”
However, the regional director also said that he would consider levying punishments “If a meritorious charge involving other unfair labor practices is filed against” Amazon within the next six months.
Workers in Chicago are flooding the board with similar complaints. Already this week, three employees in Chicago have filed additional allegations of retaliation against Amazon with the National Labor Relations Board.
Among them is one from Quasir, who said he was called into a meeting with HR after participating in walkouts demanding improved coronavirus protections. Quasir said he was asked to sign a written statement about the walkouts, which Quasir said he feared could be used against him. After he refused, Amazon gave him a “final written warning” for allegedly violating 6-foot social distancing rules meant to protect employees from infection.
“Usually you get a verbal warning, and then a couple written warnings, and then a final written warning, and then they can terminate you after that. But I never got a verbal warning,” Quasir told BuzzFeed News. “[It was] straight to a final written warning.”
A second employee who requested anonymity out of fear of further retaliation said she was written up for entering the Amazon delivery station where she works without a badge when she and other protesters were delivering a petition to Amazon management during one of the walkouts.
A third employee also filed a charge of retaliation this week. The labor board is in the process of investigating those charges, and two additional employees are planning to file new charges soon, sources told BuzzFeed News.
Do you have questions you want answered? You can always get in touch. And if you're someone who is seeing the impact of this firsthand, we’d also love to hear from you (you can reach out to us via one of our tip line channels).
Wilma Liebman, former chair of the National Labor Relations Board, said the decision in Chicago is an unusual one, and a sign that the regional director there is “leaving the door open that if there’s more conduct that occurs, that he would add this one in to other events to allege as unlawful.”
“To a certain extent, he’s invited them to file more charges,” Liebman said.
The Amazon employee terminations could be taken into account in the eventuality of a hearing before a labor board judge, Liebman said, but the board ultimately has little power to actually punish a company of Amazon’s size should its behavior be determined to be unlawful. “All they can do is get a slap on the hand,” she said.
As people on lockdown across the country turn to Amazon for household supplies and food while avoiding brick-and-mortar stores, Amazon's sales have skyrocketed. But employees say the company hasn’t done enough to protect them from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As lawmakers and labor groups have called for Amazon to take better care of its employees, the company has scrambled to implement safety procedures including temperature checks and the distribution of face masks, and is experimenting with disinfectant fogging and even creating its own COVID-19 test.
On Friday Amazon Senior Vice President of Global Affairs Jay Carney told CNN that he doesn’t know how many Amazon employees have tested positive for COVID-19. But the Athena Coalition, an alliance of organizations focused on Amazon, claims employees at more than 75 Amazon facilities so far have tested positive for COVID-19. Amazon has declined to shutter the vast majority of these facilities for disinfection, and employees in New York, Chicago, and Michigan organized protests and walkouts in opposition to that decision.
At the end of March, Amazon fired Chris Smalls, a New York–based employee who the company said terminated for entering an Amazon facility in violation of company orders to self-quarantine. Last week, the company fired Maren Costa and Emily Cunningham, two Seattle-based corporate employees and organizers of the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice group who had spoken out in support of warehouse workers demanding better protections from Amazon. And an Amazon employee and workplace organizer in Minnesota, Bashir Mohamed, told BuzzFeed News on Monday that he’d been fired by Amazon after collecting signatures on a petition related to the coronavirus. Amazon said at the time that it respects workers' rights to voice their concerns and that all three of those employees were fired for violating company policies.
Though no Amazon employees in Chicago have been fired, members of DCH1 Amazonians United say they see a connection between the terminations at other facilities and the targeting and retaliation they’re experiencing following the four walkouts they held, one of which was captured on video and involved a caravan of community members whose cars temporarily shut down the delivery station and ultimately were dispersed by police.
“Management has been harassing and targeting individual DCH1 workers who participated in the four protest actions,” the group said in a petition published Friday evening. “They are violating our rights, and are trying to intimidate us and bully us into submission.” The group is demanding Amazon clear the involved employees' records and reinstate fired workers in other states.
