buzzfeed--2020-12-28--Inside A Xinjiang Detention Camp

Inside A Xinjiang Detention Camp

This is Part 3 of a BuzzFeed News investigation .
For Part 1 , click here .
For Part 2 , click here .
For Part 4 , click here .
This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center , the Open Technology Fund , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
Nestled in the mountains along the border between China and Kazakhstan , a remote rural county conceals an appalling secret : a high-tech , rapidly growing mass internment camp for the area ’ s Muslim minorities , capable of detaining thousands of people .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has been under construction since 2017 , is mostly hidden from the outside world .
It has even been edited out of much of the satellite imagery that appears on China ’ s Baidu Maps .
But through interviews with former detainees and an in-depth architectural analysis of the site ’ s development , BuzzFeed News can reveal the true nature of this secretive facility — from its crowded cells where detainees were forbidden from gazing out the window to its solitary confinement rooms — and open its walls to scrutiny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size of 13 football fields , is a cog in the largest-scale detention of ethnic and religious minorities in the world since World War II , in which 1 million or more Muslims , including Uighurs , Kazakhs , and others , have been rounded up and detained in China ’ s western region of Xinjiang .
Publicly , China has claimed that Muslim detainees have been freed .
Yet an ongoing BuzzFeed News investigation , based on dozens of interviews with survivors and thousands of satellite images , has exposed how China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for mass detention in Xinjiang , marking a radical shift away from the government ’ s makeshift use of preexisting public buildings at the beginning of the campaign .
Using the same techniques that revealed the scale of China ’ s expanding network of detention centers , BuzzFeed News can now expose the inner workings of one such compound .
The Mongolküre facility is one of at least 260 newly built sites bearing the hallmarks of long-term detention centers capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people in total servitude to the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been known about what happens inside these forbidding compounds .
Rarer still have been details about any single detention center .
One reason is terror : The overwhelming majority of camp survivors still live in Xinjiang under constant surveillance and the threat of incarceration , as do their families and the wider Muslim population in the region .
Many of those detained who have been able to speak out simply do n't remember where they were held , having been taken from home with hoods around their heads and shuttled from camp to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mongolküre site thanks to three former detainees who have fled the country and have spoken about the conditions inside despite the risk to themselves and their families .
That testimony , combined with an architectural analysis of satellite photos dating back to 2006 , allowed BuzzFeed News to digitally reconstruct the prison to understand its purpose and scope .
This account of the camp at Mongolküre in China ’ s Xinjiang region — known as Zhaosu in Chinese — provides an intimate , prisoner ’ s-eye view of a single complex purpose-built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside .
Each detail reveals careful planning in the service of total control .
The cells , classrooms , and hallways are wired with cameras and microphones .
The slightest infractions , such as speaking their native language , can lead to violent retribution .
Their government captors exert extreme authority over their every move .
Detainees must sit up straight .
They must bow their heads .
They can not even walk down a hallway without following painted lines along the floor .
There ’ s no fresh air .
Little stimulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detainees all described being beaten over small infractions , such as speaking Kazakh .
They faced interrogations as often as once a week , where they would be asked the same questions over and over again about why they had gone to Kazakhstan , whom they knew there , and what their personal religious beliefs were .
They were forced to pledge loyalty to the Communist Party .
Sometimes they were asked to write and sign “ self-criticism ” documents .
But what they remember most about their time in Xinjiang ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being treated like criminals — locked up for weeks without going outside — despite never being accused of a crime .
In response to a list of questions about this story , the Chinese consulate in New York responded : “ The issue of Xinjiang is about combating violent terrorism and separatism .
We hope people making rumors about Xinjiang stop playing double standards and interfering in China 's internal affairs.
” The government , led by President Xi Jinping , has in the past said that the camps are for vocational training @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December 2019 that the detainees had “ graduated ” — but satellite evidence shows that the government kept building new facilities after that date .
“ Xi ’ s government prioritizes political loyalty — conformity — above all else , and in the authorities ’ eyes , Turkic Muslims ’ distinct identity is seen as a serious threat , ” said Sophie Richardson , China director at Human Rights Watch .
“ Beijing ’ s response should make anyone ’ s blood run cold : detaining vast numbers of people , wholly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only when they have been terrorized into abandoning their language , religion , and culture — and voicing allegiance to their tormentors.
” The three young Kazakh men interviewed for this article first spent a few weeks detained in Mongolküre during the early months of China ’ s campaign against Muslims .
Back then , the camp consisted of an older detention center , capable of holding around 300 people , surrounded by thick walls and guard towers with a few small support buildings outside near a grassy field , a horse farm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It typically held local people accused of crimes as they awaited trial .
But none of the three Kazakh men would ever see the inside of a courthouse .
All three were released , but their freedom would be temporary .
When they returned to the same compound in late 2017 , the place was so starkly different that the detainees began calling it “ the new place.
” While they were gone , a whole new compound had sprung up , complete with high gray walls and fenced-in walkways topped with curled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at “ the new place ” for months .
High-resolution satellite images show that after the men were released , the camp expanded further , growing to more than 10 times its original size .
By fall 2018 , the “ new place ” was just one small corner of a sprawling complex capable of holding about 3,700 people — in a county that is home to just 183,900 people according to China ’ s census .
That means the complex could hold 1 in 50 people who live in Mongolküre .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blue-roofed factory buildings , the compound is fit for detainee labor .
The three young Kazakh men interviewed for this article were familiar with the part of Mongolküre where the camp was located because they had grown up in the area .
After leaving China , where Google tools are censored , they were able to find the camp on Google Earth .
The three believe they were brought to the camp for having lived in Kazakhstan , which the Chinese government deems a sign of divided loyalties .
Though they shared a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s internment camps , the three men did not know each other until after they were released .
Key details from each of their stories dovetail with one another .
They requested anonymity to be able to speak freely , fearing retribution against their families who still live in Xinjiang — one is referred to in this article by his nickname , Ulan , and the other two , O. and M. , are referred to by their initials .
Each said they had wondered if they would survive to tell what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had left them with deep emotional scars .
Satellite photos buttress their accounts with dramatic visual evidence — and document the Mongolküre camp ’ s mushrooming growth after they were released .
High-resolution imagery shows details such as the barbed wire pens in the courtyard where detainees were occasionally brought to exercise , the passage leading from the guardhouse to the main accommodation building , the colors of the outside walls .
By counting the windows along the facade — subtracting space for a classroom and stairwells — BuzzFeed News could estimate with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cells were on each floor .
Videos smuggled out of other camps often feature matching details , such as what the corridors looked like , or what the cells ’ doors looked like and how they locked .
BuzzFeed News used all of these sources and methods to build the 3D model shown here .
Taken together , these materials and interviews provide as complete a picture as possible about how a major Xinjiang detention camp functions on the inside .
They also show how the government ’ s detention program grew to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s border with Kazakhstan , the camp ’ s high walls blotting out a landscape of grassy mountains and fields of flowers .
Ulan grew up in Mongolküre on his family ’ s small grain farm .
His parents were not as educated as he is ; he speaks Chinese with little accent even though , like most of the farming families around him , his native language is Kazakh .
When he was young , he used to love riding horses through tall green grass in the summer .
At home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music from the '90s .
Ulan picked up some English words listening to Tupac Shakur rap about race in America , but he never thought much about being part of a minority group when he was growing up .
“ We never faced any discrimination because my old school , the local police station , the leaders , and Communist Party cadres of the county government were all Kazakh , ” he remembered .
“ Ninety percent of the school teachers were Kazakh.
” Around 2008 , more Han Chinese residents began to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , changing the culture of the county .
Much of Mongolküre County is farmland , the fields planted in narrow strips of alternating colors .
Its main town , called Mongolküre Town , has banks , restaurants , a post office , and a Buddhist temple .
Many farmers there grow potatoes and wheat ; the weather is too cold for apples to ripen , according to a former resident .
One of the busiest parts of town is the pedestrian street behind the old Number 1 Middle School , now renamed Shuguang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There , the street is lined with restaurants , many selling Chinese dishes like hot pot and beef noodle soup .
“ When we were growing up , we never ate Chinese food , ” said a former resident in his thirties .
China began its campaign of mass detention and surveillance in late 2016 , aimed , from the government ’ s perspective , at eradicating “ extremist thought ” and countering terrorism in the region , which the ruling Chinese Communist Party has blamed on separatist groups advocating for Xinjiang ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own country .
In practice , that has meant the de facto criminalization of many ordinary ethnic customs , and Muslim religious practices , from wearing a headscarf to having attended a religious school .
Ulan wanted to go abroad to study .
His dream was to go to the US , the country he fell in love with through hip-hop lyrics .
But because he ’ s an ethnic Kazakh himself , Kazakhstan seemed easier — a place he could go before venturing farther .
In 2014 , he moved there for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China in late 2017 , months after the government had started its detention campaign , via the land border crossing at Khorgos .
Inside the beige building , he gave his passport to a Chinese immigration official .
The official told him he was on a blacklist , he said , and he was soon detained .
He was taken to a pretrial detention center in Mongolküre , satellite images and interviews show .
Built sometime between 2006 and 2010 , it was a stumpy T-shaped building , two stories high .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , partially hidden from the road by a thicket of leafy trees .
Each floor had a single corridor down the middle with a row of cells on either side .
The building was tightly surrounded by a high wall , with guard towers dotting two of its corners .
All three of the Kazakh men interviewed for this article say they were held there in 2017 .
Outside the entrance to the detention compound , which could hold about 300 people , sat a couple of administrative buildings , the men remembered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the south side in their own separate compound , complete with basketball and tennis courts and a garden with neatly planted bushes , satellite images show .
The camp lies on a gentle slope , with a stream to the east .
The compound quickly became overcrowded , the three men said — a common feature of life in the camps at the time , according to dozens of interviews with ex-detainees .
The government was moving quickly to ramp up its capacity to detain prisoners in multiple locations in Mongolküre , images @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sometime in early to mid-2017 , this time in older buildings that had been repurposed to hold detainees .
They could hold about 400 people in total , and they were located on main streets in Mongolküre ’ s town center , one across the street from a primary school , and the other opposite the county ’ s sports center .
Then , in September 2017 , a larger camp opened in the town center , labeled on Baidu Maps as “ Zhaosu Village Workers ’ Education Center , ” which could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security at the first two city center camps was relatively subtle , this larger camp looked much more imposing , with thick , high security walls .
A small police station appeared next to the entrance , while two lanes of the road outside were converted into a parking lot .
Inside the compound , barbed wire walkways ran between the buildings , connecting them and the large pen in the courtyard near the entrance .
O. returned to what he now called “ the new place ” in the winter of 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall , maybe 3 meters high , and you couldn ’ t see inside , ” O. said .
He remembered seeing a big black gate next to a police station , where he saw four officers were working .
Guards accompanied detainees to the interior of the camp , sometimes flanked by dogs .
The older T-shaped building from his first stay in lockup still stood nearby .
But where he now stood had been transformed from farmland into an entirely new complex that satellite photos show had been finished in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three-story building as well as a group of other structures , including a medical clinic , administrative offices , and a visiting center for families that was seldom used , the three men remembered .
It is common to see internment camps in the region painted in pastels — peach or sky blue — but the buildings in this camp were white .
A barbed wire passageway led across the courtyard from the gated entrance to the large building where cells and classrooms were located .
The walls inside were white too , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ulan stayed with nine other men was covered with the Chinese flag and a poster with the emblem of the Communist Party and the words to the national anthem .
That made the room , which would normally house only three or four people , feel claustrophobic .
There was also a “ code of conduct ” posted — beginning with the command that they must immediately jump out of bed when the wake-up call came in the morning , followed by other rules designed to control the minutiae of their daily lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken to exercise within the small open spaces inside the camps about once every few weeks , they remembered .
After being inside for so long , it felt strange to see the sky above them .
O. noticed that the detainees wore different uniforms ; he and others wore black , indicating they were not considered high-risk .
Others wore yellow and red uniforms .
Those in red were considered the most dangerous .
O. was not sure what they might have done to land themselves in that category .
Inside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were marked with red and yellow lines , indicating where detainees were meant to walk in single file , usually with their heads down .
The rooms , which could house more than a dozen people , were about 14.1 feet long ( 4.3 meters ) and 20 feet wide ( 6.1 meters ) , according to a BuzzFeed News architectural analysis — a little over half the size of a two-car garage .
The detainees spent nearly all their time there , often as many as 23 hours a day .
Each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security , the outer one made of metal .
The inner wooden door had a slot , which would be used to pass food inside , O. said .
There was a canteen in the building on the first floor , but the detainees had only heard about it .
They assumed it was only for the people who worked in the camp — the teachers , the administrators , and guards .
Sometimes , Ulan thought , the food they brought them was warmed-over leftovers from the camp staffers ’ lunches .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked to stand and sing patriotic Chinese songs like “ Socialism Is Good ” and “ Without the Communist Party , There Would Be No New China , ” both popular during the Mao era .
During the days , the detainees were usually required to go to class for about an hour to study the Chinese language and political dogma , like the party slogan “ love the Communist Party and love the country.
” The overcrowding in the camp meant classroom time was limited .
Classrooms , which were on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , had a thick transparent barrier between the students and the teacher .
Classes began with a patriotic song too .
The three Kazakh men interviewed for this story were all fluent in Mandarin Chinese but were forced to study it anyway , making them wonder why they had been brought to the camp at all .
But classes did provide what Ulan would come to see as an incredible luxury .
The detainees ’ cell windows were small and covered with barbed wire , and they could be reprimanded over the loudspeaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the classroom had a window behind the teacher , Ulan said , which meant he could look at it without getting into trouble .
You couldn ’ t see much out of it , only the stark gray of the mountains stretching to the north .
But it reminded him he was not far from home .
They pressed a red alarm button in the room that was used to signal guards in emergencies .
Guards carried the man away .
Ulan assumed he would never see him again — but after a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sorry for the man when he came back ; serious illness was seen by prisoners as one of the only paths out of the camp .
“ At that time , everyone was very desperate and feared that they would never get out , ” he said .
To see someone that sick remain in detention was extremely demoralizing .
“ We don ’ t know how many people died there , ” he said .
Each cell had a loudspeaker and an intercom , through which guards and camp officials would shout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read books , prisoners had to sit perfectly upright on either plastic stools or the edge of their beds .
On one occasion , M. was beaten up with the butt of a gun , he said , after he ’ d broken a rule and was left covered with bruises .
A man the inmates called “ Director Ma ” was among those in charge of the camp , Ulan said .
“ He was a very cruel person.
” Guards watching the detainees through closed-circuit cameras — at least two in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were speaking their languages ( for instance , Uighur or Kazakh ) instead of Mandarin Chinese .
One day in 2018 , someone in Ulan ’ s room was found to be in violation .
After he was released in spring 2018 , Ulan moved back in with his parents .
When he saw them , he was overcome with guilt and shame .
“ I felt like a criminal , ” he said .
He couldn ’ t move past what had happened to him at the camp .
He thought about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about what had happened to the sick man he ’ d seen vomit blood .
“ There weren ’ t just ordinary people like us there ; there were also old people , people with mental illnesses , people with epilepsy , ” he said .
He wondered if they would survive .
He started listening to hip hop again , changing his chat avatar to a portrait of Tupac .
His favorite song was Me Against The World , the defiant 1995 hit where the rapper alludes to the trauma he 'd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Los Angeles .
`` His songs talk about violence , racism , and social equality , '' Ulan said .
`` They 're full of a spirit of revolutionary resistance .
I do n't think any other rapper can make people feel so deeply moved . ''
Several months passed , and the three young men independently made their way to Kazakhstan , where they met for the first time .
After realizing they came from the same region of Xinjiang , they figured out that they had been held at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
Ulan met other Kazakhs who had once been held in the camps .
There were many former detainees in Kazakhstan , but most of them tried to lay low — because they did not want to bring unwanted attention to their families back in China , or because they were so devastated by the ordeal that they sought only to move past it .
But others decided they wanted to speak publicly , recording videos on YouTube about their experiences or speaking to journalists .
“ They ’ re still harassing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said authorities had asked them for his address in Kazakhstan and what he was up to .
In October this year , police visited his family ’ s home to ask whether he planned to return to Xinjiang .
Ulan said his parents ’ ID cards have been blacklisted , meaning they trigger red flags at checkpoints and when police question them .
They had to get permission from authorities to leave Mongolküre .
“ Even now , ” he said , “ they are watching every move they make , @ @ @ @ @

