buzzfeed--2020-09-23--Documents Show Deutsche Bank’s Top Executives Were Warned It Had A Dirty Money Problem. Then A $10 B

Documents Show Deutsche Bank’s Top Executives Were Warned It Had A Dirty Money Problem. Then A $10 Billion Scandal Broke.

When the $ 10 billion mirror trading scandal was exposed , little emerged about who its victims were or how much Deutsche ’ s executives knew .
The FinCEN Files investigation shows how deep the rot went .
When Robert Meltzer , who runs gyms for children in Los Angeles , found that more than $ 60,000 in payroll taxes — half a year ’ s worth — had gone missing in 2013 , it was too late .
When something similar happened to Stanford Media Group , a company that sold CDs and DVDs online , Mark Gilula said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said the stress contributed to his heart attack .
And when Maureen Sullivan , an architect , went looking for answers about the $ 111,000 that evaporated from her accounts , she said her inquiries with the police “ basically went into a black hole.
” What none of these small business owners could have known was that their losses were linked to one of the most infamous international banking scandals on record .
The bookkeeper who handled their payroll allegedly embezzled their money and injected it into a notorious scheme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and drug cartels .
The participants laundered $ 10 billion of illicit money into nice clean cash .
It all happened with the help of Deutsche Bank , Germany ’ s biggest financial institution and one of the biggest lenders to Donald Trump .
But when the enormous scandal broke , Deutsche blamed it on a few middle-level staffers in its Moscow office , paid a fine , and got back to business .
The FinCEN Files investigation reveals that Deutsche managers , including top executives , had direct knowledge for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable to money launderers .
Documents show two warnings sent to committees that included Paul Achleitner , Deutsche ’ s chair , and one sent to the bank 's supervisory board .
Deutsche ’ s problems were so striking they prompted Bank of America to file a confidential alert known as a suspicious activity report , or SAR , to the US government .
Bank of America employees had visited Deutsche ’ s London office to discuss worries about Russian money laundering .
They were stonewalled when a Deutsche manager interrupted their meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bank of America found the situation troubling enough that it raised the matter with Achleitner , according to its filing .
Another top Deutsche executive , Christian Sewing , ran the audit division when one of its teams gave the Moscow office a clean bill of health , despite evidence that it could not even produce a list of its clients , let alone verify that they were who they said they were .
Sewing is now Deutsche ’ s CEO .
In all , more than 100 internal alerts were raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian mirror trade scandal between 2012 and 2015 .
During these years , some of the world ’ s worst criminals used the network to move dark money around the globe , with the help of shell companies and corrupt financiers .
Business owners like Meltzer , Gilula , and Sullivan were left to pick up the pieces .
The wide range of criminal activity linked to the mirror trades has never before been revealed .
The FinCEN Files investigation includes thousands of closely held US Treasury documents — among them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 newsrooms around the world .
This investigation is also based on confidential bank documents obtained by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung , a partner in this project .
By law , banks must file SARs to the Treasury Department 's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , or FinCEN , when they spot activity that bears the hallmarks of money laundering or other financial misconduct .
SARs by themselves are not evidence of a crime , but they can support investigations and intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s share price has plummeted under the weight of scandal after scandal .
In the last decade , the bank has paid fines for everything from evading sanctions against Iran and Myanmar to rigging foreign exchange markets to doing business with Jeffrey Epstein .
And it has come under scrutiny for lending Trump hundreds of millions of dollars despite his history of defaulting on loans .
The bank , responding to questions raised by this investigation , said it has acknowledged “ past weaknesses ” and “ learnt from our mistakes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars to bolster its defenses against financial crimes .
“ We are a different bank now , ” a Deutsche spokesperson said in a written response .
The spokesperson said Sewing was not personally involved in the review of the Moscow office and disputed aspects of Bank of America ’ s written account to the government , including the assertion that Achleitner met with an executive from that bank .
The $ 10 billion mirror trading scheme remains one of Deutsche ’ s darkest stains .
While it had many tentacles , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launderers who controlled a network of anonymous companies around the world .
They would buy shares in Russia and sell the stock to one of the European shell companies they owned .
As the network pinged money across the globe , it turned the rubles into dollars and other currencies .
The system had one other great advantage : It allowed criminals to move their ill-gotten gains undetected .
To make it all happen , the perpetrators needed a Western bank to work with them .
They found one in Deutsche .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was involved , but prosecutors said traders in its Moscow office were motivated by “ greed and corruption ” and that one supervisor had apparently been bribed to facilitate the trades .
The companies that moved the money were some of Deutsche Russia ’ s most active clients , at times generating bigger commissions for the bank than any of its other customers in Russia .
In one confidential letter from March 2016 , never before revealed , the UK ’ s financial regulator privately scolded Deutsche ’ s willingness to take on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial crime risks.
” It cautioned that “ leadership on financial crime had been lacking for a considerable period of time.
” But when the agency spoke about the matter publicly , it exonerated senior managers , saying they “ were not aware of the suspicious trading ” and the failings at the bank had been committed “ negligently , rather than deliberately or recklessly.
” The regulator initially considered a fine of £1.7 billion for the scandal , but decided that would be “ disproportionately high ” and reduced it to £163 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imposed a higher fine of $ 425 million but took the occasion to praise the bank ’ s leaders for dealing with the issue in a “ serious manner and timely fashion.
” Among the recipients of cash from the mirror trades , the FinCEN Files investigation has found , was a company the US government says is part of the Russian mafia .
Its owner has been identified as a liaison for Vladislav “ Blonde ” Leontyev , described by US authorities as a Russian mobster and a high-level narcotics trafficker .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ denied any involvement in the mirror trades or other criminal activity .
Between March 2013 and April 2014 , nearly $ 50 million in illicit funds also went to a company that is part of the Khanani money laundering organization , whose clients include Hezbollah associates , the Taliban , and Mexican drug cartels , according to the US government .
( The group ’ s head , Altaf Khanani , was sentenced in 2017 to 68 months in prison after he laundered more than $ 1 million during an undercover Drug Enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplier in Brooklyn , where the manager was found guilty of laundering money for cyberscammers , also received cash from the mirror trades .
So did a New Jersey telecoms operation that did business with shell companies linked to organized crime , the Syrian weapons program , and a notorious oligarch , SARs show .
Money from a looted Russian bank where Vladimir Putin ’ s cousin sat on the board was also filtered into the network , records show .
All those funds were funneled into the money laundering operation along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consulting firm whose owner allegedly defrauded 141 small businesses across Southern California .
The victims included churches and not-for-profit organizations .
The man behind the fraud fled the US and the money has never been recovered .
The saga of the mirror trades is not yet over for Deutsche .
In its most recent annual report , Deutsche said that the Department of Justice continues to investigate , and that the bank had set aside money in case of future fines .
Then , in November 2012 , an even brighter red flag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s owners , a Ukrainian financier named Alexander Perepilichnyy , dropped dead during a jog outside his home on the outskirts of London .
Two weeks after he died , it was revealed that Perepilichnyy was linked to a multimillion-dollar tax fraud and had fled Russia , blowing the whistle on the scam .
A few weeks later , the documents obtained by Süddeutsche Zeitung show , Deutsche ’ s anti–money laundering software flagged Financial Bridge for its “ high-risk transactions.
” But the alert went to an office in India where staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidential regulatory documents show .
Financial Bridge ’ s explanation for its transactions — that they were for “ investment activities ” — was deemed adequate .
By 2013 , Deutsche ’ s own internal reviews were beginning to identify crucial weaknesses in the bank ’ s procedures for combating financial crime .
To guard against financial crimes , banks have policies to “ know your customer , ” which means researching clients before taking them on .
But an internal review focusing on know-your-customer protocols in the Moscow office found that bankers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even neglecting to determine if they were known criminals .
The Moscow bankers could not even produce a list of who their clients were .
By the start of 2016 , the volume of Russian money flowing into the US financial system was raising alarms at Bank of America .
A team of experts from the bank flew to Deutsche ’ s London office seeking answers .
In a Jan. 11 meeting with Deutsche , the Bank of America team began to gain some insights as the head of Deutsche ’ s business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ his staff had to navigate to perform enhanced due diligence on clients , ” the SAR says .
But the meeting was interrupted when one of Deutsche ’ s managing directors arrived .
He told the Bank of America investigators they were not authorized to talk to anyone in London and asked them to leave .
The SAR says that the matter was escalated within Bank of America , with one of its senior managers “ scheduled to meet with Paul Achleitner ” in a few days .
The SAR adds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be addressed ” with the bank ’ s CEO at the time , John Cryan .
On Jan. 29 , a Deutsche executive overseeing compliance gave Bank of America officials assurances that their questions would be answered .
On Feb. 11 , Bank of America filed its SAR on Deutsche .
It wrote to the government that it did not yet have “ sufficient information to assess the adequacy of the Deutsche Bank ’ s current control environment.
” Bank of America declined to comment for this story .
Asked about the SAR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review of the situation indicates that the events did not take place as implied.
” It added : “ It would not have been the place of Paul Achleitner to get involved managing the interactions with Bank of America , nor do we have any record of him doing so.
” The bank declined to make Achleitner available for an interview .
Weeks later , the Financial Conduct Authority , the UK financial regulator that had been conducting a confidential review of Deutsche , sent a set of disturbing findings to the bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on financial crime had been lacking for a considerable period of time ” at the bank and that managers had put the pursuit of profit above its responsibilities to fight money laundering .
It said it found evidence of “ financial crime risk being overridden by commercial drivers and in some cases a willingness to take on very profitable clients , regardless of financial crime risks.
” The regulator said there was a “ significant risk ” that money laundering at the bank was “ going unreported or undetected.
” To those within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news .
In October 2015 , Deutsche had hired consultants from the accounting giant Deloitte to figure out what had gone wrong .
Deloitte interviewed staffers , combed through emails , and examined trading data .
The bank laid the blame on Tim Wiswell , an American who ran the Deutsche Moscow trading desk .
But according to a copy of the Deloitte report obtained by Süddeutsche Zeitung , there were systemic failings at the bank .
Going into detail on the Moscow audit , the report described how the team had given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ auditors hadn ’ t properly tested the office ’ s money laundering prevention system .
The report concluded that audits conducted by the division had “ severe shortcomings ” from 2012 onward .
Sewing , while not named in the report , was head of audit at the bank from June 2013 to December 2014 .
He then joined the bank ’ s management board , where his responsibilities included the audit division for another six months .
The report also did not name Achleitner specifically .
But it described instances when concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to board committees on which he sat .
The problem of understaffing was raised repeatedly , and Deloitte concluded that the bank ’ s compliance teams had been “ undermined by limited allocated resources.
” Deloitte also found that the bank ’ s transaction monitoring software had issued 108 alerts about the mirror trading companies between 2011 and 2015 .
Nonetheless , during that time Deutsche kept the transactions moving .
Following its investigation into Deutsche and the mirror trades , the New York State Department of Financial Services determined that “ greed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bank ’ s Moscow employees .
In a consent order that resulted in a fine for the bank , the department said there was evidence of around $ 3.8 million of alleged bribes going to one of the Moscow bankers and a close relative .
State and federal law enforcement authorities have never charged anyone at Deutsche in relation to the mirror trades .
Inside Deutsche , the bank sacked three people who had worked on the Moscow office audits .
Deutsche said that “ most senior managers referenced in the internal investigative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Consequences have been taken where and as appropriate , including on the management board level , ’ ’ the bank ’ s spokesperson said .
The spokesperson defended the actions of the supervisory board , saying it “ diligently exercised its oversight responsibility.
” Achleitner remains in power at Deutsche .
In 2018 , his board forced out CEO John Cryan after a short three-year reign , citing sagging profits .
On a Sunday evening that April , Achleitner presented Deutsche ’ s board with his choice for a new CEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so desperately needed : Christian Sewing .
The board approved .
●

