buzzfeed--2020-11-10--Here’s A Running List Of Debunked Postelection Rumors

After a grueling wait , former vice president Joe Biden won the US presidency on Saturday .
While the ballots were being counted , nearly three dozen separate hoaxes , largely about voter fraud , flooded the internet — the majority of them amplified by President Donald Trump ’ s team and family .
Despite the end of the election , new hoaxes are still coming , as the president and his supporters refuse to accept the legitimacy of the democratic process .
We ’ re going to be cataloging and debunking those viral pieces of disinformation in this post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your friends and family , take the time to verify it .
This can be as easy as checking how recently an account sharing the information was created , comparing the claim to what reputable news outlets are saying , searching online to find another source , or doing a reverse image search .
Remember that most false information comes in the form of photos and videos .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no concrete evidence either confirming or refuting them .
This type of claim has either no sources or no evidence , and is based on conjecture with no original reporting behind it .
Treat this kind of information with healthy skepticism and wait to see how it develops .
MISLEADING : Posts that take a real event out of context , for example : miscaptioning a video or photo .
This can also include images that are presented at a deceptive angle or descriptions that cherry-pick facts .
Avoid spreading or engaging with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reporters or reliable sources with direct knowledge have contradicted this information on the record , or it is refuted by unimpeachable evidence .
Examples include images or videos filmed at a different time or location but presented as recent , demonstrably false claims , and websites masquerading as news outlets publishing untrue information .
The Trump campaign tried to score a point against the press by printing a fake Washington Times cover from Nov. 8 , 2000 , declaring that Al Gore had won the presidency and plastering it on the walls of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greeting staff at @ TeamTrump HQ this morning , ” tweeted the campaign 's director of communications , Tim Murtaugh , who included a picture of the fake newspaper , headlined “ PRESIDENT GORE , ” as “ a reminder that the media doesn ’ t select the President.
” The Washington Times publicly called them out for it .
“ Those photos have been doctored .
The Washington Times never ran a ‘ President Gore ’ headline , ” the newspaper tweeted on Sunday .
Murtaugh has since deleted his tweet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dubious news about politicians published a story on Saturday that falsely claimed Sen. Mitt Romney had been offered a position in the Biden administration .
The Buffalo Chronicle cited unnamed “ sources ” to claim that Romney was invited to lead the Department of Health and Human Services .
The story also claimed Romney was likely to accept .
The false report was briefly picked up by the Daily Wire , a right-wing news site , which eventually deleted its story .
The Biden transition team has not made any public offers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a spokesperson for Romney , told BuzzFeed News that “ there ’ s no truth ” to the claim .
The Buffalo Chronicle repeatedly spread false stories about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before and during the country ’ s 2019 elections .
BuzzFeed News previously reported that the site ’ s publisher , Matthew Ricchiazzi , once told a US politician that he 'd publish `` negative articles about [ their ] opponents '' for $ 400 apiece .
A search of the news organization 's website showed that CNN did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was being considered as an adviser to Biden .
The tweet was posted by a pro-Trump account unaffiliated with any news organization or the Biden campaign .
`` That is a false tweet .
We did not report that information , '' a spokesperson for CNN confirmed .
A baseless conspiracy theory claims that secret computer systems called “ Hammer ” and “ Scorecard ” have been used to “ steal ” votes for Biden .
This theory relies on false information about voting machines , as well as false claims from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no proof that Hammer and Scorecard exist .
The right-wing news site American Report floated the theory on Oct. 31 , claiming that a “ supercomputer system ” called Hammer was being used in conjunction with software called Scorecard to “ steal ” votes in multiple swing states .
It falsely claimed this same system helped commit voter fraud in 2012 .
There is zero evidence to back any of this up , but it spread widely , including on Fox News .
Chris Krebs , the head of the US Cybersecurity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 that these claims were “ nonsense.
” “ I ’ m specifically referring to the Hammer and Scorecard nonsense .
It ’ s just that - nonsense .
This is not a real thing , don ’ t fall for it and think 2x before you share , ” tweeted Krebs .
The Hammer and Scorecard hoax is based on claims by Dennis Montgomery , a former government contractor who allegedly “ conned ” the Pentagon into paying millions of dollars for anti-terrorism technology that did not work .
“ Montgomery has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that fail to come true , ” reported Will Sommer of the Daily Beast .
“ As an intelligence contractor at the height of the War on Terror , Montgomery was behind what ’ s been called ‘ one of the most elaborate and dangerous hoaxes in American history , ’ churning out allegedly fictitious data that once prompted the Bush administration to consider shooting down airplanes.
” The story from the American Report also claimed that a voting technology company named VR Systems was part of the conspiracy .
It said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Georgia , Texas , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Michigan , Nevada and Arizona ...
In Florida , one of the transfer points is VR Systems Inc , based in Tallahassee.
” But as fact-checker Lead Stories reported , VR Systems does not make vote-counting machines , and its software isn ’ t being used in swing states such as Georgia , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Michigan , Arizona , or Nevada .

A baseless conspiracy theory claims that secret computer systems called “Hammer” and “Scorecard” have been used to “steal” votes for Biden. This theory relies on false information about voting machines, as well as false claims from a discredited former government contractor.
There is no proof that Hammer and Scorecard exist.
The right-wing news site American Report floated the theory on Oct. 31, claiming that a “supercomputer system” called Hammer was being used in conjunction with software called Scorecard to “steal” votes in multiple swing states. It falsely claimed this same system helped commit voter fraud in 2012. There is zero evidence to back any of this up, but it spread widely, including on Fox News.
Chris Krebs, the head of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said on Nov. 7 that these claims were “nonsense.”
“I’m specifically referring to the Hammer and Scorecard nonsense. It’s just that - nonsense. This is not a real thing, don’t fall for it and think 2x before you share,” tweeted Krebs.
The Hammer and Scorecard hoax is based on claims by Dennis Montgomery, a former government contractor who allegedly “conned” the Pentagon into paying millions of dollars for anti-terrorism technology that did not work.
“Montgomery has a long history of making outlandish claims that fail to come true,” reported Will Sommer of the Daily Beast. “As an intelligence contractor at the height of the War on Terror, Montgomery was behind what’s been called ‘one of the most elaborate and dangerous hoaxes in American history,’ churning out allegedly fictitious data that once prompted the Bush administration to consider shooting down airplanes.”
The story from the American Report also claimed that a voting technology company named VR Systems was part of the conspiracy. It said that “SCORECARD is stealing votes in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona... In Florida, one of the transfer points is VR Systems Inc, based in Tallahassee.”
But as fact-checker Lead Stories reported, VR Systems does not make vote-counting machines, and its software isn’t being used in swing states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, or Nevada.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Republican Women Had A Big Night In Congress, But Their Party Is Still Overwhelmingly Male

