buzzfeed--2020-11-16--Is It Safe To Get Together With Loved Ones This Thanksgiving? We Asked 7 Experts.

We asked coronavirus experts about their plans for the holidays during the pandemic : “ Whatever you do , whoever you invite to sit around the table , you ’ re also inviting the virus.
” As the holiday season arrives , Americans are contemplating Thanksgiving recipes and putting together gift lists at one of the worst points so far during the coronavirus pandemic .
More people in the US are now in the hospital with COVID-19 than ever before as the country climbs over 10 million recorded cases during its third wave .
Unlike previous surges , nearly every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been particularly dreadful ; since the start of the month , the number of new cases being recorded each day has doubled as more and more people infect one another .
The number of people dying every day is rising too .
But despite the fact that almost a quarter of a million Americans have died of COVID-19 , fatigue has set in among many .
More people are hosting social gatherings in their homes with people they don ’ t live with , or who are outside of their “ quarantine bubble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In many parts of the country , people have rejected guidance to wear masks .
The holidays will likely be no different .
“ We know we ’ re going to get cases after Thanksgiving , ” Amesh Adalja , infectious diseases physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s just a question of trying to keep them as minimal as possible.
” After Canadians gathered for their Thanksgiving meals on Oct. 12 , there was a sharp rise in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country in the subsequent two weeks ( the typical incubation period for the virus is between 5 to 14 days ) .
`` Many of the cases that we are seeing now are the result of spread over Thanksgiving when families gathered together , '' said Deena Hinshaw , the chief medical officer for the province of Alberta in an Oct. 22 update .
Part of the problem is the weather .
While the summer heat allowed people to gather more safely outside in parks or at beaches , the colder temperatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a higher risk of breathing in the virus via tiny water droplets called aerosols that linger in the air .
On Nov. 10 , the CDC issued updated guidance on Thanksgiving , suggesting that people consider alternatives to celebrate the holiday .
If people do choose to gather , the health agency said , they should wear masks , limit their number of guests , take precautions with how they prepare and eat food together , open windows , and celebrate outside if possible .
“ Travel increases your chance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CDC guidance said .
Anthony Fauci , the nation 's top infectious disease expert , said this week he recognized Thanksgiving was an important holiday for many people , but that Americans need to weigh the risk of unwittingly killing someone they love , especially if there are elderly or immunocompromised people in their families .
“ Make your own decision , ” he told MSNBC .
“ What kind of risk are you willing to take ? ''
BuzzFeed News interviewed seven experts about their plans for the holiday season .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ either postponing Thanksgiving dinner or keeping it to an extremely small event with people in their bubble .
“ I consider this holiday season to be a sacrifice and an investment in future holidays with the people that I love , ” said Angela Rasmussen , a virologist and research scientist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University School of Public Health .
If you are planning to try to see family on Thanksgiving , experts say you should have started to quarantine on Nov. 12 , giving your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re entering their big dinner virus-free .
For everyone else , the experts told BuzzFeed News that avoiding a crowded party this year means it will be more likely you can safely attend one next year .
“ Particularly with the [ Pfizer ] vaccine news , we ’ re probably trying to look to get through another six to eight months and then it ’ s highly likely the next Thanksgiving will be fine , ” said Robert Wachter , chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really need to weigh the benefits of doing these things against the small but real possibility that you ’ ll get sick , and depending on your age and comorbidities , the small possibility that you could die from it.
” Here ’ s what the experts said they ’ re planning this holiday season : Are you traveling for the holidays ?
If so , how ?
By plane or car ?
WACHTER : No and no .
I think it ’ s a scary time and enough of my family is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve decided to hunker down , but the chances of catching COVID from a single flight is low .
The best estimate is about 1 in 5,000 , but that varies depending on the probability of people sitting near you having the virus — so as there ’ s more of a surge nationally , that probability goes up .
GEORGES C. BENJAMIN , executive director of the American Public Health Association : We ’ re not traveling ; we ’ re going to stay home for Thanksgiving , for sure .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locally — my daughter and her husband , who have been living in our bubble — might join us .
We ’ re all figuring out how we can maintain our bubble .
We ’ re linked and isolated separately .
My wife helps with her kids ’ homeschooling .
Otherwise we ’ re all working from home and the kids are doing homeschooling .
AARON GLATT , doctor at New York ’ s Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital and a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America ( IDSA ) : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work in a hospital essentially full-time so I don ’ t have the luxury , but I would love to travel .
The traveling part isn ’ t a real danger .
If you ’ re going to an area that ’ s a high-incident area , that ’ s a concern .
Travel itself is fine .
Traveling by car poses minimal risk if the people you travel with are all your family .
If you stop at a hotel and it ’ s sensibly cleaned and you ’ re not eating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re masking and distancing , I don ’ t think it ’ s a problem .
Probably planes are nowhere near as risky as we originally thought , and if you ’ re masked and distanced and it ’ s a relatively short flight , you ’ re probably fine .
GERARDO CHOWELL , professor of epidemiology at Georgia State University ’ s School of Public Health : We are not going anywhere , at least for Thanksgiving , and I don ’ t think for Christmas yet .
I think we will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving I have a brother who lives in New York and he ’ s planning to visit .
So the plan is that he will get a PCR test the day prior or so before traveling to be sure that he is negative .
He has been very careful and he 's observing very strict social distancing there so we think it ’ s going to be OK.
He ’ s going to fly .
I think flying is pretty safe if you wear a mask throughout the flight .
It looks like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Nope .
We are celebrating the holidays at home this year .
ADALJA : I ’ m not traveling .
I don ’ t have family other than my parents and they live in the same area that I do .
So I don ’ t usually travel .
MAIA MAJUMDER , computational epidemiologist at Boston Children ’ s Hospital and Harvard Medical School : My husband and I are not traveling for the holidays ; instead , we will be spending Thanksgiving this year with my parents and my mother-in-law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of your immediate household ?
If so , how many and under what circumstances ( e.g.
, eating outside ) ?
MAJUMDER : My parents and my mother-in-law live nearby and in their own single-family residences ; they also all work from home or are retired and can afford grocery deliveries , which makes their risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 minimal on a day-to-day basis .
Nevertheless , all five of us will also be adhering to a strict two week quarantine ahead of Thanksgiving ( i.e.
, no one in the household leaves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the household enters ) to make sure that we 're as safe as possible when we meet .
I would advise anyone who wants to meet with loved ones outside of their household to do the same — and I would also advise folks to be as selective as possible in restricting the number of individuals they 'll be gathering with .
ADALJA : I usually do meet family and friends , but these are people I ’ ve already mixed with .
It ’ ll probably be indoors because I live in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warm this time of year .
But they ’ re not new people being introduced .
They ’ re people I ’ ve already interacted with .
There ’ s obviously some risk and it ’ s about what each individual ’ s risk tolerance is .
I want to keep it to people I generally mix with and I have some idea of what their COVID risk might be .
I think as an infectious disease expert my risk calculation is probably better than the average person though .
RASMUSSEN : No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , where I am now , it ’ s not possible to eat outdoors comfortably , so we won ’ t be going to my parents ’ house ( normally a 45-minute drive from our place in Seattle ) as we usually do .
Our kids are going to be with us , but because their time is divided between our house and their mother ’ s , we are not getting together with my extended family as well .
CHOWELL : It ’ s not clear .
We are going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home .
We have some neighbors around here and we meet on the porch outside .
For the election , we went out and had a glass of champagne with some neighbors around here but it was all outside .
We don ’ t do inside at all .
For my brother , we will probably try to spend time outside .
The fact that he has been in a social bubble in New York and he has been very careful gives me a lot of confidence , plus the fact he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : It ’ s much smarter if you want to do these things outdoors in parts of the country where that ’ s feasible .
In New York City at the moment there ’ s a very mild weather spell so you can actually do that right now .
So a lot depends on what the weather looks like .
BENJAMIN : We won ’ t be eating outside unless we can and the weather permits .
As I said , we ’ re trying to be like the NBA .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and try to protect ourselves .
I understand there 's no such thing as zero risk , but I ’ m doing all the things I ’ ve been telling other people to do .
WACHTER : If it ’ s beautiful maybe we will eat outside … My younger son and my older son were thinking of going to a large Thanksgiving event in New Jersey with my ex-wife and probably 10 to 15 people and I vetoed it .
I know they 're adults but I basically said that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were for them to eat outside in late November in New Jersey , which struck me as slightly unrealistic .
There were going to be 10 to 15 people coming from across the country and I felt like that was unsafe .
How many people do you expect to eat Thanksgiving dinner with ?
WACHTER : Our plans will be to eat with my wife , myself , my younger son , and my daughter .
That has been our pod .
My son lives below us and has been completely safe and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student , has been going to work but she ’ s been tested regularly .
We ’ ll eat inside at a reasonably large table and stay 6 feet apart .
RASMUSSEN : Four : me , my husband , and our kids .
We will be having snacks and cocktails with my parents and brother ’ s family remotely over Zoom .
BENJAMIN : I think there ’ s seven of us [ in our pod ] , if we do it .
[ My daughter ’ s ] whole family and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now my recommendation is to monitor the presence of disease in the community , and right now my community of Maryland is having a raging outbreak again .
Our numbers are going up and the positive rate needs to be 5 or less , and I check it every day .
And if I have concerns about the disease prevalence going up , we will have a Zoom dinner .
GLATT : I think that we have concerns about eating Thanksgiving dinner in a small room with a lot of people who aren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you ’ re planning on Thanksgiving and getting together with another family member , I ’ d recommend being very careful two weeks before .
Getting together with one family is a lot lower risk than with multiple families .
I wouldn ’ t get together with people that aren ’ t careful .
CHOWELL : Indoors , it ’ ll be your close family members and people you trust that have been following strict social distancing guidelines .
And I highly recommend testing a day or two prior to the meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family member arrives to your place .
If they can stay in a hotel that may help , but it also increases the likelihood they ’ re mixing with other people .
It ’ s probably safer for them to stay in your basement or something like that and make sure they tested negative through a PCR test , not an antigen RAPID test , which is not as reliable .
ADALJA : Five to six is probably the best size .
You want to keep things as small as possible .
MAJUMDER @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a COVID-19 surge right now around the country , the safest option is to restrict festivities to individual households .
However , I also think we need to acknowledge that some members of our population ( like our elders ) need regular in-person interaction for their well-being more so than others and have already gone nine months or longer without that kind of interaction .
Furthermore , not all individuals carry the same risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 ; having honest conversations about this with our loved ones about their transmission risk profiles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's for this reason that my husband and I are only spending Thanksgiving with our ( lower transmission risk ) parents this year — even though our ( higher transmission risk ) cousins and siblings live just minutes away from us .
We often have more than 50 people over for Thanksgiving — but because risk is additive , every additional person makes the get-together less safe for everybody else .
That 's why we 've cut our number down to just five total this year and have chosen to only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that time together .
We 'll miss the rest of our family , but everyone understands the circumstances and is willing to make the sacrifice now so that we can all eventually be together again .
What would you say to those considering attending an in-person religious service for Christmas or Hanukkah ?
RASMUSSEN : I strongly suggest not attending an in-person religious service .
Religious services often involve singing and prolonged close contact with others indoors in non-ventilated environments and present a substantial transmission risk .
I know this is really a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services have components that require in-person attendance , such as Catholics who wish to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist ( Communion ) .
If people do attend in-person religious services , they should be sure to wear a mask diligently throughout the service unless it absolutely must come off , and places of worship should ensure that attendees are able to distance .
Singing and especially choirs should also be avoided .
ADALJA : These types of events we know have been linked to spread .
I would think if you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event where there ’ s going to be singing , I ’ d be very careful because we know the virus has spread rapidly pretty far in those settings .
I think in a church setting we know that singing poses a particular risk and hopefully churches are cognizant of that .
GLATT : I think indoor services are fine assuming everyone is masked and distanced .
I pray every day three times a day .
If people are following the rules , it ’ s OK. CHOWELL : That ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have been reported have occurred within churches and religious services , so I highly encourage to actually attend those services at a distance through online .
Many churches are doing this , they are running services online , and I think that would be the safer way to go — particularly now with the prevalence levels in the country .
It ’ s a much higher risk now to catch COVID in enclosed places .
BENJAMIN : I think that large group services and things like that are a challenge .
My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and do them remotely .
The challenge we ’ re having right now is we ’ re having a resurgence of the disease .
So let ’ s not make things worse .
In many communities we ’ re starting to shut down selected activities again .
They 've just this week reduced the occupancy rates that are allowed in restaurants again here .
WACHTER : The question is going to be if everyone is masked and if they are far enough apart .
Otherwise , they are the elements of superspreader events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person so it ’ s not on my list of important things to do , but if it were important for someone I ’ d try very hard to ensure everyone is wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart and the crowd is minimal .
If not , this would be a year to forgo it .
What are some things people could do to try to minimize risk over the holidays ?
Or things they should keep in mind ?
WACHTER : A lot of it depends on the state of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s really no parts of the country that are not getting worse , and the general ground rules now are clear : Inside is bad , large groups are bad , being without masks is bad , singing is worse than talking , no ventilation is bad .
I went to visit my parents in Florida three months ago because I was pretty confident my 90-year-old father would not survive another year and I wanted to see him alive .
As I was getting on the plane , I was asking myself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from this , will I feel bad ?
Will it have been worth it ?
For me , it was a reasonable decision .
So in weighing the importance , it ’ s really worth asking yourself that .
BENJAMIN : I think that people need to have as much situational awareness about what ’ s going on about the disease in their community .
I think they need to be thoughtful about traveling outside their homes and if they do so , do so safely .
Yes , you can get in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but large gatherings are gon na be out for most of us over the holidays .
You ’ re gon na have to figure out how to be thoughtful about your protective habits before you go , so that may very well mean self-quarantine as a family before you see each other and if you ’ re sick at all don ’ t go .
Any symptoms — chronic fatigue , cough , muscle aches , anything like that — you should not be around others .
If you have any doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The critical thing is to do things distanced .
If you ’ re distanced , it ’ s definitely better .
Obviously , if it ’ s indoors , then you definitely should be masked .
If you can wear a jacket and be outside , do that .
When you have indoor things with people without masks , you really have to be distanced .
CHOWELL : I would advise to use an air purifier with a UV light .
That ’ s also something that has been recommended by environmental health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , having a UV light or two in the area where you 'll be spending most of the time with your visitor , and also try to ventilate the rooms as much as possible .
I think that can mitigate the concentration of potential viral particles .
I think that ’ s going to be the new normal .
ADALJA : Whatever you do , whoever you invite to sit around the table , you ’ re also inviting the virus .
That ’ s a time when people let their guard down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of hand-washing and maybe sitting people 6 feet apart .
Think about who you ’ re inviting .
If you can be outdoors or open the windows , do that .
RASMUSSEN : The safest way to minimize risk is to not gather in groups outside your household/quarantine pod .
I know this is incredibly difficult to ask , given that many have not seen their loved ones for months and we are all suffering from pandemic fatigue .
However , I ’ d ask people to keep in mind that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanksgiving in Canada , which Canadian public health officials are attributing to holiday gatherings in people ’ s homes .
I ’ d also ask people to consider that it is not their risk to assume alone : increased cases within families can lead to further spread in the community .
I unambiguously do not recommend people having holiday gatherings with extended friends and family , and urge them to consider that any kind of get together outside of one ’ s household or quarantine bubble is dangerous .
If people do get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people they invite and be vigilant about masks , distancing , ventilation , and hand hygiene .
If possible , they should eat outdoors .
But I reiterate that people should not host holiday gatherings at all .