When Robert Meltzer, who runs gyms for children in Los Angeles, found that more than $60,000 in payroll taxes — half a year’s worth — had gone missing in 2013, it was too late.
When something similar happened to Stanford Media Group, a company that sold CDs and DVDs online, Mark Gilula said he was forced to lay off employees. He said the stress contributed to his heart attack.
And when Maureen Sullivan, an architect, went looking for answers about the $111,000 that evaporated from her accounts, she said her inquiries with the police “basically went into a black hole.”
What none of these small business owners could have known was that their losses were linked to one of the most infamous international banking scandals on record.
The bookkeeper who handled their payroll allegedly embezzled their money and injected it into a notorious scheme used by crime bosses, terrorist financiers, and drug cartels. The participants laundered $10 billion of illicit money into nice clean cash.
It all happened with the help of Deutsche Bank, Germany’s biggest financial institution and one of the biggest lenders to Donald Trump. But when the enormous scandal broke, Deutsche blamed it on a few middle-level staffers in its Moscow office, paid a fine, and got back to business.
The FinCEN Files investigation reveals that Deutsche managers, including top executives, had direct knowledge for years of serious failings that left the bank vulnerable to money launderers. Documents show two warnings sent to committees that included Paul Achleitner, Deutsche’s chair, and one sent to the bank's supervisory board.


buzzfeed--2020-09-23--Friends And Family Members Of QAnon Believers Are Going Through A “Surreal Goddamn Nightmare”

