buzzfeed--2020-06-25--“Black Lives Matter,” Say These Companies That Sell Skin Lightening Products

`` We believe Black people should have the right to live without fear , ” wrote Olay on Instagram — at the same time it sold `` White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence . ''
On June 3 , US skincare brand Olay posted a message in support of a newly trendy topic for cosmetic companies : racial justice .
“ Black Lives Matter , ” the caption reads .
“ We stand against racism and injustice .
We believe Black people should have the right to live without fear.
” Olay and its parent company , consumer products giant Procter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million to an anti-racism fund .
( Procter & Gamble reported annual sales of more than $ 67 billion in 2019 . )
But a few days later , the Olay Malaysia Instagram account sent a very different message .
In a repost of her April 15 sponcon , a smiling Malaysian influencer wearing a white hijab promotes a product called “ White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence '' — a product Olay says provides “ dual whitening action ” for “ luminous fairness '' and `` inhibits melanin formation in the deepest layer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promises to inhibit the production of melanin — the natural pigment that gives human skin its color — and banish “ dulling yellow skin ” to produce a “ smoother , fresher , whiter and more translucent complexion , ” according to Olay 's website in the Philippines .
It contains niacinamide , which is used for fading hyperpigmentation , among other uses .
“ I see total hypocrisy , ” said Joanne Rondilla , a professor of sociology at San Jose State University whose research has focused on skin lightening in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skincare industry herself .
“ The optimist in me says I appreciate the sentiment , but none of this matters if you ’ re not going to put an actual plan in place.
” An Olay spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that the company , which does not sell skin whitening products in the US , believes that there needs to be a “ more diverse and inclusive standard of beauty , ” comparing its skin lightening products to tanners or makeup .
“ How each person defines beauty is a choice .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or makeup to achieve a darker skin tone , while others are looking to even dark spots and preserve their natural skin tone , ” the spokesperson said .
“ In Asia , where these products are predominantly sold , many people describe their skin tone as ‘ yellowing ’ as they age and are seeking products to help restore their natural skin tone.
” Olay is one of the many leading American and European beauty brands that sell skin whitening products , mostly to customers in Asia and Africa , while proclaiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests in the United States .
As the purchasing power of consumer classes in countries like India , Indonesia , China , Nigeria , and Ghana has grown , skin whitening has become a multibillion-dollar market , dominated by multinational conglomerates like Procter & Gamble , Unilever , L ’ Oréal , and Johnson & Johnson .
Olay was not the only brand to publicly support Black Lives Matter while also selling skin lightening products .
Johnson & Johnson , another consumer products giant , also sells fairness creams in Asia ( Fairness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The company ’ s skincare brand Neutrogena sells a product called `` Fine Fairness Overnight Brightening Cream '' in its Malaysian online store that includes “ white lily extract ” to achieve “ long lasting fairness.
” According to Neutrogena ’ s website , one of the product ’ s benefits is that it “ restores skin ’ s natural whitening power.
” The brand said on June 2 on Instagram that it would donate $ 200,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter , adding , “ We have a responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against systemic racism.
” In response to questions from BuzzFeed News , a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said the company has decided to discontinue the Fine Fairness line , which was available in India and Southeast Asia among other markets , adding , “ This product uses a retinol formula to lighten stubborn dark spots — it does not bleach the skin.
” The company said it made the decision based on conversations with retailers .
Products aimed at lightening skin tones range from skin bleaching creams , often using a chemical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to products branded as natural or nonprescription strength including kojic acid , licorice root , and bearberry , according to Suzanne Friedler , a board-certified dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology PC .
“ In many places outside the US , questionable ingredients such as corticosteroids , mercury , hydrogen peroxide , and glutathione may be found in lightening agents , ” she said .
“ These products have the potential to damage and thin out the skin.
” Many countries , including in Asia and Africa , have looser regulations on nonprescription skincare products @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not every country requires cosmetics companies to disclose the ingredients of their products .
So it ’ s tough to tell which products contain what skin lightening ingredients , even when the products promise to lighten skin tone .
But advocates say that even marketing that references skin whitening is harmful because it drives demand for more dangerous products and reinforces the notion that whiter is better .
In the US and Europe , companies are more likely to advertise products using words like “ brightening ” or “ spot reducing.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — Garnier , a brand owned by French cosmetics giant L'Oréal , has a dedicated page on its Indian online shop for whitening products for men , including one called `` PowerWhite Fairness Face Wash. '' An ad for the product promises to make your skin one tone lighter by counteracting pollution .
Garnier USA said on Instagram on June 2 , “ We stand with the Black community and against racial injustice , ” and the same day , Blackout Tuesday , posted a black square to express support for the Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respond to requests for comment .
Consumer products giant Unilever owns one of India ’ s best-known skin whitening brands , Fair and Lovely .
On June 3 , the company posted on Instagram , “ We have a responsibility for racial justice , ” saying it had pledged “ more than $ 1 million to date ” in donations to social justice organizations and activists .
The post was flooded with angry comments calling the company hypocritical .
“ Stop making and selling fairness and skin lightening products across the world , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have done enough damage to us dark skinned Indian women .
Just stop.
” Shivani Priya , an Indian fashion designer who commented on the post , told BuzzFeed News that as someone who previously used Fair and Lovely , `` I can tell you that it doesn ’ t work and it promotes the inherent racism that still exists in our country.
” On June 9 , the author and TV host Padma Lakshmi chimed in too .
“ For years I ’ ve been saying that ‘ Fair & Lovely ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GO !
!
” she wrote on Instagram .
“ Anyone else out there sick and tired of being told that fair=lovely ?
Because I sure as hell am .
“ I ’ ve been hearing that crap since my girlhood and it did a number on my self-esteem , '' she added .
Unilever did not return repeated requests for comment .
Critics of skin whitening say the practice is not a personal choice , but rather deeply rooted in colonial history and viewed as necessary to improve job , marriage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expense of skin health .
Skin lightening products can contain mercury and other harmful chemicals that can do lasting damage .
Marketing for skin lightening products — whether or not they contain harmful ingredients — often casts lighter skin tones as a beauty ideal .
Consumer advocates in Asia and Africa have spent years protesting against skin lightening .
Last year , Amira Adawe , founder of the US-based Beautywell Project , led a campaign that persuaded Amazon to stop the sale of some skin whitening products on its platform .
And in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rwanda , and Ivory Coast have banned certain kinds of skin whiteners that include ingredients like mercury , hydroquinone , and steroids .
Some skin whitening products are also banned or heavily regulated in Australia , Japan , and the EU .

Olay was not the only brand to publicly support Black Lives Matter while also selling skin lightening products.
Johnson & Johnson, another consumer products giant, also sells fairness creams in Asia (Fairness in India typically means fair skin). The company’s skincare brand Neutrogena sells a product called "Fine Fairness Overnight Brightening Cream" in its Malaysian online store that includes “white lily extract” to achieve “long lasting fairness.” According to Neutrogena’s website, one of the product’s benefits is that it “restores skin’s natural whitening power.” The brand said on June 2 on Instagram that it would donate $200,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, adding, “We have a responsibility to use our voice to speak up against systemic racism.”
In response to questions from BuzzFeed News, a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said the company has decided to discontinue the Fine Fairness line, which was available in India and Southeast Asia among other markets, adding, “This product uses a retinol formula to lighten stubborn dark spots — it does not bleach the skin.” The company said it made the decision based on conversations with retailers.
Products aimed at lightening skin tones range from skin bleaching creams, often using a chemical banned in several countries called hydroquinone, to products branded as natural or nonprescription strength including kojic acid, licorice root, and bearberry, according to Suzanne Friedler, a board-certified dermatologist with Advanced Dermatology PC.
“In many places outside the US, questionable ingredients such as corticosteroids, mercury, hydrogen peroxide, and glutathione may be found in lightening agents,” she said. “These products have the potential to damage and thin out the skin.”
Many countries, including in Asia and Africa, have looser regulations on nonprescription skincare products than the US and the EU, and not every country requires cosmetics companies to disclose the ingredients of their products. So it’s tough to tell which products contain what skin lightening ingredients, even when the products promise to lighten skin tone. But advocates say that even marketing that references skin whitening is harmful because it drives demand for more dangerous products and reinforces the notion that whiter is better. In the US and Europe, companies are more likely to advertise products using words like “brightening” or “spot reducing.”