buzzfeed--2020-11-17--If You Can't Identify 9/12 Of These Types Of Birth Control, I'm Sending You Back To Sex Ed.

If You Ca n't Identify 9/12 Of These Types Of Birth Control , I 'm Sending You Back To Sex @ @ @ @ @ take some rubbers .

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Obsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!


buzzfeed--2020-11-17--This Woman's Explainer On Why The 8-Hour Workday Is Tragically Outdated Is Going Viral

Emily explains , `` Ford established the eight-hour workday in the early 1900s .
He established eight hours work , @ @ @ @ @ hours sleep , and then start that over again .
We went wrong in two @ @ @ @ @ that Ford worked in manufacturing , which means someone standing somewhere for eight hours doing @ @ @ @ @ yield a certain amount of productivity .
We have rolled over this eight-hour framework into @ @ @ @ @ not make sense .
There are so many industries that are project-based where you do @ @ @ @ @ and by just having someone keep themselves busy for eight hours , you 're losing @ @ @ @ @

Emily explains, "Ford established the eight-hour workday in the early 1900s. He established eight hours work, eight hours rest, eight hours sleep, and then start that over again. We went wrong in two places. The first is that Ford worked in manufacturing, which means someone standing somewhere for eight hours doing approximately the same task does yield a certain amount of productivity. We have rolled over this eight-hour framework into industries where it just does not make sense. There are so many industries that are project-based where you don't need eight hours, and by just having someone keep themselves busy for eight hours, you're losing so much productivity."


buzzfeed--2020-11-15--27 Masturbation Techniques You'll Probably Wish You Learned Sooner

`` I take a soft blanket and lay it down on my bed , usually folded a few times to @ @ @ @ @ I set up porn on my laptop and lay on my stomach with my dick @ @ @ @ @ I move my hips back and forth or up and down so my dick will @ @ @ @ @ I orgasm !
It kinda gives me the sensation of actual sex because I 'm @ @ @ @ @ body , rather than using my hand . ''
—20/male/gay '' I lie on my @ @ @ @ @ my sides and my head turned to one side .
My legs are bent at @ @ @ @ @ feet are up in the air .
I develop a fantasy in my head , @ @ @ @ @ get turned on I rock/rotate/grind my hips/clit into the bed and do it with increasing @ @ @ @ @ The orgasm is equal parts fantasy and friction . ''
—39/female/lesbian

We asked people of all genders, ages, and sexualities in the BuzzFeed Community to tell us their favorite masturbation tips. Here are the techniques you'll probably want to steal.
Obviously, everyone's bodies, interests, and experiences are different, so not all of these will apply to you. Feel free to take what you want and leave the rest.


buzzfeed--2020-11-16--A Woman Has Blown Up On TikTok After Openly Talking About Women's Hair Loss

`` I started my TikTok and Instagram account to ensure no other woman feels alone in their hair loss .
@ @ @ @ @ community of strong hair loss warriors on my page !
They encourage me daily , @ @ @ @ @ Every person , at some point in their life , struggles with self-confidence .
It @ @ @ @ @ .
You aren ’ t alone in your hair loss .
Take baby steps towards @ @ @ @ @ will help you feel beautiful . ''

"I started my TikTok and Instagram account to ensure no other woman feels alone in their hair loss. I’ve loved the community of strong hair loss warriors on my page! They encourage me daily," Jennifer stated. "Every person, at some point in their life, struggles with self-confidence. It’s not just you. You aren’t alone in your hair loss. Take baby steps towards self-acceptance. Make whatever choice will help you feel beautiful."


buzzfeed--2020-11-16--18 Tumblr Posts About Intrusive Thoughts That Made Me Feel Seen As Someone With OCD

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a mental condition characterized by distressing , recurring thoughts ( obsessions ) and the need to perform @ @ @ @ @ .
These posts are n't necessarily representative of everyone 's experiences with OCD , nor @ @ @ @ @ but hopefully they CAN make you feel a little less alone .