Almost 200 people told us what it ’ s been like to lose a loved one to the mass delusion .
Here ’ s what they said .
“ We literally watched as she became radicalized.
” “ It feels like we are losing her to an addiction.
” This is how friends and family of QAnon supporters describe what they ’ re going through .
Most don ’ t understand how their loved ones could fall for something so unbelievable .
At its core , the QAnon collective delusion is a belief system that began in the innards of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mainstream .
Believers sign up for a slew of untruths .
Most support Trump , oppose the “ deep state , ” deny vaccination science , say many instances of gun violence were faked , and set off on quixotic crusades for supposedly trafficked children that hinder the real fight against the issue .
Much of their wrath is centered on purported elites who either faked the coronavirus pandemic or spread the virus through 5G technology , a scientific impossibility .
Satanism and drinking the blood of children are common points of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests and anti-fascist activists is widespread .
Taken together , the mass delusion seems outlandish , but a recent Pew Research Center survey showed that roughly half of US adults were aware of QAnon .
Four in ten Republicans who had heard of it said it was good for the country .
But those numbers are only part of the story .
They don ’ t show the impact the delusion has had on people and their relationships .
So , we asked our readers to tell us about the QAnon believers in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Respondents , who mostly said they lived in the United States , ranged in age from 16 to 82 .
Here ’ s what you said .
QAnon has ruined lifelong friendships and alienated family members .
Those who still speak to one another say their relationships have changed , often beyond repair .
Nobody said any of their loved ones had returned to reality .
“ My mom has fallen into the conspiracy beliefs of QAnon , ” Samantha , 30 , who lives in Texas , told BuzzFeed News .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring her back to reality , and I ’ ve really tried it all.
” Samantha wrote that after her level-headed and college-educated mother became a believer , she could not save her .
“ Occasionally , I become emotional because we can ’ t have any normal conversations anymore , ” Samantha wrote .
“ It helps talking about it with my younger sister , and her solution is always the same — pray about it , so now that ’ s what I do .
I can ’ t change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope that things will get better.
” For many , trouble started in March .
“ Once [ my mom ] lost her job in March due to the pandemic , she started spending most of her time watching YouTube videos and reading tweets about and from QAnon believers , ” wrote Katie , 29 , who lives in Alaska .
“ It 's disturbing the things she now believes.
” Another respondent , a 38-year-old from Washington who chose not to provide a name , said their friend of 24 years has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and marijuana ” kind of guy .
The respondent described their friend as someone who didn ’ t complete high school and was always prone to going down conspiracy rabbit holes .
This time was different .
“ This all started in March , ” they wrote .
“ I kept telling him that his beliefs are fine with me but his truth was not my truth .
He eventually took that as an ultimatum and posted that he ‘ lost a friend of 24 years ’ on Facebook.
” “ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We were best friends , and now he and his family are people that I used to know.
” “ My close friend in Northern California , a father of three , a friendly and well-liked small business owner who hardly posted on Facebook , other than just photos of family , suddenly got crazy active 30 days into corona lockdown , ” wrote another respondent .
“ I feel like I have no idea who he is.
” Over and over , respondents mourned the ends of friendships .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been someone I could depend on .
In our early adulthood , we both experienced abusive partners and leaned on each other for support , ” wrote a person living in California who ’ s 31 and didn ’ t provide a name .
“ We 've gotten through life/death situations .
Together .
She 's the only one who has never wavered from my side in 10-plus years.
” The author said their friend ’ s partner is a QAnon believer who makes his own YouTube videos , which is how she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friend has cut herself off from the outside world .
“ She does n't even know what day it is more than half the time.
” “ I 've lost my best friend , ” she said .
“ My only friend .
Her .
I do n't think she 's ever going to come back.
” Susan , 73 , who lives in Hawaii , has also seen “ a very good friend ” become a QAnon supporter .
“ We went around and around for a few days with me providing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
“ Finally , she cut me off , and that 's fine .
We ca n't continue our friendship with her denying reality.
” Marriages and romantic relationships have been tested .
QAnon has driven some couples apart , and those who have stuck around describe having to stay on their toes constantly .
“ I lost my partner of eight years to Q , ” one person wrote .
Their partner stumbled onto QAnon through actor Roseanne Barr , who was following a prominent QAnon account .
“ I looked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researching Q and became emotionally upset over what my partner was reading and believing , ” the person said .
Their relationship ended , but they recently discovered that their former partner was telling people the coronavirus is a hoax .
Another person , who didn ’ t give their name but said they lived in Atlanta , watched a relationship crumble because of QAnon .
“ My cousin is divorcing her husband over his obsession with QAnon .
It ruined their relationship and became a huge wedge between them , ” they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a digital cult and it 's very dangerous .
I ’ m worried about what it will lead to , not only for our own family , but for our society as a whole .
It ’ s really scary.
” Other people said they ’ re trying to hang on to relationships .
Sandra , who lives in North Carolina , said she ’ s been struggling with her partner ’ s way of thinking , in particular his belief that Black Lives Matter protests were part of a conspiracy .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an admitted QAnon believer , ” she wrote .
“ There seems to be no way out for a QAnon believer , at least for this particular man .
No one else can be right , no one else can be trusted , anyone else who does n't believe is a sheep and the Great Awakening is coming .
It seems to hit on all the resentment he 's ever felt about being rejected or left behind or misunderstood or not as powerful/successful as he 'd like.
” “ I do worry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single day.
” Frédéric , 55 , who lives in Belgium , was struggling with a similar situation .
“ My partner is spending hours every day in front of her laptop .
Coming to bed late in the night with all kinds of wild theories .
Using rather bizarre terms to describe what awful [ things ] she discovered on the net , ” he wrote .
He describes his partner reciting false theories about vaccines and microchips , talking about the Clintons drinking children ’ s blood , and blaming global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or the Rockefellers .
Attempts to speak with her have been fruitless , he said .
“ This poison is troubling our relationship , so we avoid the subject .
But this is not the right thing to do , I would like her to wake up from this bad dream and face the world like it is , ” Frédéric wrote .
“ I hope that we in Europe will not turn like the Americans .
And I sincerely hope for the US that the country will take another path.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their children , and children are struggling with their parents .
One respondent described their son joining a militia group and wanting to aid the police as a result of believing in QAnon .
“ He believes that the police welcome the assistance that their militia group offers and that his training will prepare him for the coming civil wars , ” they said .
Another woman describes being ostracized from her Mexican American family who supports both Trump and QAnon .
“ Since I refuse to stay quiet any longer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly disrespectful and ungrateful daughter that ’ s on the brink of being disowned , ” she wrote .
Many people describe their parents watching YouTube videos and spending time on Facebook for hours on end .
One person said their dad has bought into almost every conspiracy theory he ’ s come across in the last four years , including QAnon .
“ He always sends me links to videos that were ‘ recommended to him ’ by YouTube ’ s own algorithm , ” they said .
“ He used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flaws , trials , tribulations and putting yourself in others ' shoes .
Now I see him using terms like ‘ cuck , ’ ‘ commie , ’ and ‘ lefty queer.
’ ” “ It ’ s been a nightmare , honestly , ” said another person , whose mom is a QAnon supporter .
“ She has changed her voicemail to say that COVID is a hoax , Hollywood is filled with pedophiles , and to vote early for Trump .
I was so scared after returning home from the summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , and told her if I ever go missing to start with my mom and her boyfriend.
” A divorced couple 's previously successful co-parenting has broken down because of QAnon .
“ My son is refusing to go to his dad 's house , ” a woman who declined to be named wrote .
“ He is always telling me he wants his old dad back , and it has caused my son so much anxiety .
It makes me so sad.
” In a twist , one hairdresser wrote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they became a QAnon believer — while another person wrote in to say they had to stop going to their hairdresser for the same reason .
“ For the past nine years , I never strayed from our monthly hangouts and 5-hour-long discussions while he was dying my hair , ” they wrote .
“ Then the great quarantine came and I did n't see him for a few months , and when I came skipping into the salon in late May , everything was different.
” Even those who don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve come across posts made by acquaintances on social media or seen believers in real life .
Kelly , 33 , who lives in Oklahoma City , has dealt with both .
She wrote that her hometown has been “ taken over ” by supporters .
She used to mess with believers online by pretending to “ take the bait ” and then making up increasingly implausible theories .
“ Best way to sum it up , ” she wrote , `` surreal goddamn nightmare . ''

“Once [my mom] lost her job in March due to the pandemic, she started spending most of her time watching YouTube videos and reading tweets about and from QAnon believers,” wrote Katie, 29, who lives in Alaska. “It's disturbing the things she now believes.”
Another respondent, a 38-year-old from Washington who chose not to provide a name, said their friend of 24 years has always been a “peace, love, and marijuana” kind of guy. The respondent described their friend as someone who didn’t complete high school and was always prone to going down conspiracy rabbit holes. This time was different.
“This all started in March,” they wrote. “I kept telling him that his beliefs are fine with me but his truth was not my truth. He eventually took that as an ultimatum and posted that he ‘lost a friend of 24 years’ on Facebook.”
By April, they stopped speaking.
“It happened so fast,” they wrote. “We were best friends, and now he and his family are people that I used to know.”
“My close friend in Northern California, a father of three, a friendly and well-liked small business owner who hardly posted on Facebook, other than just photos of family, suddenly got crazy active 30 days into corona lockdown,” wrote another respondent. “I feel like I have no idea who he is.”
Over and over, respondents mourned the ends of friendships.
“My (ex) BFF has always been someone I could depend on. In our early adulthood, we both experienced abusive partners and leaned on each other for support,” wrote a person living in California who’s 31 and didn’t provide a name. “We've gotten through life/death situations. Together. She's the only one who has never wavered from my side in 10-plus years.”
The author said their friend’s partner is a QAnon believer who makes his own YouTube videos, which is how she was introduced to it. Now her friend has cut herself off from the outside world. “She doesn't even know what day it is more than half the time.”
“I've lost my best friend,” she said. “My only friend. Her. I don't think she's ever going to come back.”
Susan, 73, who lives in Hawaii, has also seen “a very good friend” become a QAnon supporter.
“We went around and around for a few days with me providing links disproving her beliefs,” Susan wrote. “Finally, she cut me off, and that's fine. We can't continue our friendship with her denying reality.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-24--If You're Not Aware Of How The Pandemic Is Affecting Deaf People, You Need To Watch These TikToks

`` I think it 's important for people to know how to respectfully interact with anyone in the disability community @ @ @ @ @ barriers , '' she said .
`` Most people have never met a deaf person @ @ @ @ @ help them know how to be accessible and respectfully patient when they do . ''

"I think it's important for people to know how to respectfully interact with anyone in the disability community and break down the intimidation barriers," she said. "Most people have never met a deaf person before. I want to help them know how to be accessible and respectfully patient when they do."