Republicans unexpectedly broke a record in the congressional elections , electing the largest number of new Republican women to Congress ever .
The Grand Old Party is still overwhelmingly male , however , especially in comparison to House Democrats , who have more than three times the number of women in Congress as Republicans do .
The victory was in the US House of Representatives , where , as of Monday , nonincumbent Republican women won a total of 13 elections to the House .
The previous record for the most nonincumbent Republican women winning House seats was nine in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outstanding as votes are still being counted , Republicans will now have at most eight women in the Senate ( a Georgia runoff in January will determine if Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler holds on to her seat ) , and at least 24 of their 198 seats in the House filled by women , nearly doubling the number of Republican women representatives currently in their seats , 13 .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in contrast , won only nine seats this election and lost five women incumbents , all of whom were elected in tough races in 2018 .
Still , Democrats will now have 87 women representatives in the House ( down from 89 ) , and 17 in the Senate .
Republicans lost one woman senator — Arizona ’ s Sen. Martha McSally was defeated by Democrat Mark Kelly — bringing their number of women senators to eight while Loeffler ’ s fate is unclear .
As of Monday , the number of Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but does not break , the record for the highest number of Republican women that have ever held seats in the House at the same time — that record was set in 2006 when Republican women held 25 seats in the House .
Two House Republican women were set to retire this year , vacating their seats , but Republican women lost no incumbent House seats to Democratic challengers this election .
These numbers could still change , however , as the final races are called .
Democrats are projected to retain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a slimmer majority , but Republicans could still see gains in the number of women in their ranks .
There are 19 races where the winner has not yet been called .
Of those races , seven more Republican women could claim seats , or nine more Democratic women could win ( only two of those races , in Texas and Iowa , feature a Democratic woman versus a Republican woman ) .
A week ahead of the election , Kelly Dittmar , the director of research for Rutgers University ’ s Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News that Republican women were likely to gain seats in the House , but she wasn ’ t sure they would gain this many .
“ My prediction going into Election Day was that Republican women only had a chance of breaking their record if it ’ s a good year for Republicans , if the environment is positive for Republicans in general , ” Dittmar told BuzzFeed News Wednesday morning .
“ But I was skeptical that the winds were shifting , all signs , surveys , and forecasts were pointing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans .
That turned out to be wrong.
” The key for the success of Republican women in particular , Dittmar said , is that the party just had more Republican women on the ballots in the first place .
“ There have been struggles for GOP in the past — even in good years for their party , there just have been barely any Republican women nominees , ” Dittmar said .
“ This year Republicans had a record number of women on the ballots to begin with .
… I guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before now.
” Five of the seats won by nonincumbent Republican women this election were in solidly Republican districts , but five more , who had been held by Democratic incumbents , were much less expected .
Florida Democrats took a hit when Maria Elvira Salazar defeated Rep. Donna Shalala in Florida ’ s 27th District in Miami , and Michelle Fischbach won by a large margin against Rep. Collin Peterson in Western Minnesota ’ s 7th District .
Ashley Hinson became the first Republican woman to represent Iowa in the House after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Abby Finkenauer .
( Iowa also has a Republican woman senator , Joni Ernst , who won reelection on Tuesday ) .
While Marjorie Taylor Greene ’ s win in Georgia ’ s hyper-conservative 14th District was expected ( her Democratic opponent dropped out ) , her election marks a turn into the depths of conspiracy theory for House Republicans .
Greene is a vocal supporter of QAnon , a collective delusion among Trump supporters that claims the president is fighting a satanic cabal of elite Democrats who abuse children .
Despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still grossly underrepresented .
According to the Pew Research Center , about 38 % of registered women voters in 2018 and 2019 identified as Republican , while only around 6 % of Republicans in the House were women at that time .
Democrats , on the other hand , saw historic gains in 2018 , bringing the number of Democratic women in the House to a record-breaking 89 of 232 Democrats .
While this still doesn ’ t match the 56 % of women Pew found leaned Democratic , it far outpaces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representation gap widens even more when looking at women of color .
There is only one Republican woman of color in the House , according to the Center for American Women and Politics .
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler , who is of Mexican descent , won reelection in Washington ’ s 3rd District this election .
This week Republicans added one more with Salazar winning in Florida .
She will be the third-ever Republican Latina elected to the House .
The most Republican women of color who have held seats simultaneously is three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could break that record as well this election .
Though their races have not yet been called , Young Kim and Michelle Steel in California could become the second and third Asian American Republican women to ever serve in the House .
The last Asian American Republican woman elected to the House represented Hawaii from 1987 to 1991 .
Republicans have only ever had one Black woman in the House : former Rep. Mia Love , who represented Utah ’ s 4th District before she lost her seat in 2018 .
Stephanie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and defeated Rep. Kendra Horn in Oklahoma ’ s 5th District , is the first Iranian American elected to Congress .
Yvette Herrell , who is a member of the Cherokee Nation , defied expectations in New Mexico defeating Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the 2nd District .
Both women told the Center for American Women and Politics this week that they identify as white , Dittmar told BuzzFeed News on Friday .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Democrats , on the other hand , have 43 women of color currently serving in the House , including three Asian Americans , seven Hispanic and Latina members , two Native American women , and 21 Black women .
When the next Congress starts in January , they will have 42 women of color .
“ What is important to remember is Republican women were starting at a deficit .
They began this election with far fewer women than their record , ” Dittmar said Wednesday .
“ Part of what this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could build back and regain what they had lost , and there are lots of positive signs that they ’ re doing the work to be able to take advantage of opportune moments like this and gain even more ground .
”

Five of the seats won by nonincumbent Republican women this election were in solidly Republican districts, but five more, who had been held by Democratic incumbents, were much less expected. Florida Democrats took a hit when Maria Elvira Salazar defeated Rep. Donna Shalala in Florida’s 27th District in Miami, and Michelle Fischbach won by a large margin against Rep. Collin Peterson in Western Minnesota’s 7th District. Ashley Hinson became the first Republican woman to represent Iowa in the House after winning its 1st Congressional District and defeating Rep. Abby Finkenauer. (Iowa also has a Republican woman senator, Joni Ernst, who won reelection on Tuesday). While Marjorie Taylor Greene’s win in Georgia’s hyper-conservative 14th District was expected (her Democratic opponent dropped out), her election marks a turn into the depths of conspiracy theory for House Republicans. Greene is a vocal supporter of QAnon, a collective delusion among Trump supporters that claims the president is fighting a satanic cabal of elite Democrats who abuse children.
Despite these wins, GOP women in Congress are still grossly underrepresented. According to the Pew Research Center, about 38% of registered women voters in 2018 and 2019 identified as Republican, while only around 6% of Republicans in the House were women at that time. Democrats, on the other hand, saw historic gains in 2018, bringing the number of Democratic women in the House to a record-breaking 89 of 232 Democrats. While this still doesn’t match the 56% of women Pew found leaned Democratic, it far outpaces Republican women’s representation.
The representation gap widens even more when looking at women of color. There is only one Republican woman of color in the House, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who is of Mexican descent, won reelection in Washington’s 3rd District this election. This week Republicans added one more with Salazar winning in Florida. She will be the third-ever Republican Latina elected to the House. The most Republican women of color who have held seats simultaneously is three, according to the center, but they could break that record as well this election.
Though their races have not yet been called, Young Kim and Michelle Steel in California could become the second and third Asian American Republican women to ever serve in the House. The last Asian American Republican woman elected to the House represented Hawaii from 1987 to 1991. Republicans have only ever had one Black woman in the House: former Rep. Mia Love, who represented Utah’s 4th District before she lost her seat in 2018.
Stephanie Bice, who flipped a Democratic seat and defeated Rep. Kendra Horn in Oklahoma’s 5th District, is the first Iranian American elected to Congress. Yvette Herrell, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation, defied expectations in New Mexico defeating Rep. Xochitl Torres Small in the 2nd District. Both women told the Center for American Women and Politics this week that they identify as white, Dittmar told BuzzFeed News on Friday.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Democrats, on the other hand, have 43 women of color currently serving in the House, including three Asian Americans, seven Hispanic and Latina members, two Native American women, and 21 Black women. When the next Congress starts in January, they will have 42 women of color.
“What is important to remember is Republican women were starting at a deficit. They began this election with far fewer women than their record,” Dittmar said Wednesday. “Part of what this year was for them is demonstrating they could build back and regain what they had lost, and there are lots of positive signs that they’re doing the work to be able to take advantage of opportune moments like this and gain even more ground.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Trump Announced That He Fired The Secretary Of Defense On Twitter

The sudden decision came during the final weeks of Trump 's presidency .
President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Monday , announcing the sudden shuffling of top national security officials during the final weeks of his term via Twitter .
`` I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller , the highly respected Director of National Counterterrorism Center ( unanimously confirmed by the Senate ) , will be Acting Secretary of Defense , effective immediately , '' Trump tweeted Monday .
`` Mark Esper has been terminated .
I would like to thank him for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acting defense secretary in June 2019 , but he reportedly caught the president 's ire after he publicly contradicted Trump in public in June , telling reporters at the Pentagon that troops should not be deployed inside the US to quell protests that had erupted over police killings of Black people .
Instead , Esper said the troops `` should only be used as a matter of last resort . ''
The comments clashed with Trump 's message on the campaign trail criticizing demonstrators and repeatedly threatening to deploy troops in response .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ official who spoke out against the president 's threat of using the military to strong-arm demonstrators against racial violence .
Gen. Mark A. Milley apologized to troops in June after he was seen walking across Lafayette Square in front of the White House for a photo op .
Just minutes earlier , police had beaten demonstrators and reporters and shot tear gas at a peaceful protest gathered in the square to clear a path for the president to walk to nearby St. John 's Episcopal Church to briefly pose in front of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's electoral defeat , NBC News reported that the secretary of defense had prepared a letter of resignation , yet it 's not uncommon for members of the cabinet to do so after an election .
Shortly after the report was published , however , the Pentagon stated that Esper had no plans to resign from his position .
In an interview with Military Times on Nov. 4 , but published after his firing was announced , Esper said he had no intention to resign , though he expected to be fired .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his term as secretary of defense , saying he tried to enact his vision despite tension with the White House and while `` preserving my integrity in the process . ''
Esper also pushed back against critics who had called him a yes-man in the administration , dubbing him `` yesper . ''
`` My frustration is I sit here and say , 'Hm , 18 cabinet members .
Who 's pushed back more than anybody .
Name another cabinet secretary that 's pushed back , '' Esper told the publication .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 'Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah , we have blah-blah-blah-blah ? '
“ At the end of the day , it ’ s as I said — you ’ ve got to pick your fights , ” he said .
“ I could have a fight over anything , and I could make it a big fight , and I could live with that —why ?
Who ’ s going to come in behind me ?
It ’ s going to be a real ‘ yes man.
’ And then God help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Esper 's firing seemed to signal that President Trump was `` intent on using his final days in office to sow chaos . ''
She also noted reports that Esper 's firing may have been in response to him pushing back against Trump 's desire to send troops into the streets to confront protesters .
`` It is concerning that reports show that his firing was an act fo retribution by the President , allegedly for Secretary Esper 's refusal to send active-duty military troops to crack down on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statement read .
`` Most disturbingly , however , the timing of the dismissal raises serious questions about Trump 's planned actions for the final days of his administration . ''
Other democratic legislators also blasted Trump 's decision Monday to fire Esper during his final days in the White House .