buzzfeed--2020-06-25--Protesters Marching Across The Country Had No Idea That A Tech Company Was Spying On Them

Data company Mobilewalla used cellphone information to estimate the demographics of protesters .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren says it ’ s “ shady ” and concerning .
On the weekend of May 29 , thousands of people marched , sang , grieved , and chanted , demanding an end to police brutality and the defunding of police departments in the aftermath of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor .
They marched en masse in cities like Minneapolis , New York , Los Angeles , and Atlanta , empowered by their number and the assumed anonymity of the crowd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a tech company was using location data harvested from their cellphones to predict their race , age , and gender and where they lived .
Just over two weeks later , that company , Mobilewalla , released a report titled `` George Floyd Protester Demographics : Insights Across 4 Major US Cities . ''
In 60 pie charts , the document details what percentage of protesters the company believes were male or female , young adult ( 18–34 ) ; middle-aged 35º54 , or older ( 55+ ) ; and `` African-American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hispanic , '' or “ Asian-American.
” '' African American males made up the majority of protesters in the four observed cities vs. females , ” Mobilewalla claimed .
“ Men vs. women in Atlanta ( 61 % vs. 39 % ) , in Los Angeles ( 65 % vs. 35 % ) , in Minneapolis ( 54 % vs. 46 % ) and in New York ( 59 % vs .
41 % ) . ''
The company analyzed data from 16,902 devices at protests — including exactly 8,152 devices in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,357 in Minneapolis , and 1,866 in Atlanta .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren told BuzzFeed News that Mobilewalla ’ s report was alarming , and an example of the consequences of the lack of regulation on data brokers in the US .
“ This report shows that an enormous number of Americans – probably without even knowing it – are handing over their full location history to shady location data brokers with zero restrictions on what companies can do with it , ” Warren said .
“ In an end-run around the Constitution 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can even sell this data to the government , which can use it for law and immigration enforcement .
That 's why I 've opened an investigation into the government contracts held by location data brokers , and I ’ ll keep pushing for answers.
” It ’ s unclear how accurate Mobilewalla ’ s analysis actually is .
But Mobilewalla 's report is another revelation from a wild west of obscure companies with untold amounts of sensitive information about individuals — including where they go and what their political allegiances may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place to prevent this information from being abused .
Mobilewalla CEO Anindya Datta told BuzzFeed News that the data analysis that made the George Floyd Protester Demographics possible wasn ’ t a new kind of project .
“ The underlying data , the underlying observations that came into the report , is something that we collect and produce on a regular basis , ” he said Datta said Mobilewalla didn ’ t prepare the report for law enforcement or a public agency , but rather to satisfy its own employees ' curiosity about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could reveal about the demonstrators .
Datta told BuzzFeed News that the company doesn ’ t plan to include information about whether a person attended a protest to its clients , or to law enforcement agencies .
“ It ’ s hard to tell you a specific reason as to why we did this , ” Datta said .
“ But over time , a bunch of us in the company were watching with curiosity and some degree of alarm as to what ’ s going on.
” He defined those sources of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behavior , '' including vandalism , looting , and actions like `` breaking the glass of an Apple store.
” He added that they were attempting to test if protests were being driven by outside agitators .
Datta said that he and a few Mobilewalla employees chose locations where they expected protests would occur — including the George Floyd memorial site in Minneapolis , and Gracie Mansion in New York — and analyzed data from mobile devices in those areas collected between May 29 and May 31 .
Jacinta González , a senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told BuzzFeed News that by monitoring protesters , Mobilewalla could undermine freedom of assembly .
“ It is really just fundamentally terrifying to understand the way that companies can access such vast amounts of data to process for their own gain — without folks understanding even that they have consented to their information being taken , much less used in this way , ” González said .
“ It ’ s important to understand that once technology hits the market , it 's actually very hard to limit who has access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or whether it is other actors that want to harm communities , ” González added .
“ Once this stuff is out there , we just have no way of understanding how it ’ s being used .
Often we don ’ t even know that it ’ s out there to begin with.
” Mobilewalla does not collect the data itself , but rather buys it from a variety of sources , including advertisers , data brokers , and internet service providers .
Once it has it , the company uses artificial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data , device IDs , and browser histories to predict a person 's demographics — including race , age , gender , zip code , or personal interests .
Mobilewalla sells aggregated versions of that stuff back to advertisers .
On its website , Mobilewalla says that it works with companies across a variety of industries — like retail , dining , telecom , banking , consulting , health , and on-demand services ( like ride-hailing ) .
It ’ s unclear how accurate this report actually is .
Datta told BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has access to location data for 30 % to 60 % of people in any given location in the United States .
Mobilewalla said in a YouTube video that it collects an average of 25 billion “ signals ” ( or pieces of information , like GPS coordinates ) every day .
Every week , these signals pour in from an average of 1.6 billion devices .
Datta said that about 300 million of these devices are in the US .
( This doesn ’ t mean that Mobilewalla collected data on 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have more than one device that Mobilewalla is tracking . )
Saira Hussain , a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation , told BuzzFeed News that Mobilewalla ’ s report was not surprising , but very troubling .
“ If [ this data ] ends up in hands of the government , or if protesters are concerned that it could end up in the hands of the government , that may suppress speech , it may deter people from going to protests , ” Hussain said .
Mobilewalla 's privacy policy says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of certain uses of their personal information .
But it also says , `` Even if you opt out , we , our Clients and third parties may still collect and use information regarding your activities on the Services , Properties , websites and/or applications and/or information from advertisements for other legal purposes as described herein . ''
There is currently no federal law that regulates how companies like Mobilewalla — which buy and sell people ’ s data on the internet — can use people ’ s information .
Hussain noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Terms of Service , there isn ’ t meaningful consent built into most privacy policies .
“ Given how many different industries that this company works within for targeted advertising , it seems that you probably wouldn ’ t know , once the information in the company ’ s hands , exactly what they ’ re gon na be using it for , ” Hussain said .
“ And who would know that they ’ d be using it to track demographics of people at protests ?
”

Jacinta González, a senior campaign organizer at Latinx advocacy group Mijente, told BuzzFeed News that by monitoring protesters, Mobilewalla could undermine freedom of assembly.
“It is really just fundamentally terrifying to understand the way that companies can access such vast amounts of data to process for their own gain — without folks understanding even that they have consented to their information being taken, much less used in this way,” González said.
“It’s important to understand that once technology hits the market, it's actually very hard to limit who has access to it — whether it is police, or whether it is other actors that want to harm communities,” González added. “Once this stuff is out there, we just have no way of understanding how it’s being used. Often we don’t even know that it’s out there to begin with.”
Mobilewalla does not collect the data itself, but rather buys it from a variety of sources, including advertisers, data brokers, and internet service providers. Once it has it, the company uses artificial intelligence to turn a stew of location data, device IDs, and browser histories to predict a person's demographics — including race, age, gender, zip code, or personal interests. Mobilewalla sells aggregated versions of that stuff back to advertisers. On its website, Mobilewalla says that it works with companies across a variety of industries — like retail, dining, telecom, banking, consulting, health, and on-demand services (like ride-hailing).


buzzfeed--2020-06-25--How Diverse Is Joe Biden’s 2020 Staff? His Campaign Won’t Say.