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--Top Health Officials Are Hitting The Brakes As Trump Rushes For An October Vaccine

`` Some of the scientists have come to a point where they realize they have to speak out as a matter of life and death , '' said one expert .
Scientists inside the federal government are scrambling to throw up safety measures around coronavirus vaccines as President Donald Trump , bent on reelection and grappling with a failed response to the pandemic , applies mounting pressure on them to push a vaccine out to the public .
The result is an ongoing and unprecedented clash between politics and science during an incredibly consequential time , just weeks before an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moncef Slaoui , head of Operation Warp Speed , the $ 10 billion public-private partnership to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine , confirmed a proposed FDA measure that could slow down its pace , requiring pharmaceutical companies to provide two months of safety results before candidate vaccines can be authorized for emergency use by the public .
Hours later , Trump , who has repeatedly stated that a vaccine could be ready as early as October , told reporters at the White House that he might overrule the FDA ’ s precautionary stance .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” a stunning statement to career scientists who don ’ t work to satisfy a political party but out of public service .
“ That has to be approved by the White House , ” Trump said of the safety rule , first raised by FDA scientists two weeks ago .
“ I think that was a political move more than anything else.
” Trump ’ s threat to the new safety rule — coming after more than 200,000 Americans have died of a virus he has said “ will go away ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monthslong battle with scientists over vaccine safety .
In response to this , New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced his state would become the first to independently vet any vaccines waved through by the FDA before it is distributed to New Yorkers .
On Wednesday , top health officials in the Trump administration , led by chief US infectious disease scientist Anthony Fauci and the heads of the CDC and FDA , took the unusual step of pledging to the public that coronavirus vaccines will be vetted without political interference and promising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday , the heads of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine took the rare step of denouncing the politicization of science , particularly regarding vaccines .
“ Any efforts to discredit the best science and scientists threaten the health and welfare of us all , ” they said in their statement .
In yet another major sign of the scientific community ’ s discomfort with Trump ’ s push for a speedy vaccine , an HHS advisory panel voted unanimously this week to recommend COVID-19 vaccines be approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s “ gold standard ” licensing process , rather than the emergency avenues now being contemplated .
“ Great caution should be exercised , ” the panel ’ s statement read .
Any expedited decisions from the FDA should only come with the recommendation of outside expert panels at both that agency and the CDC , the statement added .
Those panels typically advise the heads of HHS agencies , though their votes on vaccines are not legally binding .
Both advisory groups are scheduled to meet toward the end of October , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades , scientific advisory panels have been the bedrock of safety advice on new drugs given to Americans , said science historian Marcel Chotkowski LaFollette .
A face-off between a president and vaccine panel safety experts in an election year is unprecedented , she added , noting that scientists generally avoid getting involved with politics to avoid criticisms of bias .
`` Some of the scientists have come to a point where they realize they have to speak out as a matter of life and death , '' said LaFollette .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts have grown increasingly worried about public acceptance of a coronavirus vaccination shot ; polls show the public ’ s willingness to receive one has fallen , down from 72 % in May to 51 % in September , according to the Pew Research Center .
The heads of all the major makers of candidate vaccines pledged earlier this month to only seek the use of their products after enough safety data is gathered to satisfy the FDA , in another unprecedented move from the pharmaceutical companies .
In response to calls for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the frontrunners in the vaccine race released their trial protocols to the public .
Since June , when the FDA revoked its emergency authorization for the drug hydroxychloroquine after pressure to approve it from Trump , vaccine safety experts have warned of the possibility that a similar scenario could play out with a vaccine .
Slaoui confirmed the new safety requirement at a presentation before an external science board advising the US Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday .
Since 90 % of health complaints about a new vaccine come in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Slaoui said , requiring experimental vaccine makers to gather safety data from the midpoints of large-scale trials is a reasonable way to make sure they are safe .
“ I ’ m learning the hard way that politics is very different from ethics , ” Slaoui told the HHS panel in response to a question about pharmaceutical firm leaders promising not to release an unsafe vaccine .
He added that only pharmaceutical firms could legally request the emergency use of their vaccines , and acknowledged that it is `` impossible to predict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rollout , estimating some time between November and December .
`` We 'll know it when it happens , '' he said .
Just last week , however , Trump increased concerns about inappropriate political interference in the vaccine approval process by again claiming that one would be ready by mid-October , rebuking CDC Director Robert Redfield ’ s Senate testimony that most people wouldn ’ t be able to get a vaccine until next summer .
“ Political interference in scientific issues is not new , ” science policy expert Albert Teich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But the willingness of the Trump administration to twist science to serve what the president regards as his interests , and the impact on matters of life and death to the nation and its citizens , is unprecedented.
” During the AIDS crisis , President Ronald Reagan resisted calls for more research funding from Robert Gallo , then the chief of the National Cancer Institute .
And the George W. Bush administration enacted blocks on funding of human embryonic stem cell research .
But attacks on vaccine safety rules proposed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intrusion into science .
“ The willingness of scientists , inside and outside of government , to speak up in opposition to such interference is vital to the future of the US , '' Teich added .
Enough doses of the four US coronavirus vaccines now in large trials will be manufactured by the end of the year to vaccinate around 38 million people , according to figures Slaoui released to the panel .
That would require all four of the candidate vaccines now in large-scale testing to prove safe and effective by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sara Oliver warned the HHS panel that the first three to six weeks of any vaccine ’ s rollout are likely to see shortfalls in doses before production ramps up .
Both the HHS panel and a similar CDC one that met this week to prioritize who should get the first doses decided to hold off on voting until they had more information on the safety and effectiveness of the candidate vaccines .
“ Frankly , if this same process was happening outside of this particular period in the political agenda , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Slaoui said at the end of his presentation , responding to questions about the safety of the candidate vaccines .
“ I think everybody intervening here needs to keep that in mind .
”

Scientists inside the federal government are scrambling to throw up safety measures around coronavirus vaccines as President Donald Trump, bent on reelection and grappling with a failed response to the pandemic, applies mounting pressure on them to push a vaccine out to the public.
The result is an ongoing and unprecedented clash between politics and science during an incredibly consequential time, just weeks before an uncertain election.
On Wednesday afternoon, Moncef Slaoui, head of Operation Warp Speed, the $10 billion public-private partnership to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine, confirmed a proposed FDA measure that could slow down its pace, requiring pharmaceutical companies to provide two months of safety results before candidate vaccines can be authorized for emergency use by the public.
Hours later, Trump, who has repeatedly stated that a vaccine could be ready as early as October, told reporters at the White House that he might overrule the FDA’s precautionary stance. He called the move “political,” a stunning statement to career scientists who don’t work to satisfy a political party but out of public service.
“That has to be approved by the White House,” Trump said of the safety rule, first raised by FDA scientists two weeks ago. “I think that was a political move more than anything else.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-24--This Woman On TikTok Got Pregnant Without Having Sexual Intercourse And Yes, It's Possible

She considered abortion , but ultimately decided to have the baby .
`` I was just nervous I would n't @ @ @ @ @ everything .
But he has it all and more , '' she said .
Samantha @ @ @ @ @ is now 5 .
She 's still with her boyfriend , Alex , and they @ @ @ @ @ named Theo who 's turning 1 next week .
And yes , Theo was conceived @ @ @ @ @ added .

She considered abortion, but ultimately decided to have the baby. "I was just nervous I wouldn't be able to give him everything. But he has it all and more," she said. Samantha's son, Bentley, is now 5. She's still with her boyfriend, Alex, and they also have a baby boy named Theo who's turning 1 next week. And yes, Theo was conceived the traditional way, Samantha added.


buzzfeed--2020-09-24--A Congressional Oversight Committee Found That ICE Detainees Died After Receiving Poor Medical Care

