buzzfeed--2020-06-29--If You Think It's Weird For Parents To Keep Baby Teeth, There's Research Showing They May Harvest St

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

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

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


buzzfeed--2020-07-01--This Young Woman Was Just Asked Out By Her Old High School Teacher — What Should She Do?

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

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


buzzfeed--2020-06-30--Someone Edited Clips Of People Freaking Out About Face Masks Into A "Parks And Rec" Town Hall Meetin

Someone Edited Clips Of People Freaking Out About Face Masks Into A "Parks And Rec" Town Hall Meeting And It's Perfect

`` It was kind of painful to listen through these people complaining about having to wear a mask , but @ @ @ @ @ the end , '' Law added .
`` Mostly , I ’ m just happy @ @ @ @ @ of it and we ’ re able to laugh during a pretty dark time in @ @ @ @ @ . ''

Well, as you've probably seen on the news, there have been lots of REAL town hall meetings happening recently, in which people have thrown massive tantrums about having to wear face masks in public — and spread lots of (incorrect) conspiracy theories about COVID-19 being a hoax.


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--21 Balanced Lunch Ideas With A Ton Of Protein And No Meat

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

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


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--At Least 18 Members Of One Family Have The Coronavirus After A Surprise Birthday Party

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

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


buzzfeed--2020-07-01--“The Squad” Is Raising Money To Fight For Progressive Candidates

WASHINGTON — Members of the Squad are launching a fundraising committee to raise money for their reelections and progressive campaigns all over the country .
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Ilhan Omar , Ayanna Pressley , and Rashida Tlaib are combining their star power as outspoken first-term members of Congress to support other progressive hopefuls .
The group will announce Wednesday accompanied by a short video .
As a joint fundraising committee , the Squad Victory Fund can only donate to political action committees already associated with each member ’ s individual campaign .
Those PACs can then donate to other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money will go to the congress members ' individual campaigns to fend off opponents backed by high-spending.supporters .
The Washington Post reported a slew of fundraising from the financial industry poured into Michelle Caruso-Cabrera 's campaign who ran an unsuccessful primary against Ocasio-Cortez earlier this year .
The Squad has also received ire from President Donald Trump during campaign rallies and on Twitter .
Ocasio-Cortez and Omar are among the 30 strongest fundraisers in Congress ; Ocasio-Cortez is the fifth-highest and has raised $ 2 million more this cycle than House Speaker Nancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line with their grassroots approach to fundraising , they ’ ll reject money from lobbyists , corporate PACs , fossil fuel companies , and — a decision arrived on the heels of George Floyd ’ s killing — police organizations .
( Not that much would likely be coming their way from such interests , as the four Democrats push to defund the police . )
“ The progressive policies that my sisters and I are fighting for — Medicare for All , a Green New Deal , racial justice , an end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more important , ” Ocasio-Cortez told BuzzFeed News .
Omar noted the “ unprecedented historical moment ” facing the nation .
“ People in our districts and across the country are demanding solutions to crises of public health , economic , and racial justice , ” she said .
The Squad ’ s fundraising effort comes after several long-standing congressional members have already faced tough progressive challengers during 2020 primaries and lost .
Jamaal Bowman who has likely unseated House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel .
( An overwhelming number of mail-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delay a final tally , but Bowman leads significantly with more than 50,000 votes counted . )
“ Last week ’ s elections showed the strength of progressive candidates of color who can speak to their communities , ” Omar told BuzzFeed News , referencing Bowman ’ s likely win .
“ But they also showed the length the establishment is willing to go to cling to power.
” All four members backed progressives in the presidential primaries ; all but Pressley — who backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren — endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats in Congress — and moderate Democrats ’ continued worries about being primaried — began this cycle in September 2019 when Ocasio-Cortez backed Marie Newman , a progressive , who ultimately ran a successful campaign against Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski , one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in Congress .
The Squad ’ s progressive movement is rooted in Ocasio-Cortez ’ s 2018 unexpected win against Rep. Joe Crowley , a longtime incumbent and favorite to succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi in leadership .
Omar , Pressley , and Tlaib were elected at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force within the House Democratic caucus .
But even with the backing of progressive political PACs , the progressive wing of the Democratic caucus has struggled with gaining support for policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All .
The lawmakers are helping to level the playing field .
“ Wall Street and Trump donors poured over $ 3 million into an attempt to defeat me and now they ’ re preparing to do even more to stop this progressive momentum in its tracks , ” Ocasio-Cortez said .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back .
”

WASHINGTON — Members of the Squad are launching a fundraising committee to raise money for their reelections and progressive campaigns all over the country.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib are combining their star power as outspoken first-term members of Congress to support other progressive hopefuls. The group will announce Wednesday accompanied by a short video.
As a joint fundraising committee, the Squad Victory Fund can only donate to political action committees already associated with each member’s individual campaign. Those PACs can then donate to other progressives.
At least half of the money will go to the congress members' individual campaigns to fend off opponents backed by high-spending.supporters. The Washington Post reported a slew of fundraising from the financial industry poured into Michelle Caruso-Cabrera's campaign who ran an unsuccessful primary against Ocasio-Cortez earlier this year.
The Squad has also received ire from President Donald Trump during campaign rallies and on Twitter.
Ocasio-Cortez and Omar are among the 30 strongest fundraisers in Congress; Ocasio-Cortez is the fifth-highest and has raised $2 million more this cycle than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another prolific fundraiser. In line with their grassroots approach to fundraising, they’ll reject money from lobbyists, corporate PACs, fossil fuel companies, and — a decision arrived on the heels of George Floyd’s killing — police organizations. (Not that much would likely be coming their way from such interests, as the four Democrats push to defund the police.)
“The progressive policies that my sisters and I are fighting for — Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, racial justice, an end to mass incarceration — have never been more important,” Ocasio-Cortez told BuzzFeed News.
Omar noted the “unprecedented historical moment” facing the nation. “People in our districts and across the country are demanding solutions to crises of public health, economic, and racial justice,” she said.
The Squad’s fundraising effort comes after several long-standing congressional members have already faced tough progressive challengers during 2020 primaries and lost. Jamaal Bowman who has likely unseated House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel. (An overwhelming number of mail-in votes due to the coronavirus will significantly delay a final tally, but Bowman leads significantly with more than 50,000 votes counted.)
“Last week’s elections showed the strength of progressive candidates of color who can speak to their communities,” Omar told BuzzFeed News, referencing Bowman’s likely win. “But they also showed the length the establishment is willing to go to cling to power.”
All four members backed progressives in the presidential primaries; all but Pressley — who backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren — endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders.
But the fervor to oust moderate Democrats in Congress — and moderate Democrats’ continued worries about being primaried — began this cycle in September 2019 when Ocasio-Cortez backed Marie Newman, a progressive, who ultimately ran a successful campaign against Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski, one of the last anti-abortion Democrats in Congress.
The Squad’s progressive movement is rooted in Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 unexpected win against Rep. Joe Crowley, a longtime incumbent and favorite to succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi in leadership. Omar, Pressley, and Tlaib were elected at the same time and quickly became a noticeable force within the House Democratic caucus.
But even with the backing of progressive political PACs, the progressive wing of the Democratic caucus has struggled with gaining support for policies like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. The lawmakers are helping to level the playing field.
“Wall Street and Trump donors poured over $3 million into an attempt to defeat me and now they’re preparing to do even more to stop this progressive momentum in its tracks,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The Squad Victory Fund will help us fight back.”


buzzfeed--2020-07-01--Mueller Memos Part 8: More Revelations About What Witnesses Told Investigators About Trump And Russi

Mueller Memos Part 8: More Revelations About What Witnesses Told Investigators About Trump And Russia

BuzzFeed News sued the FBI and the Department of Justice for access to the secret records used by special counsel Robert Mueller .
Today , we are publishing the eighth installment of the FBI ’ s interview summaries with witnesses in the investigation .
Bannon , who joined Trump ’ s campaign in August 2016 , described numerous discussions within the Trump campaign related to “ dirt ” that could be used to harm Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign .
He “ was always interested in the missing 33,000 emails , ” an FBI agent wrote in a summary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubts that Roger Stone had a relationship with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks or would know about an impending leak .
According to Bannon , Trump “ every now and then ” would “ bring up the 33,000 emails.
” The then-candidate , Bannon told investigators , thought that the missing emails might contain info on a connection linking “ crooked Hillary ” to a widely-circulated conspiracy theory about uranium .
At one point , Bannon wondered if Michael Flynn , who would go on to be named Trump ’ s National Security Advisor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using an outside company and finding the 33,000 missing emails.
” After WikiLeaks published then-Democratic National Committee chair John Podesta ’ s hacked emails in October 2016 , Trump asked Bannon “ if it was a big deal , ” according to the 302 .
Bannon said he had never believed they were that important and that they would not have a big impact on the campaign .
In his interview , Bannon pulled few punches in regards to other advisors in Trump ’ s orbit .
He described Roger Stone as someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ nasty piece of work ” who leaked stories to the press in order to get Trump ’ s first campaign manager , Corey Lewandowski , removed from the job .
Lewandwoski left the campaign in June and was replaced by Stone ’ s former business partner , Paul Manafort .
In addition , Bannon called campaign advisors Sam Clovis and George Papadopolous “ clowns.
” An unnamed male witness told investigators that when the FBI agents who showed up at his house confirmed that they were looking for information about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Fuck , fuck , I knew you guys would come , it was so fucked up.
” The witness said he never saw Prince with Trump or around the campaign .
The next section of the interview is redacted , and ends with an out-of-context reference to “ information about Eliot Spitzer and the escort service , ” a reference to the sex scandal that brought down the former New York governor in 2008 .
The witness said Prince wanted to throw a fundraiser for Trump , but it didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Blackwater , was too controversial .
The witness told agents that Trump campaign officials didn ’ t know what they were doing .
He said the campaign didn ’ t have a plan or organization when they arrived in a state to stump for Trump — he said he would go on Craigslist to look for office space .
Once Trump secured the nomination , the witness said he and other campaign workers were advised to switch over to the Republican National Committee ’ s payroll , where they could earn more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him money for expenses .
He said he didn ’ t hear about any contacts between Russia and the campaign , but noted that Trump said he wasn ’ t impressed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and noted Putin was “ only 5 ’ 6.
” Paul Manafort resigned from Trump ’ s campaign in August 2016 , but months later he was open about his efforts to keep a finger on policy issues of interest to the Trump administration .
An unnamed witness told an agent that when he “ ran into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that he was going to try to convince the incoming president of Ecuador to kick Julian Assange out of the nation ’ s London embassy .
The witness didn ’ t know if Manafort followed through .
( The New York Times and others previously reported on Manafort ’ s plan . )
The witness had called the FBI agent in November 2018 after reading a report in The Guardian that stated Manafort had several secret meetings with Assange at the embassy , where Assange lived for years while claiming asylum .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ 100 % false.
” The Guardian story also noted that Wikileaks denied that the two men met .
The witness told the FBI agent that they had two conversations with Manafort about Manafort ’ s plan to pitch his services to the Ecuadorian president as a political adviser , but that Manafort had never said whether or not he met with Assange .
An unidentified witness told investigators in 2017 that during a VIP reception at the Mayflower Hotel a year earlier , at which the president delivered his foreign policy speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jr. would snap their fingers to get people to wait on them .
“ Trump , Jr. tried to [ redacted ] attention by snapping his fingers at him and asking him to take him to a different part of the reception .
[ Redacted ] explained that he was not secret service .
Trump Jr. then snapped his fingers at agents who escorted him wherever he went .
[ Redacted ] explained that Trump also snapped his fingers at this former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort or Corey Lewandowski during a review of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The documents show that Charlie Black , a veteran Republican political strategist , appears to have spoken with the Mueller 's team .
One August 2018 interview summary described a witness , whose name is redacted , as someone who began a political consulting firm with Paul Manafort and Roger Stone — a description that could only refer to Black .
The witness `` does not trust Manafort and would not believe his version of events , '' the summary read .
Other parts of the interview summary match publicly available information about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rick Gates to work at the firm with Manafort and Stone , which the Associated Press noted in a feature about Gates , and that he spent time with Manafort and Stone the night before Trump 's inauguration , a story that Black himself told Washingtonian .
Black declined to comment on Tuesday evening .
According to the interview summary , Black told investigators that he wasn ’ t aware of Manafort doing anything illegal when they worked together , but he did note that Manafort billed clients when he traveled via the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a taste for the finer things , ” the summary read .
Black told investigators that leading up to Manafort ’ s first federal indictment — along with Rick Gates — in late October 2017 , friends of Manafort formed a group to try to help him out .
Part of their strategy was to circulate a biography of Manafort to elected officials and the press .
The Story Of Manafort , By Manafort Manafort himself wrote the biography , which was reviewed by members of the informal group in an email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” and which appears to include the claim that “ [ n ] one of the public affairs activities ” that Manafort organized “ were conducted in the United States ” — Manafort would later admit to orchestrating lobbying activities in the United States as part of his plea deal .
After he was indicted , including on charges that he used overseas accounts to hide money from the IRS , Manafort told his supporters “ there was a good explanation for all of it ” and that it was his clients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to receive their payments for his services .
Black also talked about helping out Gates as the criminal case against him unfolded .
Weighing his options , Gates in either December 2017 or January 2018 reached out to his former employer for advice on whether he should take a plea deal or hope for a pardon from President Trump .
Black “ told Gates that Trump would only pardon Gates if it was in the best interests of Trump , '' according to the summary .
Gates eventually opted to take the plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office .
In February 2018 he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and conspiring against the United States and was eventually sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation .
This April a judge suspended his jail time due to COVID-19 .
Although Trump has issued 25 pardons since taking office , he has yet to pardon anyone indicted as part of the Mueller investigation .
The final 448-page Mueller report , released in April 2019 , was the most hotly anticipated prosecutorial document in a generation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the primary-source documents that Mueller ’ s team had amassed over the course of its two-year probe ; much of the content of the hundreds of interviews taken by the special counsel ’ s office has never before been reviewed publicly .
For example , interview summaries released late last year showed that Paul Manafort was still advising the Trump campaign three days before Election Day in 2016 — despite having been fired as campaign manager nearly three months earlier .
That fact , wrote Trump ’ s next campaign manager , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to be kept secret or “ they are going to try to say the Russians worked with wiki leaks to give this victory to us.
” In May 2019 , BuzzFeed News sued the FBI and the Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act seeking access to the thousands of pages of interview summaries of the witnesses who spoke to FBI agents and prosecutors .
That litigation was subsequently joined by CNN .
In October , a federal judge ordered the release of the documents , and the two agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the court order , records must be disclosed every month ; to date , the government has produced in excess of 2,000 pages of summaries from interviews with more than 500 witnesses who spoke to Mueller ’ s team during the course of the investigation .
The vast majority of the 302s have been heavily redacted , leaving vast swaths of information about what witnesses told investigators obscured from view .
BuzzFeed News has challenged some of those redactions , arguing in court that one category of exemption that the government has cited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , politically motivated , and implemented solely to protect the president .
Although the Mueller investigation led to 37 indictments and seven convictions , Trump has aggressively sought to discredit it , repeatedly referring to it as a “ witch hunt.
” His efforts have been supported by Attorney General Bill Barr , who has been accused of intentionally misrepresenting Mueller ’ s findings and who has taken the highly unusual step of intervening in several cases related to the investigation , including the prosecutions of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Barr also tapped a US attorney in Connecticut , John Durham , to investigate the origins of the Russia probe .

Bannon: Trump Wanted Those Emails
Bannon, who joined Trump’s campaign in August 2016, described numerous discussions within the Trump campaign related to “dirt” that could be used to harm Hillary Clinton’s campaign. He “was always interested in the missing 33,000 emails,” an FBI agent wrote in a summary of the February 2018 interview, but expressed doubts that Roger Stone had a relationship with Julian Assange of WikiLeaks or would know about an impending leak.
According to Bannon, Trump “every now and then” would “bring up the 33,000 emails.” The then-candidate, Bannon told investigators, thought the missing emails might contain info on a connection linking “crooked Hillary” to a widely circulated conspiracy theory about uranium.
At one point, Bannon wondered if Michael Flynn, who would go on to be named Trump’s national security adviser, “might have an idea about using an outside company and finding the 33,000 missing emails.”
After WikiLeaks published then–Democratic National Committee chair John Podesta’s hacked emails in October 2016, Trump asked Bannon “if it was a big deal,” according to the 302. Bannon said he had never believed they were that important and that they would not have a big impact on the campaign.


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--The Supreme Court Struck Down An Anti-Abortion Law In Louisiana In Its First Major Abortion Case Und

The Supreme Court Struck Down An Anti-Abortion Law In Louisiana In Its First Major Abortion Case Under Trump

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to abortion Monday , rejecting a state ’ s attempts to limit access to the procedure for the second time in four years .
The decision strikes down a 2014 Louisiana law that required physicians performing abortions at clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital .
Justice Stephen Breyer , who wrote the deciding opinion , noted that the law at issue was identical to the one the court considered and struck down in Texas in 2016 .
Attorneys for the state argued in front of the justices in March that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensured that if anything went wrong during an abortion procedure , the patient could be rushed to a nearby hospital .
The Center for Reproductive Rights sued and its attorneys countered that the law was unnecessary — hospitals will admit anyone with a medical emergency and medical complications in first trimester abortions are exceedingly rare .
They also argued that obtaining admitting privileges is difficult , and that the law is really designed to make doctors unable to perform abortions and to close abortion clinics in the state .
In a rare move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this case .
Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the more liberal justices on the court to strike down the law , but noted that he thinks the precedent that Monday ’ s decision is based on was wrongly decided .
Still , Roberts wrote , he must treat the Louisiana Law the same way the court treated the Texas law in 2016 .
Monday ’ s case , called June Medical Services v. Russo , is nearly identical to the 2016 case Whole Woman ’ s Health v. Hellerstedt , over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the state ’ s clinics to close .
In that case , the Supreme Court struck down the law which had already gone into effect .
In the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s death , the 2016 vote was 5–3 with Roberts dissenting .
The 2016 decision reaffirmed the “ undue burden standard ” — the idea that it is unconstitutional to pass laws creating major barriers to abortion access — a benchmark used by the Supreme Court in every case examining abortion regulations since it was established in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday ’ s Supreme Court ruling re-emphasizes the power of this standard .
In a statement following the release of the decision , Nancy Northup , president of the Center for Reproductive Rights , which argued the case , wrote that her organization was “ relieved ” but concerned about future cases .
“ We ’ re relieved that the Louisiana law has been blocked today but we ’ re concerned about tomorrow .
With this win , the clinics in Louisiana can stay open to serve the one million women of reproductive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement reads .
“ But the Court ’ s decision could embolden states to pass even more restrictive laws when clarity is needed if abortion rights are to be protected.
” In his opinion striking down the Louisiana law , Breyer wrote that in Whole Woman ’ s Health v. Hellerstedt , the court held that `` [ u ] nnecessary health regulations that have the purpose or effect of presenting a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion impose an undue burden on the right ’ and are therefore ‘ constitutionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Breyer wrote , “ almost word-for-word identical to Texas ’ admitting-privileges law , ” and that the District Court ’ s findings in the Louisiana case “ mirror those made in Whole Woman ’ s Health in every relevant respect and require the same result.
” “ We consequently hold that the Louisiana statute is unconstitutional , ” Breyer wrote .
Breyer was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg , Sonia Sotomayor , and Elena Kagan , while Justices Clarence Thomas , Samuel Alito , Neil Gorsuch , and Brett Kavanaugh joined the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinion , Roberts wrote that he joined the dissent in Whole Woman ’ s Health and still believes today that the Texas case was wrongly decided .
“ The question today however is not whether Whole Woman ’ s Health was right or wrong , but whether to adhere to it in deciding the present case , ” he continued , concluding by the end of his opinion that the legal doctrine of stare decisis requires the Supreme Court , “ absent special circumstances , to treat cases alike.
” “ The Louisiana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortion just as severe as that imposed by the Texas law , for the same reasons , ” Roberts wrote .
“ Therefore Louisiana ’ s law can not stand under our precedents.
” On a phone call with the press Monday afternoon , lawyers for the Center for Reproductive Rights said that while the decision was `` absolutely a victory , '' Roberts ' opinion `` muddied the waters '' and opened the door for more abortion-restricting laws to be passed , and more litigation over abortion to come before the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us , but ultimately the court did uphold the rule of law , '' Julie Rikelman , who argued the case before the Supreme Court , said .
One argument that Louisiana made before the court that Texas did not is that third party plaintiffs like abortion clinics should not be able to file lawsuits on behalf of their patients .
This is the way most abortion cases are fought in court .
While third parties are not typically allowed to sue on behalf of others , groups like the Center for Reproductive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have often brought cases against anti-abortion regulations on behalf of their clients under a standard called “ third-party standing ” — in which plaintiffs have a “ close relationship ” with the damaged parties .
The precedent of doctors suing on behalf of their patients goes back to the 1800s .
In response to this claim , Breyer wrote that he believed the state made this point too late .
Breyer wrote that the state had already argued this case through several courts for years without arguing that the case was invalid because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sue on behalf of its patients .
“ And even if the State had merely forfeited its objection by failing to raise it at any point over the last five years , we would not now undo all that has come before on that basis , ” Breyer added .
“ We have long permitted abortion providers to invoke the rights of their actual or potential patients in challenges to abortion-related regulations.
” The court rejected the state ’ s claims , allowing clinics and other medical institutions to continue to be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the court had sided with Louisiana , the decision could have applied to lawsuits unrelated to abortion and uprooted many cases currently being argued across the country .
Justice Thomas wrote the dissenting opinion , writing that the majority of the court “ perpetuates its ill-founded abortion jurisprudence by enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction.
” However , Thomas focused his dissent on the majority ’ s holding that clinics should be able to sue on behalf of their patients .
“ This suit was brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sole claim before this Court is that Louisiana ’ s law violates the purported substantive due process right of a woman to abort her unborn child , ” Thomas wrote .
“ But they concede that this right does not belong to them , and they seek to vindicate no private rights of their own.
” Article III of the US Constitution , which deals with the rules of judicial power , is generally interpreted to hold that third parties are not legally allowed to file lawsuits on behalf of other people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have “ substantial interest ” in the case , an exception can be made .
In past Supreme Court decisions , the court has found that this exception applies to cases where the plaintiffs have a “ close relationship ” with the damaged parties , and that a doctor–patient relationship is a close one .
Thomas argued against this precedent applying to Louisiana ’ s case , even going so far as to say that the Supreme Court lacks “ jurisdiction to decide these cases.
” “ When a private plaintiff seeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injury , he has no private right of his own genuinely at stake in the litigation , ” Thomas wrote .
“ Even if the plaintiff has suffered damages as a result of another ’ s legal injury , he has no standing to challenge a law that does not violate his own private rights.
” Justice Samuel Alito wrote a separate dissent joined by Gorsuch .
His dissent concurred with Thomas in part , and a separate dissent written by Kavanaugh also partially agreed with Alito ’ s dissent .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a facsimile of Whole Woman ’ s Health v. Hellerstedt , … and it ’ s true they have something in common , ” Alito wrote .
“ In both , the abortion right recognized in this Court ’ s decisions is used like a bulldozer to flatten legal rules that stand in the way.
” Alito argued that , outside of the law ’ s bulldozer attitude , June Medical is “ very different ” from Whole Woman ’ s Health .
“ The decision in Whole Woman ’ s Health was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas statute , but on an empirical question , namely , the effect of the statute on access to abortion in that State , '' Alito wrote .
“ There is no reason to think that a law requiring admitting privileges will necessarily have the same effect in every state.
” Alito ’ s opinion stated that the Louisiana law is important , and different from Texas ’ , as it protects patients from “ lax practices ” at some of Louisiana ’ s abortion clinics .
Monday ’ s decision will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s rulings on reproductive rights .
The court also heard two combined cases via video chat in May about the Trump administration 's rules granting employers and universities the ability to refuse to provide birth control coverage for their employees for religious or moral reasons .
The cases , Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and Trump v. Pennsylvania , examined challenges to an Obama administration-era rule requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception to their employees , or to apply for an exemption to have that coverage taken over by @ @ @

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to abortion Monday, rejecting a state’s attempts to limit access to the procedure for the second time in four years.
The decision strikes down a 2014 Louisiana law that required physicians performing abortions at clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Justice Stephen Breyer, who wrote the deciding opinion, noted that the law at issue was identical to the one the court considered and struck down in Texas in 2016.
Attorneys for the state argued in front of the justices in March that the law made abortions safer because it ensured that if anything went wrong during an abortion procedure, the patient could be rushed to a nearby hospital.
The Center for Reproductive Rights sued and its attorneys countered that the law was unnecessary — hospitals will admit anyone with a medical emergency and medical complications in first trimester abortions are exceedingly rare. They also argued that obtaining admitting privileges is difficult, and that the law is really designed to make doctors unable to perform abortions and to close abortion clinics in the state.
In a rare move, there is no majority opinion in this case. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the more liberal justices on the court to strike down the law, but noted that he thinks the precedent that Monday’s decision is based on was wrongly decided. Still, Roberts wrote, he must treat the Louisiana Law the same way the court treated the Texas law in 2016.
Monday’s case, called June Medical Services v. Russo, is nearly identical to the 2016 case Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, over a similar law in Texas which caused half of the state’s clinics to close. In that case, the Supreme Court struck down the law which had already gone into effect. In the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, the 2016 vote was 5–3 with Roberts dissenting.
The 2016 decision reaffirmed the “undue burden standard” — the idea that it is unconstitutional to pass laws creating major barriers to abortion access — a benchmark used by the Supreme Court in every case examining abortion regulations since it was established in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Monday’s Supreme Court ruling re-emphasizes the power of this standard.
In a statement following the release of the decision, Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case, wrote that her organization was “relieved” but concerned about future cases.
“We’re relieved that the Louisiana law has been blocked today but we’re concerned about tomorrow. With this win, the clinics in Louisiana can stay open to serve the one million women of reproductive age in the state,” the statement reads. “But the Court’s decision could embolden states to pass even more restrictive laws when clarity is needed if abortion rights are to be protected.”
In his opinion striking down the Louisiana law, Breyer wrote that in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the court held that "[u]nnecessary health regulations that have the purpose or effect of presenting a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion impose an undue burden on the right’ and are therefore ‘constitutionally invalid.’”
Louisiana's law, Breyer wrote, “almost word-for-word identical to Texas’ admitting-privileges law,” and that the District Court’s findings in the Louisiana case “mirror those made in Whole Woman’s Health in every relevant respect and require the same result.”
“We consequently hold that the Louisiana statute is unconstitutional,” Breyer wrote.
Breyer was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, while Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh joined the dissent.
In his separate, concurring opinion, Roberts wrote that he joined the dissent in Whole Woman’s Health and still believes today that the Texas case was wrongly decided.
“The question today however is not whether Whole Woman’s Health was right or wrong, but whether to adhere to it in deciding the present case,” he continued, concluding by the end of his opinion that the legal doctrine of stare decisis requires the Supreme Court, “absent special circumstances, to treat cases alike.”
“The Louisiana law imposes a burden on access to abortion just as severe as that imposed by the Texas law, for the same reasons,” Roberts wrote. “Therefore Louisiana’s law cannot stand under our precedents.”
On a phone call with the press Monday afternoon, lawyers for the Center for Reproductive Rights said that while the decision was "absolutely a victory," Roberts' opinion "muddied the waters" and opened the door for more abortion-restricting laws to be passed, and more litigation over abortion to come before the court.
"The opinion is concerning to us, but ultimately the court did uphold the rule of law," Julie Rikelman, who argued the case before the Supreme Court, said.
One argument that Louisiana made before the court that Texas did not is that third party plaintiffs like abortion clinics should not be able to file lawsuits on behalf of their patients. This is the way most abortion cases are fought in court. While third parties are not typically allowed to sue on behalf of others, groups like the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood, and others have often brought cases against anti-abortion regulations on behalf of their clients under a standard called “third-party standing” — in which plaintiffs have a “close relationship” with the damaged parties. The precedent of doctors suing on behalf of their patients goes back to the 1800s.
In response to this claim, Breyer wrote that he believed the state made this point too late. Breyer wrote that the state had already argued this case through several courts for years without arguing that the case was invalid because the clinic should not be able to sue on behalf of its patients.
“And even if the State had merely forfeited its objection by failing to raise it at any point over the last five years, we would not now undo all that has come before on that basis,” Breyer added. “We have long permitted abortion providers to invoke the rights of their actual or potential patients in challenges to abortion-related regulations.”
The court rejected the state’s claims, allowing clinics and other medical institutions to continue to be able to sue on behalf of their patients.
If the court had sided with Louisiana, the decision could have applied to lawsuits unrelated to abortion and uprooted many cases currently being argued across the country.
Justice Thomas wrote the dissenting opinion, writing that the majority of the court “perpetuates its ill-founded abortion jurisprudence by enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction.”
However, Thomas focused his dissent on the majority’s holding that clinics should be able to sue on behalf of their patients.
“This suit was brought by abortionists and abortion clinics. Their sole claim before this Court is that Louisiana’s law violates the purported substantive due process right of a woman to abort her unborn child,” Thomas wrote. “But they concede that this right does not belong to them, and they seek to vindicate no private rights of their own.”
Article III of the US Constitution, which deals with the rules of judicial power, is generally interpreted to hold that third parties are not legally allowed to file lawsuits on behalf of other people. However, if those parties are found to have “substantial interest” in the case, an exception can be made. In past Supreme Court decisions, the court has found that this exception applies to cases where the plaintiffs have a “close relationship” with the damaged parties, and that a doctor–patient relationship is a close one.
Thomas argued against this precedent applying to Louisiana’s case, even going so far as to say that the Supreme Court lacks “jurisdiction to decide these cases.”
“When a private plaintiff seeks to vindicate someone else’s legal injury, he has no private right of his own genuinely at stake in the litigation,” Thomas wrote. “Even if the plaintiff has suffered damages as a result of another’s legal injury, he has no standing to challenge a law that does not violate his own private rights.”
Justice Samuel Alito wrote a separate dissent joined by Gorsuch. His dissent concurred with Thomas in part, and a separate dissent written by Kavanaugh also partially agreed with Alito’s dissent.
“The majority bills today’s decision as a facsimile of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, … and it’s true they have something in common,” Alito wrote. “In both, the abortion right recognized in this Court’s decisions is used like a bulldozer to flatten legal rules that stand in the way.”
Alito argued that, outside of the law’s bulldozer attitude, June Medical is “very different” from Whole Woman’s Health.
“The decision in Whole Woman’s Health was not based on the face of the Texas statute, but on an empirical question, namely, the effect of the statute on access to abortion in that State," Alito wrote. “There is no reason to think that a law requiring admitting privileges will necessarily have the same effect in every state.”
Alito’s opinion stated that the Louisiana law is important, and different from Texas’, as it protects patients from “lax practices” at some of Louisiana’s abortion clinics.
Monday’s decision will not be the last of this year’s rulings on reproductive rights. The court also heard two combined cases via video chat in May about the Trump administration's rules granting employers and universities the ability to refuse to provide birth control coverage for their employees for religious or moral reasons.
The cases, Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and Trump v. Pennsylvania, examined challenges to an Obama administration-era rule requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception to their employees, or to apply for an exemption to have that coverage taken over by another entity.


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--Democrats Won't Let Republicans Speak In Coronavirus Hearings If They Don’t Wear Masks

Rep. Jim Clyburn greets House Minority Whip Steve Scalise with an elbow bump before a hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis , June 26 .
WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis are threatening to bar Republican members from participating future meetings in-person after they showed up to a hearing on Friday without masks .
Subcommittee Chair Jim Clyburn is sending a letter to ranking member Steve Scalise , warning he would not recognize members in hearings and meetings without proper face coverings ; the chair must recognize members to speak and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward , as long as the Attending Physician ’ s requirement to wear masks is in place , I will not recognize any Member of this Subcommittee to participate in person in any Subcommittee meeting or hearing unless the Member is wearing a mask and strictly adheres to the Attending Physician ’ s guidance , '' Clyburn said in a letter to Scalise .
The letter further recommends members participate remotely if they insist on not wearing masks .
The letter comes after a monthslong debate in Congress where Republicans have repeatedly disregarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health experts to wear face coverings .
The disagreement on the topic came to a head at the end of a Friday hearing when Clyburn reminded his Republican colleagues they were in violation of a mandate handed down by the attending physician , even as disposable masks were stationed outside the hearing room for members to use .
“ For the United States House of Representatives meetings , in a limited and closed space such as a committee hearing room for greater than 15 minutes face coverings are required , ” Clyburn said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s order .
“ And we ’ re not going to have another meeting in a confined space if we ’ re not going to abide by this .
I will stay in the safety of my home as I would ask all you to do.
” Scalise responded to Clyburn by saying members of the House are following guidelines on how to social distance just fine , suggesting mask-wearing is an additional precautionary measure .
“ I understand doctors might look at things differently and want to give even extra precautions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are clearly being followed , ” Scalise said , arguing social distancing and disinfecting surfaces meet certain health official guidelines .
Rep. Jamie Raskin , a Democrat , also chimed in to note that dozens of members of Congress have quarantined because they ’ ve either tested positive or come into contact with others who have , even pointing to the death of Rep. Maxine Waters ' sister who died from the coronavirus .
“ Why is it some kind of macho thing , like , ‘ if I don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tough ’ ?
If you want to be tough , go spend the day with the nurses and doctors in the hospitals , ” Raskin told members during the committee hearing Friday morning .
Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee said he would comply should Clyburn require subcommittee members to wear masks meetings .
At least 55 members of Congress have quarantined , tested positive , or came in contact with someone with COVID-19 , according to a Gov.Track analysis .
Since March , most Republicans in the House have refused to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout hours of debate and votes .
The debate mirrors the national divide on the topic .
At a Friday press conference on the coronavirus , Vice President Mike Pence deferred to freedom of speech and the right to assemble when a reporter asked whether the Trump campaign is contributing to increased cases of coronavirus by holding large indoor rallies for supporters who do not social distance or wear masks .
Pence reversed course on Sunday at a press conference in Texas where he encouraged everyone to wear masks if they can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks is part of a broader response from some conservatives who argue assembling with or without masks is part of their constitutional right .
Most supporters attending President Donald Trump ’ s first indoor rally since the coronavirus did not wear masks even while both rallies in Tulsa , Oklahoma , and Phoenix were held in states that are seeing an increase in cases .
At least two dozen states have experienced an uptick in coronavirus cases in recent weeks , including Florida , the new host of this year ’ s Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina expressed concerns about holding the event in his state amid the pandemic .

WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis are threatening to bar Republican members from participating future meetings in-person after they showed up to a hearing on Friday without masks.
Subcommittee Chair Jim Clyburn is sending a letter to ranking member Steve Scalise, warning he would not recognize members in hearings and meetings without proper face coverings; the chair must recognize members to speak and participate in committee business.
“Going forward, as long as the Attending Physician’s requirement to wear masks is in place, I will not recognize any Member of this Subcommittee to participate in person in any Subcommittee meeting or hearing unless the Member is wearing a mask and strictly adheres to the Attending Physician’s guidance," Clyburn said in a letter to Scalise. The letter further recommends members participate remotely if they insist on not wearing masks.
The letter comes after a monthslong debate in Congress where Republicans have repeatedly disregarded recommendations and then a requirement from Capitol health experts to wear face coverings. The disagreement on the topic came to a head at the end of a Friday hearing when Clyburn reminded his Republican colleagues they were in violation of a mandate handed down by the attending physician, even as disposable masks were stationed outside the hearing room for members to use.
“For the United States House of Representatives meetings, in a limited and closed space such as a committee hearing room for greater than 15 minutes face coverings are required,” Clyburn said, reading the Capitol health official’s order. “And we’re not going to have another meeting in a confined space if we’re not going to abide by this. I will stay in the safety of my home as I would ask all you to do.”
Scalise responded to Clyburn by saying members of the House are following guidelines on how to social distance just fine, suggesting mask-wearing is an additional precautionary measure.
“I understand doctors might look at things differently and want to give even extra precautions, but the precautions that have been out there are clearly being followed,” Scalise said, arguing social distancing and disinfecting surfaces meet certain health official guidelines.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, also chimed in to note that dozens of members of Congress have quarantined because they’ve either tested positive or come into contact with others who have, even pointing to the death of Rep. Maxine Waters' sister who died from the coronavirus.
“Why is it some kind of macho thing, like, ‘if I don’t wear a mask, I’m tough’? If you want to be tough, go spend the day with the nurses and doctors in the hospitals,” Raskin told members during the committee hearing Friday morning.
Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee said he would comply should Clyburn require subcommittee members to wear masks meetings.
At least 55 members of Congress have quarantined, tested positive, or came in contact with someone with COVID-19, according to a Gov.Track analysis. Since March, most Republicans in the House have refused to wear masks on the House floor, sometimes throughout hours of debate and votes.
The debate mirrors the national divide on the topic. At a Friday press conference on the coronavirus, Vice President Mike Pence deferred to freedom of speech and the right to assemble when a reporter asked whether the Trump campaign is contributing to increased cases of coronavirus by holding large indoor rallies for supporters who do not social distance or wear masks.
Pence reversed course on Sunday at a press conference in Texas where he encouraged everyone to wear masks if they cannot social distance.
The refusal to wear masks is part of a broader response from some conservatives who argue assembling with or without masks is part of their constitutional right. Most supporters attending President Donald Trump’s first indoor rally since the coronavirus did not wear masks even while both rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Phoenix were held in states that are seeing an increase in cases.
At least two dozen states have experienced an uptick in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, including Florida, the new host of this year’s Republican National Convention after a Democratic lawmaker from North Carolina expressed concerns about holding the event in his state amid the pandemic.


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--There Are 93 US Attorneys. Seven Are Women And Only Two Are Black.

WASHINGTON — When Audrey Strauss became the acting US attorney in Manhattan after the dramatic showdown between her boss Geoffrey Berman and Attorney General Bill Barr last weekend , she became the seventh woman to hold one of the 93 US attorney posts nationwide .
Strauss had been Berman ’ s top deputy , but she wasn ’ t the Trump administration ’ s first , or even second , choice to replace him .
According to Barr ’ s public statements , Trump planned to nominate Jay Clayton , the head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US attorney for New Jersey , would temporarily replace Berman , but scuttled that plan after Berman refused to voluntarily step down .
The fight over Berman ’ s seat underscores the Trump administration ’ s practice of overwhelmingly placing white men in charge of federal prosecutor offices .
Berman , Clayton , and Carpenito are white .
Based on publicly available photographs and biographical information , BuzzFeed News identified 7 of 93 US attorneys are BIPOC , including two Black US attorneys : Louis Franklin Sr. in Alabama and Kenji Price @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American .
US attorneys generally don ’ t make day-to-day decisions about who to prosecute , but set priorities and policies for their offices .
They can play a hands-on role in high-profile investigations — the US attorney in Minnesota , Erica MacDonald , is involved in the Justice Department ’ s federal civil rights probe into the death of George Floyd , a Black man who was killed when a white police officer in Minneapolis used a knee chokehold on him .
Floyd ’ s death in May — and the anti–racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have trained attention on how Black men and women are treated by law enforcement and within the broader criminal justice system .
Racial injustice and discrimination happen “ more easily when Black people don ’ t have a seat at senior leadership tables , ” said Joyce Vance , a former US attorney in Alabama during the Obama administration .
“ It ’ s not just policing .
It ’ s across the criminal justice system .
It ’ s policing , prosecutive decisions , it ’ s decisions about who gets a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look like , it ’ s a question of sentencing , and , perhaps most importantly of all , it involves prisons and incarceration , ” Vance said .
Asked for comment , Justice Department spokesperson Wyn Hornbuckle directed BuzzFeed News to an updated Justice Department Equal Employment Opportunity Policy that Barr signed after he became attorney general in February 2019 .
“ We welcome employees from diverse backgrounds to apply their skills and talents toward advancing our mission to serve the country , achieve justice , and promote the rule of law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are 93 US attorneys who oversee 94 US attorney offices ( one official oversees the offices for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands ) .
In 2017 , then-attorney general Jeff Sessions asked for resignations from the remaining Obama appointees who were still in office , clearing these seats for Trump to fill .
As of this month , 81 seats are filled by US attorneys nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate .
Most of the 12 remaining posts are held by officials who were put in place by Sessions or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a few are held by second-in-commands like Strauss who under federal law can automatically fill a vacancy absent action by the president or attorney general .
The percentage of US attorneys who are women or BIPOC doesn ’ t match the gender and racial makeup of staff within US attorney offices .
According to internal Justice Department data from 2019 obtained by BuzzFeed News , 13 % of all employees in US attorney offices nationwide are Black and 70 % are white ; those numbers include attorneys as well as other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of US attorney office employees are women .
DOJ leadership has faced scrutiny about the lack of diversity in senior positions before .
In February 2019 , BuzzFeed News reported that the DOJ Gender Equality Network , or DOJ GEN , an affinity group representing nearly 400 employees and contractors , sent a letter to division heads noting the lack of women holding top jobs in the main litigating divisions of the department ; the group didn ’ t address demographics in US attorney offices .
DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time that the department was committed to “ fostering inclusive work environments that afford men and women from diverse backgrounds the equal opportunity to grow in their careers and support the Justice mission.
” Steven Wasserman , an assistant US attorney in Washington , DC , and vice president of policy for the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys , said the primary concern of career attorneys in US attorney offices is that political appointees are qualified , but that isn ’ t inconsistent with also wanting diversity .
He said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how we do our jobs and how we prioritize our enforcement obligations , the current situation in the country being a prime example.
” “ Ultimately , we believe that there are plenty of qualified female candidates and minority candidates out there to fill these positions , ” Wasserman said , speaking in his capacity as an association leader and not as a representative of the US attorney ’ s office .
When Trump first began to fill US attorney seats in 2017 , his early nominees were nearly all white men .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominees , just one was a woman — Jessie Liu , who became the US attorney for the District of Columbia .
Former US attorneys and civil rights advocates criticized Trump ’ s picks at the time .
When Liu left the DC office in January for a position in the Treasury Department , Barr appointed Timothy Shea , who had worked for Barr at DOJ headquarters , to fill the job on an interim basis .
In May , the Justice Department announced that Trump would nominate Justin Herdman , a US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DC office .
Shea moved over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and was replaced pending Herdman ’ s nomination by the top deputy in the US attorney ’ s office , Michael Sherwin .
Shea , Herdman , and Sherwin are all white .
In May , Barr announced that he ’ d appointed Stephen Cox to serve as the interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Texas .
Cox , who is white , had been a senior official in the office of the associate attorney general before the appointment .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ little diversity among U.S .
Attorneys , especially as time goes on because we are seeing DOJ install handpicked acting U.S. attorneys who are not Senate-confirmed , ” Barbara McQuade , who served as a US attorney in Michigan during the Obama administration , told BuzzFeed News in an email .
“ When the Senate is providing advice and consent , then blame for the lack of diversity can be spread around , but when the AG himself is choosing , then the lack of diversity can be laid squarely at his feet.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman confirmed as a US attorney under Trump who was replaced by a man after leaving office .
US District Judge Sherri Lydon had served as US attorney in South Carolina until Trump nominated her for the federal bench .
The US attorney who replaced Lydon , Peter McCoy , is white .
As the acting US attorney in Manhattan , Strauss can lead the office for up to 210 days under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act .
Federal law also allows Barr to appoint an interim US attorney for up to 120 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the federal district court for that US attorney district can appoint a US attorney to serve .
As of Friday afternoon , the White House had not formally submitted Clayton ’ s nomination to the Senate .
On the evening of June 19 , Barr announced that Berman was stepping down .
Two hours later , in an extraordinary public rebuke , Berman released a statement saying it wasn ’ t true , and he did not plan to voluntarily leave the office .
The next day , Barr said that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters that he “ wasn ’ t involved ” in what was happening .
Berman finally ended the standoff by releasing a statement saying he was “ leaving.
” He ended with glowing praise for Strauss .
Strauss “ is the smartest , most principled , and effective lawyer with whom I have ever had the privilege of working , ” Berman said .
“ And I know that under her leadership , this Office ’ s unparalleled AUSAs , investigators , paralegals , and staff will continue to safeguard the Southern District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independence.
” Positions at the very top of the Justice Department have largely been filled by white men under Trump .
Rachel Brand originally served as associate attorney general , the number three official in the department .
When Brand left in early 2018 , Jesse Panuccio , who is a white man , became the acting associate attorney general .
Trump never formally nominated anyone for the job ; the office is now run by Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Claire Murray .
Trump and Barr had planned to nominate Liu for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrew from consideration after Republican senators objected , according to the Washington Post .
When Liu stepped down as US attorney in January , she moved over to the Treasury Department while she waited for the Senate to act on her nomination to a senior Treasury post .
But Trump pulled that nomination in February and Liu then left the administration altogether ; the Washington Post reported that a conservative political operative , among others , had complained about Liu ’ s handling of the US attorney ’ s office , including cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s investigation .
An attorney at the Justice Department who requested anonymity to speak about senior leadership told BuzzFeed News in a text message this week that the small number of women serving as US attorneys at the moment was “ unacceptable.
” “ Seven , wow , ” the attorney wrote .
“ I think that having women comprise less than 10 percent of your workforce in 2020 is unacceptable for any employer , but especially the federal government .
”

WASHINGTON — When Audrey Strauss became the acting US attorney in Manhattan after the dramatic showdown between her boss Geoffrey Berman and Attorney General Bill Barr last weekend, she became the seventh woman to hold one of the 93 US attorney posts nationwide.
Strauss had been Berman’s top deputy, but she wasn’t the Trump administration’s first, or even second, choice to replace him. According to Barr’s public statements, Trump planned to nominate Jay Clayton, the head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Barr also announced that Craig Carpenito, the US attorney for New Jersey, would temporarily replace Berman, but scuttled that plan after Berman refused to voluntarily step down.
The fight over Berman’s seat underscores the Trump administration’s practice of overwhelmingly placing white men in charge of federal prosecutor offices. Berman, Clayton, and Carpenito are white. Based on publicly available photographs and biographical information, BuzzFeed News identified 7 of 93 US attorneys are BIPOC, including two Black US attorneys: Louis Franklin Sr. in Alabama and Kenji Price in Hawaii, who is also Asian American.
US attorneys generally don’t make day-to-day decisions about who to prosecute, but set priorities and policies for their offices. They can play a hands-on role in high-profile investigations — the US attorney in Minnesota, Erica MacDonald, is involved in the Justice Department’s federal civil rights probe into the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed when a white police officer in Minneapolis used a knee chokehold on him.
Floyd’s death in May — and the anti–racism and police brutality protests that followed — have trained attention on how Black men and women are treated by law enforcement and within the broader criminal justice system. Racial injustice and discrimination happen “more easily when Black people don’t have a seat at senior leadership tables,” said Joyce Vance, a former US attorney in Alabama during the Obama administration.
“It’s not just policing. It’s across the criminal justice system. It’s policing, prosecutive decisions, it’s decisions about who gets a plea bargain and what does the deal look like, it’s a question of sentencing, and, perhaps most importantly of all, it involves prisons and incarceration,” Vance said.
Asked for comment, Justice Department spokesperson Wyn Hornbuckle directed BuzzFeed News to an updated Justice Department Equal Employment Opportunity Policy that Barr signed after he became attorney general in February 2019.
“We welcome employees from diverse backgrounds to apply their skills and talents toward advancing our mission to serve the country, achieve justice, and promote the rule of law,” the policy states.
There are 93 US attorneys who oversee 94 US attorney offices (one official oversees the offices for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands). In 2017, then-attorney general Jeff Sessions asked for resignations from the remaining Obama appointees who were still in office, clearing these seats for Trump to fill.
As of this month, 81 seats are filled by US attorneys nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate. Most of the 12 remaining posts are held by officials who were put in place by Sessions or Barr in lieu of a presidential nominee, and a few are held by second-in-commands like Strauss who under federal law can automatically fill a vacancy absent action by the president or attorney general.
The percentage of US attorneys who are women or BIPOC doesn’t match the gender and racial makeup of staff within US attorney offices. According to internal Justice Department data from 2019 obtained by BuzzFeed News, 13% of all employees in US attorney offices nationwide are Black and 70% are white; those numbers include attorneys as well as other staff. The data show that 58% of US attorney office employees are women.
DOJ leadership has faced scrutiny about the lack of diversity in senior positions before. In February 2019, BuzzFeed News reported that the DOJ Gender Equality Network, or DOJ GEN, an affinity group representing nearly 400 employees and contractors, sent a letter to division heads noting the lack of women holding top jobs in the main litigating divisions of the department; the group didn’t address demographics in US attorney offices.
DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement to BuzzFeed News at the time that the department was committed to “fostering inclusive work environments that afford men and women from diverse backgrounds the equal opportunity to grow in their careers and support the Justice mission.”
Steven Wasserman, an assistant US attorney in Washington, DC, and vice president of policy for the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, said the primary concern of career attorneys in US attorney offices is that political appointees are qualified, but that isn’t inconsistent with also wanting diversity. He said it matters “to have different perspectives on how we do our jobs and how we prioritize our enforcement obligations, the current situation in the country being a prime example.”
“Ultimately, we believe that there are plenty of qualified female candidates and minority candidates out there to fill these positions,” Wasserman said, speaking in his capacity as an association leader and not as a representative of the US attorney’s office.
When Trump first began to fill US attorney seats in 2017, his early nominees were nearly all white men. Out of Trump’s first 42 nominees, just one was a woman — Jessie Liu, who became the US attorney for the District of Columbia. Former US attorneys and civil rights advocates criticized Trump’s picks at the time.
When Liu left the DC office in January for a position in the Treasury Department, Barr appointed Timothy Shea, who had worked for Barr at DOJ headquarters, to fill the job on an interim basis. In May, the Justice Department announced that Trump would nominate Justin Herdman, a US attorney in Ohio, to lead the DC office. Shea moved over to the Drug Enforcement Administration and was replaced pending Herdman’s nomination by the top deputy in the US attorney’s office, Michael Sherwin. Shea, Herdman, and Sherwin are all white.
In May, Barr announced that he’d appointed Stephen Cox to serve as the interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. Cox, who is white, had been a senior official in the office of the associate attorney general before the appointment.
“It is concerning to see so little diversity among U.S. Attorneys, especially as time goes on because we are seeing DOJ install handpicked acting U.S. attorneys who are not Senate-confirmed,” Barbara McQuade, who served as a US attorney in Michigan during the Obama administration, told BuzzFeed News in an email. “When the Senate is providing advice and consent, then blame for the lack of diversity can be spread around, but when the AG himself is choosing, then the lack of diversity can be laid squarely at his feet.”
Liu isn’t the only woman confirmed as a US attorney under Trump who was replaced by a man after leaving office. US District Judge Sherri Lydon had served as US attorney in South Carolina until Trump nominated her for the federal bench. The US attorney who replaced Lydon, Peter McCoy, is white.
As the acting US attorney in Manhattan, Strauss can lead the office for up to 210 days under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Federal law also allows Barr to appoint an interim US attorney for up to 120 days. If a temporary appointment expires, the federal district court for that US attorney district can appoint a US attorney to serve. As of Friday afternoon, the White House had not formally submitted Clayton’s nomination to the Senate.
On the evening of June 19, Barr announced that Berman was stepping down. Two hours later, in an extraordinary public rebuke, Berman released a statement saying it wasn’t true, and he did not plan to voluntarily leave the office. The next day, Barr said that Trump had fired Berman, although Trump told reporters that he “wasn’t involved” in what was happening. Berman finally ended the standoff by releasing a statement saying he was “leaving.” He ended with glowing praise for Strauss.
Strauss “is the smartest, most principled, and effective lawyer with whom I have ever had the privilege of working,” Berman said. “And I know that under her leadership, this Office’s unparalleled AUSAs, investigators, paralegals, and staff will continue to safeguard the Southern District’s enduring tradition of integrity and independence.”
Positions at the very top of the Justice Department have largely been filled by white men under Trump. Rachel Brand originally served as associate attorney general, the number three official in the department. When Brand left in early 2018, Jesse Panuccio, who is a white man, became the acting associate attorney general. Trump never formally nominated anyone for the job; the office is now run by Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Claire Murray.
Trump and Barr had planned to nominate Liu for the number three position, but she withdrew from consideration after Republican senators objected, according to the Washington Post.
When Liu stepped down as US attorney in January, she moved over to the Treasury Department while she waited for the Senate to act on her nomination to a senior Treasury post. But Trump pulled that nomination in February and Liu then left the administration altogether; the Washington Post reported that a conservative political operative, among others, had complained about Liu’s handling of the US attorney’s office, including cases related to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
An attorney at the Justice Department who requested anonymity to speak about senior leadership told BuzzFeed News in a text message this week that the small number of women serving as US attorneys at the moment was “unacceptable.”
“Seven, wow,” the attorney wrote. “I think that having women comprise less than 10 percent of your workforce in 2020 is unacceptable for any employer, but especially the federal government.”


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--Joe Biden Says 35% Of His Campaign Staffers Are People Of Color

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks to families who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act during an event at the Lancaster Recreation Center in Lancaster , Pennsylvania , June 25 .
Joe Biden , under increasing pressure to be more transparent about his presidential campaign ’ s diversity , released figures Saturday that show people of color accounting for 35 % of his full-time staff .
The numbers also show a staff that ’ s 53 % women and a senior staff — in which the Biden team counted consultants “ who spend the majority of their time on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % nonwhite and 58 % women .
Over the last decade , representation in political campaigns and in high government offices has become a point of criticism and concern about , especially , Democratic officials and stakeholders .
But recently , as the country examines systemic racism , those concerns have become more pointed in politics , business , and media .
Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee , had for months claimed to have the most diverse staff , even as his campaign refused to back him up with data .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s top rivals — including Pete Buttigieg , Bernie Sanders , and Elizabeth Warren — reported having staffs that were at least 40 % nonwhite . )
Biden ’ s silence continued earlier this week , when , in response to questions from BuzzFeed News , campaign officials declined to provide numbers but indicated they might do so soon .
It was Biden himself who expedited the release .
At a Saturday forum for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters , moderator Amna Nawaz of PBS NewsHour pressed him on the matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be available after the online forum .
“ When we look at dismantling systemic racism in America , political institutions like campaigns are often among the worst offenders , ” Nawaz told Biden during their exchange .
“ So what do you now say to the voters of color who worry that if you can ’ t lead the way on fixing this on your own team right now , then maybe you can ’ t lead the way on fixing it in the rest of the country ?
” Nawaz then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that staff diversity data ?
” Biden quickly responded .
“ I will release that staff diversity data today , ” he said .
“ When we get off this call , we ’ ll call you .
You know , the fact of the matter is we have a very diverse staff , and we have a diverse staff that goes across the board , and high level and senior positions .
So I will make sure we release that to you and it does include AAPI members as well as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significant number of women , and Latinos.
” The campaign emailed overall numbers to reporters several hours later and emphasized AAPI senior leaders , including the campaign ’ s chief financial and campaign officers .
There were no detailed breakdowns by race or ethnicity — metrics that are also important , said Alida Garcia , founder of Inclusv , a group that promotes racial diversity in national politics .
“ While Inclusv focuses on increasing the number of Black , Indigenous , and people of color working in politics broadly , we think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community knows their makeup within this data so that they can self advocate for increased representation across organization , ” Garcia said Saturday .
Democratic candidates released staff diversity data on a quarterly basis in the last presidential election .
A summary of data from the end of Hillary Clinton ’ s 2016 campaign shows the number of people on staff who identified as racially and ethnically diverse comprised more than 38 % of the campaign and more than 34 % of leadership , according to a former Clinton official .
Biden advisers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers a secret for so long , though this week the campaign , responding to BuzzFeed News questions , for the first time disclosed that it employs — and has for nearly a year — a chief people , diversity , and inclusion officer .
President Donald Trump 's reelection campaign also had resisted requests for staff diversity data but shared limited data late Saturday , following Biden 's disclosure .
Trump 's senior staff is 25 % nonwhite and 56 % women , according to the campaign , with 52 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data tracking people of color was `` not available . ''

Joe Biden, under increasing pressure to be more transparent about his presidential campaign’s diversity, released figures Saturday that show people of color accounting for 35% of his full-time staff.
The numbers also show a staff that’s 53% women and a senior staff — in which the Biden team counted consultants “who spend the majority of their time on the campaign” — who is 36% nonwhite and 58% women.
Over the last decade, representation in political campaigns and in high government offices has become a point of criticism and concern about, especially, Democratic officials and stakeholders. But recently, as the country examines systemic racism, those concerns have become more pointed in politics, business, and media. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, had for months claimed to have the most diverse staff, even as his campaign refused to back him up with data. (During the primaries, several of Biden’s top rivals — including Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren — reported having staffs that were at least 40% nonwhite.)
Biden’s silence continued earlier this week, when, in response to questions from BuzzFeed News, campaign officials declined to provide numbers but indicated they might do so soon.
It was Biden himself who expedited the release. At a Saturday forum for Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, moderator Amna Nawaz of PBS NewsHour pressed him on the matter, eliciting a promise that the numbers would be available after the online forum.
“When we look at dismantling systemic racism in America, political institutions like campaigns are often among the worst offenders,” Nawaz told Biden during their exchange. “So what do you now say to the voters of color who worry that if you can’t lead the way on fixing this on your own team right now, then maybe you can’t lead the way on fixing it in the rest of the country?”
Nawaz then added: “When will you release that staff diversity data?”
Biden quickly responded. “I will release that staff diversity data today,” he said. “When we get off this call, we’ll call you. You know, the fact of the matter is we have a very diverse staff, and we have a diverse staff that goes across the board, and high level and senior positions. So I will make sure we release that to you and it does include AAPI members as well as a significant number of African Americans, a significant number of women, and Latinos.”
The campaign emailed overall numbers to reporters several hours later and emphasized AAPI senior leaders, including the campaign’s chief financial and campaign officers. There were no detailed breakdowns by race or ethnicity — metrics that are also important, said Alida Garcia, founder of Inclusv, a group that promotes racial diversity in national politics.
“While Inclusv focuses on increasing the number of Black, Indigenous, and people of color working in politics broadly, we think it’s critically important that each community knows their makeup within this data so that they can self advocate for increased representation across organization,” Garcia said Saturday.
Democratic candidates released staff diversity data on a quarterly basis in the last presidential election. A summary of data from the end of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign shows the number of people on staff who identified as racially and ethnically diverse comprised more than 38% of the campaign and more than 34% of leadership, according to a former Clinton official.
Biden advisers have not addressed why they kept the numbers a secret for so long, though this week the campaign, responding to BuzzFeed News questions, for the first time disclosed that it employs — and has for nearly a year — a chief people, diversity, and inclusion officer.
President Donald Trump's reelection campaign also had resisted requests for staff diversity data but shared limited data late Saturday, following Biden's disclosure. Trump's senior staff is 25% nonwhite and 56% women, according to the campaign, with 52% of the full-time staff women. Full staff data tracking people of color was "not available."


buzzfeed--2020-06-29--Most Of Gen Z Leans Left, But Their First Member Of Congress Will Probably Be Way To The Right

Madison Cawthorn is a hardcore Republican .
The 24-year-old opposes so-called sanctuary cities , universal healthcare , and abortion — and is a climate change skeptic .
He ’ s a committed Christian who wants to cut government spending .
He counts Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro as his conservative role models .
He is also very likely to be the first Gen Z member of Congress .
“ I want to be a different kind of candidate .
We want to set ourselves apart .
We ’ ve been sending the exact same thing to Washington so many times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Congress is designed to be a cross-section of the American people and it ’ s definitely not.
” On Tuesday night , Cawthorn won the Republican primary in North Carolina ’ s 11th Congressional District , besting his 62-year-old opponent , Lynda Bennett , by winning two-thirds of the vote .
She had been endorsed by President Donald Trump and Mark Meadows , the former representative of the district who is now serving as the White House chief of staff .
Given the traditionally conservative politics of the seat , which takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cawthorn is now the odds-on favorite to win in November , when he will face Democrat Moe Davis , a retired Air Force colonel and prosecutor at Guantánamo Bay .
If he is elected , Cawthorn will become the youngest member of Congress , taking office at just 25 — the minimum age set forth in the Constitution .
But just as polls show there are some generational divides among young and older conservatives , some of Cawthorn ’ s views splinter from the most vocal senior members of his party .
Unlike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statues of Confederate generals should be taken down — albeit by government process , not by those protesting against racism , and not necessarily because they are memorials glorifying racism .
“ These people seceded from our country .
They declared war on the United States .
I don ’ t necessarily want to have hero worship for them , ” he said .
“ I do believe statues romanticize history.
” Although Cawthorn is from North Carolina , a onetime member of the Confederacy , many of his ancestors actually fought for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee — an enslaver who waged a war to keep Black people in chains — was “ an incredible man ” but not one who should be honored through statues .
“ He could have fought for either side and he chose the wrong side , ” said Cawthorn .
“ He ’ s on the wrong side of history.
” Cawthorn said he supports those peacefully protesting against racial injustice and the “ horrendous killing ” of George Floyd , but he previously told local ABC affiliate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was systemic racism in the US .
Asked if he supported the Black Lives Matter movement specifically , he told BuzzFeed News , “ I believe Black lives matter , ” but then hedged that answer with a variation of a common conservative refrain : “ I think all life is precious .
I really do.
” Being in a primary against a candidate backed by deep-pocketed donors and super PACs has also left Cawthorn taking a different position from others in his party on campaign finance reform .
He said he supports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC , which allowed corporations and labor unions to spend money outside of campaigns during elections .
“ I think it gives people undue influence in our democratic process , ” said Cawthorn .
And when he says he wants to use his time in Congress to push back against older generations in power , he doesn ’ t just mean saying “ OK boomer.
” Like many other Gen Z ’ ers , he ’ s also pushing back against millennials , whom he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I see a significantly higher amount of conservatives in my generation , Gen Z , than I do in the millennial generation , ” he told BuzzFeed News in an interview Friday .
“ So I view myself as a retort to this far-left narrative , whether it ’ s been pushed by people like Rep. Ilhan Omar or Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.
” Despite Cawthorn ’ s belief that his generation ’ s politics are swinging right , a 2019 Pew Research Center report actually found Gen Z to be even further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s in line with most polls that show young Americans lean left .
Just this week , the New York Times and the Siena College Research Institute found 60 % of 18- to 29-year-olds planned to vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election .
Only a quarter of them had , like Cawthorn , a favorable opinion of the president .
But Gen Z , Cawthorn believes , also values diversity — and he thinks his perspective is a diverse one because of his physical disability .
During spring break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passenger seat of a car when his friend fell asleep and crashed , crushing Cawthorn ’ s spine .
The accident transformed him , he said , from a privileged , independent man to someone with a drastically different outlook on life .
“ I know what it ’ s like to be looked over in a crowd , ” he said .
“ I know what it ’ s like for someone to not view things from your perspective .
I know what it ’ s like to be disenfranchised , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people who feel like the system has left them behind.
” On most issues , though , Cawthorn is a staunch Republican .
Like others in his party , he is skeptical of the 97 % of scientists who believe humans are causing climate change .
Cawthorn said he wasn ’ t convinced — despite overwhelming scientific evidence — that enough carbon had been emitted since the Industrial Revolution to alter the trajectory of the planet ’ s climate .
“ I believe that humans are contributing to a change in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liberals is on how much , ” he said , adding , falsely : “ I would argue it ’ s pretty minimal.
” And while he said he has gay friends and supports marriage for same-sex couples , he admitted he doesn ’ t know any transgender people and hadn ’ t read much about last week ’ s Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ employment protections — saying he was busy campaigning .

Madison Cawthorn is a hardcore Republican. The 24-year-old opposes so-called sanctuary cities, universal healthcare, and abortion — and is a climate change skeptic. He’s a committed Christian who wants to cut government spending. He counts Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro as his conservative role models.
He is also very likely to be the first Gen Z member of Congress.
“I want to be a different kind of candidate. We want to set ourselves apart. We’ve been sending the exact same thing to Washington so many times,” Cawthorn told BuzzFeed News. “Congress is designed to be a cross-section of the American people and it’s definitely not.”
On Tuesday night, Cawthorn won the Republican primary in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, besting his 62-year-old opponent, Lynda Bennett, by winning two-thirds of the vote. She had been endorsed by President Donald Trump and Mark Meadows, the former representative of the district who is now serving as the White House chief of staff.
Given the traditionally conservative politics of the seat, which takes up most of Western North Carolina, Cawthorn is now the odds-on favorite to win in November, when he will face Democrat Moe Davis, a retired Air Force colonel and prosecutor at Guantánamo Bay.
If he is elected, Cawthorn will become the youngest member of Congress, taking office at just 25 — the minimum age set forth in the Constitution.
But just as polls show there are some generational divides among young and older conservatives, some of Cawthorn’s views splinter from the most vocal senior members of his party.
Unlike Trump, for example, he believes statues of Confederate generals should be taken down — albeit by government process, not by those protesting against racism, and not necessarily because they are memorials glorifying racism. “These people seceded from our country. They declared war on the United States. I don’t necessarily want to have hero worship for them,” he said. “I do believe statues romanticize history.”
Although Cawthorn is from North Carolina, a onetime member of the Confederacy, many of his ancestors actually fought for the Union, he claimed. Cawthorn said Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee — an enslaver who waged a war to keep Black people in chains — was “an incredible man” but not one who should be honored through statues. “He could have fought for either side and he chose the wrong side,” said Cawthorn. “He’s on the wrong side of history.”
Cawthorn said he supports those peacefully protesting against racial injustice and the “horrendous killing” of George Floyd, but he previously told local ABC affiliate WLOS that he did not believe there was systemic racism in the US.
Asked if he supported the Black Lives Matter movement specifically, he told BuzzFeed News, “I believe Black lives matter,” but then hedged that answer with a variation of a common conservative refrain: “I think all life is precious. I really do.”
Being in a primary against a candidate backed by deep-pocketed donors and super PACs has also left Cawthorn taking a different position from others in his party on campaign finance reform. He said he supports a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporations and labor unions to spend money outside of campaigns during elections. “I think it gives people undue influence in our democratic process,” said Cawthorn.
And when he says he wants to use his time in Congress to push back against older generations in power, he doesn’t just mean saying “OK boomer.” Like many other Gen Z’ers, he’s also pushing back against millennials, whom he views as being dominated by liberal voices.
“I see a significantly higher amount of conservatives in my generation, Gen Z, than I do in the millennial generation,” he told BuzzFeed News in an interview Friday. “So I view myself as a retort to this far-left narrative, whether it’s been pushed by people like Rep. Ilhan Omar or Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.”
Despite Cawthorn’s belief that his generation’s politics are swinging right, a 2019 Pew Research Center report actually found Gen Z to be even further to the left of millennials. That’s in line with most polls that show young Americans lean left. Just this week, the New York Times and the Siena College Research Institute found 60% of 18- to 29-year-olds planned to vote for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Only a quarter of them had, like Cawthorn, a favorable opinion of the president.
But Gen Z, Cawthorn believes, also values diversity — and he thinks his perspective is a diverse one because of his physical disability.
During spring break 2014, he was asleep in the passenger seat of a car when his friend fell asleep and crashed, crushing Cawthorn’s spine. The accident transformed him, he said, from a privileged, independent man to someone with a drastically different outlook on life. “I know what it’s like to be looked over in a crowd,” he said. “I know what it’s like for someone to not view things from your perspective. I know what it’s like to be disenfranchised, and I really want to be a representative for people who feel like the system has left them behind.”
On most issues, though, Cawthorn is a staunch Republican. Like others in his party, he is skeptical of the 97% of scientists who believe humans are causing climate change. Cawthorn said he wasn’t convinced — despite overwhelming scientific evidence — that enough carbon had been emitted since the Industrial Revolution to alter the trajectory of the planet’s climate. “I believe that humans are contributing to a change in the Earth, but where we differ with liberals is on how much,” he said, adding, falsely: “I would argue it’s pretty minimal.”
And while he said he has gay friends and supports marriage for same-sex couples, he admitted he doesn’t know any transgender people and hadn’t read much about last week’s Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ employment protections — saying he was busy campaigning.