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a mental condition characterized by distressing, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and the need to perform repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These posts aren't necessarily representative of everyone's experiences with OCD, nor can they diagnose you, but hopefully they CAN make you feel a little less alone.


buzzfeed--2020-11-17--Facebook Knows That Adding Labels To Trump’s False Claims Does Little To Stop Their Spread

The labels Facebook has been putting on false election posts from President Donald Trump have failed to slow their spread across the platform , according to internal data seen by BuzzFeed News .
In the aftermath of the 2020 US presidential election , Trump has repeatedly spread false information questioning President-elect Joe Biden ’ s victory — and been rewarded with massive engagement on Facebook .
The company has attempted to temper this by adding labels to the false claims directing people to accurate information about the election and its results .
But this has done little to prevent Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Facebook , according to discussions on internal company discussion boards .
After an employee asked last week whether Facebook has any data about the effectiveness of the labels , a data scientist revealed that the labels — referred to as “ informs ” internally — do very little to reduce them from being shared .
” We have evidence that applying these informs to posts decreases their reshares by ~8 % , ” the data scientists said .
“ However given that Trump has SO many shares on any given post , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shares by orders of magnitude.
” The data scientist noted that adding the labels was not expected to reduce the spread of false content .
Instead , they are used “ to provide factual information in context to the post.
” '' Ahead of this election we developed informational labels , which we applied to candidate posts with a goal of connecting people with reliable sources about the election , '' Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement , adding that labels were `` just one piece of our larger election integrity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook or another technology company ?
We ’ d love to hear from you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
Discussions within Facebook about the efficacy of fact-check labels reveal the extent with which the world ’ s largest internet platforms have struggled to handle the unprecedented flood of lies from the outgoing president .
Ahead of the election , both Facebook and Twitter clarified their content policies and practices notifying the public that they would be appending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to more accurate information about the race .
Twitter has been more aggressive in limiting the spread of misleading election information , and in some cases prevented Trump ’ s tweets from being liked or retweeted .
Last week , the company said it had labeled about 300,000 tweets for misleading information about the election , while restricting more than 450 from being liked or retweeted .
“ We saw an estimated 29 % decrease in Quote Tweets of these labeled Tweets due in part to a prompt that warned people prior to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a blog post , referring to a practice in which a user shares a tweet while adding their own commentary on top .
Facebook , on the other hand , did not implement measures to prevent users from engaging with Trump ’ s election-related posts .
Even with a label , people were still allowed to share or like Trump ’ s post .
Earlier this year , Facebook took down a post from the president , but only because it violated the company ’ s rules around COVID-19 misinformation .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ integrity of elections to clear up confusion and to provide credible , authoritative information when we can , ” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees during a companywide meeting on Oct. 15 .
While he discussed the use of labels during that talk , he made no mention of efforts to limit the spread of Trump ’ s election misinformation .
The 8 % decrease of shares due to an election label is worse than a similar effort by Facebook to add context to false content .
In 2017 , the company claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 80 % once a fact-checker had labeled it false .
Facebook labels but does not reduce the reach of false election content from politicians .
Facebook does not allow its fact-checking partners to evaluate the content from politicians like Trump and instead created a set of labels meant to refer people to credible election information , as opposed to issuing a direct fact-check .

The labels Facebook has been putting on false election posts from President Donald Trump have failed to slow their spread across the platform, according to internal data seen by BuzzFeed News.
In the aftermath of the 2020 US presidential election, Trump has repeatedly spread false information questioning President-elect Joe Biden’s victory — and been rewarded with massive engagement on Facebook. The company has attempted to temper this by adding labels to the false claims directing people to accurate information about the election and its results.
But this has done little to prevent Trump’s false claims from going viral on Facebook, according to discussions on internal company discussion boards. After an employee asked last week whether Facebook has any data about the effectiveness of the labels, a data scientist revealed that the labels — referred to as “informs” internally — do very little to reduce them from being shared.
”We have evidence that applying these informs to posts decreases their reshares by ~8%,” the data scientists said. “However given that Trump has SO many shares on any given post, the decrease is not going to change shares by orders of magnitude.”
The data scientist noted that adding the labels was not expected to reduce the spread of false content. Instead, they are used “to provide factual information in context to the post.”
"Ahead of this election we developed informational labels, which we applied to candidate posts with a goal of connecting people with reliable sources about the election," Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement, adding that labels were "just one piece of our larger election integrity efforts."
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
Discussions within Facebook about the efficacy of fact-check labels reveal the extent with which the world’s largest internet platforms have struggled to handle the unprecedented flood of lies from the outgoing president. Ahead of the election, both Facebook and Twitter clarified their content policies and practices notifying the public that they would be appending labels to misleading posts to point people to more accurate information about the race.
Twitter has been more aggressive in limiting the spread of misleading election information, and in some cases prevented Trump’s tweets from being liked or retweeted. Last week, the company said it had labeled about 300,000 tweets for misleading information about the election, while restricting more than 450 from being liked or retweeted.
“We saw an estimated 29% decrease in Quote Tweets of these labeled Tweets due in part to a prompt that warned people prior to sharing,” the company wrote in a blog post, referring to a practice in which a user shares a tweet while adding their own commentary on top.
Facebook, on the other hand, did not implement measures to prevent users from engaging with Trump’s election-related posts. Even with a label, people were still allowed to share or like Trump’s post.
Earlier this year, Facebook took down a post from the president, but only because it violated the company’s rules around COVID-19 misinformation.
“We have a responsibility to help maintain the integrity of elections to clear up confusion and to provide credible, authoritative information when we can,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told employees during a companywide meeting on Oct. 15. While he discussed the use of labels during that talk, he made no mention of efforts to limit the spread of Trump’s election misinformation.
The 8% decrease of shares due to an election label is worse than a similar effort by Facebook to add context to false content. In 2017, the company claimed that it reduced the spread of content by 80% once a fact-checker had labeled it false. Facebook labels but does not reduce the reach of false election content from politicians.
Facebook does not allow its fact-checking partners to evaluate the content from politicians like Trump and instead created a set of labels meant to refer people to credible election information, as opposed to issuing a direct fact-check.


buzzfeed--2020-11-17--Trump And Republicans Had A Very Bad 72 Hours In Court Trying To Challenge The Election Results

WASHINGTON — Over the span of just 72 hours , President Donald Trump and his supporters have faced a barrage of court losses and setbacks in Pennsylvania , underscoring their inability to make a dent in the election results despite the flood of cases they ’ ve filed since Nov. 3 .
The campaign hasn ’ t focused its legal efforts on one state or one issue , instead pursuing challenges big and small across the country .
The bulk of cases that are still active at this point are in Pennsylvania .
Despite the campaign ’ s messaging that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a deeper problem with the legitimacy of the election , judges haven ’ t handed down decisions to validate that rhetoric .
Since Friday , state and federal judges in Pennsylvania have rejected Trump ’ s challenges to small batches of ballots ranging from the hundreds to the low thousands ; Biden leads Pennsylvania by more than 68,000 votes , according to Decision Desk HQ .
Judges have also undermined some of the legal theories that underpin the campaign ’ s effort to stop Pennsylvania from officially declaring that President-elect Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day , Trump declared that he would take the election to the Supreme Court , invoking the image of another Bush v. Gore , when the justices halted a ballot recount in Florida that handed the 2000 election to former president George W. Bush .
Two weeks later , the legal landscape does not look at all like 2000 .
Trump would have to find legal paths to flip multiple states that Biden won , and the only case pending before the Supreme Court involves the fate of the 10,000 absentee ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
The campaign on Sunday filed a slimmed-down version of a lawsuit against Pennsylvania election officials after acknowledging that a recent appeals court decision meant it couldn ’ t win some of its original arguments .
Additionally , True the Vote , a conservative advocacy group that had filed lawsuits challenging Trump ’ s losses in multiple states where Biden won , including Pennsylvania , withdrew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases where the campaign has scored a win have either done nothing to change the number of votes counted — a ruling that poll watchers in Philadelphia could stand within 6 feet of the counting process , for instance — or affected too few votes to change the outcome .
In Pennsylvania , a court agreed with Trump ’ s campaign that Secretary of State Kathleen Boockvar was wrong to extend a deadline for absentee voters whose ballots arrived after Election Day to confirm their identity .
Boockvar ’ s office declined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected .
But approximately 10,000 ballots in total arrived during the period in question , according to Boockvar ; even if all of those votes were for Biden , and all of those voters also happened to fail to verify their identity by the earlier deadline , it still wouldn ’ t be enough to flip Pennsylvania for Trump .
Here ’ s a rundown of what happened in court in Pennsylvania over the past 72 hours .
( Times reflect when orders and briefs were docketed , according to online court records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a group of Pennsylvania Republican voters and a congressional candidate filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that extended the state ’ s deadline for absentee ballots .
They lost that case and appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit .
The unanimous 55-page opinion that the court released on Friday didn ’ t just hand the Republican challengers in the case another loss — it set precedent for the rest of the circuit , which meant it would also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania .
The court found that private parties didn ’ t have standing to bring a claim in federal court arguing that a particular election practice violated the elections clause of the US Constitution , which gives state legislatures the power to run elections .
The Pennsylvania General Assembly could go to court to make that argument , the 3rd Circuit ruled , but not individual voters or candidates .
That was a problem for Trump because his case in Pennsylvania included arguments under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Boockvar made later in the day .
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Friday , Linda Kerns , a lawyer for the Trump campaign , filed a response that foreshadowed the slimmed-down lawsuit it would end up filing on Sunday .
She wrote that although it disagreed with the 3rd Circuit , it conceded the decision would knock out those arguments in its complaint .
One of the Trump campaign ’ s smaller-scale cases involved a set of 592 mail-in and absentee ballots in Montgomery County , Pennsylvania , a suburban area north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t include any of Trump ’ s unfounded allegations of election fraud — it was about ballots where the voter didn ’ t handwrite their address on a part of the envelope where they signed a declaration verifying that they were eligible to vote .
The campaign argued that those ballots were invalid because the voter violated a part of state election law that requires them to “ fill out ” the declaration .
The county argued the law didn ’ t clearly require an address to be compliant , and Judge Richard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ballots at issue had the voter ’ s address printed elsewhere on the envelope , and Haaz wrote that the lack of a handwritten address with the declaration would not disqualify an otherwise eligible voter from casting a ballot — especially , the judge wrote , “ where no claim of fraud or improper influence is alleged.
” A Trump win wouldn ’ t have changed the outcome in Montgomery County — according to unofficial election results from the county , Biden won there by more than 133,000 votes .
At around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Montgomery County was ruling against Trump , a judge in Philadelphia ruled against his campaign in five cases it had brought challenging just over 8,300 absentee ballots .
Like the fight over the 592 ballots in Montgomery County , the Philadelphia cases also didn ’ t claim fraud or shady poll practices — they were again about ballots missing certain pieces of information on the envelope , and what exactly state law required when it directed absentee voters to “ fill out ” the declaration .
Judge James Crumlish III wrote that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the voters had signed their declarations , and the judge found that none of the other missing pieces of information — such as the date , the voter ’ s address , or their handwritten printed name — were enough to disqualify the ballots altogether .
That information was not “ necessary to prevent fraud , ” the judge concluded .
The Trump campaign filed notices on Saturday that it would appeal those orders .
But like in Montgomery County , a win for the campaign , even in all five cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Philadelphia — where Biden won by more than 450,000 votes — or in the state as a whole .
As expected after the 3rd Circuit ’ s opinion on Friday limiting the types of claims that voters and campaigns could file , the Trump campaign filed a new version of its lawsuit in federal court .
It submitted a “ redlined ” version that showed exactly what it had cut and added from the original , and the changes were dramatic — instead of seven counts alleging constitutional violations , there were now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
The original set of counts were focused on allegations that poll watchers were denied access to see the counting process .
The latest version still included the campaign ’ s argument that its representatives were denied access during the counting process , but the specific constitutional counts tied to those allegations were gone .
In those counts , the campaign had argued that ballots processed without that level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting rights in Pennsylvania .
The two remaining counts accused the state of constitutional violations by allowing a system where some counties gave absentee voters a chance to “ cure ” defective ballots — to fix a missing signature , for instance — and others did not .
The campaign left in an allegation that 682,469 absentee ballots in Philadelphia and Allegheny County were counted without proper observation — it didn ’ t explain in the lawsuit how it had arrived at that figure — but the two counts that were left focused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not observer access .
Trump ’ s campaign released a statement on Sunday insisting that the fate of the 682,469 ballots tied to the observation claims were “ still very much part of the suit , ” but the campaign ’ s lawyers cut a paragraph from the original version that specifically asked the judge to stop those votes from being counted as an alternative to their more sweeping request that the judge stop the state from certifying the results of the election altogether .
The judge is scheduled to hear arguments on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s motion to dismiss the case , which is backed by the Democratic National Committee , county election boards , and civil rights groups .
A group of Pennsylvania voters filed notice in federal court that they were dropping a lawsuit they had filed a week earlier pushing general claims of fraud and other illegal voting practices across the state .
As evidence , they relied on the allegations the Trump campaign had raised in its federal court case and claimed they would have more evidence that was “ shortly forthcoming.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the voters who sued were Republican , and the Trump campaign wasn ’ t a party , but the plaintiffs were represented by James Bopp Jr. , general counsel of the conservative advocacy group True the Vote .
The dismissal notice didn ’ t include an explanation , which is common when parties dismiss their own cases , especially so early on .
But on Friday , the secretary of state ’ s office filed a notice alerting the judge about the 3rd Circuit ’ s decision in the absentee ballot case and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s argument that the plaintiffs lacked standing based on their broad argument that any illegal voting practices diluted their votes .
Bopp on Monday also withdrew cases his group had filed in the past week on behalf of voters in Georgia , Michigan , and Wisconsin .
He did not return a request for comment .