“ While the medical examiner ruled the cause of death ‘ undetermined , ’ the complete lack of medical leadership , supervision and care that this detainee was exposed to is simply astonishing , '' the report states .
The House Oversight Committee has found that ICE detainees died after receiving inadequate medical care and that jail staff “ falsified records to cover up ” issues , according to a report released on Thursday .
Committee staffers visited several for-profit detention centers during the course of their investigation and reviewed 60,000 pages of records related to the care of immigrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its findings a memo obtained by BuzzFeed News that revealed a whistleblower ’ s complaint alleging that care at several facilities overseen by ICE was so dire , it resulted in two preventable surgeries , including an 8-year-old boy who had to have part of his forehead removed , and contributed to four deaths .
The allegations in the whistleblower memo are still being investigated by Congress , according to the report released Thursday .
“ The Committee ’ s investigation shines a critical new light on the failures of the Administration ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of immigrants in custody , ” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney , chair of the committee .
“ This staff report and the documents the Committee obtained explain how the Administration and its private prison contractors have let known problems fester into a full-blown crisis — a crisis that has become far worse during the coronavirus pandemic.
” ICE has come under fire in recent years for issues related to medical care provided within its detention centers .
The agency ’ s detention system relies on a variety of methods to provide medical care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it directly ; in others , it has a few ICE employees assist private or public contractors ; and in many , it oversees care provided by a contractor .
The committee staff focused much of its efforts on immigrants in for-profit detention facilities and the deaths of immigrant detainees .
Committee staffers found that Huy Chi Tran , a 47-year-old man who died in June 2018 at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona — operated by private contractor CoreCivic — had been placed in solitary confinement .
“ CoreCivic detention staff were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 minutes , but the detention officer on duty left Mr. Tran unsupervised for 51 minutes just before Mr. Tran ’ s cardiac arrest that led to his death , ” the report found , citing an internal ICE document .
“ Investigators found that the officer falsified observation logs to hide the fact that he had failed to conduct welfare checks over that 51-minute period.
” The report cited the whistleblower memo obtained by BuzzFeed News that stated that “ ICE health officials were ‘ informed of multiple concerns regarding the care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility ’ s psychiatrist misdiagnosing , failing to treat detainees appropriately , and the lack of readily available emergency medications.
’ ” The report also highlighted the death of Kamyar Samimi , a 64-year-old man who died in late 2017 at the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Colorado , which is operated by Geo Group .
The committee obtained an ICE death review and the Department of Homeland Security ’ s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties report on the matter , both of which documented deficiencies at the facility .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility staff “ failed to transfer Samimi to an ER even though he exhibited life-threatening withdrawal symptoms during the week following his intake , ” and that nurses in charge of his care were not trained in understanding opioid withdrawal symptoms .
“ While the medical examiner ruled the cause of death ‘ undetermined , ’ the complete lack of medical leadership , supervision and care that this detainee was exposed to is simply astonishing and stands out as one of the most egregious failures to provide optimal care in my experience , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found .
“ The magnitude of failures to care for this detainee is only surpassed by the number of such failures.
” The committee also examined the case of Vicente Caceres-Maradiaga , 46 , who died at the Adelanto Detention Facility in May 2017 of an enlarged heart and liver .
His blood pressure went “ unmonitored while detained , ” the committee report states .
The congressional investigators obtained an internal report from the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties that found : “ The failure to hire an effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inadequate detainee medical care that resulted in medical injuries , including bone deformities and detainee deaths , and continues to pose a risk to the safety of other detainees at ACF.
” Committee staffers said the documents they obtained showed that there were “ glaring deficiencies ” with the medical care provided to detainees and cited issues included in an ICE report at a facility in Ohio as an example .
“ This report substantiated an allegation of an ‘ unacceptably long ’ delay in treatment for a detainee with possible lymph node @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the facility stressing the urgency of treatment , ” the committee wrote .
“ The report concluded , 'This delay and [ sic ] resulted in an effective denial in access to care for a serious medical condition . '
” The report also documented general issues with the conditions within government detention facilities .
“ Many ICE facilities , including those that house children , have had repeated sanitation problems , including dirty and moldy bathrooms , insufficient clean clothing , unsanitized dishes , dirty food preparation and service areas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper , paper towels , clean razors , and other hygiene items , ” the report states .
Stacey Daniels , ICE 's director of public affairs , said in a statement that the agency `` is fully committed to the health and safety of those in our care and will review the committee ’ s report . ''
`` However , it is clear this one-sided review of our facilities was done to tarnish our agency ’ s reputation , as opposed to actually reviewing the care detainees receive while in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Improvements to civil detention are based on concrete recommendations from the DHS Office of Inspector General ( OIG ) and an aggressive inspections program , which includes formal facility inspections , independent third-party compliance reviews , daily on-site compliance reviews and targeted site visits .
The agency also maintains a toll-free service that provides a direct channel for detainees , their attorneys , and other stakeholders to communicate with ICE about detainee concerns or conditions of confinement.
” In a statement , Geo Group said it `` strongly reject [ s ] these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another politically driven report that ignores more than three decades of providing high-quality services to those in [ its ] care . ''
`` The Adelanto ICE Processing Center provides safe and humane residential care and high quality 24/7 medical services , '' a company spokesperson said .
`` The health services department at the center employs approximately 79 health services professionals , including ; three doctors , five dental professionals , and forty-three nurses , as well as seven mental health professionals , including two psychiatrists .
`` In 2019 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical encounters , over 3,100 dental encounters , and over 20,000 mental health encounters to individuals at the center .
In all of 2019 , the center processed approximately 8,000 individuals in and approximately 8,200 individuals out of the center . ''
A CoreCivic spokesperson also said the company `` is committed to the safety and health of every individual in our care . ''
`` We don ’ t provide the healthcare in the majority of our immigration facilities .
In most cases , comprehensive medical , mental health and dental care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Corps , '' the spokesperson said in a statement .
`` Where we do provide care , our clinics are staffed with licensed , credentialed doctors , nurses and mental health professionals who contractually meet the highest standards of care . ''
ICE officials have long said that they are dedicated to providing timely and comprehensive medical care to immigrants in their custody , noting that they have access to a daily sick call and 24-hour emergency care .
The agency has also been criticized for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the pandemic , detainees and immigrant advocates have highlighted the health threats posed by the highly contagious disease for those in ICE custody .
The agency has attempted to assure congressional officials and the public that it has carefully examined the issue and has even released certain “ vulnerable '' detainees as a precaution .
Earlier this week , a separate committee report issued by the House Homeland Security Committee found that ICE detainees are often given deficient medical care and that detention centers use segregation as a threat against immigrants .

The House Oversight Committee has found that ICE detainees died after receiving inadequate medical care and that jail staff “falsified records to cover up” issues, according to a report released on Thursday.
Committee staffers visited several for-profit detention centers during the course of their investigation and reviewed 60,000 pages of records related to the care of immigrants. The report also frequently cited in its findings a memo obtained by BuzzFeed News that revealed a whistleblower’s complaint alleging that care at several facilities overseen by ICE was so dire, it resulted in two preventable surgeries, including an 8-year-old boy who had to have part of his forehead removed, and contributed to four deaths.
The allegations in the whistleblower memo are still being investigated by Congress, according to the report released Thursday.
“The Committee’s investigation shines a critical new light on the failures of the Administration’s immigration detention system and the deaths of immigrants in custody,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the committee. “This staff report and the documents the Committee obtained explain how the Administration and its private prison contractors have let known problems fester into a full-blown crisis — a crisis that has become far worse during the coronavirus pandemic.”
ICE has come under fire in recent years for issues related to medical care provided within its detention centers. The agency’s detention system relies on a variety of methods to provide medical care. In some facilities, ICE provides it directly; in others, it has a few ICE employees assist private or public contractors; and in many, it oversees care provided by a contractor.
The committee staff focused much of its efforts on immigrants in for-profit detention facilities and the deaths of immigrant detainees.
Committee staffers found that Huy Chi Tran, a 47-year-old man who died in June 2018 at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona — operated by private contractor CoreCivic — had been placed in solitary confinement.
“CoreCivic detention staff were supposed to check on Mr. Tran every 15 minutes, but the detention officer on duty left Mr. Tran unsupervised for 51 minutes just before Mr. Tran’s cardiac arrest that led to his death,” the report found, citing an internal ICE document. “Investigators found that the officer falsified observation logs to hide the fact that he had failed to conduct welfare checks over that 51-minute period.”


buzzfeed--2020-09-24--A Very Confusing Trip To Minnesota That Sums Up A Very Confusing Presidential Campaign