In an interview with Military Times on Nov. 4, but published after his firing was announced, Esper said he had no intention to resign, though he expected to be fired.
In the interview, Esper spoke about his term as secretary of defense, saying he tried to enact his vision despite tension with the White House and while "preserving my integrity in the process."
Esper also pushed back against critics who had called him a yes-man in the administration, dubbing him "yesper."
"My frustration is I sit here and say, 'Hm, 18 cabinet members. Who's pushed back more than anybody. Name another cabinet secretary that's pushed back," Esper told the publication. "Have you seen me on stage saying, 'Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?'
“At the end of the day, it’s as I said — you’ve got to pick your fights,” he said. “I could have a fight over anything, and I could make it a big fight, and I could live with that —why? Who’s going to come in behind me? It’s going to be a real ‘yes man.’ And then God help us.”
In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Esper's firing seemed to signal that President Trump was "intent on using his final days in office to sow chaos."
She also noted reports that Esper's firing may have been in response to him pushing back against Trump's desire to send troops into the streets to confront protesters.
"It is concerning that reports show that his firing was an act fo retribution by the President, allegedly for Secretary Esper's refusal to send active-duty military troops to crack down on peaceful demonstrations against police brutality," the statement read. "Most disturbingly, however, the timing of the dismissal raises serious questions about Trump's planned actions for the final days of his administration."
Other democratic legislators also blasted Trump's decision Monday to fire Esper during his final days in the White House.
"This isn't a reality show Mr. President," Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota tweeted.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--VR Furries Are Now Running Around The Four Seasons Total Landscaping

Four Seasons Total Landscaping , the Philadelphia business smack dab between a crematorium and a sex shop , is in @ @ @ @ @ soul of America .
It also happens to be the place where former New York @ @ @ @ @ supporters of President Donald Trump 's failed reelection campaign addressed the press after media outlets @ @ @ @ @ Democratic opponent Joe Biden .
Now , it exists in VR — complete with weathered @ @ @ @ @ 2020 podium .
And rejoicing furries .

Four Seasons Total Landscaping, the Philadelphia business smack dab between a crematorium and a sex shop, is in many ways the heart and soul of America.
It also happens to be the place where former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and other supporters of President Donald Trump's failed reelection campaign addressed the press after media outlets called the race for his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.
Now, it exists in VR — complete with weathered detailing and a last-minute Trump 2020 podium. And rejoicing furries.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Ben Carson Has The Coronavirus After Attending An Election Night Party At The White House

The second White House coronavirus cluster is growing with Ben Carson , the secretary of housing and urban development , testing positive for COVID-19 Monday .
ABC News reporter Katherine Faulders tweeted that Carson 's deputy chief of staff said the secretary is `` in good spirits & feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery . ''
Despite being a medical doctor and former neurosurgeon , as well as sitting on the White House coronavirus task force , Carson has actively flouted health warnings to wear a mask and socially distance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending multiple Trump campaign events and a maskless party at the White House on the night of the presidential election , which was won by Joe Biden .
Carson 's diagnosis comes just three days after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tested positive .
At least six Trump aides and officials have now tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days , the second wave of infection to hit the White House after the president , first lady , and more than 30 others were infected a month ago following a superspreader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amy Coney Barrett as a nominee to the Supreme Court .
When the president became sick , after actively flouting health regulations , he had access to a number of treatments not available to everyday citizens , including Regeneron ’ s REGN-COV2 , an antibody cocktail that only a handful of people had previously trialled .
Trump ally and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie , who also got sick at the White House super spreader event and was hospitalized , received the same VIP treatment and got REGN-COV2 .
It is unclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Carson appeared regularly without a mask at several preelection Trump campaign events , including a rally in Michigan on Oct. 30 and an indoor political fundraiser in Virginia on Oct. 19 , flouting local rules which insisted on masks being worn at indoor public events .
The third wave of the coronavirus is currently sweeping the country , with US cases nearing 10 million , hospitalizations hitting record numbers , and 237,000 Americans already killed by the virus .

The second White House coronavirus cluster is growing with Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, testing positive for COVID-19 Monday.
“Secretary Carson has tested positive for the coronavirus," said Deputy Chief of Staff Coalter Baker. "He is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery."
Despite being a medical doctor and former neurosurgeon, as well as sitting on the White House coronavirus task force, Carson has actively flouted health warnings to wear a mask and socially distance to stop the spread of the virus, attending multiple Trump campaign events and a maskless party at the White House on the night of the presidential election, which was won by Joe Biden.
Carson's diagnosis comes just three days after White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tested positive.
At least six Trump aides and officials have now tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, the second wave of infection to hit the White House after the president, first lady, and more than 30 others were infected a month ago following a superspreader event in the Rose Garden to announce Amy Coney Barrett as a nominee to the Supreme Court.
When the president became sick, after actively flouting health regulations, he had access to a number of treatments not available to everyday citizens, including Regeneron’s REGN-COV2, an antibody cocktail that only a handful of people had previously trialled. Trump ally and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who also got sick at the White House super spreader event and was hospitalized, received the same VIP treatment and got REGN-COV2. It is unclear which therapeutics or medications Carson has received.
Carson appeared regularly without a mask at several preelection Trump campaign events, including a rally in Michigan on Oct. 30 and an indoor political fundraiser in Virginia on Oct. 19, flouting local rules which insisted on masks being worn at indoor public events.
The third wave of the coronavirus is currently sweeping the country, with US cases nearing 10 million, hospitalizations hitting record numbers, and 237,000 Americans already killed by the virus.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--All The Celebrities Were Out Celebrating Joe Biden And Kamala Harris's Election Win

And even if they could n't get out of the house , some found ways to party anyway — like @ @ @ @ @ down the street in her PJs and threw a one-woman party in Boston .

And even if they couldn't get out of the house, some found ways to party anyway — like Jennifer Lawrence, who ran down the street in her PJs and threw a one-woman party in Boston.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Selena Gomez Sang "Party In The U.S.A." To Celebrate Joe Biden And Kamala Harris's Historic Win

A week ago , Selena revealed that the 2020 election was her first time voting ever .
`` Honestly , @ @ @ @ @ say this , '' she said , before adding , `` I was dealing with @ @ @ @ @ issues and I did n't get the opportunity to vote ... Voting is something we @ @ @ @ @ And it 's never been more important . ''

A week ago, Selena revealed that the 2020 election was her first time voting ever. "Honestly, I'm not ashamed to say this," she said, before adding, "I was dealing with a lot of mental health issues and I didn't get the opportunity to vote... Voting is something we should make time for. And it's never been more important."