This is Part 3 of a BuzzFeed News investigation. For Part 1, click here. For Part 2, click here. For Part 4, click here. For Part 5, click here.
This project was supported by the Pulitzer Center, the Open Technology Fund, and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism.
Nestled in the mountains along the border between China and Kazakhstan, a remote rural county conceals an appalling secret: a high-tech, rapidly growing mass internment camp for the area’s Muslim minorities, capable of detaining thousands of people.
The compound in China’s Mongolküre County, which has been under construction since 2017, is mostly hidden from the outside world. It has even been edited out of much of the satellite imagery that appears on China’s Baidu Maps. But through interviews with former detainees and an in-depth architectural analysis of the site’s development, BuzzFeed News can reveal the true nature of this secretive facility — from its crowded cells where detainees were forbidden from gazing out the window to its solitary confinement rooms — and open its walls to scrutiny.
This massive detention center, the size of 13 football fields, is a cog in the largest-scale detention of ethnic and religious minorities in the world since World War II, in which 1 million or more Muslims, including Uighurs, Kazakhs, and others, have been rounded up and detained in China’s western region of Xinjiang. Publicly, China has claimed that Muslim detainees have been freed. Yet an ongoing BuzzFeed News investigation, based on dozens of interviews with survivors and thousands of satellite images, has exposed how China has built a vast and permanent infrastructure for mass detention in Xinjiang, marking a radical shift away from the government’s makeshift use of preexisting public buildings at the beginning of the campaign. Using the same techniques that revealed the scale of China’s expanding network of detention centers, BuzzFeed News can now expose the inner workings of one such compound. The Mongolküre facility is one of at least 260 newly built sites bearing the hallmarks of long-term detention centers capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people in total servitude to the state.
Until now, relatively little has been known about what happens inside these forbidding compounds. Rarer still have been details about any single detention center. One reason is terror: The overwhelming majority of camp survivors still live in Xinjiang under constant surveillance and the threat of incarceration, as do their families and the wider Muslim population in the region. Many of those detained who have been able to speak out simply don't remember where they were held, having been taken from home with hoods around their heads and shuttled from camp to camp.
BuzzFeed News initially learned of the Mongolküre site thanks to three former detainees who have fled the country and have spoken about the conditions inside despite the risk to themselves and their families. That testimony, combined with an architectural analysis of satellite photos dating back to 2006, allowed BuzzFeed News to digitally reconstruct the prison to understand its purpose and scope.