DCH1 Amazonians United credits its protests and petitions for what it says are somewhat improved safety conditions at Amazon: Workers said they’re now provided with masks, their temperatures are checked before they start work, and while the building still hasn’t been closed for cleaning, the housekeeping crew has increased their efforts.
But they also said it’s difficult to adhere to 6-foot social distancing rules while rushing to move packages as fast as Amazon expects them to, and workers who participated in the walkouts say those rules are being enforced selectively to target them.


buzzfeed--2020-04-20--Do You Have To Keep Paying Your Student Loans During The Coronavirus Pandemic? It's Complicated.

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Outbreak Today .
WASHINGTON — Last month , President Donald Trump signed a bill to provide relief for struggling Americans and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic .
As part of that law , all borrowers with federally held student loans will get a six-month reprieve from payments through Sept. 30 , as Americans lose wages and already roughly 10 million people have filed for unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history .
However , not all federal student loans are covered by the law , despite Democratic efforts to include all of them .
Figuring out whether your loans are affected isn ’ t easy .
Like the rest of the law , the student loan provisions were written quickly , and many lenders have not yet updated their policies to comply with it or informed borrowers of whether they are covered ( they have until April 11 to do so ) .
BuzzFeed News has heard from dozens of borrowers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide guidance , and some major federal loan servicers are still working to update the correct information on their websites .
Student loan servicer phone lines were already bogged down with desperate borrowers who have lost jobs or wages , and questions about the new law have only exacerbated those wait times .
If you are confused , you are not alone .
Several education advocates and congressional staffers who work on education issues spoke to BuzzFeed News and acknowledged the difficulty for individual borrowers to figure out if they will get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one congressional staffer saying even they had struggled to see if their loans qualified .
“ It ’ s incredibly confusing and a problem that borrowers do not need right now , ” a senior Democratic staffer said .
Here is a guide to some commonly asked questions about what loans qualify for suspended payments under the law and what borrowers can expect .
These answers are meant to help borrowers figure out what is going on with their loans and what that law requires .
For more information , contact your lender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You can also read the department ’ s official guidance on federal student loan relief during the coronavirus pandemic .
What does the law do ?
All borrowers with federally held student loans ( see below ) will not have to make payments on their loans through Sept. 30 .
The law is retroactive to March 13 , so any borrowers who have made payments since then can get them refunded .
The Department of Education recommends calling your lender directly to get that refund .
During the six-month relief period , your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrative forbearance ” — but that ’ s not the kind of forbearance you may be used to .
It means that the Department of Education is putting your payments on hold , not you , so you will not accrue new interest and not paying can ’ t affect your credit , the total forbearance limit you have left on your loans , or your qualifications for student loan forgiveness or a loan rehabilitation program ( if you had defaulted ) .
In other words , your lender has to treat your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying the whole time ( though your principal balance will remain the same ) .
Additionally , if you have defaulted on a federally held student loan , you will no longer face having your tax refund withheld , your wages garnished , or social security payments withheld through Sept. 30 .
If you had those payments taken from you on or after March 13 , you are entitled to a refund ( see more below ) .
All federally held student loans qualify under the law , but commercially held Federal Family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loans owned by your school do not .
That means the vast majority of federal student loans issued after June 2010 ( when the government stopped issuing FFEL loans ) will qualify , according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau .
If you took out loans before that , they may or may not qualify .
What you need to determine is whether your loans are “ federally held.
” The National Consumer Law Center estimates that 9 million borrowers with federal student loans will not qualify under the law , either because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are Perkins loans that are owned by their school .
There are , however , two recent exceptions that will affect some borrowers : The University of California system has granted the same relief ( no payments through Sept. 30 , 0 % interest , and no fees ) to all borrowers who took out loans from the UC system .
You can learn more about that here .
And New York state came to an agreement with several major student loan companies in early April allowing New Yorkers to request 90 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and private student loans .
The state estimates 300,000 New Yorkers will qualify and you can find more information here .
So how do I know if my loans are “ federally held ” ?
The question of whether your loans are federally held isn ’ t easily answered .
Generally speaking , it ’ s not a particular type of loan or even which lender you have , and it ’ s not something you can easily look up .
Borrowers basically have two options : You can call your lender and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Education and have them look it up for you .
As many student loan lenders already have outrageous wait times right now , I called the Department of Education to ask about my own federal loans on Wednesday ( say “ agent ” from the main menu to get connected with someone ) .
Your question should be something like : “ I want to know whether my federal student loans are still federally held.
” If you have multiple federal student loans , make sure to ask about each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work : Borrowers can log into StudentAid.gov using their Federal Student Aid ID ( you can get one from the Department of Education here if you don ’ t have one ) .
Once you have that account set up , you can go to your profile and select “ My Aid.
” At the bottom of that page ( stick with me here ) , it will say “ Loans Serviced By ” with the name of your lender .
If that name begins with “ DEPT OF ED/ , ” your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for suspended payments .
If not , you should double-check with your lender .
If your loans are federally held , you qualify for suspended payments through Sept. 30 and will not have to pay or accrue any interest until then .
If your federal loans are now commercially held , this law does nothing for you .
You can contact your lender for information on your other options .

WASHINGTON — Last month, President Donald Trump signed a bill to provide relief for struggling Americans and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of that law, all borrowers with federally held student loans will get a six-month reprieve from payments through Sept. 30, as Americans lose wages and already roughly 10 million people have filed for unemployment, a staggering all-time high in US history.
However, not all federal student loans are covered by the law, despite Democratic efforts to include all of them. Figuring out whether your loans are affected isn’t easy.
Like the rest of the law, the student loan provisions were written quickly, and many lenders have not yet updated their policies to comply with it or informed borrowers of whether they are covered (they have until April 11 to do so). BuzzFeed News has heard from dozens of borrowers in the past few days whose lenders have yet to provide guidance, and some major federal loan servicers are still working to update the correct information on their websites. Student loan servicer phone lines were already bogged down with desperate borrowers who have lost jobs or wages, and questions about the new law have only exacerbated those wait times.
If you are confused, you are not alone. Several education advocates and congressional staffers who work on education issues spoke to BuzzFeed News and acknowledged the difficulty for individual borrowers to figure out if they will get benefits under the new law, with one congressional staffer saying even they had struggled to see if their loans qualified. “It’s incredibly confusing and a problem that borrowers do not need right now,” a senior Democratic staffer said.
Here is a guide to some commonly asked questions about what loans qualify for suspended payments under the law and what borrowers can expect. These answers are meant to help borrowers figure out what is going on with their loans and what that law requires. For more information, contact your lender and/or the US Department of Education. You can also read the department’s official guidance on federal student loan relief during the coronavirus pandemic.
What does the law do?
All borrowers with federally held student loans (see below) will not have to make payments on their loans through Sept. 30. The law is retroactive to March 13, so any borrowers who have made payments since then can get them refunded. The Department of Education recommends calling your lender directly to get that refund.
During the six-month relief period, your federal loans will be put in “administrative forbearance” — but that’s not the kind of forbearance you may be used to. It means that the Department of Education is putting your payments on hold, not you, so you will not accrue new interest and not paying can’t affect your credit, the total forbearance limit you have left on your loans, or your qualifications for student loan forgiveness or a loan rehabilitation program (if you had defaulted). In other words, your lender has to treat your loans as if you’ve been paying the whole time (though your principal balance will remain the same).
Additionally, if you have defaulted on a federally held student loan, you will no longer face having your tax refund withheld, your wages garnished, or social security payments withheld through Sept. 30. If you had those payments taken from you on or after March 13, you are entitled to a refund (see more below).
Do my loans qualify?
