buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Can Dan Bongino Make Rumble The Right's New Platform?

As the CEOs of Twitter , Google , and Facebook testified before the US Senate just weeks before the election , the Facebook page of right-wing commentator Dan Bongino , which boasts more than 3.7 million followers , gleefully shared clips of Republican senators grilling the execs .
But instead of sending people to watch the videos on Bongino ’ s popular YouTube channel , his page referred them to rumble.com , a relatively unknown video site that has become the darling of right-wing figures including Bongino , conservative author Dinesh D ’ Souza , writer John Solomon , Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Silk .
One video on Bongino ’ s Rumble account , “ Ted Cruz SHREDS Twitter 's CEO - He Was n't Ready For This , ” has racked up over 225,000 views since it was posted on Oct. 28 .
D ’ Souza uploaded his own version of the Cruz–Dorsey interaction to Rumble , “ Ted Cruz BODIES Twitter ’ s CEO in Senate Hearing , Sets Trap He Did n't See Coming.
” In five days , it received over 190,000 views .
Rumble is the latest in a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Gab , Parler , and BitChute — to be promoted by high-profile conservatives who say they ’ re fed up with Facebook , YouTube , and Twitter .
But unlike those , Rumble didn ’ t set out to court conservatives .
During its seven-year existence , Rumble ’ s content has mostly consisted of harmless viral videos ( “ Pit Bull 's favorite thing ever is jumping into the pool ” ) and news content from mainstream sources such as Reuters .
“ We ’ re the clean YouTube competitor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski told BuzzFeed News in an interview at the company ’ s Toronto headquarters last week .
As for his new conservative creators , he said , “ I do n't like being a one-sided platform , and I want to keep this really open to everybody.
’ Bongino did not respond to an interview request .
The sudden traction with right-wing influencers and their fans has unleashed unheard-of growth for Rumble , attracting close to 60 million unique visitors in October , according to a Google Analytics screenshot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 45 million in September .
The growth is breathing new life into Rumble , but it also opens up a Pandora ’ s box the company may be unprepared to handle .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 Elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Rumble employs 12 people in its Toronto office , as well as relying on workers from Cosmic Development , an outsourcing company Pavlovski founded in North Macedonia , the country that in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites that earned money by spreading false stories .
Pavlovski , whose parents and grandparents immigrated to Canada from North Macedonia , said he had nothing to do with those kinds of sites .
“ I have nothing to do with that , ” he said , adding that the perception of the country as a fake news hotbed has led to “ discrimination ” against North Macedonians .
Prior to its influx of conservatives , Rumble 's partners included news organization Reuters , venerable viral video outfit America ’ s Funniest Home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scripps , and fact-checking site Snopes .
Its new content creators are more controversial .
Solomon ’ s previous work for the Hill resulted in a damning internal inquiry , while Diamond and Silk have at times been flagged by Facebook ’ s third-party fact-checkers .
The New York Times also noted that Bongino was a proponent of the “ Spygate , ” which it called “ a dubious conspiracy theory about an illegal Democratic plot to spy on Mr. Trump ’ s 2016 campaign.
” That means Rumble will soon have more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to evelyn douek , a lecturer at Harvard Law School .
“ If Rumble does n't want to be a haven for hate speech or harmful health misinformation or upset its user base and genuinely wants to moderate responsibly , it needs to think ahead about how it 's going to draw lines and , just as importantly , how it 's going to clearly communicate those lines to its users , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ These decisions can be genuinely hard.
” Rumble ’ s relationship with Bongino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three-time losing Republican Congressional candidate , and right-wing media machine , has already led to some awkwardness .
As part of his deal with Rumble , Bongino took an equity stake in the company .
Last year , he tweeted , “ Snopes is trying really hard to challenge Wikipedia for the gold in the BS Olympics.
” Now , he 's part of a company of which Snopes is a customer .
Pavlovski , meanwhile , is trying to recruit other high-profile political commentators to his site , while also lamenting how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become .
“ Just like Spotify brought in Joe Rogan , we were looking to bring in some big podcasters , ” he said .

As the CEOs of Twitter, Google, and Facebook testified before the US Senate just weeks before the election, the Facebook page of right-wing commentator Dan Bongino, which boasts more than 3.7 million followers, gleefully shared clips of Republican senators grilling the execs.
But instead of sending people to watch the videos on Bongino’s popular YouTube channel, his page referred them to rumble.com, a relatively unknown video site that has become the darling of right-wing figures including Bongino, conservative author Dinesh D’Souza, writer John Solomon, Rep. Devin Nunes, and pro-Trump commentators Diamond and Silk.
One video on Bongino’s Rumble account, “Ted Cruz SHREDS Twitter's CEO - He Wasn't Ready For This,” has racked up over 225,000 views since it was posted on Oct. 28. D’Souza uploaded his own version of the Cruz–Dorsey interaction to Rumble, “Ted Cruz BODIES Twitter’s CEO in Senate Hearing, Sets Trap He Didn't See Coming.” In five days, it received over 190,000 views.
Rumble is the latest in a series of upstart video and social sites — including Gab, Parler, and BitChute — to be promoted by high-profile conservatives who say they’re fed up with Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. But unlike those, Rumble didn’t set out to court conservatives. During its seven-year existence, Rumble’s content has mostly consisted of harmless viral videos (“Pit Bull's favorite thing ever is jumping into the pool”) and news content from mainstream sources such as Reuters.
“We’re the clean YouTube competitor, the place they can feel safe,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski told BuzzFeed News in an interview at the company’s Toronto headquarters last week.
As for his new conservative creators, he said, “I don't like being a one-sided platform, and I want to keep this really open to everybody.’
Bongino did not respond to an interview request.
The sudden traction with right-wing influencers and their fans has unleashed unheard-of growth for Rumble, attracting close to 60 million unique visitors in October, according to a Google Analytics screenshot from Pavlovski. That’s up from 45 million in September.
The growth is breathing new life into Rumble, but it also opens up a Pandora’s box the company may be unprepared to handle.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 Elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
Rumble employs 12 people in its Toronto office, as well as relying on workers from Cosmic Development, an outsourcing company Pavlovski founded in North Macedonia, the country that in 2016 was home to more than 100 pro-Trump sites that earned money by spreading false stories. Pavlovski, whose parents and grandparents immigrated to Canada from North Macedonia, said he had nothing to do with those kinds of sites.
“I have nothing to do with that,” he said, adding that the perception of the country as a fake news hotbed has led to “discrimination” against North Macedonians.
Prior to its influx of conservatives, Rumble's partners included news organization Reuters, venerable viral video outfit America’s Funniest Home Videos, television station owner E.W. Scripps, and fact-checking site Snopes. Its new content creators are more controversial. Solomon’s previous work for the Hill resulted in a damning internal inquiry, while Diamond and Silk have at times been flagged by Facebook’s third-party fact-checkers. The New York Times also noted that Bongino was a proponent of the “Spygate,” which it called “a dubious conspiracy theory about an illegal Democratic plot to spy on Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign.”
That means Rumble will soon have more difficult content moderation decisions to make, according to evelyn douek, a lecturer at Harvard Law School.
“If Rumble doesn't want to be a haven for hate speech or harmful health misinformation or upset its user base and genuinely wants to moderate responsibly, it needs to think ahead about how it's going to draw lines and, just as importantly, how it's going to clearly communicate those lines to its users,” she told BuzzFeed News. “These decisions can be genuinely hard.”
Rumble’s relationship with Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, three-time losing Republican Congressional candidate, and right-wing media machine, has already led to some awkwardness. As part of his deal with Rumble, Bongino took an equity stake in the company. Last year, he tweeted, “Snopes is trying really hard to challenge Wikipedia for the gold in the BS Olympics.” Now, he's part of a company of which Snopes is a customer.
Pavlovski, meanwhile, is trying to recruit other high-profile political commentators to his site, while also lamenting how “tribal” politics and society have become. “Just like Spotify brought in Joe Rogan, we were looking to bring in some big podcasters,” he said.