buzzfeed--2020-12-29--24 Times Peoples' Period Emotions Got The Best Of Them

`` I was writing out my box of Christmas cards , and started sobbing when I realized there were 30 @ @ @ @ @ .
Nothing could console me .
Not even my mum pointing out I only had @ @ @ @ @ to send cards to .
Then , I couldn ’ t find the same design @ @ @ @ @ round two of public crying .
All over Christmas cards for people I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the funniest thing that they got way too emotional about on their period, and the responses were way too relatable and utterly hilarious:


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--This Woman With Genital Herpes Is Going Viral For Sharing Her Experience And Spreading Awareness

Shana added , `` A part of my coaching program is the transformation of limiting beliefs .
I love to @ @ @ @ @ they call themselves dirty , then I believe them , but it is not because @ @ @ @ @ have herpes and I am far from dirty .
I require they say it out @ @ @ @ @ hear how they talk to themselves — we work to change their self-talk .
Next @ @ @ @ @ it down and get rid of it — say out loud , I am not @ @ @ @ @ sexually responsible adult who knows my status and is able to have healthy sexual communication @ @ @ @ @ beliefs becomes my clients ' new affirmation list that I hold them accountable to recite @ @ @ @ @ makes me so sad that the majority of women within the herpes community feel dirty @ @ @ @

"This is my message for women with genital herpes: Your partner is not taking a risk, your partner is making an informed decision. You do not have to ignore your boundaries just because you have herpes. You do not have to stay in a toxic relationship just because you share the same status, or because someone accepts your status. You do not have to lower your standards just because you have herpes. You still deserve to require to see STI results from potential partners. This is not the end of your sex life, but the start of your healthy sex life. Herpes does not depreciate your value. Forgive yourself, be kind to yourself, love yourself FIRST," she said.


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--24 Things People Wish They'd Learned About Sex A Whole Lot Sooner

`` Sex can be so amazing when both parties are respected and taken into account .
Sex can also be @ @ @ @ @ or disrespected .
Sex can be incredibly empowering and it can be the complete opposite @ @ @ @ @ and mind .
There 's no 'right way ' to have sex .
You 're @ @ @ @ @ something you do n't want to try , you 're not 'easy ' or ' @ @ @ @ @ 're experimental . ''

8. "Orgasms do not equal love or even consent."
"Sometimes, our nerves just respond, and it means absolutely nothing besides having functioning nerves. So no, that orgasm in itself is not a sign that the person who you had it with is The Right One For You. Nor is it a sign that you actually wanted it, after all, even if you said no, and it doesn't negate your no."
—ista


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--Biden Said "Things Are Going To Get Worse" As COVID-19 Continues To Surge In The US

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Incoming .
One year after the initial warning of a mysterious “ pneumonia of unknown cause ” in China , the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage — and President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday warned it 's only going to get worse in the US .
The coronavirus has now infected more than 81.7 million people worldwide , including more than 19.4 million in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get worse before they get better , '' Biden said during a briefing in Wilmington , Delaware , on Tuesday .
The pandemic has decimated the health , finances , and social lives of millions .
The Trump administration 's failure to contain the deadly spread of the virus — including downplaying its dangers and undermining mask-wearing and lockdown policies — has contributed to an estimated 336,000 people dying from COVID-19 complications in the US so far .
Based on current numbers , more than 121,000 infected Americans will ring in the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , my ability to change the direction of this pandemic starts in three weeks , '' Biden said .
`` The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough — very tough for our nation , maybe the toughest in this entire pandemic . ''
Biden called on people to wear a mask , avoid indoor gatherings , and continue socially distancing .
`` It ’ s hard on your lives and your livelihoods and your kids and your families , '' he said .
`` We need to steel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president-elect noted that `` we might not see improvement until we 're well into March , '' based on how long an infection takes to develop after exposure and the fact that people who die are typically weeks into their illness .
Biden 's comments come as the US faces perhaps the most critical point of the pandemic .
The deadly second coronavirus wave has seen numbers skyrocket , with 175,000 to 225,000 people testing positive daily for the virus in recent weeks .
And the numbers are continuing to rise .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ December .

One year after the initial warning of a mysterious “pneumonia of unknown cause” in China, the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage — and President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday warned it's only going to get worse in the US.
The coronavirus has now infected more than 81.7 million people worldwide, including more than 19.4 million in the United States.
"Things are going to get worse before they get better," Biden said during a briefing in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday.
The pandemic has decimated the health, finances, and social lives of millions. The Trump administration's failure to contain the deadly spread of the virus — including downplaying its dangers and undermining mask-wearing and lockdown policies — has contributed to an estimated 336,000 people dying from COVID-19 complications in the US so far.
Based on current numbers, more than 121,000 infected Americans will ring in the new year in a hospital.
"Look, my ability to change the direction of this pandemic starts in three weeks," Biden said. "The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough — very tough for our nation, maybe the toughest in this entire pandemic."
Biden called on people to wear a mask, avoid indoor gatherings, and continue socially distancing.
"It’s hard on your lives and your livelihoods and your kids and your families," he said. "We need to steel our spines and forge ahead."
The president-elect noted that "we might not see improvement until we're well into March," based on how long an infection takes to develop after exposure and the fact that people who die are typically weeks into their illness.
Biden's comments come as the US faces perhaps the most critical point of the pandemic. The deadly second coronavirus wave has seen numbers skyrocket, with 175,000 to 225,000 people testing positive daily for the virus in recent weeks.
And the numbers are continuing to rise. Experts believe January will be worse than December.


buzzfeed--2020-12-29--Trump's COVID Deal Politics Are Helping Democrats In Georgia With The Argument They're Already Makin

Trump's COVID Deal Politics Are Helping Democrats In Georgia With The Argument They're Already Making