For all the talk of a constantly shifting election , my trip to Minnesota showed how things may not be changing much .
Voters know what they care about , and their minds are made up .
MINNEAPOLIS — When I booked my flight here , the presidential race was tightening , a massive backlash was brewing against Black Lives Matter in the Midwest , and Minnesota was a swing state .
By the time I landed there a week later , it didn ’ t , it hadn ’ t , and it wasn ’ t .
This has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , huge news events have seemed to swing the gravity of the presidential race , only to turn out to barely register in polls or on the ground .
Voters , it keeps turning out , know what they care about .
More than ever , their minds feel made up .
Two days into my trip to Minnesota , there was another seismic event that was supposed to change everything : the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg , and a last-minute fight for a suddenly vacant seat on the Supreme Court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside a campaign rally President Donald Trump was holding in Bemidji in northern Minnesota — a city no sitting president had ever visited .
Right away , news outlets started talking about how Ginsburg ’ s death had “ upended the presidential race.
” The sun was setting , and across from the hangar where the rally was being held , Trump supporters had parked their cars on a stretch of dry grass like tailgaters , trying to catch a glimpse of Air Force One across the way and blasting Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not even know yet that Ginsburg had died , but the focus on his campaign ’ s `` law and order '' message already felt like old news .
Outside the rally , a group of men who said they ’ d arrived too late to get into the hangar were drinking beers under a Trump flag that hung from the trunk of a car .
I asked if they thought Ginsburg ’ s death would make a difference in the election .
At first they looked at me blankly .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think just about everybody ’ s already made up their minds , ” his friend said .
“ Even if you say you haven ’ t , when you ’ re in there to vote , it ’ s gon na be , ‘ Do you like the way the last four years have gone ?
Or do you not ?
’ That ’ s about it.
” A third friend raised his beer .
“ No matter what , there ’ s no way he ’ s going to lose , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris , who said he was an evangelical Christian , told me the most important issue for him in the election was Trump .
“ I heard about that , ” Chris said when I asked about Ginsburg .
He didn ’ t seem to think it would matter in the election one way or another .
“ I guess I think it probably energizes both sides , ” Chris said .
This whole year , the search for shifting narratives by the media and by campaigns — particularly Republicans — has stood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had stayed mostly the same .
Impeachment , the movement for racial justice , the president ’ s reported comments about the military , the threat to the United States Postal Service .
Joe Biden led Trump in polls both nationally and in key swing states at the start of the general election , and he still does now with 40 days to go .
A national poll this week found only 4 % of voters had n't yet decided whom they would vote for , a smaller number than Biden 's overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still win — it doesn ’ t take much more than a small polling error or a shift in voter turnout to tip the Electoral College ’ s balance — but it ’ s hard not to get the impression that voters ' minds have been made up for quite some time .
Trump , though , has had something of an obsessive focus on Minnesota for years .
In 2016 , he lost the state by just 1.5 points , and Republicans actually managed to flip two Democratic seats , though they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had barely visited in 2016 .
Since then , he thinks things in the state have changed in his favor : His campaign has taken the state much more seriously ; a Democrat-heavy district elected one of Republicans ’ most hated opponents , Rep. Ilhan Omar ; and Minnesota , a mostly white state , became the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis .
If there was a white backlash to BLM , people thought — if the former blue wall was tipping back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minnesota .
But soon after Kenosha , polls of Minnesota , which had been sparse so far , started to come out one after another .
Trump was behind by nine points , fifteen points .
The Minneapolis suburbs seem to have shifted since 2016 — against Trump .
Looking back , the only event that really seems to have changed the race was the pandemic .
Which makes sense , in a way .
Everything else can seem fleeting compared to the weight of the virus on all of us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still haven ’ t been reversed , the visual reminders everywhere you turn .
In rural Minnesota , things seemed to be proceeding mostly as usual .
But in the Minneapolis suburbs , where Republicans desperately need to make inroads , many Republican candidates had dramatically altered their campaigns to limit the spread of the coronavirus .
There were few events to go to .
The Democratic Party in Minnesota is called the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party — a name that once reflected a coalition of big cities like Minneapolis and rural areas like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But since 2016 , like in so many other places , the state has cleaved almost in two .
Rural Democratic areas swung to Trump — he won Bemidji ’ s Beltrami County by 10 points in 2016 , after Obama won it by nearly the same margin in 2008 .
The once-conservative Minneapolis suburbs shifted to Democrats , especially in 2018 .
The day after Ginsburg died , I spent the day on what felt like the opposite spectrum of the Minnesota Republican Party from what I ’ d seen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Republican Tyler Kistner had been running to take back a congressional seat that had once solidly belonged to his party .
A Democrat , Rep. Angie Craig , won it in 2018 .
Kistner , who is 33 , is a wiry , clean-shaven retired Marine in flannel and skinny jeans .
He ’ d just finished a 100-mile run across the district , stopping along the way at local businesses and police stations .
He held the final event of the run on the green lawn of a business in Burnsville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a few dozen attendees and a Blue Lives Matter flag .
Jeff Schuette , the chair of the 2nd District GOP , said he felt energy for Republicans in the district that was “ completely different ” than in 2018 .
For Republicans in the district , he said , a trio of issues dominate the conversation : the economy , the virus , and public safety — in that order .
Schuette , who put on a bright red GOP mask to talk to me , said suburban voters are legitimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see the regulations imposed by Minnesota ’ s Democratic governor as overreach , too .
They want restaurants and businesses to reopen , he said .
Schuette thinks the Minneapolis protests will help his party out in the wealthy , mostly white suburbs .
“ I ’ ve gone to maybe 10 Democratic doors where you ask , ‘ What ’ s most important to you ?
’ and they ’ ve said , ‘ Please don ’ t let the riots come out here to Burnsville.
’ ” But when it comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just wasn ’ t sure what it would mean .
“ I guess as a [ party ] chair , I ’ m trying to maintain some sort of semblance of what we ’ re trying to do , ” Schuette said .
“ I would have preferred that she wouldn ’ t have passed away , I really would.
” “ It ’ s way above my pay grade , ” he said .
“ I guess if you want my opinion , I don ’ t know .
I really don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know which would be better .
They try to use precedents , but then you have — If President Trump loses and we didn ’ t appoint someone , then that would be bad .
So I don ’ t know.
” But Kistner , Schuette ’ s top candidate in the district , thought of the politics of Ginsburg ’ s death differently .
“ This is going to become another key issue , ” he said .
“ What helped Trump in 2016 ?
Justices .
This is going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already are , this is just one more thing to add on to the swing voters.
” I asked about whether he talked about issues like abortion much with voters .
“ I ’ m pro-life , ” Kistner said .
“ If it comes up , I ’ ll talk about it.
” It was the same way for the rest of the evening .
No one brought up Ginsburg to me .
There were so many other things on everyone ’ s minds .
On Thursday , the race in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — this time without question .
A third-party candidate ’ s death triggered an unusual state law that meant that the election for the district ’ s seat would be canceled and replaced by a special election in February 2021 .
The votes that have already been cast for Kistner or Craig will not be counted .
“ I can ’ t tell you anything that ’ s going on , ” Schuette , baffled , told me on the phone minutes after the news broke .
“ Can anything else happen in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House lawn , I don ’ t even know… ” I know Minnesota .
I grew up just a few blocks from the heart of the George Floyd protests , in a neighborhood that is filled now with Black Lives Matter signs and murals of Floyd and , here and there , the charred ruins of buildings .
As a kid , I spent my summers in what is now Trump country , in northern Minnesota , in a tiny town called Longville that had just 300 people in it — then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t occur to me that I would visit and leave with no better understanding of the race than when I ’ d started .
But that was what happened .
The drive to Trump ’ s rally in Bemidji on Saturday took me up the same road that my parents and I took north from Minneapolis every summer , through sprawling farm fields and then pine tree forests .
It was impossible not to notice the Trump signs everywhere — painted on giant boulders , hand-lettered on old boards , tacked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I didn ’ t see a single Biden sign , not one , and I found myself wondering what it meant — all the different ways you could interpret the simple fact of all those Trump signs in Minnesota , a state Biden was now supposedly running away with .
Was there a massive enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats ?
Maybe .
But then what about the polls that showed Biden with a wide lead in the state — maybe they were wrong .
But then how could you believe in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unabashed support for Trump was everywhere you looked ?
Was it just that Biden ’ s ground game was lagging in the pandemic ?
Would that matter ?
I ’ d spoken to Jennifer Carnahan , the chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota , at the height of the focus on the state .
Carnahan said that even she had been surprised by how close Minnesota was in 2016 .
Few polls had even shown Trump within the margin of error there .
“ People are no longer staying silent about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , ” Carnahan told me .
“ You can feel the excitement .
I ’ ve never seen this level of interest or attention .
We do have a chance to flip the state.
” Then I got to Bemidji , a small and not particularly liberal city in the heart of deep-red Trump country .
There , at a location chosen so that it wouldn ’ t provoke confrontations with Trump rallygoers , were long lines of hundreds of people in masks were waving Biden–Harris signs .
There were more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