“ Look at my staff , ” Joe Biden said back in December .
The subject of diversity had come up in an NPR interview : Only white candidates had qualified for the next Democratic debate , one of the last before the start of the primary , and the reporter asked if Biden would commit to selecting a person of color as his running mate .
Aboard his campaign bus in Iowa , the 77-year-old candidate looked equal parts frustrated by the question and confident in his answer .
“ I have the most diverse staff of anybody running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s campaign refused to give any detail about the claim after he made it .
And more than six months later , he has yet to back up the assertion or provide any data on the diversity of his campaign staff — marking a significant break during a national reckoning over racism and issues of inclusion and equity with the standard of transparency set by Democratic candidates during the last presidential election .
Biden ’ s presidential campaign , staffed at the top by a predominantly white team of advisers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people of color on payroll or detail the way in which they track diversity data internally .
In response to questions from BuzzFeed News about hiring and inclusion practices , the Biden campaign pointed to the creation of a diversity and culture committee and its employment of a chief people , diversity , and inclusion officer .
Michael Leach , a former NFL labor relations official serving in that role , has worked for Biden for a year , but the campaign did not externally announce his job prior to the publication @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not explain why they have yet to share diversity numbers publicly but indicated they expect to do so soon .
Jamal Brown , the Biden campaign ’ s national press secretary , said in an emailed statement that the campaign “ reflects the diversity , breadth and promise of America ” and that it has “ placed a premium on fostering an inclusive culture and workforce representative of all backgrounds , beliefs , and socioeconomic groups.
” During the last presidential election , Democratic candidates released data about their staff diversity on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizing effort by Inclusv , a group founded in 2015 to promote racial diversity in national politics and develop a talent pipeline for people of color .
The organization successfully pushed Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to self-report their private diversity data , and offered campaigns its own bank of résumés , establishing Inclusv as both a public point of pressure and a private resource for Democratic campaigns and party committees .
Alida Garcia , founder of Inclusv , said she is in an “ ongoing dialogue ” with the Biden campaign about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hires for the general election but has also so far seen her requests for internal data go unanswered .
“ We have asked them a couple times to make their staff diversity data public .
We have not received a commitment that they intend to share , but it 's our hope that when this current hiring sprint is over they will do that , ” she said , referring to Biden ’ s efforts to build a staff in swing states ahead of the general election .
“ There is a body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make it clear that this is now an industry norm , ” Garcia said of the diversity data Democratic campaigns released four years ago .
“ Anything otherwise would be them walking it back.
” Biden ’ s outreach with Inclusv is limited compared to Clinton ’ s in 2016 .
Garcia and the other founders of Inclusv met with senior members of Clinton ’ s team before the launch of her campaign , bringing with them hundreds of résumés , she recalled .
Inclusv has met with the Biden campaign — but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A summary of data from the end of Clinton ’ s 2016 run shows the number of people on staff who identified as racially and ethnically diverse comprised more than 38 % of the campaign and more than 34 % of leadership , according to a former Clinton official .
The same data summary shows that more than 54 % of Clinton ’ s staffers identified as women .
By some measures , any point of comparison with Clinton ’ s 2016 campaign puts Biden at an inherent disadvantage : Where he faced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting out with a small staff in his Philadelphia headquarters and up against more than a dozen opponents in the primary , Clinton had been planning an all-but-certain general election campaign years in advance .
By the end of 2016 , according to Nathaniel Koloc , Clinton ’ s director of talent acquisition and development , the campaign had hired about 4,500 people in its headquarters and across the country with an emphasis on diversity among senior staff members from the start of her presidential bid .
“ To me , the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton on our numbers and our systems does n't take into account the fact that their campaign doesn ’ t look the same way ours did in terms of the resources , ” Koloc said .
“ That is not to say that they shouldn ’ t value diversity.
” Koloc said he helped track Clinton ’ s staff diversity alongside Bernard Coleman III , the campaign ’ s chief diversity and human resources officer .
( Coleman could not be reached for an interview for this article . )
In their 19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coleman helped develop a custom-configured software to act as a massive private résumé database , bringing in new talent from the campaign website or radio ads they would run in the states to hire organizers .
Koloc recalled an effort to recruit people of color to departments where the barrier to entry has historically been high , such as data and analytics .

“Look at my staff,” Joe Biden said back in December.
The subject of diversity had come up in an NPR interview: Only white candidates had qualified for the next Democratic debate, one of the last before the start of the primary, and the reporter asked if Biden would commit to selecting a person of color as his running mate. Aboard his campaign bus in Iowa, the 77-year-old candidate looked equal parts frustrated by the question and confident in his answer.
“I have the most diverse staff of anybody running. I've always done that.”
Biden’s campaign refused to give any detail about the claim after he made it. And more than six months later, he has yet to back up the assertion or provide any data on the diversity of his campaign staff — marking a significant break during a national reckoning over racism and issues of inclusion and equity with the standard of transparency set by Democratic candidates during the last presidential election.
Biden’s presidential campaign, staffed at the top by a predominantly white team of advisers, declined this week to disclose the number of people of color on payroll or detail the way in which they track diversity data internally. In response to questions from BuzzFeed News about hiring and inclusion practices, the Biden campaign pointed to the creation of a diversity and culture committee and its employment of a chief people, diversity, and inclusion officer. Michael Leach, a former NFL labor relations official serving in that role, has worked for Biden for a year, but the campaign did not externally announce his job prior to the publication of this story.
Campaign officials did not explain why they have yet to share diversity numbers publicly but indicated they expect to do so soon.
Jamal Brown, the Biden campaign’s national press secretary, said in an emailed statement that the campaign “reflects the diversity, breadth and promise of America” and that it has “placed a premium on fostering an inclusive culture and workforce representative of all backgrounds, beliefs, and socioeconomic groups.”
During the last presidential election, Democratic candidates released data about their staff diversity on a quarterly basis as a result of an organizing effort by Inclusv, a group founded in 2015 to promote racial diversity in national politics and develop a talent pipeline for people of color. The organization successfully pushed Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to self-report their private diversity data, and offered campaigns its own bank of résumés, establishing Inclusv as both a public point of pressure and a private resource for Democratic campaigns and party committees.
Alida Garcia, founder of Inclusv, said she is in an “ongoing dialogue” with the Biden campaign about the measures it should consider as it hires for the general election but has also so far seen her requests for internal data go unanswered.
“We have asked them a couple times to make their staff diversity data public. We have not received a commitment that they intend to share, but it's our hope that when this current hiring sprint is over they will do that,” she said, referring to Biden’s efforts to build a staff in swing states ahead of the general election.
“There is a body of work at this point that should make it clear that this is now an industry norm,” Garcia said of the diversity data Democratic campaigns released four years ago. “Anything otherwise would be them walking it back.”
Biden’s outreach with Inclusv is limited compared to Clinton’s in 2016. Garcia and the other founders of Inclusv met with senior members of Clinton’s team before the launch of her campaign, bringing with them hundreds of résumés, she recalled. Inclusv has met with the Biden campaign — but with so far more limited results.
A summary of data from the end of Clinton’s 2016 run shows the number of people on staff who identified as racially and ethnically diverse comprised more than 38% of the campaign and more than 34% of leadership, according to a former Clinton official. The same data summary shows that more than 54% of Clinton’s staffers identified as women.
By some measures, any point of comparison with Clinton’s 2016 campaign puts Biden at an inherent disadvantage: Where he faced an uncertain path to the nomination, starting out with a small staff in his Philadelphia headquarters and up against more than a dozen opponents in the primary, Clinton had been planning an all-but-certain general election campaign years in advance.
By the end of 2016, according to Nathaniel Koloc, Clinton’s director of talent acquisition and development, the campaign had hired about 4,500 people in its headquarters and across the country with an emphasis on diversity among senior staff members from the start of her presidential bid.
“To me, the fact that they haven’t publicly beaten Clinton on our numbers and our systems doesn't take into account the fact that their campaign doesn’t look the same way ours did in terms of the resources,” Koloc said. “That is not to say that they shouldn’t value diversity.”
Koloc said he helped track Clinton’s staff diversity alongside Bernard Coleman III, the campaign’s chief diversity and human resources officer. (Coleman could not be reached for an interview for this article.) In their 19 months on the campaign, Koloc and Coleman helped develop a custom-configured software to act as a massive private résumé database, bringing in new talent from the campaign website or radio ads they would run in the states to hire organizers. Koloc recalled an effort to recruit people of color to departments where the barrier to entry has historically been high, such as data and analytics.


buzzfeed--2020-06-25--The Black Lives Matter Protests Have Taught Us More About The Coronavirus