Democrats in Georgia say voters care about COVID and getting economic relief above all other issues — and that Donald Trump 's late-night demand for more direct payments helps them with their existing message .
Since the double Senate runoff started in Georgia , Democrats and progressives have been telling supporters that there are only three people standing in the way of the congressional Democrats having a chance at expanding relief efforts and direct assistance in the next Congressional session : Sens .
David Perdue , Kelly Loeffler , and Mitch McConnell .
Advocacy groups have converged on Georgia over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ negotiated a massive COVID aid program that includes unemployment insurance and business relief — and a $ 600 direct payment to those whose income falls under a certain threshold .
Those payments , which were added to the latest deal after a joint effort by Sens .
Bernie Sanders and Josh Hawley , have turned into the last-minute breaking point .
In a video posted to Twitter late on Tuesday night , Trump called the $ 900 billion relief bill a “ disgrace ” and threatened to veto the bill if Congress didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,000 from the proposed $ 600 , which he called “ ridiculously low.
” The Democrats running in Georgia , Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock , immediately announced that they supported the president ’ s call .
“ President Trump is , as ever , erratic and all over the place .
But on this point , tonight , he ’ s right , ” Ossoff said in a CNN interview on Tuesday night .
“ $ 600 is a joke .
They should send $ 2,000 checks to the American people right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that Perdue had opposed and obstructed direct payments .
Perdue and Loeffler now are in an uncomfortable position as they campaign to keep their seats .
McConnell reportedly urged Republican senators to support another round of direct payments because Loeffler and Perdue were “ getting hammered ” for the monthslong delay in aid , like direct payments , for Americans .
On the campaign trail and in newly released ads after the deal was announced , Loeffler and Perdue both praised the relief bill and highlighted the second round of direct relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After Trump ’ s announcement , Loeffler told the press that she would “ look ” at supporting increasing direct payments “ if it repurposes wasteful spending.
” A Senate spokesperson for Perdue did not respond for comment on whether he supported the president ’ s call for increased direct payments .
“ This wrench that Trump has thrown into their plans has given Ossoff and Warnock the chance to remind Georgia voters that they are both on board with increased direct payments , ” a spokesperson for Warnock ’ s campaign told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Perdue are now in a tough spot trying to explain why they 're pushing for Georgians to get less relief that even Trump opposes . ''
Expanded COVID relief and the stall to implement another relief package was already one of the main tension points in the runoff elections before both Trump ’ s announcement and the recently passed relief bill .
“ We ’ ve had about 2 million conversations throughout 2020 and tons of focus groups and tons of polling since March , ” Nsé Ufot , the executive director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News .
“ The number one issue across the board , across race , across age , across gender and geography has been COVID.
” “ Our work in this moment has been connecting the act of voting with the changes people want to see around COVID like healthcare and the economy , ” Ufot added .
Progressive groups like the Working Families Party , Sunrise Movement , and Georgians for Registration and Increased Turnout ( GRIT ) have worked the pandemic and relief efforts into the canvassing scripts and literature as they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
“ The bottom line , in a very concise way , is that people are struggling .
People are unemployed , people don ’ t have healthcare insurance , people sometimes don ’ t know where their next meal is coming , and this is sometimes exacerbated by COVID , ” said Britney Whaley , a senior political strategist who is running Working Families Party ’ s canvassing operation in Georgia .
“ It paints this picture of who ’ s suffering the most .
People know .
They don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill to know that this is inadequate.
” She said that the party ’ s nearly 200 canvassers and their phone-banking program have connected the candidates to the issue and that they would continue to do so ahead of the race , but many of the Georgians they ’ re speaking with have made the connection on their own .
“ These two senators have been in DC , and in some instances they ’ ve been creating roadblocks and in the opposition .
It ’ s not hard to connect that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DC for months and there ’ s been back-and-forth while we ’ re fighting for our survival , ” Whaley said .
“ That ’ s not something that we have to tell the average Georgian when we ’ re at their doors .
That ’ s something they tell us.
” Support for a new relief package was widespread across the country ahead of the general election and a New York Times poll found that 7 in 10 voters supported a new stimulus program while Congress was stalling on relief measures .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic , a mid-November Data for Progress poll found that 63 % of likely Georgia runoff voters said they would be more likely to support a candidate who supported an additional $ 1,200 stimulus check .
In an early December memo , progressive organizations including Justice Democrats and Sunrise Movement urged Democrats to campaign around a stand-alone bill to issue a new round of $ 1,200 checks that would give Democrats “ a clear message about something tangible that Democrats will do for you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party win the two runoff elections in Georgia .
Shanté Wolfe , Sunrise Movement ’ s electoral politics director , said that they decided to sign onto the letter to highlight a new strategy of connecting their movement with Southern voters while motivating them to turn out to the polls .
“ Sometimes it ’ s not the message , it ’ s the messenger , ” Wolfe said .
“ When we ’ re on the doors and phones , we talk about Ossoff and Warnock and the bigger picture of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50-50 split , and we also talk about utilities and how they ’ re going to pay bills , which are at the top of people ’ s minds as we move into 2021.
” She added that the group would push conversations about the new stimulus bill in the final days of the race .
For groups like GRIT , the effects of COVID on people ’ s lives have been one of the main issues they speak about with voters when they ’ re knocking on doors in apartment complexes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are worried about .
The new COVID relief bill and Trump ’ s criticism of it only offer them more talking points .
“ I can guarantee you that the first person ’ s door I knock on to talk about the election and COVID stimulus when I ’ m out canvassing again , I ’ m going to flat out tell them that this new deal that was made was bullshit and we need to do better and there ’ s no chance in hell that we can do better if we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in , ” Ben Davidson , one of the leaders of GRIT , a hyperlocal organizing group that started knocking on doors in the apartment complexes of the rapidly diversifying suburbs of Atlanta told BuzzFeed News before Trump ’ s announcement .
“ This is good for us , ” Davidson said in an interview after Trump ’ s announcement .
“ It helps people and shows that people Loeffler and Perdue don ’ t have people ’ s best interests at heart .
This isn ’ t changing anything for us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more ammo.
” Warnock and Ossoff have both made expanding COVID relief a cornerstone of their campaigns and have pushed the point in ads and on the campaign trail — congressional Republicans pushed for smaller relief checks during COVID negotiations throughout the year .
Democrats campaigning in the state , including President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President–elect Kamala Harris , have characterized the two runoff elections as central to passing any legislation that would expand relief efforts .
“ I need two senators from this state who want to get something done — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get in the way .
Because , look , getting nothing done just hurts Georgia .
Look at what ’ s happening right now in Congress , ” Biden told supporters at a drive-in rally in Atlanta last week while listing off policy priorities that they could help pass with Democratic control of the Senate .
Both Ossoff and Warnock ’ s campaigns see the issues over direct payments and calls for expanded economic relief as a boon for connecting the impact their races could have on Senate control with tangible outcomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The campaigns plan to continue criticizing Perdue and Loeffler over the issue in the final days ahead of the election .
“ It ’ s going to be focused on how we can make sure Georgians are getting what they need and aren ’ t suffering from these backroom deals and legislation that doesn ’ t account for our community ’ s needs , ” a spokesperson for Warnock said .