All federally held student loans qualify under the law, but commercially held Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) and Perkins loans owned by your school do not. That means the vast majority of federal student loans issued after June 2010 (when the government stopped issuing FFEL loans) will qualify, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If you took out loans before that, they may or may not qualify. What you need to determine is whether your loans are “federally held.”
The National Consumer Law Center estimates that 9 million borrowers with federal student loans will not qualify under the law, either because their loans are commercially held or they are Perkins loans that are owned by their school.
There are, however, two recent exceptions that will affect some borrowers: The University of California system has granted the same relief (no payments through Sept. 30, 0% interest, and no fees) to all borrowers who took out loans from the UC system. You can learn more about that here. And New York state came to an agreement with several major student loan companies in early April allowing New Yorkers to request 90 days of forbearance on commercially held FFEL loans and private student loans. The state estimates 300,000 New Yorkers will qualify and you can find more information here.
So how do I know if my loans are “federally held”?
The question of whether your loans are federally held isn’t easily answered. Generally speaking, it’s not a particular type of loan or even which lender you have, and it’s not something you can easily look up. Borrowers basically have two options: You can call your lender and ask them, or you can call the Department of Education and have them look it up for you.
As many student loan lenders already have outrageous wait times right now, I called the Department of Education to ask about my own federal loans on Wednesday (say “agent” from the main menu to get connected with someone). Your question should be something like: “I want to know whether my federal student loans are still federally held.” If you have multiple federal student loans, make sure to ask about each of them.
Another option that may work: Borrowers can log into StudentAid.gov using their Federal Student Aid ID (you can get one from the Department of Education here if you don’t have one). Once you have that account set up, you can go to your profile and select “My Aid.” At the bottom of that page (stick with me here), it will say “Loans Serviced By” with the name of your lender. If that name begins with “DEPT OF ED/,” your loans are federally held and you qualify for suspended payments. If not, you should double-check with your lender.
If your loans are federally held, you qualify for suspended payments through Sept. 30 and will not have to pay or accrue any interest until then. If your federal loans are now commercially held, this law does nothing for you. You can contact your lender for information on your other options.


buzzfeed--2020-04-21--Smithfield Foods Is Blaming “Living Circumstances In Certain Cultures” For One Of America’s Largest

Smithfield Foods Is Blaming “Living Circumstances In Certain Cultures” For One Of America’s Largest COVID-19 Clusters

New details show how Smithfield Foods failed to take action in the crucial days before the plant turned into one of the nation ’ s largest coronavirus clusters .
Was there any way to prevent the Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in South Dakota from becoming one of the country ’ s largest known coronavirus clusters , with more than 700 workers infected ?
It ’ s hard to know “ what could have been done differently , ” a Smithfield spokesperson said , given what she referred to as the plant ’ s “ large immigrant population.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than they are with your traditional American family , ” she explained .
The spokesperson and a second corporate representative pointed to an April 13 Fox News interview in which the governor of South Dakota , Kristi Noem , said that “ 99 % ” of the spread of infections “ wasn ’ t happening inside the facility ” but inside workers ’ homes , “ because a lot of these folks who work at this plant live in the same community , the same buildings , sometimes in the same apartments .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with nearly a dozen workers and their relatives point to a series of management missteps and half measures that contributed significantly to the spread of the virus .
A BuzzFeed News investigation has uncovered new information showing the company did little to inform or protect employees during the critical two weeks after the first case at the plant surfaced .
Then , with confirmed cases rising quickly , Smithfield introduced new safety protocols but applied them unevenly across the plant ’ s departments , leaving hundreds of workers exposed .
In late March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case leaked , workers began seeing flyers on notice boards and doors .
“ If you are at work and feeling sick , ” the flyers stated , “ tell your Supervisor and go directly home.
” But the directive was posted only in English , three employees said , even though many of the plant ’ s 3,700 workers have limited comprehension of English .
Safety notices at the plant are usually translated into as many as five languages .
On April 1 , the company took the unusual step of offering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show appreciation for those still coming in — but it was also an incentive for workers from all eight floors to pass through the cafeteria .
