buzzfeed--2020-11-20--J Balvin Opened Up About His Struggles With Depression And Anxiety

`` You might be having your 'best moment in life ' and you 're feeling like shit .
I feel @ @ @ @ @ there — I 'm going there now .
But I still have this faith that @ @ @ @ @ back to normal .
I 'm disciplined ...
I try to live a healthy life @ @

"You might be having your 'best moment in life' and you're feeling like shit. I feel you, I've been there — I'm going there now. But I still have this faith that everything is going to be back to normal. I'm disciplined ... I try to live a healthy life."


buzzfeed--2020-11-19--Lifetime Revealed How They Filmed Kissing Scenes For Their Christmas Movies In The Age Of COVID, And

Lifetime Revealed How They Filmed Kissing Scenes For Their Christmas Movies In The Age Of COVID, And It's Hilarious But Clever

Of course , shooting those movies in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic posed more than a few challenges to @ @ @ @ @ a new interview with the Wrap , a Lifetime executive revealed the unconventional way they @ @ @ @ @ so that actors would n't actually have to , well ,

Of course, shooting those movies in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic posed more than a few challenges to the network. And in a new interview with the Wrap , a Lifetime executive revealed the unconventional way they filmed kissing scenes this year so that actors wouldn't actually have to, well,


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--A Crime Was Committed Today, When I Tried Vegemite And Peanut Butter Toast

I 'm no prude , but there are some lines that I feel should never be crossed — and this @ @ @ @ @ But I ca n't deny it ... my interest was piqued .
What had these @ @ @ @ @ up ?
Could these two flavours , in fact , be twin flames ?
The @ @ @ @ @ I had to find out .

I'm no prude, but there are some lines that I feel should never be crossed — and this was one of them. But I can't deny it...my interest was piqued. What had these strange, culinary wizards cooked up? Could these two flavours, in fact, be twin flames? The new salt and caramel? I had to find out.


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--This Viral Video Of A Guy Showing What The Inside Of A Cacao Pod Looks Like Is Making Me Uneasy

So , why do we all have this vision of a fresh cocoa bean being brown in our heads ?
@ @ @ @ @ we 've seen the beansthe fermentation process — where they turn brown — and are @ @ @ @ @ chocolate .

So, why do we all have this vision of a fresh cocoa bean being brown in our heads? Well, that's because we've seen the beansthe fermentation process — where they turn brown — and are ready to be made into chocolate.


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--Did You Know You Can Have Sex Without Penetration? Yes, Here's 11 Ways

2020 is hard .
So let yourself get hard and hold each other .
If it leads to something else @ @ @ @ @ , even better .

BuzzFeed Bring Me
Obsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--Halsey Opened Up About How Mac Miller's Death Caused Her To Leave An Unhealthy Relationship

`` As a result , my currency of expressing love with them became doing drugs with them , '' she @ @ @ @ @ a lot of infidelity in the relationship too .
It was like , if I @ @ @ @ @ you , you 're going to go do it with someone else and then probably @ @ @ @ @ going to take you back anyway because this is what we do . ''

"As a result, my currency of expressing love with them became doing drugs with them," she explained. "There was a lot of infidelity in the relationship too. It was like, if I don't do it with you, you're going to go do it with someone else and then probably fuck them and I'm going to take you back anyway because this is what we do."


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--The First Coronavirus Vaccines Are Looking Very Effective. Here’s What That Means For You.

`` The vaccines that we are talking about and the vaccines to come are really the light at the end of the tunnel , ” said Anthony Fauci .
Delighting public health experts , a second candidate coronavirus vaccine reported very effective test results on Monday , resetting expectations for when the deadly COVID-19 pandemic may end .
`` The vaccines that we are talking about and vaccines to come are really the light at the end of the tunnel , ” said Anthony Fauci , chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , during a Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmaceutical company Moderna .
“ It is help that I ’ ve said is on the way.
” The promising new results from Moderna suggested that its vaccine is 94.5 % effective at preventing COVID-19 , coming just one week after the drug company Pfizer reported better than 90 % effectiveness in its early data .
Both firms say they will request emergency authorization from the FDA within weeks , kicking off a long-anticipated start of the campaign to vaccinate the United States .
But how soon will a coronavirus vaccine be available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here ’ s what you need to know about the two leading vaccine candidates : What do we know so far about how well these vaccines work ?
So far , we have good news .
Both vaccines require two shots — spaced three weeks apart for Pfizer ’ s and four weeks apart for Moderna ’ s .
To measure how effective a vaccine may be , both trials measure the difference in infection rates between participants who got vaccinated and those who received placebo shots .
Moderna said that among its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with COVID-19 so far .
Ninety of those cases were in the placebo group , while 5 had received the vaccine , leading to a 94.5 % reduced risk of infection .
Among the COVID-19 cases , 11 people had severe illness .
All of those individuals were in the placebo group , suggesting that the vaccine is effective at blocking the worst disease symptoms .
Pfizer said that among its 43,500 study participants , 94 had been diagnosed with COVID-19 .
The company said on Monday , Nov. 9 that the difference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater than 90 % effectiveness for the vaccine .
The drug company did not release its breakdown of COVID-19 cases between the placebo and vaccinated groups , and it also did not release any information on the severity of symptoms in those who got sick .
These early analyses of the vaccine data were both determined by independent data review boards .
Neither company has yet released its data in full .
Scientists said the findings were tremendously encouraging — and even surprising .
The FDA set 50 % effectiveness as its bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its summer guidelines for vaccine makers , and Fauci had previously said he had hoped for 70 % to 75 % effectiveness .
“ I said I would be satisfied with a 70 % to 75 % efficacy .
Something like a 95 % was aspirational , ” Fauci said at the Monday briefing .
“ Well , our aspirations have been met , and that is very good news.
” `` It ’ s remarkable actually , '' said Paul Offit , a vaccine expert at Children ’ s Hospital of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine advisory committee .
What do we know about how safe these vaccines are ?
The best data on vaccine safety , so far , comes from smaller trials of hundreds of people conducted this summer , which found minor side effects , including sore arms , fatigue , and slight fevers , at a rate similar to that of other vaccinations .
Because the great majority of severe side effects from vaccines come in the first two months after someone gets the shots , the FDA is requiring that companies collect two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participants in their trials before they ask the agency to authorize their wider distribution .
Moderna and Pfizer both said they expected to have that data available within weeks .
Typically , the FDA prefers to have two years of follow-up safety data before licensing a vaccine for wider use , but that would take too long in the midst of a deadly pandemic .
Nevertheless , Moderna , Pfizer , and other vaccine makers have said they will follow people in their trials for signs of side effects even after the FDA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think we can be pretty confident they ’ re safe , ” said Barry Bloom of Harvard ’ s T.H .
Chan School of Public Health at a Monday briefing .
How soon will I be able to get a vaccine ?
With the favorable results , Fauci and other experts have suggested that mass vaccination in the US can start around April .
In public meetings , the CDC has outlined a three-phase vaccination campaign that starts after the FDA grants vaccine makers emergency authorization and the CDC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for each .
The plan for every state and jurisdiction varies , but all of them will first give shots to healthcare workers , about 20 million people nationwide .
Tremendously vulnerable , doctors , nurses , and other medical workers keep hospitals from collapsing in the face of surging caseloads .
More than 215,000 healthcare workers in the US have been diagnosed with COVID-19 .
“ If we don ’ t protect the healthcare workers at every level … we ’ re not going to have a healthcare system , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving shots in December .
The first six weeks of the rollout will see small but increasing numbers of doses aimed at these essential personnel , the CDC ’ s Amanda Cohn said at an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting in October .
Moderna said it has nearly 20 million vaccine doses ready to ship in the US by the end of 2020 and will produce up to 1 billion doses worldwide in 2021 .
Pfizer projected that it will manufacture 50 million vaccine doses in 2020 and as many as 1.3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worldwide .
Many states also prioritize older people , essential workers , and people with illnesses , such as diabetes and heart disease , that put them at a higher risk of dying .
Nursing homes are a particular focus , where more than 65,000 people have died from COVID-19 .
These vulnerable populations make up more than 80 million people , nearly a quarter of the total US population .
The next phases will prioritize other older adults , young adults , and then the general public over the course of 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci has stated that could come as early as April next year .
How long will the vaccines protect people from COVID-19 ?
We don ’ t know .
Researchers are still following participants from the earlier safety trials to see if their levels of antibodies and other cells that fight the coronavirus drop precipitously or remain steady , which would suggest that the vaccine could protect you for a longer period of time .
However , time has to pass to measure this .
The coronavirus has only been spreading among humans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine trials have only been underway for months .
“ We do not know at this point what the durability of protection will be , and that ’ s the reason why we have long-term follow-ups , ” Fauci said on Monday .
One yardstick for a long-term protective effect from the vaccines will be comparing vaccine-induced immune responses to those seen in patients who have recovered from COVID-19 , Bloom said .
If vaccinated people retain more of an immune response than recovered patients , that would point to long-term immunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will need to have a yearly coronavirus vaccine , just like the flu shot .
How will these vaccines get distributed across the country ?
There are at least three big challenges with distributing the vaccines : The first is the need to manage the “ cold chain ” requirements that keep vaccines below freezing temperatures for long-term storage .
The second is the money to have states distribute the vaccine , now held up in Congress in a larger disagreement over a second federal coronavirus aid package for businesses and people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hardest , roadblock is “ vaccine hesitancy ” : Polls suggest that only about half the US population is now willing to get the vaccine , down from three-quarters in the spring , according to surveys from the Pew Research Center .
The Pfizer vaccine requires long-term storage at -94 degrees and will need to be distributed in boxes lined with dry ice containing thousands of doses .
Rural hospitals have already said they can ’ t afford the freezers needed to store the vaccine , which may be better suited for large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals panel last week , Angela Watson , UPS ’ s vice president of global healthcare sales , said the delivery company was readying its own dry ice production , in anticipation of keeping such ultra-cold vaccines viable .
The Moderna data takes some pressure off distribution , however .
The biotech firm announced on Monday morning that its vaccine candidate can stay in a refrigerator for a month and in a standard freezer at -4 degrees for six months .
That makes the vaccine easy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and clinics , where most shots are now given , and eases distribution in rural states .
If temperature conditions aren ’ t exactly right , vaccine “ spoilage ” is a real worry , experts at the supply chain meeting said , with perhaps half of all flu vaccines exceeding their “ use by ” dates .
( The CDC , which oversees flu vaccine distribution in the US , told BuzzFeed News it could not confirm that number . )
How many other vaccine candidates are there ?
Worldwide , 12 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four frontrunners , including Moderna 's , sponsored by the federally funded Operation Warp Speed , which is paying for manufacturing plants ahead of the vaccine proving effective .
Pfizer has a $ 1.95 billion advance purchase agreement with OWS to distribute the vaccine in the US but hasn ’ t accepted development money from the US government .
The next two OWS vaccines expected to report results are from Janssen Pharmaceuticals and the University of Oxford ’ s partnership with AstraZeneca .
Both of those trials had been briefly halted to investigate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccines , resuming after public health agencies investigated and determined that the vaccines likely played no role .
The Janssen vaccine might be the most intriguing because it is a single-shot vaccine , unlike the other frontrunners , cutting down the need for tracking recipients and having them return in time to receive their second shot .
How are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines different from the rest ?
No .
An emergency use authorization may come from the FDA as soon as next month , but people will still have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently wash their hands to quell the spread of the coronavirus throughout 2021 .
Importantly , this also applies to people who have been vaccinated — because no vaccine is 100 % effective , Bloom noted .
” If all the vaccines get up to 90 % effective , that ’ s terrific , but we will still need around 700 million doses for everyone , ” he said , noting that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses each .
Estimates vary on how much of the population needs to either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blunt its spread , also known as herd immunity .
One frequently used estimate suggests that 60 % of people will need some form of immune protection — which would total 192 million people in the US alone .
And that ignores the wider spread of the virus worldwide , with a global population of 7.8 billion needing vaccination in order to prevent cases from spurring outbreaks in unvaccinated pockets of the population through travel .
Though the measles vaccine offers a lifetime of protection , outbreaks have occurred in recent years as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the population .
On Monday , Fauci cautioned that the good vaccine news should help motivate people to stay vigilant with social distancing throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays .
“ We are now still in a critical and dangerous time , ” said Adm. Brett Giroir of the Department of Health and Human Services at a COVID-19 briefing on Monday .
“ We need to double down on protective measures .
And if we do , we can save thousands of lives .
”

Delighting public health experts, a second candidate coronavirus vaccine reported very effective test results on Monday, resetting expectations for when the deadly COVID-19 pandemic may end.
"The vaccines that we are talking about and vaccines to come are really the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Anthony Fauci, chief of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, during a Monday briefing on the vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Moderna. “It is help that I’ve said is on the way.”
The promising new results from Moderna suggested that its vaccine is 94.5% effective at preventing COVID-19, coming just one week after the drug company Pfizer reported better than 90% effectiveness in its early data. Both firms say they will request emergency authorization from the FDA within weeks, kicking off a long-anticipated start of the campaign to vaccinate the United States.
But how soon will a coronavirus vaccine be available for you and your loved ones? Here’s what you need to know about the two leading vaccine candidates:
What do we know so far about how well these vaccines work?
So far, we have good news.
Both vaccines require two shots — spaced three weeks apart for Pfizer’s and four weeks apart for Moderna’s. To measure how effective a vaccine may be, both trials measure the difference in infection rates between participants who got vaccinated and those who received placebo shots.
Moderna said that among its 30,000 participants, 95 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 so far. Ninety of those cases were in the placebo group, while 5 had received the vaccine, leading to a 94.5% reduced risk of infection. Among the COVID-19 cases, 11 people had severe illness. All of those individuals were in the placebo group, suggesting that the vaccine is effective at blocking the worst disease symptoms.
Pfizer said that among its 43,500 study participants, 94 had been diagnosed with COVID-19. The company said on Monday, Nov. 9 that the difference between the two groups pointed to a greater than 90% effectiveness for the vaccine. The drug company did not release its breakdown of COVID-19 cases between the placebo and vaccinated groups, and it also did not release any information on the severity of symptoms in those who got sick.
These early analyses of the vaccine data were both determined by independent data review boards. Neither company has yet released its data in full.
Scientists said the findings were tremendously encouraging — and even surprising. The FDA set 50% effectiveness as its bar for allowing the use of the vaccines in its summer guidelines for vaccine makers, and Fauci had previously said he had hoped for 70% to 75% effectiveness.
“I said I would be satisfied with a 70% to 75% efficacy. Something like a 95% was aspirational,” Fauci said at the Monday briefing. “Well, our aspirations have been met, and that is very good news.”
"It’s remarkable actually," said Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who sits on the FDA vaccine advisory committee.


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--This Eye-Opening Text From A COVID Doctor Is Going Viral After June Diane Raphael Posted It On Twitt

This Eye-Opening Text From A COVID Doctor Is Going Viral After June Diane Raphael Posted It On Twitter

`` Tomorrow will be my 10th day working straight , '' the doctor , identified only as Kate , wrote @ @ @ @ @ We are completely surging .
I am carrying more and sicker patients than ever in @ @ @ @ @ at least half of them to die but probably not for 1-3 weeks ( which @ @ @ @ @ the hospital ) . ''

"Tomorrow will be my 10th day working straight," the doctor, identified only as Kate, wrote in her text. "We are completely surging. I am carrying more and sicker patients than ever in my career...I expect at least half of them to die but probably not for 1-3 weeks (which they will spend alone in the hospital)."


buzzfeed--2020-11-19--People Are Revealing The Tips, Tricks, And Habits They Turn To When They're Feeling Overwhelmed

`` I build these fantasies in my head over time — generally based on a book , TV show , @ @ @ @ @ into lately — and then when I 'm feeling anxious , I add details to @ @ @ @ @ it started when I was a teenager and was into American Idol .
I created @ @ @ @ @ sort of me but better looking , with a really good voice , and with @ @ @ @ @ .
Over time , I would imagine different parts of the journey : where did @ @ @ @ @ I wear , what song did I sing , what did each judge say to @ @ @ @ @ I get tired of one of these storylines that I 've built out for myself @ @ @ @ @ to a new one .
Maybe next time I 'll get 'discovered ' by a @ @ @ @ @ in the lead of one of my favorite movies . ''

10.
Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique . First, focus on five things you can see around you, then four things you can feel. Next, name three things you can hear, and notice two things you can smell. Finally, focus on one thing you can taste (or think about a taste you enjoy).


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--Joe Biden Is Working With Governors On COVID-19, But There’s Not Much They Can Do Without Trump

WILMINGTON , Delaware — Without access to the US government ’ s data and planning documents on COVID-19 , President-elect Joe Biden made a move on Thursday to begin working directly with governors as the pandemic hits a dangerous new phase .
But without the Trump administration ’ s cooperation , there ’ s not much concrete progress the transition team can make to help governors curb the pandemic in the coming weeks .
More than 250,000 people in the US have already died from COVID-19 , and more than 60,000 people are currently hospitalized with the virus .
Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before a vaccine becomes available has the potential to be the most deadly for Americans — especially with people going indoors during winter weather and making travel plans over the holidays .
On Thursday , Biden met virtually with the leadership of the National Governors Association , including five Republican governors , to discuss COVID-19 surges and what their states need to be able to control the pandemic .
Those governors included Republicans Kay Ivey , Asa Hutchinson , Gary Herbert , Larry Hogan , and Charlie Baker .
`` Now getting into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surge ... including huge pressure on your hospitals , ” Biden told the governors , who joined him via videoconferencing .
“ You need help .
I want you to know I will be your partner in the White House , ” he said .
“ Thank you for doing this .
It 's a bipartisan union here , and I want to hear from all of you . ''
Biden said there was “ consensus ” among the bipartisan group on the way forward in dealing with COVID-19 : that the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief ” to cities and states , securing federal funding for the National Guard and FEMA to help with relief efforts , getting people safe and free vaccines , improving access to testing , and instituting a nationwide mask-wearing mandate .
He said governors are seeking federal funds for economic relief , which “ includes helping businesses , schools , and working families — from unemployment benefits to early education to continued access to affordable healthcare during the pandemic.
” Biden indicated that he will continue to meet with the governors and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the pandemic develops .
“ Our COVID teams will follow up and coordinate on the issues coming out of the call , ” Biden said .
But it ’ s not clear exactly what coordination and planning is possible for the transition team without having access to pandemic data and information about how vaccines could be rolled out .
President Donald Trump continues to falsely claim that he won the election despite decisive results in Biden ’ s favor , and refuses to cooperate with the president-elect 's transition or even directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He has instead continued to downplay the risks of COVID-19 and escalate his efforts to get state officials to help him to invalidate the election results .
The Trump-appointed administrator of the General Services Administration has also refused to acknowledge the election result — a move that is necessary for Biden ’ s transition team to receive federal funding and access to government data .
Biden ’ s COVID-19 response team , which he convened two days after winning the election , has not had access to inside data on how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s capacity to combat it , or access to information about whether Trump ’ s administration is working on plans to distribute vaccines as they become viable in the coming months .
On Thursday , Biden said he is not taking legal action against the GSA to move the transition along because he believes “ that we will get further along by actually working with our Republican colleagues . ''
He added that he has not , however , ruled out legal action .

WILMINGTON, Delaware — Without access to the US government’s data and planning documents on COVID-19, President-elect Joe Biden made a move on Thursday to begin working directly with governors as the pandemic hits a dangerous new phase. But without the Trump administration’s cooperation, there’s not much concrete progress the transition team can make to help governors curb the pandemic in the coming weeks.
More than 250,000 people in the US have already died from COVID-19, and more than 60,000 people are currently hospitalized with the virus. Public health experts have warned that this period before a vaccine becomes available has the potential to be the most deadly for Americans — especially with people going indoors during winter weather and making travel plans over the holidays.
On Thursday, Biden met virtually with the leadership of the National Governors Association, including five Republican governors, to discuss COVID-19 surges and what their states need to be able to control the pandemic. Those governors included Republicans Kay Ivey, Asa Hutchinson, Gary Herbert, Larry Hogan, and Charlie Baker.
"Now getting into the holidays, you're facing another surge ... including huge pressure on your hospitals,” Biden told the governors, who joined him via videoconferencing.
“You need help. I want you to know I will be your partner in the White House,” he said. “Thank you for doing this. It's a bipartisan union here, and I want to hear from all of you."
Biden said there was “consensus” among the bipartisan group on the way forward in dealing with COVID-19: that the federal government needs to be “delivering economic relief” to cities and states, securing federal funding for the National Guard and FEMA to help with relief efforts, getting people safe and free vaccines, improving access to testing, and instituting a nationwide mask-wearing mandate.
He said governors are seeking federal funds for economic relief, which “includes helping businesses, schools, and working families — from unemployment benefits to early education to continued access to affordable healthcare during the pandemic.”
Biden indicated that he will continue to meet with the governors and that their input would inform his COVID-19 plan as the pandemic develops.
“Our COVID teams will follow up and coordinate on the issues coming out of the call,” Biden said.
But it’s not clear exactly what coordination and planning is possible for the transition team without having access to pandemic data and information about how vaccines could be rolled out.
President Donald Trump continues to falsely claim that he won the election despite decisive results in Biden’s favor, and refuses to cooperate with the president-elect's transition or even directly address the third surge of the pandemic. He has instead continued to downplay the risks of COVID-19 and escalate his efforts to get state officials to help him to invalidate the election results. The Trump-appointed administrator of the General Services Administration has also refused to acknowledge the election result — a move that is necessary for Biden’s transition team to receive federal funding and access to government data.
Biden’s COVID-19 response team, which he convened two days after winning the election, has not had access to inside data on how the virus is spreading and the government’s capacity to combat it, or access to information about whether Trump’s administration is working on plans to distribute vaccines as they become viable in the coming months.
On Thursday, Biden said he is not taking legal action against the GSA to move the transition along because he believes “that we will get further along by actually working with our Republican colleagues." He added that he has not, however, ruled out legal action.


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--Trump’s Campaign Dropped Another Lawsuit And Lied About Stopping Detroit From Certifying Votes

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ’ s campaign on Thursday dropped a legal fight challenging election results in Michigan , and his lawyers falsely told the court and the public that it was because they had stopped vote tallies from being certified in Wayne County , which covers Detroit .
Several hours later , Rudy Giuliani and other campaign lawyers held a press conference where he repeated the falsehood about Wayne County , alleged a far-reaching coordinated conspiracy among Democratic officials in numerous US cities to rig the election in favor of President-elect Joe Biden , and recited other baseless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have reviewed the evidence so far have rejected .
Thursday ’ s events underscored the complete disconnect between the sweeping allegations of widespread , nationwide voter fraud that Trump ’ s campaign has made to the public and how they ’ ve pursued election-related challenges in court .
Giuliani spoke about allegations of fraudulent activity in Michigan , and , speaking more generally , campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis said they wanted to go to court to “ prove our case ” — just hours after the campaign dropped one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do that .
Giuliani cited affidavits from another lawsuit in Michigan that he said showed that voter fraud in the state was real , but didn ’ t mention that a judge last week found they didn ’ t present credible proof of fraud in Detroit .
Giuliani on Thursday talked about allegations that hundreds of thousands of votes in Pennsylvania were counted without lawful oversight by poll watchers , days after he acknowledged under questioning from a judge that the campaign was not pursuing a fraud claim .
BuzzFeed News has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Giuliani used the press conference to broadly attack Philadelphia , Detroit , and other Democrat-leaning cities , making vague references to local political corruption scandals over the decades .
He painted a picture of a shadowy backroom deal to throw the election to Biden — of which there is no evidence — and he called Democrats “ crooks ” and judges who ruled against the Trump campaign “ hacks.
” Sidney Powell , another lawyer for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday ’ s press conference , echoed Giuliani ’ s unsubstantiated theory of a vast , well-funded conspiracy to throw the election to Biden .
Powell , who is also representing former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn in his criminal case , attempted to draw connections among the companies that produced electronic voting and ballot counting systems used in the United States and the Clinton Foundation , investor and philanthropist George Soros , `` antifa , '' and the Venezuelan government .
Trump , meanwhile , invited Republican leaders of Michigan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a meeting on Friday , several news outlets reported , as the campaign tries to convince the state not to certify its election results .
The leaders of both chambers have said , however , that they would not try to overturn Biden ’ s win in the state ; the president-elect has a 150,000-vote lead in Michigan .
As for next steps in the campaign ’ s legal efforts , Giuliani said it was preparing to file a lawsuit in Georgia , and might file a case in Arizona ; he didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases would allege , however .
The campaign previously sued in Maricopa County , Arizona , claiming there were problems with ballot tabulating machines , but dropped the part of the case that related to the presidential election after acknowledging the number of ballots at issue weren ’ t enough to flip the state from Biden .
With state election officials preparing to officially certify votes in the coming days and the Electoral College set to meet less than a month out on Dec. 14 , the window for Trump to find legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win despite a multistate lead is quickly closing .
In Michigan , the campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court on Nov. 11 claiming ballot counting in Wayne County was tainted by problems with tabulating software , poll observers being shut out , and ineligible votes being processed .
The campaign asked a judge to stop the entire state from certifying election results until there was an audit of Wayne County .
The Wayne County Board of Canvassers voted Nov. 17 to certify the election results .
The Trump campaign ’ s decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two Republican members of the county canvassing board claimed that they had been duped into voting to certify the results earlier this week — the campaign filed affidavits in court from both members who declared they were rescinding their earlier votes , though the state has said that trying to undo her vote after the fact would not do anything .
A lawyer for Trump ’ s campaign , Mark “ Thor ” Hearne , filed a notice in court on Thursday morning falsely stating that the Wayne County canvassing board had “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the presidential election.
” Before his press conference in the afternoon , Giuliani released a statement saying the campaign was dropping the Michigan case “ as a direct result of achieving the relief we sought : to stop the election in Wayne County from being prematurely certified.
” If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
But the Michigan secretary of state ’ s office knocked down the idea that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state canvassing board is scheduled to meet on Nov. 23 .
“ There is no legal mechanism for them to rescind their vote , ” Tracy Wimmer , a spokesperson for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson , wrote in an email .
“ Their job is done and the next step in the process is for the Board of State Canvassers to meet and certify.
” Benson , meanwhile , tweeted midday Thursday that a photo of the fictional superheroes in the Justice League was her “ current mood ” with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked the judge to strike the GOP canvassing board members ’ affidavits from the record , along with the “ immaterial , impertinent and false language ” in the campaign ’ s notice of dismissal .
They argued that court rules did not allow the campaign to use a dismissal notice “ to spread disinformation.
” “ The affidavits and the impertinent text in the Notice were submitted for an improper purpose : to make a gratuitous , public statement about their purported reason for voluntary dismissal , before the Court could reject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the city ’ s lawyers wrote .
The Wayne County canvassing board initially deadlocked 2–2 when it met on Nov. 17 .
The board ’ s two Republican members wrote in the affidavits filed by Trump ’ s campaign in court on Thursday that they had concerns about unexplained discrepancies between the number of votes recorded as being cast and the number of ballots actually counted in Detroit precincts .
They said they faced intense public pressure to change their votes , and ultimately agreed to certify the results based on guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t deny certification based on the discrepancies issue , and on the promise that there would be an independent audit .
The Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press reported that the two Republican board members , Monica Palmer and William Hartmann , spoke with Trump by phone after the board meeting earlier this week .
“ He was checking to make sure I was safe after seeing/hearing about the threats and doxxing , ” Palmer told the Free Press .
The board members wrote that they were coming forward now because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consider a resolution the county canvassing board passed asking for an audit to be binding .
The Detroit Free Press reported on Thursday that Benson planned to do a “ performance audit ” of Wayne County along with a preplanned statewide postelection audit , but also said that those were “ neither designed to address nor performed in response to false or mythical allegations of 'irregularities ' that have no basis in fact . ''

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s campaign on Thursday dropped a legal fight challenging election results in Michigan, and his lawyers falsely told the court and the public that it was because they had stopped vote tallies from being certified in Wayne County, which covers Detroit.
Several hours later, Rudy Giuliani and other campaign lawyers held a press conference where he repeated the falsehood about Wayne County, alleged a far-reaching coordinated conspiracy among Democratic officials in numerous US cities to rig the election in favor of President-elect Joe Biden, and recited other baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud that judges who have reviewed the evidence so far have rejected.
Thursday’s events underscored the complete disconnect between the sweeping allegations of widespread, nationwide voter fraud that Trump’s campaign has made to the public and how they’ve pursued election-related challenges in court. Giuliani spoke about allegations of fraudulent activity in Michigan, and, speaking more generally, campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis said they wanted to go to court to “prove our case” — just hours after the campaign dropped one of the few legal vehicles it had left to do that.
Giuliani cited affidavits from another lawsuit in Michigan that he said showed that voter fraud in the state was real, but didn’t mention that a judge last week found they didn’t present credible proof of fraud in Detroit. Giuliani on Thursday talked about allegations that hundreds of thousands of votes in Pennsylvania were counted without lawful oversight by poll watchers, days after he acknowledged under questioning from a judge that the campaign was not pursuing a fraud claim.
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Giuliani used the press conference to broadly attack Philadelphia, Detroit, and other Democrat-leaning cities, making vague references to local political corruption scandals over the decades. He painted a picture of a shadowy backroom deal to throw the election to Biden — of which there is no evidence — and he called Democrats “crooks” and judges who ruled against the Trump campaign “hacks.”
Sidney Powell, another lawyer for Trump’s campaign who spoke at Thursday’s press conference, echoed Giuliani’s unsubstantiated theory of a vast, well-funded conspiracy to throw the election to Biden. Powell, who is also representing former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn in his criminal case, attempted to draw connections among the companies that produced electronic voting and ballot counting systems used in the United States and the Clinton Foundation, investor and philanthropist George Soros, "antifa," and the Venezuelan government.
Trump, meanwhile, invited Republican leaders of Michigan’s legislature to the White House for a meeting on Friday, several news outlets reported, as the campaign tries to convince the state not to certify its election results. The leaders of both chambers have said, however, that they would not try to overturn Biden’s win in the state; the president-elect has a 150,000-vote lead in Michigan.
As for next steps in the campaign’s legal efforts, Giuliani said it was preparing to file a lawsuit in Georgia, and might file a case in Arizona; he didn’t share details about what those cases would allege, however. The campaign previously sued in Maricopa County, Arizona, claiming there were problems with ballot tabulating machines, but dropped the part of the case that related to the presidential election after acknowledging the number of ballots at issue weren’t enough to flip the state from Biden.
With state election officials preparing to officially certify votes in the coming days and the Electoral College set to meet less than a month out on Dec. 14, the window for Trump to find legal pathways that would undo Biden’s win despite a multistate lead is quickly closing.
In Michigan, the campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court on Nov. 11 claiming ballot counting in Wayne County was tainted by problems with tabulating software, poll observers being shut out, and ineligible votes being processed. The campaign asked a judge to stop the entire state from certifying election results until there was an audit of Wayne County. The Wayne County Board of Canvassers voted Nov. 17 to certify the election results.
The Trump campaign’s decision to drop the case came as the two Republican members of the county canvassing board claimed that they had been duped into voting to certify the results earlier this week — the campaign filed affidavits in court from both members who declared they were rescinding their earlier votes, though the state has said that trying to undo her vote after the fact would not do anything.
A lawyer for Trump’s campaign, Mark “Thor” Hearne, filed a notice in court on Thursday morning falsely stating that the Wayne County canvassing board had “met and declined to certify the results of the presidential election.” Before his press conference in the afternoon, Giuliani released a statement saying the campaign was dropping the Michigan case “as a direct result of achieving the relief we sought: to stop the election in Wayne County from being prematurely certified.”
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But the Michigan secretary of state’s office knocked down the idea that it was possible to undo the certification now; the state canvassing board is scheduled to meet on Nov. 23.
“There is no legal mechanism for them to rescind their vote,” Tracy Wimmer, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, wrote in an email. “Their job is done and the next step in the process is for the Board of State Canvassers to meet and certify.”
Benson, meanwhile, tweeted midday Thursday that a photo of the fictional superheroes in the Justice League was her “current mood” with the hashtag #DemocracyIsATeamSport.
Lawyers for Detroit asked the judge to strike the GOP canvassing board members’ affidavits from the record, along with the “immaterial, impertinent and false language” in the campaign’s notice of dismissal. They argued that court rules did not allow the campaign to use a dismissal notice “to spread disinformation.”
“The affidavits and the impertinent text in the Notice were submitted for an improper purpose: to make a gratuitous, public statement about their purported reason for voluntary dismissal, before the Court could reject their baseless claims of election fraud,” the city’s lawyers wrote.
The Wayne County canvassing board initially deadlocked 2–2 when it met on Nov. 17. The board’s two Republican members wrote in the affidavits filed by Trump’s campaign in court on Thursday that they had concerns about unexplained discrepancies between the number of votes recorded as being cast and the number of ballots actually counted in Detroit precincts. They said they faced intense public pressure to change their votes, and ultimately agreed to certify the results based on guidance from a county lawyer that they couldn’t deny certification based on the discrepancies issue, and on the promise that there would be an independent audit.
The Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press reported that the two Republican board members, Monica Palmer and William Hartmann, spoke with Trump by phone after the board meeting earlier this week.
“He was checking to make sure I was safe after seeing/hearing about the threats and doxxing,” Palmer told the Free Press.
The board members wrote that they were coming forward now because Benson indicated that she didn’t consider a resolution the county canvassing board passed asking for an audit to be binding. The Detroit Free Press reported on Thursday that Benson planned to do a “performance audit” of Wayne County along with a preplanned statewide postelection audit, but also said that those were “neither designed to address nor performed in response to false or mythical allegations of 'irregularities' that have no basis in fact."


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--16 Photos Of Rudy Giuliani In A Hot Room

David Mack is a deputy director of breaking news for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York .
Got @ @ @ @ @ it here .

16 Photos Of Rudy Giuliani In A Hot Room
At a press conference Thursday, Rudy Giuliani was feeling the heat to come up with evidence to support Trump's baseless and unhinged election conspiracies. And we mean that literally. He was quite literally feeling the heat.


buzzfeed--2020-11-19--Trump Won’t Concede. That’s Bad For American Democracy.

By now , it ’ s clear that President Donald Trump is not going to concede that he lost the 2020 election .
The very thought of a Trump concession always seemed absurd , given everything we know about him — but now , weeks into his campaign ’ s failing legal efforts to challenge the results , when there is no path for him to successfully overturn President-elect Joe Biden ’ s win , we ’ ve firmly arrived at the reality that he is not going to concede .
Here ’ s the closest we got : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s began on Sunday , referring to Biden , before continuing to falsely claim that the win was rigged .
He followed up the tweet , “ I concede NOTHING !
” — leaving most people to formally give up on an admission of defeat .
But just because we have to accept that the concession is not coming doesn ’ t mean it should go unexamined .
Presidential concession speeches have a big job , which is to delicately unite the electorate .
The absence of one after such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happens , for the next four years , the wounds of 2020 will remain exposed and bleeding .
In 2016 , Hillary Clinton did not have a concession speech ready .
She wrote in her book , 2017 ’ s What Happened , that as results came in , the mood dampened in her camp , and Trump ’ s shock victory snuck up on her — on everyone , really — and left her feeling “ numb.
” The Associated Press didn ’ t formally call the election for Trump until well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But we know from Clinton ’ s book that much earlier in the night , around 11 p.m. , a Barack Obama aide called Robby Mook , Clinton ’ s campaign manager , and said the then-president wanted her to concede .
Clinton pushed back , she wrote , because she did not have the right words to say to the little girls who looked up to her .
Later that night , Obama convinced her to make the call to Trump and concede the race without delivering a speech .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton stepped up to a podium and delivered an emotional missive : “ I still believe in America , and I always will .
And if you do , then we must accept this result and then look to the future , ” Clinton said .
“ Donald Trump is going to be our president .
We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.
” This is all rather recent history , and so we don ’ t tangle with it nearly enough , but it is hard to understate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ d just endured a relentlessly misogynistic campaign from her opponent — to call for “ an open mind ” from her supporters .
I don ’ t imagine she wanted to do it .
I don ’ t imagine she even particularly meant it .
But to hear her tell it , she had to do it .
Months after the election , she told With Her — a podcast associated with her campaign — that she “ had to go through these steps — not just for me , … @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speechwriters wanted to strike a more defiant tone , but she had pushed back .
Her justification : “ We have to hope that he can summon some character that we haven ’ t seen yet to be the president we should have.
” This , in fact , is the work of stitching a democracy together .
The “ we ” in Clinton ’ s statement is doing the heavy lifting of saying to your supporters that there is a bigger “ we ” beyond the “ we ” in your political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be welded back together — and now that the election is over , that is the task at hand .
This message is at the core of the concession speech as a form .
You can see it at work in Bob Dole ’ s address in 1996 .
When he told his supporters that he ’ d congratulated President Bill Clinton on his win , they started loudly booing and jeering .
Dole quieted the room , saying , “ I ’ ve said repeatedly in this campaign that the president is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And I wish him well and I pledge my support in whatever advances the cause of a better America.
” The scattered applause that followed was the start of an audience beginning to accept that they were a part of a bigger “ we.
” In 2008 , John McCain pledged to Obama to “ do all in [ his ] power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
” In 1988 , after losing to George H.W .
Bush , Michael Dukakis told his supporters , “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for all the American people when I say that he will be our president , and we 'll work with him.
” Even Richard Nixon , after losing to John F. Kennedy in 1960 , insisted to a roomful of faithfuls that “ once the decision is made , we unite behind the man who is elected.
” Nixon added , `` I want Sen. Kennedy to know … that he has my full support , and yours , too.
” It is understood that the concession speech is a formality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But its purpose becomes clearer when it is missing : A concession speech forges a delicate shared reality of whom a government is for .
The losers de-escalate their followers , encourage them to carry on with the work within that existing common world .
In a way , a concession speech is the most compelling form of patriotism because it ’ s an appeal for loyalty to that collective “ we.
” Perhaps the most memorable concession speech of all is Al Gore ’ s , delivered weeks after the contentious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside , ” he beseeched his supporters after the Supreme Court decided Bush v. Gore in favor of George W. Bush .
“ Let there be no doubt , while I strongly disagree with the court 's decision , I accept it.
” Gore was aware of the practicalities of communicating unity to a fragile international order .
“ To our fellow members of the world community : Let no one see this contest as a sign of American weakness , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the surest signs of a failing state is an enduring conflict over who its rightful leader is .
Which brings us back to the present .
I think back to Trump ’ s Inauguration Day in 2017 .
Barack and Michelle Obama shook hands and exchanged hugs with Donald and Melania Trump before the Obamas boarded Marine One one last time .
It was a small moment that speaks volumes about the significance of peaceful transitions .
And seemingly we are not going to get that moment this time around .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day is a side-by-side shot of Biden taking the highest office in the US and Trump golfing at his resort .
The split screen will be a symbol of the division to come .
Already , as many as 73 % of Republicans are questioning Biden ’ s victory because of Trump ’ s allegations of fraud and refusal to concede .
Trump likely sitting out inauguration will seem like an unceremonious end of an era .
But in fact , for the president and his loyalists , Biden ’ s swearing-in will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years of two competing narratives that can not be reconciled .
Trump will exist elsewhere , perhaps in his own digital media empire , repeating that he never lost the election .
And each time he does , it will deepen the rift , furthering the distance between Trump voters and the larger “ we.
” We ’ re in for years of discord , and it all starts with a concession speech that will go undelivered .
●

In 2008, John McCain pledged to Obama to “do all in [his] power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.” In 1988, after losing to George H.W. Bush, Michael Dukakis told his supporters, “I know I speak for all of you and for all the American people when I say that he will be our president, and we'll work with him.” Even Richard Nixon, after losing to John F. Kennedy in 1960, insisted to a roomful of faithfuls that “once the decision is made, we unite behind the man who is elected.” Nixon added, "I want Sen. Kennedy to know … that he has my full support, and yours, too.”
It is understood that the concession speech is a formality, something the defeated party has to endure. But its purpose becomes clearer when it is missing: A concession speech forges a delicate shared reality of whom a government is for. The losers de-escalate their followers, encourage them to carry on with the work within that existing common world. In a way, a concession speech is the most compelling form of patriotism because it’s an appeal for loyalty to that collective “we.”
Perhaps the most memorable concession speech of all is Al Gore’s, delivered weeks after the contentious chaos of the 2000 election. “What remains of partisan rancor must now be put aside,” he beseeched his supporters after the Supreme Court decided Bush v. Gore in favor of George W. Bush. “Let there be no doubt, while I strongly disagree with the court's decision, I accept it.”
Gore was aware of the practicalities of communicating unity to a fragile international order. “To our fellow members of the world community: Let no one see this contest as a sign of American weakness,” he said. The stakes are high — one of the surest signs of a failing state is an enduring conflict over who its rightful leader is.
Which brings us back to the present. I think back to Trump’s Inauguration Day in 2017. Barack and Michelle Obama shook hands and exchanged hugs with Donald and Melania Trump before the Obamas boarded Marine One one last time. It was a small moment that speaks volumes about the significance of peaceful transitions. And seemingly we are not going to get that moment this time around.
Instead, what we may get on Inauguration Day is a side-by-side shot of Biden taking the highest office in the US and Trump golfing at his resort. The split screen will be a symbol of the division to come. Already, as many as 73% of Republicans are questioning Biden’s victory because of Trump’s allegations of fraud and refusal to concede.
Trump likely sitting out inauguration will seem like an unceremonious end of an era. But in fact, for the president and his loyalists, Biden’s swearing-in will be only the start of a fractious four years of two competing narratives that cannot be reconciled. Trump will exist elsewhere, perhaps in his own digital media empire, repeating that he never lost the election. And each time he does, it will deepen the rift, furthering the distance between Trump voters and the larger “we.” We’re in for years of discord, and it all starts with a concession speech that will go undelivered. ●


buzzfeed--2020-11-20--Pfizer Is Submitting The First US Coronavirus Vaccine To The FDA For Emergency Approval Today

If authorized , healthcare workers and vulnerable groups might start getting the two-shot vaccine before the end of the year .
Pfizer on Friday announced it is submitting its request to the FDA for permission to distribute its coronavirus vaccine , citing data showing the vaccine is safe and 95 % effective at blocking COVID-19 .
Submission of the request kicks off an orchestrated series of reviews at the FDA , which oversees the safety of new vaccines , and the CDC , which oversees their distribution .
If authorized by the agencies and their counterparts in Europe , 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can begin to be distributed globally .
Preliminary US plans are to start with the roughly 20 million healthcare workers across the country , given approval of a CDC advisory panel .
On Nov. 18 , Pfizer released a preliminary analysis from its coronavirus vaccine trial suggesting that it was 95 % effective at preventing COVID-19 infections .
The results from the trial , which has recruited 43,000 participants , were based on 170 people who got infected with the coronavirus .
Of them , 8 were in the half of study participants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 162 had received placebo shots , pointing to a high statistical significance of the shots ' effectiveness .
The company submitted its application this week after collecting additional safety data for the FDA , which required that drug companies collect two months of safety data from half of the patients in the trial before submitting the application for public distribution .
`` It ’ s likely terrific news , although I think the key is that the public becomes informed beyond press releases , '' vaccine expert Peter Hotez of the Baylor College @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s important to remember a company press release is not meant for you , for me , or the American people .
It ’ s meant for their shareholders . ''
For that reason , he said , full release of the effectiveness and safety data collected by Pfizer , as well as the federal agency reviews , is vital .
The `` emergency use authorization '' request to the FDA bolsters the company 's preliminary findings with that safety data , suggesting Pfizer 's shots produced only fatigue in 3.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % , as noteworthy side effects .
“ Our work to deliver a safe and effective vaccine has never been more urgent , as we continue to see an alarming rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 globally .
Filing in the U.S. represents a critical milestone in our journey to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine to the world and we now have a more complete picture of both the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine , giving us confidence in its potential , ” Pfizer Chair and CEO Albert Bourla said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pfizer announced that it will be ready to distribute the vaccine candidate within hours after authorization , using its own distribution network .
Michael Einhorn , president of the vaccine distributor Dealmed , based in New York , expressed concern about Pfizer 's plans bypassing channels established for the flu vaccine to rely on its own distribution network to get its coronavirus vaccine into people 's arms .
`` I 'm sure they are trying to do the right thing , but that seems unnecessarily complicated , '' he told BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused some 11,720,000 cases and 252,000 deaths in the US , since the first cases in late January .
Vaccines have been seen as a key intervention needed to help stop the pandemic .
While most vaccines take years to develop , four vaccines are now in late-stage trials , spurred by a $ 10 billion investment from the federal Operation Warp Speed .
Pfizer has sought to distance itself from the Trump administration 's push to fast-track vaccines , telling the New York Times that it did not receive any research or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company has a $ 1.95 billion advanced purchase agreement with OWS to distribute the vaccine in the US .
The EUA request represents a first step in actually getting a vaccine to the public , following review by FDA scientists , as well as independent vaccine experts on federal advisory committees .
Late on Friday , the FDA scheduled a vaccine advisory panel review on Dec. 10 .
Federal officials had confirmed this week they would schedule a simultaneous CDC distribution panel review with that meeting , moving possible approval of the request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pfizer estimates that it will produce 50 million doses of its vaccine this year in the US and Europe .
The two doses of the vaccine are given 28 days apart and must be kept at -94 degrees for long-term storage .
Pfizer and delivery companies like UPS are gearing up to manufacture dry ice for this storage requirement .
Pfizer hopes to manufacture 1.3 billion doses worldwide in 2021 .
There were 10 severe cases of COVID-19 among the 170 diagnosed cases in the study .
Only one of those was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shots help limit disease symptoms .
About 42 % of the study participants were of varied ethnic and racial backgrounds , and the efficacy held constant among them .
`` The observed efficacy in adults over 65 years of age was over 94 % , '' according to Pfizer .
The safety data will include records of 100 children , ages 12 to 15 , who received the Pfizer vaccine as well , according to the company .
`` The data we have seen , in fairness only in news releases , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Biotechnology Innovation Organization chair Jeremy Levin .
`` We need to see the safety data , but the bottom line is that Pfizer appears to have brought something of great value to the public , in only a nine month period of time . ''
In an unusual step to bolster public confidence , FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the agency would post its scientific review of vaccines before authorization , redacting only proprietary information belonging to manufacturers , but making all health and safety data public .
Any politicization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration 's calls for FDA to authorize hydroxychloroquine use in March , will only hinder public acceptance of a vaccine and cost more lives , said Levin .
Einhorn , the vaccine distributor , expressed concern about confusion already voiced by doctors and people he speaks to about who would get a vaccine , and when .
State health officials have not contacted his company , which yearly distributes flu vaccines to doctor 's offices , clinics , and other medical offices , about any of the coronavirus vaccines , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in February to distribute flu vaccines in September . ''
While the temperature requirements and double shots are complications for distributing the vaccine , Einhorn saw them as lesser worries .
`` Vaccine distributors already understand the need to control temperatures and medical offices already know how to track every dose , '' he said .
In surveys , public willingness to get a vaccine in the US has declined since the summer , dropping to about half of all people asked , according to the Pew Research Center .
Public health officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the vaccine if this distrust grows .
Estimates suggest that 60 % or more of people need to have some form of immune protection — either from a vaccine or after recovering from COVID-19 — to stop the spread of the virus .

Pfizer on Friday announced it is submitting its request to the FDA for permission to distribute its coronavirus vaccine, citing data showing the vaccine is safe and 95% effective at blocking COVID-19.
Submission of the request kicks off an orchestrated series of reviews at the FDA, which oversees the safety of new vaccines, and the CDC, which oversees their distribution. If authorized by the agencies and their counterparts in Europe, 50 million premanufactured doses of the Pfizer vaccine can begin to be distributed globally. Preliminary US plans are to start with the roughly 20 million healthcare workers across the country, given approval of a CDC advisory panel.
On Nov. 18, Pfizer released a preliminary analysis from its coronavirus vaccine trial suggesting that it was 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections. The results from the trial, which has recruited 43,000 participants, were based on 170 people who got infected with the coronavirus. Of them, 8 were in the half of study participants who received the vaccine and the other 162 had received placebo shots, pointing to a high statistical significance of the shots' effectiveness.
The company submitted its application this week after collecting additional safety data for the FDA, which required that drug companies collect two months of safety data from half of the patients in the trial before submitting the application for public distribution.
"It’s likely terrific news, although I think the key is that the public becomes informed beyond press releases," vaccine expert Peter Hotez of the Baylor College of Medicine told BuzzFeed News. "It’s important to remember a company press release is not meant for you, for me, or the American people. It’s meant for their shareholders." For that reason, he said, full release of the effectiveness and safety data collected by Pfizer, as well as the federal agency reviews, is vital.
The "emergency use authorization" request to the FDA bolsters the company's preliminary findings with that safety data, suggesting Pfizer's shots produced only fatigue in 3.8% of participants and headaches in 2%, as noteworthy side effects.
“Our work to deliver a safe and effective vaccine has never been more urgent, as we continue to see an alarming rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 globally. Filing in the U.S. represents a critical milestone in our journey to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine to the world and we now have a more complete picture of both the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine, giving us confidence in its potential,” Pfizer Chair and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.


buzzfeed--2020-11-21--After Meeting With Trump, Michigan’s Republican Leaders Said They Don't See A Reason Why Biden Isn't

After Meeting With Trump, Michigan’s Republican Leaders Said They Don't See A Reason Why Biden Isn't The Winner

The two Republican leaders of Michigan ’ s state legislature said Friday night that after a closely watched meeting with President Donald Trump , they “ have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan , ” a state won by President-elect Joe Biden that has been at the center of Trump ’ s attempt to overturn the election .
The two leaders , Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield , said in a statement that they would “ follow the law and follow the normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The candidates who win the most votes win elections and Michigan ’ s electoral votes , ” the statement said .
The statement focused not on the election but on the raging coronavirus pandemic , a subject about which Trump has shown little interest even as cases and deaths spike dangerously across the country .
While Trump ’ s almost singular focus has been on his own electoral defeat , the Michigan Republicans said they had used the meeting to personally deliver a letter asking for federal assistance with the outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any major swing state — some 150,000 votes .
But with other states , like Georgia , moving quickly to certify their results , cementing Biden ’ s victory , Trump had zeroed in on the state in his effort to undermine the election .
He had appeared to hope to convince the state ’ s Republican legislature to overthrow the will of Michigan voters and appoint pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College — a subversion of democracy with virtually no precedent in American history .
But the legislators ’ statement appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest .
Trump ’ s efforts to prove voter fraud in court have almost all failed , and the campaign dropped its case in Michigan on Thursday .
On Friday afternoon , as speculation about the purpose of the meeting with Trump grew , Republican Michigan state Sen. Ed McBroom told BuzzFeed News that he expected the legislative leaders to “ follow the law ” and that they had committed to “ ascribing the electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote.
” McBroom said that he didn ’ t understand why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the meeting with the president were spreading and that he trusted the judgment of the Michigan Board of Canvassers , which will meet on Monday , to certify the election results .
“ If they feel it ’ s appropriate to certify , that doesn ’ t necessarily mean that a recount might not occur or that other legal proceedings might not occur , ” McBroom told BuzzFeed News .
He added that he believed that any recount effort in the presidential election would “ probably be pretty fruitless.
” “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ count change that a recount would bring about unless the recount were to find some sort of substantial problems that weren ’ t already noticed by the boards of canvassers , which seems unlikely , ” McBroom said .
Trump ’ s focus on Michigan began with a partisan battle in Wayne County , which voted heavily for Biden , over whether the county ’ s results should be certified .
The two Republicans on the four-person Board of Canvassers initially refused to certify , citing false allegations of fraud and impropriety in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eventually agreed to certify the results .
But after Trump personally called them , both officials attempted to rescind their vote .
The effort is not likely to be successful , but they provided Trump with another opening in an attempt to muddy the waters of Biden ’ s decisive victory in the state .
Even if Trump were able to somehow stall or reverse Michigan ’ s votes , it would not be enough to overturn the election : Biden won 306 electoral votes ; Trump won 232 .

The two Republican leaders of Michigan’s state legislature said Friday night that after a closely watched meeting with President Donald Trump, they “have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan,” a state won by President-elect Joe Biden that has been at the center of Trump’s attempt to overturn the election.
The two leaders, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, said in a statement that they would “follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors.”
“The candidates who win the most votes win elections and Michigan’s electoral votes,” the statement said.
The statement focused not on the election but on the raging coronavirus pandemic, a subject about which Trump has shown little interest even as cases and deaths spike dangerously across the country. While Trump’s almost singular focus has been on his own electoral defeat, the Michigan Republicans said they had used the meeting to personally deliver a letter asking for federal assistance with the outbreak.
Trump retweeted the leaders' statement on Saturday morning, adding that it is "true" but he "will show massive and unprecedented fraud," something he and his legal team have failed to do. Soon afterwards, Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel and Michigan party chair Laura Cox published a letter to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers demanding an "audit" of the votes in Wayne County before they certify the election results.
Trump lost Michigan by the largest margin of any major swing state — some 150,000 votes. But with other states, like Georgia, moving quickly to certify their results, cementing Biden’s victory, Trump had zeroed in on the state in his effort to undermine the election. He had appeared to hope to convince the state’s Republican legislature to overthrow the will of Michigan voters and appoint pro-Trump electors to the Electoral College — a subversion of democracy with virtually no precedent in American history.
But the legislators’ statement appears to put that already remote possibility to rest. Trump’s efforts to prove voter fraud in court have almost all failed, and the campaign dropped its case in Michigan on Thursday.
On Friday afternoon, as speculation about the purpose of the meeting with Trump grew, Republican Michigan state Sen. Ed McBroom told BuzzFeed News that he expected the legislative leaders to “follow the law” and that they had committed to “ascribing the electoral votes to the winner of the popular vote.”
McBroom said that he didn’t understand why rumors about the state legislators’ motives behind the meeting with the president were spreading and that he trusted the judgment of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers, which will meet on Monday, to certify the election results.
“If they feel it’s appropriate to certify, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a recount might not occur or that other legal proceedings might not occur,” McBroom told BuzzFeed News.
He added that he believed that any recount effort in the presidential election would “probably be pretty fruitless.”
“The margins are much bigger than any vote count change that a recount would bring about unless the recount were to find some sort of substantial problems that weren’t already noticed by the boards of canvassers, which seems unlikely,” McBroom said.
Trump’s focus on Michigan began with a partisan battle in Wayne County, which voted heavily for Biden, over whether the county’s results should be certified. The two Republicans on the four-person Board of Canvassers initially refused to certify, citing false allegations of fraud and impropriety in the majority-Black city of Detroit.
They eventually agreed to certify the results. But after Trump personally called them, both officials attempted to rescind their vote. The effort is not likely to be successful, but they provided Trump with another opening in an attempt to muddy the waters of Biden’s decisive victory in the state.
Even if Trump were able to somehow stall or reverse Michigan’s votes, it would not be enough to overturn the election: Biden won 306 electoral votes; Trump won 232.


buzzfeed--2020-11-21--Did You Know You Can Have Sex Without Penetration? Yes, Here's 11 Ways


buzzfeed--2020-11-21--Pfizer Is Submitting The First US Coronavirus Vaccine To The FDA For Emergency Approval


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buzzfeed--2020-11-21--The US Just Passed 12 Million Total COVID Cases As People Start To Travel For Thanksgiving

On Friday , as people began crowding in airports to travel for the holiday , the US set a daily incidence record with 195,542 new coronavirus cases .
Americans are beginning their treks home for the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend , doing so in the face of uncertainty from political leadership and a surge in coronavirus case numbers , which have consistently reached new heights in November .
On Friday , the United States set a daily incidence record for the country of 195,542 confirmed new cases of the novel coronavirus , according to data compiled by researchers at Johns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the record set only the previous day before when the nation totaled just under 188,000 new cases .
Those numbers come as Americans hop on planes or pile in cars and make their way to see loved ones after months of on-again , off-again social distancing , changing local and state regulations , and weak guidance from federal authorities .
On Thursday — when the US recorded a new daily incidence record that was then broken the next day — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “ strong ” warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrate Thanksgiving was to do so only with the people they live with .
“ Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu , ” the CDC cautioned , while noting that more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the US in the previous seven days .
Still , that guidance came only a week before the Thanksgiving holiday , a known popular travel period every year , and after experts had been warning for months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when those who choose to congregate would likely do so inside .
“ We know we ’ re going to get cases after Thanksgiving , ” Amesh Adalja , infectious diseases physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , previously told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s just a question of trying to keep them as minimal as possible.
” It does not appear the country will be able to keep it minimal .
The US surpassed 12 million total confirmed cases on Saturday after recently exceeding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will likely increase as one projection suggests another 200,000 people will die by the beginning of March .
On Thursday , the White House Coronavirus Task Force held a press briefing — its first public appearance in months — at which Vice President Mike Pence tried to offer reassurances about the anticipated vaccines .
`` We 've continued to be on the same mission we 've been on throughout the course of this year and that is to save American lives , '' Pence said without endorsing the CDC 's recommendation for Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angela Rasmussen , a virologist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University School of Public Health , said that even though messaging from the CDC was “ a little late , ” the agency had been hamstrung by the Trump administration .
“ It would have been helpful if we could have been preparing people for months , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ But to a certain degree , we did not imagine back in March that this response would be so horrible that we would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of the year.
” It ’ s too early to tell how the CDC ’ s recommendation , which came long after many people had made holiday plans and booked travel , will affect people looking to gather around Thanksgiving meals with their families .
Early images and video from airports around the country suggest that many will take the risk .
“ It ’ s really very concerning because it ’ s not just what people are doing at the airport , ” said Rasmussen .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the airport , which is presumably to go to have in-person meals with their families.
” She said she plans on holding a virtual Thanksgiving with family members she doesn ’ t live with , calling it an investment in the future .
In video at Phoenix ’ s Sky Harbor International airport shared by local reporter Max Gorden , large crowds of mostly masked people had already started to form as people waited to fly off to different parts of the country .
Arizona reported 4,471 new coronavirus cases on Friday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s fast approaching the state ’ s daily incidence record of 4,877 set in July .

Americans are beginning their treks home for the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, doing so in the face of uncertainty from political leadership and a surge in coronavirus case numbers, which have consistently reached new heights in November.
On Friday, the United States set a daily incidence record for the country of 195,542 confirmed new cases of the novel coronavirus, according to data compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. That new high shattered the record set only the previous day before when the nation totaled just under 188,000 new cases.
Those numbers come as Americans hop on planes or pile in cars and make their way to see loved ones after months of on-again, off-again social distancing, changing local and state regulations, and weak guidance from federal authorities. On Thursday — when the US recorded a new daily incidence record that was then broken the next day — the CDC issued a “strong” warning telling people that the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving was to do so only with the people they live with.
“Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu,” the CDC cautioned, while noting that more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the US in the previous seven days.
Still, that guidance came only a week before the Thanksgiving holiday, a known popular travel period every year, and after experts had been warning for months of a possible surge during winter, when those who choose to congregate would likely do so inside.


buzzfeed--2020-11-21--Democrats' New Plan To Win Georgia's Crucial Senate Seats In A Pandemic Is To Actually Knock On Door

Democrats' New Plan To Win Georgia's Crucial Senate Seats In A Pandemic Is To Actually Knock On Doors

`` It ’ s about having high quality face-to-face conversations , and we tend to be able to do that by knocking on people ’ s doors , '' said the executive director of New Georgia Project .
With the Senate majority up for grabs , supporters of Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev .
Raphael Warnock are embracing a strategy in the January runoffs that Democrats largely avoided during the general election due to the coronavirus pandemic : door-knocking .
The stakes couldn ’ t be any higher in Georgia .
After losing competitive races in Maine , Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to win both seats in the state to clinch a working majority in a 50-50 Senate with Vice President–elect Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaker .
Then , and only then , will they have even a chance at passing the kind of legislation needed to achieve President-elect Joe Biden ’ s plans for tackling racial inequality , revving up the pandemic-struck economy , slashing climate pollution , and more .
Democrats are optimistic after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992 .
But they know it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work because they did not secure down-ballot victories for Ossoff and Warnock the first time around .
Moreover , Republicans have historically fared better in the state ’ s runoff elections , where there ’ s a dropoff in the number of voters who participate compared to general elections .
So a growing number of progressive organizers are masking up to register new eligible voters and motivate people to go back to the polls despite surging coronavirus infections and hospitalizations .
More than 250,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high , and the next weeks will likely be brutal .
And while new cases are currently not as high in Georgia as they were in July , infections are on the rise .
“ I think we ’ re still trying to figure out exactly what the right formula is , ” said Brionté McCorkle , executive director of the environmental group Georgia Conservation Voters .
“ There ’ s a lot of digital engagement in response to COVID-19 , but I think that folks are seeing that there was a loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The revived strategy in Georgia is markedly different than the Democratic Party ’ s approach to canvassing during the general election .
While the pandemic spread across the country in the lead up to Nov. 3 , Democrats steered away from in-person canvassing and relied heavily on digital field programs like phone-banking and texting to turn out their voters .
Some national Democrats , like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , have pointed to sparse field programs in post-election analyses of why the party underperformed expectations in House and Senate races .
“ The decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to grapple with and analyze , ” she tweeted in the days after the election .
Evan Weber , the political director and cofounder of the Sunrise Movement , echoed Ocasio-Cortez ’ s analysis .
“ Democrats , somewhat wisely in line with public health standards , didn ’ t invest heavily in field operations in the middle of a pandemic , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
“ I think there were some decisions made by party operatives where we could ’ ve done some of that in a safe way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurt Democrats of all political ideologies.
” The push for in-person campaigning is not coming directly from either of the Democratic Senate campaigns , at least not publicly .
“ Rising COVID cases are a huge consideration here and how can we do this safely , ” an Ossoff campaign spokesperson told BuzzFeed News about door-knocking .
“ That ’ s going to be a decision we ’ ll have to make down the road.
” Warnock ’ s campaign has largely focused its volunteers on phone-banking and dropping off literature at voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes first , and we try to have a hyperawareness around the precautions we ’ re taking related to the virus , ” a spokesperson for Warnock ’ s campaign told BuzzFeed News .
The two Democratic challengers have opted for drive-in rallies and outdoor events , sometimes together , where masking and social distancing is enforced .
Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , the Republican incumbents , are going all in on in-person campaigning , often without basic COVID-19 precautions .
At a “ Save Our Majority ” rally last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many maskless supporters gathered in a windowless room .
Door-knocking has always been a core part of campaigning for former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams ’ New Georgia Project , a nonpartisan group that has registered thousands of new voters across the state .
The mesh of in-person and digital efforts was a resounding success , with the group getting much of the credit for helping spur record turnout among Black communities statewide .
The organization has around 100 organizers on the ground and plans to scale up its field program during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having high-quality face-to-face conversations , and we tend to be able to do that by knocking on people ’ s doors , ” executive director Nsé Ufot told BuzzFeed News .
“ We try to have high-quality conversations where people get to be reflective and talk about the fears and the hopes that they have .
That ’ s our central tactic , and sometimes that ’ s in one-on-one conversations at doors ; sometimes that ’ s at small group meetings in church basements , or housing projects , or cafés with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia Project has already identified over 100,000 new eligible Georgian voters to register to vote ahead of the Dec. 7 deadline .
For many other groups though , the focus on in-person get-out-the-vote efforts is a shift from the general election .
In some cases , New Georgia Project is helping make this possible .
“ We ’ ve largely relied on larger groups like New Georgia Project to be able to do that door-to-door work , ” said McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters .
“ We are actually introducing COVID-safe canvassing because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South is door-to-door contact is still one of the more successful ways to engage voters , ” Shanté Wolfe , coordinated campaigns director at the Sunrise Movement , told BuzzFeed News .
“ In this case , it will be doorstep to doorstep to do social distancing.
” And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced last week that it was committing to a multimillion-dollar field effort that would include on-the-ground field organizers to help turnout and voter registration efforts .
In one of House Democrats ’ only pickups of the election , Rep.-elect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fully switched its voter outreach programs to digital as the pandemic spread .
Now , as Bourdeaux ’ s team focuses on assisting Ossoff and Warnock , her campaign manager , Shelbi Dantic , told BuzzFeed News that it ’ s open to the possibility of in-person campaigning .
“ Moving forward , and as we ’ re thinking about how Carolyn ’ s campaign and our field teams plug into the runoff , I think there ’ s an opportunity to feel really good about if we are knocking doors to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which I think is going to take an extra step or two to get them to go out to the polls , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
Dantic added that the campaign would follow the Senate campaigns ’ direction , but that they weren ’ t completely opposed to canvassing in person .
But the uptick in coronavirus cases is an ever-present worry .
To stay safe , organizers are donning personal protective equipment , such as masks and face shields , and trying to meet outdoors .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runoff hub meeting in a park on Sunday , ” Wolfe said .
“ We ’ re doing it rain or shine because we understand the urgency of this moment and we ’ re not afraid of a little rain.
” The pandemic is also a big reason some local organizers are telling people from out of state to stay home and leave the ground efforts to them .
“ We ’ re not encouraging anyone to come here from out of state .
We know that our medical infrastructure in south Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we understand that rates of the virus are increasing .
So we ’ re encouraging people from out of state to text with us , and that robust program is moving , ” said Britney Whaley , a political strategist with the Working Families Party .
“ If people are from here and they want to get involved and canvass , ” she said , “ that program is happening , and we ’ ve padded our staff to make sure that our folks are safe.
” The organization is dedicating certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will take the temperatures of canvassers and distribute literature to members to avoid big gatherings ; it is also planning some outdoor meetings .
“ We ’ re giving out additional PPE to canvassers .
This may sound extra , but if people answer the doors with no mask , we ’ re asking them to close the door so we can leave them some so that they can put on the mask and then we can engage with them from 6 feet away , ” Whaley said .
“ If they don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re at home , then we just move on to the next door .
There ’ s no pressure for our canvassers to be in someone ’ s face or engage.
” National progressive groups are now focusing their attention on the Georgia races even without sending in staffers and volunteers .
At the National Resources Defense Council ( NRDC ) Action Fund , executive director Kevin Curtis is encouraging donors and members to give money .
“ Give money to the candidates , give money to Stacey Abrams ’ group , give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of which is going to be focused on getting people to turn out to vote , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
Donating to Ossoff , Warnock , and the Georgia Senate Victory Fund all currently feature prominently on the online GiveGreen platform , a collaboration between the environmental groups NRDC , billionaire Tom Steyer ’ s NextGen America , and the League of Conservation Voters .
●

Door-knocking has always been a core part of campaigning for former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan group that has registered thousands of new voters across the state. The mesh of in-person and digital efforts was a resounding success, with the group getting much of the credit for helping spur record turnout among Black communities statewide. The organization has around 100 organizers on the ground and plans to scale up its field program during the runoffs.
“It’s about having high-quality face-to-face conversations, and we tend to be able to do that by knocking on people’s doors,” executive director Nsé Ufot told BuzzFeed News. “We try to have high-quality conversations where people get to be reflective and talk about the fears and the hopes that they have. That’s our central tactic, and sometimes that’s in one-on-one conversations at doors; sometimes that’s at small group meetings in church basements, or housing projects, or cafés with a number of community leaders.”
New Georgia Project has already identified over 100,000 new eligible Georgian voters to register to vote ahead of the Dec. 7 deadline.
For many other groups though, the focus on in-person get-out-the-vote efforts is a shift from the general election. In some cases, New Georgia Project is helping make this possible.
“We’ve largely relied on larger groups like New Georgia Project to be able to do that door-to-door work,” said McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters.
“We are actually introducing COVID-safe canvassing because what we’ve seen in the South is door-to-door contact is still one of the more successful ways to engage voters,” Shanté Wolfe, coordinated campaigns director at the Sunrise Movement, told BuzzFeed News. “In this case, it will be doorstep to doorstep to do social distancing.”
And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced last week that it was committing to a multimillion-dollar field effort that would include on-the-ground field organizers to help turnout and voter registration efforts.
In one of House Democrats’ only pickups of the election, Rep.-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux’s suburban Atlanta campaign fully switched its voter outreach programs to digital as the pandemic spread. Now, as Bourdeaux’s team focuses on assisting Ossoff and Warnock, her campaign manager, Shelbi Dantic, told BuzzFeed News that it’s open to the possibility of in-person campaigning.
“Moving forward, and as we’re thinking about how Carolyn’s campaign and our field teams plug into the runoff, I think there’s an opportunity to feel really good about if we are knocking doors to get people engaged in a runoff election, which I think is going to take an extra step or two to get them to go out to the polls,” she told BuzzFeed News.
Dantic added that the campaign would follow the Senate campaigns’ direction, but that they weren’t completely opposed to canvassing in person.
But the uptick in coronavirus cases is an ever-present worry. To stay safe, organizers are donning personal protective equipment, such as masks and face shields, and trying to meet outdoors.
“We’re going to be having our first full runoff hub meeting in a park on Sunday,” Wolfe said. “We’re doing it rain or shine because we understand the urgency of this moment and we’re not afraid of a little rain.”
The pandemic is also a big reason some local organizers are telling people from out of state to stay home and leave the ground efforts to them.
“We’re not encouraging anyone to come here from out of state. We know that our medical infrastructure in south Georgia isn’t up to par, and we understand that rates of the virus are increasing. So we’re encouraging people from out of state to text with us, and that robust program is moving,” said Britney Whaley, a political strategist with the Working Families Party.
“If people are from here and they want to get involved and canvass,” she said, “that program is happening, and we’ve padded our staff to make sure that our folks are safe.”
The organization is dedicating certain staffers as “safety captains” who will take the temperatures of canvassers and distribute literature to members to avoid big gatherings; it is also planning some outdoor meetings.
“We’re giving out additional PPE to canvassers. This may sound extra, but if people answer the doors with no mask, we’re asking them to close the door so we can leave them some so that they can put on the mask and then we can engage with them from 6 feet away,” Whaley said. “If they don’t want to because they’re at home, then we just move on to the next door. There’s no pressure for our canvassers to be in someone’s face or engage.”
National progressive groups are now focusing their attention on the Georgia races even without sending in staffers and volunteers.
At the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund, executive director Kevin Curtis is encouraging donors and members to give money. “Give money to the candidates, give money to Stacey Abrams’ group, give money to the Georgia Democratic Party, all of which is going to be focused on getting people to turn out to vote,” he told BuzzFeed News.
Donating to Ossoff, Warnock, and the Georgia Senate Victory Fund all currently feature prominently on the online GiveGreen platform, a collaboration between the environmental groups NRDC, billionaire Tom Steyer’s NextGen America, and the League of Conservation Voters. ●