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What ’ s more , a new analysis based on cellphone tracking data suggests a surprising reason for the lack of protest-related spikes in COVID-19 : In the cities with large protests , the wider population actually spent more time at home during the demonstrations — suggesting that any surge caused by virus transmission at the protests themselves would have been countered by an increase in social distancing among the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some experts say that leaping to this conclusion could be a serious mistake .
“ I do think it ’ s good news that we haven ’ t seen enormous outbreaks at this time , ” Kate Grabowski , an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University , told BuzzFeed News .
“ But everything that we ’ ve learned from the epidemiology of this virus tells us that people who are in close proximity with people who are infected are at risk.
” Some commentators are already speculating that the lack of protest-related spikes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules are not so important if people are outside and wear masks — as many protesters did .
Slate went so far as to suggest that “ a much wider range of outdoor activities — sports events , beaches , swimming pools , playgrounds , and so forth — could be safely permitted much sooner than currently scheduled.
” More than three weeks after hundreds of thousands of Americans started taking to the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer , anticipated surges in COVID-19 cases have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biggest protests .
Numbers plotted for any day reflect the average for the preceding seven days .
Protests began on May 26 in Minneapolis and spread to other cities over the next few days .
While experts consulted by BuzzFeed News agreed that wearing masks and being outside may have reduced the risk of viral transmission at the protests , they pointed to other possible factors as well .
Many of the protesters were young , for example , meaning that new infections that occurred while they were demonstrating would be less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in official case counts .
And even though hundreds of thousands participated in the protests , that ’ s still a relatively small number compared to the total population of the cities involved — so it might be hard to notice transmission of the coronavirus at the protests .
“ The fact is that we will just never know for sure , because there ’ s too many moving parts , ” Andrew Noymer , an epidemiologist at the University of California , Irvine , told BuzzFeed News .
The surprising finding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in social distancing in the cities in which they occurred comes from an analysis released by the company Safegraph , conducted by researchers at San Diego State University , the University of Colorado , Denver , and Bentley University in Waltham , Massachusetts .
Although Safegraph ’ s aggregated phone-tracking data didn ’ t allow the researchers to follow individuals , they were able to relate the timing of the protests to the extent to which the population of cities as a whole stayed at home .
“ You need to understand what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parts of the population , ” Andrew Friedson , a health economist at the University of Colorado , Denver , and one of the researchers behind the study , told BuzzFeed News .
“ Many of these cities have populations in the millions.
” Friedson and his colleagues found that people in large cities that didn ’ t have protests , such as Aurora , Colorado , and Irving , Texas , moved around more during the unrest than people in cities that did .
And in cities with protests , stay-at-home behavior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders couldn ’ t fully account for this change , the researchers found , suggesting that many people made a choice to stay at home to avoid getting caught up in clashes between police and protesters .
Some cities set up “ pop up ” COVID-19 testing stations for protesters as the unrest took off .
The initial results from this testing support the idea that relatively little transmission of the coronavirus happened at Black Lives Matter protests .
In Seattle , less than 1 % of those tested were positive for COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mayor ’ s office released on June 12 .
In Boston , about 2.5 % of protesters who were tested came back positive for the coronavirus — roughly in line with numbers for the city as a whole .
And in Minneapolis the figure was 1.8 % , Wired reported last week .
Still , experts warn that large gatherings of people pose a risk of a “ superspreader ” event , where a single individual infects a large number of others — such as those that happened at a church in South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak , and at a funeral in Albany , Georgia , on Feb. 29 .
“ There still could be a superspreader event from protests we haven ’ t seen yet , given other cases , ” Gerardo Chowell , an epidemiologist at Georgia State University in Atlanta , told BuzzFeed News .
But he noted that most of the known superspreader events have taken place at indoor gatherings .
Even though the Black Lives Matter protests don ’ t seem to have triggered a spike in coronavirus transmission , new cases are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and West of the country .
For the most part , these increases started before the protests began , and seem to have been driven by efforts to reopen states ’ economies and public gatherings that happened around Memorial Day weekend in late May .
“ Most of the timing for these spikes , like in Arizona , fits the timeline of relaxation of restrictions and reduction in social distancing efforts , ” Saskia Popescu , an epidemiologist at George Mason University in Fairfax , Virginia , and a member of the Federation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told BuzzFeed News by email .

While experts consulted by BuzzFeed News agreed that wearing masks and being outside may have reduced the risk of viral transmission at the protests, they pointed to other possible factors as well. Many of the protesters were young, for example, meaning that new infections that occurred while they were demonstrating would be less likely to cause severe disease and show up in official case counts. And even though hundreds of thousands participated in the protests, that’s still a relatively small number compared to the total population of the cities involved — so it might be hard to notice transmission of the coronavirus at the protests.
“The fact is that we will just never know for sure, because there’s too many moving parts,” Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Irvine, told BuzzFeed News.
The surprising finding that the protests caused an overall increase in social distancing in the cities in which they occurred comes from an analysis of data released by the company Safegraph, conducted by researchers at San Diego State University, the University of Colorado, Denver, and Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Although Safegraph’s aggregated phone-tracking data didn’t allow the researchers to follow individuals, they were able to relate the timing of the protests to the extent to which the population of cities as a whole stayed at home.
“You need to understand what’s going on with all different parts of the population,” Andrew Friedson, a health economist at the University of Colorado, Denver, and one of the researchers behind the study, told BuzzFeed News. “Many of these cities have populations in the millions.”
Friedson and his colleagues found that people in large cities that didn’t have protests, such as Aurora, Colorado, and Irving, Texas, moved around more during the unrest than people in cities that did. And in cities with protests, stay-at-home behavior increased after the unrest started. Curfew orders couldn’t fully account for this change, the researchers found, suggesting that many people made a choice to stay at home to avoid getting caught up in clashes between police and protesters.
Some cities set up “pop up” COVID-19 testing stations for protesters as the unrest took off. The initial results from this testing support the idea that relatively little transmission of the coronavirus happened at Black Lives Matter protests. In Seattle, less than 1% of those tested were positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the mayor’s office released on June 12. In Boston, about 2.5% of protesters who were tested came back positive for the coronavirus — roughly in line with numbers for the city as a whole. And in Minneapolis the figure was 1.8%, Wired reported last week.
Still, experts warn that large gatherings of people pose a risk of a “superspreader” event, where a single individual infects a large number of others — such as those that happened at a church in South Korea in the early stages of its outbreak, and at a funeral in Albany, Georgia, on Feb. 29.
“There still could be a superspreader event from protests we haven’t seen yet, given other cases,” Gerardo Chowell, an epidemiologist at Georgia State University in Atlanta, told BuzzFeed News. But he noted that most of the known superspreader events have taken place at indoor gatherings.
Even though the Black Lives Matter protests don’t seem to have triggered a spike in coronavirus transmission, new cases are now surging in states across the South and West of the country. For the most part, these increases started before the protests began, and seem to have been driven by efforts to reopen states’ economies and public gatherings that happened around Memorial Day weekend in late May.
“Most of the timing for these spikes, like in Arizona, fits the timeline of relaxation of restrictions and reduction in social distancing efforts,” Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and a member of the Federation of American Scientists’ Coronavirus Task Force, told BuzzFeed News by email.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--What Loneliness Looks Like When You're Married And Are A Mother

However , I suspect — and I could be wrong — but surely , I ’ m not the only @ @ @ @ @ one who has hundreds of people peering in at moments of a life lived on @ @ @ @ @ people to live them with .
Actually live them with , not just to recount @ @ @ @ @ in a while .
I can ’ t — not when there are millions of @ @ @ @ @ be the only one who invests love and time into relationships that , for whatever @ @ @ @ @ Even though you swear it was the meeting of souls this time , not like @ @ @ @ @ I can ’ t be the only person with a loving family and a home @ @ @ @ @ and love , who sometimes , still feels lonely .