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Trump's Campaign Shared Fake News (Literally) To Justify Its Lies About The Election Result

`` We also wish to add that Mr. Murtaugh has been officially notified via email about this error , '' the Times added .
The Washington Times later replied to Murtaugh 's tweet , saying that the image was `` doctored , '' and that the newspaper `` never ran a 'President Gore ' headline . ''
There was just one problem : The front page was a complete fabrication .
Trump staff had apparently printed out the front page and plastered it all over their office kitchen as some form of motivation to keep fighting against the media 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College .
In his tweet , Murtaugh wrote , `` Greeting staff at @ TeamTrump HQ this morning , a reminder that the media does n't select the President . ''
In the tweet , which has since been deleted , Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh shared photos of a fabricated Washington Times ' newspaper front page with the headline `` President Gore . ''
As President Donald Trump continues spreading lies about the election result , his campaign spokesperson posted a fake front page on Twitter on Sunday suggesting that news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gore the winner of the 2000 presidential election .
Murtaugh and the Times did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News ' requests for comment .
The fake front page , which includes the text of the actual story printed by the Washington Times on Nov. 8 , 2000 ( which said that George W. Bush had defeated Gore ) , appears to have been originally posted in 2010 on the website DeviantArt.com .
During what was a chaotic election night in 2000 , major news networks initially named Gore the projected winner of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retracted that call and projected that Bush had won the state and the presidency .
But after it became clear the race was too close to call , networks again retracted their projection .
Bush ultimately won Florida and the presidency after a Supreme Court decision ended a recount in the state .
Unlike 20 years ago , networks and news outlets did not project a winner on election night this year .
Instead , due to an unprecedented number of voters casting ballots by mail , they waited until Saturday morning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump could not overcome the Democratic nominee 's widening margin in the state of Pennsylvania , which , with its 20 electoral votes , pushed him over the 270 electoral-vote benchmark needed to win the presidency .
Since Election Day and even after Biden was named the winner , Trump has falsely claimed victory and alleged a widespread conspiracy to steal the election from him , as part of a monthslong effort to undermine the election and democracy .
While it takes weeks to certify the results of an election ( and Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until the Electoral College votes on Dec. 14 ) , the vote counts released by election officials are clear : Biden will be the next president of the United States .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Earlier Sunday , former president Bush issued a statement saying that he had called both Biden and Vice President–elect Kamala Harris to congratulate them , adding that the election results were `` clear .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , your vote counted , '' Bush said , adding that Trump has `` the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges , and any unresolved issues will be properly adjudicated . ''
Still , he said , `` The American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair , its integrity will be upheld , and its outcome is clear . ''
In another now-deleted tweet , Rep. Paul Gosar , a Republican from Arizona who has supported Trump 's lies about the election , called Bush an “ @ @ @ @ @ @

As President Donald Trump continues spreading lies about the election result, his campaign spokesperson posted a fake front page on Twitter on Sunday suggesting that news outlets incorrectly named former vice president Al Gore the winner of the 2000 presidential election.
In the tweet, which has since been deleted, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh shared photos of a fabricated Washington Times' newspaper front page with the headline "President Gore."
In his tweet, Murtaugh wrote, "Greeting staff at @TeamTrump HQ this morning, a reminder that the media doesn't select the President."
Trump staff had apparently printed out the front page and plastered it all over their office kitchen as some form of motivation to keep fighting against the media's project of Joe Biden winning the Electoral College.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
There was just one problem: The front page was a complete fabrication.
The Washington Times later replied to Murtaugh's tweet, saying that the image was "doctored," and that the newspaper "never ran a 'President Gore' headline."
"We also wish to add that Mr. Murtaugh has been officially notified via email about this error," the Times added.


buzzfeed--2020-11-10--Here's How Newspapers Across The US And Around The World Covered Biden's Win (And Trump's Loss)

David Mack is a deputy director of breaking news for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York .
Got @ @ @ @ @ it here .

Here's How Newspapers Across The US And Around The World Covered Biden's Win (And Trump's Loss)
Biden defeating Trump was front-page news from Iowa to Alaska to Japan.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Here's Everything "SNL" Had To Say About The 2020 Election In Last Night's Highly Anticipated Episod

Here's Everything "SNL" Had To Say About The 2020 Election In Last Night's Highly Anticipated Episode

Given all the chaos — and potential material — that has happened in the past 24 hours alone , fans @ @ @ @ @ the crew would put together for this highly anticipated episode .
Lucky for you , @ @ @ @ @ right here .
Let 's get into it !

Given all the chaos — and potential material — that has happened in the past 24 hours alone, fans were buzzing to see what the crew would put together for this highly anticipated episode. Lucky for you, I've got the answers right here. Let's get into it!


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Just Electing Joe Biden Won’t Stop The Coronavirus Pandemic

Doctors and scientists expect a night-and-day difference in how the Biden administration will seek to handle the coronavirus .
Is it too late ?
More masks , more tests , more scientists : Joe Biden ’ s victory in the presidential election will flip the United States ’ coronavirus pandemic response to what doctors and scientists hope will be a long-overdue , full-throated , nationally coordinated effort that will save lives .
But the president-elect is being handed an unprecedented health crisis with no easy fixes .
On his predecessor ’ s watch , the coronavirus infected upwards of 9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Access to a vaccine is likely months away .
Public confidence in federal health agencies has eroded .
Cases , hospitalizations , and deaths are surging across the country , more than two months before Biden will take office .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
And despite winning the election , Biden will need to persuade the 70 million-plus people who voted for Trump to accept his more aggressive strategy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief funding he ’ ll want to pass to boost the economy will depend on a deeply divided Congress , with control of the Senate resting in the hands of Georgia voters in a double runoff in January .
But with Biden in charge , the country at least has a chance of containing the outbreak , according to medical experts .
They expect to see a night-and-day difference between him and President Donald Trump , who told the world not to fear the virus even when he was infected with it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly of banking on a vaccine while giving up on preventing or slowing infections , flouting the guidance of his own top federal health officials .
In contrast , Biden “ respects scientists , he respects doctors , ” Eric Topol , a cardiologist at the Scripps Translational Science Institute , told BuzzFeed News .
“ That ’ s something that will be refreshing , for sure.
” “ Our work begins with getting COVID under control , ” Biden said in his victory speech in Wilmington , Delaware , on Saturday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economy directly to stopping the spread of the virus , a contrast with Trump ’ s embrace of reopening businesses even as pandemic case numbers surged .
A nationally coordinated approach like the one Biden proposed during the campaign , “ will make a world of difference , ” said Amesh Adalja , an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security who spoke to reporters ahead of the election .
Biden ’ s seven-point plan essentially flips the US coronavirus response from Trump ’ s state-led one to a central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive-thru testing nationwide , using wartime powers to manufacture enough medical equipment for vulnerable people , and injecting another $ 25 billion into manufacturing and distributing vaccines .
It also calls for implementing a nationwide mask mandate that could save about 70,000 lives and establishing a public health corps that would employ 100,000 Americans as contact tracers .
He has said he ’ ll return the federal response to one driven by scientists — quickly naming cabinet officials for federal agencies central to the pandemic response as well as a 12-person coronavirus task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exceeding 100,000 a day , Biden will face a series of immense challenges following his inauguration .
`` The country is behind the eight ball right now because everything has been so messed up , '' said Nicole Lurie , a former HHS official at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations .
( Lurie has been a pandemic adviser to the Biden campaign but said that she does not speak on its behalf . )
“ The challenge in this whole tragedy will be helping people understand that their individual behavior helps coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she added .
“ They go together.
” Esther Choo , an emergency physician and a professor at Oregon Health and Science University , said the administration ’ s goal should be “ retooling conversations so that it is not a conversation about what one party believes or the other party believes , but is focused in the data in a way that it has always been in previous pandemics.
” As people head indoors for winter during the remaining two months of Trump ’ s tenure , the death toll in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , according to pandemic modeler Ali Mokdad of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington .
“ The public needs to be more vigilant to take care of our loved ones , ” Mokdad said in a recent briefing held by the Infectious Diseases Society of America .
“ The US is languishing in this pandemic because of a failed , and sometimes completely absent , federal response , ” pediatrician Rhea Boyd said by email .
“ There is no escaping that fact , especially as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparable resources to ours and some with less , successfully navigate their way through this international crisis with far fewer cases and deaths.
” Biden faces the enormous task of regaining the public ’ s trust after an election that spun basic medical questions , from the usefulness of masks to the dangers of prescribing unvetted drugs , into points of political tribalism .
Abetted by advisers like neuroradiologist Scott Atlas , Trump flouted mask-wearing and social distancing , and expressed an openness to the controversial strategy of fully reopening society and letting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I hope that trust will come back from the general public — it ’ s going to be a really steep hill to climb , ” said Angela Rasmussen , a virologist at Columbia University .
“ This is definitely not going to happen overnight even if the CDC , on night one , issues clear and consistent guidelines.
” Ideally , Topol said , a Biden administration would demonstrate a commitment to transparency by holding daily press briefings with the heads of the key health agencies and career scientists like Anthony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ berated .
“ On day one , we have the science and public health experts call all the shots , ” Topol said .
The Trump administration made vaccines a central part of its strategy , overpromising on both their timing and efficacy .
Now , a Biden administration faces the prospect of telling the public that vaccines will likely be , at best , 70 % effective at blocking the disease .
A vaccine is not expected to be available for the vast majority of Americans until the middle of next year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Amanda Cohn warned an agency advisory panel that a vaccine was “ not a panacea.
” And getting the vaccine to everyone who needs one will be an enormous challenge .
When vaccines begin rolling out , they will need to conquer logistical hurdles , such as national distribution and low-temperature storage requirements .
During the campaign , Trump took shots at Biden for how he handled the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic as vice president .
Only around 23 % of adults ended up getting an H1N1 flu vaccine , serving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust in the coronavirus vaccine plummeted this summer , convincing people to get their shot — and , in the case of the two-shot vaccines , to come back for their second dose — will be difficult .
“ There are some hardcore people who don ’ t want a vaccine , ” said Ezekiel Emanuel , a health adviser to the Biden campaign and a former adviser to the Obama administration .
“ But the real target is people who are wavering and uncertain because of the way that the FDA has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think once the public is convinced the Biden administration is not doing that , they 'll have a very different response.
” ( Emanuel , who spoke to BuzzFeed News prior to the election , will reportedly be part of the president-elect ’ s coronavirus transition task force . )
Biden ’ s campaign promise for a national mask mandate will also face steep challenges .
Americans are intensely divided by party in how they see the pandemic , with Republicans expressing 92 % of the “ skepticism or opposition ” to masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey .
Whether the president can even order a national mask mandate is an open question , the Congressional Research Service reported in a legal analysis in August .
“ Depending on the scope of a direct federal mask mandate , ” it concluded , “ there may not be an existing federal mechanism suitable to enforce it.
” Many of Biden ’ s coronavirus strategies are also contingent on funding that will require cooperation from Congress .
If the Democrats fail to seize the Senate , Biden ’ s plan will likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding .
At stake is a $ 2 trillion sequel to 2020 coronavirus stimulus funding that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell opposed in the run-up to the election , and then said he supported earlier this week while election results were up in the air .
A decade ago , McConnell blocked expanding stimulus funding , despite a deep , painful recession , and health experts fear a repeat of this scenario .
“ Sen .
McConnell has no real interest in ending the pandemic , addressing the social and economic crisis that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s blocked any robust efforts coming out of the House for months now , ” Gregg Gonsalves , an infectious diseases expert at Yale , told BuzzFeed News .
“ He is all about power , amassing it for his party at all costs.
” In the absence of more stimulus funding to support workers staying at home , more businesses will be forced to open and at-risk employees will have to choose between getting evicted and risking infection .
Those conditions will make the virus more likely to spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health agencies entrusted with asking so much of people , if they ’ re not going to have the support they need to get through that , ” Rasmussen said .
Lurie said she expected the new administration to make bipartisan outreach efforts , based on Biden ’ s and Vice President–elect Kamala Harris ’ s histories in office .
“ I think you will see governors , mayors , all kinds of elected officials will welcome more federal help , ” she said .
“ People everywhere are really tired of @ @ @ @

More masks, more tests, more scientists: Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election will flip the United States’ coronavirus pandemic response to what doctors and scientists hope will be a long-overdue, full-throated, nationally coordinated effort that will save lives.
But the president-elect is being handed an unprecedented health crisis with no easy fixes. On his predecessor’s watch, the coronavirus infected upwards of 9 million Americans and killed more than 237,000. Access to a vaccine is likely months away. Public confidence in federal health agencies has eroded. Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging across the country, more than two months before Biden will take office.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
And despite winning the election, Biden will need to persuade the 70 million-plus people who voted for Trump to accept his more aggressive strategy to combat the pandemic. Any COVID relief funding he’ll want to pass to boost the economy will depend on a deeply divided Congress, with control of the Senate resting in the hands of Georgia voters in a double runoff in January.
But with Biden in charge, the country at least has a chance of containing the outbreak, according to medical experts. They expect to see a night-and-day difference between him and President Donald Trump, who told the world not to fear the virus even when he was infected with it. The Trump administration’s strategy consisted mostly of banking on a vaccine while giving up on preventing or slowing infections, flouting the guidance of his own top federal health officials.
In contrast, Biden “respects scientists, he respects doctors,” Eric Topol, a cardiologist at the Scripps Translational Science Institute, told BuzzFeed News. “That’s something that will be refreshing, for sure.”
“Our work begins with getting COVID under control,” Biden said in his victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night. He linked recovery of the US economy directly to stopping the spread of the virus, a contrast with Trump’s embrace of reopening businesses even as pandemic case numbers surged.
A nationally coordinated approach like the one Biden proposed during the campaign, “will make a world of difference,” said Amesh Adalja, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security who spoke to reporters ahead of the election.
Biden’s seven-point plan essentially flips the US coronavirus response from Trump’s state-led one to a central federal effort. It calls for doubling drive-thru testing nationwide, using wartime powers to manufacture enough medical equipment for vulnerable people, and injecting another $25 billion into manufacturing and distributing vaccines. It also calls for implementing a nationwide mask mandate that could save about 70,000 lives and establishing a public health corps that would employ 100,000 Americans as contact tracers. He has said he’ll return the federal response to one driven by scientists — quickly naming cabinet officials for federal agencies central to the pandemic response as well as a 12-person coronavirus task force.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Trump Screwed The US On Climate Change. Can Biden Save It?

Joe Biden , who ran on the most progressive climate platform ever in a US presidential election , just won the presidency .
Now converting that platform into meaningful action could prove his administration ’ s toughest challenge .
The reality of the climate situation is grim .
Even before Donald Trump took office , the world was hurtling toward catastrophic warming .
His actions as US president made things worse .
Carbon dioxide and methane levels in the atmosphere are soaring .
There ’ s been more than 1 degree Celsius of warming since the 19th century and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more degrees by the century ’ s end .
Wildfires and other disasters are getting more common and intense .
And people across the country , from California to Texas , are already paying the price for inaction with their homes , their health , and their lives .
Biden faces a steep uphill battle to undo Trump ’ s environmental policies and roll out an ambitious $ 2 trillion climate plan to transition toward renewable energy , tackle environmental justice , and cut climate pollution .
And he ’ ll have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic that has killed more than 230,000 people and cratered the economy .
And even if the Democrats win the two remaining seats in Georgia ’ s runoff in January , Congress is deeply divided — making it extremely unlikely he ’ ll be able to achieve all that he wants .
Pushing forward with Biden ’ s climate plan will require executive orders , new regulation , and , most importantly , groundbreaking legislation to reinvent America ’ s energy infrastructure .
But there ’ s little chance of new , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ’ s watch , and the Republican Senate could also drag its feet on confirming key Biden administration officials , including cabinet members and the administrator of the EPA .
“ I would urge everyone who cares about climate change to be realistic about what ’ s achievable in the first few years of a Biden administration because he ’ s cleaning up Trump ’ s mess and getting us back on track , ” Kim Carnahan , formerly the State Department ’ s chief climate negotiator under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carnahan left the administration earlier this year . )
By one estimate calculated by the research and policy firm Rhodium Group , these rollbacks have the potential to generate 1.75 billion US tons more of climate pollution into the atmosphere by 2035 than if the original rules had stayed in effect .
“ The cumulative impact of the standards and regulations that we ’ ve modeled is pretty big , ” said Rhodium climate researcher Hannah Pitt .
But she added that not all of Trump ’ s devastating impacts are so easy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not captured in the Rhodium analysis include those that irreparably harm the environment .
Trump approved the Dakota Access pipeline and Keystone XL pipeline , two oil pipelines that drew significant opposition from landowners and Indigenous communities , both currently being challenged in court .
He opened up Alaska ’ s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , the largest stretch of wilderness in the US , to oil and gas development and he slashed the size of Utah ’ s Bears Ears National Monument to boost fossil fuel extraction .
The administration also aggressively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that affect the daily lives of Americans : narrowing the purview of the Clean Water Act , rejecting scientists ’ recommendations to strengthen air pollution standards for soot and smog , and rolling back rules designed to make chemical plants and offshore drilling safer for workers .
“ The Trump administration has comprehensively attempted to dial back climate protections , ” said Gerrard , adding that many of the rollbacks have been struck down in court .
According to a review by the Washington Post , at least 89 of Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , the administration has received 17 favorable judgments , including the rollback of a rule requiring oil and gas companies to reduce their natural gas flaring on public lands , and 37 unfavorable ones , such as the administration ’ s unlawful hold on rules mandating that air conditioners and other products use less energy .
As it became clear the election was turning in his favor , on Friday Biden tweeted about how voters “ have given us a mandate for action on COVID and the economy and climate change and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economic damage caused by the pandemic while tackling climate change in a way “ that will put the United States on an irreversible path to achieve net-zero emissions , economy-wide , by no later than 2050.
” Some of his other climate promises included creating millions of well-paying jobs in clean energy and infrastructure , having a carbon-pollution-free power sector by 2035 , securing benefits for coal miners and others who have lost jobs due to the transition away from fossil fuels , boosting funding for agencies to clean up pollution in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and establishing an Environmental and Climate Justice Division in the Justice Department to hold polluters accountable .
Part of Biden ’ s vision can be achieved through executive orders and new regulations .
But after four years of Trump , the EPA , Interior , and Energy Department have lost much of their scientific expertise .
“ It will take time to rebuild agencies , just to be in a place to issue regulations , ” said Robert Brulle , a sociologist with the Institute at Brown for Environment & Society .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoe.
” For some activists , that ’ s the path the president should take .
“ Joe Biden has a mandate to act , ” Jamal Raad , cofounder of the climate policy and advocacy group Evergreen Action , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ He does n't have to wait for GOP Senators owned by the fossil fuel industry to get on board . ''
Such moves , similar to the path taken by former president Barack Obama , could be vulnerable to the whims of another hostile administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan would involve securing cooperation from Congress and passing sweeping legislation , which seems unlikely .
But Curt Spalding , Obama ’ s former EPA Region 1 head , isn ’ t precluding the possibility of a new coronavirus relief package in Congress offering an upcoming opportunity to slip in some climate measures .
Biden is “ a person of the Senate who loves the Senate , ” Spalding said .
“ He may well be able to pull something together.
” But congressional Democrats representing states and districts with fossil fuel interests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Democratic Party is not unified , ” David Victor , a specialist in climate policy at the University of California , San Diego , told BuzzFeed News .
“ There ’ s a world of difference between running for office and actually governing.
” Similar divisions within Democratic ranks stymied efforts to pass comprehensive climate legislation in the first two years of Barack Obama ’ s presidency , before the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections .
Back then , the fossil fuel industry launched a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Brulle , the sociologist at Brown , expects a similar effort this time around .
“ Stand by for a major offensive , ” he said .
Meanwhile , Trump ’ s presidency also helped spur a groundswell of climate advocacy , particularly among young people , determined to push lawmakers to take action on climate .
One such group representing these newer activists , Sunrise Movement , convinced Democratic members of Congress to support the Green New Deal after the 2018 midterms and backed Biden only after he secured the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is prepared to push his administration and members of Congress to take aggressive environmental action .
“ We delivered for Biden , now it ’ s his time to deliver for us , '' Varshini Prakash , cofounder of the Sunrise Movement , said in a statement .
`` He ran as the climate candidate , and he must govern as the climate president .
There ’ s no time to waste , and we can ’ t afford to spend another four years twiddling our thumbs in the face of Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his power and use every tool at his disposal to immediately address the climate crisis . ''
The rest of the environmental movement is ready to fight , too .
“ [ Biden ] got the most votes of any candidate in the history of our country .
Most ambitious plan , most votes ever , ” Gene Karpinski , president of the League of Conservation Voters , said on a press call .
He added that a big coalition of those voters “ made clear again and again and again that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now.
” “ So we ’ re all-in to make sure that happens , ” Karpinski said .