On April 6 , two weeks after the first confirmed case and with the number of infections rising , Smithfield implemented mandatory temperature checks and shut down at least one floor “ for cleaning & sanitation , ” according to a company text message to employees .
Yet the rest of the plant stayed open .
As more people called in sick , Smithfield management stayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis at the Sioux Falls facility , only informing employees about a confirmed case if they ’ d recently been “ in contact ” with the person , according to the spokesperson , while encouraging others in company text messages to “ Please report to work as previously scheduled.
” Are you still working during the coronavirus outbreak ?
We 'd love to hear your story .
Reach out at albert.samaha @ buzzfeed.com or via one of our tip line channels .
Eighteen days after the first case , once 238 workers had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all floors for 48 hours to deep-clean the plant , as well as install cardboard dividers at workstations and plexiglass shields on cafeteria tables .
Even then , it moved slowly : Smithfield announced the temporary closure on April 9 but said it would not occur for another few days to allow for an orderly reduction in supply .
On April 10 , Michael Bul Gayo Gatluak , a 22-year-old immigrant from South Sudan , clocked in at the hog kill department on the sixth floor .
His job requires him to stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , really close ” to other workers along the production line where pig carcasses are chopped .
“ The job is so heavy , ” he said .
“ You have to breathe so hard.
” When he got home that night , he started feeling ill .
He said he tested positive for COVID-19 three days later .
“ With how we work on the line , I would say I got sick because of them not taking safety measures , ” Gatluak told BuzzFeed News .
“ When they had their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think they acted accordingly.
” The plant is now closed indefinitely , cutting the country off from about 5 % of its national pork supply .
With 725 confirmed cases among workers and 143 more traced to them , the Smithfield outbreak has eclipsed most of the country ’ s worst-hit nursing homes and prisons among the largest community outbreaks .
One Smithfield worker , 64-year-old Agustin Rodriguez , died on April 14 from COVID-19 complications .
Smithfield denied that company policies contributed to the spread of the virus , and said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communicated with them extensively about safety protocols .
The corporate spokesperson whom the company provided to answer BuzzFeed News ’ questions — on the condition that her name not be used — said that higher-ups have worked “ around the clock ” from the beginning of the outbreak and posted handwashing directives as early as February , but have been hindered by national shortages of protective equipment .
Last week , Smithfield shut down plants in Wisconsin and Missouri after employees there tested positive for COVID-19 , and announced it was providing all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 million Responsibility Bonus , ” which amounts to around $ 2,500 per person .
Presented with a detailed list of questions , the spokesperson said that it was “ purposefully misleading ” to portray Smithfield “ as reacting to a positive case rather than the very proactive approach ” that the company took to the pandemic when it began , but she did not contest any specific facts .
An ongoing BuzzFeed News investigation has exposed how companies around the country have put hourly workers at risk of exposure to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confines passing chunks of raw meat through the building , meat processing plants have been especially vulnerable .
More than a dozen have fully or partially stopped production since the pandemic began , with hundreds of workers falling ill at plants across the country .
Workers at JBS meatpacking plants in Colorado and at a Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Georgia have died from COVID-19 .
But for now , the Smithfield facility in South Dakota stands out .
The first case arrived when the pandemic was in full swing , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies everywhere changing the way they worked .
The outbreak spread faster than at any other plant .
Gatluak recalled hearing about a confirmed case on March 24 from his manager .
Though this was the first known exposure at the facility , the manager announced “ no changes ” to operations , he said .
The English-language notices telling people to go home if they felt ill appeared the next day , Gatluak recalled .
“ People were still reporting to work normally.
” The Argus Leader , Sioux Falls ’ newspaper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive case on March 26 .
The next day , another Smithfield worker who had been out sick for several days began feeling short of breath and drained of energy , barely able to get out of bed , said her 20-year-old daughter , Amy Cruz .
She went to the doctor , took a COVID-19 test , and four days later received a positive diagnosis .