WASHINGTON — Over the span of just 72 hours, President Donald Trump and his supporters have faced a barrage of court losses and setbacks in Pennsylvania, underscoring their inability to make a dent in the election results despite the flood of cases they’ve filed since Nov. 3.
The campaign hasn’t focused its legal efforts on one state or one issue, instead pursuing challenges big and small across the country. The bulk of cases that are still active at this point are in Pennsylvania. Despite the campaign’s messaging that the sheer quantity of legal challenges speaks to a deeper problem with the legitimacy of the election, judges haven’t handed down decisions to validate that rhetoric.
Since Friday, state and federal judges in Pennsylvania have rejected Trump’s challenges to small batches of ballots ranging from the hundreds to the low thousands; Biden leads Pennsylvania by more than 68,000 votes, according to Decision Desk HQ. Judges have also undermined some of the legal theories that underpin the campaign’s effort to stop Pennsylvania from officially declaring that President-elect Joe Biden won the state.
The morning after Election Day, Trump declared that he would take the election to the Supreme Court, invoking the image of another Bush v. Gore, when the justices halted a ballot recount in Florida that handed the 2000 election to former president George W. Bush. Two weeks later, the legal landscape does not look at all like 2000. Trump would have to find legal paths to flip multiple states that Biden won, and the only case pending before the Supreme Court involves the fate of the 10,000 absentee ballots that arrived in Pennsylvania after Election Day.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
The campaign on Sunday filed a slimmed-down version of a lawsuit against Pennsylvania election officials after acknowledging that a recent appeals court decision meant it couldn’t win some of its original arguments. Additionally, True the Vote, a conservative advocacy group that had filed lawsuits challenging Trump’s losses in multiple states where Biden won, including Pennsylvania, withdrew those cases on Monday.
The few cases where the campaign has scored a win have either done nothing to change the number of votes counted — a ruling that poll watchers in Philadelphia could stand within 6 feet of the counting process, for instance — or affected too few votes to change the outcome.
In Pennsylvania, a court agreed with Trump’s campaign that Secretary of State Kathleen Boockvar was wrong to extend a deadline for absentee voters whose ballots arrived after Election Day to confirm their identity. Boockvar’s office declined to comment on how many ballots the order affected. But approximately 10,000 ballots in total arrived during the period in question, according to Boockvar; even if all of those votes were for Biden, and all of those voters also happened to fail to verify their identity by the earlier deadline, it still wouldn’t be enough to flip Pennsylvania for Trump.
Here’s a rundown of what happened in court in Pennsylvania over the past 72 hours. (Times reflect when orders and briefs were docketed, according to online court records.)
Friday, Nov. 13
11:25 p.m.
Two weeks before Election Day, a group of Pennsylvania Republican voters and a congressional candidate filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the constitutionality of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that extended the state’s deadline for absentee ballots. They lost that case and appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.
The unanimous 55-page opinion that the court released on Friday didn’t just hand the Republican challengers in the case another loss — it set precedent for the rest of the circuit, which meant it would also affect a Trump campaign lawsuit in the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The court found that private parties didn’t have standing to bring a claim in federal court arguing that a particular election practice violated the elections clause of the US Constitution, which gives state legislatures the power to run elections. The Pennsylvania General Assembly could go to court to make that argument, the 3rd Circuit ruled, but not individual voters or candidates.
That was a problem for Trump because his case in Pennsylvania included arguments under the elections clause, a point that lawyers for Boockvar made later in the day. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Linda Kerns, a lawyer for the Trump campaign, filed a response that foreshadowed the slimmed-down lawsuit it would end up filing on Sunday. She wrote that although it disagreed with the 3rd Circuit, it conceded the decision would knock out those arguments in its complaint.
4:06 p.m.
One of the Trump campaign’s smaller-scale cases involved a set of 592 mail-in and absentee ballots in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a suburban area north of Philadelphia. The case didn’t include any of Trump’s unfounded allegations of election fraud — it was about ballots where the voter didn’t handwrite their address on a part of the envelope where they signed a declaration verifying that they were eligible to vote.
The campaign argued that those ballots were invalid because the voter violated a part of state election law that requires them to “fill out” the declaration. The county argued the law didn’t clearly require an address to be compliant, and Judge Richard Haaz agreed. The vast majority of the ballots at issue had the voter’s address printed elsewhere on the envelope, and Haaz wrote that the lack of a handwritten address with the declaration would not disqualify an otherwise eligible voter from casting a ballot — especially, the judge wrote, “where no claim of fraud or improper influence is alleged.”
A Trump win wouldn’t have changed the outcome in Montgomery County — according to unofficial election results from the county, Biden won there by more than 133,000 votes.
4:09 p.m.
At around the same time that the judge in Montgomery County was ruling against Trump, a judge in Philadelphia ruled against his campaign in five cases it had brought challenging just over 8,300 absentee ballots. Like the fight over the 592 ballots in Montgomery County, the Philadelphia cases also didn’t claim fraud or shady poll practices — they were again about ballots missing certain pieces of information on the envelope, and what exactly state law required when it directed absentee voters to “fill out” the declaration.
Judge James Crumlish III wrote that the term was “ambiguous.” All of the voters had signed their declarations, and the judge found that none of the other missing pieces of information — such as the date, the voter’s address, or their handwritten printed name — were enough to disqualify the ballots altogether. That information was not “necessary to prevent fraud,” the judge concluded.
The Trump campaign filed notices on Saturday that it would appeal those orders. But like in Montgomery County, a win for the campaign, even in all five cases, wouldn’t change the outcome in Philadelphia — where Biden won by more than 450,000 votes — or in the state as a whole.
Sunday, Nov. 15
11:39 a.m.
As expected after the 3rd Circuit’s opinion on Friday limiting the types of claims that voters and campaigns could file, the Trump campaign filed a new version of its lawsuit in federal court. It submitted a “redlined” version that showed exactly what it had cut and added from the original, and the changes were dramatic — instead of seven counts alleging constitutional violations, there were now just two.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
The original set of counts were focused on allegations that poll watchers were denied access to see the counting process. The latest version still included the campaign’s argument that its representatives were denied access during the counting process, but the specific constitutional counts tied to those allegations were gone. In those counts, the campaign had argued that ballots processed without that level of access were illegal and that broadly undermined voting rights in Pennsylvania.
The two remaining counts accused the state of constitutional violations by allowing a system where some counties gave absentee voters a chance to “cure” defective ballots — to fix a missing signature, for instance — and others did not. The campaign left in an allegation that 682,469 absentee ballots in Philadelphia and Allegheny County were counted without proper observation — it didn’t explain in the lawsuit how it had arrived at that figure — but the two counts that were left focused on the “cure” issue, not observer access.
Trump’s campaign released a statement on Sunday insisting that the fate of the 682,469 ballots tied to the observation claims were “still very much part of the suit,” but the campaign’s lawyers cut a paragraph from the original version that specifically asked the judge to stop those votes from being counted as an alternative to their more sweeping request that the judge stop the state from certifying the results of the election altogether.
The judge is scheduled to hear arguments on Tuesday on the Pennsylvania secretary of state’s motion to dismiss the case, which is backed by the Democratic National Committee, county election boards, and civil rights groups.
Monday, Nov. 16
10:30 a.m.
A group of Pennsylvania voters filed notice in federal court that they were dropping a lawsuit they had filed a week earlier pushing general claims of fraud and other illegal voting practices across the state. As evidence, they relied on the allegations the Trump campaign had raised in its federal court case and claimed they would have more evidence that was “shortly forthcoming.” The lawsuit didn’t specify that the voters who sued were Republican, and the Trump campaign wasn’t a party, but the plaintiffs were represented by James Bopp Jr., general counsel of the conservative advocacy group True the Vote.
The dismissal notice didn’t include an explanation, which is common when parties dismiss their own cases, especially so early on. But on Friday, the secretary of state’s office filed a notice alerting the judge about the 3rd Circuit’s decision in the absentee ballot case and argued that ruling backed up the state’s argument that the plaintiffs lacked standing based on their broad argument that any illegal voting practices diluted their votes.
Bopp on Monday also withdrew cases his group had filed in the past week on behalf of voters in Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He did not return a request for comment.


buzzfeed--2020-11-17--Immigration Officials Have Been Told Not To Communicate With Joe Biden's Transition Team

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ( right ) congratulates a new American during a naturalization ceremony cohosted by Joseph Edlow , deputy policy director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services , Oct. 22 , 2020 .
An official at the agency that oversees US immigration and naturalization services told employees not to communicate with President-elect Joe Biden 's transition team until a Trump appointee “ deems the results ‘ clear ’ ” and recognizes the winner , according to an internal email obtained by BuzzFeed News .
The message was sent Thursday to a group of policy staffers at US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly a week after the presidential election was called in favor of Biden .
USCIS has undergone a stark transformation under the Trump administration .
The agency has shifted its focus from ways to more efficiently screen and provide immigration benefits to enacting policies to restrict immigrants at the border and elsewhere from gaining access to the US .
“ It ’ s disturbing and disheartening that the agency is not permitting staff to aid the Biden transition team to ensure a smooth transfer , ” said one USCIS employee who spoke on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could hamper the new administration ’ s ability to hit the ground running on important issues facing the agency and our country.
” BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
The Biden administration signaled its focus on USCIS in its selection of Ur Jaddou , a former lead USCIS official , to head the team responsible for reviewing the Department of Homeland Security as part of the transition .
But before Jaddou and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Trump-appointed administrator of the General Services Administration , must write a letter of “ ascertainment ” determining the likely winner of the election .
That has yet to happen as President Donald Trump continues to dispute the election results ; USCIS officials were reminded of that fact in the email .
“ I am providing the information below to clarify where things stand regarding a potential transition of administration , ” wrote a USCIS official who is on the team that plans for presidential transitions .
The official added , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ascertainment of an apparent winner of the presidential election .
She will not do so until she deems the results ‘ clear.
’ Until then , we all remain in a pre-election posture which [ means ] that there should not be any communication with the team.
” The email informed staffers that “ until ascertainment , there is to be no contact with the Biden team , ” before adding that “ if and when ” the GSA recognition of Biden ’ s victory is formalized , contact will be made .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins when agencies receive notification of ascertainment .
But the transition delay has caused concern among officials in other agencies , especially those responsible for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic .
For USCIS — and DHS as a whole — the delay could hamper efforts to undo the myriad changes to immigration policy instituted by the Trump administration .
At USCIS , immigration and asylum officers have been forced to implement policies that have restricted asylum at the southern border and made it tougher to apply for certain visas .
In July , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fees for those applying for citizenship and other benefits , while also charging for asylum applications , as a way to collect more funds before they were blocked by a federal court .
The administration has also pushed through a policy that allows the government to deny permanent residency or restrict certain visas to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits .
USCIS has also faced serious economic problems .
In August , agency officials canceled a planned furlough of more than 13,000 employees , which was set to bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USCIS officials have warned since spring that the agency , which is mostly funded by fees , was running out of money due to a decline in applications during the pandemic and needed an influx of $ 1.2 billion from Congress .