As it became clear the election was turning in his favor, on Friday Biden tweeted about how voters “have given us a mandate for action on COVID and the economy and climate change and systemic racism.”
Biden campaigned on repairing the economic damage caused by the pandemic while tackling climate change in a way “that will put the United States on an irreversible path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050.”
Some of his other climate promises included creating millions of well-paying jobs in clean energy and infrastructure, having a carbon-pollution-free power sector by 2035, securing benefits for coal miners and others who have lost jobs due to the transition away from fossil fuels, boosting funding for agencies to clean up pollution in low-income communities and communities of color, and establishing an Environmental and Climate Justice Division in the Justice Department to hold polluters accountable.
Part of Biden’s vision can be achieved through executive orders and new regulations. But after four years of Trump, the EPA, Interior, and Energy Department have lost much of their scientific expertise. “It will take time to rebuild agencies, just to be in a place to issue regulations,” said Robert Brulle, a sociologist with the Institute at Brown for Environment & Society. “That would be a tough row to hoe.”
For some activists, that’s the path the president should take. “Joe Biden has a mandate to act,” Jamal Raad, cofounder of the climate policy and advocacy group Evergreen Action, told BuzzFeed News in an email. “He doesn't have to wait for GOP Senators owned by the fossil fuel industry to get on board."
Such moves, similar to the path taken by former president Barack Obama, could be vulnerable to the whims of another hostile administration. A more enduring and far-reaching climate plan would involve securing cooperation from Congress and passing sweeping legislation, which seems unlikely.
But Curt Spalding, Obama’s former EPA Region 1 head, isn’t precluding the possibility of a new coronavirus relief package in Congress offering an upcoming opportunity to slip in some climate measures.
Biden is “a person of the Senate who loves the Senate,” Spalding said. “He may well be able to pull something together.”
But congressional Democrats representing states and districts with fossil fuel interests may not be so cooperative. “The Democratic Party is not unified,” David Victor, a specialist in climate policy at the University of California, San Diego, told BuzzFeed News. “There’s a world of difference between running for office and actually governing.”
Similar divisions within Democratic ranks stymied efforts to pass comprehensive climate legislation in the first two years of Barack Obama’s presidency, before the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 midterm elections.
Back then, the fossil fuel industry launched a massive lobbying campaign to fight proposed climate legislation. Brulle, the sociologist at Brown, expects a similar effort this time around. “Stand by for a major offensive,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump’s presidency also helped spur a groundswell of climate advocacy, particularly among young people, determined to push lawmakers to take action on climate. One such group representing these newer activists, Sunrise Movement, convinced Democratic members of Congress to support the Green New Deal after the 2018 midterms and backed Biden only after he secured the Democratic nomination. The group has declared that it is prepared to push his administration and members of Congress to take aggressive environmental action.
“We delivered for Biden, now it’s his time to deliver for us," Varshini Prakash, cofounder of the Sunrise Movement, said in a statement. "He ran as the climate candidate, and he must govern as the climate president. There’s no time to waste, and we can’t afford to spend another four years twiddling our thumbs in the face of Republican obstruction. He must do everything in his power and use every tool at his disposal to immediately address the climate crisis."
The rest of the environmental movement is ready to fight, too. “[Biden] got the most votes of any candidate in the history of our country. Most ambitious plan, most votes ever,” Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, said on a press call. He added that a big coalition of those voters “made clear again and again and again that they want climate action and they want it now.”
“So we’re all-in to make sure that happens,” Karpinski said.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Joe Biden's Long Wait Is Over: Relief And Celebration In A Painful Year

About 96 hours after polls closed , with his staff scattered around the country , Biden delivered the speech he had to put off for four straight nights — one his family had been waiting to hear for decades .
WILMINGTON , Delaware — About five hours before polls closed on Election Day , 21 empty pickup trucks appeared in the parking lot of the Chase Center , sitting in two careful rows facing the stage where Joe Biden was supposed to address the nation in a victory speech later that evening .
The fleet of Jeep Gladiators and Jeep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Chevy Silverados , had been arranged in alternating colors of red , white , and blue , all with open backs or sunroofs , and hoods stamped with BIDEN–HARRIS decals .
They were reserved for the family and friends who would be arriving with Biden to his socially distanced “ drive-in ” rally — the proverbial front row in a sea of other cars .
Sitting opposite a freshly installed panel of bulletproof glass , US Secret Service protection befitting a president-elect , they had the clean and perfect look of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gleaming in the sun .
In the style of a tailgate , aides had placed a pair of blue folding chairs in the back of each truck .
By 11 p.m. , it was clear there wouldn ’ t be a final result that night .
Light-up foam batons , stamped with the campaign logo for guests in the parking lot , never got distributed .
After midnight , when Biden finally did arrive , his motorcade sped into the parking lot of the adjacent Westin hotel , and his party took their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his brother Jimmy Biden , Jill Biden ’ s sisters , and the former vice president ’ s sister , Valerie Biden Owens , watching from the roof of a Jeep .
They had waited a long time for this night .
Around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday , they finally got to see him take the stage , only to say “ we ’ re going to have to be patient ” and “ keep the faith.
” After three minutes , Biden waved goodbye , and headed home .
So began a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with every new batch of results from Wisconsin , then Michigan , then Arizona , Georgia , Nevada , and Pennsylvania , seeming to throw the election into a new phase of uncertainty .
Joe Biden didn ’ t get his big party the way most presidents-elect do .
He didn ’ t get one on the next night , or on the night after that , or on the night after that .
The stage , the lights , and the Jeeps sat in position , looking both unmoved and resolute , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the shadow of the blowout that some Democrats had hoped for early in the week .
The hundreds of people who worked for the Biden campaign , already divided physically by the restrictions of a pandemic , were left to process the swings of the week from a distance , many of them on Zoom calls or alone .
President Donald Trump made a deliberate attempt to undermine the vote , muddying things further .
Biden inched closer and closer to a decisive victory .
The country waited and waited and waited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after polls closed , Biden delivered the speech he had to put off for four straight nights .
The uncertainty and stress of the week , and the eerie desolation that took over the parking lot in the intervening days , seemed to give way to a shared joy and relief and , finally , to a party .
All day , people had been gathering in Wilmington ’ s surrounding Riverfront district eager to see history .
Hundreds of cars made it into the lot .
Supporters stood outside them , wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sipping beer from cans and other beverages from conspicuous red cups .
It was a proud hometown crowd , quite likely the largest crowd Biden had drawn since declaring his candidacy 18 months ago .
For the Biden campaign , big celebrations have been scarce .
He decided to run , he said , after seeing white supremacists and Nazis protest in Charlottesville , Virginia , in 2017 , without the president ’ s explicit condemnation .
Few thought he could win the Democratic primary .
By the time voting began with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contest of the nominating process , Biden was looking at a fourth-place finish .
Campaign aides were drafting exit memos .
The remarkable turnaround that came just a few weeks later , beginning with a third-place finish in Nevada and a 30-point win in South Carolina , almost immediately ran up against the reality of the coronavirus .
In March , on the very night that sealed his path to the nomination , states started to shut down , ending in-person campaigning and transforming the country into a quiet , chaotic place , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accepted the Democratic nomination this summer , he wasn ’ t able to share the moment with his family .
“ I will be an ally of the light , not the darkness , ” Biden said in his speech that night .
Only his wife got to accompany him backstage .
There is no confetti , it turns out , at a virtual convention .
Even in victory , the central promise of Biden ’ s campaign — a call to “ restore the soul of the nation ” and return a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutions of government — has begun to look like a more far-off and distant proposition in the days since Tuesday .
The tightness of the race bucked national polling and delivered a narrow repudiation of Trump and his politics , which showed staying power and strength even in defeat .
Democrats lost key races in the House , diminishing the party ’ s power there , and did not sail to the Senate majority they expected .
Four years after he left the White House as vice president , having touted his ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a kind of old-fashioned folksy brand of politics , Biden will return to a different Washington in January .
Trump ’ s model of Republicanism runs strong and deep , and his top allies and his children are already commanding allegiance from the next wave that might rise to seek the party ’ s nomination in 2024 .
The first supporter of QAnon , the delusional conspiracy theory that Trump is fighting a satanic cabal of people who sexually abuse children , is headed to Congress .
And on Saturday , after networks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump refused to concede , standing by unfounded accusations of widespread voter fraud .
“ For all those of you who voted for President Trump , I understand your disappointment tonight , ” Biden said Saturday , acknowledging his two previously unsuccessful presidential campaigns , in 1988 and 2008 .
“ I ’ ve lost a couple times myself.
” “ But now , let ’ s give each other a chance , ” Biden added , to approving honks from the cars .
“ To make progress , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opponents as our enemies .
They are not our enemies , they are Americans !
” Fractured through the lens of this week ’ s chaos — with conflicting network calls , procedural questions about mail-in ballots , and an intense focus on pockets of the country ( Maricopa County , the Pennsylvania Convention Center ) — Biden projected a calm and somber confidence , reassuring the country that everything would be OK on the other side .
The day after the election night , a campaign aide led the few reporters left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past the Jeeps , through a side door of the Chase Center , for another appearance from the candidate .
Scattered around outside was an empty bottle of Merlot and a discarded face mask .
Folding chairs in the press pen , arranged the night before an equidistant 6 feet apart on the pavement , had been left in haphazard formation , like their occupants had departed in a hurry .
On one , an empty hotel room service platter lay abandoned .
A stage inside the convention hall , lined with eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president-elect ’ s morning-after news conference .
As Biden and his running mate , Kamala Harris , took their places , a brief cheer , loud and awkward , erupted from the back of the room from the small group of campaign aides who had traveled to Wilmington for the election .
“ It 's been a long and difficult campaign , ” Biden said .
“ But it 's been a more difficult time for our country , a hard time .
We 've had hard campaigns before .
We 've faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election is finalized and behind us , it 'll be time for us to do what we 've always done as Americans : to put the harsh rhetoric of the campaign behind us .
To lower the temperature .
To see each other again .
To listen to one another .
To hear each other again.
” Throughout the week , his campaign manager Jen O ’ Malley Dillon hosted daily Zoom briefings , laying out projections for the outstanding vote .
On Thursday , Biden published a transition website , saying he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration and would “ continue preparing at full speed.
” That afternoon , he and Harris attended briefings on the economy and the coronavirus pandemic , which is deep in a deadly third wave that has brought the total number of American deaths to more than 236,000 .
On Friday , Biden aides believed they would finally get their call , going public with plans for a victory party , broadcast live on primetime television .
The networks held off , and once again , Biden passed the stage , empty and waiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center .
“ As slow as it goes , it can be numbing , ” he said of watching the numbers come in on TV .
“ But never forget : The tallies are n't just numbers .
They represent votes and voters , men and women who exercise the fundamental right to have their voice heard.
” The commercial plaza that houses the Chase Center , alongside the Westin and a large Planet Fitness , is made up of mostly empty parking lot .
It does not seem like the place that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidency .
This was not the Javits Center , where a grand celebration on election night in 2016 , complete with twinkling lights , a glass ceiling , and a custom-built America-shaped stage , ended with Hillary Clinton supporters sobbing on the ground .
The scene here at the Chase Center , inside a perimeter lined with jersey fencing and guarded by Secret Service agents , was something more muted and uncertain .
As the world waited for the result , there was an emptiness to the place .
The parking lot outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the media tents set up around the perimeter .
On Wednesday , the CBS News crew set up a grill for their remaining stay .
Inside the Westin , returns came all week long on a single television , positioned near the automatic double-doors of the lobby , playing CNN on low volume .
Outside , a sign advertised brunch at the hotel : “ Did somebody say ... mimosa ?
!
” Political writers in search of people to talk to had to settle for Chris Coons , a US senator from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who celebrated his own reelection Tuesday night by wandering between the Westin lobby and the parking lot drive-in rally .
Coons would reappear throughout the week , the outstretched arms of reporters holding audio recorders not far behind .
On the first election night , when results looked uncertain , Tom Perez , the Democratic National Committee chair , ignored inquiries .
His party had drawn 27 candidates with the shared aim of picking the candidate to defeat Trump .
“ I ’ ll pass , ” he said , hurrying into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday morning , following Biden ’ s first speech at the Chase Center , saying curtly that he would hold off on commenting until Biden spoke again .
On Wednesday , when a small group of reporters spotted senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn as she left the hotel , they quickly surrounded her .
“ You guys can not stand this close to me , OK ?
” Dunn admonished them as they followed her into the parking lot for an impromptu gaggle and failed at first to properly social distance .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message of confidence that 270 electoral votes soon would belong to Biden .
The campaign ’ s presence was more felt than seen throughout the week , largely via the daily Zoom briefings and in tweets from reporters sharing anonymous quotes from sources mirroring their boss ’ s sturdy and calm confidence .
“ We feel good .
We are going to win today , ” one campaign official told a CNN reporter on Wednesday .
( They did not win that day , and wouldn ’ t , at least not according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a.m. on Saturday . )
“ We ’ re going to pull this off , but it ’ s not going to be painless , ” another said in a text message that morning .
( And it wasn ’ t . )
Biden staffers worked Election Day — and election night , and the days after of unknowns — in a state of displacement .
The campaign limited how many could be on-site in Wilmington , leaving most operatives a half-hour up I-95 near its old Philadelphia headquarters , or in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
It was , for the Biden team , an extension of how they worked for months during the pandemic : a presidential campaign run largely by telecommute .
They ’ ve had to celebrate big moments , such as Biden ’ s speech accepting the Democratic nomination in August , and wrestle with tragedy , such as the police killing of George Floyd , alone or in small groups .
Many who joined the campaign or DNC staff since March still haven ’ t met their colleagues in person .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign staff Tuesday , but rather virtual offices on Zoom and “ mini boiler rooms ” where aides could watch together at a distance .
Biden ’ s DC-based pollsters gathered at the headquarters of Lake Research Partners to watch returns Tuesday night , where they wore masks , worked out of separate conference rooms , and ordered separate rather than communal food .
The campaign ’ s chief pollster , John Anzalone , joined via Zoom .
They were , a senior staffer on the team said , “ trying to ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ This is my team and today is the first time I ’ m meeting them , ” the person said .
Sabrina Bousbar , the campaign ’ s regional organizing director in Florida , quarantined in an Airbnb she and several coworkers rented for the final weeks of the campaign , after they all tested negative for COVID-19 .
Her team turned their virtual canvassing office on Zoom into an election results watch party.
“ I think our society has gotten so used to doing things that are safe for us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get together on a call , ” Bousbar said .
William Fairfax , the campaign ’ s trips director in Michigan and a cochair of the HBCU Students for Biden group , watched returns with his parents and sister in Prince George ’ s County , Maryland .
“ It ’ s weird to not be celebrating like I was in the South Carolina primary with hundreds of people around us , ” Fairfax said Tuesday night by telephone .
“ I envisioned a big Election Night watch party in Michigan , somewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Although I ’ m not spending it the way I thought I was going to be spending it , I ’ m spending it the safe way.
” Biden spent much of the actual day of the election on a nostalgia tour , designed less , it seemed , to bring in last-minute votes than for his own personal enjoyment .
He stopped by his childhood home in Scranton , Pennsylvania , where he scrawled on a living room wall : “ From this house to the White House with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home to Wilmington , where he walked around town ( “ Got ta let me back in the neighborhood , ya know ” ) and stopped at the Joseph R. Biden Jr .
Aquatic Center , the pool where he once worked as a lifeguard , regaling reporters with a long and winding story about what he learned about the country during his campaign .
That morning , he and Jill visited their son Beau Biden ’ s grave at the family church , St. Joseph on the Brandywine .
At the headstone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sloping tree in the cemetery , people had already laid fresh flowers and campaign pins next to a BIDEN–HARRIS sticker , taped to the bottom-right corner of the grave .
Biden ’ s son would have been 51-years-old on the year his dad became president-elect .
The president-elect was home when the final call came at 11:25 a.m .
In a picture shared by Biden ’ s granddaughter Naomi , he could be seen surrounded by family , their arms wrapped around him in a single embrace , his son Hunter clutching his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night , the Biden family returned to the Jeeps at the Chase Center .
Event organizers had moved the cars even closer to the stage to be sure that Biden would be able to see his family from the podium .
As soon as he took the stage , making his first public moment as president-elect , he put his hand over his eyes and scanned the crowd for familiar faces — “ the people who brought me to the dance , ” he said .
“ I see my buddy Sen. Tom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pointing down at the Jeeps at the senior senator from Delaware , who wore a Biden ’ 88 pin on his lapel .
“ And I think Sen. Coons is there , and I think the governor ’ s around , and , I — is that Ruth Ann ?
!
Former governor Ruth Ann Minner !
” When his family joined him on stage , Biden got to see his name light up the sky with fireworks that spelled “ BIDEN ” and “ PRESIDENT-ELECT ” and “ 46.
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upward , his mouth open in a smile .
Everyone was gathered around him : Jill and Kamala and her husband Doug , and their two kids ; his daughter Ashley , dancing on stage ; Hunter and his wife Melissa ; the grandkids Naomi , Finnegan , Maisy , and Beau ’ s children , Natalie and Robert .
In his arms , Biden held his newest grandson to his chest , Hunter ’ s 7-month-old .
“ They ’ re my heart , ” he told the crowd at his party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the motorcade circled around the Chase Center .
Cars let out a final round of honks and cheers .
The family trickled out , walking backstage one by one until it was just Biden and his wife .
He didn ’ t want to leave .
●