Democrats in Georgia say voters care about COVID and getting economic relief above all other issues — and that Donald Trump's late-night demand for more direct payments helps them with their existing message.
Since the double Senate runoff started in Georgia, Democrats and progressives have been telling supporters that there are only three people standing in the way of the congressional Democrats having a chance at expanding relief efforts and direct assistance in the next Congressional session: Sens. David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, and Mitch McConnell.
Advocacy groups have converged on Georgia over the last month, as Congress has negotiated a massive COVID aid program that includes unemployment insurance and business relief — and a $600 direct payment to those whose income falls under a certain threshold. Those payments, which were added to the latest deal after a joint effort by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Josh Hawley, have turned into the last-minute breaking point.
In a video posted to Twitter late on Tuesday night, Trump called the $900 billion relief bill a “disgrace” and threatened to veto the bill if Congress didn’t increase direct payments to $2,000 from the proposed $600, which he called “ridiculously low.”
The Democrats running in Georgia, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, immediately announced that they supported the president’s call.
“President Trump is, as ever, erratic and all over the place. But on this point, tonight, he’s right,” Ossoff said in a CNN interview on Tuesday night. “$600 is a joke. They should send $2,000 checks to the American people right now because people are hurting.” He added that Perdue had opposed and obstructed direct payments.
Perdue and Loeffler now are in an uncomfortable position as they campaign to keep their seats. McConnell reportedly urged Republican senators to support another round of direct payments because Loeffler and Perdue were “getting hammered” for the monthslong delay in aid, like direct payments, for Americans.
On the campaign trail and in newly released ads after the deal was announced, Loeffler and Perdue both praised the relief bill and highlighted the second round of direct relief that would be issued to Americans.
After Trump’s announcement, Loeffler told the press that she would “look” at supporting increasing direct payments “if it repurposes wasteful spending.” A Senate spokesperson for Perdue did not respond for comment on whether he supported the president’s call for increased direct payments.
“This wrench that Trump has thrown into their plans has given Ossoff and Warnock the chance to remind Georgia voters that they are both on board with increased direct payments,” a spokesperson for Warnock’s campaign told BuzzFeed News. “Meanwhile, Loeffler and Perdue are now in a tough spot trying to explain why they're pushing for Georgians to get less relief that even Trump opposes."
Expanded COVID relief and the stall to implement another relief package was already one of the main tension points in the runoff elections before both Trump’s announcement and the recently passed relief bill.
“We’ve had about 2 million conversations throughout 2020 and tons of focus groups and tons of polling since March,” Nsé Ufot, the executive director of New Georgia Project, told BuzzFeed News. “The number one issue across the board, across race, across age, across gender and geography has been COVID.”
“Our work in this moment has been connecting the act of voting with the changes people want to see around COVID like healthcare and the economy,” Ufot added.
Progressive groups like the Working Families Party, Sunrise Movement, and Georgians for Registration and Increased Turnout (GRIT) have worked the pandemic and relief efforts into the canvassing scripts and literature as they knock on doors and make calls around the state.
“The bottom line, in a very concise way, is that people are struggling. People are unemployed, people don’t have healthcare insurance, people sometimes don’t know where their next meal is coming, and this is sometimes exacerbated by COVID,” said Britney Whaley, a senior political strategist who is running Working Families Party’s canvassing operation in Georgia. “It paints this picture of who’s suffering the most. People know. They don’t have to read a 500-page bill to know that this is inadequate.”
She said that the party’s nearly 200 canvassers and their phone-banking program have connected the candidates to the issue and that they would continue to do so ahead of the race, but many of the Georgians they’re speaking with have made the connection on their own.
“These two senators have been in DC, and in some instances they’ve been creating roadblocks and in the opposition. It’s not hard to connect that we have two senators who have been in DC for months and there’s been back-and-forth while we’re fighting for our survival,” Whaley said. “That’s not something that we have to tell the average Georgian when we’re at their doors. That’s something they tell us.”
Support for a new relief package was widespread across the country ahead of the general election and a New York Times poll found that 7 in 10 voters supported a new stimulus program while Congress was stalling on relief measures. In Georgia, where 3.9 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic, a mid-November Data for Progress poll found that 63% of likely Georgia runoff voters said they would be more likely to support a candidate who supported an additional $1,200 stimulus check.
In an early December memo, progressive organizations including Justice Democrats and Sunrise Movement urged Democrats to campaign around a stand-alone bill to issue a new round of $1,200 checks that would give Democrats “a clear message about something tangible that Democrats will do for you” that they believed would help the party win the two runoff elections in Georgia.
Shanté Wolfe, Sunrise Movement’s electoral politics director, said that they decided to sign onto the letter to highlight a new strategy of connecting their movement with Southern voters while motivating them to turn out to the polls.
“Sometimes it’s not the message, it’s the messenger,” Wolfe said. “When we’re on the doors and phones, we talk about Ossoff and Warnock and the bigger picture of this race and how it would secure a 50-50 split, and we also talk about utilities and how they’re going to pay bills, which are at the top of people’s minds as we move into 2021.” She added that the group would push conversations about the new stimulus bill in the final days of the race.
For groups like GRIT, the effects of COVID on people’s lives have been one of the main issues they speak about with voters when they’re knocking on doors in apartment complexes, and it’s one that voters are worried about. The new COVID relief bill and Trump’s criticism of it only offer them more talking points.
“I can guarantee you that the first person’s door I knock on to talk about the election and COVID stimulus when I’m out canvassing again, I’m going to flat out tell them that this new deal that was made was bullshit and we need to do better and there’s no chance in hell that we can do better if we don’t get Warnock and Ossoff in,” Ben Davidson, one of the leaders of GRIT, a hyperlocal organizing group that started knocking on doors in the apartment complexes of the rapidly diversifying suburbs of Atlanta told BuzzFeed News before Trump’s announcement.
“This is good for us,” Davidson said in an interview after Trump’s announcement. “It helps people and shows that people Loeffler and Perdue don’t have people’s best interests at heart. This isn’t changing anything for us, and if anything, it gives us more ammo.”
Warnock and Ossoff have both made expanding COVID relief a cornerstone of their campaigns and have pushed the point in ads and on the campaign trail — congressional Republicans pushed for smaller relief checks during COVID negotiations throughout the year. Democrats campaigning in the state, including President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President–elect Kamala Harris, have characterized the two runoff elections as central to passing any legislation that would expand relief efforts.
“I need two senators from this state who want to get something done — not two senators who are just going to get in the way. Because, look, getting nothing done just hurts Georgia. Look at what’s happening right now in Congress,” Biden told supporters at a drive-in rally in Atlanta last week while listing off policy priorities that they could help pass with Democratic control of the Senate.
Both Ossoff and Warnock’s campaigns see the issues over direct payments and calls for expanded economic relief as a boon for connecting the impact their races could have on Senate control with tangible outcomes for voters if they’re elected. The campaigns plan to continue criticizing Perdue and Loeffler over the issue in the final days ahead of the election.
“It’s going to be focused on how we can make sure Georgians are getting what they need and aren’t suffering from these backroom deals and legislation that doesn’t account for our community’s needs,” a spokesperson for Warnock said.


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--20 Times The Female Anatomy Was Lost On Men In 2020

Today I discovered BOTH of my brothers thought that panty liners/sanitary towels were stuck directly onto the wearer ’ s @ @ @ @ @ underwear .
Apparently they thought the adhesive was to “ seal it shut ” .
@ @ @ @ @ .

Today I discovered BOTH of my brothers thought that panty liners/sanitary towels were stuck directly onto the wearer’s flaps, not to their underwear. Apparently they thought the adhesive was to “seal it shut”. One of them is married.


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--People Are Shocked After Learning That Bleeding On Birth Control Isn't Really A Period

Need a TL ; DR version ?
Do n't worry , we got you !
Basically , when an egg @ @ @ @ @ fertilized , the uterine lining sheds — which is the blood you see — and @ @ @ @ @ , or menses .
However , when you take birth control , an egg is @ @ @ @ @ blood is actually caused by a drop in progesterone levels .
In short , if @ @ @ @ @ bleed on birth control , try to find one that gives you constant progesterone .
@ @ @ @ @ be the implant , shot , and sometimes the hormonal IUD , but talk to @ @ @ @ @ help find the right one for you !

Need a TL;DR version? Don't worry, we got you! Basically, when an egg is released and isn't fertilized, the uterine lining sheds — which is the blood you see — and it's called a period, or menses. However, when you take birth control, an egg is not released, so the blood is actually caused by a drop in progesterone levels. In short, if you don't want to bleed on birth control, try to find one that gives you constant progesterone. Dr. Crawford says this can be the implant, shot, and sometimes the hormonal IUD, but talk to your doctor, who can help find the right one for you!


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--Josh Hawley Said He'll Object To Biden's Electoral College Certification, Forcing A Vote

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced Wednesday he would object during next week 's congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden 's Electoral College win — a move that is likely to delay but not change the result .
Hawley 's decision to join a group of House Republicans who had already pledged to do so will force a floor debate when Congress meets on Jan. 6 followed by a vote in each chamber .
But Democrats control the House of Representatives and enough Senate Republicans have already recognized Biden 's win that it 's expected he will easily win in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from President Donald Trump for Congress to intervene in the election that he lost decisively , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had been trying to prevent his fellow Republicans from objecting , fearing it will force them to make unpopular votes against Trump that could be used by primary challengers in the next election .
Sen. John Thune , the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate , has previously called such a vote `` an opportunity to vent , '' but added that `` it 's not going anywhere . ''
Trump 's campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases in its attempts to overturn the results of the election , producing no evidence of mass fraud .
Following Hawley 's announcement , Trump took to Twitter to celebrate .

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced Wednesday he would object during next week's congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win — a move that is likely to delay but not change the result.
Hawley's decision to join a group of House Republicans who had already pledged to do so will force a floor debate when Congress meets on Jan. 6 followed by a vote in each chamber.
But Democrats control the House of Representatives and enough Senate Republicans have already recognized Biden's win that it's expected he will easily win in that chamber, too.
Despite pleas from President Donald Trump for Congress to intervene in the election that he lost decisively, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had been trying to prevent his fellow Republicans from objecting, fearing it will force them to make unpopular votes against Trump that could be used by primary challengers in the next election.
Sen. John Thune, the second-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, has previously called such a vote "an opportunity to vent," but added that "it's not going anywhere."
Trump's campaign has lost dozens and dozens of court cases in its attempts to overturn the results of the election, producing no evidence of mass fraud.
Following Hawley's announcement, Trump took to Twitter to celebrate.


buzzfeed--2020-12-30--A Secretive Company Needed To Convince Washington That Congo’s Election Would Be “Free And Fair.” It

A Secretive Company Needed To Convince Washington That Congo’s Election Would Be “Free And Fair.” It Found A Friendly Ear Among Trump Allies.

Congo suffered under the rule of Joseph Kabila , but an audacious lobbying campaign helped him get what he wanted out of the Trump administration .
KINSHASA , Congo — An important client needed help , and it didn ’ t matter to Mer Security and Communication Systems that he was an authoritarian ruler who had crushed peaceful protests and enriched himself at the expense of his own citizens .
Joseph Kabila , then the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo , had already relied on Mer for monitoring technology and intelligence training to help him spy on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company for services it didn ’ t advertise — and he needed it to perform those services on American soil .
Kabila wanted Mer to win over the Trump administration .
It was a tall order .
The US government had recently frozen the bank accounts of senior Congolese security officials who had overseen the crackdowns against protesters , and had threatened to reduce economic aid to the country if Kabila didn ’ t step down at the end of his term limit in December 2016 .
In order to prevent international intervention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kabila needed Mer to sell the idea that an election would happen soon , that it would be credible , and that the US should soften its hardline stance against him .
Even by the standards of Washington lobbying , this double act — promising a free and fair election in Congo while selling the very tools that could undermine the country ’ s democracy — was audacious and unheard of .
One American consultant hired by the firm said that if they had known of its ties to Kabila ’ s surveillance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said yes.
” A BuzzFeed News investigation , based on thousands of pages of documents and more than 100 interviews in the US , Congo , and Europe , provides a first-ever look inside Mer ’ s aggressive campaign to influence the Trump administration and serve Kabila ’ s interests .
It shows how such efforts can shape foreign policy in ways unbeknownst to both the public and senior government officials , through meetings and phone calls that leave few witnesses and little trace of the private influences involved .
In this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world swept aside authoritarian abuses — even when many of its own top diplomats thought such a decision flew in the face of US interests .
Despite all the promises that Kabila ’ s proxies made in Washington that year , Congo ’ s election , ultimately held in December 2018 , was neither free nor fair .
Citing voting data that leaked after the election , international observers said that it was brazenly rigged in favor of a candidate with whom Kabila had struck a secret power-sharing deal .
Kabila would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still command Congo ’ s security forces , his allies would still hold top Cabinet positions , and his party would still wield a legislative majority .
Within days of the election , the leaked voting data sparked protests across Congo .
Heads of state in Europe and Africa called for an international investigation .
The US echoed the denunciation .
But a month after the election , in January 2019 , the Trump administration suddenly dropped its objections and instead praised “ Kabila ’ s commitment to becoming the first president in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an electoral process.
” The decision to reverse course came from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , BuzzFeed News has learned .
But it shocked veteran diplomats and rank-and-file State Department officials who had crafted the initial policy .
And it put an end to the international coalition that was forming to examine the election .
The goal of Mer ’ s lobbying campaign , Laviv said , “ was to make people in Washington understand that the Congolese are serious about a peaceful transfer of power .
The opinions in the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Kabila regime , and we brought an argument showing them the process of how the election was being done.
” Kabila , who remains head of his political party , could not be reached for comment .
When the history of the Trump administration is written , much will be made of the president undermining democracy at home .
But as the Congo episode shows , he also did so abroad .
“ The confluence of lobbying work and security experts is really concerning but not surprising , ” said Jeffrey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a nonprofit that supports democracy movements on the continent .
“ For so long US foreign policy has been based around this notion of stability and security , oftentimes at the expense of human rights and democracy .
But when you deny a free and fair vote , you ’ re planting the seeds of instability in the long term .
It ’ s reinforcing this notion that leaders who steal elections are somehow good or somehow provide stability and security.
” Mer says it is no longer doing lobbying in Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there and in Congo .
Though the vast majority of voters cast their ballots for a regime change , the fate of their country was decided by powerful interests negotiating behind closed doors .
The US gave its blessing and millions in foreign aid , Kabila kept a large share of his power , and the company at the center of the arrangement walked away richer .
Among the entrepreneurs who thrived was Dan Gertler , an Israeli mining baron who had befriended Kabila years before he took office and secured a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including access to Congo ’ s diamond reserves — an estimated market value of $ 600 million — for $ 20 million a year .
In all , Gertler `` amassed his fortune through hundreds of millions of dollars ’ worth of opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals , ” US Treasury officials later found .
During a single three-year span , Gertler reportedly made $ 1.36 billion in revenue that should have gone to Congo ’ s taxpayers , Treasury stated .
Through his lawyer , Gertler declined to comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above board .
By contrast , most of Congo ’ s people continued to live amid some of the most difficult conditions worldwide , lacking access to electricity and clean drinking water .
On most health metrics , from infant mortality to malnutrition , Congo languished near the bottom of global rankings .
As Kabila ’ s regime wore on , a protest movement emerged .
When Kinshasa , Congo ’ s bustling riverfront capital , was selected to host the 2012 Francophonie summit — a gathering of dozens of world leaders — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global spotlight to draw attention to his regime ’ s failures .
Kabila ’ s security forces had already managed to assemble plenty of on-the-ground spies .
But it lacked the technology to intercept phone calls , track the movement of protesters , and remotely monitor opposition leaders .
Congo ’ s intelligence agency , known as the ANR , sought help from private contractors and other governments .
For some potential vendors , the nation ’ s record of human rights abuses , including imprisoning dissidents and using violence against peaceful protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was difficult to support ANR because they were participating in oppression , ” a Belgian official based in Kinshasa told BuzzFeed News .
Mer signed a $ 17.75 million contract to install surveillance cameras and build a command center in the capital city for intelligence and police agencies , according to the company ’ s financial statements .
Its work in Congo was part of an ambitious expansion by a company that began as an Israeli metal shop shortly after World War II .
Chaim Mer , a retired military intelligence officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s founder and now chairs the company ’ s board , hired a roster of other ex–intelligence agents and invested heavily in new technology for its security branch .
By 2012 , Mer was a conglomerate with offices in 30 countries , mostly in Latin America and Africa .
It managed event security for the Olympics in Athens , installed citywide surveillance cameras in Buenos Aires , sold data mining software to local law enforcement agencies across Mexico , and built the emergency radio network for One World Trade Center in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security contracts are kept under wraps .
Financial reports to shareholders from 2011 through 2017 make no mention of any work in Congo , instead only referring to the country as an unspecified “ State of Central Africa.
” In 2013 , the Kabila regime paid Mer an additional $ 8.5 million for more security cameras as well as technical maintenance and spycraft training programs — and for its proprietary algorithmic tracking software , according to the company ’ s financial documents , a Congolese ex–military official , and a Congolese security technician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s services constituted the “ biggest upgrade ” in surveillance capabilities that Congo had seen , according to the security technician , and the government soon expanded its arsenal through other companies .
In 2015 , the Chinese telecom giant Huawei donated a cellular network — along with an interception system able to eavesdrop on nearly any mobile phone call made within the country , according to the security technician and an agent with the Republican Guard , the presidential security service .
Huawei didn ’ t respond to a request for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the government ’ s surveillance state was targeting them more effectively .
In March 2015 , after escaping a police raid at a meeting with other anti-Kabila activists , Sylvain Saluseke was spending a cold , damp night at a safe house in Kinshasa when his cellphone rang .
The man on the line identified himself as an agent with the ANR , Saluseke said .
“ We know where you are , ” Saluseke recalled the man saying .
Saluseke decided to turn himself in to protect those who were with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headquarters , an eight-story red-and-yellow stone fortress flanked by a row of palm trees and a steel antenna that rises more than 200 feet .
There , he said , he was shown a thick stack of papers — call logs and text message transcripts spanning at least a month .
After 38 days in an overcrowded cinderblock cell , Saluseke said , he was released without charges but given an order to check in at the ANR headquarters three times a week .
“ Everything they knew in advance , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Everywhere we are going , everything we are planning.
” Mer signed its lobbying contract with Congo in December 2016 , during the Trump transition .
“ In the annals of bizarre African leader lobbying contracts , that ’ s right at the top , ” said Roger Murry , a consultant who has previously worked with clients from the DRC and other African nations but was not recruited for the Mer campaign .
“ What was weird wasn ’ t just the sheer size of the contract , but that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got the consulting gig because it was “ in a position of trust with the DRC government , ” said Laviv , the executive who was CEO of Mer ’ s security division during the contract .
“ They believed that Americans and Israelis have good relations .
This was a one-time opportunity helping the DRC.
” There had been virtually no overlap between the consultants who assist foreign governments on political matters and those who provide them with security services — until recently .
In the Trump years , security specialists began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies that benefit the foreign nations employing them , blurring the line separating those paid to supply access from those paid to supply weapons and intelligence .
Michael Flynn , a security consultant and former general who served on Trump ’ s presidential campaign , was convicted of violating federal disclosure laws for failing to register his work helping Turkey ’ s president try to extradite a dissident exiled in the US .
Elliott Broidy , a security consultant who raised money for Trump ’ s 2016 campaign , is under investigation for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arab Emirates after signing $ 200 million worth of security contracts with the country .
The Congolese government forked over $ 4.5 million during the first few months of Trump ’ s presidency as it built up its team of consultants in Washington , according to public records .
Since Mer had no lobbying bona fides to speak of , Laviv ’ s main task was to recruit Americans who did .
He hired Moshe Theumim , the chair of an Israeli advertising agency , to manage the project with him .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took prospective lobbyists to lunch to make their offer .
Their pitch was vague , three consultants who met with them said .
“ They made no indication that the regime was trying to reform its anti-democratic ways , ” recalled Barry Bennett , a political consultant who said he declined the opportunity .
Soon Laviv and Theumim had subcontracted a host of American lobbying firms to six-figure deals .
Many were run by the political allies who had helped Trump ’ s campaign pull off its shocking win : Adnan Jalil , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nancye Miller , whose husband , former CIA chief R. James Woolsey Jr. , served as a campaign adviser ; Bob Dole , the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse Trump before the GOP convention ; and Bob Livingston , a former member of Congress who had endorsed Trump early in his campaign .
Jalil , Woolsey , Dole , and Livingston declined to comment on the record for this article , and Miller has since died .
In emailed statements to public officials , the consultants pitched Congo ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fight against “ the expansion of radical Islam , ” as well as the government ’ s interest in economic cooperation .
It was a message that fit the new administration ’ s broad themes — but it didn ’ t immediately help Kabila and his allies .
Foreign policy in Africa was an all-but-forgotten line item in Trump ’ s White House .
The president didn ’ t appoint an assistant secretary of state for African affairs until July 2017 , or an ambassador to Congo until September .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Council had “ more leeway to dictate policy , ” according to a senior NSC official — and they kept a hard line in place .
In October , Nikki Haley , then the US ambassador to the UN , visited Kabila in Kinshasa and delivered the message that officials had carried over from the Obama administration .
According to a senior NSC official who spoke with her before and after the meeting , Haley threatened economic sanctions and told Kabila , “ You ’ re not running.
” The event came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article a few months later , with the Congolese ambassador , François Balumuene , indicating that Giuliani might participate in diplomatic affairs between the two countries .
“ What I know is that it is possible that Giuliani will let us know how to go ahead , ” he told the Times .
Balumuene walked back that statement in a 2019 interview with BuzzFeed News .
He said that he has never met or spoken with Giuliani and claimed that his quote in the Times was “ wrong ” and the result of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times his only interest in Congo was for “ security consulting.
” Laviv spoke to Giuliani at the event .
Even though the purpose of the reception was to promote Congo , Laviv told BuzzFeed News that he and Giuliani didn ’ t discuss any matters related to the country .
Laviv said the former New York City mayor wasn ’ t involved in any Congo lobbying efforts , adding that he only went up to Giuliani so he could shake his hand and ask for a photo .
“ He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Laviv said .
A Congolese official and two consultants on Mer ’ s team provided a different perspective on Giuliani , saying he was one of the lobbying campaign ’ s primary targets .
That meshed with Mer ’ s larger goal to get a “ back channel ” conversation going with the White House to discuss Kabila ’ s plans for an election , according to a high-level Mer operative involved in the project .
Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment for this story .
Through that back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it still wanted Kabila to step down , the operative said .
So Mer helped Kabila come up with a “ creative solution , ” the operative said .
With a few months to go before the new December 2018 election date , Kabila announced he would not be running .
But that didn ’ t mean he ’ d be going away .
Behind the scenes , he negotiated a secret power-sharing arrangement with one of the candidates , Félix Tshisekedi , according to five people : the Mer operative , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an adviser to Tshisekedi , and the ex–military official in touch with current security agents .
Laviv said no such agreement existed .
Tshisekedi ’ s father , who ran against Kabila in 2011 and lost , had been the leader of the opposition coalition until his death in 2017 .
Tshisekedi wasn ’ t as popular as his father , but he was a credible opposition figure , making him an ideal choice for such a deal .
Unlike his father , Tshisekedi was willing to compromise with Kabila .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his mistakes , ” the Congolese official , a member of Tshisekedi ’ s administration , told BuzzFeed News .
In exchange for delivering the election to Tshisekedi , Kabila would get to appoint certain Cabinet ministers , as Reuters first reported , and keep his coalition ’ s legislative majority .
The plan would help Kabila ’ s wealthy allies in the mining industry , too .
The most popular opposition leader in the race , Martin Fayulu , was promising to crack down on mining deals that siphoned off the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revising the mining code and prosecuting government officials implicated in kickbacks .
Tshisekedi had made no such promise .
American civil servants in the State Department were unaware of the scheme , instead expecting Kabila to back his own party ’ s candidate , Emmanuel Shadary , four US officials said .
Then , a few weeks before the election , American officials made a startling discovery : evidence suggesting that the president of Congo ’ s election commission , Corneille Nangaa , had embezzled upward of $ 100 million from his budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment .
The Kabila regime had been trying to present Nangaa to Washington as an unbiased , independent official representing the country ’ s commitment to democracy — an idea that Mer had pitched to Kabila , according to the Mer operative .
Mer and Kabila had hoped to introduce Nangaa to US officials to soothe their concerns about the election and “ create an international umbrella for Kabila ” that would protect him from potential allegations of manipulating the results , the operative said .
Months earlier , Mer had contacted Reset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to inquire whether it was interested in representing Nangaa , a consultant from the company told BuzzFeed News .
Reset agreed and brought a second firm , the Madison Group , into the project , consultants from both companies said .
They signed contracts for a combined $ 75,000 with Congo ’ s election commission , according to federal disclosure documents .
The two consultants told BuzzFeed News they were in regular contact with Mer .
“ They were hands-on in the sense that they wanted to know constantly , ‘ How ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ success ?
’ ” one of them said .
Mer is not listed on public filings for those contracts .
And , the consultant said , the only check they had received was from Congo ’ s election commission — “ not from Mer.
” If Nangaa had been revealed to be working with the same company that represented Kabila , it could have tarnished the election commissioner ’ s independent reputation and the prospects of a fair election .
Asked about Mer ’ s role in the Nangaa campaign , Laviv told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not lobby for Congo ’ s election commission in the US.
” Without any knowledge that the lobbyists for Congo ’ s president were also in touch with the lobbyists for its supposedly independent election commissioner , American officials faced a quandary over how to handle the Nangaa embezzlement allegations .
If they put a spotlight on Nangaa , they said , they feared that Kabila might use the scandal to delay the election even longer or attempt some other kind of last-minute power grab by claiming the government needed time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American officials decided to put off sanctions until after the election .
On Election Day in Congo , lines at polling places began forming at 5 a.m. and stretched past nightfall , through a rainstorm that flooded some precincts in ankle-deep water .
Across the country of 84 million , 18 million people voted .
The next day , the regime shut down the internet and news media , a blackout that would continue for 11 days as the country awaited word of the result .
Finally , on Jan. 10 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defeated Martin Fayulu by 3.7 percentage points .
Almost immediately , election observers from the Catholic Church announced that this didn ’ t match their extensive exit polls .
Fayulu ’ s supporters protested across the country over the next three days .
Officers responded by clearing the streets with tear gas and gunfire , killing at least 10 people , including a 9-year-old boy , according to Human Rights Watch investigators .
Fayulu demanded a manual recount and appealed the results to the Constitutional Court .
The debate might have faded from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing Fayulu had actually trounced Tshisekedi by 40 points .
The church announced that this new result more accurately reflected its exit polling , and an analysis by the Financial Times deemed the leaked documents credible .
But on Jan. 20 , the Constitutional Court certified the official result anyway .
In a secure conference room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington , US officials on the interagency committee in charge of DRC policy debated how to respond .
Some State Department officials proposed accepting the result and initiating friendly ties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact Congo held an election at all was itself a significant victory , and that the moment required the US to “ respect the rules of the game even if you have concerns , ” a US diplomat involved in the discussions told BuzzFeed News .
As another official who participated recalled : “ This is all happening in real time .
There was no way of actually knowing what had transpired other than it was completely unexpected that Kabila would give power to a member of the opposition who represented change that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials from other departments — the National Security Council , the Treasury Department , and the US Agency for International Development — pushed for a statement expressing “ serious doubts ” about the result .
This would be similar to the position taken by the African Union and the European Union , which were jointly proposing an independent investigation .
At first , the case for “ serious doubts ” won out .
At the root of the apparent consensus was a simple conclusion .
“ We know the outcome , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Tshisekedi clearly had lost .
On Jan. 22 , 2019 , the group drafted a statement calling the election “ deeply flawed and troubling ” and concluding that Congo ’ s election commission had “ failed ” in its responsibility , according to three US officials at the meeting and reporting by the news outlet Foreign Policy .
All that was left was for the State Department to send out the statement .
But what came out hours later was a complete reversal : “ The United States welcomes the Congolese Constitutional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the next President , ” the statement read .
While encouraging the government to “ address reports of electoral irregularities , ” the statement accepted the result and praised Kabila ’ s “ commitment to becoming the first President in DRC history to cede power peacefully through an electoral process.
” Most of the officials who worked on Congo policy found out about the shocking reversal only after the statement was issued .
According to two officials involved in the interagency process , the change had been ordered by Pompeo .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this story or allow any officials to speak on the record .
It remains unclear exactly what Mer ’ s role was in the turnaround .
Laviv said his lobbying team had “ succeeded , ” but he declined to give specifics , saying he only found out the US had accepted the results when the statement came out .
The Mer operative who described the back channel Mer set up between the Trump administration and the Kabila regime declined to say how the firm had deployed it during the election dispute , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But he did say that the result was something that Mer had been pushing for , that it worked for everyone involved , and that the negotiations continued past the election , up to the day of Tshisekedi ’ s inauguration .
“ Both sides have compromised on something , ” the Mer operative said .
“ The United States compromised on the process ; Kabila compromised on the end result.
” The US ’ s reversal had an immediate impact : The budding coalition of African and European nations willing to challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plan for an independent investigation .
“ Our statement stopped all that , ” said a State Department official .
With the international community now at bay , Kabila reestablished his hold on the government .
His political party took two-thirds of the seats in Congo ’ s legislature and then dominated Tshisekedi ’ s Cabinet when it was named after months of negotiations .
Of the 65 Cabinet ministers , 42 were members of Kabila ’ s coalition .
The former president ’ s wealthy ally , Dan Gertler , remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his land , even though he is under sanctions from the US and an investigation by the FBI .
Tshisekedi brought in new security contractors without ties to his predecessor , ending Mer ’ s official business in Congo .
In a recent interview , one US official involved in Congo policy praised his “ slow but steady breaking of his alliance with Kabila.
” Upon taking office , Tshisekedi released the remaining political prisoners , allowed Fayulu to freely protest the election , and welcomed exiled dissidents back into the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kabila transferred Mer software , Huawei interception programs , monitors , cables , and other gear to his private residence on the highlands outside Kinshasa , where “ a small team of trusted men ” reinstalled the equipment , according to the security technician who worked for him .
“ He disabled the whole system after the election so that the new administration could n't use it , ” the technician said .
A Western intelligence agent confirmed the equipment transfer .
A small team of CIA officers and European intelligence agents visited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigating a possible ISIS threat against the US Embassy in Kinshasa , the agent said .
They had used the system before , the agent said .
But this time an ANR official informed them that all the agency ’ s monitoring hardware was gone .
Kabila was still the president then , but he would soon be stepping down .
On the top floor of the ANR headquarters , the visitors saw for themselves a clear sign of change : rows of barren desks and loose wires .
“ Where did it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking .
The ANR official replied , “ All the systems were sent to the president.
” ●