An official at the agency that oversees US immigration and naturalization services told employees not to communicate with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team until a Trump appointee “deems the results ‘clear’” and recognizes the winner, according to an internal email obtained by BuzzFeed News.
The message was sent Thursday to a group of policy staffers at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) nearly a week after the presidential election was called in favor of Biden.
USCIS has undergone a stark transformation under the Trump administration. The agency has shifted its focus from ways to more efficiently screen and provide immigration benefits to enacting policies to restrict immigrants at the border and elsewhere from gaining access to the US.
“It’s disturbing and disheartening that the agency is not permitting staff to aid the Biden transition team to ensure a smooth transfer,” said one USCIS employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. “These delays could hamper the new administration’s ability to hit the ground running on important issues facing the agency and our country.”
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
The Biden administration signaled its focus on USCIS in its selection of Ur Jaddou, a former lead USCIS official, to head the team responsible for reviewing the Department of Homeland Security as part of the transition.
But before Jaddou and others can gain access, Emily Murphy, a Trump-appointed administrator of the General Services Administration, must write a letter of “ascertainment” determining the likely winner of the election. That has yet to happen as President Donald Trump continues to dispute the election results; USCIS officials were reminded of that fact in the email.
“I am providing the information below to clarify where things stand regarding a potential transition of administration,” wrote a USCIS official who is on the team that plans for presidential transitions.
The official added, “The GSA Administrator has not yet announced ascertainment of an apparent winner of the presidential election. She will not do so until she deems the results ‘clear.’ Until then, we all remain in a pre-election posture which [means] that there should not be any communication with the team.”
The email informed staffers that “until ascertainment, there is to be no contact with the Biden team,” before adding that “if and when” the GSA recognition of Biden’s victory is formalized, contact will be made.
The official noted that the transition process begins when agencies receive notification of ascertainment.
But the transition delay has caused concern among officials in other agencies, especially those responsible for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
For USCIS — and DHS as a whole — the delay could hamper efforts to undo the myriad changes to immigration policy instituted by the Trump administration. At USCIS, immigration and asylum officers have been forced to implement policies that have restricted asylum at the southern border and made it tougher to apply for certain visas.
In July, USCIS officials said they planned to increase fees for those applying for citizenship and other benefits, while also charging for asylum applications, as a way to collect more funds before they were blocked by a federal court. The administration has also pushed through a policy that allows the government to deny permanent residency or restrict certain visas to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits.
USCIS has also faced serious economic problems. In August, agency officials canceled a planned furlough of more than 13,000 employees, which was set to bring the immigration system to a halt.
USCIS officials have warned since spring that the agency, which is mostly funded by fees, was running out of money due to a decline in applications during the pandemic and needed an influx of $1.2 billion from Congress.


buzzfeed--2020-11-16--This Neo-Nazi Group Is Organizing On Facebook Despite A Year-Old Ban

But driving right-wing extremists from the social network has proven difficult , with many of them popping up again days or weeks after removal .
At the time this story was published , the Azov movement ’ s main Facebook page , listed as Ukrainian Corps — a name that resembles that of the movement ’ s political arm , National Corps — was still active .
A Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News , “ The Azov Battalion is banned from our platforms and we remove content that represents , praises or supports them when we ’ re made aware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which sprung up during the Russian invasion in 2014 , has opened at least a dozen new Facebook pages .
Alla Zasyadko , a 25-year-old member , has used one to place 82 ads on the social network , paying Facebook at least $ 3,726 , according to the platform ’ s ad library .
Many of the ads called for street protests against the Ukrainian government .
One of the ads encourages children to sign up for a patriotic youth training course .
Similar courses have included firearms training .
Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders more than a year ago , Facebook continues to profit from ads placed by the far-right organization as recently as Monday .
Despite attempts to drive it off the platform , a violent Ukrainian far-right group with ties to American white supremacists is using Facebook to recruit new members , organize violence , and spread its far-right ideology across the world .
Far-right activists with the Azov movement and other groups hold a banner during the March of Patriots in Kyiv , March 2020 .
Facebook banned the Azov movement , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in April 2019 .
The company removed several pages associated with the group , including those operated by its senior members and the various branches they lead .
But since July 16 , the group has been operating the new Ukrainian Corps page .
The page does not try to hide that it belongs to the Azov National Corps — it openly discusses National Corps activities and leaders , links to Azov ’ s websites and email , and posts photos of members in uniforms at rallies and torchlight marches .
Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Azov movement is dangerous .
In the wake of a series of violent attacks on Roma and LGBTQ people across Ukraine by members of the National Corps and its paramilitary street wing , the National Militia , the US State Department named Azov ’ s National Corps a “ nationalist hate group.
” Matthew Schaaf , who leads the Ukraine office of the human rights group Freedom House and has closely observed the group , said the Azov movement ’ s ability to mobilize people through social media poses a threat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of years , participants of Azov-affiliated groups have used violence against vulnerable groups in Ukrainian society and threatened public officials , with social media serving as an important tool to organize these actions and share their results , ” Schaaf told BuzzFeed News .
“ Many of these assaults are accompanied by before-and-after propagandistic posts on social media.
” Azov began in 2014 as a volunteer military battalion that helped Ukraine defend itself against an invasion by Russia and its separatist proxy forces .
The battalion ’ s symbol is similar to that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used by the German military during World War II .
Although human rights groups accused the battalion of torture and war crimes during the early months of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict , in late 2014 , Ukraine ’ s National Guard incorporated the Azov battalion into its official fold , where it was renamed the Azov regiment .
The military unit has been a favorite bogeyman of the Kremlin , with Russian President Vladimir Putin using the group to justify his attacks against Ukraine as fighting against fascism .
Although the group is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ links are clear .
In 2010 , the battalion ’ s founder , Andriy Biletsky , said that Ukraine ought to “ lead the white races of the world in a final crusade … against Semite-led Untermenschen [ subhumans ] .
” Biletsky could not be reached for comment .
While the regiment still looks to Biletsky for inspiration , he has moved into politics ; he served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament from 2014 to 2019 but lost reelection .
He now heads the National Corps political party , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into elected positions but is using social media to try to grow support .
He is also one of the founders of the movement ’ s Intermarium project , which builds bridges to white nationalists and neo-Nazis in Western Europe and the US .
Although Facebook previously took down Intermarium pages , a new Intermarium page was created on Sept. 9 .
Run by the National Corps ’ international secretary , Olena Semenyaka , it has been sharing news and information about far-right and neo-Nazi figures in Europe and promoting “ cultural ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ban , Semenyaka too has reopened Facebook and Instagram accounts under a pseudonym .
Semenyaka did not respond to a request for comment .
Thanks in part to social media , the National Corps has made inroads with white nationalist groups in the US , including the California-based Rise Above Movement , whose members participated in 2017 ’ s Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville , Virginia , but saw charges over their actions later dropped .
In April 2018 , RAM founder Robert Rundo visited Kyiv and took part in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FBI wrote that it believed Azov was involved in “ training and radicalizing United States-based white supremacy organizations.
” Last month , Ukraine deported two American neo-Nazis associated with the US-based Atomwaffen Division who had attempted to set up a local branch of the group with Azov fighters to gain “ combat experience.
” As Azov uses Facebook to expand beyond Ukraine ’ s borders , experts are growing concerned .
“ The use of violence and the possibility that they could muster large crowds of mostly young men ready to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media , ” Schaaf said , “ gives them power .
”

Facebook banned the Azov movement, which has many members who espouse neo-Nazi beliefs, in April 2019. The company removed several pages associated with the group, including those operated by its senior members and the various branches they lead.
But since July 16, the group has been operating the new Ukrainian Corps page. The page does not try to hide that it belongs to the Azov National Corps — it openly discusses National Corps activities and leaders, links to Azov’s websites and email, and posts photos of members in uniforms at rallies and torchlight marches.
Facebook has no reason not to know that the Azov movement is dangerous. In the wake of a series of violent attacks on Roma and LGBTQ people across Ukraine by members of the National Corps and its paramilitary street wing, the National Militia, the US State Department named Azov’s National Corps a “nationalist hate group.”
Matthew Schaaf, who leads the Ukraine office of the human rights group Freedom House and has closely observed the group, said the Azov movement’s ability to mobilize people through social media poses a threat to society.
“In the last couple of years, participants of Azov-affiliated groups have used violence against vulnerable groups in Ukrainian society and threatened public officials, with social media serving as an important tool to organize these actions and share their results,” Schaaf told BuzzFeed News. “Many of these assaults are accompanied by before-and-after propagandistic posts on social media.”
Azov began in 2014 as a volunteer military battalion that helped Ukraine defend itself against an invasion by Russia and its separatist proxy forces. The battalion’s symbol is similar to that of the Wolfsangel, the insignia widely used by the German military during World War II. Although human rights groups accused the battalion of torture and war crimes during the early months of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, in late 2014, Ukraine’s National Guard incorporated the Azov battalion into its official fold, where it was renamed the Azov regiment.
The military unit has been a favorite bogeyman of the Kremlin, with Russian President Vladimir Putin using the group to justify his attacks against Ukraine as fighting against fascism. Although the group is not broadly popular in Ukraine, its neo-Nazi links are clear. In 2010, the battalion’s founder, Andriy Biletsky, said that Ukraine ought to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade … against Semite-led Untermenschen [subhumans].”
Biletsky could not be reached for comment.
While the regiment still looks to Biletsky for inspiration, he has moved into politics; he served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament from 2014 to 2019 but lost reelection. He now heads the National Corps political party, which has been largely unsuccessful at getting members into elected positions but is using social media to try to grow support. He is also one of the founders of the movement’s Intermarium project, which builds bridges to white nationalists and neo-Nazis in Western Europe and the US.
Although Facebook previously took down Intermarium pages, a new Intermarium page was created on Sept. 9. Run by the National Corps’ international secretary, Olena Semenyaka, it has been sharing news and information about far-right and neo-Nazi figures in Europe and promoting “cultural” events at its Kyiv office.
After a ban, Semenyaka too has reopened Facebook and Instagram accounts under a pseudonym.
Semenyaka did not respond to a request for comment.
Thanks in part to social media, the National Corps has made inroads with white nationalist groups in the US, including the California-based Rise Above Movement, whose members participated in 2017’s Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, but saw charges over their actions later dropped. In April 2018, RAM founder Robert Rundo visited Kyiv and took part in an Azov-organized fight club. That October, the FBI wrote that it believed Azov was involved in “training and radicalizing United States-based white supremacy organizations.”
Last month, Ukraine deported two American neo-Nazis associated with the US-based Atomwaffen Division who had attempted to set up a local branch of the group with Azov fighters to gain “combat experience.”
As Azov uses Facebook to expand beyond Ukraine’s borders, experts are growing concerned. “The use of violence and the possibility that they could muster large crowds of mostly young men ready to use violence, all of it facilitated by social media,” Schaaf said, “gives them power.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-17--Michelle Obama Called Out Donald And Melania Trump For Blocking Biden's Transition