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--A Judge Blocked A Trump Policy That Allowed Officials To Deny Residency To Immigrants Who Might Use

A Judge Blocked A Trump Policy That Allowed Officials To Deny Residency To Immigrants Who Might Use Public Benefits

Immigrants in Tijuana , Mexico , listen to names being called from a waiting list to claim asylum at a border crossing in San Diego on Sept. 26 , 2019 .
A federal judge on Monday blocked a key Trump administration policy that allows the government to deny permanent residency to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits .
The ruling by US District Court Judge Gary Feinerman is the latest in the back-and-forth legal saga over the “ public charge ” policy , which was a major initiative pushed by the Trump administration in its efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long said the policy would change the face of immigration and discourage people from seeking public benefits , such as Medicaid .
In recent months , they have warned the impact would be especially acute during the pandemic as immigrants weigh whether to enroll in publicly funded healthcare coverage .
In the less than a year since it ’ s been implemented , the policy has been blocked multiple times , though the administration has been successful in lifting the previous rulings .
After Feinerman ’ s order in the Northern District of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services ( USCIS ) official emailed immigration officers across the country informing them that the “ judgment is applicable nationwide and is effective immediately.
” “ USCIS must immediately cease implementing the public charge final rule , ” wrote Daniel Renaud , a lead USCIS official .
A spokesperson for USCIS also said in a statement that the agency `` will fully comply with the decision and issue additional forthcoming guidance while the agency reviews the decision . ''
The Immigration and Nationality Act has long allowed the government to reject granting permanent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a financial burden on society , or a public charge , meaning they ’ re dependent on the government for financial support .
The Trump administration ’ s rule , however , altered how the government decides if someone is a public charge , allowing officials to deny green cards to those who are deemed likely to use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ( SNAP ) , Section 8 housing vouchers , and assistance , public housing , or most forms of Medicaid .
The policy was implemented in late February .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ instill policies that penalize diversity .
His administration ’ s attempt to shortchange immigrants by changing public charge threatens our public health and destroys communities that have immigrant populations who make these places across America great , ” said Cook County State ’ s Attorney Kim Foxx , which brought the lawsuit that led to the ruling on Monday .

A federal judge on Monday blocked a key Trump administration policy that allows the government to deny permanent residency to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits.
The ruling by US District Court Judge Gary Feinerman is the latest in the back-and-forth legal saga over the “public charge” policy, which was a major initiative pushed by the Trump administration in its efforts to restrict immigration.
Immigrant advocates have long said the policy would change the face of immigration and discourage people from seeking public benefits, such as Medicaid. In recent months, they have warned the impact would be especially acute during the pandemic as immigrants weigh whether to enroll in publicly funded healthcare coverage.
In the less than a year since it’s been implemented, the policy has been blocked multiple times, though the administration has been successful in lifting the previous rulings. After Feinerman’s order in the Northern District of Illinois, a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official emailed immigration officers across the country informing them that the “judgment is applicable nationwide and is effective immediately.”
“USCIS must immediately cease implementing the public charge final rule,” wrote Daniel Renaud, a lead USCIS official. A spokesperson for USCIS also said in a statement that the agency "will fully comply with the decision and issue additional forthcoming guidance while the agency reviews the decision."
The Immigration and Nationality Act has long allowed the government to reject granting permanent residency to immigrants who were determined to be a financial burden on society, or a public charge, meaning they’re dependent on the government for financial support.
The Trump administration’s rule, however, altered how the government decides if someone is a public charge, allowing officials to deny green cards to those who are deemed likely to use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Section 8 housing vouchers, and assistance, public housing, or most forms of Medicaid.
The policy was implemented in late February.
“Donald Trump has continually tried to instill policies that penalize diversity. His administration’s attempt to shortchange immigrants by changing public charge threatens our public health and destroys communities that have immigrant populations who make these places across America great,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, which brought the lawsuit that led to the ruling on Monday.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Trump Told A Cheering Rally Crowd He May Fire Anthony Fauci After The Election

`` I appreciate the advice , '' Trump continued .
`` He 's been wrong a lot .
He 's a nice man though .
He 's been wrong on a lot . ''
`` Do n't tell anybody , but let me wait till a little bit after the election , '' Trump replied , prompting raucous cheers from those in the crowd , many of whom were not wearing masks .
At a rally that stretched past midnight into Monday in Opa-locka , Florida , the crowd began to chant `` Fire Fauci !
Fire Fauci ! ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , President Donald Trump hinted that he might fire Anthony Fauci , the top US infectious disease expert whose science-based response to the pandemic has made him a target of the president and his allies .
The moment President Trump suggested he would fire Dr. Anthony Fauci after the election .
Quite a closing message as COVID cases spike across the country .
While firing Fauci would typically involve a lengthy bureaucratic process due to his status as a federal employee not appointed by the president , an executive order Trump signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For most of the pandemic , Trump and his allies have repeatedly tried to smear and discredit Fauci , who has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 .
On an October campaign call , Trump called Fauci `` a disaster '' and suggested he might fire him if it did n't get him negative publicity .
At another rally , Trump claimed Fauci was `` a Democrat , '' despite the fact that the health official has worked for presidents of both parties and does not voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been petty , personal , and often wholly divorced from policy .
On Twitter last month , Trump complained that Fauci gets `` more airtime than anybody '' on television .
`` Also , bad arm ! ''
Trump wrote , mocking Fauci 's pitch at the opening of the baseball season .
In a Washington Post interview on Saturday , Fauci pushed back against the president 's repeated downplaying of the pandemic and claims that it will soon end .
He also predicted deaths would rise again in the coming weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole lot of hurt .
It ’ s not a good situation , ” Fauci said .
“ All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season , with people congregating at home indoors .
You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.
” Fauci also criticized Trump 's preferred COVID-19 adviser Scott Atlas , who has pushed for a herd immunity plan that would kill even more people than have already died from the virus .
“ I have real problems with that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He ’ s a smart guy who ’ s talking about things that I believe he doesn ’ t have any real insight or knowledge or experience in .
He keeps talking about things that when you dissect it out and parse it out , it doesn ’ t make any sense.
” A spokesperson for the White House rebuked Fauci following the interview , saying , “ It ’ s unacceptable and breaking with all norms for Dr. Fauci , a senior member of the President ’ s Coronavirus Taskforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s actions throughout this pandemic , to choose three days before an election to play politics .
”

While firing Fauci would typically involve a lengthy bureaucratic process due to his status as a federal employee not appointed by the president, an executive order Trump signed this month may make it significantly easier.
For most of the pandemic, Trump and his allies have repeatedly tried to smear and discredit Fauci, who has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.
On an October campaign call, Trump called Fauci "a disaster" and suggested he might fire him if it didn't get him negative publicity. At another rally, Trump claimed Fauci was "a Democrat," despite the fact that the health official has worked for presidents of both parties and does not voice his political views.
The attacks have been petty, personal, and often wholly divorced from policy. On Twitter last month, Trump complained that Fauci gets "more airtime than anybody" on television. "Also, bad arm!" Trump wrote, mocking Fauci's pitch at the opening of the baseball season.
In a Washington Post interview on Saturday, Fauci pushed back against the president's repeated downplaying of the pandemic and claims that it will soon end. He also predicted deaths would rise again in the coming weeks.
“We’re in for a whole lot of hurt. It’s not a good situation,” Fauci said. “All the stars are aligned in the wrong place as you go into the fall and winter season, with people congregating at home indoors. You could not possibly be positioned more poorly.”
Fauci also criticized Trump's preferred COVID-19 adviser Scott Atlas, who has pushed for a herd immunity plan that would kill even more people than have already died from the virus.
“I have real problems with that guy,” Fauci said about Atlas. “He’s a smart guy who’s talking about things that I believe he doesn’t have any real insight or knowledge or experience in. He keeps talking about things that when you dissect it out and parse it out, it doesn’t make any sense.”
A spokesperson for the White House rebuked Fauci following the interview, saying, “It’s unacceptable and breaking with all norms for Dr. Fauci, a senior member of the President’s Coronavirus Taskforce and someone who has praised President Trump’s actions throughout this pandemic, to choose three days before an election to play politics.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--The Texas Supreme Court Won’t Toss Out 100,000 Drive-Thru Votes In The State’s Most Populous County,

The Texas Supreme Court Won’t Toss Out 100,000 Drive-Thru Votes In The State’s Most Populous County, But A Federal Case Is Pending

WASHINGTON — The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an effort by Republicans in the state to halt drive-thru voting and invalidate more than 100,000 ballots already cast in the state 's most populous county , Harris County .
The court ’ s one-line order doesn ’ t end the fight over Harris County ’ s efforts to expand the ways that residents can vote during the coronavirus pandemic — the challengers , a group of Republican state lawmakers and registered Republican voters , still have a lawsuit pending in federal court seeking to get the ballots tossed out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hearing for Monday .
There are 10 drive-thru voting sites in Harris County , which covers Houston , and each is next to a standard indoor polling location , according to the county 's court papers .
Early voting began on Oct. 13 , and as of Oct. 29 , more than 117,000 county residents had voted at a drive-thru site ; county clerk Chris Hollins estimated that more than 135,000 people would cast ballots at one of these sites through Election Day .
The Republican challengers had tried before to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a petition with the Texas Supreme Court in mid-October ; the court rejected that effort as well .
This go-around , they argued that the drive-thru voting sites were prohibited by state election law .
The county had argued that state law explicitly allowed polling sites to be located `` in a movable structure , '' and that the metal-framed tents that the county was using to accommodate voters in their cars to vote satisfied the law 's requirements .
They included photographs in their brief that showed voters sitting in their cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pulling up to large white tents where people could cast ballots .