Mer signed its lobbying contract with Congo in December 2016, during the Trump transition. “In the annals of bizarre African leader lobbying contracts, that’s right at the top,” said Roger Murry, a consultant who has previously worked with clients from the DRC and other African nations but was not recruited for the Mer campaign. “What was weird wasn’t just the sheer size of the contract, but that it was going to some random company.”
Mer got the consulting gig because it was “in a position of trust with the DRC government,” said Laviv, the executive who was CEO of Mer’s security division during the contract. “They believed that Americans and Israelis have good relations. This was a one-time opportunity helping the DRC.”
There had been virtually no overlap between the consultants who assist foreign governments on political matters and those who provide them with security services — until recently. In the Trump years, security specialists began to emerge as go-betweens who advocate for policies that benefit the foreign nations employing them, blurring the line separating those paid to supply access from those paid to supply weapons and intelligence. Michael Flynn, a security consultant and former general who served on Trump’s presidential campaign, was convicted of violating federal disclosure laws for failing to register his work helping Turkey’s president try to extradite a dissident exiled in the US. Elliott Broidy, a security consultant who raised money for Trump’s 2016 campaign, is under investigation for allegedly lobbying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates after signing $200 million worth of security contracts with the country.
The Congolese government forked over $4.5 million during the first few months of Trump’s presidency as it built up its team of consultants in Washington, according to public records. Since Mer had no lobbying bona fides to speak of, Laviv’s main task was to recruit Americans who did. He hired Moshe Theumim, the chair of an Israeli advertising agency, to manage the project with him.
Over the following months, Laviv and Theumim took prospective lobbyists to lunch to make their offer. Their pitch was vague, three consultants who met with them said. “They made no indication that the regime was trying to reform its anti-democratic ways,” recalled Barry Bennett, a political consultant who said he declined the opportunity.
Soon Laviv and Theumim had subcontracted a host of American lobbying firms to six-figure deals. Many were run by the political allies who had helped Trump’s campaign pull off its shocking win: Adnan Jalil, a congressional liaison for the campaign; Nancye Miller, whose husband, former CIA chief R. James Woolsey Jr., served as a campaign adviser; Bob Dole, the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse Trump before the GOP convention; and Bob Livingston, a former member of Congress who had endorsed Trump early in his campaign.
Jalil, Woolsey, Dole, and Livingston declined to comment on the record for this article, and Miller has since died.
In emailed statements to public officials, the consultants pitched Congo’s “critical role on the front lines” of the fight against “the expansion of radical Islam,” as well as the government’s interest in economic cooperation.
It was a message that fit the new administration’s broad themes — but it didn’t immediately help Kabila and his allies. Foreign policy in Africa was an all-but-forgotten line item in Trump’s White House. The president didn’t appoint an assistant secretary of state for African affairs until July 2017, or an ambassador to Congo until September. In that vacuum, officials in the National Security Council had “more leeway to dictate policy,” according to a senior NSC official — and they kept a hard line in place. In October, Nikki Haley, then the US ambassador to the UN, visited Kabila in Kinshasa and delivered the message that officials had carried over from the Obama administration. According to a senior NSC official who spoke with her before and after the meeting, Haley threatened economic sanctions and told Kabila, “You’re not running.”