However, I suspect — and I could be wrong — but surely, I’m not the only one.
Not the only one who has hundreds of people peering in at moments of a life lived on social media — but few people to live them with. Actually live them with, not just to recount over coffee with, once in a while.
I can’t — not when there are millions of people in this world — be the only one who invests love and time into relationships that, for whatever reason, quietly dissolve. Even though you swear it was the meeting of souls this time, not like the times before.
And I can’t be the only person with a loving family and a home full of giggling and silliness and love, who sometimes, still feels lonely.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--21 Frozen Dinners That Actually Aren't Terrible For You

If you 've been non-stop cooking since quarantine started , it makes sense you 'd want a break already ( @ @ @ @ @ , then from DISHES . )
And if you 're looking to stock up on @ @ @ @ @ get you through the week , you 'll find a ton of starter ideas below @ @ @ @ @ : • Keep the focus on most ( or all ) whole foods .
The @ @ @ @ @ you ca n't pronounce — the better .
• Opt for little-to-no added sugar , @ @ @ @ @ of sodium .

If you've been non-stop cooking since quarantine started , it makes sense you'd want a break already (if not from meal prep, then from DISHES.)
And if you're looking to stock up on some frozen meals to help get you through the week, you'll find a ton of starter ideas below. All of these meals:
• Keep the focus on most (or all) whole foods. The fewer ingredients listed —especially ones you can't pronounce — the better.
• Opt for little-to-no added sugar, and less than 800 mg of sodium.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--This Woman's Boyfriend Wants To Have A Threesome With Her Best Friend — What Should She Do?

And then there 's the fact that he keeps pushing this idea on you , despite what I imagine must @ @ @ @ @ discomfort on your part whenever he does .
Frankly , anything less than an enthusiastic @ @ @ @ @ you should have been his cue to drop it .
At this point , he @ @ @ @ @ 's crossed the line from `` merely suggesting '' into `` pressuring , '' and @ @ @ @ @

And then there's the fact that he keeps pushing this idea on you, despite what I imagine must be some obvious, visible discomfort on your part whenever he does. Frankly, anything less than an enthusiastic "hell yes" from you should have been his cue to drop it. At this point, he should be aware that he's crossed the line from "merely suggesting" into "pressuring," and that's not cool.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--Miley Cyrus Revealed She Quit Drugs Six Months Ago And Opened Up About The "Stigma" Of Being Young A

Miley Cyrus Revealed She Quit Drugs Six Months Ago And Opened Up About The "Stigma" Of Being Young And Sober

`` My mom was adopted , and I inherited some of the feelings she had , the abandonment feelings and @ @ @ @ @ ’ re wanted and valuable , '' Miley explained .
She went on : `` @ @ @ @ @ family history , which has a lot of addiction and mental health challenges .
So @ @ @ @ @ asking , 'Why am I the way that I am ? '
By understanding the @ @ @ @ @ present and the future much more clearly . ''

"I’ve been sober sober for the past six months. At the beginning, it was just about this vocal surgery," she said, before revealing she had done some research into her family background and found a history of addiction.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--Some People Just Learned Washing Machines Have Filters You Need To Clean, So They Are Doing It For T

Some People Just Learned Washing Machines Have Filters You Need To Clean, So They Are Doing It For The First Time And It's Gnarly

I will fully admit that all of this information was news to me .
So I went to look at @ @ @ @ @ sure enough , at the bottom was a little door with a sticker that said @ @ @ @ @ two months .
I did not see anything about draining the hose , so I @ @ @ @ @ Bob Vila , only some machines have the drain hose , but they still should @ @ @ @ @ .

I will fully admit that all of this information was news to me. So I went to look at my washing machine and, sure enough, at the bottom was a little door with a sticker that said to clean the filter every two months. I did not see anything about draining the hose, so I googled that. According to Bob Vila, only some machines have the drain hose, but they still should be regularly drained for cleanliness.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--Almost 17,000 Protesters Had No Idea A Tech Company Was Tracing Their Location


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--The CDC Lost Control Of The Coronavirus Pandemic. Then The Agency Disappeared.