WASHINGTON — The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an effort by Republicans in the state to halt drive-thru voting and invalidate more than 100,000 ballots already cast in the state's most populous county, Harris County.
The court’s one-line order doesn’t end the fight over Harris County’s efforts to expand the ways that residents can vote during the coronavirus pandemic — the challengers, a group of Republican state lawmakers and registered Republican voters, still have a lawsuit pending in federal court seeking to get the ballots tossed out. The judge in that case has set a hearing for Monday.
There are 10 drive-thru voting sites in Harris County, which covers Houston, and each is next to a standard indoor polling location, according to the county's court papers. Early voting began on Oct. 13, and as of Oct. 29, more than 117,000 county residents had voted at a drive-thru site; county clerk Chris Hollins estimated that more than 135,000 people would cast ballots at one of these sites through Election Day.
The Republican challengers had tried before to stop drive-thru voting in Harris County, filing a petition with the Texas Supreme Court in mid-October; the court rejected that effort as well. This go-around, they argued that the drive-thru voting sites were prohibited by state election law.
The county had argued that state law explicitly allowed polling sites to be located "in a movable structure," and that the metal-framed tents that the county was using to accommodate voters in their cars to vote satisfied the law's requirements. They included photographs in their brief that showed voters sitting in their cars in lines waiting to vote and cars pulling up to large white tents where people could cast ballots.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Phone-Banking Is Democrats’ Best Hope For Organizing In A Pandemic. It's Also Helping Volunteers Fee

Phone-Banking Is Democrats’ Best Hope For Organizing In A Pandemic. It's Also Helping Volunteers Feel Less Lonely.

Democrats are n't doing as much on-the-ground organizing .
But isolated in their homes , some are making hundreds of calls to get people to vote and find connection .
When she hears the sound of the beep in her living room in Seattle , Mari is usually the one who leans forward over the laptop and starts to talk .
On the other end of the line is someone she ’ s never met in a place she ’ s never been : Texas .
“ My name is Mari and I ’ m here with my mom and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas Democrats , ” she says , making sure to enunciate every word .
Mari and her mom , Julie , are calling about voting : voting early , voting by mail , voting for Democrats up and down the ballot .
But first , before they talk about any of that , Mari asks the person on the other end of the line something else : “ How are you doing in these difficult times ?
” Mari , 11 , and her mom have never been to Texas .
Like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t really left their house much since the pandemic began , when Seattle was among the first cities to begin shutting down .
Their world has been mostly limited to their small family : Mari ’ s dad , her sister , and their brown lab .
But in between the tones of the Democratic Party ’ s autodialer , they ’ ve talked to a lot of Texans .
Texans really are friendlier , Julie said .
She knows it ’ s a stereotype , but she thinks it ’ s true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her mother have learned about Texas geography and about how much harder it is to vote in Texas than in their home state of Washington .
They learned that Texas has two time zones .
Once , Mari asked her mom : “ Why do they always call you ‘ ma ’ am ’ ?
” “ You hear people ’ s voices and the hope and the civility , and I don ’ t think ‘ healing ’ is too strong a word , ” Julie said .
“ You get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They tell you about their life and what ’ s happened to them.
” The last few months before a presidential election are supposed to be filled with canvassers crisscrossing neighborhoods in swing states , their arms stuffed with campaign literature — a so-called “ ground game ” of voter persuasion , registration , and turnout .
But all of that came to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic .
And while Republicans in many states were back out canvassing within months , sending armies out to knock on what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most Democratic campaigns , the last eight months of organizing has looked very , very different .
It has looked like Julie and Mari , huddled together over a laptop , making phone calls to a place they ’ ve never been .
Texas Democrats say their organizers sometimes make more than 750,000 calls a day — they called more than 2 million voters in the state last weekend , as early voting was coming to a close .
And 5,000 “ active texters ” send as many as a million texts a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started smaller-scale door-knocking programs .
But no one knows , exactly , what the months of gaping differences between the two parties ’ strategies will mean for the election .
So far , it has sown Democratic panic , given Republicans an edge in voter registration in key states , and formed the basis of GOP arguments that the polls , once again , will turn out to be wrong .
For the Democratic Party and its leaders , it ’ s also been a point of pride — a model of how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a president who has defied coronavirus guidelines , endangering his own health as well as that of voters .
No one will know until Tuesday , at the earliest , who is right .
But for people like Mari and Julie , isolated by COVID-19 and anxious about the election , the digital campaign has turned out to be an unexpected source of connection .
Maybe even a little hope .
On a weekday in early October , more than 150 people gathered in the rectangles of a Zoom room to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept their cameras on as they dialed , talking emphatically into laptops and headphones .
In their silent panels , a man spoke from his kitchen table ; a woman sat at her desk in San Francisco , a stack of books behind her ; two women made calls together in a kitchen .
By the end , they had made 20,000 calls to Texas voters who had requested mail-in ballots .
Different nights bring different batches of Texans .
Calling people to convince them to vote at all is hard ; you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters .
Calling registered Democrats can be a much more positive experience .
The weekday call was a “ Dance and Dial , ” not just a phone-bank session ; after the two-hour session was over , everyone came back together in the Zoom room , and Lionel Richie began to play through people ’ s speakers .
Some dialers bobbed their heads ; others swayed .
Some just squinted into their webcams , confused .
A woman danced in a leopard-print hat , and another woman held a tambourine , rattling it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s view .
A man held up a hand-lettered sign that read : “ Calling from New Jersey.
” “ I am sorely missing getting my groove on in these COVID-y times , ” someone wrote into the chat window .
Democrats from around the country virtually descending on Texas is another unique part of this year ’ s presidential campaign .
Texas isn ’ t supposed to merit this many phone calls .
But after decades of clear Republican wins , polls now show the race for the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Because Texas isn ’ t likely to be the state that tips the election to Democrats , Biden ’ s campaign has paid it less attention than to places like Pennsylvania and Florida .
But Beto O ’ Rourke , who lost a Senate race there to Ted Cruz by just three points in 2018 , has been beating a drum begging his party to invest time and resources in his state .
O ’ Rourke has long been a champion of the ground game : In the 2018 Senate race , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors across Texas .
After his failed presidential run , O ’ Rourke founded a nonprofit , Powered by People , that was envisioned as an extension of his door-knocking powerhouse .
But in the pandemic , it has gone mostly virtual , making hundreds of thousands of calls a week in Texas .
Sometimes , on its Zoom calls , Oprah is there too , cold-calling voters alongside hundreds of others .
In Leander , Texas , O ’ Rourke ’ s vision has helped draw in Brian Nguyen and his boyfriend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rooms — some 3,000 or 4,000 calls in all , by Nguyen ’ s roughest count .
For months now , he has made calls almost every night while his boyfriend acts as tech support for the volunteers .
Mostly , Nguyen calls people in Texas , but once it gets too late there , he sometimes switches to phone-banking in Alaska .
“ It ’ s a cool thing I ’ ve found .
It ’ s three hours off , so if it ’ s 10:30 our time , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been doing some of those to really optimize my time . ''
A software engineer , Nguyen moved from California to Leander , a city just north of Austin , just before the pandemic began , and he ’ s seen almost no one since .
He and his boyfriend haven ’ t even been outside much ; their regular hikes had to stop in the summer thanks to the muggy Texas heat .
But in March , Nguyen started making phone calls for MJ Hegar , the Democratic Senate candidate in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He hasn ’ t stopped since .
He made hundreds of calls through Powered by People .
“ I think of these calls as therapy , ” he said .
“ I have some agency back .
I ’ m talking to real people and having real conversations with them about what ’ s important to them.
” When the New York Times broke the news that President Donald Trump paid just $ 750 in income taxes in 2017 , Nguyen decided to do 750 more calls .
After he reached that goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Early in the year , he went to a virtual seminar about how to convince undecided voters .
He avoids moral judgments or telling them what to do .
Instead , he said , he tries to “ put them into problem-solver mode.
” “ It actually has a lot of parallels to addiction counseling , ” he said .
“ People know they shouldn ’ t be smoking , but their addiction prevents them from choosing an option like a nicotine patch .
So I try to lay out the options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beeps him from house to house , Nguyen writes down on a notepad snatches of conversations he finds inspiring or even just funny , like a beekeeper who he joked with about starting a movement called “ Bees for Biden.
” “ There ’ s been this silver lining to us having to do everything virtual , which is that I wouldn ’ t be as involved as I am now , ” Nguyen said .
“ I ’ d have to drive to whatever phone bank it is or to knock doors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to do this .
It ’ s not as easy as it is jumping onto a Zoom call.
” The technology has not been easy for everyone , especially the retirees who make up a huge chunk of Democratic volunteers .
Organizers who might have spent their time corralling armies of door knockers have instead become tech support , helping people figure out how to download Slack or restart a frozen autodialer .
“ I ’ m sorry .
I am old and not accustomed to texting a lot , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a wall of books a few minutes later .
“ Now , archiving someone — that sets them aside , but it doesn ’ t cut them off altogether ?
” “ I hope you don ’ t mind my sad story .
But technology hates me , ” begins a closeup of a woman ’ s forehead .
She couldn ’ t figure out how to get the texting system to work , she said .
“ Last time , I went through this whole thing , and it said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want that to happen to me again .
I have this chunk of time .
I ’ m doing it .
I want to do everything I can.
” Labor unions , a big source of Democratic organizing muscle , were frustrated by the months where they could not campaign in person , sending their members out door knocking in droves in states like Nevada and Pennsylvania .
For some union members , especially older ones , the technology of Zoom calls , Slack , texting , and autodialing has been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson for 32BJ , which organizes building service workers like door attendants and cleaners in 12 states .
“ It ’ s been a tough transition to learn how to do these things , ” she said .
“ They ’ ll say , ‘ I don ’ t understand this texting thing ; I want to do the thing that we ’ ve done before.
’ ” But others have latched on immediately ; one member in his sixties sent 10,000 texts in a week and a half .
In Seattle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tech support , showing her how to summon a staffer into a breakout room to ask questions .
And she keeps her mother going relentlessly .
With the autodialer , there are no breaks while phones ring , no waiting to see if someone answers .
The technology picks up automatically when someone says “ Hello ?
” Then the tone of the beep : It ’ s time to talk .
After an hour and a half of dialing , Julie said , “ I might just put it on ‘ not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ No , ” Mari interrupted forcefully .
She leaned over her mother , making sure she wouldn ’ t press the button to stop the calls .
Beep .
In all their hours of calls , no one has answered Mari ’ s question by saying they ’ re doing well .
A lot of people are just “ hanging in there.
” Once , a mom talked about her struggles to virtually school her child , who has a disability .
Mari jumped in to talk about how her mom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A few weeks ago , the autodialer connected Mari and Julie to a woman who had requested a mail-in ballot .
The woman was going to hang up on them , she told them , “ but then I heard this little baby ’ s voice.
” Mari asked how the woman was doing , the way she always does , and they started talking .
The woman talked about how she was active in her church , and told them about a relative who ’ d just gotten out of surgery .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , and the San Antonio River Walk .
“ If you ’ re ever in Texas , ” the woman told them , “ let me know.
” They talked long past the point when the two-hour phone-banking shift was supposed to end .
And they made sure she had mailed in her ballot .

When she hears the sound of the beep in her living room in Seattle, Mari is usually the one who leans forward over the laptop and starts to talk. On the other end of the line is someone she’s never met in a place she’s never been: Texas.
“My name is Mari and I’m here with my mom and I’m a volunteer with the Texas Democrats,” she says, making sure to enunciate every word.
Mari and her mom, Julie, are calling about voting: voting early, voting by mail, voting for Democrats up and down the ballot. But first, before they talk about any of that, Mari asks the person on the other end of the line something else: “How are you doing in these difficult times?”
Mari, 11, and her mom have never been to Texas. Like a lot of people, they haven’t really left their house much since the pandemic began, when Seattle was among the first cities to begin shutting down. Their world has been mostly limited to their small family: Mari’s dad, her sister, and their brown lab.
But in between the tones of the Democratic Party’s autodialer, they’ve talked to a lot of Texans. Texans really are friendlier, Julie said. She knows it’s a stereotype, but she thinks it’s true. In their conversations, Mari and her mother have learned about Texas geography and about how much harder it is to vote in Texas than in their home state of Washington. They learned that Texas has two time zones. Once, Mari asked her mom: “Why do they always call you ‘ma’am’?”
“You hear people’s voices and the hope and the civility, and I don’t think ‘healing’ is too strong a word,” Julie said.
“You get to know people better,” Mari said. “They tell you about their life and what’s happened to them.”
The last few months before a presidential election are supposed to be filled with canvassers crisscrossing neighborhoods in swing states, their arms stuffed with campaign literature — a so-called “ground game” of voter persuasion, registration, and turnout.
But all of that came to a halt with the coronavirus pandemic. And while Republicans in many states were back out canvassing within months, sending armies out to knock on what they say are millions of doors, for most Democratic campaigns, the last eight months of organizing has looked very, very different.
It has looked like Julie and Mari, huddled together over a laptop, making phone calls to a place they’ve never been. Texas Democrats say their organizers sometimes make more than 750,000 calls a day — they called more than 2 million voters in the state last weekend, as early voting was coming to a close. And 5,000 “active texters” send as many as a million texts a day.
In October, national Democrats started smaller-scale door-knocking programs. But no one knows, exactly, what the months of gaping differences between the two parties’ strategies will mean for the election. So far, it has sown Democratic panic, given Republicans an edge in voter registration in key states, and formed the basis of GOP arguments that the polls, once again, will turn out to be wrong.
For the Democratic Party and its leaders, it’s also been a point of pride — a model of how to behave during a pandemic in contrast to a president who has defied coronavirus guidelines, endangering his own health as well as that of voters. No one will know until Tuesday, at the earliest, who is right.
But for people like Mari and Julie, isolated by COVID-19 and anxious about the election, the digital campaign has turned out to be an unexpected source of connection. Maybe even a little hope.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Just Getting To The Polls Is A Huge Problem For Many Voters This Year

“ You can make a plan .
You can register , but not having access to a car to be able to get to the polls is huge , and to be honest , it ’ s another form of voter suppression.
” With more than 20,000 Election Day polling places being shuttered nationwide , rampant online misinformation , mail delays , and of course , the coronavirus pandemic still raging , voting in the 2020 election is already hard enough .
But for many Americans , one of the biggest barriers to voting is a simple one : not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Access to transportation is not typically one of the first things people think of when it comes to forms of voter suppression , but advocates say it ’ s one of the top obstacles people face when trying to cast their vote .
In a Harvard study from 2016 , 14 % of nonvoters said transportation was a “ major factor ” in why they did not vote in that election .
“ You can make a plan , you can register , but not having access to a car to be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to be honest , it ’ s another form of voter suppression , ” Crystal Carson , a spokesperson for the voting advocacy group When We All Vote , told BuzzFeed News .
While city dwellers are typically able to get to their polling place by public transit or on foot , this is less possible for those in rural and suburban areas .
And in those areas , the people who don ’ t own cars are by and large the ones most severely affected by the government ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are disproportionately Black , Latinx , Indigenous , immigrants , or LGBTQ .
The elderly and people with disabilities , who often have physical barriers to driving , and young people , who are less likely to own a car than older generations , also struggle to vote for this reason , advocates told BuzzFeed News .
For at least the past several years , activist groups and rideshare companies have helped alleviate this issue by offering free or discounted rides to the polls .
This year , Uber , Lyft , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deals to help get voters where they need to go .
But that will not be possible this year for Michigan residents , where a decades-old law makes it illegal to provide paid transportation for voters unless they are “ physically unable to walk.
” In January , liberal super PAC Priorities USA filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the state law , which allows for volunteers to drive voters to the polls , but prevents companies such as Uber and Lyft from offering discounts on rides there as they do in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a judge ruled to uphold the law .
Aneesa McMillan , a spokesperson for Priorities USA , told BuzzFeed News that she expects transportation issues to continue to be a major voting barrier this year .
“ With such robust voter suppression across the country , which is spearheaded by the RNC and the Trump campaign , it makes transportation all the more important because of the national efforts to limit and restrict access to the ballot , ” McMillan said .
A recent study of the 2018 midterm election found that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a car voted , compared to 36 % of people who did not have access .
Boston University political science professor Maxwell Palmer , who coauthored the study , told BuzzFeed News this 30-point disparity even held up with people who live in very similar circumstances .
“ One thing we might wonder is , well , people who have cars might be different in other ways from people who don ’ t have cars .
Like , they might be wealthier , or be employed , or have more resources , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So how do we know it ’ s the car itself that matters , and not other socioeconomic conditions that correlate with car ownership ?
” Palmer said .
“ So we looked at people who have the exact same street address , say within an apartment building .
The people who live in households with cars vote at higher rates than their immediate neighbors in the exact same building without cars.
” Though more people are voting early and by mail than ever this year , Palmer said he remains concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting , when people may be worried about taking public transit or cabs due to the risk of catching COVID-19 .
“ Lacking access to a car really does depress turnout , ” he said .
“ And we should really be concerned about that , especially in a situation where lots of other ways to get to a polling place might not be as safe or easy this year.
” Even with access to a car , some voters with physical disabilities may still face obstacles to casting their vote .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drive-up voting illegal in Alabama , and Texas Republicans are trying to shut it down in their state as well .
A substantial percentage of Americans are voting by mail this year , and that includes many who would have otherwise had challenges to make it to the polls in person .
But , many people are still choosing to vote in person to ensure their vote is received and counted .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even for those who did opt to vote by absentee ballot , many people are hand-delivering their ballots to drop boxes to avoid mail delays .
But that ’ s still not an easy task depending on how far you live from a ballot drop box .
In Texas , this is a particularly onerous issue , since the state ’ s Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott ordered that there would be only one ballot drop off location per county , meaning many Texans will have to travel long distances to cast their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could live just a few blocks from your voting location , which makes it feasible , or you could be quite a distance from it , ” community organizer Sarah Kovich told BuzzFeed News .
“ [ Texas is ] beginning to close down voting locations and moving to larger venues for voting .
Well , all of a sudden , what used to be a few blocks walk could now be several miles from your home.
” To combat this , Kovich founded Rideshare2Vote , which provides free rides to voters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county ballot box .
People in need of rides can call the organization or request a ride on their app , and a volunteer will pick them up and take them there and back .
While the organization supports Democrats , anyone is eligible for a free ride , regardless of what party they support .
A wide range of people have used Rideshare2Vote ’ s services , Kovich said , including younger voters , people who can ’ t afford a car or gas , visually impaired people , people who use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cars who just couldn ’ t lose their parking spot by going to vote on their lunch break .
The majority of people whom they shuttle to the polls , though , are the elderly .
“ We ’ ve driven a voter one block because she couldn ’ t walk to her polling location anymore , ” Kovich said .
It hasn ’ t been easy running a volunteer rideshare-to-the-polls operation in the middle of a pandemic , Kovich said .
They ’ ve had to ensure everyone has masks , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a time , the windows are down , the AC is on , and at the end , the driver has to disinfect the car before picking up another voter .
Kovich hopes these rides are a way people can feel welcomed into the process of voting , she said .
“ Whoever wants to vote , we want them to know they ’ re invited , ” she said , “ And we ’ ll get them there.
” ●