In 2016, he lost the state by just 1.5 points — despite barely visiting during his campaign. Since then, he thinks things in the state have changed in his favor: His campaign has taken the state much more seriously; a Democrat-heavy district elected one of Republicans’ most hated opponents, Rep. Ilhan Omar; and Minnesota, a mostly white state, became the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. In 2018, Republicans actually managed to flip two Democratic House seats, though they also lost two red ones.
If there was a white backlash to BLM, people thought — if the former blue wall was tipping back toward Trump — it would be happening in Minnesota.
But soon after Kenosha, polls of Minnesota, which had been sparse so far, started to come out one after another. Trump was behind by nine points, fifteen points. The Minneapolis suburbs seem to have shifted since 2016 — against Trump.
Looking back, the only event that really seems to have changed the race was the pandemic. Which makes sense, in a way. Everything else can seem fleeting compared to the weight of the virus on all of us, the shifts in our daily lives that still haven’t been reversed, the visual reminders everywhere you turn.
In rural Minnesota, things seemed to be proceeding mostly as usual. But in the Minneapolis suburbs, where Republicans desperately need to make inroads, many Republican candidates had dramatically altered their campaigns to limit the spread of the coronavirus. There were few events to go to.
The Democratic Party in Minnesota is called the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party — a name that once reflected a coalition of big cities like Minneapolis and rural areas like the union-heavy mining region called the Iron Range.
But since 2016, like in so many other places, the state has cleaved almost in two. Rural Democratic areas swung to Trump — he won Bemidji’s Beltrami County by 10 points in 2016, after Obama won it by nearly the same margin in 2008. The once-conservative Minneapolis suburbs shifted to Democrats, especially in 2018.
The day after Ginsburg died, I spent the day on what felt like the opposite spectrum of the Minnesota Republican Party from what I’d seen in Bemidji. In the suburban 2nd District, Republican Tyler Kistner had been running to take back a congressional seat that had once solidly belonged to his party. A Democrat, Rep. Angie Craig, won it in 2018.
Kistner, who is 33, is a wiry, clean-shaven retired Marine in flannel and skinny jeans. He’d just finished a 100-mile run across the district, stopping along the way at local businesses and police stations. He held the final event of the run on the green lawn of a business in Burnsville, where he posed for a picture with a few dozen attendees and a Blue Lives Matter flag.
Jeff Schuette, the chair of the 2nd District GOP, said he felt energy for Republicans in the district that was “completely different” than in 2018.
For Republicans in the district, he said, a trio of issues dominate the conversation: the economy, the virus, and public safety — in that order.
Schuette, who put on a bright red GOP mask to talk to me, said suburban voters are legitimately concerned about the virus — but they see the regulations imposed by Minnesota’s Democratic governor as overreach, too. They want restaurants and businesses to reopen, he said.
Schuette thinks the Minneapolis protests will help his party out in the wealthy, mostly white suburbs. “I’ve gone to maybe 10 Democratic doors where you ask, ‘What’s most important to you?’ and they’ve said, ‘Please don’t let the riots come out here to Burnsville.’”
But when it comes to Ginsburg’s death, Schuette just wasn’t sure what it would mean.
“I guess as a [party] chair, I’m trying to maintain some sort of semblance of what we’re trying to do,” Schuette said. “I would have preferred that she wouldn’t have passed away, I really would.”
“It’s way above my pay grade,” he said. “I guess if you want my opinion, I don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t know which would be better. They try to use precedents, but then you have — If President Trump loses and we didn’t appoint someone, then that would be bad. So I don’t know.”
But Kistner, Schuette’s top candidate in the district, thought of the politics of Ginsburg’s death differently.
“This is going to become another key issue,” he said. “What helped Trump in 2016? Justices. This is going to be another one. As energized as they already are, this is just one more thing to add on to the swing voters.”
I asked about whether he talked about issues like abortion much with voters. “I’m pro-life,” Kistner said. “If it comes up, I’ll talk about it.”
It was the same way for the rest of the evening. No one brought up Ginsburg to me. There were so many other things on everyone’s minds.
On Thursday, the race in the 2nd District was completely, truly upended — this time without question. A third-party candidate’s death triggered an unusual state law that meant that the election for the district’s seat would be canceled and replaced by a special election in February 2021. The votes that have already been cast for Kistner or Craig will not be counted.
“I can’t tell you anything that’s going on,” Schuette, baffled, told me on the phone minutes after the news broke. “Can anything else happen in 2020? If aliens landed on the White House lawn, I don’t even know…”


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--President Trump Finally Laid Out His Healthcare Plan. It Doesn’t Do Anything.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will declare Thursday that it is “ the policy of the United States ” to protect people with preexisting conditions , while also suing to toss out current preexisting condition protections .
Trump plans to sign an executive order in North Carolina laying out the policy , according to White House officials .
But even they concede it will have no legal effect .
At the same time , the White House has joined a lawsuit brought by 20 Republican-led states attempting to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act , which bans insurers from denying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with preexisting health conditions .
That case goes before the Supreme Court for oral arguments Nov. 10 .
Thursday ’ s announcement was billed as “ President Trump ’ s Healthcare Vision for America ” but contained no tangible action .
Trump has long promised a “ beautiful ” and “ phenomenal ” healthcare plan that provides everyone with better coverage for a lower cost , but his administration never unveiled any comprehensive reform plan , even as it was trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act .
Both key planks of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to directing Congress — which has repeatedly failed to repeal Obamacare or offer a consensus replacement plan — to figure it out .
Asked how people with preexisting conditions will be protected if the ACA is overturned , Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said , “ we will work with Congress or otherwise to ensure that they ’ re protected.
” The plan also promises to ban surprise medical billing , but only after the election .
The executive order directs Congress to pass legislation to end the practice of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a hospital inside their insurance network but is nonetheless hit with medical bills because workers in the hospital are out of network — by Jan. 1 .
While widely derided as unethical exploitation of vulnerable patients , surprise billing is nonetheless lucrative business for those doing the billing .
Doctors and insurance companies have been in a lobbying war over how to fix the problem , and Congress has done nothing to stop it .
Given Congress ’ s past failures to act on surprise medical billing , the proximity of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government from shutting down at the end of September , and the coming fight over a Supreme Court nominee in the Senate , a Jan. 1 deadline is , at best , optimistic .
If Congress fails to meet the deadline , Azar will be tasked with exploring other options .
Azar did not say what those might be .
When asked why they are not taking action now , Azar said the plan `` is what it is . ''

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will declare Thursday that it is “the policy of the United States” to protect people with preexisting conditions, while also suing to toss out current preexisting condition protections.
Trump plans to sign an executive order in North Carolina laying out the policy, according to White House officials. But even they concede it will have no legal effect.
At the same time, the White House has joined a lawsuit brought by 20 Republican-led states attempting to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act, which bans insurers from denying coverage or jacking up prices on people with preexisting health conditions. That case goes before the Supreme Court for oral arguments Nov. 10.
Thursday’s announcement was billed as “President Trump’s Healthcare Vision for America” but contained no tangible action. Trump has long promised a “beautiful” and “phenomenal” healthcare plan that provides everyone with better coverage for a lower cost, but his administration never unveiled any comprehensive reform plan, even as it was trying to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
Both key planks of Trump’s healthcare vision Thursday essentially boil down to directing Congress — which has repeatedly failed to repeal Obamacare or offer a consensus replacement plan — to figure it out.
Asked how people with preexisting conditions will be protected if the ACA is overturned, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, “we will work with Congress or otherwise to ensure that they’re protected.”
The plan also promises to ban surprise medical billing, but only after the election. The executive order directs Congress to pass legislation to end the practice of surprise billing — when a person goes to a hospital inside their insurance network but is nonetheless hit with medical bills because workers in the hospital are out of network — by Jan. 1.
While widely derided as unethical exploitation of vulnerable patients, surprise billing is nonetheless lucrative business for those doing the billing. Doctors and insurance companies have been in a lobbying war over how to fix the problem, and Congress has done nothing to stop it.
Given Congress’s past failures to act on surprise medical billing, the proximity of the election, the need to keep the government from shutting down at the end of September, and the coming fight over a Supreme Court nominee in the Senate, a Jan. 1 deadline is, at best, optimistic.
If Congress fails to meet the deadline, Azar will be tasked with exploring other options. Azar did not say what those might be. When asked why they are not taking action now, Azar said the plan "is what it is."


buzzfeed--2020-09-24--A Russian Billionaire With Close Ties To Putin Made Suspicious Payments To Nobu