The world ’ s premier health agency pushed a flawed coronavirus containment strategy — until it disappeared from public view one day before the outbreak was declared a pandemic .
On January 17 , the world ’ s most trusted public health agency , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , announced it was screening travelers from Wuhan , China , because of a new infectious respiratory illness striking that city .
It was the CDC ’ s first public briefing on the outbreak , coming as China reported 45 cases of the illness and two deaths linked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chinese health officials had not yet confirmed that the new illness was transmitted from person to person .
But there was reason to believe that it might be : four days earlier , officials in Thailand confirmed their first case , a traveler from Wuhan who had not visited the seafood market .
“ Based on the information that CDC has today , we believe the current risk from this virus to the general public is low , ” said Nancy Messonnier , the CDC ’ s director of the National Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 54 , was a veteran of the CDC ’ s renowned Epidemiological Intelligence Service , where she had risen through the ranks during the national responses to the anthrax attacks and the previous decade ’ s swine flu pandemic to eventually head the agency ’ s vaccines center .
Most of the novel coronavirus ’ s infections apparently went “ from animals to people , ” she explained , and human transmission was “ limited.
” There were many reasons why the information the CDC had on January 17 was wrong .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders withheld what they already knew about the virus from the World Health Organization .
It was wrong , perhaps , because Trump administration officials had cut CDC staffers in Beijing who might have reported the truth directly from China .
And it was wrong because past coronavirus outbreaks provided a false guide to an illness new to humanity .
That last reason — a fateful misjudgment of the basic biology of the virus — drove a flawed strategy to contain the outbreak .
In 17 press briefings from January to March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travelers , first from Wuhan and then from China , were quickly identified , traced , and isolated , it could “ slow and reduce ” the spread of the virus on US soil .
Believing people without symptoms did n't spread the virus , the agency limited testing , discouraged masking , and left the country blinded by a faulty COVID-19 test .
Then , when the containment strategy 's failure became undeniable , just one day before the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic — the CDC disappeared from public view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we had an aggressive tracing program , but unfortunately , as the cases rose , it went beyond the capacity , ” CDC Director Robert Redfield later testified to Congress .
A fatal misunderstanding about the new virus At that first CDC coronavirus briefing , Messonnier explained what two other coronaviruses , MERS and SARS , could tell us about how to contain the mysterious new virus .
And she described the crux of their containment plan : stopping the disease from entering the US by screening for travelers with a fever and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting sick people in isolation .
“ We know from investigation of those two viruses that they are more likely to spread when somebody is more contagious , ” she said .
“ Asymptomatic people can spread , but at a much lower rate.
” SARS was a novel coronavirus whose outbreak in 2002 and 2003 killed 774 people , largely travelers and hospital personnel .
It was most contagious when someone was severely ill , making quarantines very effective because by the time someone was most contagious , they were usually already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has killed at least 845 people since 2012 , is likewise most often transmitted from terribly ill patients .
SARS-CoV-2 is entirely different .
We now know that COVID-19 patients have the heaviest viral load — and appear most infectious — at the onset of symptoms , not at the end .
People who haven ’ t yet developed any symptoms , and therefore wouldn ’ t show up in the CDC ’ s temperature checks , are responsible for more than 40 % of the virus ’ s spread .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ early in an infection will develop a fever .
In its first briefing , CDC officials acknowledged they still knew very little about the new virus .
“ CDC will adjust its screening and response procedures appropriately , ” said the CDC ’ s Marty Cetron , director of the Global Migration and Quarantine Division .
Three days later , China confirmed the virus spread from person to person .
Within a week , Chinese officials took the unprecedented move of quarantining Wuhan , a city of 11 million people , sending a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread outside the hospital setting .
Nevertheless , the CDC stuck to its screening plan .
“ We are looking for returning travelers who have fever , cough , and respiratory symptoms , ” said Messonnier at the agency ’ s next briefing on January 23 .
At the following briefing , on January 27 , she reiterated the core assumption of the agency ’ s screening strategy : “ We at CDC don ’ t have any clear evidence of patients being infectious before symptom onset.
” We now know that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soil by this time , with at least four lines of evidence supporting that conclusion .
There is the case of a Northern California woman who became sick on January 31 and died within a week .
And there is genetic evidence : The slow but steady mutation rate of the novel coronavirus , amounting to a few tiny changes every month , serves as a kind of footprint to track its spread .
Scientists currently believe that trail points to the virus ’ s spread starting in November in China and arriving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through undetected , asymptomatic cases .
On January 30 , with 7,800 known cases in 22 countries , the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern .
The same day , the US announced the first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus in the country ; the husband of a Chicago woman who had acquired the illness in China .
The next day , Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar announced the outbreak was a national public health emergency , and the White House declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China .
China typically sent 14,000 air passengers a day into the US .
The order allowed the quarantine of anyone exposed to the virus , and both Redfield and Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , cited the risk of asymptomatic transmission to justify the action .
Despite the need for widespread testing made apparent by the reports of people without symptoms spreading the disease , the CDC ’ s criteria was very narrow : Only people with a fever , cough , and shortness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province or had close contact with a confirmed patient could be tested .
Hospitalized patients with those symptoms who had traveled to China within the last 14 days could also get a test .
Driven in part by these restrictions , others with symptoms — including healthcare workers concerned about their exposure to the virus in hospitals — initially struggled to get tested .
Genetic tests for coronavirus work by detecting traces of signature genetic material from the virus called RNA .
The CDC developed a test that looked for three pieces of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The WHO , meanwhile , had been sending a reliable test made by the German Center for Infection Research worldwide since the middle of January .
China had five commercial tests already on the market by the beginning of February .
The US had only the CDC test , used on fewer than 250 people by February 1 and processed solely at the agency ’ s Atlanta headquarters .
When asked about the other testing options , Messonnier said the CDC preferred to have its own , more precise test .
Whatever the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touted the authorization of its genetic test for wider use alongside FDA Chief Scientist Denise Hinton , who said her agency had sent the template for similar authorizations to 35 other test developers .
Things went bad quickly .
On February 9 , the Association of Public Health Laboratories sent a message to its member labs in all 50 states , notifying them that they ’ d had problems verifying the test .
In a press conference five days later , optimism about containing the virus began to fade , with Messonnier acknowledging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in the diagnostic test .
“ We must prepare for the possibility that at some point we may see sustained community spread in other countries or in the US , and this will trigger a change in our response strategies.
” Asked what that meant , Messonier replied that switching from containment to “ mitigation ” of the outbreak would mean “ social distancing , school closures , canceling mass gatherings , ” as well as “ teleschooling , telemedicine , teleworking ” — the first mention of such measures at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s playbook on flu pandemics , Messonnier discouraged the public from using face masks , echoing similar advice from the WHO and US Surgeon General Jerome Adams .
Since masks were thought to prevent the transmission of a virus from coughing , health officials feared a run on surgical masks would keep them from reaching vulnerable public health workers in hospitals , where most infectious patients driving a coronavirus outbreak would be located .
In April , facing increasing pressure from public health experts , the CDC urged Americans to don cloth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first noted by Redfield and Fauci at the end of January .
But the damage was done : Months later , the initial confusion over the utility of widespread use of face coverings has only made masks more of a political flashpoint .
Meanwhile , as February came to a close , the CDC ’ s test still wasn ’ t working in most labs .
An FDA official arrived to inspect the CDC ’ s lab on February 22 , a Saturday , but was not allowed in until the next day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contamination fouling the test .
A June HHS investigation confirmed that the CDC ’ s Respiratory Virus Diagnostic Lab , which was assembling the reagents , was also likely contaminated .
The investigation noted that the agency skipped quality control testing on the kits before shipping them to public health labs .
Frustrated , the Association of Public Health Laboratories on February 25 requested that the FDA allow its labs across the country to go ahead with their own tests .
Only a dozen labs were able to run the CDC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal health agency was running tests for only around 100 patients a day .
In her opening remarks at a fateful CDC briefing on February 25 , Messonnier finally dropped any pretense that the US would not suffer from the outbreak .
“ You should ask your children ’ s school about their plans for school dismissals or school closures , ” she said .
“ You should think about what you would do for childcare if schools or daycares close , if teleworking is an option for you.
” The remarks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , combined with a stock market drop , reportedly enraged President Donald Trump .
The next day , he replaced Azar with Vice President Mike Pence as chair of his coronavirus task force , which began daily briefings that would soon replace the CDC ’ s .
`` It 's going to disappear .
One day , it ’ s like a miracle , it will disappear , '' Trump said on February 27 , at a Black History Month reception .
The FDA and the CDC soon gave public health labs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , permission to use their own tests instead of the CDC ’ s .
No other authorized tests were available yet for the virus in the US at the time , despite the FDA ’ s claim that 35 companies were working to develop their own tests at the beginning of the month .
Then , weeks after its first guidance was issued , the CDC broadened its criteria for testing patients , eliminating the travel requirement and allowing anyone with pneumonia to get tested .
One day later , Washington State Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for the coronavirus without any link to a travel-connected case , making it the first known case of community spread in the country .
In an interview with BuzzFeed News , the CDC pushed back against the notion that the health agency could have detected the spread of the virus earlier if it had not had such narrow testing guidelines and a defective test .
The CDC would have needed “ a huge amount of testing available at that time ” to detect the virus before it had started spreading on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a member of the agency ’ s COVID-19 Response Team who later worked on a report finding genetic signs of the coronavirus in the US since late January .
“ It still would have been difficult to pick up community transmission in early February .
I think probably at best we would have been able to pick it up a week or two earlier , ” Armstrong said .
“ You would have had to test everybody who comes to the emergency room , ” he added .
But many experts have noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a challenge , not an impossibility .
“ The federal government has consistently underestimated the need for urgency around testing for this virus , ” said Boston University School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea , adding that this misjudgment has been a fiasco for public health labs .
Two days later , on February 29 , those same Washington state officials reported the first suspected US death from COVID-19 , of a man in his fifties with an underlying illness .
They also reported the first outbreak in a nursing home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , where ultimately at least 43 residents died .
The same day , Gov .
Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency .
The virus was clearly loose in the US .
Asked on the day of the Life Care Center report whether nursing homes should be closed , Messonnier replied , “ Right now , we still judge the general risk to the American public to be low , and that includes residents of long-term care facilities.
” Another Washington state resident , a man in his seventies , died that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more died , bringing the death total in the US to six people .
Four of them were Life Care Center residents .
Nursing home residents would eventually account for about 40 % of coronavirus deaths in the US .
At the same CDC briefing on February 29 , Jeff Duchin of Seattle and King County ’ s public health office revealed that the man who had died was only eligible for testing because of the CDC ’ s updated recommendations .
“ If we had the ability to test earlier , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients earlier in the community , ” he said .
Frieden , the former CDC chief , argued that the agency failed largely because it has been shackled to an inept administration .
“ The overarching problem has been the failure to have a clear national strategy , a national plan , and consistent communication .
Everything really stems from that , ” he said .
“ Hindsight really always is twenty-twenty , and there were absolutely mistakes made by CDC , but also by FDA , by HHS — and by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after more than 113,000 Americans had died in the pandemic , the CDC held its first briefing in three months .
In a presentation by CDC Director Redfield , he shared the agency ’ s recommendations for lowering the risk of infection as states begin to reopen .
Along with the CDC ’ s Jay Butler , deputy director for infectious diseases , he emphasized staying 6 feet apart , washing hands , and wearing cloth masks .
The pair deflected questions on whether the guidelines applied to mass rallies announced by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the surges in cases currently hitting states like Arizona , Florida , and Texas , Butler suggested it could be explained by a rise in testing , a suggestion Fauci would dismiss in a congressional hearing two weeks later .
Messonnier was not on the call .
“ You know , I 'm hopeful that we 'll continue to have these dialogues , ” said Redfield at the close of the briefing .
” I want to thank you for what you do to help communicate the messages that we feel are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” ●