On Saturday, about 96 hours after polls closed, Biden delivered the speech he had to put off for four straight nights. The uncertainty and stress of the week, and the eerie desolation that took over the parking lot in the intervening days, seemed to give way to a shared joy and relief and, finally, to a party.
All day, people had been gathering in Wilmington’s surrounding Riverfront district eager to see history. Hundreds of cars made it into the lot. Supporters stood outside them, wearing their masks, waving their American flags, sipping beer from cans and other beverages from conspicuous red cups. It was a proud hometown crowd, quite likely the largest crowd Biden had drawn since declaring his candidacy 18 months ago.
For the Biden campaign, big celebrations have been scarce. He decided to run, he said, after seeing white supremacists and Nazis protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, without the president’s explicit condemnation. Few thought he could win the Democratic primary. By the time voting began with the caucuses in Iowa, the first contest of the nominating process, Biden was looking at a fourth-place finish. Campaign aides were drafting exit memos. The remarkable turnaround that came just a few weeks later, beginning with a third-place finish in Nevada and a 30-point win in South Carolina, almost immediately ran up against the reality of the coronavirus. In March, on the very night that sealed his path to the nomination, states started to shut down, ending in-person campaigning and transforming the country into a quiet, chaotic place, distanced and alone together. When Biden accepted the Democratic nomination this summer, he wasn’t able to share the moment with his family. “I will be an ally of the light, not the darkness,” Biden said in his speech that night. Only his wife got to accompany him backstage. There is no confetti, it turns out, at a virtual convention.
Even in victory, the central promise of Biden’s campaign — a call to “restore the soul of the nation” and return a sense of normalcy to America’s institutions of government — has begun to look like a more far-off and distant proposition in the days since Tuesday. The tightness of the race bucked national polling and delivered a narrow repudiation of Trump and his politics, which showed staying power and strength even in defeat. Democrats lost key races in the House, diminishing the party’s power there, and did not sail to the Senate majority they expected. Four years after he left the White House as vice president, having touted his ability to work with the other party with a kind of old-fashioned folksy brand of politics, Biden will return to a different Washington in January. Trump’s model of Republicanism runs strong and deep, and his top allies and his children are already commanding allegiance from the next wave that might rise to seek the party’s nomination in 2024. The first supporter of QAnon, the delusional conspiracy theory that Trump is fighting a satanic cabal of people who sexually abuse children, is headed to Congress. And on Saturday, after networks and the Associated Press called the race, Trump refused to concede, standing by unfounded accusations of widespread voter fraud.
“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight,” Biden said Saturday, acknowledging his two previously unsuccessful presidential campaigns, in 1988 and 2008. “I’ve lost a couple times myself.”
“But now, let’s give each other a chance,” Biden added, to approving honks from the cars. “To make progress,” he said, “we must stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans!”
Fractured through the lens of this week’s chaos — with conflicting network calls, procedural questions about mail-in ballots, and an intense focus on pockets of the country (Maricopa County, the Pennsylvania Convention Center) — Biden projected a calm and somber confidence, reassuring the country that everything would be OK on the other side.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--Here Are The Best Memes About Nevada Being Late To The Biden Election Party

Unless you 've been hiding under a rock , you probably know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have won @ @ @ @ @ .
The race was called on Saturday morning after Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes @ @ @ @ @ over President Donald Trump .
Pennsylvania was one of the few remaining swing states that @ @ @ @ @ in either candidate 's favor — as was Nevada , a state whose slow ballot-counting @ @ @ @ @ hell and back over the past four days .

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you probably know that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have won the 2020 US presidential election. The race was called on Saturday morning after Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes delivered Biden a close victory over President Donald Trump.
Pennsylvania was one of the few remaining swing states that could have tipped the election in either candidate's favor — as was Nevada, a state whose slow ballot-counting process had been memed to hell and back over the past four days.


buzzfeed--2020-11-09--White House Chief Of Staff Mark Meadows Has Tested Positive For The Coronavirus

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for the coronavirus , officials confirmed to multiple media outlets @ @ @ @ @ House did not immediately respond to requests for comment .
News of Meadows ' positive @ @ @ @ @ surge in new cases across the United States and just days after he said the @ @ @ @ @ going to control the pandemic . ''
More than 230,000 people in the US have @ @ @ @ @ nearly 10 million have been infected with the coronavirus since the pandemic was declared in @ @ @ @ @ immediately clear when or how Meadows was exposed or when he was last with the @ @ @ @ @ an outbreak at the White House sickened dozens of people within Trump 's orbit , @ @ @ @ @ first lady Melania Trump , and their son Barron .
Roughly two weeks ago , @ @ @ @ @ s chief of staff , Marc Short , and other aides also tested positive for @ @ @

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials confirmed to multiple media outlets Friday evening.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
News of Meadows' positive test results comes amid a surge in new cases across the United States and just days after he said the Trump administration was "not going to control the pandemic." More than 230,000 people in the US have died from COVID-19, and nearly 10 million have been infected with the coronavirus since the pandemic was declared in March.
It was not immediately clear when or how Meadows was exposed or when he was last with the president.
Weeks ago, an outbreak at the White House sickened dozens of people within Trump's orbit, including the president himself, first lady Melania Trump, and their son Barron.
Roughly two weeks ago, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, and other aides also tested positive for the coronavirus.