A recent study of the 2018 midterm election found that 66% percent of people with access to a car voted, compared to 36% of people who did not have access.
Boston University political science professor Maxwell Palmer, who coauthored the study, told BuzzFeed News this 30-point disparity even held up with people who live in very similar circumstances. “One thing we might wonder is, well, people who have cars might be different in other ways from people who don’t have cars. Like, they might be wealthier, or be employed, or have more resources, things we also know correlate with voting. So how do we know it’s the car itself that matters, and not other socioeconomic conditions that correlate with car ownership?” Palmer said. “So we looked at people who have the exact same street address, say within an apartment building. The people who live in households with cars vote at higher rates than their immediate neighbors in the exact same building without cars.”
Though more people are voting early and by mail than ever this year, Palmer said he remains concerned about how much car access could affect voting, when people may be worried about taking public transit or cabs due to the risk of catching COVID-19.
“Lacking access to a car really does depress turnout,” he said. “And we should really be concerned about that, especially in a situation where lots of other ways to get to a polling place might not be as safe or easy this year.”
Even with access to a car, some voters with physical disabilities may still face obstacles to casting their vote. A Supreme Court ruling on Oct. 21 made drive-up voting illegal in Alabama, and Texas Republicans are trying to shut it down in their state as well.
A substantial percentage of Americans are voting by mail this year, and that includes many who would have otherwise had challenges to make it to the polls in person. But, many people are still choosing to vote in person to ensure their vote is received and counted.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Even for those who did opt to vote by absentee ballot, many people are hand-delivering their ballots to drop boxes to avoid mail delays. But that’s still not an easy task depending on how far you live from a ballot drop box.
In Texas, this is a particularly onerous issue, since the state’s Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered that there would be only one ballot drop off location per county, meaning many Texans will have to travel long distances to cast their vote.
“In Texas, you could live just a few blocks from your voting location, which makes it feasible, or you could be quite a distance from it,” community organizer Sarah Kovich told BuzzFeed News. “[Texas is] beginning to close down voting locations and moving to larger venues for voting. Well, all of a sudden, what used to be a few blocks walk could now be several miles from your home.”
To combat this, Kovich founded Rideshare2Vote, which provides free rides to voters, both to the polls and to their county ballot box. People in need of rides can call the organization or request a ride on their app, and a volunteer will pick them up and take them there and back.
While the organization supports Democrats, anyone is eligible for a free ride, regardless of what party they support.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--First-Time Voters Are Being Celebrated With Cheers And Applause At Polling Stations

“ I think it ’ s important to affirm first-time voters that they are doing the right thing and that voting is something they should prioritize in every election.
” Americans voting for the first time are being showered with applause and cheers at polling stations to mark the moment in the best way possible , as the nation prepares for one of the most dramatic presidential elections in recent years .
Vee , a 20-year-old student from Santa Clarita is one of the millions of Gen Z'ers who were ineligible to vote in 2016 .
She said , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cast her ballot early , it was “ empowering.
” “ It was motivating and encouraging to hear people clap or cheer for something I felt was necessary to do as a citizen , especially in this election , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
Mitchell Moravec from Raleigh , North Carolina , has been working as an election official at a polling station in what will be one of this election 's more significant swing states .
The 25-year-old celebrated the various first-time voters he had seen come to cast their ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their families , and others who had come alone .
“ One thing we like to watch is how they react when they are announced as a first-time voter to the polling place and we all clap for them , ” said Moravec .
“ Lots of them are sort of timid or embarrassed , but some are excited and kind of soak up the affirmation , '' he said .
`` Overall , I feel like young people and new voters of all types are really taking the task of voting seriously.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrating the moment and championing first-time voters is all about affirming their choice to participate in the political process , especially in the current climate .
“ While we market voting as a free and equal right , it ’ s still hard .
It takes a lot to come out and do the duty , especially with all the doom-and-gloom news stories and coverage of the election and the pandemic , ” he said .
“ I think it ’ s important to affirm first-time voters that they are doing the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should prioritize in every election.
” For Briana Sanchez , casting her vote for the first time meant more than just fulfilling a civil obligation .
The 20-year-old who lives in Texas is one of the millions of Americans who became unemployed as a result of the pandemic .
As well as the economic challenges , Sanchez shared she felt that voting was necessary because of her identity .
“ It means a lot to me , being Mexican and part of the LGBTQ+ community , it ’ s important for me to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two groups and not against them , ” she said .
“ I remember not being able to vote for the last election due to me being too young and hearing that Donald Trump won was scary .
I don ’ t want anyone who is younger than me to feel that since they couldn ’ t vote in this election.
” The ovation she received at her polling station was something “ totally unexpected , ” said Sanchez .
“ I always thought when you go to vote , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and no noise is to be made .
So when I was asked by this very kind lady if I was a first-time voter and she shouted ‘ We have a first-time voter !
’ to the entire room and everyone stopped what they were doing to cheer , it was great.
” Myron Curtis , a US history teacher living in Virginia , may not have received an ovation as he cast his ballot for the first time .
But for the 35-year-old , who had not voted in the previous four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his daughter was a celebration of its own .
“ With everything that 's at stake I just ca n't look my 7-year-old daughter in the eye and say I did everything in my power to try to fight for a better future for her if I sat this one out , ” shared Curtis .
On his first experience at a polling station , Curtis acknowledged that he saw several younger voters receive their moment of applause .
Due to his age , he imagined that officials assumed he would have voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fact that he felt somewhat embarrassed about .
“ I brought my daughter with me and she was like ‘ daddy you should tell them ur a first time voter so they clap for u too , ’ ” he said .
“ I hushed her and told her I was a bit embarrassed at being in my 30s and voting for the first time.
” Curtis shared that , in the past , he had been frustrated by the “ increasingly partisan ” nature of US politics and admitted that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , for this year ’ s election , the father found inspiration in his daughter and the contributions of great African Americans who paved the way for his chance to vote .
“ I was extremely excited , not only going through that process for the first time but also having one of my most favorite people in the world , my daughter , there with me , ” he said .
“ It probably sounds corny , but as a history teacher , I got pretty emotional as I started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Frederick Douglass , John Lewis , and others like him that fought so hard for me to be able to have a voice in our democracy and all the years I sat around putting down the system instead of doing my part to bring about change through the system .
”

“Lots of them are sort of timid or embarrassed, but some are excited and kind of soak up the affirmation," he said. "Overall, I feel like young people and new voters of all types are really taking the task of voting seriously.”
Moravec said that the intention behind celebrating the moment and championing first-time voters is all about affirming their choice to participate in the political process, especially in the current climate.
“While we market voting as a free and equal right, it’s still hard. It takes a lot to come out and do the duty, especially with all the doom-and-gloom news stories and coverage of the election and the pandemic,” he said. “I think it’s important to affirm first-time voters that they are doing the right thing and that voting is something they should prioritize in every election.”
For Briana Sanchez, casting her vote for the first time meant more than just fulfilling a civil obligation. The 20-year-old who lives in Texas is one of the millions of Americans who became unemployed as a result of the pandemic. As well as the economic challenges, Sanchez shared she felt that voting was necessary because of her identity.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Trump Made It Clear He Wants The Supreme Court To Shut Down Vote-Counting After Election Day