She immediately called a Smithfield HR representative to convey the result , Cruz said .
In the days that followed , as more workers called in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smithfield bosses informed only employees “ who may have come in contact with that person , ” the spokesperson said — not the whole floor .
The spokesperson said that exposed employees were placed on two-week paid quarantine leave but declined to say how many there have been .
The rest of the workforce continued on for a week without knowing how many of their colleagues had been infected , and with no additional protective equipment .
Like many of the hundreds of thousands of hourly workers who supply the country with food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice of going without a paycheck or risking their health for jobs that typically pay less than $ 20 an hour .
Some Smithfield employees who spoke to BuzzFeed News requested anonymity because they feared getting fired , but two allowed their children to discuss the matter openly .
For both daughters , Amy Cruz and Sara Telahun Birhe , the Smithfield plant was an ever-present backdrop since their earliest memories .
Cruz ’ s mother , four of her uncles , and an aunt have all worked at the plant for more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; one of those uncles tested positive two weeks after Cruz ’ s mother did .
Birhe was 6 when her mother started working at the plant 16 years ago , after emigrating from Ethiopia , where she owned a café .
They lived near the facility , in a neighborhood in northeastern Sioux Falls , where Birhe grew close with the children of other Smithfield workers : families from Mexico , Nepal , Honduras , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , El Salvador , and elsewhere .
“ Family events and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
“ Our parents worked this job , and because of that we were all friends.
” Her mom earned $ 17 an hour , which is nearly double the state 's minimum wage , which went a long way in Sioux Falls .
Over her years at the plant , she bought a car and a house and saved enough money to pay Birhe ’ s college tuition .
She knew of one former Smithfield worker who went on to open a restaurant , another a grocery store .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing their parents come home from work exhausted , plopping down on the couch to rest before dinner , going to bed early for 6 a.m. shifts .
But their parents ’ sacrifice took on a new light when the pandemic reached the Smithfield plant .
Birhe recalls a series of conversations with her cousins about whether they should try to get their parents to stop going to work .
“ Our parents were worried about paying our bills , and we were worried about their health , ” she said .
Unemployment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who quit their jobs without being sick or at a high risk , and many at Smithfield had built stable careers with higher pay than what would be available if they started fresh elsewhere .
One worker ’ s daughter , who requested anonymity , said that she , her brother , and her mother had all been laid off or furloughed from their own jobs .
For her father , who began at the plant 15 years ago after migrating from Mexico , “ it wasn ’ t an option if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He ’ s proud of what he does .
He feeds so many people.
” Over the week following the first confirmed case at the plant , workers continued to dine in the cafeteria as normal .
To keep production flowing seamlessly on all floors , crews synchronized their breaks based on their position on the processing line : On each floor , a team of workers would take lunch once they finished a batch and passed it down to the next team .
They filed through hallways and staircases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sixth-floor cafeteria , which is mostly staffed by immigrants from Latin American countries .
Gatluak found the meals delicious , he said : “ Every day we get something new.
” Three employees estimated that at least 200 people from various floors would be in the cafeteria at any given time .
On April 1 , a day after Cruz ’ s mother tested positive , Smithfield management directed entire floors to take lunch breaks in deliberately staggered shifts to reduce crowds .
But alongside those precautions came the announcement that lunch was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eat their homemade meals in the locker room rather than risk passing through the dining area .
A Smithfield representative declined to comment on the free lunch .
Over the next few days , Smithfield started introducing new safety measures .
Management put up new flyers encouraging social distancing in the cafeteria and set up tents outside the facility for mandatory temperature checks .
Those with a fever were sent home with instructions for where to get tested .
Still , many workers brought their own masks because Smithfield provided only hairnets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do any good , ” one worker said .
And , as the Argus Leader first reported , the company offered a $ 500 bonus to employees who didn ’ t miss any shifts in April .
“ That was not a good move , because if anyone fell sick they ’ d be like , 'Oh , I have to go to work because I have to get that bonus , ' ” Gatluak said .
When the company ceased operations on the eighth-floor packing department on April 6 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , two employees said .
Company text messages noted that the floor was “ shut down for cleaning & sanitation ” ; the department ’ s workers were told they should not come to work but would be paid for the week .
“ All other departments will be operating as scheduled , ” the message stated .
Smithfield did not respond to a question about why it closed that floor and not the others .
It is unclear how many cases Smithfield was aware of during this time .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protections .
But on April 8 , the state health department announced an outbreak of 80 confirmed cases at the plant .
The next day , the company announced it would “ suspend operations in a large section of the plant ” — but not until April 11 .
Only on April 12 and 13 would the plant “ completely shutter ” for “ rigorous deep cleaning ” and the construction of “ additional physical barriers to further enhance social distancing.
” Gatluak said he clocked in at work on April 10 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking precautions to minimize the chances of exposing his mother and brother at home .
He washed his hands regularly and sanitized everything he came into contact with , “ from doorknobs to stair rail , the handles , countertops , ” he said .
“ I know I was a risk because of where I was working.
” He began to feel a headache , fever , and chills after returning home from his shift .
The next morning he called the hospital , then took a test at a drive-through center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases at the plant hit 190 .
Still , Smithfield maintained its plans to reopen the plant after the 48-hour shutdown .
But on April 11 , Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken and Gov .
Kristi Noem published a letter asking Smithfield ’ s CEO to close the plant for longer .
The next day , Smithfield complied , closing it down indefinitely .
The company warned of the economic impact of an extended shutdown .
“ It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sullivan said in a statement that day .
“ These facility closures will also have severe , perhaps disastrous , repercussions for many in the supply chain , first and foremost our nation ’ s livestock farmers.
” Two days later , Gatluak said he received his positive test result .
He has had relatively mild symptoms .
Another member of his crew has also tested positive , he said .
Smithfield workers and their relatives now account for more than half of South Dakota ’ s confirmed cases , a pool of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to volunteer as test subjects for the nation ’ s first statewide clinical trial for hydroxychloroquine , an antimalarial drug promoted by President Donald Trump as a potential coronavirus treatment but which has not yet been proven as effective against the virus .
Noem announced last week that the testing would begin once at least 2,000 people signed up .
While 45 states have issued stay-at-home orders , the governor has declined to do so .
On Monday , April 13 , a Smithfield worker in his fifties received a company text message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Sioux Falls facility for a full shutdown .
Please report to work on Tuesday as previously scheduled.
” One of around 50 workers at the plant that day , he deboned ham in the basement freezer and filled in on several other jobs to make up for the reduced staff .
Though most of the plant had shut down , his department was near the end of the processing line , just before the meat was packed and loaded .
Operations would continue until all the meat in stock had made its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trucks .
He kept the mood light around his children , especially when they expressed concern .
When his daughter showed him a news story listing his plant as one of the five biggest outbreaks in the country , he quipped , “ Oh boy , I ’ ve never been in the top five of anything !
” By April 14 , Smithfield had built plexiglass barriers on cafeteria tables , installed cardboard dividers between worker stations , and provided plastic face shields .
The basement worker ate his lunch in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day in recent weeks .
He worked 13 hours that shift , until every piece of pork passing through his station was packaged .
When he returned home , he took a seat at the kitchen table , his shoulders slumped , and told his family he didn ’ t have to go into work anymore .
“ He was just so relieved , ” his daughter recalled .
“ I ’ ve never seen him so tired.
” When she asked him if everyone else was done too , he shook his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to go in tomorrow.
” ●

Gatluak recalled hearing about a confirmed case on March 24 from his manager. Though this was the first known exposure at the facility, the manager announced “no changes” to operations, he said. The English-language notices telling people to go home if they felt ill appeared the next day, Gatluak recalled. “People were still reporting to work normally.”
The Argus Leader, Sioux Falls’ newspaper, broke the news of the first positive case on March 26. The next day, another Smithfield worker who had been out sick for several days began feeling short of breath and drained of energy, barely able to get out of bed, said her 20-year-old daughter, Amy Cruz. She went to the doctor, took a COVID-19 test, and four days later received a positive diagnosis. She immediately called a Smithfield HR representative to convey the result, Cruz said.
In the days that followed, as more workers called in sick with symptoms and tested positive, Smithfield bosses informed only employees “who may have come in contact with that person,” the spokesperson said — not the whole floor. The spokesperson said that exposed employees were placed on two-week paid quarantine leave but declined to say how many there have been.
The rest of the workforce continued on for a week without knowing how many of their colleagues had been infected, and with no additional protective equipment. Like many of the hundreds of thousands of hourly workers who supply the country with food and other necessities, they faced the choice of going without a paycheck or risking their health for jobs that typically pay less than $20 an hour.
Some Smithfield employees who spoke to BuzzFeed News requested anonymity because they feared getting fired, but two allowed their children to discuss the matter openly. For both daughters, Amy Cruz and Sara Telahun Birhe, the Smithfield plant was an ever-present backdrop since their earliest memories.
Cruz’s mother, four of her uncles, and an aunt have all worked at the plant for more than two decades since migrating from Guatemala; one of those uncles tested positive two weeks after Cruz’s mother did.
Birhe was 6 when her mother started working at the plant 16 years ago, after emigrating from Ethiopia, where she owned a café. They lived near the facility, in a neighborhood in northeastern Sioux Falls, where Birhe grew close with the children of other Smithfield workers: families from Mexico, Nepal, Honduras, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, and elsewhere. “Family events and birthday parties and weddings and quinceañeras,” she said. “Our parents worked this job, and because of that we were all friends.”
Her mom earned $17 an hour, which is nearly double the state's minimum wage, which went a long way in Sioux Falls. Over her years at the plant, she bought a car and a house and saved enough money to pay Birhe’s college tuition. She knew of one former Smithfield worker who went on to open a restaurant, another a grocery store.
Birhe and her cousins were used to seeing their parents come home from work exhausted, plopping down on the couch to rest before dinner, going to bed early for 6 a.m. shifts. But their parents’ sacrifice took on a new light when the pandemic reached the Smithfield plant. Birhe recalls a series of conversations with her cousins about whether they should try to get their parents to stop going to work. “Our parents were worried about paying our bills, and we were worried about their health,” she said.
Unemployment benefits aren’t available for people who quit their jobs without being sick or at a high risk, and many at Smithfield had built stable careers with higher pay than what would be available if they started fresh elsewhere. One worker’s daughter, who requested anonymity, said that she, her brother, and her mother had all been laid off or furloughed from their own jobs. For her father, who began at the plant 15 years ago after migrating from Mexico, “it wasn’t an option if you go to work,” she said. “He’s proud of what he does. He feeds so many people.”
Over the week following the first confirmed case at the plant, workers continued to dine in the cafeteria as normal. To keep production flowing seamlessly on all floors, crews synchronized their breaks based on their position on the processing line: On each floor, a team of workers would take lunch once they finished a batch and passed it down to the next team. They filed through hallways and staircases, joining teams from other floors in the sixth-floor cafeteria, which is mostly staffed by immigrants from Latin American countries. Gatluak found the meals delicious, he said: “Every day we get something new.” Three employees estimated that at least 200 people from various floors would be in the cafeteria at any given time.
On April 1, a day after Cruz’s mother tested positive, Smithfield management directed entire floors to take lunch breaks in deliberately staggered shifts to reduce crowds. But alongside those precautions came the announcement that lunch was now free, though some employees preferred to eat their homemade meals in the locker room rather than risk passing through the dining area. A Smithfield representative declined to comment on the free lunch.
Over the next few days, Smithfield started introducing new safety measures. Management put up new flyers encouraging social distancing in the cafeteria and set up tents outside the facility for mandatory temperature checks. Those with a fever were sent home with instructions for where to get tested.