In her opening remarks at a fateful CDC briefing on February 25, Messonnier finally dropped any pretense that the US would not suffer from the outbreak. “You should ask your children’s school about their plans for school dismissals or school closures,” she said. “You should think about what you would do for childcare if schools or daycares close, if teleworking is an option for you.”
The remarks set off a news firestorm, which, combined with a stock market drop, reportedly enraged President Donald Trump. The next day, he replaced Azar with Vice President Mike Pence as chair of his coronavirus task force, which began daily briefings that would soon replace the CDC’s. "It's going to disappear. One day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear," Trump said on February 27, at a Black History Month reception.
The FDA and the CDC soon gave public health labs, starting with New York state’s, permission to use their own tests instead of the CDC’s. No other authorized tests were available yet for the virus in the US at the time, despite the FDA’s claim that 35 companies were working to develop their own tests at the beginning of the month.
Then, weeks after its first guidance was issued, the CDC broadened its criteria for testing patients, eliminating the travel requirement and allowing anyone with pneumonia to get tested. One day later, Washington State Department of Health officials reported a teenager had tested positive for the coronavirus without any link to a travel-connected case, making it the first known case of community spread in the country.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, the CDC pushed back against the notion that the health agency could have detected the spread of the virus earlier if it had not had such narrow testing guidelines and a defective test. The CDC would have needed “a huge amount of testing available at that time” to detect the virus before it had started spreading on US soil, said Greg Armstrong, a member of the agency’s COVID-19 Response Team who later worked on a report finding genetic signs of the coronavirus in the US since late January.
“It still would have been difficult to pick up community transmission in early February. I think probably at best we would have been able to pick it up a week or two earlier,” Armstrong said.
“You would have had to test everybody who comes to the emergency room,” he added.
But many experts have noted that this level of widespread testing was a challenge, not an impossibility. “The federal government has consistently underestimated the need for urgency around testing for this virus,” said Boston University School of Public Health Dean Sandro Galea, adding that this misjudgment has been a fiasco for public health labs.
Two days later, on February 29, those same Washington state officials reported the first suspected US death from COVID-19, of a man in his fifties with an underlying illness. They also reported the first outbreak in a nursing home, the Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, where ultimately at least 43 residents died. The same day, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency.
The virus was clearly loose in the US.
Asked on the day of the Life Care Center report whether nursing homes should be closed, Messonnier replied, “Right now, we still judge the general risk to the American public to be low, and that includes residents of long-term care facilities.”
Another Washington state resident, a man in his seventies, died that Sunday. And on Monday, four more died, bringing the death total in the US to six people. Four of them were Life Care Center residents. Nursing home residents would eventually account for about 40% of coronavirus deaths in the US.
At the same CDC briefing on February 29, Jeff Duchin of Seattle and King County’s public health office revealed that the man who had died was only eligible for testing because of the CDC’s updated recommendations.
“If we had the ability to test earlier, I’m sure we would have identified patients earlier in the community,” he said.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--If You Think It's Weird For Parents To Keep Baby Teeth, There's Research Showing They May Harvest St

If You Think It's Weird For Parents To Keep Baby Teeth, There's Research Showing They May Harvest Stem Cells

If you 're wanting to keep your kids ' baby teeth for possible future stem cell use , you have @ @ @ @ @ plan ahead .
Dr. Shtivelman said it 's important to not let the tooth just @ @ @ @ @ .
When the tooth starts wiggling , you 'll want to pull it right away @ @ @ @ @ rich blood supply of the tooth .
If you want more information on how to @ @ @ @ @ baby teeth , talk to your dentist .

If you're wanting to keep your kids' baby teeth for possible future stem cell use, you have to do it properly and plan ahead. Dr. Shtivelman said it's important to not let the tooth just fall out on its own. When the tooth starts wiggling, you'll want to pull it right away in order to maintain the rich blood supply of the tooth. If you want more information on how to safely preserve your kid's baby teeth, talk to your dentist.


buzzfeed--2020-06-27--This Young Woman Was Just Asked Out By Her Old High School Teacher — What Should She Do?

First of all , there 's the obvious fact that he used to be your teacher .
It helps that @ @ @ @ @ , that you have n't had any contact over the years , and that you @ @ @ @ @ .
And yet I ca n't help but think there 's something a little bit @ @ @ @ @ , after taking on the responsibility of educating young , impressionable teens in their most @ @ @ @ @ around later and pursue a romantic relationship with one of them .
That , to @ @ @ @ @ flag .

First of all, there's the obvious fact that he used to be your teacher. It helps that it was a decade ago, that you haven't had any contact over the years, and that you're both consenting adults now. And yet I can't help but think there's something a little bit off about a man who, after taking on the responsibility of educating young, impressionable teens in their most formative years, can turn around later and pursue a romantic relationship with one of them. That, to me, is a red flag.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--21 Balanced Lunch Ideas With A Ton Of Protein And No Meat

Hummus is a vegetarian-fave for a reason .
This veggie-filled sandwich has 19 grams of protein and a whole lot @ @ @ @ @ recipe : The Ultimate Hummus and Veggie Sandwich

Being vegetarian isn't nearly as challenging as some think, but we *do* have to be mindful that we're getting enough protein. 🌱
From lentils and soba noodles to beans and eggs, there are so many delicious meat-free protein sources that can form the base of a satisfying meal. To help you get all the protein you need, below are several vegetarian lunch recipes that have at least 15 grams of protein each.


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--At Least 18 Members Of One Family Have The Coronavirus After A Surprise Birthday Party

BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
`` Everybody says , 'Oh , it 's my family .
I 'm going to go see my brother .
I ’ m going to see my cousin , ' and they think that ’ s a safe word , '' Barbosa told BuzzFeed News .
Three have become so ill that they have been hospitalized : Barbosa 's 88-year-old dad , his 86-year-old mom , and his sister , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But after family members went golfing and threw a surprise birthday dinner party for one of Barbosa 's family members last month , at least 18 members of the extended family have become sick with COVID-19 .
Ron Barbosa 's family has always been close .
Members of the Dallas-area family see each other practically every day , and when the coronavirus pandemic struck , many of them thought it would be OK to continue spending time together .
While they are n't certain if the virus started spreading among the family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 53 , who did not attend the gathering , said that based on the time they started to see symptoms , it seems like the initial transmission among family members happened that weekend .
`` It ’ s a big loving family that gets together all the time and they have dinner and this just happened to be a surprise birthday dinner , '' Barbosa said .
He said he believes his nephew , who hosted the party with his wife , was first exposed to the disease at work and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the gathering .
Earlier in the day , some of the men in the family went golfing together , and now Barbosa thinks it 's possible they were exposed then .
`` Next thing you know , the two nephews that basically live next door to him , they get the same cough and diarrhea , body aches , and they start getting sick , '' Barbosa said .
`` By the 6th [ of June ] , there was a lot of symptoms .
And by the 9th , people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the 13th , [ my family ] had to take my sister and my mom to the hospital . ''
The rapid spread of the coronavirus among the family comes as cases explode in Texas , prompting officials there to scramble to bring things under control .
As of Thursday , the state has recorded more than 130,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 2,200 deaths .
Due to recent increases in case numbers and hospitalizations , Gov .
Greg Abbott said on Thursday the state will pause any further reopening .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses , '' Abbott said in a statement .
`` This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business . ''
Public health experts have advised people to avoid any close contact with those outside of their immediate household , wear face coverings , and keep a safe distance from others when they leave home to protect those who are at higher risk of severe illness .
Barbosa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photographer , said he and his wife , a doctor , have not been spending much time with family outside of their own household and that they wear masks and keep their distance when they do see them .
But he knows not everyone in his family has been doing the same .
`` The kids feel like they ’ re bulletproof , '' he said .
`` [ They say ] , 'We ’ re safe .
We ’ re going to keep living .
We ’ re going to take trips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We 're blasting off ! '
''

