buzzfeed--2020-09-01--Trump Defended The Alleged Kenosha Protest Shooter But Criticized The Portland Protest Shooter

President Donald Trump on Monday delivered divisive messages about the shootings at two protests in the past week , split clearly along political lines .
He defended the alleged shooter in Kenosha , Wisconsin , who has attended a Trump rally and was vocally in support of police , and decried the alleged shooter in Portland , who was reportedly protesting law enforcement and whose identity still has not been confirmed by authorities .
Trump ’ s remarks at a press conference on Monday come after he has spent weeks seeking to split the nation over the protest movement that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ George Floyd in late May and was recently reignited after a police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back in Kenosha .
In tweets and at the weeklong Republican National Convention , Trump has sought to paint protesters against systemic racism and police brutality as dangerous radicals in “ Democrat-run ” cities .
After decrying the shooting in Portland , Oregon , Trump was asked if he would condemn “ the actions of vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse , ” who is accused of killing two people and injuring a third in Kenosha last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed Rittenhouse “ probably would ’ ve been killed ” if he had acted differently .
“ You saw the same tape as I saw , and he was trying to get away from [ protesters ] , I guess , it looks like , and he fell , and then they very violently attacked him , ” Trump said .
“ And it ’ s something that we are looking at right now , and it ’ s under investigation , but I guess he was in very big trouble .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The police timeline states that one of the shooting victims followed the suspect and threw a plastic bag at him .
One video recorded that night shows one of the shooting victims , Joseph Rosenbaum , being shot several times , the criminal complaint states .
Rittenhouse is seen looking at Rosenbaum on the ground before running away and saying into a cellphone , “ I just killed somebody.
” Lawyers for Rittenhouse have used a similar argument of self-defense .
`` This was classic self-defense and we are going to prove it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement to NBC News .
`` We will obtain justice for Kyle no matter how hard the fight or how long it takes . ''
Pierce and the suspect ’ s other attorney , Lin Wood , did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News .
The Kenosha shooting suspect who has been charged with shooting and killing two people is a 17-year-old whose social media activity showed he was an avid Trump supporter obsessed with law enforcement .
Trump was also asked about the events in Portland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was killed in a shooting after pro-Trump demonstrators clashed with anti-racist protesters .
Right-wing supporters fired paintball rounds and used bear spray against protesters , who also tossed objects , according to the AP and the New York Times , which had reporters at the scene .

President Donald Trump on Monday delivered divisive messages about the shootings at two protests in the past week, split clearly along political lines. He defended the alleged shooter in Kenosha, Wisconsin, who has attended a Trump rally and was vocally in support of police, and decried the alleged shooter in Portland, who was reportedly protesting law enforcement and whose identity still has not been confirmed by authorities.
Trump’s remarks at a press conference on Monday come after he has spent weeks seeking to split the nation over the protest movement that started anew after a police officer killed George Floyd in late May and was recently reignited after a police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back in Kenosha. In tweets and at the weeklong Republican National Convention, Trump has sought to paint protesters against systemic racism and police brutality as dangerous radicals in “Democrat-run” cities.
After decrying the shooting in Portland, Oregon, Trump was asked if he would condemn “the actions of vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse,” who is accused of killing two people and injuring a third in Kenosha last week.
Trump ignored the question and claimed Rittenhouse “probably would’ve been killed” if he had acted differently.
“You saw the same tape as I saw, and he was trying to get away from [protesters], I guess, it looks like, and he fell, and then they very violently attacked him,” Trump said. “And it’s something that we are looking at right now, and it’s under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would’ve been killed.”
The police timeline states that one of the shooting victims followed the suspect and threw a plastic bag at him. One video recorded that night shows one of the shooting victims, Joseph Rosenbaum, being shot several times, the criminal complaint states. Rittenhouse is seen looking at Rosenbaum on the ground before running away and saying into a cellphone, “I just killed somebody.”
Lawyers for Rittenhouse have used a similar argument of self-defense.
"This was classic self-defense and we are going to prove it," attorney John Pierce said in a statement to NBC News. "We will obtain justice for Kyle no matter how hard the fight or how long it takes."
Pierce and the suspect’s other attorney, Lin Wood, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
The Kenosha shooting suspect who has been charged with shooting and killing two people is a 17-year-old whose social media activity showed he was an avid Trump supporter obsessed with law enforcement.
Trump was also asked about the events in Portland on Saturday night, when one person was killed in a shooting after pro-Trump demonstrators clashed with anti-racist protesters. Right-wing supporters fired paintball rounds and used bear spray against protesters, who also tossed objects, according to the AP and the New York Times, which had reporters at the scene.


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--Trump Staff Are Spreading Not One But Two Manipulated Videos Of Joe Biden

The White House and President Trump 's reelection campaign on Monday circulated two videos that had been manipulated to negatively portray presidential candidate Joe Biden .
Both videos spread widely on social media before being flagged as false or manipulated .
The first video was posted on Saturday , Aug. 29 , but promoted to new audiences a day later by Dan Scavino , the White House deputy chief of communications .
The video , which purported to show Joe Biden asleep during a TV interview , was a manipulated copy of a 2011 KBAK news segment in which actor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a live interview .
The manipulated version shared by Scavino substituted Biden for Belafonte and added a snoring soundtrack .
“ This is what happens when you corner a rat , ” a spokesperson for Joe Biden told BuzzFeed News .
“ Donald Trump is in so far over his head that rather than even trying to overcome the crises he has helped trigger and has exacerbated — the botched response to the pandemic and the climbing death toll , the economic collapse , and unrest and division — he is founding his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a second term on pretending he is not president now and pretending he 's running against someone other than Joe Biden . ''
The Trump campaign has not yet responded to a request for comment .
By Monday afternoon , the video had been labeled as “ Manipulated Media ” by Twitter , marked as false by Facebook fact-checkers , and removed entirely from the YouTube account that originally posted it .
By the end of the day , the video tweeted by Scavino was removed because of a copyright issue .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter .

The White House and President Trump's reelection campaign on Monday circulated two videos that had been manipulated to negatively portray presidential candidate Joe Biden. Both videos spread widely on social media before being flagged as false or manipulated.
The first video was posted on Saturday, Aug. 29, but promoted to new audiences a day later by Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of communications.
The video, which purported to show Joe Biden asleep during a TV interview, was a manipulated copy of a 2011 KBAK news segment in which actor Harry Belafonte appears to be napping during a live interview. The manipulated version shared by Scavino substituted Biden for Belafonte and added a snoring soundtrack.
“This is what happens when you corner a rat,” a spokesperson for Joe Biden told BuzzFeed News. “Donald Trump is in so far over his head that rather than even trying to overcome the crises he has helped trigger and has exacerbated — the botched response to the pandemic and the climbing death toll, the economic collapse, and unrest and division — he is founding his incoherent case for doing even more damage in a second term on pretending he is not president now and pretending he's running against someone other than Joe Biden."
Reached for comment, the Trump campaign pointed to a Trump War Room tweet saying journalists “can’t take a joke.”
By Monday afternoon, the video had been labeled as “Manipulated Media” by Twitter, marked as false by Facebook fact-checkers, and removed entirely from the YouTube account that originally posted it. By the end of the day, the video tweeted by Scavino was removed because of a copyright issue. It was viewed over 2 million times on Twitter.


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--Joe Biden’s Most Direct Case Against Trump: The President Is A "Toxin"