Michelle Obama meets with Melania Trump for tea in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House , Nov. 10 , 2016 .
`` That wasn ’ t something I was ready to forgive , '' Obama said .
`` But I knew that , for the sake of our country , I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside . ''
In a lengthy Instagram post on Monday , Obama wrote about how she welcomed Donald and Melania Trump to the White House in 2016 despite the fact that Donald Trump had `` spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put my family in danger . ''
Former first lady Michelle Obama excoriated President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for refusing to behave `` maturely '' and blocking the smooth transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden .
Obama said she and Barack Obama instructed their staff to do what `` George and Laura Bush had done for us : run a respectful , seamless transition of power—one of the hallmarks of American democracy . ''
In a direct admonition of Melania Trump 's behavior in not reaching out to Jill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tradition , Obama recalled how she welcomed Melania Trump into the White House in 2017 and `` talked with her about my experience , answering every question she had—from the heightened scrutiny that comes with being First Lady to what it ’ s like to raise kids in the White House . ''
Obama said they also invited Trump 's team to their offices and offered them `` detailed memos '' on what they had learned over then-president Barack Obama 's two terms .
`` I knew in my heart it was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much bigger than anybody ’ s ego , '' she wrote .
The former first lady also slammed Trump for refusing to accept that he lost the election and spreading `` groundless conspiracy theories , '' adding that he was putting `` the country ’ s health and security in danger . ''
More than a week after Biden received a historic number of votes to win a tight election , Trump and his cohort of loyal Republicans have refused to recognize the Democrats ' victory and have sought to undermine confidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baseless conspiracy theories .
Many of Trump 's supporters , including violent white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys , have organized rallies and `` Stop the Steal '' protests across the country .
A Trump-appointed administrator who heads the General Services Administration has so far blocked Biden 's transition team from accessing federal funds and facilities crucial to setting up his administration in January .
`` Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don ’ t like them or wish it had gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any one individual or any one party , '' Obama wrote in her Instagram post .
She urged the nation 's leaders to `` honor the electoral process '' and to do their part `` to encourage a smooth transition of power , just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history . ''

Obama said she and Barack Obama instructed their staff to do what "George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power—one of the hallmarks of American democracy."
In a direct admonition of Melania Trump's behavior in not reaching out to Jill Biden after the election, as is tradition, Obama recalled how she welcomed Melania Trump into the White House in 2017 and "talked with her about my experience, answering every question she had—from the heightened scrutiny that comes with being First Lady to what it’s like to raise kids in the White House."
Obama said they also invited Trump's team to their offices and offered them "detailed memos" on what they had learned over then-president Barack Obama's two terms.
"I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do—because our democracy is so much bigger than anybody’s ego," she wrote.
The former first lady also slammed Trump for refusing to accept that he lost the election and spreading "groundless conspiracy theories," adding that he was putting "the country’s health and security in danger."
More than a week after Biden received a historic number of votes to win a tight election, Trump and his cohort of loyal Republicans have refused to recognize the Democrats' victory and have sought to undermine confidence in the election through flimsy lawsuits and baseless conspiracy theories. Many of Trump's supporters, including violent white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys, have organized rallies and "Stop the Steal" protests across the country.
A Trump-appointed administrator who heads the General Services Administration has so far blocked Biden's transition team from accessing federal funds and facilities crucial to setting up his administration in January.
"Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like them or wish it had gone differently—the presidency doesn’t belong to any one individual or any one party," Obama wrote in her Instagram post.
She urged the nation's leaders to "honor the electoral process" and to do their part "to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history."


buzzfeed--2020-11-16--Facebook Has A Rule To Stop Calls To Arms. Moderators Didn't Enforce It Ahead Of The Kenosha Shootin

Facebook Has A Rule To Stop Calls To Arms. Moderators Didn't Enforce It Ahead Of The Kenosha Shootings.

A small memorial decorates a lamppost near where a 17-year-old shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber , two supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement , in Kenosha , Wisconsin , in August .
“ What we learned after Kenosha is that Facebook ’ s call to arms policy didn ’ t just fail , ” said Farhana Khera , the executive director of Muslim Advocates , a civil rights organization that pressured Facebook to create the rule .
“ It was never designed to function properly in the first place.
” BuzzFeed News has learned , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a separate year-old call to arms policy that specifically prohibited event pages from encouraging people to bring weapons to intimidate and harass vulnerable individuals .
Three sources familiar with the company ’ s content moderation practices told BuzzFeed News that Facebook had not instructed third-party content moderators to enforce a part of its call to arms policy that was first established in June 2019 .
In August , following a Facebook event at which two protesters were shot and killed in Kenosha , Wisconsin , Mark Zuckerberg called the company ’ s failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ militant attendees to bring weapons “ an operational mistake .
” There had been a new policy established earlier that month “ to restrict ” the ability of right-wing militants to post or organize in groups , Facebook ’ s CEO said , and under that rule , the event page should have been removed .
Facebook ’ s lack of enforcement around its call to arms policy exacerbated its failure to prevent violence in Kenosha , where , on the night of Aug. 25 , armed right-wing militants heeded a call on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a 29-year-old Black man , Jacob Blake .
It also shows that while Facebook touts its stated policies , its enforcement of those rules can be haphazard and hamstrung by internal restrictions that render its army of contract moderators unable to act in the face of dangerous content and organizations .
On Monday , 15 Democratic senators sent a letter to Zuckerberg that condemned Facebook for its abetting of violence and hate speech against Muslims , as well as its failure to enforce the call to arms policy .
The year-old rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure from Muslim advocacy groups , which since 2015 had flagged multiple instances where organizers of Facebook events had advocated for followers to bring weapons to mosques and other places of worship .
“ We understand that the contractors who review user-reported content are not instructed to enforce a core component of the call to arms policy , ” Sens .
Chris Coons , Elizabeth Warren , Bernie Sanders , and others wrote to Zuckerberg .
“ It is not apparent that Facebook ensures meaningful enforcement of this policy , and that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the condition of anonymity told BuzzFeed News that after discussions with Facebook , they learned that the company only selectively enforced its call to arms policy .
If , for example , an event page specifically asked people to bring guns to a place of worship or other high-risk locations , a third-party content moderator had the ability to disable that event .
If , however , an event page asked people to bring guns but didn ’ t explicitly intimidate a protected group or target a high-risk area , third-party moderators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the page , those people said .
“ Our global team of content reviewers are trained to enforce our policies including against hate speech , violence and incitement and dangerous organizations , but certain elements of our policies require additional context and expertise to enforce and in those cases , it is our specialized teams that review this content and take action accordingly , ” said Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois .
She did not specifically say why the company ’ s `` specialized teams '' did not take action on the posts calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company ?
We ’ d love to hear from you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
The lack of enforcement on a portion of the call to arms policy , which was introduced in June 2019 as the company was undergoing a civil rights audit , is part of the reason why the Kenosha Facebook event stayed online long after it led to the shooting deaths of two protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook users had flagged the event page , “ Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property , ” 455 times ahead of its start date on the night of Aug. 25 , but four moderators had deemed it “ non-violating ” of any Facebook rules .
During a companywide meeting in late August following the night of violence , Zuckerberg acknowledged the company had made a mistake in not taking the event down sooner , particularly because it violated a rule labeling right-wing militant groups as “ Dangerous Individuals and Organizations ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company did not catch the page despite user reports , Zuckerberg said , because the complaints had been sent to content moderation contractors who were not versed in “ how certain militias ” operate .
“ On second review , doing it more sensitively , the team that was responsible for dangerous organizations recognized that this violated the policies and we took it down.
” Zuckerberg made no mention of the call to arms policy , part of which Facebook had not instructed moderators to enforce , according to Khera .
She told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths in Kenosha , Muslim Advocates held a call with members of Facebook ’ s policy , content , and dangerous organizations teams to understand what had happened .
“ Based on Facebook ’ s response , it became clear not only that the call to arms policy should have applied to the Kenosha Guard event page , but also that the people whose job was to receive complaints about the page were not trained to enforce the policy and did not know they were supposed to escalate complaints about a call to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As a result , when the complaints started coming in about Kenosha , the content reviewers effectively denied them and did not escalate anything.
” Facebook is now facing a lawsuit from Black Lives Matter protesters and the partner of a man who was killed in Kenosha .
That suit , which was filed in September in Wisconsin federal courts , argues that Facebook was negligent in allowing the militant group Kenosha Guard to persist on its platform and ultimately create an event page .
In previous statements , Facebook said the alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kenosha Guard ’ s event and did not follow its page .
It remains unclear if he viewed the page or otherwise knew about the event .
“ It seems like only a matter of time before this happens again , ” said Joan Donovan , the research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media , Politics and Public Policy .
“ Facebook must confront its business model that favors scale over public health and well-being .
”