Exquisite sushi , a celebrity chef , and glamorous clientele have made Nobu , a restaurant and hotel empire with more than 40 outlets in 20 countries , one of the world ’ s most famous luxury brands .
But one aspect of the chain ’ s expansion has so far remained a secret : Nobu accepted more than $ 600,000 that its bank deemed suspicious , as part of a deal with a close associate of Vladimir Putin who also has strong ties to the White House .
That associate , the billionaire Russian real estate developer Aras Agalarov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 meeting at Trump Tower where senior members of the Trump campaign expected to receive dirt on Hillary Clinton .
Agalarov ’ s company , Crocus International , runs two Nobu restaurants in Moscow , one in the heart of the city and a second in the glittering Crocus City megamall , site of the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant that Donald Trump ran .
Confidential government documents reveal , however , that for a time , Crocus International paid Nobu ’ s hefty licensing fees through untraceable offshore companies , which experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money laundering .
The arrangement led the bank ’ s investigators to threaten to stop accepting the payments entirely .
Some came through a Latvian bank that has since been shut down due to its involvement in a Russian money laundering scheme .
The suspicious banking transactions were sent to the US Treasury Department ’ s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , known as FinCEN .
They were compiled , along with thousands of pages of other records , in response to requests by the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of its inquiry into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election .
The Nobu documents , revealed here for the first time , provide additional information about the Agalarov family , whose business dealings were discussed in the Mueller report .
The documents are part of the more than 2,100 suspicious activity reports , or SARs , that BuzzFeed News shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 news organizations around the world as part of the FinCEN Files investigation .
By law , banks must file these documents when they detect the hallmarks of money laundering or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in and of themselves evidence of a crime , but they can support investigations and intelligence gathering .
The FinCEN Files also open a window onto the scope and scale of the dirty economy .
They show suspicious transactions from untraceable offshore companies , like the ones that Crocus International used , located around the globe .
From Hollywood entertainment to Venezuelan public housing , almost no part of the world ’ s economy is untouched by this shadow financial system — not even the A5 Wagyu beef that Nobu serves , rare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agalarov is an unlikely business partner for a hospitality empire cofounded by Robert De Niro , the actor who has emerged as an outspoken critic of Trump .
From the podium at the 2018 National Board of Review awards , De Niro denounced Trump as a “ fucking fool.
” He has stated that he would never let the president into any of the Nobu restaurants .
Agalarov , by contrast , reportedly had Trump sit at his table at his 58th birthday party .
De Niro did not respond to multiple requests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARs do not suggest that De Niro himself was involved in or even aware of these financial irregularities , and they do not fault Nobu , which the bank referred to as “ non-concerning.
” Nobu ’ s corporate controller was aware of the irregular payments , and he tried repeatedly to get the Agalarovs to stop making them .
Scott Balber , the attorney for Agalarov , said all of the offshore companies cited in the SARs are owned by Agalarov , along with other similar companies that he uses as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transactions , he said : “ Most people do n't run their businesses in anticipation of a Buzzfeed reporter 's questions years later , based upon illegally leaked SARS.
” He said there were no problems .
Back in 2009 , Nobu was looking to expand to Russia , and the family of real estate billionaires paved the way .
`` Well , it just happened that we found the Agalarovs now , ” De Niro told the Moscow News when the first Nobu Moscow opened in April 2009 .
“ Without them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
As Nobu and Crocus International prepared to open the second restaurant in the Crocus City mall , a US bank was flagging financial transactions that seemed fishy .
Nobu Restaurant Group requires its partners to pay fees for licensing as well as for things like clothes and electric stoves .
But in late 2014 , payments for the Moscow locations began arriving not from Crocus International , the entity that signed the licensing agreement , but from companies in offshore havens known for money laundering and tax evasion , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Belize .
In August 2015 , according to a suspicious activity report that First Republic Bank sent to the Treasury Department , Nobu ’ s corporate controller wrote Crocus International a reminder that payments needed to be sent from the company ’ s account .
He told BuzzFeed News that he reached out “ multiple times ” to ask them to stop sending the money through the offshore companies .
The controller , Merrick Rhodes , said he knew that First Republic might look askance at payments from an unknown third party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requested that it comes through one of the parent companies , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
“ Obviously our bank wants us to have it come from them.
” By the time Nobu Crocus City opened in November of that year , investigators from the bank had spotted more than $ 200,000 in payments they deemed suspicious .
Denso Trading Ltd. , which was registered in the United Kingdom by a Cypriot company to an unrelated Russian , sent more than $ 90,000 and then dissolved .
Denso sent payments through Trasta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was involved in a notorious money laundering ring .
First Republic continued filing suspicious activity reports to the Treasury Department — and processing those suspicious payments .
Documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News showed that the bank had filed nine reports between November 2014 and June 2017 , flagging $ 602,886 from at least 10 different offshore companies .
In the June 2017 report , the bank said that the transactions it reviewed “ were concerning based upon the non-transparent nature of the wire originators.
” Geo Business Invest Corp. , which the bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Belize , sent more than $ 170,000 .
Other SARs filed by First Republic also mention the use of possible shell companies .
First Republic became more aggressive in its approach in June 2017 , threatening to withhold payments that did not originate from a Crocus International account .
First Republic Bank declined to comment about the transactions .
Rhodes , Nobu ’ s controller , told BuzzFeed News that in early 2017 , the licensing agreements for the two restaurants were transferred to another company , NIME LLC , owned by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since then , he said , there have been no payments from anyone other than the company named in the contract.●

The SARs do not suggest that De Niro himself was involved in or even aware of these financial irregularities, and they do not fault Nobu, which the bank referred to as “non-concerning.” Nobu’s corporate controller was aware of the irregular payments, and he tried repeatedly to get the Agalarovs to stop making them.
Scott Balber, the attorney for Agalarov, said all of the offshore companies cited in the SARs are owned by Agalarov, along with other similar companies that he uses as part of his business.
Asked about the transactions, he said: “Most people don't run their businesses in anticipation of a Buzzfeed reporter's questions years later, based upon illegally leaked SARS.” He said there were no problems.
Back in 2009, Nobu was looking to expand to Russia, and the family of real estate billionaires paved the way.
"Well, it just happened that we found the Agalarovs now,” De Niro told the Moscow News when the first Nobu Moscow opened in April 2009. “Without them, we wouldn't have managed it."
As Nobu and Crocus International prepared to open the second restaurant in the Crocus City mall, a US bank was flagging financial transactions that seemed fishy.
Nobu Restaurant Group requires its partners to pay fees for licensing as well as for things like clothes and electric stoves. But in late 2014, payments for the Moscow locations began arriving not from Crocus International, the entity that signed the licensing agreement, but from companies in offshore havens known for money laundering and tax evasion, such as the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, and Belize.


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--Trump Says He Won't Commit To A Peaceful Transfer Of Power If He Loses

President Donald Trump declined again on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the November election , the integrity of which he is seeking to undermine through false attacks on mail-in ballots .
`` We 're going to have to see what happens , '' Trump told Brian Karem at a White House press conference after the Playboy magazine reporter asked the president if he would commit to such a peaceful transfer .
`` I 've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster , '' Trump said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll have a very peaceful— There won ’ t be a transfer , frankly .
There ’ ll be a continuation.
” With an unprecedented number of Americans expected to vote by mail for November 's election due to the coronavirus pandemic , Trump has for months been attacking mail-in voting both in the courts and in the media .
He has shared misinformation related to voting practices , as well as debunked and unsupported claims that such ballots are tainted by widespread fraud and possibly foreign interference — a false claim he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also alleged , without a scintilla of evidence , that the Democrats and mainstream media are scheming to steal the election from him through such fraud .
Democrats and election observers fear Trump is attempting to sow distrust and confusion about the vote so he can question its integrity if he loses .
`` What country are we in ?
I 'm being facetious .
I said what country are we in ? ''
said Biden .
`` Look , he says the most irrational things .
I do n't know what to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who on Tuesday said he would support Trump nominating a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court , compared the president to a wannabe dictator .
`` Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power ; without that , there is Belarus , '' he said on Twitter .
`` Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable . ''

President Donald Trump declined again on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the November election, the integrity of which he is seeking to undermine through false attacks on mail-in ballots.
"We're going to have to see what happens," Trump told Brian Karem at a White House press conference after the Playboy magazine reporter asked the president if he would commit to such a peaceful transfer.
"I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster," Trump said. “Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful— There won’t be a transfer, frankly. There’ll be a continuation.”
With an unprecedented number of Americans expected to vote by mail for November's election due to the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has for months been attacking mail-in voting both in the courts and in the media. He has shared misinformation related to voting practices, as well as debunked and unsupported claims that such ballots are tainted by widespread fraud and possibly foreign interference — a false claim he repeated earlier on Wednesday. He has also alleged, without a scintilla of evidence, that the Democrats and mainstream media are scheming to steal the election from him through such fraud.
Democrats and election observers fear Trump is attempting to sow distrust and confusion about the vote so he can question its integrity if he loses.
Speaking to reporters in Delaware, Joe Biden called Trump's comments irrational.
"What country are we in? I'm being facetious. I said what country are we in?" said Biden. "Look, he says the most irrational things. I don't know what to say."
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who on Tuesday said he would support Trump nominating a replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, compared the president to a wannabe dictator.
"Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus," he said on Twitter. "Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable."