buzzfeed--2020-08-18--The Latest TikTok Trend Is Venting About Your MAGA Parents

Children of conservatives are drifting far from their parents , and they ’ re doing so in front of the entire world .
WASHINGTON — TikTok is where Bridgette Olek told the world she had to leave her father ’ s Minnesota lake house after he discovered she ’ d protested at a Black Lives Matter rally in Fargo , North Dakota .
Tensions between the two had been brewing for a while .
He ’ s Republican and a Trump supporter .
She ’ s “ the polar opposite.
” Olek said the final break came when she went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members who were visiting for the weekend .
Her father asked her to leave , so she packed up her van and headed to other parts of Minnesota , then North Dakota , then Arizona , and finally North Carolina — for now .
“ You know those feisty white girls y'all be talking about , ” she said while driving in the TikTok video , over audio of Kash Doll ’ s “ Ice Me Out.
” “ The ones with racist parents that are supporting Black Lives Matter ?
Yeah , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her house for supporting Black Lives Matter .
I mean , it ’ s time.
” And then an appeal to what seemed like no one at the time : “ But I ’ mma be homeless for a while so if anyone wants to let me couch surf… ” It ’ s the kind of support teens and young adults like Olek have come to expect in an era of crowdsourcing and mutual aid groups .
It was a big ask to Olek ’ s 500 followers at the time .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viewed by more than 700,000 times , and more than 5,000 people commented on the viral video .
Most responses were encouraging .
Some people offered her a place to stay , others asked for her Cash App and Venmo credentials so they could donate .
In the coming weeks , she ’ d report back to her followers that she ’ d raised $ 503 of what she called “ pity money ” and in turn donated $ 600 to blacklivesmatter.com , evidenced by the receipt she used as a green screen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That TikTok , I did not expect to blow up the way it did , ” Olek , who goes by the name of @ pinkyringsaregay on TikTok , told BuzzFeed News .
“ I was basically just shouting into my phone saying , ‘ Whelp , I got kicked out.
’ I was truly taken aback by the response and then comments of everyone saying I could stay with them.
” Most of the content on TikTok is centered around entertainment .
Content creators flood the For You page with dance videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildly popular app , which boasts an estimated 800 million monthly users .
TikTok is loudly in the news right now for its Chinese ownership , a potential sale , and now the looming Sept. 15 deadline for purchase by any American company .
Like much of social media , however , on TikTok , like-minded users rally together for a single cause .
Social justice TikTok ramped up when Black content creators claimed they were being shadow-banned .
Before the nationwide protests , TikTokers showed solidarity for Black content makers through posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture of a black fist .
George Floyd ’ s death expanded the movement and motivated many white teens and twentysomethings to reckon with their parents ’ views on race and politics .
The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the already simmering tensions between Gen Z and their parents ; lockdowns have forced many together for months , working or studying from home .
Even recent college graduates , like Olek , struggle with where they ’ ll live and work in the coming months amid a pandemic .
She called it a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist parents ” or “ conservative parents ” on TikTok and peer into the lives of Gen Z ’ ers and millennials sounding off about their parents — some of them to the tune of thousands of red hearts that signal “ yeah , we hear you !
” Publicizing the differences between the generations has become so popular that content makers are now acting out hypothetical confrontations with parents .
These point-of-view posts are more anecdotal and rooted in someone ’ s truth , but not necessarily that of the person posting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ POV hashtag , a teenager cries about leaving home because , based on the caption , her parents disapprove of interracial relationships .
A lot of teens pair the content with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ’ s “ Ca n't Hold Us ” and shoot in dimly lit rooms with similar neutral-colored backdrops .
Most teens who posted POVs weren ’ t accessible , but BuzzFeed News talked to one 16-year-old TikTok user who said the app is like a haven for “ venting ” and trying to “ talk through ” things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet is a safe place for many ; separate from what your family thinks , ” said Ava Santiago .
But the stakes are higher for the young adults , some of whom disconnect from family members altogether because of opposing views .
One content creator wrote a song about it .
In the song “ I ’ m Right You ’ re Wrong , ” Daren Girdner — @ darendarendaren on TikTok — describes the disappointment he feels in his father who he says “ doesn ’ t understand white privilege.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-hour conversation he had with his father , prompted by an exchange the two had on Facebook about racial inequality .
At the time , Girdner , 27 , was at a Black Lives Matter rally and his father had written “ blm is a joke ” in response to his son ’ s post .
“ We talked for nearly three hours , ” Girdner told BuzzFeed News .
“ We talked in circles .
He didn ’ t listen to a word I said .
It was an unfortunate conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his ignorance.
” Within an hour of the conversation , Girdner wrote and recorded the song .
A week and a half later his girlfriend , Ava Gordy , encouraged him to post it on TikTok .
“ I went to sleep and woke up and the rest is kind of history , ” Girdner , who at the time had been on TikTok for a month , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It had a bunch of views and it resonated with a lot of people I guess .
This song @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowing I ’ m not alone.
” More than 200 content creators have used the sound to tell their own experiences , including one who posted a screenshot of a text conversation between him and his father .
“ I will never forgive you fully for putting this tyrant in office , ” said Alex , a 21-year-old trans man on TikTok who told BuzzFeed News he stopped speaking to his father soon after the June 13 post .
“ You , personally , with your voting have directly limited my rights and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a familiar story : In the 1960s , it was the counterculture movement versus their Depression-era parents .
The themes are similar .
But for Gen Z — the group who hijacked President Donald Trump ’ s big return to the campaign trail in Tulsa by skewing attendance numbers — the digital community wields as much power as in-person protests for large takedowns and smaller ones , even those directed at family members .
They dominate TikTok .
They ’ re protective of the space , laughing off older millennials and Gen X'ers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems to have changed a bit as one TikToker , Madison Scott , told BuzzFeed News , “ their content can be quite entertaining , ” but “ younger people don ’ t want their voices drowned out.
” Mislabeling Gen X'ers as boomers — a term to describe the generation born between 1946 and 1964 — is , however , still a thing .
When BuzzFeed News reached one teen content maker about TikToks they ’ d posted , they said they weren ’ t sure their parents “ would be OK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was a common response , if any response at all , from most teens on the app who seem to think they ’ re talking into a vacuum with a million of their peers .
Deborah Hanover , 22 , relates to younger millennials who feel strongly about their stories being told .
And while she considers herself to hold “ old-fashioned views ” about private family life , speaking publicly about her and her father ’ s spats is one way to acknowledge the “ beauty in cultural evolution ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her generation .
For her , the discourse between the two is just an example of two generations that are “ stuck trying to figure each other out.
” “ I have a front-row seat to the mindset and behavior of the classic Trump supporter , and I am alarmed by what I see , ” Hanover wrote of her father in a viral Medium post .
“ It is a steady stream of misinformation that twists and bends to justify the unjustifiable , to deny the undeniable , built on an unmovable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a child , Hanover understood bedtime to be an hour after her family gathered for The O'Reilly Factor in their Staten Island home .
In some ways , the former Fox News conservative talk show was her “ pre-bedtime story.
” She remembers Bill O ’ Reilly calling people “ pinheads ” ( a term the former Fox News host used to describe people he disagreed with , especially Democrats ) .
In hindsight , the talk show host set in motion her disdain for John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ For a very long time , I actually echoed that mentality , ” Hanover told BuzzFeed News .
“ I echoed the rhetoric that I would see on Fox News because it was all I knew at the time.
” Hanover is no longer a member of the Republican Party .
Her college experience and living in Europe , she said , have broadened her outlook on politics , and in 2017 she registered to vote with no party affiliation .
She won ’ t be voting for Donald Trump this November .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the extra time spent together because of COVID-19 amplified the tension between the two of them .
“ We were all way more underfoot than we ’ d been in a long time and it opened a lot more windows to confrontation , ” Hanover said .
The conflict has caused a rift in their family — one that led her to write the viral Medium post “ Confessions of a Trump Supporter ’ s Daughter.
” It ’ s a shift that ’ s happening to families across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from their parents , and they ’ re doing so in front of the entire world .
There ’ s a bevy of social media posts from teens and young adults who have denounced their parents ’ conservatism months before the presidential election .
The most popular example of this is , of course , Claudia Conway , the daughter of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and attorney George Conway , a staunch critic of the president .
The teenager is vocal about her opposition to Trump .
The 15-year-old has railed against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement .
And while many posts have been deleted — at the request of her parents , she says — this post , which starts as beauty advice and then turns into Claudia calling for the arrests of the police involved in Breonna Taylor ’ s shooting , remains .
It ’ s a strategy some teens use to avoid getting shadow-banned for posting too many political TikToks or attract a larger audience by posting something less controversial , at first , to lure their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve been getting a lot of questions about my skincare routine , so here it is , ” Conway starts .
“ So basically , I start my routine by pushing for the arrests of Breonna Taylor ’ s murderers : Myles Cosgrove , Brett Hankison , and Jonathan Mattingly , because they ’ ve been walking the earth free for 119 days , so , that ’ s basically my routine .
It ’ s not clear if Conway ’ s rallying her younger audience or garnering a new one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York , whom she had been following , returned the follow .
But Madison Scott argued that Twitter is less appealing to a lot of Gen Z ’ ers — largely , she said , because of the president ’ s large platform on the app .
“ Trump having a Twitter [ account ] has made many more alt-right Gen X and millennials join the app , ” Scott , 22 , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s kind of turned into a political war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comedy.
” Scott ’ s been at odds with her parents over political views and other family issues .
She ’ s been out of the house for a while , but the lead-up to an inevitable early departure started when her views on politics began to change in the eighth grade .
In the most recent public criticism of Republican parents , Rep. Louie Gohmert , a staunch Trump ally who tested positive for COVID-19 recently , was the subject of a tweet by one of his daughters , who said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She also warned against blindly following Trump .
“ Please please listen to medical experts , ” she tweeted from an account bearing her stage name , BELLSAINT .
“ It ’ s not worth following a president who has no remorse for leading his followers to an early grave.
” Separately , a second daughter , Kathryn Gohmert , took a shot at the president back in March .
“ I wish so deeply Hillary was my president now , ” she tweeted .
●

Within an hour of the conversation, Girdner wrote and recorded the song. A week and a half later his girlfriend, Ava Gordy, encouraged him to post it on TikTok.
“I went to sleep and woke up and the rest is kind of history,” Girdner, who at the time had been on TikTok for a month, told BuzzFeed News. “It had a bunch of views and it resonated with a lot of people I guess. This song brought me a lot of peace in knowing I’m not alone.”
More than 200 content creators have used the sound to tell their own experiences, including one who posted a screenshot of a text conversation between him and his father. “I will never forgive you fully for putting this tyrant in office,” said Alex, a 21-year-old trans man on TikTok who told BuzzFeed News he stopped speaking to his father soon after the June 13 post. “You, personally, with your voting have directly limited my rights and safety.”
Generational conflict over politics is a familiar story: In the 1960s, it was the counterculture movement versus their Depression-era parents. The themes are similar. But for Gen Z — the group who hijacked President Donald Trump’s big return to the campaign trail in Tulsa by skewing attendance numbers — the digital community wields as much power as in-person protests for large takedowns and smaller ones, even those directed at family members.
They dominate TikTok. They’re protective of the space, laughing off older millennials and Gen X'ers who post dance videos. Although that seems to have changed a bit as one TikToker, Madison Scott, told BuzzFeed News, “their content can be quite entertaining,” but “younger people don’t want their voices drowned out.” Mislabeling Gen X'ers as boomers — a term to describe the generation born between 1946 and 1964 — is, however, still a thing.
When BuzzFeed News reached one teen content maker about TikToks they’d posted, they said they weren’t sure their parents “would be OK” with them speaking about the videos. It was a common response, if any response at all, from most teens on the app who seem to think they’re talking into a vacuum with a million of their peers.
Deborah Hanover, 22, relates to younger millennials who feel strongly about their stories being told. And while she considers herself to hold “old-fashioned views” about private family life, speaking publicly about her and her father’s spats is one way to acknowledge the “beauty in cultural evolution” and the “independent thinking” of her generation. For her, the discourse between the two is just an example of two generations that are “stuck trying to figure each other out.”
“I have a front-row seat to the mindset and behavior of the classic Trump supporter, and I am alarmed by what I see,” Hanover wrote of her father in a viral Medium post. “It is a steady stream of misinformation that twists and bends to justify the unjustifiable, to deny the undeniable, built on an unmovable foundation of bitterness and distrust.”
As a child, Hanover understood bedtime to be an hour after her family gathered for The O'Reilly Factor in their Staten Island home. In some ways, the former Fox News conservative talk show was her “pre-bedtime story.”
She remembers Bill O’Reilly calling people “pinheads” (a term the former Fox News host used to describe people he disagreed with, especially Democrats). In hindsight, the talk show host set in motion her disdain for John Kerry during the 2004 presidential election. And her parents nurtured it.
“For a very long time, I actually echoed that mentality,” Hanover told BuzzFeed News. “I echoed the rhetoric that I would see on Fox News because it was all I knew at the time.”
Hanover is no longer a member of the Republican Party. Her college experience and living in Europe, she said, have broadened her outlook on politics, and in 2017 she registered to vote with no party affiliation. She won’t be voting for Donald Trump this November. But her father remains a diehard supporter, and the extra time spent together because of COVID-19 amplified the tension between the two of them.
“We were all way more underfoot than we’d been in a long time and it opened a lot more windows to confrontation,” Hanover said.
The conflict has caused a rift in their family — one that led her to write the viral Medium post “Confessions of a Trump Supporter’s Daughter.” It’s a shift that’s happening to families across the country. Children of conservatives are drifting away from their parents, and they’re doing so in front of the entire world. There’s a bevy of social media posts from teens and young adults who have denounced their parents’ conservatism months before the presidential election.
The most popular example of this is, of course, Claudia Conway, the daughter of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and attorney George Conway, a staunch critic of the president. The teenager is vocal about her opposition to Trump.
The 15-year-old has railed against a “pussy-grabbing president” and has expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. And while many posts have been deleted — at the request of her parents, she says — this post, which starts as beauty advice and then turns into Claudia calling for the arrests of the police involved in Breonna Taylor’s shooting, remains. It’s a strategy some teens use to avoid getting shadow-banned for posting too many political TikToks or attract a larger audience by posting something less controversial, at first, to lure their viewer in.
“Hey guys, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my skincare routine, so here it is,” Conway starts. “So basically, I start my routine by pushing for the arrests of Breonna Taylor’s murderers: Myles Cosgrove, Brett Hankison, and Jonathan Mattingly, because they’ve been walking the earth free for 119 days, so, that’s basically my routine.
“Yeah, thanks for watching.”
It’s not clear if Conway’s rallying her younger audience or garnering a new one with her Twitter announcements; recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, whom she had been following, returned the follow. But Madison Scott argued that Twitter is less appealing to a lot of Gen Z’ers — largely, she said, because of the president’s large platform on the app.
“Trump having a Twitter [account] has made many more alt-right Gen X and millennials join the app,” Scott, 22, told BuzzFeed News. “It’s kind of turned into a political war zone like Facebook instead of a place for comedy.”
Scott’s been at odds with her parents over political views and other family issues. She’s been out of the house for a while, but the lead-up to an inevitable early departure started when her views on politics began to change in the eighth grade.
In the most recent public criticism of Republican parents, Rep. Louie Gohmert, a staunch Trump ally who tested positive for COVID-19 recently, was the subject of a tweet by one of his daughters, who said her father “ignored medical expertise.” She also warned against blindly following Trump.
“Please please listen to medical experts,” she tweeted from an account bearing her stage name, BELLSAINT. “It’s not worth following a president who has no remorse for leading his followers to an early grave.”
Separately, a second daughter, Kathryn Gohmert, took a shot at the president back in March.
“I wish so deeply Hillary was my president now,” she tweeted. ●


buzzfeed--2020-08-18--George Floyd's Brothers Made A Live Appearance During The Democratic Convention, Remembering Victims

George Floyd's Brothers Made A Live Appearance During The Democratic Convention, Remembering Victims Of Police Brutality

George Floyd 's brothers at home in Houston on the first night of the DNC , Aug. 17 .
George Floyd 's brothers , Philonise and Rodney , made a live appearance from home in Houston on the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday and led a national moment of silence .
Philonise gave a heartfelt tribute to his brother George , who was killed by a police officer .
His death led to a national uprising against police brutality , with protests ongoing across the nation .
`` My brother George was selfless .
He always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and even complete strangers , '' said Philonise .
`` George had a giving spirit — a spirit that has shown up on streets around our nation , and around the world .
People of all races , all ages , all genders , all backgrounds — peacefully protesting in the name of love and unity . ''
The brothers were part of a segment of the convention dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement .
They were introduced by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser , who came out attacking President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' while in office .
`` George should be alive today , '' Philonise said .
George 's brothers also named other Black people who have died at the hands of police officers — including those who `` did n't go viral . ''
`` Breonna Taylor should be alive today .
Eric Garner should be alive today .
Stephon Clark , Atatiana Jefferson , Sandra Bland , they should all be alive today , '' he said .
`` It 's up to us to carry on the fight for justice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We must always find ourselves in what John Lewis called 'good trouble . '
For the names we do not know , the faces we will never see , those who ca n't mourn , because their murders did n't go viral , '' he said .
The brothers then led a moment of silence in honor of George Floyd , with the programming went completely silent for several seconds .

George Floyd's brothers, Philonise and Rodney, made a live appearance from home in Houston on the first night of the Democratic National Convention on Monday and led a national moment of silence.
Philonise gave a heartfelt tribute to his brother George, who was killed by a police officer. His death led to a national uprising against police brutality, with protests ongoing across the nation.
"My brother George was selfless. He always made sacrifices for his family, friends, and even complete strangers," said Philonise. "George had a giving spirit — a spirit that has shown up on streets around our nation, and around the world. People of all races, all ages, all genders, all backgrounds — peacefully protesting in the name of love and unity."
The brothers were part of a segment of the convention dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement. They were introduced by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, who came out attacking President Donald Trump for "fanning the flames of racism" while in office.
"George should be alive today," Philonise said.
George's brothers also named other Black people who have died at the hands of police officers — including those who "didn't go viral."
"Breonna Taylor should be alive today. Eric Garner should be alive today. Stephon Clark, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland, they should all be alive today," he said.
"It's up to us to carry on the fight for justice. Our actions will be their legacies. We must always find ourselves in what John Lewis called 'good trouble.' For the names we do not know, the faces we will never see, those who can't mourn, because their murders didn't go viral," he said.
The brothers then led a moment of silence in honor of George Floyd, with the programming went completely silent for several seconds.
Watch the entire segment below.


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--A Judge Blocked The Trump Administration's Effort To Roll Back Transgender Healthcare Protections

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration rule that would allow healthcare providers to discriminate against transgender individuals , one day before the rule was set to take effect .
US District Judge Frederic Block found that the landmark US Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer expanding workplace protections for LGBTQ individuals applied in a legal fight over anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act .
It 's one of the first cases to apply the Supreme Court 's decision to other areas of federal law — in this case , healthcare .
The Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sex '' included discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity .
Block , who sits in the federal district court in Brooklyn , found that the administration 's plan to remove gender identity from the ACA 's anti-discrimination provisions could not stand in light of the Supreme Court 's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County .
`` The Court reiterates the same practical concern it raised at oral argument : When the Supreme Court announces a major decision , it seems a sensible thing to pause and reflect on the decision ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Since HHS has been unwilling to take that path voluntarily , the Court now imposes it . ''
The case before Block involves Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act , which prohibits discrimination in health programs that receive federal funding .
Under the Obama administration , the Department of Health and Human Services adopted rules in 2016 that made clear that Section 1557 applied to discrimination based on gender identity .
A federal judge previously blocked the Obama-era rules from being enforced and sent the matter back to the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration moved to get rid of the gender identity protections altogether .
On June 12 , the administration announced a final rule that would strip away the gender identity language .
But three days later , the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Bostock protecting LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in the workplace .
In a 6–3 ruling , a majority of the justices concluded that the federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on `` sex '' ( Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ) applied in cases involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and gender identity .
The Section 1557 case before Block is one of several pending legal fights — and more are expected to come — that will test how lower courts apply the Bostock decision in other areas where federal law prohibits sex-based discrimination , including healthcare , education , and housing .
The transgender plaintiffs who sued in the New York case alleged that they were subjected to discrimination when they tried to access healthcare , including misgendering , physical abuse , and some providers ' refusal of care .
Block found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gender identity protections failed on two fronts .
He concluded that the rule was rooted in an interpretation of sex discrimination that the Supreme Court rejected in the Title VII case .
`` Had the agency correctly predicted the outcome in Bostock , it may well have taken a different path .
Instead , it continued on the same path even after Bostock was decided , '' Block wrote .
`` This satisfies the Court that the premise of the repeal was a disagreement with a concept of sex discrimination later embraced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the repeal was contrary to law . ''
The judge also found that the rule violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act because the administration failed to address the effects of the Supreme Court case when it finalized the rule in the aftermath of the justices ' decision .
`` Instead , it did nothing .
The timing might even suggest to a cynic that the agency pushed ahead specifically to avoid having to address an adverse decision , '' Block wrote .
Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David released a statement calling Block @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for our plaintiffs , Tanya and Cecilia , and for the entire LGBTQ community , particularly those who are multiply marginalized and suffering disproportionality from the impacts of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racialized violence . ''
The organization brought the lawsuit along with the law firm BakerHostetler .
`` We are pleased the Court recognized this irrational rule for what it is : discrimination , plain and simple , '' David said .
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment .

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration rule that would allow healthcare providers to discriminate against transgender individuals, one day before the rule was set to take effect.
US District Judge Frederic Block found that the landmark US Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer expanding workplace protections for LGBTQ individuals applied in a legal fight over anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's one of the first cases to apply the Supreme Court's decision to other areas of federal law — in this case, healthcare.
The Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination based on "sex" included discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Block, who sits in the federal district court in Brooklyn, found that the administration's plan to remove gender identity from the ACA's anti-discrimination provisions could not stand in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County.
"The Court reiterates the same practical concern it raised at oral argument: When the Supreme Court announces a major decision, it seems a sensible thing to pause and reflect on the decision’s impact," Block wrote. "Since HHS has been unwilling to take that path voluntarily, the Court now imposes it."
The case before Block involves Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination in health programs that receive federal funding. Under the Obama administration, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted rules in 2016 that made clear that Section 1557 applied to discrimination based on gender identity.
A federal judge previously blocked the Obama-era rules from being enforced and sent the matter back to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration moved to get rid of the gender identity protections altogether. On June 12, the administration announced a final rule that would strip away the gender identity language.
But three days later, the Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Bostock protecting LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in the workplace. In a 6–3 ruling, a majority of the justices concluded that the federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on "sex" (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) applied in cases involving allegations of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Section 1557 case before Block is one of several pending legal fights — and more are expected to come — that will test how lower courts apply the Bostock decision in other areas where federal law prohibits sex-based discrimination, including healthcare, education, and housing.
The transgender plaintiffs who sued in the New York case alleged that they were subjected to discrimination when they tried to access healthcare, including misgendering, physical abuse, and some providers' refusal of care.
Block found that the administration's rule stripping away the gender identity protections failed on two fronts. He concluded that the rule was rooted in an interpretation of sex discrimination that the Supreme Court rejected in the Title VII case.
"Had the agency correctly predicted the outcome in Bostock, it may well have taken a different path. Instead, it continued on the same path even after Bostock was decided," Block wrote. "This satisfies the Court that the premise of the repeal was a disagreement with a concept of sex discrimination later embraced by the Supreme Court. Therefore, the repeal was contrary to law."
The judge also found that the rule violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act because the administration failed to address the effects of the Supreme Court case when it finalized the rule in the aftermath of the justices' decision.
"Instead, it did nothing. The timing might even suggest to a cynic that the
agency pushed ahead specifically to avoid having to address an adverse decision," Block wrote.
Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David released a statement calling Block's decision "a crucial early victory for our plaintiffs, Tanya and Cecilia, and for the entire LGBTQ community, particularly those who are multiply marginalized and suffering disproportionality from the impacts of the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and racialized violence." The organization brought the lawsuit along with the law firm BakerHostetler.
"We are pleased the Court recognized this irrational rule for what it is: discrimination, plain and simple," David said.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--Cardi B Encouraged AOC To Run For President, And She Responded With Her Own Definition Of "WAP"

`` In other words , I got a bag and fixed my teeth .
EXCEPT YOU SHOULD N'T NEED A @ @ @ @ @ , GET INSULIN , GET HEALTHCARE , '' she wrote .

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buzzfeed--2020-08-18--Joe Biden Won't Travel To Milwaukee For The Democratic National Convention

Former vice president Joe Biden will not travel to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee to accept the party 's presidential nomination because of concerns over the coronavirus , the party announced Wednesday .
The decision , made with guidance from public health experts , effectively moves all of the convention 's signature events online , after years of planning for a giant event in Wisconsin .
No speakers will attend the convention in Milwaukee , though the party still plans to hold at least some events in the city .
Speeches from speakers who have not yet been announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live from locations across the country .
`` While we wish we could move forward with welcoming the world to beautiful Milwaukee in two weeks , we recognize protecting the health of our host community and everyone involved with this convention must be paramount , ” Joe Solmonese , CEO of the 2020 Democratic National Convention , said in a statement .
The party conventions , traditionally some of the biggest political events of presidential years , have been radically upended by the coronavirus pandemic .
The DNC has been scaling back its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump announced in late July that the Republican National Convention would no longer feature events and speeches in Jacksonville , Florida , instead leaving official business to events in Charlotte , North Carolina .
Trump has not yet announced where he will give his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination , but on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning , he suggested he may try to give the speech at the White House .
Biden had signaled for months that the Democratic convention may ultimately be mostly virtual .
In April , Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats may need to do a “ virtual convention ” after the convention 's date was moved from July to August as coronavirus cases continued to surge around the country .
“ We may not be able to put 10 , 20 , 30,000 people in one place , ” Biden told Stephanopoulos .
In June , organizers for the Democratic National Convention encouraged state delegations not to travel to Milwaukee for the convention and moved the event to a smaller venue .
The Biden campaign told USA Today at the time that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nomination in Milwaukee , but did not guarantee it .
“ Vice President Biden intends to proudly accept his party 's nomination in Milwaukee and take the next step forward towards making Donald Trump a one-term president , '' Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a statement to USA Today .
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin on Aug. 17 and end Aug. 20 and will air two hours of programming each night .
The Republican National Convention is due to begin the following week .

Former vice president Joe Biden will not travel to the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee to accept the party's presidential nomination because of concerns over the coronavirus, the party announced Wednesday.
The decision, made with guidance from public health experts, effectively moves all of the convention's signature events online, after years of planning for a giant event in Wisconsin. No speakers will attend the convention in Milwaukee, though the party still plans to hold at least some events in the city. Speeches from speakers who have not yet been announced will instead be streamed online, some live from locations across the country.
"While we wish we could move forward with welcoming the world to beautiful Milwaukee in two weeks, we recognize protecting the health of our host community and everyone involved with this convention must be paramount,” Joe Solmonese, CEO of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, said in a statement.
The party conventions, traditionally some of the biggest political events of presidential years, have been radically upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The DNC has been scaling back its presence in Milwaukee for months. President Donald Trump announced in late July that the Republican National Convention would no longer feature events and speeches in Jacksonville, Florida, instead leaving official business to events in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Trump has not yet announced where he will give his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, but on Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, he suggested he may try to give the speech at the White House.
Biden had signaled for months that the Democratic convention may ultimately be mostly virtual.
In April, Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that Democrats may need to do a “virtual convention” after the convention's date was moved from July to August as coronavirus cases continued to surge around the country.
“We may not be able to put 10, 20, 30,000 people in one place,” Biden told Stephanopoulos.
In June, organizers for the Democratic National Convention encouraged state delegations not to travel to Milwaukee for the convention and moved the event to a smaller venue. The Biden campaign told USA Today at the time that Joe was still planning to accept his nomination in Milwaukee, but did not guarantee it.
“Vice President Biden intends to proudly accept his party's nomination in Milwaukee and take the next step forward towards making Donald Trump a one-term president," Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said in a statement to USA Today.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin on Aug. 17 and end Aug. 20 and will air two hours of programming each night. The Republican National Convention is due to begin the following week.


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--The Right Wing Has A New Theory For Why The Pandemic Will End Soon: T Cells

How the immune system responds to the coronavirus is a mystery that scientists are working furiously to unravel — but their findings are being weaponized to make unfounded claims that the pandemic isn ’ t a big threat .
That became clear this week , when President Donald Trump unveiled his newest science adviser on the coronavirus task force , neuroradiologist Scott Atlas .
A senior fellow at Stanford University ’ s Hoover Institution , he has steadily promoted unscientific views about the virus on Fox News and elsewhere , and has said there is “ zero excuse to not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Monday , Rush Limbaugh said Atlas was “ countering Fauci ” and cited the new adviser ’ s baseless theory that “ we could well be burned out of COVID ” by October .
The reason : “ prior immunities.
” Also on Monday , an unlicensed ophthalmologist and cryptocurrency investor , James Todaro , went viral on Twitter with a similarly misleading screed .
Todaro , who was in the viral “ America ’ s Frontline Doctors ” video shared by Trump and removed from social media platforms for spreading misinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ T cell immunity ” meant many regions were already safe from infection and that lockdowns and mask-wearing were likely useless .
But infectious disease experts say these claims grossly distort the underlying science and what it means for public health guidelines — which , right now , is nothing .
If you have tips related to this story , you can reach this reporter at stephanie.lee @ buzzfeed.com or stephaniemlee @ protonmail.com .
The apparent basis for these statements : a slew of recent studies finding that , in some places , 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune cells that unexpectedly recognize the coronavirus .
The newest of these studies suggests that these cells exist because they have responded in the past to similar viruses that can cause colds .
But the significance of this finding remains an open question , as it ’ s unclear what role , if any , these cells play in the body ’ s overall response to the coronavirus .
And there is still no evidence that having these cells from a past cold will save you from getting COVID-19 .
As T cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say the bottom line is that none of these findings make COVID-19 any less of a threat .
The research should not be used , they warn , to argue against shutdowns and masks or for reopening workplaces and schools in a developed nation that has uniquely failed to control the virus .
Most of all , they reject the leap of logic that the research means society is close to herd immunity — the point at which enough people are immune to a virus that it stops circulating .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the country , ” Shane Crotty , an immunologist at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology who has worked on several of the recent T cell studies , told BuzzFeed News .
“ There ’ s no change in what the virus is doing based on what I find out or anybody else finds out .
The virus is doing its thing and we ’ re doing our best to understand it.
” The claim that T cells could mean the pandemic will end in two months , he said , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Since the outset of the pandemic , Crotty and scientists around the world have been racing to untangle how the virus wreaks havoc on the body and how the body fights back .
The immune system employs different mechanisms to recognize and attack intruders .
Perhaps the best-known of the bunch are antibodies , the proteins that latch onto and neutralize viruses and other invading substances .
But in people who recover from the coronavirus , antibodies may only protect against reinfection for three months , recent research suggests .
Another weapon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is T cells , which come in an assortment of types and functions and are increasingly garnering scientific attention .
In the Netherlands , Germany , Singapore , the United Kingdom , and the US , researchers have discovered that in some people , a specific subset of T cells recognized the new coronavirus , SARS-CoV-2 , when exposed to it .
This was surprising , because these kinds of T cells , by definition , were not expected to recognize a virus they had never encountered before .
In their paper published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his team reported an explanation for why these cells reacted .
Using human blood samples collected prior to the pandemic , they found cells that reacted to both SARS-CoV-2 and to four other coronaviruses that cause common colds .
These coronaviruses , the researchers said , were apparently similar enough to the new one to make the T cells “ cross-reactive.
” ( Crotty likened SARS-CoV-2 to “ a pretty distantly related evil cousin.
” ) The finding has led scientists to speculate that these cross-reactive T cells could be behind one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why the virus causes severe illness in some people but mild or no symptoms in others .
The latter patients might be better equipped to handle an infection , having fought off related viruses before .
Children ’ s immune systems have to fight off a lot of colds , so maybe this is why they seem to be relatively spared by the new virus .
For now , however , this theory is just that : a theory .
“ It could explain everything and it could explain nothing , ” Crotty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cells may have no impact on the disease at all.
” And even if this theory were borne out , it would have significant limits : As he noted , colds are caused by hundreds of viruses , not just the four identified in the study .
Either way , these cells are still just one piece of the immune system , a highly intricate machine with all kinds of T cells and antibodies working independently and together to stamp out pathogens .
The big , yet-to-be answered questions are which of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for how long .
“ While T cells may offer some protection — and that ’ s not really known — T cells would probably not just prevent a person from being infected altogether , ” said Angie Rasmussen , a virologist at Columbia University who is not involved with this research .
But uncertainty hasn ’ t stopped pundits from twisting the research to make a point .
On July 23 , before he was appointed to the White House ’ s coronavirus task force , Scott Atlas declared on Laura @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not eradicate the virus , that the US outbreak was “ not out of control , ” and that “ there is absolutely no reason to panic , ” arguments he ’ d been making since the spring .
That day , the nation ’ s case count passed 4 million .
“ There ’ s a lot of great data coming out about immunity , ” Atlas went on to say .
“ It ’ s probably not known to the public , but there is a lot of data that shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that didn ’ t get the infection.
” He added , “ That ’ s probably due to this T cell immunity , ” and concluded , “ So I think people should be much more optimistic here.
” The Fox News host responded enthusiastically , saying she ’ d been discussing T cells and what they could mean for herd immunity on the show for “ well over six weeks.
” This week , Limbaugh cited Atlas ’ s theory to tell listeners that the pandemic was almost over .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inert or dormant largely due to some underappreciated T cell , prior immunities from exposure to coronavirus , meaning colds and so forth , ” the conservative radio host explained .
“ Some people who have come down with a cold over the course of the summer miraculously end up less likely to get COVID-19 , according to Scott Atlas .
And people that get colds , that ’ s a large portion of the population.
” Atlas directed a request for comment to White House spokesperson Judd Deere , who said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world renowned physician and scholar of advanced medical care and health care policy ” who , “ like all of the medical experts in the Administration , is working to carry out the President ’ s number one priority : protecting the health and safety of the American people.
” Deere added , “ We are all in this fight together , and only the media would distort and diminish Dr. Atlas ’ highly acclaimed career simply because he has come to serve the President.
” Around the same time Limbaugh was praising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim was gaining traction on James Todaro ’ s Twitter account .
Todaro , an early and avid proponent of hydroxychloroquine , is an ophthalmologist who earned his medical degree at Columbia University .
He has not practiced since 2018 , according to his LinkedIn profile , and his Michigan medical license expired last year .
He did not respond to a request for comment .
In his thread , Todaro claimed that Crotty ’ s studies and others were growing evidence of “ T-cell immunity.
” “ All those runny noses from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fight COVID-19 , ” he proclaimed .
He calculated that if about “ 50 % of people had T cell immunity prior to SARS-CoV-2 , ” and an additional 10 % to 20 % of people were newly infected , then 60 % to 70 % of the population would be immune — a threshold that he said reached “ herd immunity.
” “ It is likely that many of the hardest hit regions of the world ( e.g .
Lombardy , NYC , Madrid , London , Stockholm ) are now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Lockdowns & mask ordinances ( mostly coming after the peak ) likely had little effect , with the exception of perhaps prolonging the spread.
” That ’ s not at all what the T cell research suggests , however .
Having these cells still means you can get infected , only maybe — maybe — not as badly as if you didn ’ t have them .
“ Herd immunity implies immunity , not just fewer people getting severe disease , ” said Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz , an epidemiologist at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means they do not catch it , do not spread it , they have this immunity that stops them from getting it in the first place.
” Even if 50 % of the population really were somehow immune to the virus , that wouldn ’ t change the number of people who have been hospitalized and killed by the pandemic .
As of Friday , the death toll in the US had exceeded 167,000 .
“ It doesn ’ t change anything from the public health side of things , ” Meyerowitz-Katz said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thread has been retweeted more than 48,000 times .
It has circulated among figures on the right , from a Minnesota state senator to an editor at the Conservative Review to an ex-lawyer who has been retweeted by Trump .
Other retweeters included the World Health Organization ’ s director of epidemic and pandemic diseases , and a Scottish historian who shared it with his more than 1 million followers : “ Interesting thread .
And hopeful if true.
” Crotty is not a heavy Twitter user — he checks it about once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to respond once he saw how far the misinformation was spreading .
“ It was just not understanding the science , ” he said .
He banged out a series of counterpoints , explaining why Todaro ’ s claims were “ dangerous ” and unfounded .
Nothing about his findings , he stressed , should change what the public should already be doing to stem transmission .
“ Wearing a mask is much more effective than hoping you and the people around you have pre-existing T cell memory .
Wearing a mask stops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 3,700 times , a mere fraction of Todaro ’ s reach .
Rasmussen , the Columbia virologist , worried that most people watching Fox News or coming across Todaro ’ s tweets would never see Crotty ’ s attempt to correct the record .
As she put it : “ They ’ re just going to look at , ‘ Oh , here ’ s this big thread on T cell immunity .
This sounds great .
We don ’ t even need to worry about waiting for a vaccine.
’ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t the first time during the pandemic that seemingly credible sources have injected misinformation into the mainstream .
“ We ’ ve seen this a few times : People essentially using the clout of their credentials or their affiliations with a prestigious university to get them onto TV basically and amplify these messages , ” Rasmussen said .
The overarching message , as she saw it , is “ the standard Trump administration downplaying of the severity of the pandemic , saying that ‘ this is not as a big of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be.
’ Which , of course , the epidemiological evidence of over 160,000 deaths suggests otherwise.
” During an interview on Wednesday , it was still dawning on Crotty that his research had suddenly , unwittingly , become another political flashpoint .
“ 2020 , ” the immunologist said .
“ The year when all kinds of unexpected things happen .
”

On July 23, before he was appointed to the White House’s coronavirus task force, Scott Atlas declared on Laura Ingraham’s show that lockdowns would not eradicate the virus, that the US outbreak was “not out of control,” and that “there is absolutely no reason to panic,” arguments he’d been making since the spring. That day, the nation’s case count passed 4 million.
“There’s a lot of great data coming out about immunity,” Atlas went on to say. “It’s probably not known to the public, but there is a lot of data that shows that people have immunity — even people that didn’t get the infection.” He added, “That’s probably due to this T cell immunity,” and concluded, “So I think people should be much more optimistic here.” The Fox News host responded enthusiastically, saying she’d been discussing T cells and what they could mean for herd immunity on the show for “well over six weeks.”
This week, Limbaugh cited Atlas’s theory to tell listeners that the pandemic was almost over. “We could see by early October COVID-19 turn inert or dormant largely due to some underappreciated T cell, prior immunities from exposure to coronavirus, meaning colds and so forth,” the conservative radio host explained. “Some people who have come down with a cold over the course of the summer miraculously end up less likely to get COVID-19, according to Scott Atlas. And people that get colds, that’s a large portion of the population.”
Atlas directed a request for comment to White House spokesperson Judd Deere, who said in a statement that Atlas is “a world renowned physician and scholar of advanced medical care and health care policy” who, “like all of the medical experts in the Administration, is working to carry out the President’s number one priority: protecting the health and safety of the American people.”
Deere added, “We are all in this fight together, and only the media would distort and diminish Dr. Atlas’ highly acclaimed career simply because he has come to serve the President.”
Around the same time Limbaugh was praising Atlas’s theory, a similar claim was gaining traction on James Todaro’s Twitter account. Todaro, an early and avid proponent of hydroxychloroquine, is an ophthalmologist who earned his medical degree at Columbia University. He has not practiced since 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile, and his Michigan medical license expired last year. He did not respond to a request for comment.
In his thread, Todaro claimed that Crotty’s studies and others were growing evidence of “T-cell immunity.” “All those runny noses from the common cold prepared our T cells to fight COVID-19,” he proclaimed. He calculated that if about “50% of people had T cell immunity prior to SARS-CoV-2,” and an additional 10% to 20% of people were newly infected, then 60% to 70% of the population would be immune — a threshold that he said reached “herd immunity.”
“It is likely that many of the hardest hit regions of the world (e.g. Lombardy, NYC, Madrid, London, Stockholm) are now at herd immunity,” he wrote. “Lockdowns & mask ordinances (mostly coming after the peak) likely had little effect, with the exception of perhaps prolonging the spread.”
That’s not at all what the T cell research suggests, however. Having these cells still means you can get infected, only maybe — maybe — not as badly as if you didn’t have them.
“Herd immunity implies immunity, not just fewer people getting severe disease,” said Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, an epidemiologist at the University of Wollongong in Australia. “That means they do not catch it, do not spread it, they have this immunity that stops them from getting it in the first place.”
Even if 50% of the population really were somehow immune to the virus, that wouldn’t change the number of people who have been hospitalized and killed by the pandemic. As of Friday, the death toll in the US had exceeded 167,000. “It doesn’t change anything from the public health side of things,” Meyerowitz-Katz said.
Nevertheless, Todaro’s 19-part thread has been retweeted more than 48,000 times. It has circulated among figures on the right, from a Minnesota state senator to an editor at the Conservative Review to an ex-lawyer who has been retweeted by Trump. Other retweeters included the World Health Organization’s director of epidemic and pandemic diseases, and a Scottish historian who shared it with his more than 1 million followers: “Interesting thread. And hopeful if true.”
Crotty is not a heavy Twitter user — he checks it about once a week — but he felt compelled to respond once he saw how far the misinformation was spreading. “It was just not understanding the science,” he said.
He banged out a series of counterpoints, explaining why Todaro’s claims were “dangerous” and unfounded. Nothing about his findings, he stressed, should change what the public should already be doing to stem transmission. “Wearing a mask is much more effective than hoping you and the people around you have pre-existing T cell memory. Wearing a mask stops infections.”
His debunk was retweeted more than 3,700 times, a mere fraction of Todaro’s reach.
Rasmussen, the Columbia virologist, worried that most people watching Fox News or coming across Todaro’s tweets would never see Crotty’s attempt to correct the record. As she put it: “They’re just going to look at, ‘Oh, here’s this big thread on T cell immunity. This sounds great. We don’t even need to worry about waiting for a vaccine.’”
And she pointed out that this isn’t the first time during the pandemic that seemingly credible sources have injected misinformation into the mainstream.
“We’ve seen this a few times: People essentially using the clout of their credentials or their affiliations with a prestigious university to get them onto TV basically and amplify these messages,” Rasmussen said. The overarching message, as she saw it, is “the standard Trump administration downplaying of the severity of the pandemic, saying that ‘this is not as a big of a deal as everybody makes it out to be.’ Which, of course, the epidemiological evidence of over 160,000 deaths suggests otherwise.”
During an interview on Wednesday, it was still dawning on Crotty that his research had suddenly, unwittingly, become another political flashpoint.
“2020,” the immunologist said. “The year when all kinds of unexpected things happen.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--Jill Biden’s Democratic Convention Speech Focused On A Nation Dealing With Loss — And How Her Husban

Jill Biden’s Democratic Convention Speech Focused On A Nation Dealing With Loss — And How Her Husband Overcame His

Jill Biden described a nation confronted by a great moment of pain in a Democratic National Convention address while offering her husband , now the party ’ s official presidential nominee , as a candidate “ with strong shoulders ” who is uniquely qualified to carry the burden .
From a high school in Wilmington , Delaware on Tuesday night , Biden talked about the loss of normalcy and the loss of life amid a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 Americans .
“ I hear it from so many of you , ” Biden said from an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The frustration of parents juggling work while they support their children ’ s learning — or are afraid that their kids might get sick from school .
The concern of every person working without enough protection .
The despair in the lines that stretch out before food banks .
And the indescribable sorrow that follows every lonely last breath when the ventilators turn off.
” After two nights of searing condemnations of President Donald Trump , including one from former first lady Michelle Obama , Biden did not mention him once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s primetime program .
But implicit in her 10-minute speech — and prevalent in remarks earlier in the evening from surrogates that include a parade of anti-Trump Republicans — was an argument that the country also is suffering from a loss of leadership .
“ As a mother and a grandmother , as an American , I am heartbroken by the magnitude of this loss — by the failure to protect our communities , by every precious and irreplaceable life gone , ” Biden said .
“ Like so many of you , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do I keep my family safe ?
” From there , the former second lady recalled the tragedies her family has overcome , beginning with the death of Biden ’ s first wife and young daughter in a 1972 car crash .
She spoke of how she struggled with the idea of marriage to a widower and his two surviving sons .
( “ We think it ’ s time we married Jill , ” Joe Biden , in a video that aired before the speech , recalled Beau and Hunter declaring .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me in a way I never expected , ” Jill Biden said .
“ I fell in love with a man and two little boys standing in the wreckage of unthinkable loss , mourning a wife and mother , a daughter and sister .
I never imagined , at the age of 26 , I would be asking myself : How do you make a broken family whole ?
” A moment later , she repeated and answered the question .
“ How do you make a broken family whole ?
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With love and understanding — and with small acts of kindness .
With bravery , with unwavering faith .
You show up for each other , in big ways and small ones , again and again .
It ’ s what so many of you are doing right now for your loved ones , for complete strangers , for your communities.
” Biden also spoke of losing Beau to brain cancer and drew on her husband ’ s recovery from that personal trauma as an example of how he ’ d lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president and considering a White House bid in 2016 , decided his grief made it the wrong time to launch a campaign , Jill told Vogue last year .
“ Four days after Beau ’ s funeral , ” she said Tuesday night , “ I watched Joe shave and put on his suit .
I saw him steel himself in the mirror , take a breath , put his shoulders back , and walk out into a world empty of our son .
He went back to work .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , Tuesday brought a rare opportunity to reach a large audience watching on TV and online .
Many of the profiles of her over the years have cast her as a somewhat reluctant if integral partner in her husband ’ s political career .
Go back to the archives on Joe ’ s clumsy 1988 run for president and you can find Jill in the shot on the day he dropped out , a look of pain in her eyes .
Scan a few of the profiles that ran this week in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ll be reminded of the time she donned a bikini and scribbled “ NO ” on her belly to respond to overtures to draft her husband into the 2004 presidential race .
In her 2019 memoir , Where The Light Enters , Jill wrote of how , when she finally accepted Joe ’ s marriage proposal , he promised her life wouldn ’ t change .
“ It would turn out to be wildly untrue , of course .
Life is change .
And our lives would be more amazing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as we smiled at each other over dinner that night .
There have been tragedies .
We have had our hearts wrung and broken .
But the only place we are safe from all the dangers of love is hell.
” Tuesday night , she looked upon the notion of change more optimisitcally .
“ With Joe as president , ” she said , “ these classrooms will ring out with laughter and possibility once again.The burdens we carry are heavy , and we need someone with strong shoulders .
I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe , he will do for your family what he did for ours : Bring us together and make us whole , carry us forward in our time of need , keep the promise of America for all of us .
”

Jill Biden described a nation confronted by a great moment of pain in a Democratic National Convention address while offering her husband, now the party’s official presidential nominee, as a candidate “with strong shoulders” who is uniquely qualified to carry the burden.
From a high school in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday night, Biden talked about the loss of normalcy and the loss of life amid a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 Americans.
“I hear it from so many of you,” Biden said from an empty classroom where she once taught English. “The frustration of parents juggling work while they support their children’s learning — or are afraid that their kids might get sick from school. The concern of every person working without enough protection. The despair in the lines that stretch out before food banks. And the indescribable sorrow that follows every lonely last breath when the ventilators turn off.”
After two nights of searing condemnations of President Donald Trump, including one from former first lady Michelle Obama, Biden did not mention him once in her speech to close Tuesday’s primetime program. But implicit in her 10-minute speech — and prevalent in remarks earlier in the evening from surrogates that include a parade of anti-Trump Republicans — was an argument that the country also is suffering from a loss of leadership.
“As a mother and a grandmother, as an American, I am heartbroken by the magnitude of this loss — by the failure to protect our communities, by every precious and irreplaceable life gone,” Biden said. “Like so many of you, I’m left asking: How do I keep my family safe?”
From there, the former second lady recalled the tragedies her family has overcome, beginning with the death of Biden’s first wife and young daughter in a 1972 car crash. She spoke of how she struggled with the idea of marriage to a widower and his two surviving sons. (“We think it’s time we married Jill,” Joe Biden, in a video that aired before the speech, recalled Beau and Hunter declaring.)
“You know, motherhood came to me in a way I never expected,” Jill Biden said. “I fell in love with a man and two little boys standing in the wreckage of unthinkable loss, mourning a wife and mother, a daughter and sister. I never imagined, at the age of 26, I would be asking myself: How do you make a broken family whole?”
A moment later, she repeated and answered the question. “How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding — and with small acts of kindness. With bravery, with unwavering faith. You show up for each other, in big ways and small ones, again and again. It’s what so many of you are doing right now for your loved ones, for complete strangers, for your communities.”
Biden also spoke of Beau's death from brain cancer and drew on her husband’s recovery from that personal trauma as an example of how he’d lead as president. Joe, then vice president and considering a White House bid in 2016, decided his grief made it the wrong time to launch a campaign, Jill told Vogue last year. “Four days after Beau’s funeral,” she said Tuesday night, “I watched Joe shave and put on his suit. I saw him steel himself in the mirror, take a breath, put his shoulders back, and walk out into a world empty of our son. He went back to work. That’s just who he is.”
For Jill Biden, Tuesday brought a rare opportunity to reach a large audience watching on TV and online. Many of the profiles of her over the years have cast her as a somewhat reluctant if integral partner in her husband’s political career. Go back to the archives on Joe’s clumsy 1988 run for president and you can find Jill in the shot on the day he dropped out, a look of pain in her eyes. Scan a few of the profiles that ran this week in the run-up to her speech, and you’ll be reminded of the time she donned a bikini and scribbled “NO” on her belly to respond to overtures to draft her husband into the 2004 presidential race.
In her 2019 memoir, Where the Light Enters, Jill wrote of how, when she finally accepted Joe’s marriage proposal, he promised her life wouldn’t change. “It would turn out to be wildly untrue, of course. Life is change. And our lives would be more amazing and more unbearably difficult than we could have known as we smiled at each other over dinner that night. There have been tragedies. We have had our hearts wrung and broken. But the only place we are safe from all the dangers of love is hell.”
Tuesday night, she looked upon the notion of change more optimistically.
“With Joe as president,” she said, “these classrooms will ring out with laughter and possibility once again. The burdens we carry are heavy, and we need someone with strong shoulders. I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: Bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--AOC Nominated Sanders Because Of Procedure — And To Make A Point

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders stand during his campaign event at the Whittemore Center Arena on February 10 , in Durham , New Hampshire .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seconded the largely symbolic nomination of Sen. Bernie Sanders as the Democratic presidential nominee during the second night of the Democratic Party ’ s convention on Tuesday .
Ocasio-Cortez ’ s short speech was symbolic : Every candidate for president who brings delegates to the party convention is required to be formally nominated , a role Ocasio-Cortez shared with former United Auto Workers union head Bob King .
Her nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave a speech to his supporters at the convention outlining Joe Biden ’ s health care plan and calling on his supporters to rally behind Biden ’ s campaign .
But Ocasio-Cortez , who is pointed to as one of the progressive movement ’ s next leaders , used her limited convention time to celebrate the movement Sanders has led .
She gave a speech that focused on a vision for progressives that moved past Sanders ’ campaign and spoke directly to the movement that progressives created around Sanders ’ two presidential campaigns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and free higher education .
She didn ’ t mention Sanders until nearly the end of her nomination .
“ A movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice , colonization , misogyny , and homophobia and to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past , ” Ocasio-Cortez said .
“ A movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy.
” Her speech then led into the roll call process that officially made Joe Biden the Democratic nominee for president .
She has said she plans to vote for Biden in November , and congratulated him in a tweet after her speech aired .

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seconded the largely symbolic nomination of Sen. Bernie Sanders as the Democratic presidential nominee during the second night of the Democratic Party’s convention on Tuesday.
Ocasio-Cortez’s short speech was symbolic: Every candidate for president who brings delegates to the party convention is required to be formally nominated by someone, a role Ocasio-Cortez shared with former United Auto Workers union head Bob King. Her nomination came just a day after Sanders himself gave a speech to his supporters at the convention outlining Joe Biden’s healthcare plan and calling on his supporters to rally behind Biden’s campaign.
But Ocasio-Cortez, who is pointed to as one of the progressive movement’s next leaders, used her limited convention time to celebrate the movement Sanders has led. She gave a speech that focused on a vision for progressives that moved past Sanders’ campaign and spoke directly to the movement that progressives created around Sanders’ two presidential campaigns, while highlighting policies like universal healthcare and free higher education. She didn’t mention Sanders until nearly the end of her nomination.
“A movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny, and homophobia and to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“A movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many and who organized a historic grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy.”
Her speech then led into the roll call process that officially made Joe Biden the Democratic nominee for president. She has said she plans to vote for Biden in November and congratulated him in a tweet after her speech aired.


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--Sally Yates’ Appearance At The Democratic National Convention Brings Trump’s First Big Legal Fight F

Sally Yates’ Appearance At The Democratic National Convention Brings Trump’s First Big Legal Fight Full Circle

WASHINGTON — Sally Yates — who was fired for refusing to defend President Donald Trump ’ s travel ban less than two weeks after he took office — spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night , bringing full circle the first of the numerous legal battles and clashes with career government officials that have defined Trump ’ s first term .
Yates was fired as acting attorney general on January 30 , 2017 , after she directed DOJ lawyers not to defend Trump ’ s travel ban executive order in court .
In her remarks at the DNC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s “ shameful and unlawful Muslim travel ban ... was the start of his relentless attacks on our democratic institutions and countless dedicated public servants.
” “ From the moment President Trump took office , he ’ s used his position to benefit himself rather than our country .
He ’ s trampled the rule of law , trying to weaponize our Justice Department to attack his enemies and protect his friends , ” Yates said .
It ’ s not the first time Yates has spoken publicly to criticize Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political appearance since leaving the Justice Department .
Earlier this month , she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend the FBI ’ s investigation in late 2016 and early 2017 into Trump ’ s first national security adviser , Michael Flynn .
During her brief tenure as acting attorney general , Yates had warned then-White House counsel Don McGahn about Flynn ’ s contacts with a senior Russian official .
Yates was a career federal prosecutor for more than two decades when President Barack Obama appointed her in 2010 to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then in 2015 to serve as deputy attorney general , the department ’ s number two official .
When Trump took office and then-attorney general Loretta Lynch left , Yates stepped in to serve as acting attorney general until the Senate could confirm Trump ’ s nominee , Jeff Sessions .
Less than two weeks after Trump was sworn in , Yates was out .
On Jan. 30 , then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced via Twitter that “ Sally Yates has been relieved.
” Three days earlier , Trump signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group of Muslim-majority countries ; as a presidential candidate , he had pledged to block Muslims from entering the United States .
The executive order was immediately challenged in court , and multiple federal judges across the country entered injunctions blocking it from taking effect .
Yates sent a message to department staff saying that DOJ would not defend the president ’ s action in court “ unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so.
” “ At present , I am not convinced that the defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is lawful , ” Yates wrote at the time .
After Trump removed Yates from office , Dana Boente , a US attorney in Virginia , was appointed to serve as acting attorney general , and the Justice Department resumed its defense of the travel ban in court .
Federal judges repeatedly struck down the January 2017 order and a successive attempt ; the US Supreme Court ultimately allowed a more limited version of the travel ban to take effect in June 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private law firm , King & Spalding .
Her colleagues now include a fellow former Trump administration official even more familiar than she is with bearing the brunt of presidential criticism — former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein , who oversaw special counsel Robert Mueller ’ s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election .

WASHINGTON — Sally Yates — who was fired for refusing to defend President Donald Trump’s travel ban less than two weeks after he took office — spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, bringing full circle the first of the numerous legal battles and clashes with career government officials that have defined Trump’s first term.
Yates was fired as acting attorney general on Jan. 30, 2017, after she directed DOJ lawyers not to defend Trump’s travel ban executive order in court. In her remarks at the DNC on Tuesday evening, she said Trump’s “shameful and unlawful Muslim travel ban ... was the start of his relentless attacks on our democratic institutions and countless dedicated public servants.”
“From the moment President Trump took office, he’s used his position to benefit himself rather than our country. He’s trampled the rule of law, trying to weaponize our Justice Department to attack his enemies and protect his friends,” Yates said.
It’s not the first time Yates has spoken publicly to criticize Trump, but it marked her highest-profile political appearance since leaving the Justice Department. Earlier this month, she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend the FBI’s investigation in late 2016 and early 2017 into Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. During her brief tenure as acting attorney general, Yates had warned then–White House counsel Don McGahn about Flynn’s contacts with a senior Russian official.
Yates was a career federal prosecutor for more than two decades when former president Barack Obama appointed her in 2010 to serve as a US attorney in Georgia, and then in 2015 to serve as deputy attorney general, the department’s number two official. When Trump took office and then–attorney general Loretta Lynch left, Yates stepped in to serve as acting attorney general until the Senate could confirm Trump’s nominee, Jeff Sessions.
Less than two weeks after Trump was sworn in, Yates was out. On Jan. 30, then–White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced via Twitter that “Sally Yates has been relieved.”
Three days earlier, Trump had signed an executive order that restricted immigration from a group of Muslim-majority countries; as a presidential candidate, he had pledged to block Muslims from entering the United States.
The executive order was immediately challenged in court, and multiple federal judges across the country entered injunctions blocking it from taking effect. Yates sent a message to department staff saying that DOJ would not defend the president’s action in court “unless and until I become convinced that it is appropriate to do so.”
“At present, I am not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent with these responsibilities nor am I convinced that the Executive Order is lawful,” Yates wrote at the time.
After Trump removed Yates from office, Dana Boente, a US attorney in Virginia, was appointed to serve as acting attorney general, and the Justice Department resumed its defense of the travel ban in court. Federal judges repeatedly struck down the January 2017 order and a successive attempt; the US Supreme Court ultimately allowed a more limited version of the travel ban to take effect in June 2018.
Post-firing, Yates landed at a private law firm, King & Spalding. Her colleagues now include a fellow former Trump administration official even more familiar than she is with bearing the brunt of presidential criticism — former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--The Democratic Convention May Seem Awkward, But The Party Thinks It’s A Test Run For A Virtual Campa

The Democratic Convention May Seem Awkward, But The Party Thinks It’s A Test Run For A Virtual Campaign

It was just past 7 p.m. on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention .
Instead of working her way into a basketball arena , Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was in her poorly lit family room , dialed into a Zoom videoconference .
The picture on her end was a little blurry , but those tuned in could see the strips of tape holding her Joe Biden sign to an armchair .
The Florida lawmaker and former national party chair acknowledged how weird it all was .
And then , from their respective squares onscreen , she and Tampa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s dog , barking in the background — launched a Women for Biden phone bank .
The coronavirus has reduced a four-day convention to a work-from-home webinar .
Democrats who had planned to gather in Milwaukee and keep a packed schedule of party-building meetings are instead submitting themselves to the awkwardness and improvisation of webcasts and to the mercy of their internet connections .
Video segments and big speeches , many of them prerecorded from remote locations , are airing in primetime , but without the applause of a large live audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return to their communities amped to get out the vote for the general election .
All of this makes it tough to measure what success would look like .
“ I think that 99 % of the people only experience the convention on television , ” Nancy Patton Mills , chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party , told BuzzFeed News last week in a telephone interview .
“ In other words , I don ’ t think that it ’ s something where , if we do something wrong , we lose.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV anyway .
Live ratings for Monday night were down about 25 % compared to 2016 , but Biden ’ s campaign reported more than 10 million views on streaming platforms , up from what they said was 3 million streaming views on opening night in 2016 .
Democrats see digital campaigning as the future and optimistically are using this week ’ s events as an opportunity to figure out what works .
Barring a swift and unforeseen retreat of a pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 Americans , Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan to engage in door-to-door canvassing or in-person events .
The virtual format means that not only can people experience the conventions on TV , they can experience them through Zoom watch parties — and through the once-exclusive delegate breakfasts , lunches , and afterparties that draw big speakers .
State parties in some cases are throwing open the virtual doors to anyone who provides an email address , phone number , and other data helpful for organizing .
“ It ’ s like a broader democratization of the DNC in a way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partner at Rising Tide Interactive , a digital marketing agency that works with Democratic campaigns .
Biden , addressing Florida delegates during a virtual event Tuesday afternoon , said they were part of history .
“ You ’ re part of the most creative , inclusive convention we ’ ve ever had , ” Biden told them , according to a pool report .
“ I doubt we ’ ll ever go back to the same exact conventions we had in the past .
It ’ s a template for the future.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in all 50 states this week , recruiting former 2020 presidential candidates such as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and actors such as Connie Britton and BD Wong to headline them .
President Donald Trump and Republicans also scaled back plans for their convention next week , originally set for Charlotte and Jacksonville .
The specifics of next week ’ s Republican National Convention are not yet public , though Trump plans to give his speech accepting the party ’ s nomination at the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a robust in-person field operation in spite of the coronavirus .
( A New York magazine piece this week found purported canvassing activities in battleground Pennsylvania to be nonexistent . )

It was just past 7 p.m. on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention. Instead of working her way into a basketball arena, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was in her poorly lit family room, dialed into a Zoom videoconference. The picture on her end was a little blurry, but those tuned in could see the strips of tape holding her Joe Biden sign to an armchair.
The Florida lawmaker and former national party chair acknowledged how weird it all was. And then, from their respective squares onscreen, she and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor — and briefly Castor’s dog, barking in the background — launched a Women for Biden phone bank.
The coronavirus has reduced a four-day convention to a work-from-home webinar. Democrats who had planned to gather in Milwaukee and keep a packed schedule of party-building meetings are instead submitting themselves to the awkwardness and improvisation of webcasts and to the mercy of their internet connections. Video segments and big speeches, many of them prerecorded from remote locations, are airing in primetime, but without the applause of a large live audience of delegates who under normal circumstances would return to their communities amped to get out the vote for the general election.
All of this makes it tough to measure what success would look like.
“I think that 99% of the people only experience the convention on television,” Nancy Patton Mills, chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, told BuzzFeed News last week in a telephone interview. “In other words, I don’t think that it’s something where, if we do something wrong, we lose.”
Fewer people are watching the convention on TV anyway. Live ratings for Monday night were down about 25% compared to 2016, but Biden’s campaign reported more than 10 million views on streaming platforms, up from what they said was 3 million streaming views on opening night in 2016. Democrats see digital campaigning as the future and optimistically are using this week’s events as an opportunity to figure out what works.
Barring a swift and unforeseen retreat of a pandemic that has killed more than 170,000 Americans, Biden’s team and other party leaders do not plan to engage in door-to-door canvassing or in-person events. The virtual format means that not only can people experience the conventions on TV, they can experience them through Zoom watch parties — and through the once-exclusive delegate breakfasts, lunches, and afterparties that draw big speakers. State parties in some cases are throwing open the virtual doors to anyone who provides an email address, phone number, and other data helpful for organizing.
“It’s like a broader democratization of the DNC in a way,” said Annie Levene, a partner at Rising Tide Interactive, a digital marketing agency that works with Democratic campaigns.
Biden, addressing Florida delegates during a virtual event Tuesday afternoon, said they were part of history.
“You’re part of the most creative, inclusive convention we’ve ever had,” Biden told them, according to a pool report. “I doubt we’ll ever go back to the same exact conventions we had in the past. It’s a template for the future.”
The Biden campaign has initiated watch parties in all 50 states this week, recruiting former 2020 presidential candidates such as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and actors such as Connie Britton and BD Wong to headline them.
President Donald Trump and Republicans also scaled back plans for their convention next week, originally set for Charlotte and Jacksonville. The specifics of next week’s Republican National Convention are not yet public, though Trump plans to give his speech accepting the party’s nomination at the White House. Trump’s supporters insist they have a robust in-person field operation in spite of the coronavirus. (A New York magazine piece this week found purported canvassing activities in battleground Pennsylvania to be nonexistent.)


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--The Latest TikTok Trend Is Venting About Your MAGA Parents


buzzfeed--2020-08-19--This Red-Food Visual Test Is Harder Than You Probably Think

The food in the box is an apple !


buzzfeed--2020-08-20--Donald Trump Just Praised QAnon, Which The FBI Has Called A Domestic Terror Threat

“ Is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing ?
” Trump responded .
“ If I can help save the world from problems , I ’ m willing to do it , I ’ m willing to put myself out there.
” “ It ’ s this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this Satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals , ” Pettypiece said .
“ Does that sound like something you are behind ?
” This is the first time the US president has openly acknowledged the far-right conspiracy theory that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though he has previously retweeted content from at least 200 QAnon-affiliated accounts and dodged a question on the subject on Friday .
At a press conference , Donald Trump crossed a line that even the norm-breaking president has refused to do until today , praising the sprawling and baseless QAnon conspiracy theory , which the FBI labeled a domestic terrorism threat last year .
In response to a question from NBC reporter Shannon Pettypiece , Trump said , “ I don ’ t know much about the movement other than I understand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which I appreciate.
” REPORTER : QAnon believes you are secretly saving the world from this cult of pedophiles and cannibals .
Are you behind that ?
TRUMP : Is that supposed to be a bad thing ?
We are actually .
We are saving the world .
Trump also said he is “ saving the world from a radical left ” and that those who believe in the theory are “ people who love our country.
” One QAnon Group on Facebook that has over 12,000 members reacted with excitement at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a GIF of Chris Pratt being excited .
Several others said , “ the world is about to change.
” QAnon is an online conspiracy that grew out of Pizzagate , an online narrative that falsely claimed that prominent Democrats were participating in a child sex ring in the basement of a Washington , DC , pizzeria .
( There is no basement in the restaurant . )
In 2017 , a North Carolina man was sentenced to four years in prison after firing an AR-15 rifle in that restaurant under the delusion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim .
The conspiracy theory claims that a secret government source , known as Q , is anonymously providing clues to an intricate and sprawling narrative in which Trump is secretly fighting Satanic forces that control the United States .
In 2018 , NBC News traced the early spread of the conspiracy to YouTubers who promoted it for money .
QAnon has been popular on online messaging boards and social media sites , leading to attempts by social media companies to limit its spread .
In June , Twitter said it had banned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters frequently engaged in targeted harassment .
Facebook followed suit on Wednesday , saying it had removed groups , pages , and accounts associated with the group .
“ While we will allow people to post content that supports QAnon , so long as they do not otherwise violate our content policies , the policy update we made today means we ’ ll restrict QAnon ’ s ability to organize on our platform through Facebook Groups , Pages and Instagram accounts , ” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News .
Andrew Bates , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , said that these remarks come `` in a moment of dire crisis that Trump has severely mismanaged . ''
`` After calling neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville 'fine people ' and tear gassing peaceful protesters following the murder of George Floyd , Donald Trump just sought to legitimize a conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a domestic terrorism threat , '' Bates said .
`` Our country needs leadership that will bring us together more than ever to form a more perfect union . ''
Last week the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed in the conspiracy theory had engaged in violence .
“ While ADL does not believe that all QAnon adherents are inherently extremists , the public proliferation of these conspiracy theories is dangerous , ” the group wrote in an Aug. 13 blog post .
“ To date , QAnon followers have been linked to multiple instances of real-world criminality in the name of the conspiracy , including murder , vandalism , arson , kidnapping , terrorism , and assault with a dangerous weapon ( firearms ) .
” Trump 's praise of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of growing support within the GOP .
Those who believe in the conspiracy theory have increasingly made themselves known at the president 's rallies .
In June , the president 's son Eric Trump posted a QAnon graphic on Instagram , before deleting it .
And Republican candidates other than the president have also embraced the conspiracy theory , including Marjorie Taylor Greene , who recently won a primary runoff in Georgia .

Trump also said he is “saving the world from a radical left” and that those who believe in the theory are “people who love our country.”
One QAnon Group on Facebook that has over 12,000 members reacted with excitement at the president's words. One person posted a GIF of Chris Pratt being excited. Several others said, “the world is about to change.”
QAnon is an online conspiracy that grew out of Pizzagate, an online narrative that falsely claimed that prominent Democrats were participating in a child sex ring in the basement of a Washington, DC, pizzeria. (There is no basement in the restaurant.) In 2017, a North Carolina man was sentenced to four years in prison after firing an AR-15 rifle in that restaurant under the delusion that he was "investigating" the claim.
The conspiracy theory claims that a secret government source, known as Q, is anonymously providing clues to an intricate and sprawling narrative in which Trump is secretly fighting Satanic forces that control the United States. In 2018, NBC News traced the early spread of the conspiracy to YouTubers who promoted it for money.
QAnon has been popular on online messaging boards and social media sites, leading to attempts by social media companies to limit its spread. In June, Twitter said it had banned accounts associated with the conspiracy because its supporters frequently engaged in targeted harassment. Facebook followed suit on Wednesday, saying it had removed groups, pages, and accounts associated with the group.
“While we will allow people to post content that supports QAnon, so long as they do not otherwise violate our content policies, the policy update we made today means we’ll restrict QAnon’s ability to organize on our platform through Facebook Groups, Pages and Instagram accounts,” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.
Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, said that these remarks come "in a moment of dire crisis that Trump has severely mismanaged."
"After calling neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville 'fine people' and tear gassing peaceful protesters following the murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump just sought to legitimize a conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a domestic terrorism threat," Bates said. "Our country needs leadership that will bring us together more than ever to form a more perfect union."
Last week the Anti-Defamation League warned that some people who believed in the conspiracy theory had engaged in violence.
“While ADL does not believe that all QAnon adherents are inherently extremists, the public proliferation of these conspiracy theories is dangerous,” the group wrote in an Aug. 13 blog post. “To date, QAnon followers have been linked to multiple instances of real-world criminality in the name of the conspiracy, including murder, vandalism, arson, kidnapping, terrorism, and assault with a dangerous weapon (firearms).”
Trump's praise of the hoax is the culmination of years of growing support within the GOP. Those who believe in the conspiracy theory have increasingly made themselves known at the president's rallies. In June, the president's son Eric Trump posted a QAnon graphic on Instagram, before deleting it. And Republican candidates other than the president have also embraced the conspiracy theory, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, who recently won a primary runoff in Georgia.