buzzfeed--2020-12-31--A Republican Just Elected To Congress Has Died From COVID At 41

The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus .
To help keep this news free , become a member and sign up for our newsletter , Incoming .
Rep.-elect Luke Letlow died on Tuesday evening at a Louisiana hospital from complications due to the coronavirus after being hospitalized for 11 days .
He was 41 .
Letlow was days away from being sworn in as US representative for Louisiana 's 5th Congressional District as the state 's youngest member of Congress .
His death was announced via spokesperson Andrew Bautsch in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time , '' said Bautsch .
On Dec. 18 , Letlow announced via Twitter that he had tested positive for the virus and that he would be isolating .
His condition appeared to have deteriorated quickly as he was admitted into the hospital the next day .
In an update last week , G.E .
Ghali , chancellor of LSU Health Shreveport , said Letlow was in a stable condition in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving steroids and the antiviral medicine remdesivir .
Ghali told the New Orleans Advocate that Letlow had no underlying health conditions .

Rep.-elect Luke Letlow died on Tuesday evening at a Louisiana hospital from complications due to the coronavirus after being hospitalized for 11 days. He was 41.
Letlow was days away from being sworn in as US representative for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District as the state's youngest member of Congress.
His death was announced via spokesperson Andrew Bautsch in a statement published on Facebook.
"The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time," said Bautsch.
On Dec. 18, Letlow announced via Twitter that he had tested positive for the virus and that he would be isolating.
His condition appeared to have deteriorated quickly as he was admitted into the hospital the next day.
In an update last week, G.E. Ghali, chancellor of LSU Health Shreveport, said Letlow was in a stable condition in an intensive care unit, where he was receiving steroids and the antiviral medicine remdesivir.
Ghali told the New Orleans Advocate that Letlow had no underlying health conditions.


buzzfeed--2020-12-31--As 2020 Ends, Biden Says "Things Are Going To Get Worse" With The Pandemic