Facebook’s lack of enforcement around its call to arms policy exacerbated its failure to prevent violence in Kenosha, where, on the night of Aug. 25, armed right-wing militants heeded a call on Facebook to counterprotests against the police shooting of a 29-year-old Black man, Jacob Blake. It also shows that while Facebook touts its stated policies, its enforcement of those rules can be haphazard and hamstrung by internal restrictions that render its army of contract moderators unable to act in the face of dangerous content and organizations.
On Monday, 15 Democratic senators sent a letter to Zuckerberg that condemned Facebook for its abetting of violence and hate speech against Muslims, as well as its failure to enforce the call to arms policy. The year-old rule was created in large part due to pressure from Muslim advocacy groups, which since 2015 had flagged multiple instances where organizers of Facebook events had advocated for followers to bring weapons to mosques and other places of worship.
“We understand that the contractors who review user-reported content are not instructed to enforce a core component of the call to arms policy,” Sens. Chris Coons, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and others wrote to Zuckerberg. “It is not apparent that Facebook ensures meaningful enforcement of this policy, and that is not acceptable.”
Two sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity told BuzzFeed News that after discussions with Facebook, they learned that the company only selectively enforced its call to arms policy. If, for example, an event page specifically asked people to bring guns to a place of worship or other high-risk locations, a third-party content moderator had the ability to disable that event.
If, however, an event page asked people to bring guns but didn’t explicitly intimidate a protected group or target a high-risk area, third-party moderators could not take action or rule against the page, those people said.
“Our global team of content reviewers are trained to enforce our policies including against hate speech, violence and incitement and dangerous organizations, but certain elements of our policies require additional context and expertise to enforce and in those cases, it is our specialized teams that review this content and take action accordingly,” said Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois.
She did not specifically say why the company’s "specialized teams" did not take action on the posts calling for people to bring weapons to Kenosha.
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
The lack of enforcement on a portion of the call to arms policy, which was introduced in June 2019 as the company was undergoing a civil rights audit, is part of the reason why the Kenosha Facebook event stayed online long after it led to the shooting deaths of two protesters. As BuzzFeed News previously reported, Facebook users had flagged the event page, “Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property,” 455 times ahead of its start date on the night of Aug. 25, but four moderators had deemed it “non-violating” of any Facebook rules.
During a companywide meeting in late August following the night of violence, Zuckerberg acknowledged the company had made a mistake in not taking the event down sooner, particularly because it violated a rule labeling right-wing militant groups as “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” for their celebrations of violence.
The company did not catch the page despite user reports, Zuckerberg said, because the complaints had been sent to content moderation contractors who were not versed in “how certain militias” operate. “On second review, doing it more sensitively, the team that was responsible for dangerous organizations recognized that this violated the policies and we took it down.”
Zuckerberg made no mention of the call to arms policy, part of which Facebook had not instructed moderators to enforce, according to Khera. She told BuzzFeed News that shortly after the shooting deaths in Kenosha, Muslim Advocates held a call with members of Facebook’s policy, content, and dangerous organizations teams to understand what had happened.
“Based on Facebook’s response, it became clear not only that the call to arms policy should have applied to the Kenosha Guard event page, but also that the people whose job was to receive complaints about the page were not trained to enforce the policy and did not know they were supposed to escalate complaints about a call to arms,” Khera said. “As a result, when the complaints started coming in about Kenosha, the content reviewers effectively denied them and did not escalate anything.”
Facebook is now facing a lawsuit from Black Lives Matter protesters and the partner of a man who was killed in Kenosha. That suit, which was filed in September in Wisconsin federal courts, argues that Facebook was negligent in allowing the militant group Kenosha Guard to persist on its platform and ultimately create an event page.
In previous statements, Facebook said the alleged Kenosha shooter did not RSVP to the Kenosha Guard’s event and did not follow its page. It remains unclear if he viewed the page or otherwise knew about the event.
“It seems like only a matter of time before this happens again,” said Joan Donovan, the research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. “Facebook must confront its business model that favors scale over public health and well-being.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-16--Former President Obama Joked About What Michelle Would Do If He Joined Joe Biden's Cabinet, And I'm

Former President Obama Joked About What Michelle Would Do If He Joined Joe Biden's Cabinet, And I'm Chuckling

In an interview with Gayle King for CBS Sunday Morning , the former president said that while he plans on @ @ @ @ @ , he will not be joining the administration in an official capacity .

In an interview with Gayle King for, the former president said that while he plans on helping Biden however he can, he will not be joining the administration in an official capacity.


buzzfeed--2020-11-16--Trump Accidentally Acknowledged Biden Won The Election — Then Tried To Take It Back

President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden defeated him in last week 's election , although the brief public recognition of reality appeared to be a slip of the tongue , rather than a formal concession .
More than a week after Biden was projected as the winner by most outlets , Trump posted on Twitter to continue his tirade of baseless conspiracy theories seeking to undermine confidence in the election .
Sharing a post from Jesse Watters in which the Fox News personality and Trump supporter seemed incredulous that Biden had won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won because the election was RIGGED . ''
Trump then again referred to a laundry list of nonsensical complaints related to the media , poll watchers , and ballot-counting software — all of which have been debunked as false .
Twitter subsequently applied a label to Trump 's tweet , noting his false claim about election fraud `` is disputed . ''
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Still , the tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those favoring the president — as Trump 's first admission of defeat .
`` Trump says for first time that Biden 'won , ' blaming 'rigged ' election , '' wrote FoxNews.com .
A short time later , Trump then wrote again on Twitter , attempting to clean up his previous tweet .
`` He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA .
I concede NOTHING ! ''
he wrote .
`` We have a long way to go .
This was a RIGGED ELECTION ! ''
Unable to prove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter fraud that would affect the result , Trump has instead routinely deployed the word `` rigged '' to cast vague aspersions and undermine public faith in the election .
His false claims appear to be working among his diehard supporters , tens of thousands of whom rallied in Washington , DC , on Saturday in protest at what they falsely claimed was a stolen election .
Ron Klain , Biden 's pick as chief of staff , told NBC on Sunday that Trump 's tweet was `` further confirmation of the reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not through any of the rest of that tweet — not through fraud or anything else the president is baselessly alleging . ''
`` If the president 's prepared to begin to recognize that reality , that 's positive , '' Klain said on Meet the Press .
`` Donald Trump 's Twitter feed does n't make Joe Biden president or not president .
The American people did that . ''
Asa Hutchinson , the Republican governor of Arkansas , also told Meet the Press that he welcomed Trump 's tweet .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next president of the United States , '' he said .
`` It was good , actually , to see President Trump tweet out that [ Biden ] won .
I think that 's a start of an acknowledgment . ''

President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden defeated him in last week's election, although the brief public recognition of reality appeared to be a slip of the tongue, rather than a formal concession.
More than a week after Biden was projected as the winner by most outlets, Trump posted on Twitter to continue his tirade of baseless conspiracy theories seeking to undermine confidence in the election.
Sharing a post from Jesse Watters in which the Fox News personality and Trump supporter seemed incredulous that Biden had won, the president wrote, "He won because the election was RIGGED."
Trump then again referred to a laundry list of nonsensical complaints related to the media, poll watchers, and ballot-counting software — all of which have been debunked as false.
Twitter subsequently applied a label to Trump's tweet, noting his false claim about election fraud "is disputed."
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
Still, the tweet was noted by news outlets — even those favoring the president — as Trump's first admission of defeat.
"Trump says for first time that Biden 'won,' blaming 'rigged' election," wrote FoxNews.com.
A short time later, Trump then wrote again on Twitter, attempting to clean up his previous tweet.
"He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING!" he wrote. "We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!"
Unable to prove any credible instances in court of mass voter fraud that would affect the result, Trump has instead routinely deployed the word "rigged" to cast vague aspersions and undermine public faith in the election. His false claims appear to be working among his diehard supporters, tens of thousands of whom rallied in Washington, DC, on Saturday in protest at what they falsely claimed was a stolen election.
Ron Klain, Biden's pick as chief of staff, told NBC on Sunday that Trump's tweet was "further confirmation of the reality that Joe Biden won the election and not through any of the rest of that tweet — not through fraud or anything else the president is baselessly alleging."
"If the president's prepared to begin to recognize that reality, that's positive," Klain said on Meet the Press. "Donald Trump's Twitter feed doesn't make Joe Biden president or not president. The American people did that."
Asa Hutchinson, the Republican governor of Arkansas, also told Meet the Press that he welcomed Trump's tweet.
"I expect Joe Biden to be the next president of the United States," he said. "It was good, actually, to see President Trump tweet out that [Biden] won. I think that's a start of an acknowledgment."