While they aren't certain if the virus started spreading among the family at the May 30 party, Barbosa, 53, who did not attend the gathering, said that based on the time they started to see symptoms, it seems like the initial transmission among family members happened that weekend.
"It’s a big loving family that gets together all the time and they have dinner and this just happened to be a surprise birthday dinner," Barbosa said.
He said he believes his nephew, who hosted the party with his wife, was first exposed to the disease at work and that he had a cough on the day of the gathering. Earlier in the day, some of the men in the family went golfing together, and now Barbosa thinks it's possible they were exposed then.
"Next thing you know, the two nephews that basically live next door to him, they get the same cough and diarrhea, body aches, and they start getting sick," Barbosa said. "By the 6th [of June], there was a lot of symptoms. And by the 9th, people are getting really, really bad. And by the 13th, [my family] had to take my sister and my mom to the hospital."
The rapid spread of the coronavirus among the family comes as cases explode in Texas, prompting officials there to scramble to bring things under control. As of Thursday, the state has recorded more than 130,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 2,200 deaths.
Due to recent increases in case numbers and hospitalizations, Gov. Greg Abbott said on Thursday the state will pause any further reopening. "The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses," Abbott said in a statement. "This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business."
Public health experts have advised people to avoid any close contact with those outside of their immediate household, wear face coverings, and keep a safe distance from others when they leave home to protect those who are at higher risk of severe illness.
Barbosa, who is a volunteer EMT and photographer, said he and his wife, a doctor, have not been spending much time with family outside of their own household and that they wear masks and keep their distance when they do see them. But he knows not everyone in his family has been doing the same.
"The kids feel like they’re bulletproof," he said. "[They say], 'We’re safe. We’re going to keep living. We’re going to take trips, even. The airfares are down. We're blasting off!'"


buzzfeed--2020-06-26--Trump's Visa Ban Has Sent Foreign Workers And Families In A Panic: "We Don't Know What Else To Do"

Sraboni Bose was sitting in her parents ’ home in India this week closely reading a proclamation signed by President Trump that restricted the entry of thousands of foreign workers and their families .
As she did , she looked for any confirmation that it wouldn ’ t affect her family .
Her husband , a software engineer , was in Texas and had a current H-1B visa .
Check .
She had come to India in February for her brother ’ s wedding , but had her H-4 visa —for spouses and children of certain foreign workers — stamped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter was set to get her H-4 visa renewed before the coronavirus pandemic prompted the US to halt regular processing of visas .
Foreign workers and their families can receive extensions on their stay in America , but if they travel abroad , updated visa stamps are necessary to reenter the US .
She had yet to get the stamp .
Bose , 32 , read the order over and over , and every time she came to the same fear : Since her daughter did not have her valid visa on June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she believes she will not be allowed to return to the US .
“ I was devastated .
We never imagined this would occur , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ How can a 5-year-old affect the economy ?
She studies pre-K and wants to see her dad.
” “ How can A H4 minor waiting for stamping for 4 months in India affect the economy !
?
?
@ USCIS @ StateDept .
We have been waiting in India for four months for her F2F Interview which was cancelled in light @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considerations when the H1 is in USA , ” she wrote .
A State Department spokesperson said the agency could not comment on individual cases because visa records are confidential under federal law , and instead referred to the text of Trump 's proclamation .
Bose is just one of thousands of people stuck abroad or who have family outside the US seeking answers on social media in the days since Trump signed his order suspending some employment-based visas for foreigners .
It ’ s a phenomenon that ’ s played out since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a broad order impacting thousands of people who are left confused , anxious , and seeking help or advice online .
The proclamation has spawned hashtags such as # excludeusfromban and # LetMeGoHome .
Immigration attorneys who have put out calls for stories or offered advice have been inundated with replies and messages .
The State Department has been responding to tweets all week on the order ’ s particulars .
Even some reporters have been sought out for their expertise .
“ The administration 's execution of this and other immigration policies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ populations , ” said Sarah Pierce , an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute .
“ Ideally , a major policy change like this one would have been accompanied by Q & As from relevant agencies to educate the public and efforts to reach out to stakeholders so they were prepared for the change .
Instead , we 've seen the affected population and their advocates reduced to seeking advice on their futures in 240-character bits.
” Trump ’ s proclamation details how “ under ordinary circumstances , properly administered temporary worker programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But under the economic situation following the pandemic , “ certain nonimmigrant visa programs authorizing such employment pose an unusual threat to the employment of American workers.
” The order , signed Monday , suspended H-1B visas for specialized highly skilled workers , most H-2B visas for nonagricultural seasonal workers , most J-1 visas for exchange visitors , and H-4 visas for those accompanying workers .
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini , director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association , said the conversations on Twitter were proof of “ total confusion , lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people ’ s livelihoods and their futures.
” The outpouring of questions and pleas for help this past week could also be attributed to the large number of people affected and the cumulative impact of yet another immigration order restricting access to the US , said Greg Siskind , a Tennessee-based immigration lawyer .
Siskind said he has received thousands of messages on social media .
When he can ’ t get to a question on Twitter , people flood his LinkedIn , Facebook , and email seeking advice .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve gotten used to with this White House , ” he said in reference to previous orders like the initial ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries that led to chaos at airports across the US .
This time around , he said , the order ’ s language has tripped up even the most seasoned of attorneys .
“ The order itself is written confusingly so even the experts can ’ t really be sure who ’ s in and who ’ s out , ” he said .
There are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visas , but leave the US and go abroad , will be subject to the ban if they need new visa stamps to return .
Siskind said State Department officials have said online that these individuals would not be able to return to the US , but “ that ’ s a complete contradiction of the plain language of the order.
” He believes that those like Bose ’ s child could be denied entry .
Gayatri Patankar , a 32-year-old Arizona resident , was one of those who reached out to Siskind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India along with her infant and husband earlier this year .
She had needed a new H1B visa stamp , but was unable to receive it because of the consulate closures .
She later lost her job and hoped to return to the US on an H4 visa along with her husband .
“ Hi , I came India with 2 month old infant for family reasons and have been stuck here since then .
I have been studying/working in USA for 7 years now .
We have our home , car and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help us go back home .
This is not fair , ” Patankar tweeted at Siskind .
She asked for help and guidance on Twitter , she added , because “ we don ’ t know what else to do.
” Sakshi Sharma , a 30-year-old H-1B visa holder who lives in Baltimore , had been thinking about her husband when she went on social media .
He had to leave the US for Canada once his student visa ran out .
Because of the proclamation , he will not be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US .
“ I am personally impacted by the family separation ban .
I know friends who visited India to meet dying parents for one last time , leaving newly wedded spouse , home , car , everything in US and are now stuck !
This is inhuman , ” she tweeted .
She posted her predicament on Twitter because she wanted people to know that the proclamation “ separates me from my husband..we have a lot of things planned for our personal and professional life for the next 6 -12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lost all of that.
” Meanwhile , Bose is left with difficult conversations with her 5-year-old daughter on whether they will be able to return to the US anytime soon .
The family has lived in the US for the last three years .
“ I don ’ t know how to explain it to her , ” she said .
“ I told her , ‘ Right now the proclamation is not letting us because they think some of us can work and that can not help them because they want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re grounded or in a timeout .
You can ’ t see your dad for another 6 months .
’ ”

Sraboni Bose was sitting in her parents’ home in India this week closely reading a proclamation signed by President Trump that restricted the entry of thousands of foreign workers and their families. As she did, she looked for any confirmation that it wouldn’t affect her family.
Her husband, a software engineer, was in Texas and had a current H-1B visa. Check.
She had come to India in February for her brother’s wedding, but had her H-4 visa —for spouses and children of certain foreign workers — stamped and renewed. Check.
Her 5-year-old daughter was set to get her H-4 visa renewed before the coronavirus pandemic prompted the US to halt regular processing of visas. Foreign workers and their families can receive extensions on their stay in America, but if they travel abroad, updated visa stamps are necessary to reenter the US. She had yet to get the stamp.
Bose, 32, read the order over and over, and every time she came to the same fear: Since her daughter did not have her valid visa on June 24 as required by the proclamation, she believes she will not be allowed to return to the US.
“I was devastated. We never imagined this would occur,” she told BuzzFeed News. “How can a 5-year-old affect the economy? She studies pre-K and wants to see her dad.”
Desperate, Bose tweeted about her family’s saga.
“How can A H4 minor waiting for stamping for 4 months in India affect the economy!?? @USCIS @StateDept . We have been waiting in India for four months for her F2F Interview which was cancelled in light of Covid-19. There should be some considerations when the H1 is in USA,” she wrote.