President Donald Trump , in his last sprint of rallies before Election Day , is aggressively accelerating his campaign to spread distrust in the US election and legal systems , laying the groundwork for a potential effort to stop counting votes after Nov. 3 .
“ The whole world , and our nation , is going to be waiting , and waiting , and waiting to hear who won ?
You ’ re going to be waiting for weeks ?
” Trump asked a crowd of supporters Saturday morning in Bucks County , Pennsylvania .
There has been a giant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the coronavirus pandemic , particularly — polls suggest , among Democrats .
Because of how some key states like Pennsylvania count votes , that might mean that the election winner is not determined on election night , and it could mean that some states that count absentee ballots late may show initial results that have Trump winning , only for Joe Biden to overtake him as more votes come in .
There ’ s nothing about that that would suggest fraud or illegality , and it ’ s not unusual for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vote count .
Trump , though , is now loudly insisting otherwise .
He repeatedly blamed the Supreme Court , which earlier this week denied Pennsylvania Republicans ’ request to issue a decision on mail-in ballots before the election , punting the issue .
That denial means that Pennsylvania can still count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day as long as they arrive by Nov. 6 ; Republicans had sued to stop them from counting anything that arrives after Nov. 3 .
“ This is a terrible thing they ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the United States Supreme Court I ’ m talking about .
That is a terrible , political , horrible decision that they made .
We ’ re going to be waiting , Nov. 3 is going to come and go and we ’ re not going to know , ” Trump said .
“ And you ’ re going to have bedlam in our country , and you ’ re going to have this period of nine days or seven days or whatever it is , and many bad things — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oh , we just found 10,000 ballots .
Oh , that ’ s good , we just found another 10,000.
’ This is a horrible thing the United States Supreme Court has done to our country .
And I say it , and I say it loud and I say it proud.
” '' We have to know who won , '' he said .
`` We have to know who won . ''

President Donald Trump, in his last sprint of rallies before Election Day, is aggressively accelerating his campaign to spread distrust in the US election and legal systems, laying the groundwork for a potential effort to stop counting votes after Nov. 3.
“The whole world, and our nation, is going to be waiting, and waiting, and waiting to hear who won? You’re going to be waiting for weeks?” Trump asked a crowd of supporters Saturday morning in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
There has been a giant spike in early and mail-in voting nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly — polls suggest, among Democrats. Because of how some key states like Pennsylvania count votes, that might mean that the election winner is not determined on election night, and it could mean that some states that count absentee ballots late may show initial results that have Trump winning, only for Joe Biden to overtake him as more votes come in. There’s nothing about that that would suggest fraud or illegality, and it’s not unusual for some states to take days to finalize a vote count. Trump, though, is now loudly insisting otherwise.
He repeatedly blamed the Supreme Court, which earlier this week denied Pennsylvania Republicans’ request to issue a decision on mail-in ballots before the election, punting the issue. That denial means that Pennsylvania can still count ballots that are postmarked by Election Day as long as they arrive by Nov. 6; Republicans had sued to stop them from counting anything that arrives after Nov. 3.
“This is a terrible thing they’ve done to our country. And that’s the United States Supreme Court I’m talking about. That is a terrible, political, horrible decision that they made. We’re going to be waiting, Nov. 3 is going to come and go and we’re not going to know,” Trump said. “And you’re going to have bedlam in our country, and you’re going to have this period of nine days or seven days or whatever it is, and many bad things — ballots are going to be, ‘Oh, we just found 10,000 ballots. Oh, that’s good, we just found another 10,000.’ This is a horrible thing the United States Supreme Court has done to our country. And I say it, and I say it loud and I say it proud.”
"We have to know who won," he said. "We have to know who won."


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--More Than 9 Million People Voted Early In Texas. For One Day In Its Biggest County, They Voted All N

More Than 9 Million People Voted Early In Texas. For One Day In Its Biggest County, They Voted All Night.

Millions have voted in Texas ’ s first competitive presidential race in decades .
When some polls stayed open for 24 hours this week , the voters kept coming .
HOUSTON — Across the sprawling expanse of Harris County , voters came all day Thursday .
They came at midnight , and then past it , long into the early hours of Friday morning .
If Democrats ’ long-held dreams of turning Texas blue come true on Election Day , much of it will be because of the nearly 5 million people in Harris County — home to Houston , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a swelling population that has become more and more Democratic since 2016 .
It will also be because Harris County took on a mission to make it easy for its citizens to vote , even in the midst of a pandemic — often in the face of intense opposition from Republicans .
They crafted large drive-thru voting centers modeled after fast-food restaurants like Sonic , situating them in downtown parking lots left empty by the pandemic .
And on Thursday , the county took a page from the city of Las @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , opening eight early voting places for 24 hours straight .
The 24-hour polling places were chosen to draw nurses and oil refinery workers ; people from deep-blue precincts and dark-red ones ; churchgoers and college students ; aficionados of taco trucks and nachos .
By the time early voting had ended altogether in Texas on Friday , more than 1,435,000 people had voted in Harris County , significantly more than the total number of people who voted in the county in 2016 .
More than 9 million people had voted early in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s plan worked .
This is what it looked like in the 24 hours that helped make that possible .
The night shift is ending , but it ’ s still dark as polls open at the world ’ s largest medical center , where more than 100,000 people work in a forest of hospitals , medical schools , and specialty centers .
Nurses in a rainbow of differently colored scrubs come to vote , some of them rushing off to start their shift .
One pauses to take a photograph of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sticker in front of the enormous blue wall of a fountain .
A nurse named Erisha votes for the first time : She just got her American citizenship .
As the sun starts to rise , Andre , a resident physician just off the night shift , stops immediately outside the door to place his sticker onto the badges that hang around his neck .
His finger is still encased in a white latex sleeve .
He ’ s here to vote , he says , because of the presidential election .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d say the priorities of the many outweigh the priorities of a few , ” he says .
Andre isn ’ t sure whether he believes Texas will flip to Democrats or not , but he says seeing the surge in voter turnout across the state has left him hopeful .
“ Something has pulled people to vote , whether or not they close the gap.
” In front of the low brick community center , an employee in an Astros ball cap raises two enormous flags : first the American flag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2016 , Hillary Clinton won Harris County by the biggest margin for a Democrat in years , and the county went even bluer in 2018 ’ s elections .
But this is the deep-red edge of the enormous county , and the 24-hour voting center here in the city of Pasadena is meant to draw oil refinery workers whose shifts extend long into the night .
Next door to Pasadena is the city of Deer Park , whose precincts Trump won in 2016 by 40 and 50-point margins .
Kristen , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes on Election Day .
But this year , she says , she felt even more urgency to vote .
“ It ’ s the most important vote I ever had , ” she says .
“ It ’ s a turning point for the way our country goes.
” Isaac , a plumber in Pasadena , thought the country was “ doing pretty good ” before the coronavirus pandemic hit .
His friends in the oil industry were doing well .
The cost of living was low .
Salaries were high .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he says .
So he voted for Trump , and thinks the rest of Texas will too .
“ The media can sway a lot of people 's opinions , but the deep-down roots are the same.
” A young blonde woman wearing a yellow terry cloth costume , her legs striped in furry pink and orange , jogs past Isaac into the polling place , her car keys still in one hand , a paper mask pressed to her face with the other .
“ I can ’ t talk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve got to get back to work !
” Less than 10 minutes later , Big Bird emerges into the parking lot , her vote cast .
It ’ s nearly impossible to find somewhere to park during the after-work rush at one of the busiest centers in Harris County , a historic former dance hall on the side of a busy freeway .
Two dozen voters form a line down a long ramp , a chill setting in in the late-afternoon sun .
Cypress , an unincorporated community strung along the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edge , is solidly conservative .
Dustin and Evianna are both first-time voters .
Evianna , 19 , works at Target and voted for Biden , motivated by women ’ s rights and social justice .
Dustin , 21 , voted for Trump .
But Evianna says it doesn ’ t strain their relationship .
“ We ’ re both liberal , ” she explains .
“ He ’ s just a Trump supporter.
” “ Biden ’ s been in office for 40 years , and he hasn ’ t done anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanation .
As dusk turns to night in Kashmere Gardens , a historically Black neighborhood in East Houston , Morris and Sam pose for a selfie in front of the senior center after voting .
“ It ’ s our date night , ” Sam says .
She gestures to Morris .
“ His choice.
” Will Texas finally turn blue this election ?
“ It already is , in my opinion , ” says Sam .
“ The people were just hidden.
” Maybe this time , she thinks , those people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Morris came to vote in a pair of dark blue coveralls with a reflective stripe across the arms and legs .
He and Sam both voted for Biden .
But Morris , who works in the oil and natural gas industry , had some hesitation .
He worries about what some Biden allies , like Kamala Harris , have said about fracking — it ’ s how he makes his living .
“ It weighed on my vote , yes , ” Morris says .
But he decided he trusts Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ time in deep-red parts of Texas , though , to doubt seriously that Texas is going to tip to Democrats .
Later , the Patels , who work at a motel nearby , show up to cast their very first votes .
Hillary Clinton won 98 % of the votes in this precinct .
But Bhavna and her husband , Paresh , aren ’ t thinking about political parties .
They just want to vote .
“ We ’ re just learning how things work in this country , ” Paresh says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ places have closed across Harris County , but a steady stream of cars are pulling into the lot of the Tracy Gee Community Center , where a taco truck paid for by the Harris County Democrats is offering free tacos to voters .
A man rushes inside to vote , leaving his family waiting in an idling white van .
When he runs out ten minutes later , he clicks his heels once , then twice , like a leprechaun .
He raises his fists over his head before he ducks into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tracy Gee at 10:30 , says she was relieved to find out about the 24-hour polling places .
She ’ s a new mom to a 3-month-old baby whose bedtime is at 9:30 — sometimes later .
Even a late 10 p.m. closing time wouldn ’ t work for her .
Vaughan arrives even later , past 11 , after putting in long hours running his own company .
He voted third-party in 2016 , but this time , he voted for Biden .
“ It was with my conscience more than in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The way this country has handled COVID has been a complete failure .
It was an easy vote for me.
” At 11:38 , Antonia emerges jubilantly from the community center with her new wife , Kandice , and poses for a selfie .
Antonia ’ s flight from New Jersey touched down in Houston at 10:02 p.m. She and Kandice went straight to vote .
“ It felt amazing , ” she says .
“ I flew all the way here for this.
” They ’ re motivated by everything , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women work in healthcare : “ We have to deal with this all day , every day.
” They pray Texas turns blue this time .
But at this point , “ It shouldn ’ t be between Democratic and Republican .
It ’ s a humanity thing.
” It ’ s after midnight , but a small line has formed outside the voting center on a satellite campus of Prairie View A & M , a public historically Black college .
One man stops short when he sees the line , surprised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and returns zipping up a green camo sweatshirt .
The line is gone by the time Dwight arrives at 12:40 .
A veteran with disabilities , he says he saw a story about the county ’ s 24-hour voting centers on the news and waited 'til late at night , when he could be sure to avoid crowded polling places and the risk of COVID .
“ I ’ m concerned about the things my mom is concerned about , like social security , the virus , ” Dwight says .
He ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas .
“ I think the younger generations could make a big difference this time.
” When she shuffles out of the polling place at 1:03 , Katy looks a little tired , wearing zebra-print pajama pants under her warm coat .
She voted days ago , but tonight , she brought two of her children , both first-time voters .
“ They ’ re night owls , ” Katy says .
“ When I went , they were like , ‘ It ’ s too early to get up.
’ But I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Katy was a lifelong Republican , she says , until four years ago .
Now she ’ s swung in the other direction — an avowed liberal who mourned the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and rails against for-profit colleges and prisons .
Her son , Ian , says he “ can ’ t wait ” for Texas to turn blue .
“ Even if it still goes red , it gets a little closer every year.
” After Katy ’ s car pulls away , the lot at Prairie View @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only a few minutes .
At 1:15 , one giant truck rolls into a parking space , and another follows .
In the predawn hours at the medical center , things have been “ a little slow , ” the precinct judge says .
There were a dozen or so voters here after midnight , but not many more .
By 5:30 , a few day shift employees start trickling in .
Steven , an administrative assistant at one of the hospitals , works a shift that starts at 7 , the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s never had time to vote early — and after work , he says , “ Other things just happen.
” Steven is a former foster care kid , and in this election , that ’ s what he cares about .
He ’ s not worrying about whether or not Democrats win Texas ; he ’ s just thinking about kids in the same position he was in .
Eric starts work at a hospital nearby at 7 , too .
The 24-hour polling place meant an easy opportunity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was in and out just after 6 .
Eric admits : He 's actually never voted before .
“ I ’ ve been a Democrat for a long time , ” he says .
“ I ’ ve been knowledgeable enough about electoral votes , that it ’ s seemed kind of — self-defeating before .
I mean , Texas hasn ’ t gone blue since 1976 .
That ’ s longer than I ’ ve been alive.
” So did he decide to vote because he thinks that in 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ No , ” Eric says flatly .
`` I do n't think it will . ''
He pauses .
There ’ s a lot of things that worry him : the environment , immigration , the virus gripping the country .
“ I think there ’ s just been enough things done , ” he says .
So today , he showed up to vote .
●

HOUSTON — Across the sprawling expanse of Harris County, voters came all day Thursday. They came at midnight, and then past it, long into the early hours of Friday morning.
If Democrats’ long-held dreams of turning Texas blue come true on Election Day, much of it will be because of the nearly 5 million people in Harris County — home to Houston, the most diverse city in the country, and a swelling population that has become more and more Democratic since 2016.
It will also be because Harris County took on a mission to make it easy for its citizens to vote, even in the midst of a pandemic — often in the face of intense opposition from Republicans. They crafted large drive-thru voting centers modeled after fast-food restaurants like Sonic, situating them in downtown parking lots left empty by the pandemic.
And on Thursday, the county took a page from the city of Las Vegas and allowed residents to vote overnight, opening eight early voting places for 24 hours straight.
The 24-hour polling places were chosen to draw nurses and oil refinery workers; people from deep-blue precincts and dark-red ones; churchgoers and college students; aficionados of taco trucks and nachos.
By the time early voting had ended altogether in Texas on Friday, more than 1,435,000 people had voted in Harris County, significantly more than the total number of people who voted in the county in 2016. More than 9 million people had voted early in the state overall.
Harris County’s plan worked. This is what it looked like in the 24 hours that helped make that possible.


buzzfeed--2020-11-02--Coronavirus Cases Are Now Rising In Almost Every State In The US

The difference between the previous spikes in cases and the one we ’ re in now ?
COVID-19 cases are now rising almost everywhere .
On the campaign trail , President Donald Trump has taken to calling COVID-19 a “ fake news media conspiracy.
” But the numbers don ’ t lie : Daily new cases are running at record levels and climbing fast .
We ’ re well into a third wave of hospitalizations , and there are worrying signs that deaths may be starting to rise once again .
What ’ s more , unlike the spikes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which hit hardest in the Northeast and the Sun Belt , respectively , the current surge is happening nationwide : COVID-19 cases are currently rising in almost every state .
As cold weather forces people inside , where transmission of the virus is more likely , experts fear that we are heading into a perilous winter when it will be even harder to shut down its spread .
“ What we ’ re seeing right now is not only worrisome with such widespread transmission and high case counts , ” Saskia Popescu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arizona and a member of the Federation of American Scientists ’ Coronavirus Task Force , told BuzzFeed News by email .
“ But with impending holidays , likely travel , and people moving indoors due to colder weather , I ’ m increasingly concerned that this will be a rather steep and long third wave.
” Last week saw a record number of COVID-19 cases as the daily count of new cases spiked above 80,000 and the 7-day rolling average , which helps smooth out the daily variation in case reporting across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s already higher than the peak of the summer surge in July .
And worryingly , the number of people dying of COVID-19 may also be starting to rise , after running at an average of 750 deaths per day for about a month .
As COVID-19 surged across Sun Belt states like Arizona and Texas this summer , Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , warned the Senate that things could get much worse .
“ I would not be surprised if we go up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if this does not turn around , ” Fauci testified on June 30 .
At the time , governors seemed to heed his call .
In July , many of the states with surging cases were able to turn things around by reversing their moves to reopen businesses including gyms , cinemas , and bars and restaurants with indoor dining .
But , facing huge economic and social pressures to return to something like normality , states have once again been relaxing controls .
“ We are stepping back from control measures in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baker , an epidemiologist at Princeton University , told BuzzFeed News .
Baker has also modeled the effects of winter weather on viral transmission .
Although the coronavirus doesn ’ t yet seem to be seasonal to the same extent as flu , the virus can spread more easily in cold , dry air , making it even harder to control the current surge .
“ Cold weather could drive people indoors , ” Baker told BuzzFeed News .
“ If you ’ re just on that boundary of having control , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Another difference between the current surge and the second wave in the summer is that cases are now rising across almost the entire nation .
On Jun .
30 , when Fauci testified to the Senate , the map above showed many states with sharply rising cases but some with declining numbers , including several in the Northeast , including New York , plus Nebraska and South Dakota .
As Trump has tried to divert attention from the worsening situation , his COVID-19 denial has extended even to an unfounded claim , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oct. 24 , that hospitals are inflating COVID-19 death counts to profit from the pandemic — prompting outraged responses from doctors ’ groups .
It was a “ reprehensible attack on physicians ’ ethics and professionalism , ” Jacqueline Fincher , president of the American College of Physicians , said in a statement .
The rise in hospitalization has so far so been slower than in the previous two spikes .
But hospitals in several states , including Utah and Wisconsin , are now nearing capacity , forcing state governments to make emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Greg Abbott announced the opening of an alternate care facility at the El Paso Convention and Performing Arts Center with an initial capacity of 50 beds , following earlier moves to deploy hundreds of additional medical personnel to the region to respond to surging COVID-19 cases .
“ The alternate care site and auxiliary medical units will reduce the strain on hospitals in El Paso as we contain the spread of COVID-19 in the region , ” Abbott said .

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump has taken to calling COVID-19 a “fake news media conspiracy.” But the numbers don’t lie: Daily new cases are running at record levels and climbing fast. We’re well into a third wave of hospitalizations, and there are worrying signs that deaths may be starting to rise once again.
What’s more, unlike the spikes in the US in the spring and summer, which hit hardest in the Northeast and the Sun Belt, respectively, the current surge is happening nationwide: COVID-19 cases are currently rising in almost every state.
As cold weather forces people inside, where transmission of the virus is more likely, experts fear that we are heading into a perilous winter when it will be even harder to shut down its spread.
“What we’re seeing right now is not only worrisome with such widespread transmission and high case counts,” Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at the University of Arizona and a member of the Federation of American Scientists’ Coronavirus Task Force, told BuzzFeed News by email. “But with impending holidays, likely travel, and people moving indoors due to colder weather, I’m increasingly concerned that this will be a rather steep and long third wave.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--Plunging Morale And Self-Congratulations: Inside Facebook The Day Before The Presidential Election

Less than 24 hours before a historic US presidential election day , Nick Clegg , Facebook ’ s vice president of global affairs and communications and the former United Kingdom deputy prime minister , tried to rally employees at the embattled social networking corporation .
Noting that the world would be watching the results , Clegg published a post on an internal message board about the work Facebook employees had done to prepare for the vote .
Many things had changed since 2016 , he said , alluding to an election in which Russian state actors used Facebook to sow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Zuckerberg stood by oblivious “ We have transformed the way we approach elections since the U.S. presidential election four years ago , ” Clegg wrote in the note titled “ READY FOR ELECTION DAY.
” “ Thanks to the efforts of far , far too many of you to mention by name , Facebook is a very different company today.
” It is indeed .
Roiled by months of internal scandals and high-profile failures , the social network giant heads into Election Day with employee morale cratering and internal political discussion muzzled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took an optimistic tone in his post , Facebook released results of an internal survey on Monday that revealed a stark decline in employee confidence over the past six months .
Its semi-annual “ Pulse Survey , ” taken by more than 49,000 employees over two weeks in October , showed workers felt strained by office shutdowns and were continuing to lose faith that the company was improving the world .
Only 51 % of respondents said they believed that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world , down 23 percentage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in May and down 5.5 percentage points from the same period last year .
In response to a question about the company ’ s leadership , only 56 % of employees had a favorable response , compared to 76 % in May and more than 60 % last year .
( A Facebook employee acknowledged in the announcement that the uptick in May ’ s Pulse results were “ likely driven by our response to COVID-19 , ” which was widely praised . )
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
The external criticism leveled against Facebook for failing to completely stem hate and misleading information is weighing on employees .
“ Top constructive themes from comments mention decision-making related to hate speech and misinformation on our platforms , and concerns that leadership is focusing on the wrong metrics , ” wrote a human resources leader in explaining the results .
Employee performance at Facebook is often evaluated based on audience growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a new feature .
While some employees have departed or been fired for disagreeing with the direction of the company , the growing negative sentiment doesn ’ t appear to have weighed on respondents ’ plans to stay at Facebook .
A majority , 69 % , said the company was a favorable place to work — down only half a percentage point from the year before .
The average employee surveyed intended to stay at the company for 4.3 years , up about half a year from the average response last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook ’ s internal message board and the host of contentious discussions over the summer , things have settled down .
Current workers , who spoke to BuzzFeed News anonymously because they feared reprisal , said the company ’ s crackdown on political speech earlier this year has silenced discussion of the US election in open groups .
In September , following months of internal debate over the state of politics and race relations in the US , Facebook implemented rules that prevented employees from discussing social issues unless they did so within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new rules are an attempt to prevent criticism of the company , which has the ability to affect society ’ s political sentiments like few others .
`` The public rationale was that employees were uncomfortable not being able to log on and 'just do their job , ' ” one current Facebook worker told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s now very easy to log in and do your job without seeing anything vaguely political beyond corporate announcements , so they succeeded . ''
Others noted that it was ironic that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defender of “ free expression ” prevented political discussion and disagreement from permeating its ranks .
The new restrictions were reinforced on Thursday , when Facebook ’ s Vice President of People Lori Goler reminded employees of what was appropriate to post about the election and what wasn ’ t .

Less than 24 hours before a historic US presidential election day, Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president of global affairs and communications and the former United Kingdom deputy prime minister, tried to rally employees at the embattled social networking corporation.
Noting that the world would be watching the results, Clegg published a post on an internal message board about the work Facebook employees had done to prepare for the vote. Many things had changed since 2016, he said, alluding to an election in which Russian state actors used Facebook to sow discord, while the company and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood by oblivious
“We have transformed the way we approach elections since the U.S. presidential election four years ago,” Clegg wrote in the note titled “READY FOR ELECTION DAY.” “Thanks to the efforts of far, far too many of you to mention by name, Facebook is a very different company today.”
It is indeed. Roiled by months of internal scandals and high-profile failures, the social network giant heads into Election Day with employee morale cratering and internal political discussion muzzled on internal message boards.
While Clegg took an optimistic tone in his post, Facebook released results of an internal survey on Monday that revealed a stark decline in employee confidence over the past six months. Its semi-annual “Pulse Survey,” taken by more than 49,000 employees over two weeks in October, showed workers felt strained by office shutdowns and were continuing to lose faith that the company was improving the world.
Only 51% of respondents said they believed that Facebook was having a positive impact on the world, down 23 percentage points from the company's last survey in May and down 5.5 percentage points from the same period last year. In response to a question about the company’s leadership, only 56% of employees had a favorable response, compared to 76% in May and more than 60% last year. (A Facebook employee acknowledged in the announcement that the uptick in May’s Pulse results were “likely driven by our response to COVID-19,” which was widely praised.)
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
The external criticism leveled against Facebook for failing to completely stem hate and misleading information is weighing on employees.
“Top constructive themes from comments mention decision-making related to hate speech and misinformation on our platforms, and concerns that leadership is focusing on the wrong metrics,” wrote a human resources leader in explaining the results. Employee performance at Facebook is often evaluated based on audience growth metrics, such as increasing the use of a new feature.
While some employees have departed or been fired for disagreeing with the direction of the company, the growing negative sentiment doesn’t appear to have weighed on respondents’ plans to stay at Facebook. A majority, 69%, said the company was a favorable place to work — down only half a percentage point from the year before. The average employee surveyed intended to stay at the company for 4.3 years, up about half a year from the average response last year.
Meanwhile, on Workplace, Facebook’s internal message board and the host of contentious discussions over the summer, things have settled down. Current workers, who spoke to BuzzFeed News anonymously because they feared reprisal, said the company’s crackdown on political speech earlier this year has silenced discussion of the US election in open groups.
Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois declined to comment.
In September, following months of internal debate over the state of politics and race relations in the US, Facebook implemented rules that prevented employees from discussing social issues unless they did so within designated groups. Internal critics claim the new rules are an attempt to prevent criticism of the company, which has the ability to affect society’s political sentiments like few others.
"The public rationale was that employees were uncomfortable not being able to log on and 'just do their job,'” one current Facebook worker told BuzzFeed News. “It’s now very easy to log in and do your job without seeing anything vaguely political beyond corporate announcements, so they succeeded."
Others noted that it was ironic that a company that often touts itself as a defender of “free expression” prevented political discussion and disagreement from permeating its ranks. The new restrictions were reinforced on Thursday, when Facebook’s Vice President of People Lori Goler reminded employees of what was appropriate to post about the election and what wasn’t.


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--Beyoncé Has 80,000 Bees At Her Home And How Did We Not Already Know This

While Beyoncé did n't share where all of those jars go , or if — and , hopefully , when @ @ @ @ @ one , she did explain what inspired her to take up beekeeping .

Although Beyoncé didn't share where all of those jars go, or whether — and, if not, when — we can all buy one, she did explain what inspired her to take up beekeeping.


buzzfeed--2020-11-03--Taylor Swift Shared A Message For Anyone Who's "Stressed" About The Election

`` But allow me to be the 1 millionth person to remind you that tomorrow is your last chance to @ @ @ @ @ to make your vote count . ''

"But allow me to be the 1 millionth person to remind you that tomorrow is your last chance to make your voice heard and to make your vote count."