Joe Biden has , in so many words , been calling President Donald Trump an instigator of racist hatred and violence for more than a year now .
But Biden often deals in euphemisms : “ A battle for the soul of the nation , ” he likes to say , the implication being Biden is good , Trump evil .
Biden made that argument in far more direct words Monday .
With the nation consumed by the coronavirus pandemic , the shooting of another Black man by a white police officer , and violence erupting between pro-Trump demonstrators and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a dangerous agent of injustice .
“ I look at this violence and I see lives and communities and the dreams of small businesses being destroyed , and the opportunities for real progress on issues of race and police reform and justice being put to the test , ” Biden , the Democratic nominee for president , said in remarks delivered in Pittsburgh .
“ Donald Trump looks at this violence , and he sees a political lifeline.
” The speech followed two shootings stemming from clashes involving Trump supporters who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism and police brutality , and to Trump ’ s insistence that American cities are being overtaken by violent , anti-police mobs .
In Kenosha last week , a teenage Trump fan allegedly shot and killed two people at a Black Lives Matter rally .
In Portland over the weekend , someone was shot and killed while a caravan organized by hundreds of Trump supporters motored through the city ’ s downtown , provoking violent encounters with protesters .
Armed militias have taken to the streets across the country , ostensibly to guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up tensions .
Biden charged Monday that Trump “ long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country .
He can ’ t stop the violence , because for years he has fomented it.
” While Trump “ may believe mouthing the words 'law and order ' makes him strong , ” Biden added , “ his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is.
” The speech advanced a rhetorical attack from Biden : Do you feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected ?
” the former vice president asked at one point .
Trump , he added later , has “ no problem with right-wing militias , white supremacists , and vigilantes with assault weapons — often better armed than the police , often in the middle of the violence at the protesters and aiming it there.
” Biden expanded the safety argument to critique other parts of Trump ’ s performance .
He tied it into how Trump is handling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( “ More than 100,000 seniors have lost their lives in the virus , more cops have died from COVID this year than have been killed on patrol.
” ) He tied it into Trump ’ s economic stewardship .
( “ Does he not understand and see the tens of millions of people who 've had to file for unemployment this year so far ?
” ) And he tied it into Trump ’ s relationship with Vladimir Putin .
( “ Never before has an American president played such a subservient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reporters received excerpts from the speech hours before , giving Trump ’ s reelection campaign and allies a head start in responding .
A Republican National Committee spokesperson tweeted that Biden was threatening more violence .
Donald Trump Jr. , the president ’ s son , accused Biden of “ literally dumping gasoline on the fire and justifying these violent leftwing riots.
” In his remarks , Biden applied similar imagery to Trump .
“ He keeps telling us that if he was president , you 'd feel safe .
Well , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not .
And it is happening .
It 's getting worse and you know why : because Donald Trump adds fuel to every fire.
” Biden , who on Sunday issued a lengthy statement condemning the violence in Portland , also used Monday ’ s speech to unequivocally denounce rioters and looters .
“ Rioting is not protesting , ” he said .
“ Looting is not protesting .
Setting fires is not protesting .
None of this is protesting .
It 's lawlessness , plain and simple .
And those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not bring change .
It will only bring destruction .
It 's wrong in every way.
” “ You know me , you know my heart , ” Biden said a bit later .
“ You know my story — my family story .
Ask yourself : Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters ?
Really ?
” In a statement afterward , a spokesperson for Trump ’ s reelection campaign falsely said that Biden “ failed to condemn ” the violence .
A White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would condemn the alleged shooter in the Kenosha incident , said the president would not “ weigh in on that.
” Biden has talked in recent months of making the fight against systemic racism a priority if elected .
On Monday he noted how he ’ s spoken to the families of George Floyd , the Black man killed by Minneapolis police in May , and Jacob Blake , the Black man shot by a Kenosha police officer last week .
He said he was optimistic he could bring activists for racial justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would support mayors who ask for federal assistance .
“ He advertises himself as a figure of order , ” Biden said of Trump toward the end of the speech .
“ He is n't .
And he 's not been part of the solution thus far , he 's part of the problem.
” Not once during his remarks did Biden utter the phrase “ soul of the nation ” — the theme that from the start has guided his presidential campaign and punctuated almost every speech .
In its place was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same idea , but with more urgency .
“ Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years — poisoning how we talk to one another , poisoning how we treat one another , poisoning the values this nation has always held dear , poisoning our very democracy , ” Biden said .
“ Now , there 's just a little over 60 days [ until the election ] .
We have a decision to make .
Will we rid ourselves of this toxin ?
Or will we make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's character ?
”

Joe Biden has, in so many words, been calling President Donald Trump an instigator of racist hatred and violence for more than a year now. But Biden often deals in euphemisms: “A battle for the soul of the nation,” he likes to say, the implication being Biden is good, Trump evil.
Biden made that argument in far more direct words Monday.
With the nation consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, the shooting of another Black man by a white police officer, and violence erupting between pro-Trump demonstrators and anti-racism protesters, Biden explicitly condemned Trump as a dangerous agent of injustice.
“I look at this violence and I see lives and communities and the dreams of small businesses being destroyed, and the opportunities for real progress on issues of race and police reform and justice being put to the test,” Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, said in remarks delivered in Pittsburgh. “Donald Trump looks at this violence, and he sees a political lifeline.”
The speech followed two shootings stemming from clashes involving Trump supporters who have responded to the nationwide protests against systemic racism and police brutality, and to Trump’s insistence that American cities are being overtaken by violent, anti-police mobs. In Kenosha last week, a teenage Trump fan allegedly shot and killed two people at a Black Lives Matter rally. In Portland over the weekend, someone was shot and killed while a caravan organized by hundreds of Trump supporters motored through the city’s downtown, provoking violent encounters with protesters. Armed militias have taken to the streets across the country, ostensibly to guard against the destruction of property but ratcheting up tensions.
Biden charged Monday that Trump “long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can’t stop the violence, because for years he has fomented it.” While Trump “may believe mouthing the words 'law and order' makes him strong,” Biden added, “his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is.”
The speech advanced a rhetorical attack from Biden: Do you feel safe under Trump?
“Does anyone believe that there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected?” the former vice president asked at one point. Trump, he added later, has “no problem with right-wing militias, white supremacists, and vigilantes with assault weapons — often better armed than the police, often in the middle of the violence at the protesters and aiming it there.”
Biden expanded the safety argument to critique other parts of Trump’s performance. He tied it into how Trump is handling the coronavirus pandemic he once downplayed. (“More than 100,000 seniors have lost their lives in the virus, more cops have died from COVID this year than have been killed on patrol.”) He tied it into Trump’s economic stewardship. (“Does he not understand and see the tens of millions of people who've had to file for unemployment this year so far?”) And he tied it into Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin. (“Never before has an American president played such a subservient role to a Russian leader.”)
Reporters received excerpts from the speech hours before, giving Trump’s reelection campaign and allies a head start in responding. A Republican National Committee spokesperson tweeted that Biden was threatening more violence. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, accused Biden of “literally dumping gasoline on the fire and justifying these violent leftwing riots.”
In his remarks, Biden applied similar imagery to Trump. “He keeps telling us that if he was president, you'd feel safe. Well, he is president, whether he knows it or not. And it is happening. It's getting worse and you know why: because Donald Trump adds fuel to every fire.”
Biden, who on Sunday issued a lengthy statement condemning the violence in Portland, also used Monday’s speech to unequivocally denounce rioters and looters.
“Rioting is not protesting,” he said. “Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. It's lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted. Violence will not bring change. It will only bring destruction. It's wrong in every way.”
“You know me, you know my heart,” Biden said a bit later. “You know my story — my family story. Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?”
In a statement afterward, a spokesperson for Trump’s reelection campaign falsely said that Biden “failed to condemn” the violence. A White House spokesperson, asked earlier Monday if Trump would condemn the alleged shooter in the Kenosha incident, said the president would not “weigh in on that.”
Biden has talked in recent months of making the fight against systemic racism a priority if elected. On Monday he noted how he’s spoken to the families of George Floyd, the Black man killed by Minneapolis police in May, and Jacob Blake, the Black man shot by a Kenosha police officer last week. He said he was optimistic he could bring activists for racial justice together with police leaders and that he would support mayors who ask for federal assistance.
“He advertises himself as a figure of order,” Biden said of Trump toward the end of the speech. “He isn't. And he's not been part of the solution thus far, he's part of the problem.”
Not once during his remarks did Biden utter the phrase “soul of the nation” — the theme that from the start has guided his presidential campaign and punctuated almost every speech. In its place was a new euphemism, rooted in the same idea, but with more urgency.
“Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years — poisoning how we talk to one another, poisoning how we treat one another, poisoning the values this nation has always held dear, poisoning our very democracy,” Biden said. “Now, there's just a little over 60 days [until the election]. We have a decision to make. Will we rid ourselves of this toxin? Or will we make it a permanent part of our nation's character?”


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--Michael Flynn's Fate Is Unsettled Again After An Appeals Court Said It Wouldn't Force A Judge To Dis

Michael Flynn's Fate Is Unsettled Again After An Appeals Court Said It Wouldn't Force A Judge To Dismiss His Case

WASHINGTON — The legal fate of Trump 's former national security adviser Michael Flynn is up in the air again after a federal appeals court on Monday rejected an effort by Flynn and the Justice Department to force a judge to immediately dismiss his criminal case .
A majority of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit found that it was premature to order US District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the government 's unusual request to drop the yearslong prosecution against Flynn .
Instead of dismissing the case right away , Sullivan had asked for briefing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former federal judge to present arguments against dismissing the case .
Flynn and DOJ petitioned the DC Circuit to intervene and stop that inquiry .
In June , a three-judge panel of the DC Circuit sided with Flynn and the government in a 2–1 decision .
The full court then took up the case , however , and in Monday 's opinion a majority of judges voted in favor of allowing Sullivan to actually rule first before stepping in .
Sullivan could still end up letting the government drop the case against Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made in its ruling on Monday .
Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI , but then changed course and tried to fight the prosecution ; the Justice Department had defended its prosecution of Flynn until it too changed positions and asked to dismiss the case in May .
Flynn has n't been sentenced yet .
`` Petitioner has not cited any case in which our Court , or any court , issued the writ to compel a district court to decide an undecided motion in a particular way — i.e.
, @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the motion in that way on its own , '' the DC Circuit judges wrote in Monday 's opinion , using italics to emphasize that Sullivan should be allowed to rule first .
As a final option to try to get the case dismissed , Flynn and the Justice Department could petition the US Supreme Court to get involved .
Flynn 's lawyer Sidney Powell and a DOJ spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment .
In Monday 's opinion , the DC Circuit found that Sullivan 's decision to ask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party — former federal judge John Gleeson — to present arguments against dismissal did n't raise any separation of powers issues ; judges had done similar things in the past , they noted .
Any fear that Sullivan might go beyond the limits of his authority — ordering the government to present evidence , for instance — was just speculation until the judge took action , the DC Circuit concluded .
`` Try as they might , neither Petitioner , nor the Government , nor the dissent has identified a single instance where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writ to decide a trial court motion without first giving the district court an opportunity to make a decision , '' the judges wrote .
`` We are aware of none . ''
The court also refused to reassign the case to another judge , finding that Sullivan 's handling of the case did n't show that he was biased against Flynn .
The fact that Sullivan participated in the DC Circuit proceedings also did n't mean he was disqualified from presiding over the case going forward , the court held .
Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' which means it represented the views of a majority of the DC Circuit 's judges , but did n't include a breakdown of how each judge voted or who authored the decision .
However , only Judges Neomi Rao and Karen LeCraft Henderson — who had ruled in June in favor of forcing Sullivan to dismiss the case — wrote dissenting opinions .
Rao wrote that it was appropriate for the court to intervene in the case now `` to prevent his judicial usurpation of the executive power and to correct the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Henderson wrote that she would have disqualified Sullivan from the case , finding that his `` conduct patently draws his impartiality into question . ''
Rao and Henderson are among the DC Circuit 's more conservative-leaning judges ; Rao is one of Trump 's three appointees to the court and Henderson was nominated under President George H.W .
Bush .
Judge Thomas Griffith , who was confirmed under President George W. Bush , sided with his Democrat-appointed colleagues in ruling against Flynn and the Justice Department .
Griffith wrote a separate concurring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judges ' decision-making `` as a cover for the exercise of raw political power '' based on the party of the president who appointed them .
He maintained that the questions raised in Flynn 's case about the judiciary 's authority to probe actions by the executive branch were `` far removed from the partisan skirmishes of the day '' and part of a `` long-running debate about the relative powers of the Executive and Judicial Branches . ''
`` In cases that attract public attention , it is common for pundits and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way that reduces the judicial process to little more than a skirmish in a partisan battle , '' Griffith wrote .
`` No doubt there will be some who will describe the court ’ s decision today in such terms , but they would be mistaken , '' Griffith wrote .
Trump 's two other appointees to the DC Circuit did n't participate in the case .
Judge Greg Katsas , who had served in the White House counsel 's office before being confirmed to the bench , recused .
Judge Justin Walker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to replace Griffith , but Griffith wo n't officially retire until Sept. 1 .
Flynn 's case has been pending in court since December 2017 , when he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts in late 2016 with the Russian ambassador to the United States at the time .
He originally agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller 's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election .
But by the summer of 2019 , he 'd brought on a new legal team and tried to not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge the lawfulness of the prosecution and Mueller 's investigation .
He embraced Trump 's attacks on the Russia investigation as politically motivated .
Meanwhile , Attorney General Bill Barr fueled Flynn 's efforts by appointing a US attorney , Jeffrey Jensen , to review Flynn 's case early in 2020 .
On May 7 , the interim US attorney in Washington , Timothy Shea , filed a motion asking Sullivan to dismiss Flynn 's case , writing that based on evidence uncovered in Jensen 's investigation , the government was no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Flynn admitted lying to FBI agents `` was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis . ''
Trump has publicly backed Flynn 's effort to fight the prosecution .
In response to the DC Circuit 's ruling in June ordering Sullivan to dismiss the case , Trump tweeted : `` Great !
Appeals Court Upholds Justice Departments Request To Drop Criminal Case Against General Michael Flynn ! ''

WASHINGTON — The legal fate of Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn is up in the air again after a federal appeals court on Monday rejected an effort by Flynn and the Justice Department to force a judge to immediately dismiss his criminal case.
A majority of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit found that it was premature to order US District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the government's unusual request to drop the yearslong prosecution against Flynn. Instead of dismissing the case right away, Sullivan had asked for briefing, scheduled a hearing, and appointed a former federal judge to present arguments against dismissing the case. Flynn and DOJ petitioned the DC Circuit to intervene and stop that inquiry.
In June, a three-judge panel of the DC Circuit sided with Flynn and the government in a 2–1 decision. The full court then took up the case, however, and in Monday's opinion a majority of judges voted in favor of allowing Sullivan to actually rule first before stepping in.
Sullivan could still end up letting the government drop the case against Flynn, a point that the DC Circuit made in its ruling on Monday. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, but then changed course and tried to fight the prosecution; the Justice Department had defended its prosecution of Flynn until it too changed positions and asked to dismiss the case in May. Flynn hasn't been sentenced yet.
"Petitioner has not cited any case in which our Court, or any court, issued the writ to compel a district court to decide an undecided motion in a particular way — i.e., when the district court might yet decide the motion in that way on its own," the DC Circuit judges wrote in Monday's opinion, using italics to emphasize that Sullivan should be allowed to rule first.
As a final option to try to get the case dismissed, Flynn and the Justice Department could petition the US Supreme Court to get involved. Flynn's lawyer Sidney Powell and a DOJ spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
In Monday's opinion, the DC Circuit found that Sullivan's decision to ask for briefing and to appoint an outside party — former federal judge John Gleeson — to present arguments against dismissal didn't raise any separation of powers issues; judges had done similar things in the past, they noted. Any fear that Sullivan might go beyond the limits of his authority — ordering the government to present evidence, for instance — was just speculation until the judge took action, the DC Circuit concluded.
"Try as they might, neither Petitioner, nor the Government, nor the dissent has identified a single instance where any court of appeals has granted the writ to decide a trial court motion without first giving the district court an opportunity to make a decision," the judges wrote. "We are aware of none."
The court also refused to reassign the case to another judge, finding that Sullivan's handling of the case didn't show that he was biased against Flynn. The fact that Sullivan participated in the DC Circuit proceedings also didn't mean he was disqualified from presiding over the case going forward, the court held.
Monday's opinion was "per curiam," which means it represented the views of a majority of the DC Circuit's judges, but didn't include a breakdown of how each judge voted or who authored the decision. However, only Judges Neomi Rao and Karen LeCraft Henderson — who had ruled in June in favor of forcing Sullivan to dismiss the case — wrote dissenting opinions.
Rao wrote that it was appropriate for the court to intervene in the case now "to prevent his judicial usurpation of the executive power and to correct the district court's abuse or discretion." Henderson wrote that she would have disqualified Sullivan from the case, finding that his "conduct patently draws his impartiality into question."
Rao and Henderson are among the DC Circuit's more conservative-leaning judges; Rao is one of Trump's three appointees to the court and Henderson was nominated under President George H.W. Bush.
Judge Thomas Griffith, who was confirmed under President George W. Bush, sided with his Democrat-appointed colleagues in ruling against Flynn and the Justice Department. Griffith wrote a separate concurring opinion arguing it was wrong to see judges' decision-making "as a cover for the exercise of raw political power" based on the party of the president who appointed them. He maintained that the questions raised in Flynn's case about the judiciary's authority to probe actions by the executive branch were "far removed from the partisan skirmishes of the day" and part of a "long-running debate about the relative powers of the Executive and Judicial Branches."
"In cases that attract public attention, it is common for pundits and politicians to frame their commentary in a way that reduces the judicial process to little more than a skirmish in a partisan battle," Griffith wrote. "No doubt there will be some who will describe the court’s decision today in such terms, but they would be mistaken," Griffith wrote.
Trump's two other appointees to the DC Circuit didn't participate in the case. Judge Greg Katsas, who had served in the White House counsel's office before being confirmed to the bench, recused. Judge Justin Walker was confirmed to the court in June to replace Griffith, but Griffith won't officially retire until Sept. 1.
Flynn's case has been pending in court since December 2017, when he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts in late 2016 with the Russian ambassador to the United States at the time. He originally agreed to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
But by the summer of 2019, he'd brought on a new legal team and tried to not only withdraw his guilty plea, but also challenge the lawfulness of the prosecution and Mueller's investigation. He embraced Trump's attacks on the Russia investigation as politically motivated. Meanwhile, Attorney General Bill Barr fueled Flynn's efforts by appointing a US attorney, Jeffrey Jensen, to review Flynn's case early in 2020.
On May 7, the interim US attorney in Washington, Timothy Shea, filed a motion asking Sullivan to dismiss Flynn's case, writing that based on evidence uncovered in Jensen's investigation, the government was no longer persuaded that the January 2017 interview in which Flynn admitted lying to FBI agents "was conducted with a legitimate investigative basis."
Trump has publicly backed Flynn's effort to fight the prosecution. In response to the DC Circuit's ruling in June ordering Sullivan to dismiss the case, Trump tweeted: "Great! Appeals Court Upholds Justice Departments Request To Drop Criminal Case Against General Michael Flynn!"


buzzfeed--2020-08-31--Facebook Fired An Employee Who Collected Evidence Of Right-Wing Pages Getting Preferential Treatment

Facebook employees collected evidence showing the company is giving right-wing pages preferential treatment when it comes to misinformation .
And they ’ re worried about how the company will handle the president ’ s falsehoods in an election year .
After months of debate and disagreement over the handling of inflammatory or misleading posts from Donald Trump , Facebook employees want CEO Mark Zuckerberg to explain what the company would do if the leader of the free world uses the social network to undermine the results of the 2020 US presidential election .
“ I do think we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to be used to aggressively undermine the legitimacy of the US elections , in a way that has never been possible in history , ” one Facebook employee wrote in a group on Workplace , the company ’ s internal communication platform , earlier this week .
For the past week , this scenario has been a topic of heated discussion inside Facebook and was a top question for its leader .
Some 2,900 employees asked Zuckerberg to address it publicly during a company-wide meeting on Thursday , which he partly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position . ''
Zuckerberg ’ s remarks came amid growing internal concerns about the company 's competence in handling misinformation , and the precautions it is taking to ensure its platform isn ’ t used to disrupt or mislead ahead of the US presidential election .
Though Facebook says it has committed more money and resources to avoid repeating its failures during the 2016 election , some employees believe it isn ’ t enough .
President Trump has already spent months raising questions about the legitimacy of the upcoming 2020 election , spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say if he ’ d accept the possibility of losing to Democratic nominee Joe Biden in November .
In July , Trump told Fox News he wasn ’ t sure if he ’ d concede to Biden , casting doubt on whether there would be a peaceful transition of power if the former vice president wins the election .
`` I have to see .
I 'm not just going to say yes .
I 'm not going to say no , '' the president said .
On Facebook ’ s internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election question remained civil prior to Thursday ’ s all-hands meeting .
Employees debated the merits of censoring a sitting president ’ s potentially false statements about election results with one person noting that “ it would be a really troubling policy to apply globally.
” `` America ca n't afford for Facebook to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the integrity of our democracy , ” said Jesse Lehrich , a former foreign policy spokesperson to Hillary Clinton and cofounder of Accountable Tech , a nonprofit advocacy group .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the election , the platform will be weaponized to undermine it . ''
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company ?
We 'd love to hear from you .
Reach out at craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
On Thursday , Zuckerberg told employees that the increased use of mail-in ballots due to the pandemic will likely lead to a situation where election results will not be available `` for days '' or `` for weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentators may attempt to try to call an election early , in which case the company may label a post explaining that results are not yet final .
Zuckerberg did not have a clear answer for what the company would do should Trump declared the election results invalid .
`` This is where we 're in unprecedented territory with the president saying some of the things that he 's saying that I find quite troubling , '' he said .
`` We 're thinking through what policy may be appropriate here .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing to work through . ''
While there are signs Facebook will stand up to Trump in cases where he violates its rules — as on Wednesday when it removed a video post from the president in which he claimed that children are “ almost immune ” to COVID-19 — there are others who suggest the company is caving to critical voices on the right .
In another recent Workplace post , a senior engineer collected internal evidence that showed Facebook was giving preferential treatment to prominent conservative accounts to help them remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responded by removing his post and restricting internal access to the information he cited .
On Wednesday the engineer was fired , according to internal posts seen by BuzzFeed News .
With heightened internal tensions and morale at a low point , concerns about how the company handles fact-checked content have exploded in an internal Workplace group dedicated to misinformation policy .
Last Friday , at another all-hands meeting , employees asked Zuckerberg how right-wing publication Breitbart News could remain a Facebook News partner after sharing a video that promoted unproven treatments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus .
The video racked up 14 million views in six hours before it was removed from Breitbart ’ s page , though other accounts continued to share it .
Zuckerberg danced around the question but did note that Breitbart could be removed from the company 's news tab if it were to receive two strikes for publishing misinformation within 90 days of each other .
( Facebook News partners , which include dozens of publications such as BuzzFeed News and the Washington Post , receive compensation and placement in a special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) “ This was certainly one strike against them for misinformation , but they do n't have others in the last 90 days , ” Zuckerberg said .
“ So by the policies that we have , which by the way I think are generally pretty reasonable on this , it does n't make sense to remove them.
” But some of Facebook ’ s own employees gathered evidence they say shows Breitbart — along with other right-wing outlets and figures including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk , Trump supporters Diamond and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prager University — has received special treatment that helped it avoid running afoul of company policy .
They see it as part of a pattern of preferential treatment for right-wing publishers and pages , many of which have alleged that the social network is biased against conservatives .
“ We defer to third-party fact-checkers on the rating that a piece of content receives , '' Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement .
`` When a fact checker applies a rating , we apply a label and demotion .
But we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems for repeat offenders .
We apply additional system wide penalties for multiple false ratings , including demonetization and the inability to advertise , unless we determine that one or more of those ratings does not warrant additional consequences . ''
On July 22 , a Facebook employee posted a message to the company ’ s internal misinformation policy group noting that some misinformation strikes against Breitbart had been cleared by someone at Facebook seemingly acting on the publication 's behalf .
“ A Breitbart escalation marked ‘ urgent : end of day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with all misinformation strikes against Breitbart ’ s page and against their domain cleared without explanation , ” the employee wrote .
The same employee said a partly false rating applied to an Instagram post from Charlie Kirk was flagged for “ priority ” escalation by Joel Kaplan , the company ’ s vice president of global public policy .
Kaplan once served in George W. Bush ’ s administration and drew criticism for publicly supporting Brett Kavanaugh ’ s controversial nomination to the Supreme Court .
Aaron Sharockman , the executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contact at Facebook did call to discuss Kirk ’ s post .
“ We had a call with them where they wanted to know how this post was aligned with the program , ” Sharockman said .
`` Was this just a minor inaccuracy or was it something that we thought was something that had potential harmful effects ? ''
PolitiFact did not change its rating on the post .
“ We stuck to our guns there , ” Sharockman said .
Past Facebook employees , including Yaël Eisenstat , Facebook 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have expressed concerns with Kaplan ’ s influence over content enforcement decisions .
She previously told BuzzFeed News a member of Kaplan 's Washington policy team attempted to influence ad enforcement decisions for an ad placed by a conservative organization .
Facebook did not respond to questions about why Kaplan would personally intervene in matters like this .
These and other interventions appear to be in violation of Facebook ’ s official policy , which requires publishers wishing to dispute a fact check rating to contact the Facebook fact-checking partner responsible .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intervening in fact-checks on behalf of *exclusively* right-wing publishers , to avoid them getting repeat-offender status , ” wrote another employee in the company ’ s internal “ misinformation policy ” discussion group .
Individuals that spoke out about the apparent special treatment of right-wing pages have also faced consequences .
In one case , a senior Facebook engineer collected multiple instances of conservative figures receiving unique help from Facebook employees , including those on the policy team , to remove fact-checks on their content .
His July post was removed because it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communication policy.
” After the engineer ’ s post was removed , the related internal “ tasks ” he ’ d cited as examples of the alleged special treatment were made private and inaccessible to employees , according to a Workplace post from another employee .
“ Personally this makes me so angry and ashamed of this company , ” wrote the employee in support of their colleague .
The engineer joined the company in 2016 and most recently worked on Instagram .
He left the company on Wednesday .
One employee on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that they had received permission from the engineer to say that the dismissal “ was not voluntary.
” In an internal post before his dismissal , the engineer said he was “ told to expect to be contacted by legal and HR if my post is found to be violating other policies in addition to Respectful Comms.
” Facebook denied the employee had been terminated for the post but said it was because `` they broke the company 's rules . ''
“ We have an open culture and encourage employees to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Bourgeois said .
News of his firing caused some Facebook employees to say that they now fear speaking critically about the company in internal discussions .
One person said they were deleting old posts and comments , while another said this was “ hardly the first time the respectful workplace guidelines have been used to snipe a prominent critic of company policies/ethics.
” “ [ He ] was a conscience of this company , and a tireless voice for us doing the right thing , ” said another employee .
The terminated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be named for fear of repercussions .
The internal evidence gathered by the engineer aligns with the experience of a journalist who works for one of Facebook ’ s US fact-checking partners .
They told BuzzFeed News that conservative pages often complain directly to the company .
“ Of the publishers that don ’ t follow the procedure , it seems to be mostly ones on the right .
Instead of appealing to the fact-checker they immediately call their rep at Facebook , ” said the journalist , who declined to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speak publicly .
“ They jump straight up and say ‘ censorship , First Amendment , freedom.
’ ” “ I think Facebook is a bit afraid of them because of the Trump administration , ” they added .
Facebook typically assigns dedicated partner managers to pages with large followings or big ad budgets .
They help their clients maximize their use of the platform .
But in the cases identified in the engineer 's post , partner reps appear to have sought preferential treatment for right-wing publishers .
This resulted in phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook , and instances where misinformation strikes appear to have been removed from content without a fact-checker ’ s knowledge or involvement .
A Facebook employee ’ s July 22 post restating the engineer ’ s findings identified multiple cases in which a fact-check complaint from a right-wing page was escalated and in some cases resolved in the account ’ s favor the same day .
According to the post , Joel Kaplan flagged a fact check of a Charlie Kirk Instagram post for resolution “ ASAP/before 12 p.m.
ET ” .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was part of a “ two weeks long effort ” to prevent the site from being given Repeat Offender status , a designation that would have limited its reach and advertising privileges .
Citing “ partner sensitivity , '' the rep noted that PragerU runs a lot of ads , and argued that the content in question qualified as opinion and was therefore exempt from being fact-checked .
Facebook did not answer questions about why a partner manager would cite ad volume as a reason for not acting against a group of pages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Facebook have never asked them to change a rating .
But Facebook reps do reach out to discuss whether a post is opinion or otherwise outside of the scope of the program .
“ We have had discussions where our partners have asked us , ‘ Why did you fact check this ?
Why did you come to this conclusion ?
How do you think it fits within the scope of Facebook 's rules or regulations within fact-checking ?
’ ” he said .
`` We sometimes reach out to fact-checkers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , '' Bourgeois said .
Mark Provost manages multiple large progressive Facebook pages , including The Other 98 % , one of the biggest on the platform .
He said his Facebook partner manager is far less responsive than what the Facebook employee documented for Provost ’ s counterparts on the right .
And he ’ s not aware of any case where Facebook contacted a fact-checker on his behalf .
“ We do n't get a message back for 10 days , ” Provost said of Facebook .
“ I imagine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better deal.
” His Other 98 % page is currently at risk of deletion because it has three strikes .
Provost said one strike is for a hate speech violation three months ago , though as of now no one at Facebook has told him what the offending post was .
His partner representative said they would look into it , according to Provost .
That was last week and he says he still hasn ’ t received an update .
“ I 'm getting so frustrated with this , ” Provost said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Facebook were as responsive as the fact-checking companies that they 've assigned.
” Provost said Facebook ’ s fact-checking partners are easy to deal with when he contacts them to dispute a rating .
In some cases , he provided additional proof of his claim to get a rating changed ; in other cases , he corrected the offending post and the false rating was removed .
The fact-checker who spoke to BuzzFeed News said most page owners follow the policy and contact them to dispute a rating .
But in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook partner manager assigned to work with fact-checkers .
“ They will ask us , ‘ Could you take a look at this again ?
Are you sure ?
’ ” the checker said .
In other cases , Facebook itself will quietly remove a fact-check applied by one of its partners .
That appears to be what happened with a March 25 post from Diamond and Silk .
The duo wrote on Facebook , “ How the hell is allocating 25 million dollars in order to give a raise to house members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Americans , going to help stimulate America 's economy ?
Tell me how ?
# PutAmericansBackToWorkNow.
” Lead Stories , a Facebook fact-checking partner , rated the post false .
Diamond and Silk initially followed the proper procedure and appealed directly to Lead Stories .
“ They were detailed in their appeal and we replied promptly , ” Alan Duke , the editor-in-chief of Lead Stories , told BuzzFeed News .
“ The result was that we decided that a false rating initially given their content should be revised downward to ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false rating apparently didn ’ t satisfy Diamond and Silk , who reportedly lost their online Fox News show after spreading coronavirus misinformation .
As detailed in the July 22 internal Facebook post , Diamond and Silk appealed to their partner manager , who opened an internal ticket for the issue .
The Facebook rep argued the post was opinion and warned that the duo “ is extremely sensitive and has not hesitated going public about their concerns around alleged conservative bias on Facebook.
” While the partly false fact-check is still visible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removed the strike against their account internally .
The Facebook employee said “ someone described on the task as ‘ Policy/Leadership ’ made the call to not only completely remove this strike , but also the one from January.
” PolitiFact ’ s Sharockman said he does n't know what goes on inside Facebook when it comes to applying or removing strikes for misinformation .
All the Facebook fact-checking partners can do is try to be honest , even if the other parties involved aren ’ t .
`` We 're trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and open and transparent .
And no one else is .
Everyone else is using the system to their personal benefit . ''
●

On Facebook’s internal message boards, discussion about the Trump election question remained civil prior to Thursday’s all-hands meeting. Employees debated the merits of censoring a sitting president’s potentially false statements about election results with one person noting that “it would be a really troubling policy to apply globally.”
"America can't afford for Facebook to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the integrity of our democracy,” said Jesse Lehrich, a former foreign policy spokesperson to Hillary Clinton and cofounder of Accountable Tech, a nonprofit advocacy group. “Unless they proactively outline clear policies and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard the election, the platform will be weaponized to undermine it."
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
On Thursday, Zuckerberg told employees that the increased use of mail-in ballots due to the pandemic will likely lead to a situation where election results will not be available "for days" or "for weeks." He noted political figures and commentators may attempt to try to call an election early, in which case the company may label a post explaining that results are not yet final.
Zuckerberg did not have a clear answer for what the company would do should Trump declared the election results invalid.
"This is where we're in unprecedented territory with the president saying some of the things that he's saying that I find quite troubling," he said. "We're thinking through what policy may be appropriate here. This is obviously going to be a sensitive thing to work through."
While there are signs Facebook will stand up to Trump in cases where he violates its rules — as on Wednesday when it removed a video post from the president in which he claimed that children are “almost immune” to COVID-19 — there are others who suggest the company is caving to critical voices on the right. In another recent Workplace post, a senior engineer collected internal evidence that showed Facebook was giving preferential treatment to prominent conservative accounts to help them remove fact-checks from their content.
The company responded by removing his post and restricting internal access to the information he cited. On Wednesday the engineer was fired, according to internal posts seen by BuzzFeed News.
“Intervening in Fact-Checks”
With heightened internal tensions and morale at a low point, concerns about how the company handles fact-checked content have exploded in an internal Workplace group dedicated to misinformation policy.
Last Friday, at another all-hands meeting, employees asked Zuckerberg how right-wing publication Breitbart News could remain a Facebook News partner after sharing a video that promoted unproven treatments and said masks were unnecessary to combat the novel coronavirus. The video racked up 14 million views in six hours before it was removed from Breitbart’s page, though other accounts continued to share it.
Zuckerberg danced around the question but did note that Breitbart could be removed from the company's news tab if it were to receive two strikes for publishing misinformation within 90 days of each other. (Facebook News partners, which include dozens of publications such as BuzzFeed News and the Washington Post, receive compensation and placement in a special news tab on the social network.)
“This was certainly one strike against them for misinformation, but they don't have others in the last 90 days,” Zuckerberg said. “So by the policies that we have, which by the way I think are generally pretty reasonable on this, it doesn't make sense to remove them.”
But some of Facebook’s own employees gathered evidence they say shows Breitbart — along with other right-wing outlets and figures including Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, Trump supporters Diamond and Silk, and conservative video production nonprofit Prager University — has received special treatment that helped it avoid running afoul of company policy. They see it as part of a pattern of preferential treatment for right-wing publishers and pages, many of which have alleged that the social network is biased against conservatives.
“We defer to third-party fact-checkers on the rating that a piece of content receives," Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement. "When a fact checker applies a rating, we apply a label and demotion. But we are responsible for how we manage our internal systems for repeat offenders. We apply additional system wide penalties for multiple false ratings, including demonetization and the inability to advertise, unless we determine that one or more of those ratings does not warrant additional consequences."
On July 22, a Facebook employee posted a message to the company’s internal misinformation policy group noting that some misinformation strikes against Breitbart had been cleared by someone at Facebook seemingly acting on the publication's behalf.
“A Breitbart escalation marked ‘urgent: end of day’ was resolved on the same day, with all misinformation strikes against Breitbart’s page and against their domain cleared without explanation,” the employee wrote.
The same employee said a partly false rating applied to an Instagram post from Charlie Kirk was flagged for “priority” escalation by Joel Kaplan, the company’s vice president of global public policy. Kaplan once served in George W. Bush’s administration and drew criticism for publicly supporting Brett Kavanaugh’s controversial nomination to the Supreme Court.
Aaron Sharockman, the executive director of PolitiFact, told BuzzFeed News a contact at Facebook did call to discuss Kirk’s post.
“We had a call with them where they wanted to know how this post was aligned with the program,” Sharockman said. "Was this just a minor inaccuracy or was it something that we thought was something that had potential harmful effects?"
PolitiFact did not change its rating on the post. “We stuck to our guns there,” Sharockman said.
Past Facebook employees, including Yaël Eisenstat, Facebook's former global election ads integrity lead, have expressed concerns with Kaplan’s influence over content enforcement decisions. She previously told BuzzFeed News a member of Kaplan's Washington policy team attempted to influence ad enforcement decisions for an ad placed by a conservative organization.
Facebook did not respond to questions about why Kaplan would personally intervene in matters like this.


buzzfeed--2020-09-01--Giving Birth In 2020 Is Not The Same — Here's What It Was Like For 19 Moms

`` I had my baby in July .
Due to the heat of the summer , my initial temperature reading @ @ @ @ @ a minute later , my temp was 98.7 .
However , my initial temperature caused @ @ @ @ @ 'person of interest ' and my husband and I were immediately covered in PPE ( @ @ @ @ @ taken to a separate wing of the facility to an isolation room . ''
`` @ @ @ @ @ would both be tested for the coronavirus , but until the test results returned , @ @ @ @ @ of our room .
We were very fortunate and received two of the remaining rapid @ @ @ @ @ came back negative two hours later , so we were moved to the regular Labor @ @ @ @ @ whole experience was lovely — the nurses and staff were kind and thoughtful , and @ @ @ @ @ well managed and handled . ''

5. "I had my baby in July. Due to the heat of the summer, my initial temperature reading was 100.5. Less than a minute later, my temp was 98.7. However, my initial temperature caused me to be a COVID-19 'person of interest' and my husband and I were immediately covered in PPE (personal protective equipment) and taken to a separate wing of the facility to an isolation room."
"We were told that we would both be tested for the coronavirus, but until the test results returned, we were not allowed out of our room. We were very fortunate and received two of the remaining rapid results tests. My test came back negative two hours later, so we were moved to the regular Labor and Delivery wing. Our whole experience was lovely — the nurses and staff were kind and thoughtful, and our coronavirus scare was very well managed and handled."
—jessikraai


buzzfeed--2020-09-01--Everything You Need To Know About Asexuality

Broadly speaking , an asexual ( or `` ace '' ) is someone who typically does n't experience sexual attraction @ @ @ @ @ .
Depending on the person , that might look like : • Someone who never @ @ @ @ @ ) • Someone who 's attracted to people romantically , but not sexually ( or @ @ @ @ @ likes platonic relationships ( or ) • Someone who can experience sexual arousal without wanting @ @ @ @ @ person .

Even though it's starting to show up more frequently in pop culture — like on Bojack Horseman or— not everyone knows what it means to identify as asexual.


buzzfeed--2020-09-01--Trump Staff Keep Spreading Manipulated Videos Of Joe Biden


buzzfeed--2020-09-01--China Secretly Built A Vast New Infrastructure To Imprison Muslims

China rounded up so many Muslims in Xinjiang that there wasn ’ t enough space to hold them .
Then the government started building .
This is Part 1 of a BuzzFeed News investigation .
For Part 2 , click here .
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
China has secretly built scores of massive new prison and internment camps in the past three years , dramatically escalating its campaign against Muslim minorities even as it publicly claimed the detainees had all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these purpose-built , high-security camps — some capable of housing tens of thousands of people — signals a radical shift away from the country ’ s previous makeshift use of public buildings , like schools and retirement homes , to a vast and permanent infrastructure for mass detention .
In the most extensive investigation of China ’ s internment camp system ever done using publicly available satellite images , coupled with dozens of interviews with former detainees , BuzzFeed News identified more than 260 structures built since 2017 and bearing the hallmarks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least one in nearly every county in the far-west region of Xinjiang .
During that time , the investigation shows , China has established a sprawling system to detain and incarcerate hundreds of thousands of Uighurs , Kazakhs , and other Muslim minorities , in what is already the largest-scale detention of ethnic and religious minorities since World War II .
These forbidding facilities — including several built or significantly expanded within the last year — are part of the government ’ s unprecedented campaign of mass detention of more than a million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That year Chen Quanguo , the region ’ s top official and Communist Party boss , whom the US recently sanctioned over human rights abuses , also put Muslim minorities — more than half the region ’ s population of about 25 million — under perpetual surveillance via facial recognition cameras , cellphone tracking , checkpoints , and heavy-handed human policing .
They are also subject to many other abuses , ranging from sterilization to forced labor .
To detain thousands of people in short order , the government repurposed old schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the number of detainees swelled , in 2018 the government began building new facilities with far greater security measures and more permanent architectural features , such as heavy concrete walls and guard towers , the BuzzFeed News analysis shows .
Prisons often take years to build , but some of these new compounds took less than six months , according to historical satellite data .
The government has also added more factories within camp and prison compounds during that time , suggesting the expansion of forced labor within the region .
Construction was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ People are living in horror in these places , ” said 49-year-old Zhenishan Berdibek , who was detained in a camp in the Tacheng region for much of 2018 .
“ Some of the younger people were not as tolerant as us — they cried and screamed and shouted.
” But Berdibek , a cancer survivor , couldn ’ t muster the energy .
As she watched the younger women get dragged away to solitary confinement , “ I lost my hope , ” she said .
“ I wanted to die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 268 newly built compounds by cross-referencing blanked-out areas on Baidu Maps — a Google Maps–like tool that ’ s widely used in China — with images from external satellite data providers .
These compounds often contained multiple detention facilities .
Ninety-two of these facilities have been identified or verified as detention centers by other sources , such as government procurement documents , academic research , or , in 19 cases , visits by journalists .
Another 176 facilities have been established by satellite imagery alone .
The images frequently show thick walls at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wire fencing that creates pens and corridors in the courtyards .
Many compounds in the region are walled , but the facilities identified by BuzzFeed News have much heavier fortifications .
At 121 of these compounds , they also show guard towers , often built into the perimeter wall .
In response to a detailed list of questions about this article as well as a list of GPS coordinates of facilities identified in this article , the Chinese Consulate in New York said “ the issue concerning Xinjiang is by no means about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but about combating violent terrorism and separatism , ” adding that it was a “ groundless lie ” that a million Uighurs have been detained in the region .
“ Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts , enhance the rule of law awareness through education , improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them , so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible , ” the consulate added , saying human rights are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trainees have freedom of movement.
” But it also compared its program to “ compulsory programs for terrorist criminals ” it said are taking place in other countries including the US and UK .
China 's Foreign Ministry and Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment .
The new facilities are scattered across every populated area of the region , and several are large enough to accommodate 10,000 prisoners at a minimum , based on their size and architectural features .
( One of the reporters on this story is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the new facilities appear more permanent and prisonlike , similar in construction to high-security prisons in other parts of China .
The most highly fortified compounds offer little space between buildings , tiny concrete-walled yards , heavy masonry construction , and long networks of corridors with cells down either side .
Their layouts are cavernous , allowing little natural light to the interior of the buildings .
BuzzFeed News could see how rooms were laid out at some high-security facilities by examining historical satellite photos taken as they were being constructed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With at least tens of thousands of detainees crowded into government buildings repurposed as camps by the end of 2017 , the government began building the largest new facilities in the spring of 2018 .
Several were complete by October 2018 , with further facilities built through 2019 and construction of a handful more continuing even now .
The government has said its camps are schools and vocational training centers where detainees are “ deradicalized.
” The government ’ s own internal documentation about its policies in Xinjiang has used the term “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describe “ educational schools.
” The government claims that its campaign combats extremism in the region .
But most who end up in these facilities are not extremists of any sort .
Downloading WhatsApp , which is banned in China , maintaining ties with family abroad , engaging in prayer , and visiting a foreign website are all offenses for which Muslims have been sent to camps , according to previously leaked documents and interviews with former detainees .
Because the government does not consider internment camps to be part of the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are crimes under Chinese law , no detainees have been formally arrested or charged with a crime , let alone seen a day in court .
The compounds BuzzFeed News identified likely include extrajudicial internment camps — which hold people who are not suspected of any crime — as well as prisons .
Both types of facilities have security features that closely resemble each other .
Xinjiang ’ s prison population has grown massively during the government ’ s campaign : In 2017 , the region had 21 % of all arrests in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2 % of the national population — an eightfold increase from the year before , according to a New York Times analysis of government data .
Because China ’ s Communist Party–controlled courts have a more than 99 % conviction rate , the overwhelming majority of those arrests likely resulted in convictions .
People detained in the camps told BuzzFeed News they were subjected to torture , hunger , overcrowding , solitary confinement , forced birth control , and a range of other abuses .
They said they were put through brainwashing programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak only in the Chinese language .
Some former detainees said they were forced to labor without pay in factories .
The government heavily restricts the movements of independent journalists and researchers in the region , and heavily censors the internet and its own domestic media .
Muslim minorities can be punished for posts on social media .
But satellite images that are collected from independent providers remain outside the scope of Chinese government censorship .
Other kinds of evidence have also occasionally leaked out .
In September , a drone video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their heads shaven and their arms tied behind their backs , wearing vests that say “ Kashgar Detention Center.
” Nathan Ruser , a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute who has done extensive satellite imagery analysis of the detention and prison systems in Xinjiang , said the video shows a prisoner transfer that took place in April 2019 — months after the government first said the system was for vocational training .
Previous analyses , including by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in November 2018 , identified several dozen early camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Xinjiang has the overall logic of colonial genocides in North America , the formalized racism of apartheid , the industrial-scale internment of Germany 's concentration camps , and the police-state penetration into everyday life of North Korea , ” said Rian Thum , a scholar of the history of Islam in China at the University of Nottingham .
The campaign has done deep damage to many Muslim minority groups — but especially Uighurs , who are by far the most populous ethnic minority group in Xinjiang and do not have ties to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has heavily penalized expressions of Turkic minority culture , from Kazakh- and Uighur-language education to the practice of Islam outside of state-controlled mosques .
This , combined with forced sterilizations , has led some critics to say that the campaign qualifies as genocide under international law .
The Trump administration is reportedly discussing whether to formally call it a genocide , and a spokesperson for Joe Biden , the Democratic nominee for president , said on Tuesday that Biden supports the label .
“ These are peaceful people in concentration camps , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was jailed and later exiled from Xinjiang after opening kindergartens that taught Uighur children in their own language .
“ They are businessmen and scholars and engineers .
They are our musicians .
They are doctors .
They are shopkeepers , restaurant owners , teachers who used Uighur textbooks .
“ These are the pillars of our society .
Without them , we can not exist.
” Early on , the government remade schools , retirement homes , hospitals , and other public buildings into internment camps .
There were other , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News identified 47 built before 2017 that have been used to lock people up in the region .
Some detention facilities are geared toward releasing detainees after several months ; in others , detainees may be sentenced to prison terms , said Adrian Zenz , a leading researcher on the abuses in Xinjiang .
Three former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said they were held for months in detention without any charges against them — far longer than is allowed by law — before they were transferred to internment camps .
The detentions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers in the camps quickly swelled until the inmates were living on top of each other .
BuzzFeed News interviewed 28 former detainees from the region , many of whom described being blindfolded and handcuffed , much like the men shown in the video .
Many spoke through an interpreter .
They are among a tiny minority of former detainees who were released and left the country — but they described a brutal system that they saw growing and changing with their own eyes .
Most recalled being frequently moved from camp to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was meant to combat overcrowding in the first generation of makeshift facilities .
At the beginning of the campaign , hundreds of people were arriving on a daily basis .
New batches of detainees always seemed to be coming and going .
Some former detainees described sleeping two to a twin bed , or even sleeping in shifts when there was not enough room to house all the detainees .
Almost all said they received meager quantities of rice , steamed buns , and porridge , and little or no meat or other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ethnic Kazakh , was first detained relatively early in the campaign , around the end of 2017 .
At first , he slept in a room with seven other men , and everyone had a bed to themselves .
But within a few months , he began to notice more and more people arriving .
“ One day I saw a pregnant woman in shackles , ” he said .
“ Another woman had a baby in her arms , she was breastfeeding.
” By February 2018 , there were 15 men in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some of us had to share blankets or sleep on the floor , ” he said .
“ They told us later that some of us would be given prison sentences or transferred to other camps.
” Camp officials regularly forced detainees to memorize Communist Party propaganda and Chinese characters in classrooms .
But some former detainees said their facilities were too crowded for even this — instead , they had to sit on plastic stools next to their beds and stare at textbooks , sitting with their backs perfectly straight while cameras @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were too many people to fit in classrooms .
For Koksebek , the claustrophobia was unbearable .
“ There was a window in our room , but it was so high I couldn ’ t see much other than a patch of sky , ” he said .
“ I used to wish I were a bird so I could have the freedom to fly.
” On a frigid , overcast morning last December , Shohrat Zakir , the region ’ s governor and second-most-powerful official , gave a rare press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Office , located in a closed compound in central Beijing .
The office is one of only a handful of government bodies in China that regularly briefs both local and international journalists , and Zakir sat with four other officials at a long podium at the front of the small room .
The officials took the opportunity to tout the region ’ s economic growth and claim China ’ s campaign against terrorism in Xinjiang has been a success , calling the US government hypocritical for its criticism of China ’ s human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one who made international headlines .
Of those held in the camps as “ trainees , ” Zakir painted a rosy picture .
They “ have all graduated , and have realized stable employment with the government ’ s help , improved their quality of life , and are enjoying a happy life , ” he said .
Even as reporters were scribbling down his remarks , about 2,500 miles away in Xinjiang , construction was wrapping up on a massive high-security compound near the Uighur heartland county of Shufu , just south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a countryside dotted by livestock farms .
Shufu is small by Chinese standards , with a population of about 300,000 people .
It has a main drag with a post office , a lottery ticket vendor , and eateries selling steamed buns and beef noodle soup .
The camp was built on farmland less than a 20-minute drive away .
Before workers started construction last March , the land beneath the Shufu site was farmland too , blanketed with green vegetation .
By August , workers had built a thick perimeter enclosure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the center of walls that rise nearly 6 meters , or more than 19 feet , satellite images show .
Next came the buildings inside , organized in U-shaped groups , with two five-story structures alongside a two-story one forming the base of the U .
By October , two rows of barbed wire fencing appeared on either side of the main concrete-walled compound , its shadow visible in satellite images .
Just outside the walls , on the western side of the compound , two guard buildings were built — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from them up to the wall that would allow guards to access the guard towers and the tops of the walls for patrols .
In front of the entrance , a series of buildings provided space for prison offices and police buildings .
In total BuzzFeed News estimates that there is room for approximately 10,500 prisoners at this compound — which would help provide a long-term solution to overcrowding .
Ruser reviewed satellite images of the compound and said it was a newly built detention camp .
“ The vast majority of camps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a strong external wall entranceway or exit , ” he said .
Unlike the old , repurposed camps , new prisons and camps such as this one have higher security , with gates up to four stories tall and thicker walls along their borders , often with further layers of barbed wire on either side of the main walls .
These features suggest they are capable of holding much larger groups of people in long-term detention .
The camps can contain not only cells where detainees sleep , but also classrooms , clinics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solitary confinement rooms , police buildings , administrative offices , and small visitor centers , former detainees told BuzzFeed News .
Many of the compounds also contain factories , distinguished by their blue , powder-coated metal roofs and steel frames , which are visible in satellite photos taken while they were being constructed .
The police buildings , including for guards and administrative personnel , are usually located by the entrances of the compounds .
The locations of these camps and prisons in Xinjiang are not readily available .
However , blanked-out portions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it possible to use satellite imagery to find and analyze them .
Satellite maps , like Google Earth , are made up of a grid of rectangular tiles .
On Baidu , the Chinese search giant that has a map service much like Google ’ s , BuzzFeed News discovered that spaces containing camps , military bases , or other politically sensitive facilities were overlaid with plain light gray tiles .
These “ mask ” tiles appeared upon zooming in on the location .
These look different from the darker gray , watermarked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ load something .
The “ mask ” tiles were also present at other locations where camps had been visited and verified by journalists , though they have since been removed .
BuzzFeed News identified the compounds using other satellite maps — provided by Google Earth , Planet Labs , and the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel Hub — which do not mask those images .
For some locations where high-resolution images were not publicly available , Planet Labs used its own satellite to take new pictures , then provided them to BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this investigation was conducted .
The images showed the facilities being built over a period of months .
Details from the images offer a sense of size and scale : Counting the number of windows in building facades , for example , shows how many stories they contain .
Often , these compounds were built next door to an older prison , sharing parking lots , administrative facilities , and police barracks with the older facility , satellite images show .
BuzzFeed News found an additional 50 more compounds that were likely used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost some security features , including barbed wire fencing within compounds used to create rectangular pens , closed passages between buildings , and guard towers , with a small number having been demolished .
Ruser and other experts said this does not suggest the Chinese government is pulling back from its campaign .
Many of those facilities likely still operate as low-security camps , he said .
The far more important trend in Xinjiang , he said , is the government ’ s increased use of higher-security prisons and detention facilities .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York echoed Zakir 's December statement .
`` All trainees who received courses in standard spoken and written Chinese , understanding of the law , vocational skills , and deradicalization have completed their training , secured stable employment in the society , and are living a normal life , '' it said .
Smile lines appear on Kokteubai ’ s deeply wrinkled face when he talks about his daughter , who was born in 1992 .
She later moved to Kazakhstan , where many ethnic Kazakhs from China emigrate because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people of Kazakh descent .
There , she and her husband campaigned relentlessly for Kokteubai ’ s release in YouTube videos and long letters to human rights groups .
He believes his eventual release in March 2018 was due to her campaign .
Inside the camp , instead of classrooms where students like his daughter might have studied math or history , Kokteubai saw dorm rooms overcrowded with as many as 40 or 50 men each sleeping on too few bunk beds .
Though the compound itself wasn ’ t new , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as high walls and barbed wire around the compound .
And the camp was now dotted with CCTV cameras , which a guard told him could film objects as far as 200 meters away .
Another thing that was new : When you entered the gate , a huge red plaque greeted you .
“ Let ’ s learn the spirit of the 19th Communist Party Congress , ” it said .
Like Kokteubai , several former detainees interviewed by BuzzFeed News said after arriving , they recognized the facilities in which they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ driven past them , or even visited them in their previous incarnations .
But these repurposed facilities were never meant to house prisoners and were not big enough to hold all the Muslim minorities the Chinese government intended to detain .
In early 2019 , workers started clearing land to expand a camp south of Ürümqi , in a town called Dabancheng , that had become infamous after reporters from BBC and Reuters visited the year before .
The camp at Dabancheng was already one of the largest internment facilities in the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 32,500 people , according to an architectural analysis by BuzzFeed News .
Since the expansion , it is now capable of housing some 10,000 more people .
By November of last year another , separate compound had been completed , this one capable of holding a further 10,000 people — for a total capacity of more than 40,000 , comparable to the size of the town of Niagara Falls .
`` These facilities display characteristics consistent with extrajudicial detention facilities in the Xinjiang region that CSIS has previously analyzed , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights program at Washington DC-based think tank CSIS after examining the three camps referenced in this article .
The camp at Dabancheng , Ruser said , “ is the main catchment camp for Ürümqi .
It ’ s 2 km ( 1.2 miles ) long and was expanded late last year an extra kilometer with a new facility across the road to the west.
” By comparison , the camp is about half the length of Central Park .
Kokteubai never found out precisely why he was detained .
Because he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to settle in Kazakhstan .
On the day he was released , he expected to feel joy , relief , something .
Instead he felt nothing at all .
“ I wasn ’ t happy or sad .
I couldn ’ t feel anything , ” he said .
“ Even when I was reunited with my relatives in Kazakhstan , they asked me why I didn ’ t seem happy to see them after so long.
” “ It ’ s something I can ’ t explain , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feelings died while I was in there.
” ●

Ninety-two of these facilities have been identified or verified as detention centers by other sources, such as government procurement documents, academic research, or, in 19 cases, visits by journalists.
Another 176 facilities have been established by satellite imagery alone. The images frequently show thick walls at the perimeter, and often, barbed wire fencing that creates pens and corridors in the courtyards. Many compounds in the region are walled, but the facilities identified by BuzzFeed News have much heavier fortifications. At 121 of these compounds, they also show guard towers, often built into the perimeter wall.
In response to a detailed list of questions about this article as well as a list of GPS coordinates of facilities identified in this article, the Chinese Consulate in New York said “the issue concerning Xinjiang is by no means about human rights, religion or ethnicity, but about combating violent terrorism and separatism,” adding that it was a “groundless lie” that a million Uighurs have been detained in the region.
“Xinjiang has set up vocational education and training centers in order to root out extreme thoughts, enhance the rule of law awareness through education, improve vocational skills and create employment opportunities for them, so that those affected by extreme and violent ideas can return to society as soon as possible,” the consulate added, saying human rights are protected in the centers and that “trainees have freedom of movement.” But it also compared its program to “compulsory programs for terrorist criminals” it said are taking place in other countries including the US and UK.
China's Foreign Ministry and Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The new facilities are scattered across every populated area of the region, and several are large enough to accommodate 10,000 prisoners at a minimum, based on their size and architectural features. (One of the reporters on this story is a licensed architect.)
Unlike early sites, the new facilities appear more permanent and prisonlike, similar in construction to high-security prisons in other parts of China. The most highly fortified compounds offer little space between buildings, tiny concrete-walled yards, heavy masonry construction, and long networks of corridors with cells down either side. Their layouts are cavernous, allowing little natural light to the interior of the buildings. BuzzFeed News could see how rooms were laid out at some high-security facilities by examining historical satellite photos taken as they were being constructed, including photos of buildings without roofs.
With at least tens of thousands of detainees crowded into government buildings repurposed as camps by the end of 2017, the government began building the largest new facilities in the spring of 2018. Several were complete by October 2018, with further facilities built through 2019 and construction of a handful more continuing even now.
The government has said its camps are schools and vocational training centers where detainees are “deradicalized.” The government’s own internal documentation about its policies in Xinjiang has used the term “concentration,” or 集中, to describe “educational schools.”
The government claims that its campaign combats extremism in the region. But most who end up in these facilities are not extremists of any sort.
Downloading WhatsApp, which is banned in China, maintaining ties with family abroad, engaging in prayer, and visiting a foreign website are all offenses for which Muslims have been sent to camps, according to previously leaked documents and interviews with former detainees. Because the government does not consider internment camps to be part of the criminal justice system and none of these behaviors are crimes under Chinese law, no detainees have been formally arrested or charged with a crime, let alone seen a day in court.
The compounds BuzzFeed News identified likely include extrajudicial internment camps — which hold people who are not suspected of any crime — as well as prisons. Both types of facilities have security features that closely resemble each other. Xinjiang’s prison population has grown massively during the government’s campaign: In 2017, the region had 21% of all arrests in China, despite making up less than 2% of the national population — an eightfold increase from the year before, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. Because China’s Communist Party–controlled courts have a more than 99% conviction rate, the overwhelming majority of those arrests likely resulted in convictions.


buzzfeed--2020-09-01--Everything You Need To Know About Demisexuality

Demisexuals fall into the subcategory of `` graysexuals '' , or people who are on the asexuality spectrum and still @ @ @ @ @ occasions .
`` Because of that fluidity , demisexuals may engage in partnered sexual activity @ @ @ @ @ out of a desire for intimacy , rather than sexual need or desire , '' @ @ @ @ @ like any spectrum , sexual desire can vary quite a bit for both demisexuals and @ @ @

To sum up? When it comes to sexual identity and orientation, says Hall, the most supportive and inclusive thing you can do is to simply trust that people know what they want (or don’t want) in their own individual relationships.


buzzfeed--2020-09-01--6 Simple Tips For Creators Who Want A Healthier Relationship With Social Media

Social media has become cozy in our society .
People describe feelings of never being able to put their phones @ @ @ @ @ can bring unwanted energy into our lives .
As vital as information and socialization are @ @ @ @ @ it comes to having a healthy relationship with social media .
Here are some tips @ @ @ @ @

Social media has become cozy in our society. People describe feelings of never being able to put their phones down, and this connection can bring unwanted energy into our lives. As vital as information and socialization are, balance is key when it comes to having a healthy relationship with social media. Here are some tips for keeping that balance: