buzzfeed--2020-07-01--Mueller Memos Part 7: These Documents Reveal What People Close To The President Told Mueller’s Team

Mueller Memos Part 7: These Documents Reveal What People Close To The President Told Mueller’s Team About Trump And Russia

BuzzFeed News sued the US government under the Freedom of Information Act for the right to see all the work that Robert Mueller ’ s team kept secret .
Today we are publishing the seventh installment of the FBI ’ s summaries of interviews with witnesses in the investigation .
The latest batch of documents shows that during two interviews in late 2017 , former White House counsel Don McGahn gave FBI agents mixed signals on Gen. Michael Flynn .
On one hand , McGahn believed that the national security adviser ’ s “ time was up ” after lying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak , and that there was “ no way Flynn did not know he had talked about sanctions on the calls.
” But McGahn , a critical figure in the Mueller investigation , also recalled a debriefing with Acting Attorney General Sally Yates that made him feel as though Flynn “ was not in [ redacted ] trouble.
” McGahn said he asked Yates if the agents had “ really pinned him down.
” Flynn assured him that the investigation was winding down , according to the FBI summaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , McGahn explained the Logan Act , which prohibits unauthorized individuals from negotiating with foreign governments .
He also assessed “ no clear 1001 violation ” — false statements to the FBI — by Flynn .
The records are heavily redacted and do not indicate what happened at a subsequent meeting with Yates that McGahn requested .
After Flynn was fired , FBI Director James Comey has previously said the president told him , “ I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go.
” According to the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the president denied this to his lawyer — but added that he was “ allowed to hope.
” Trump did not think he had crossed any lines , McGahn said .
McGahn recalled how the president pressed him to have special counsel Robert Mueller removed and that he was tasked with stopping former Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself .
The 34 pages of interview summaries show McGahn reflected for agents on other parts of his time in the White House .
Early in the administration , McGahn said that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to properly communicate with the Justice Department : Leave it to the White House counsel , McGahn explained .
“ Having that framework prevents the White house from ‘ nosing in ’ on investigations , ” McGahn said .
He also recalled speaking to the president about Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his role in the Russia investigation .
McGahn “ sort of talked ” with Trump about whether Manafort had any information that was “ potentially harmful ” to the president .
The rest of this section is redacted , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview , the agents asked McGahn about an obscure message that said , “ No comms/serious concerns about obstruction.
” McGahn explained that it was his way of expressing concern about the press team saying “ crazy things ” and that he urged them not to spin it .
On second thought , let 's not meet with the Russians James Jay Carafano , a national security and foreign policy expert at the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation , appeared to bolster former attorney general Jeff Sessions ' contention that Sessions pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting in March 2016 .
Carafano recalled that at the meeting , which included Trump and other campaign advisers , George Papadopoulos said he could make a connection between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin .
Papadopoulos would eventually plead guilty in the Mueller probe to lying to investigators about his efforts to communicate with Russians .
Carafano told investigators that Sessions `` voiced his concerns '' that such a meeting could violate the Logan Act , which prohibits ordinary citizens from engaging in foreign policy .
Sessions testified in Congress in late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting and Papadopoulos ' offer , but believed he told Papadopoulos he was n't authorized to represent the campaign with the Russians .
Papadopoulos reportedly told a person he met at a Chicago bar in April 2018 that Sessions `` encouraged '' him at the March 2016 meeting .
Papadopoulos did n't appear to make too much of an impression on Carafano — Carafano recalled `` a young man with dark hair '' bringing up the Russia connection , and told investigators he did n't know the man `` and never saw him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , FBI agents interviewed a man who told them about the origins of a Delaware non-profit that was created just months before the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting and backed by a group of wealthy Russians .
Though the interview summary does not reveal the man ’ s name , he is identifiable as Robert Arakelian based on his mention of a BuzzFeed reporter who had knocked on his door , as well as other factors .
Robert Arakelian was the listed president of the non-profit , the Human Rights Accountability Global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group lobbied US political figures to change the Magnitsky Act , a sanctions law targeting wealthy Russians involved in a $ 230-million tax fraud .
Angered by the law , the Russian government halted US adoptions of Russian children .
The foundation was created with the stated purpose of working to resume the adoptions , but lawmakers have said the group ’ s focus was largely on Magnitsky .
“ There was n't an indication that this was linked to a Russian government effort , ” according to Arakelian ’ s interview summary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could remove the name Magnitsky they could then go to the Russian government which would lift the adoption ban in a quid pro quo scenario.
” In June 2016 , two of the foundation ’ s representatives attended the much-scrutinized meeting at Trump Tower at which senior Trump campaign officials had thought they would receive compromising information on Hillary Clinton .
They were frustrated when those two representatives — Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin — used the opportunity to largely promote the foundation ’ s cause .
Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported that Mueller was scrutinizing the foundation , the Arakelian interview summary provides the first documentary evidence that the foundation was being probed by the FBI .
BuzzFeed News also reported that Mueller had records showing that the foundation ’ s bank had flagged a half-million dollars in payments from its wealthy backers as suspicious .
Arakelian told FBI agents that Denis Katsyv , a Russian whose company was accused of laundering the proceeds of the Magnitsky fraud , invited him to a meeting to discuss a job .
Arakelian told investigators that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were discussing adoption issues ” and talking about creating the foundation .
Arakelian said the meeting was attended by Katsyv , Veselnitskaya ( who worked for Katsyv ) , Akhmetshin , and a man named Ed Lieberman , a longtime DC attorney and former lobbyist who has worked closely with Akhmetshin , along with a couple of others .
At the end of the meeting , Katsyv offered Arakelian a job , he said , for which he was paid .
Though his position is redacted in the interview summary , Arakelian was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , treasurer , secretary , and director of the foundation .
Arakelian “ believed it sounded more important then [ sic ] it was , ” the summary says .
He also appeared to tell the agents that “ he was not a decision maker and did not direct anyone.
” Rather , it was Akhmetshin who “ was the decision maker and told [ redacted ] who to meet.
” “ Akhmetshin and Lieberman worked as lobbyists for HRAGIF , ” the interview summary said .
The foundation also worked with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Connor and Potomac Square Group , and they “ received checks for services.
” Arakelian said “ [ f ] inding money wasn ’ t [ his ] job , ” and that he “ assumed that only Katsyv and Veselnitskaya were doing that.
” Meanwhile , Veselnitskaya “ was involved in working with Russia on adoption issues , ” he said .
Veselnitskaya has since been accused of secretly coordinating with the Russian government while defending Katsyv in a Magintsky-related case brought against him .
The foundation was officially created in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records , and Arakelian is listed as the incorporator .
But Arakelian told the FBI he “ was not involved in the incorporation ” and that it was actually Lieberman and the law firm BakerHostetler who “ conducted ” it .
The interview summary also says that Arakelian didn ’ t find out about the Trump Tower meeting until he heard about it on CNN the next year , further suggesting that he knew very little about the actual workings of the foundation , despite his official titles .
The newest batch of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , agents interviewed an individual whose name is redacted , but who is identified as a female Trump campaign staffer and transition official who went on to work for the National Security Council .
The person told investigators she was hired to work for the Trump campaign after Walid Phares , who served on Trump ’ s foreign policy team , connected her with the campaign .
The FBI had investigated whether Phares was secretly working for the Egyptian government to influence the campaign , the New York Times recently reported .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigators were interested in what she knew about the connections between Phares and Egypt .
The woman told the FBI that she “ received several emails from Phares ” while he was on a trip to Egypt in 2016 , including two emails in September discussing efforts to set up a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi .
The two men ended up meeting that month , and the woman believed “ the meeting was eventually coordinated through officials from the Egyptian Embassy and the Trump campaign.
” Someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name was not revealed told investigators about strange developments involving Paul Manafort ’ s laptop .
While Manafort was in jail awaiting trial , he was approved to use a laptop in the jail 's law library to look at documents related to his case .
The administrator account was password-protected so that he could n't access the internet .
According to the witness , however , on Aug. 21 , 2018 — the day that the jury found Manafort guilty — the administrator password did n't work .
Manafort 's lawyers previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail and then brought it back again , but the witness said they got a note indicating the lawyers had n't changed the password .
It was unclear who had .
The witness also said that someone ( that name , too , is redacted ) brought two USB drives for Manafort .
One of the drives was labeled `` Blank . ''
It did not appear to have any files , but when the witness plugged it in , the memory was half full .
After reconfiguring the drive , the witness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called `` trash '' that `` contained a large number of hidden files . ''
The witness did n't open the files and notified the Alexandria sheriff 's department .
A lawyer for Manafort did not return a request for comment .
Someone call the help desk , part II Russia 's hack of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2016 , which led to the leak of large caches of emails , may have had more personal consequences for some of the people who worked there , an unidentified DCCC employee told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people '' had personal income tax returns falsely filed under their names in 2017 , and that the DCCC paid for credit monitoring services for employees .
The woman said she did n't get any alerts for suspicious credit activity , but described the prospect of having her personal emails released `` terrifying . ''
A spokesperson for the DCCC did not return a request for comment .
Russian intelligence was able to hack the DCCC through a tactic known as spear phishing — sending emails crafted to look legitimate but that actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a hacker access to the person 's email account and other information .
Presented with printed copies of some of the spear phishing emails sent to the DCCC , the employee told investigators that they were `` convincing '' and `` appeared legit . ''
A heavily redacted December 7 , 2017 , interview investigators conducted with former communications director Hope Hicks contains additional details about the fallout of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting where Donald Trump , Jr. and other senior campaign officials were offered dirt on Hillary Clinton .
Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting was focused on Russian adoption , leaving out the offer of compromising information on Clinton .
Hicks told investigators she told Trump that The New York Times obtained emails that contradicted the president ’ s account .
“ Trump told Hicks not to respond to the story which Hicks thought was odd since Trump usually considered not responding to be the ultimate sin , ” Hicks ’ s interview summary said .
“ Trump asked Hicks to confirm this meeting was about Russian adoption to which she confirmed that ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the interview summary said .
“ Trump told her to just respond with the fact it was about Russian adoption.
” The interview summary goes on to say that Trump rejected a statement she had prepared about the meeting , arguing “ they were saying too much.
” “ Trump told Hicks not to explain so much but just say he took a brief meeting and it was about Russian adoption.
” Previous installments of the Mueller memos have revealed important new information about the investigation and the events that preceded it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year showed that Manafort was still advising the Trump campaign three days before Election Day in 2016 — despite his having been fired as campaign manager nearly three months earlier .
That fact , wrote Trump ’ s next campaign manager , Steve Bannon , in an email , 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.
” Rick Gates , Manafort ’ s longtime business partner who served as deputy campaign chair , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , interview that after it was revealed that the Democratic National Committee ’ s computer server had been compromised , Manafort began pushing the idea that Ukraine had orchestrated the hack .
That unfounded conspiracy theory persisted in right-wing circles long after the US intelligence community concluded Russia was in fact responsible .
Indeed , during the July 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that eventually prompted Trump 's impeachment , he asked Zelensky to help investigate the Ukraine hack theory .
A day after Gates spoke to Mueller ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kushner was interviewed by the team .
He described a meeting he had prior to the election with Sergey Kislyak , the Russian ambassador at the time , who told him : `` we like what your candidate is saying .
It 's refreshing . ''
“ They discussed Syria and having the Russian generals brief ” then-national security adviser Michael Flynn , Kushner told the investigators .
According to the 33-page interview summary , Kushner asked whether they could create a back-channel line of communication with the Kremlin via the Russian Embassy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal , the records show , and later told another Trump adviser that Kushner “ should meet with someone else who was a better channel through which to communicate to Putin.
” The 448-page Mueller report was the most hotly anticipated prosecutorial document in a generation .
But it reflected only a tiny fraction of the primary-source documents that Mueller ’ s team had amassed over the course of its two-year probe .
In May 2019 , BuzzFeed News , and later CNN , filed FOIA lawsuits against the FBI and the Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of pages of interview summaries of the witnesses who spoke to FBI agents and prosecutors .
Following an October ruling by a federal judge ordering the release of the documents , the two agencies began turning over the 302s last November .
Under the court order , they must disclose records every month , and thus far , the government has released summaries of more than 100 interviews — totaling nearly 2,000 pages — of some of the more than 500 witnesses who spoke to Mueller ’ s team during the course of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released so far under the court order have been heavily redacted , leaving vast swaths of information about the case obscured from view .
BuzzFeed News has challenged some of those redactions , arguing in court that one category of exemption that the government has cited to justify the withholdings is legally unfounded , politically motivated , and was 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 “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
Most recently , the Justice Department took the extraordinary step of asking a judge to dismiss charges against Flynn , Trump ’ s former national security adviser , despite the fact that he had voluntarily pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI .
Barr claimed in an interview with CBS Evening News earlier this month that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perjury trap ” for Flynn .
Last year , Barr also tapped a US attorney in Connecticut , John Durham , to investigate the origins of the Russia probe .
BuzzFeed News is still pursuing five lawsuits demanding that the government release a huge volume of other records generated by the Mueller investigation , including search warrants , memoranda , talking points , financial records , and legal opinions , as well as any documents that address discussions between Barr and other high-ranking Justice Department officials about the decision not to charge Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which opposes the release of those documents , have claimed they could total some 18 billion pages and take centuries to redact and release .

The ultimate sin
A heavily redacted December 7, 2017, interview investigators conducted with former communications director Hope Hicks contains additional details about the fallout of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting where Donald Trump, Jr. and other senior campaign officials were offered dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Trump and Trump, Jr. had publicly said the meeting was focused on Russian adoption, leaving out the offer of compromising information on Clinton. Hicks told investigators she told Trump that The New York Times obtained emails that contradicted the president’s account.
“Trump told Hicks not to respond to the story which Hicks thought was odd since Trump usually considered not responding to be the ultimate sin,” Hicks’s interview summary said. “Trump asked Hicks to confirm this meeting was about Russian adoption to which she confirmed that’s what she thought it was about,” the interview summary said. “Trump told her to just respond with the fact it was about Russian adoption.”
The interview summary goes on to say that Trump rejected a statement she had prepared about the meeting, arguing “they were saying too much.”
“Trump told Hicks not to explain so much but just say he took a brief meeting and it was about Russian adoption.”
A fuller picture
Previous installments of the Mueller memos have revealed important new information about the investigation and the events that preceded it. Records released to BuzzFeed News and CNN last year showed that Manafort was still advising the Trump campaign three days before Election Day in 2016 — despite his having been fired as campaign manager nearly three months earlier. That fact, wrote Trump’s next campaign manager, Steve Bannon, in an email, 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.”
Rick Gates, Manafort’s longtime business partner who served as deputy campaign chair, told investigators during an April 10, 2018, interview that after it was revealed that the Democratic National Committee’s computer server had been compromised, Manafort began pushing the idea that Ukraine had orchestrated the hack. That unfounded conspiracy theory persisted in right-wing circles long after the US intelligence community concluded Russia was in fact responsible. Indeed, during the July 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that eventually prompted Trump's impeachment, he asked Zelensky to help investigate the Ukraine hack theory.
A day after Gates spoke to Mueller’s investigators, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was interviewed by the team. He described a meeting he had prior to the election with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador at the time, who told him: "we like what your candidate is saying. It's refreshing."
“They discussed Syria and having the Russian generals brief” then-national security adviser Michael Flynn, Kushner told the investigators. According to the 33-page interview summary, Kushner asked whether they could create a back-channel line of communication with the Kremlin via the Russian Embassy in Washington. Kislyak waved off that proposal, the records show, and later told another Trump adviser that Kushner “should meet with someone else who was a better channel through which to communicate to Putin.”
A historic document, still emerging
The 448-page Mueller report was the most hotly anticipated prosecutorial document in a generation. But it reflected only a tiny fraction of the primary-source documents that Mueller’s team had amassed over the course of its two-year probe.
In May 2019, BuzzFeed News, and later CNN, filed FOIA lawsuits against the FBI and the Justice Department to gain access to the thousands of pages of interview summaries of the witnesses who spoke to FBI agents and prosecutors. Following an October ruling by a federal judge ordering the release of the documents, the two agencies began turning over the 302s last November. Under the court order, they must disclose records every month, and thus far, the government has released summaries of more than 100 interviews — totaling nearly 2,000 pages — of some of the more than 500 witnesses who spoke to Mueller’s team during the course of the investigation.
The majority of documents released so far under the court order have been heavily redacted, leaving vast swaths of information about the case obscured from view. BuzzFeed News has challenged some of those redactions, arguing in court that one category of exemption that the government has cited to justify the withholdings is legally unfounded, politically motivated, and was 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. Most recently, the Justice Department took the extraordinary step of asking a judge to dismiss charges against Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, despite the fact that he had voluntarily pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Barr claimed in an interview with CBS Evening News earlier this month that the FBI had tried to lay a “perjury trap” for Flynn. Last year, Barr also tapped a US attorney in Connecticut, John Durham, to investigate the origins of the Russia probe.
BuzzFeed News is still pursuing five lawsuits demanding that the government release a huge volume of other records generated by the Mueller investigation, including search warrants, memoranda, talking points, financial records, and legal opinions, as well as any documents that address discussions between Barr and other high-ranking Justice Department officials about the decision not to charge Trump with obstruction.
Lawyers for the DOJ, which opposes the release of those documents, have claimed they could total some 18 billion pages and take centuries to redact and release.


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--This Guy Refuses To Wear A Face Mask — Should His Girlfriend Dump Him?

Think of it this way : If a small sedan crashed into a massive 18-wheeler truck , the driver of @ @ @ @ @ likely to get hurt than the truck driver .
But that does n't mean truck @ @ @ @ @ recklessly — speeding , cutting people off , running through red lights — simply because @ @ @ @ @ favor if there 's a crash .
That would be wrong , because the responsibility @ @ @ @ @ a shared one .
And right now , we all need to be wearing face @ @ @ @ @ , and staying home as much as possible , regardless of our personal level of @ @

Think of it this way: If a small sedan crashed into a massive 18-wheeler truck, the driver of the sedan is certainly more likely to get hurt than the truck driver. But that doesn't mean truck drivers get to drive around recklessly — speeding, cutting people off, running through red lights — simply because the odds are in their favor if there's a crash. That would be wrong, because the responsibility of keeping people safe is a shared one. And right now, we all need to be wearing face masks, washing our hands, and staying home as much as possible, regardless of our personal level of risk.


buzzfeed--2020-07-01--7 Mental Habits That Can Improve Memory And Problem-Solving

Without stimulation , the mind grows bored , frustrated , and lethargic .
Luckily , your brain is the one @ @ @ @ @ breaking a sweat !
As a professional mentalist , I 've spent countless hours on @ @ @ @ @ mind can do .
Lately though , I 've found myself thinking a lot more @ @ @ @ @ need — and there 's clear overlap between the two .
Here are a few @ @ @ @ @ start practicing from the safety of your couch to help keep your mind sharp .

Our brains work a lot like muscles. 🧠
Without stimulation, the mind grows bored, frustrated, and lethargic. Luckily, your brain is the one thing you can exercise without breaking a sweat!
As a professional mentalist, I've spent countless hours onstage talking about what the mind can do. Lately, though, I've found myself thinking a lot more about what our minds actually need — and there's clear overlap between the two.
Here are a few mental skills that you can start practicing from the safety of your couch to help keep your mind sharp.


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--The Coronavirus Spread In A Dallas Megachurch’s Choir And Orchestra. Then It Hosted Mike Pence.

A group of First Baptist Dallas choir and orchestra members contracted COVID-19 in the lead-up to Vice President Mike Pence ’ s visit on Sunday .
An infectious disease expert called it “ appalling.
” At least five members of the choir and orchestra at the Dallas megachurch visited by Vice President Mike Pence this weekend tested positive for the coronavirus in June , according to Facebook posts and internal church emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News .
An additional orchestra member had symptoms several days after being exposed and was awaiting a test result in mid-June , according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s musicians .
None of those six people were at the First Baptist church in Dallas during Pence ’ s hour-and-a-half-hour visit on Sunday , but it 's unclear how many of the musicians who performed for Pence may have been exposed during previous practices and performances with those who were infected .
Public health experts have expressed particular concerns about the dangers of indoor singing and wind instruments in large groups , which can readily spread the respiratory virus .
The choir and orchestra performed for Pence without masks , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by BuzzFeed News .
One of the church ’ s music directors — who himself has been quarantined after testing positive for the virus — wrote an email informing the church ’ s musicians that choir members would not wear masks while singing .
“ Some of you may know but I ’ ve been in quarantine since June 14 after several exposures .
I was tested and it came back positive for the virus , ” a music director and the associate minister of worship , Jarrod Blackstock , wrote in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orchestra on June 30 .
Blackstock also plays first trumpet in the orchestra .
“ I thought Freedom Sunday was a great day .
Everyone who participated did an excellent job !
I ’ m sorry that I wasn ’ t there and hated to miss it , ” he added .
Blackstock also said he would be back in church this coming Sunday .
He did not respond to multiple requests for comment .
The “ Freedom Sunday ” service at First Baptist — billed as part religious gathering , part political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeffress , a Fox News contributor and member of the White House Faith Initiative , created via an executive order by President Donald Trump in 2018 .
The event came just one day before the Texas Department of State Health Services reported more than 5,900 COVID-19 hospitalizations , an all-time high for the state , and as Dallas reported a record-high day for cases .
Gov .
Greg Abbott , who aggressively pushed to reopen the state in May but rolled back his plan last week after cases surged , sat alongside Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ With this governor and this president , we ’ ll bring Texas and America back bigger and better than ever before , ” said Pence in his remarks .
The congregants , some in masks , waved American flags while the choir and orchestra pumped out rapturous versions of “ America the Beautiful ” and “ The Star-Spangled Banner ” on a glowing purple stage .
“ Working with your governor , we will put the health of the people of the Lone Star State first , ” Pence said .
Secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also touted the administration ’ s successes under Trump and praised Pence for his work on the White House coronavirus task force , which he is also a member of .
“ We must learn to dominate the virus and not let the virus dominate us , ” Carson said .
In response to a detailed list of questions about the cluster of coronavirus cases in the megachurch ’ s choir and orchestra , Abigail Miller , the director of communications for First Baptist Dallas , said , “ We have taken steps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been knowingly exposed to anyone with COVID-19 , demonstrated any symptoms , or tested positive has participated in our choir or orchestra until medically cleared to do so.
” She added , “ We have been very strategic and prudent in our approach and have followed established guidelines and recommendations.
” Miller did not answer questions about whether Pence ’ s team was notified of the illnesses prior to attending the service .
A White House official also did not clarify whether Pence ’ s team was informed of the cases but said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and maintained social distancing during the event .
Philip Huang , Dallas County ’ s Health and Human Services director , declined to confirm or comment on the cluster of cases at First Baptist .
When asked whether COVID-19 cases within a choir were dangerous , he said , “ any medical expert would tell you that is not a good situation.
” “ Appalling , ” said infectious disease expert Lisa Maragakis of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine .
As soon as the first infections appeared among the choir and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have been quarantined instead of practicing and performing together the rest of the month .
“ This is a disease that kills people , it kills people of all ages , ” Maragakis said .
“ It is a major threat to people ’ s lives.
” When the pandemic hit , the choir and orchestra first maintained its rehearsal schedule over Zoom .
But , under Abbott , Texas was one of the earliest states to push reopening ; by May 18 , retail stores , movie theaters , and restaurants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 , Abbott ordered that religious services could resume with no limits on occupancy as long as “ good faith ” efforts were made toward safety .
The megachurch resumed in-person rehearsals for the choir and orchestra on June 10 , emails show .
“ We are back !
” an email announced .
Members were allowed to attend as long as they could confirm that neither they nor their family members had a fever of over 100 degrees , that they were not showing flulike symptoms , and that they had not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks .
Masks were encouraged on the church campus but only required in the backstage hallway , according to the email .
Singers were positioned apart from each other — but , according to the church ’ s reopening plan , once the state had moved to phase three , church members did not have to stay the CDC-recommended 6 feet apart .
The orchestra rehearsed in a separate part of the church .
Temperature checks were also done before performances .
Still , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Only around 45 % of confirmed coronavirus cases report fevers early in an infection , and many cases are spread by people without symptoms , making temperature checks a half measure at best to monitor for signs of the illness .
“ While singing , we will not wear masks , ” Blackstock wrote in an email to the church ’ s musicians the morning of the June 10 rehearsal .
That night , a percussionist started experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 .
His fever spiked for several days , and he felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taste and smell , he wrote in a Facebook post on June 14 .
Friends wished him well on his Facebook page and checked in on him .
“ We are all praying and rooting for you !
” one wrote .
The same day as his Facebook post , members of the choir and orchestra performed together at two Sunday services .
Within a week , three more musicians would test positive .
On June 18 , the music director informed the choir and orchestra that a soprano had tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the musicians .
The following day the director reported that two other people had tested positive : another soprano in the choir , who had close contact with the singer , and a bassist in the orchestra .
“ We are praying for a quick and easy recovery , ” the music director wrote in the June 18 email .
All three emails called on the congregation to keep the musicians in their prayers .
Public health officials have long cautioned that singing could be an efficient way for the coronavirus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choir practice in Washington state led to an outbreak of 53 illnesses and two deaths .
Still , after pressure from the White House , in late May the CDC removed guidance for churches to limit choir practices during the pandemic from its official recommendations , the Washington Post reported .
“ In general , choirs are a higher-risk activity because of the droplets they spread ; they have to be approached in a more cautious manner , ” Amesh Adalja , an infectious disease expert with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases that cause infections also makes the use of wind instruments in an orchestra concerning , said aerobiologist Josh Santarpia of the University of Nebraska Medical Center .
“ Most brass instruments have a spit valve for a reason , ” he said .
“ There ’ s a lot of potential for aerosols to be generated and for transmission both by singing and instruments.
” The virus ’ s incubation period of 2 to 14 days also means that other musicians in the choir or orchestra who might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed any symptoms by Sunday ’ s performance .
“ Fortunately , we ’ re all using a common-sense approach , ” said Bruce Dunai , who has played in the orchestra for 35 years .
“ People are being proactive and letting us know ” about the cases , he added .
The trombone player , who has attended the in-person rehearsals and Sunday ’ s performance , said he trusted the precautions the church was taking with the choir and orchestra and that Jeffress , the church ’ s pastor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear masks .
“ Obviously , when you 're sitting , rehearsing , playing an instrument , you ca n't wear a mask , “ Dunai said , adding that he “ didn ’ t have any hesitations ” about performing because he didn ’ t have any symptoms or risk factors for severe illness .
As Freedom Sunday approached , church leaders sent an email to the musicians about Pence ’ s visit , urging members to “ follow protocols.
” “ We will be facing opposition , ” the email read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s going on around us .
New COVID cases continue to increase in Dallas.
” It also noted that : “ With 14,000 members , we are going to have some COVID cases , but we need to limit this number .
We do NOT want an outbreak.
” On the morning of June 28 , as protesters began to gather outside the megachurch ’ s sprawling six-block campus , 140 members of the choir and around 40 of the orchestra gathered to rehearse for the Freedom Sunday service .
Images @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News show many of the choristers without masks while they were waiting to sing , and leaning together to talk and take pictures .
Most members of the orchestra were also unmasked .
Neither the choristers nor musicians were spaced 6 feet apart from each other .
The Freedom Sunday service violated one of the tenets of the church ’ s reopening plan — that a limit of 100 choristers would be enforced in the 300-person choir loft .
An additional 40 members of the choir participated in the service , making @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the First Baptist spokesperson , said the choir rafters were limited to 50 % occupancy for the performance .
Video footage from the service shows that many members of the orchestra — who were closer to the congregation than the choir — remained unmasked during prayers , readings , and speeches , although their platform was lowered during Pence ’ s address .
Addressing his congregation on Sunday , Jeffress praised Trump as “ the most resilient , the most courageous , the most faith-friendly president in the history of America.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pro-Israel agenda and the number of conservative judges it has put in place .
The crowd applauded and got to their feet , and Jeffress added , “ President Trump , we love you .
”

When the pandemic hit, the choir and orchestra first maintained its rehearsal schedule over Zoom. But, under Abbott, Texas was one of the earliest states to push reopening; by May 18, retail stores, movie theaters, and restaurants were back in business. On June 3, Abbott ordered that religious services could resume with no limits on occupancy as long as “good faith” efforts were made toward safety.
The megachurch resumed in-person rehearsals for the choir and orchestra on June 10, emails show. “We are back!” an email announced. Members were allowed to attend as long as they could confirm that neither they nor their family members had a fever of over 100 degrees, that they were not showing flulike symptoms, and that they had not had prolonged contact with someone who had tested positive for the coronavirus in the last two weeks.
Masks were encouraged on the church campus but only required in the backstage hallway, according to the email. Singers were positioned apart from each other — but, according to the church’s reopening plan, once the state had moved to phase three, church members did not have to stay the CDC-recommended 6 feet apart. The orchestra rehearsed in a separate part of the church. Temperature checks were also done before performances.
Still, those precautions may not have been sufficient. Only around 45% of confirmed coronavirus cases report fevers early in an infection, and many cases are spread by people without symptoms, making temperature checks a half measure at best to monitor for signs of the illness.
“While singing, we will not wear masks,” Blackstock wrote in an email to the church’s musicians the morning of the June 10 rehearsal.
That night, a percussionist started experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. His fever spiked for several days, and he felt fatigue along with a persistent loss of taste and smell, he wrote in a Facebook post on June 14.
Friends wished him well on his Facebook page and checked in on him. “We are all praying and rooting for you!” one wrote.
The same day as his Facebook post, members of the choir and orchestra performed together at two Sunday services.
Within a week, three more musicians would test positive.
On June 18, the music director informed the choir and orchestra that a soprano had tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email sent to the musicians. The following day the director reported that two other people had tested positive: another soprano in the choir, who had close contact with the singer, and a bassist in the orchestra.
“We are praying for a quick and easy recovery,” the music director wrote in the June 18 email. All three emails called on the congregation to keep the musicians in their prayers.
Public health officials have long cautioned that singing could be an efficient way for the coronavirus to spread. In March, a 61-person choir practice in Washington state led to an outbreak of 53 illnesses and two deaths. Still, after pressure from the White House, in late May the CDC removed guidance for churches to limit choir practices during the pandemic from its official recommendations, the Washington Post reported.
“In general, choirs are a higher-risk activity because of the droplets they spread; they have to be approached in a more cautious manner,” Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told BuzzFeed News.
The prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases that cause infections also makes the use of wind instruments in an orchestra concerning, said aerobiologist Josh Santarpia of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “Most brass instruments have a spit valve for a reason,” he said. “There’s a lot of potential for aerosols to be generated and for transmission both by singing and instruments.”
The virus’s incubation period of 2 to 14 days also means that other musicians in the choir or orchestra who might have been exposed may still not have developed any symptoms by Sunday’s performance.
“Fortunately, we’re all using a common-sense approach,” said Bruce Dunai, who has played in the orchestra for 35 years. “People are being proactive and letting us know” about the cases, he added.
The trombone player, who has attended the in-person rehearsals and Sunday’s performance, said he trusted the precautions the church was taking with the choir and orchestra and that Jeffress, the church’s pastor, had also been encouraging the congregation to wear masks.


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--Conservative Teens On TikTok Are Going Through Some Growing Pains

At first glance , Elicia Drew ’ s TikTok account looks like standard teenage girl fare .
The 18-year-old is tall with straight brown hair , and she often dots the inside corners of her eyes with a frosted shadow .
Unsurprisingly , she ’ s popular on the app , with 64,000 followers and 1.4 million likes .
About half of her TikToks are of her dancing and lip-synching , as is now customary for the platform .
In one popular video , she does the “ Cannibal ” dance ; in another , she and a friend do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” dance challenge together — pretty benign , uncontroversial content .
But then there are her other videos .
In a TikTok from February , Drew wraps herself in a giant Trump 2020 flag , lip-synching the president ’ s words : “ If you hate our country , if you ’ re not happy here , you can leave.
” In another , also from February , she mouths the title lyrics to Lizzo ’ s “ Exactly How I Feel ” as she points to the text overlaid on the video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any race can be racist , ” “ stop antagonizing straight white men.
” ( I do not know how Lizzo would feel about her music appearing in this video , but I have a few guesses . )
Amid the dance routines and the Vine-indebted comedy on TikTok are a sizable number of conservative TikToks made by teens like Drew .
In this TikTok universe , teens confess their love for Donald Trump , post dance videos about how “ abortion is murder , ” and compare injecting cows with hormones to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like # MAGA or # Trump2020 , these videos are both outreach tools and entertainment .
They use the popular memes of the moment to make a case for electing Trump to a second term and to generally remind ( or convince ) liberals of their own shortsighted stupidity .
“ In terms of youth political expression , while there ’ s a dynamic and influential liberal activist community on TikTok , there ’ s actually plenty of conservative political expression , and pro-Trump voices definitely find an audience on the platform , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communication and media at Columbia University , told the New York Times this week .
There are enough of these conservative TikTok teens to sustain more than a few group chats — some on Instagram , others on Snapchat .
One is called “ Super Secret Conservative Groupchat , ” where members discuss current events , the greatness of the president , and who else on TikTok they might want to invite into their chat .
They also discuss people like me .
Back in February , when I initially DM ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the group chat ’ s members , they talked it out among themselves first .
“ I sent this to the group chat and they were like , ‘ Lance , I don ’ t know if you should do it , ’ ” Lance Johnston , an 18-year-old high school senior living in Sherman , Texas , who now has more than 106,000 TikTok followers , told me in a phone interview in February .
He seemed OK making an exception , saying , “ I trust you .
I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to these chats , there ’ s the Republican Hype House , a group account maintained by and featuring a collective of conservative TikTok users , similar to the Hype House that hosts semi-famous TikTok stars like Charli D ’ Amelio and Addison Rae .
The Republican Hype House doesn ’ t have a corresponding physical location , unlike its namesake — but it certainly is influential , with nearly 700,000 followers .
Nick Lowenberg , a 17-year-old who goes by @ nickvideos on TikTok , was one of the founding members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s no longer affiliated .
His own account has just more than 333,000 followers ( a number that has dipped quite a bit in the last few weeks ) , and more than 16 million likes .
In late 2019 and for the first few months of 2020 , he regularly posted videos of himself mugging for the camera , mocking liberals , and showing off his bedroom adorned with Trump memorabilia .
Lowenberg spent most of his final year of high school spreading the Trump gospel .
But since late May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of heart .
This month , he posted multiple videos about how he no longer supports Trump and “ will no longer be making political content on [ his ] TikTok ” ; many of his old videos have been deleted .
“ He ’ s just an idiot , ” he said about Trump in a TikTok last week .
“ Guys .
Come on .
Trump just ain ’ t it.
” He has criticized Trump ’ s business acumen , his divisive rhetoric , and called conservatives “ hypocrites ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not a Democrat ) .
It ’ s a significant reversal , especially for a teen who is one of the most-followed Republican boosters on TikTok , who once referred to himself in his account bio as the “ CEO of Politics.
” “ The political community on TikTok is just so toxic , ” Lowenberg told me last week .
“ I want to get away from that.
” The first interviews for this story were done in a very different version of the world — before Joe Biden effectively won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic devastated the US , and before Black Lives Matter protests made a powerful resurgence around the country and throughout the world .
In that time , a few of the pro-Trump teens I spoke to , like Lowenberg , have also taken a step back from posting political content on TikTok altogether .
It ’ s hard to give wry political commentary on news that is fundamentally depressing .
And perhaps it ’ s harder than it was a few months ago to score points and make cool friends online by supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths of Black people in police custody , or the more than 127,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 .
So we don ’ t necessarily know how much any teenager ’ s cooling enthusiasm for making pro-Trump , own-the-libs TikToks reflects a true shift in their opinions as much as it is demonstrative of a confused young person reacting to an audience who suddenly isn ’ t laughing at their jokes .
As Johnston told me when I spoke to him in February , “ Who ’ s gon na wan na @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not having fun ?
” The last few years have seemingly been a watershed moment for young people becoming politically involved — or rather , young people have effectively harnessed the internet to amplify their voices and ideas , and forced old people to recognize how politically aware and active they really are .
Teenagers of every generation have always been political in their own ways .
But maybe what is unique about this moment is that , in addition to protesting in old-fashioned ways , a large number of them are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their messages to the masses .
Before the last few months of global turmoil , TikTok wasn ’ t known for its political discourse , at least not in the way that Twitter or Facebook are .
TikTok is , in many ways , an expected response to the death of Vine : It features funny , short , digestible videos , where the medium is also the message .
But the Black Lives Matter protests and COVID-19 have given ample material to Gen Z kids on TikTok , often to criticize Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitalism is inherently broken , ICE , Elijah McClain , and their ideological opposition to Trump .
But while teens like Greta Thunberg and Emma González are asking for radical change in how we tackle things like climate change and gun control , Lance Johnston and Elicia Drew think the status quo is just fine .
The conservative TikTok teens I talked to first joined the app to follow their friends .
Johnston made a TikTok about being Christian that went semi-viral , which prompted him to make more political content .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a staunchly conservative TikTok since June 11 . )
“ You see a lot of people say , ‘ Oh , don ’ t bring politics to TikTok , ’ ” Drew told me in February .
“ But what apps are most young , impressionable people on nowadays ?
Where is the biggest platform to reach out to especially younger people , but I mean , people of all ages ?
And it ’ s TikTok.
” Most of these teens range from 15 to 18 , and the November 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re old enough to pay close attention to , and perhaps even participate in .
The teens of pro-Trump TikTok are absolutely pumped to cast their first ballot , and they ’ re working hard to convince their online peers to be more politically engaged .
“ Most of the people at my school don ’ t know anything about politics , ” said Johnston .
“ I think by me doing this on TikTok , it ’ s really opening their eyes to see Oh , politics looks kind of fun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want them to think for themselves , but if I can influence and say , ‘ Here ’ s my side of things , ’ that ’ s what we ’ re really trying to do on TikTok.
” Kiah King , an 18-year-old high school senior living in Michigan , originally had an account on Musical.ly , the lip-synching app that later became TikTok .
“ I started getting a lot of political videos into my feed and so I was like , I support Trump and I 'm not afraid to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about it ?
” King told me in February .
“ And all of a sudden I 'm just , like , going through my phone , and it 's just blowing up out of nowhere and I was like , holy crap , maybe I could make something out of this.
” These teens ’ political beliefs are pretty typical of modern Republicans .
Most of them claim to be just fine with marriage for same-sex couples , but their own statements and videos express a clear anxiety about trans people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe with a transgender using the women ’ s bathroom , ” King told me in February .
“ There are creepy men out there who will dress up as women and go into bathrooms .
This world has changed so much.
” Many of them say they believe in an unregulated economy and think healthcare for all is an expensive , unrealistic , socialist program that will bankrupt the country .
They are generally against abortion .
They think ( or in some cases , used to think ) Trump is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States of America .
They don ’ t like open borders .
What they ’ re saying isn ’ t much different from what you might hear on Fox News .
But the kids on TikTok are less fire and brimstone and more good lighting and clever editing , a smart way to repackage beliefs that have been cornerstones of the Republican ideology for decades .
These teens are determined to show that being a hard-right Republican isn ’ t just for boomers .
“ I think there ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Let ’ s let the boomers die off because they ’ re all conservative , ’ ” Drew said in February .
“ It ’ s just surprising that a party that people think is dying off is still strong and alive today.
” It makes sense that conservative Gen Z teens , who have grown up online with dark humor , would love Trump — a president whom history , at best , might remember as a mudslinger who said whatever he wanted .
( At worst , he will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and an alleged abuser . )
Though he ’ s 74 , Trump has a way of communicating that is perfectly suited to the contemporary internet — full of owns and trolling .
“ Trump makes it fun , ” Johnston said .
“ He ’ s like America ’ s dad .
He doesn ’ t care what anyone says , and he roasts people .
Trump is the only one who really posts memes and goes at it from that angle , and a lot of people love that because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a savage .
He 's hilarious .
I love him.
’ ” The tone in these teens ’ TikToks often resonates on the same frequency : They ’ re sometimes harsh and sneering , but often funny .
“ What I see is funny videos appeal more to the left and to the right , ” Johnston said .
“ It can change your viewpoint.
” These teens started making TikToks because they sincerely wanted to get Trump elected to a second term — and maybe , in that pursuit , make liberals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even want to become a voice for their people , a Thunberg for the other side .
“ People are starting to open their eyes and see the Democrats aren ’ t doing anything for America right now , ” Johnston said in February .
“ It ’ s like , wait , why are they trying to stop Trump if he ’ s trying to make [ America ] great ?
Do they not like America or something ?
” When we initially spoke in February , most of the teens said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life due to their politics .
They mostly live in states that Trump won in 2016 — Florida , Texas , Michigan — and are being raised in conservative Christian families .
“ I have a lot of liberal friends at school , and we ’ ll talk — but me and them , we always tend to find common ground , ” Drew said .
“ If you actually have a conversation with me , you ’ ll realize I ’ m a very understanding and rational person.
” But as with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet , what teens say in these videos is a lot harsher than what they might say when being interviewed over the phone after a long school day — and that , in turn , can draw heated responses .
One functionality of TikTok that ’ s markedly different from Instagram or Twitter is the “ duet ” feature , which lets you appear right next to someone else ’ s video .
Users typically sing or lip-synch with someone else , react to a prank video , or just stare emotionlessly at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the split screen .
In Digital Trump Country , the teens use this function to debate their liberal and socialist peers .
That duet function in particular has , according to King , forced her to take a break from posting pro-Trump videos in the last few months .
Her most recent TikTok is from June 28th , about her boyfriend ’ s glow-up ; before that , she hadn ’ t posted since late April .
A video she posted at the end of March , however , ended up being duetted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since been deleted ) , and elicited a flood of comments on her TikTok and Instagram pages .
In the video , she lip-synchs with Trump insisting it ’ s not racist to call COVID-19 “ the Chinese virus.
” ( Drew also posted a near-identical version . )
King is not the only TikToker second-guessing their political posts .
In the last few months , Lowenberg ’ s affection for Trump ’ s antics has waned ; he ’ s become vocal on TikTok about no longer supporting him .
After seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him again last week .
Although he has walked back his previously full-throated support of Donald Trump , he ’ s still conservative .
He refers to himself as a Libertarian .
The proverbial final straw was Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus outbreak .
“ I live in Houston , ” Lowenberg said .
“ Our mayor , Sylvester Turner , he said that we ’ re being forced to shut down four of our testing locations because of the funding that Trump withdrew.
” This is somewhat ironic since earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near Houston with 17 other TikTokers — in the middle of COVID ’ s second wave — where they all hung out together making content .
Johnston was also there .
Lowenberg said he is not worried about getting sick with the coronavirus .
Otherwise , his ideologies remain the same as before — he still opposes abortion , doesn ’ t think white privilege exists , and is opposed to too much government intervention .
But despite all the government regulation that Lowenberg does want , including a vetting process for allowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding for COVID testing centers , his biggest issue with Trump as of late is his governmental interference .
“ I like the free market , ” he told me last week .
“ All the bailout stimulus packages and all that crap , I don ’ t agree with any of that .
It ’ s just cronyism.
” In a month , Lowenberg will turn 18 .
And this November , he will vote for the first time .
Even though he ’ s pissing off his TikTok base — including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of Lowenberg ’ s no-more-Trump videos , saying , “ Not a vibe ” — he will still be voting for Trump , though with far less enthusiasm .
“ Biden would cause more collateral damage , ” he said .
But maybe there ’ s a future where Lowenberg will be even more liberal than he is now , a future he concedes is possible .
“ I ’ m a young kid , ” he said .
“ I ’ m still learning .
I ’ m not set in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lives Matter protests seem like two unavoidable topics that are forcing the hands of more than a few prolific pro-Trump TikTokers .
For teens like Lowenberg , Trump ’ s failure to adequately respond to the coronavirus crisis has made him impossible to defend so vocally .
And weeks of nationwide protests have turned a statement like “ Black lives matter ” from something perceived as a peripheral ideology to something nearly every company has posted to their corporate Instagram account .
Systemic problems like racism , police brutality , and a broken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone who grew up in the United States , but they have been magnified in the past few months to a degree most people didn ’ t anticipate .
There ’ s been very little actual commentary or defense of Trump on any of these topics from these teenagers .
They ’ re all mostly memeing the same Trump comment on the “ Chinese virus ” because , according to King , it ’ s “ funny.
” Drew , though still clearly conservative , has also eased up on overtly pro-Trump content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has posted nothing about Black Lives Matter .
Mostly , she wants to remind you that , while she may be a Trump supporter , she ’ s cute .
It ’ s clear these young adults don ’ t agree with the protests , nor do they like that they have to stay home because of the coronavirus .
But it also seems like they don ’ t really know how to communicate these feelings effectively .
Unlike their anti-abortion videos or their vague screeds against Sen. Bernie Sanders , they don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articulated opinion on what ’ s happening in the news right now .
“ I think that all of the ‘ Lives Matter ’ organizations are just kind of regressive , ” Lowenberg told me last week .
“ Black people definitely have it worse when it comes to , like , not necessarily getting killed by the police , but when it comes to getting arrested , being beat by the police , they definitely have it worse.
” This is a clunky ideology ; Lowenberg believes Black people “ have it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he thought Black people are disproportionately targeted by police more so than white people are , he gave an unequivocal no .
How do you even make a video about this ?
How do you articulate your own nuance or work through deeply complicated realities if your brand is built on aggressive and gleeful support of a fundamentally and thoroughly unsubtle president ?
And while Lowenberg believes federal funding to ensure coronavirus testing is important , he still went on a trip to hang out in a house with a bunch of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — including some who , as Johnston put it , “ don ’ t agree on political stuff ” — while COVID-19 cases in Texas skyrocketed .
These contradictions are typical for a young person still sorting through their politics , but confusion and nuance don ’ t necessarily make for viral content .
A clear , core trait of Trump ’ s that so many of these teens like is that he ’ s a troll , and he makes his base laugh .
“ I thought it was so funny the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” King told me last week in reference to the “ Chinese virus ” meme that conservative TikTokers keep replicating .
But the teens know that people dying from the coronavirus is bad , and that people being killed by the police is bad — not fun , or funny , or cute — which makes it hard to troll people about this stuff and maintain a conscience .
No matter where you are on the political spectrum , it ’ s not clever to laugh at human suffering , whatever form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do when the gag stops being funny ?
There are still plenty of teens making pro-Trump , conservative , Democrat-mocking , media-hating TikToks ( many of which aren ’ t funny and aren ’ t trying to be ) .
As Lowenberg ’ s @ nickvideos account becomes more and more dedicated to explaining why he ’ s not a Trump supporter ( and videos of his car ) , Johnston seems poised and ready to take the crown : He left a few comments on his videos , gently chastising him for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duetted this video of another TikToker calling Lowenberg “ a clown ” and praising Johnston .
But for now , Lowenberg at least seems to have learned an important life lesson : The guy who makes you laugh might not be the guy you want in a crisis .
“ You know , [ Trump ’ s ] really funny .
And I 'll admit that I really like that , you know , like , when the country 's doing good , you can be funny , ” he told me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't need a comedian.
” ●

“In terms of youth political expression, while there’s a dynamic and influential liberal activist community on TikTok, there’s actually plenty of conservative political expression, and pro-Trump voices definitely find an audience on the platform,” Ioana Literat, assistant professor of communication and media at Columbia University, told the New York Times this week. There are enough of these conservative TikTok teens to sustain more than a few group chats — some on Instagram, others on Snapchat. One is called “Super Secret Conservative Groupchat,” where members discuss current events, the greatness of the president, and who else on TikTok they might want to invite into their chat. They also discuss people like me. Back in February, when I initially DM’d and emailed interview requests to a few of the group chat’s members, they talked it out among themselves first.
“I sent this to the group chat and they were like, ‘Lance, I don’t know if you should do it,’” Lance Johnston, an 18-year-old high school senior living in Sherman, Texas, who now has more than 106,000 TikTok followers, told me in a phone interview in February. He seemed OK making an exception, saying, “I trust you. I think you'll be fine.”
In addition to these chats, there’s the Republican Hype House, a group account maintained by and featuring a collective of conservative TikTok users, similar to the Hype House that hosts semi-famous TikTok stars like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. The Republican Hype House doesn’t have a corresponding physical location, unlike its namesake — but it certainly is influential, with nearly 700,000 followers.
Nick Lowenberg, a 17-year-old who goes by @nickvideos on TikTok, was one of the founding members of the Republican Hype House, though he’s no longer affiliated. His own account has just more than 333,000 followers (a number that has dipped quite a bit in the last few weeks), and more than 16 million likes. In late 2019 and for the first few months of 2020, he regularly posted videos of himself mugging for the camera, mocking liberals, and showing off his bedroom adorned with Trump memorabilia. Lowenberg spent most of his final year of high school spreading the Trump gospel.
But since late May, Lowenberg has had a significant change of heart. This month, he posted multiple videos about how he no longer supports Trump and “will no longer be making political content on [his] TikTok”; many of his old videos have been deleted. “He’s just an idiot,” he said about Trump in a TikTok last week. “Guys. Come on. Trump just ain’t it.”


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--My Boyfriend Refuses To Wear A Face Mask Despite The Coronavirus — Should I Dump Him?


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--7 Mental Habits That Can Improve Memory And Problem-Solving


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--15 Hookup Stories From People Who've Had Sex With A Micropenis

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to open up about their sexual experiences with someone who has a micropenis .
Here are the results .
In case you 're wondering , the average erect penis is 5 inches long , while a micropenis is at least 2.5 standard deviations smaller ( so , smaller than 7 centimeters or 2.75 inches ) .
Also , about .6 % of the male population has a micropenis .
Before we dive into the stories , we spoke to Dr. Kate Balestrieri , a licensed psychologist and certified sex addiction therapist , to get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact sex .
Here 's what she said : “ Whether someone has a large penis or a micropenis , the quality of their sexual experience with a partner depends largely on their non-penetrative behaviors .
There are strap-ons and penis extenders that can offer a different tactile experience for penetration , if desired , but nothing can take the place of confidence , erotic kissing , amazing foreplay , and hot sexual energy .
Focus on cultivating an experience that goes beyond penetration , cherish each other , and let sex become @ @ @ @ @ @

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to open up about their sexual experiences with someone who has a micropenis. Here are the results.
In case you're wondering, the average erect penis is 5 inches long, while a micropenis is at least 2.5 standard deviations smaller (so, smaller than 7 centimeters or 2.75 inches). Also, about .6% of the male population has a micropenis.
Before we dive into the stories, we spoke to Dr. Kate Balestrieri, a licensed psychologist and certified sex addiction therapist, to get a better understanding of how a micropenis might impact sex. Here's what she said: “Whether someone has a large penis or a micropenis, the quality of their sexual experience with a partner depends largely on their non-penetrative behaviors. There are strap-ons and penis extenders that can offer a different tactile experience for penetration, if desired, but nothing can take the place of confidence, erotic kissing, amazing foreplay, and hot sexual energy. Focus on cultivating an experience that goes beyond penetration, cherish each other, and let sex become a whole body experience.”


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--Parents Are Telling Their Kids To Repeat After Them But Then Cussing, And The Kids' Reactions Are So

Parents Are Telling Their Kids To Repeat After Them But Then Cussing, And The Kids' Reactions Are So Pure

Welcome to another day and another TikTok trend .
We 've seen tons of parenting trends on the platform , @ @ @ @ @ boobs to their breastfed babies and parents handing eggs to their kids , so now @ @ @ @ @ ... and this one is pretty bold , if I do say so myself .

Welcome to another day and another TikTok trend. We've seen tons of parenting trends on the platform, such as moms flashing their boobs to their breastfed babies and parents handing eggs to their kids, so now there's a new one...and this one is pretty bold, if I do say so myself.


buzzfeed--2020-07-03--Chrissy Teigen Is Being Praised After Sharing A Super Real Photo From Her Pap Smear

Speaking in March , Chrissy explained that she 'd initially had the surgery to further her modelling career back in @ @ @ @ @ keen to have the implants removed .
`` I did my boobs when I was @ @ @ @ @ '' she told Glamour .
`` It was more for a swimsuit thing .
I @ @ @ @ @ going to be posing , laid on my back , I want them to be @ @ @ @ @ have babies and they fill up with milk and deflate and now I am screwed @ @ @ @ @ was cautious of the risks of surgery now that she 's a mother , Chrissy @ @ @ @ @ May that she 'd decided to have the operation and by June she was at @ @ @ @ @ .

"Doctors can't find an irregular or odd pap unless you get them regularly enough to show them a difference in paps!!" she went on. "Please get it done if you have the luxury (this fucking country)."


buzzfeed--2020-07-02--The Trump Administration Is Set To Resume Executions In Two Weeks. There’s A Last-Ditch Effort To St

The Trump Administration Is Set To Resume Executions In Two Weeks. There’s A Last-Ditch Effort To Stop It.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is set to execute Daniel Lewis Lee on July 13 by lethal injection .
If it happens , it ’ ll be the first time in nearly two decades that the federal government has carried out an execution .
Death row inmates and death penalty opponents have less than two weeks to convince a judge to intervene before Lee ’ s execution , the first of four that the Trump administration has scheduled for men convicted of murdering children .
On Thursday , the American Civil Liberties Union filed a new lawsuit raising a novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the executions should be delayed because the coronavirus pandemic puts everyone involved in the lethal injection process at risk of exposure .
Rev .
Seigen Hartkemeyer , a Zen Buddhist priest who has served as a spiritual adviser to Wesley Purkey , a death row inmate scheduled for execution on July 15 , wrote in a blog post published by the ACLU on Thursday that he has a religious duty to be with Purkey .
But Hartkemeyer said that because he has a history of lung illness and is 68 years old , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an impossible decision.
” “ The federal government ’ s decision to proceed with Wes ’ s execution burdens my religious freedom by forcing me to choose between performing my religious duties as a priest , and protecting my own life , ” Hartkemeyer wrote .
“ Although Trump officials have repeatedly claimed the mantle of guardians of religious liberty , too often their commitment wavers when it is inconvenient for their political agenda .
This appears to be one of those times.
” The ACLU lawsuit isn ’ t the only pending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s plan .
Purkey and other death row inmates have been fighting in court since the Justice Department announced last July that Attorney General Bill Barr had ordered the Bureau of Prisons to resume lethal injections for the first time since 2003 .
The inmates are still waiting to see if a judge will step in before Lee ’ s scheduled execution on July 13 .
Purkey , Lee , and the other two inmates whose executions are scheduled for July and August were all convicted of murder , among other serious crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it chose these first four inmates to execute based on the fact that their cases involved the murder of children .
“ The American people , acting through Congress and Presidents of both political parties , have long instructed that defendants convicted of the most heinous crimes should be subject to a sentence of death , ” Barr said in a statement released by DOJ last month .
“ The four murderers whose executions are scheduled today have received full and fair proceedings under our Constitution and laws .
We owe it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to the families left behind , to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.
” Lee was found guilty in the murder of a family of three , including an 8-year-old girl .
His legal team released a video of the girl ’ s grandmother , Earlene Peterson , explaining that she was opposed to Lee being executed instead of serving a life sentence , which is what Lee ’ s codefendant received after he was found guilty .
“ Yes , I believe you have to pay for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t mean death , ” Peterson says in the video .
Lee and the other death row inmates who went to court won an injunction in the fall from a federal judge in Washington , DC , putting a pause on their executions .
But the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit reversed that decision in April , giving the Trump administration the green light to set a new schedule .
The inmates asked the US Supreme Court to order a delay and review the DC Circuit ’ s decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the justices rejected that request ; Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor would have delayed the executions and taken up the case , according to the order released by the court .
The Supreme Court ’ s refusal to get involved didn ’ t end the inmates ’ legal fight , however .
In mid-June , the inmates filed a new motion for a preliminary injunction , this time pressing different legal arguments than they did the first round .
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan set a fast briefing schedule , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
She has yet to rule .
The first injunction was about whether the single-drug injection protocol adopted by the Trump administration violated the Federal Death Penalty Act because it didn ’ t match execution protocols adopted by states where the federal death row inmates were set to be executed .
Chutkan ruled that the inmates were likely to win on this argument .
The DC Circuit disagreed in a 2–1 decision in April .
Trump ’ s two appointees to the DC Circuit , judges Greg Katsas and Neomi Rao , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Trump administration has made clear that it views the confirmation of conservative federal judges , especially in the appeals courts , as a central part of its policy strategy , politicizing these nominations despite protests from judges , and Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. , that they are nonpolitical actors .
The DC Circuit ruling noted that the inmates still had other unresolved legal claims , however , and that ’ s what the inmates are pressing now before Chutkan .
They ’ re arguing that the administration ’ s lethal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as the Administrative Procedure Act ; the inmates contend the administration failed to consider various risks associated with its lethal injection drug of choice , sodium pentobarbital , and that it represents the type of “ cruel and unusual punishment ” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution .
Purkey , who was convicted in 2003 of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl , has a separate lawsuit pending seeking to block his July 15 execution .
His lawyers filed a request for an injunction in late June arguing that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mental illnesses that make him incompetent to be executed under the Eighth Amendment .
That case is also assigned to Chutkan , and she set a similarly fast schedule for briefing .
“ Wes Purkey is a severely brain-damaged and mentally ill man who suffers from Alzheimer ’ s disease , ” Rebecca Woodman , one of Purkey ’ s attorneys , said in a statement .
“ He has long accepted responsibility for the crime that put him on death row , but as his dementia has progressed , he no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government plans to execute him .
He believes his execution is part of a large-scale conspiracy against him by the federal government in retaliation for his frequent challenges to prison conditions , and he believes his own lawyers are working against him within this conspiracy . ''
Purkey , Lee , and the two other inmates set for execution — Keith Nelson and Dustin Lee Honken — are held at the Terre Haute high-security federal prison facility in Indiana .
In the lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Indiana by Hartkemeyer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that the Terre Haute facility had documented cases of COVID-19 ; state and federal jails and prisons across the US have been hot spots for coronavirus cases .
“ The Federal Government ’ s extensive and large-scale plans for the executions amplify the risk posed by the executions .
Each execution will require the travel , movement , and congregation of hundreds of individuals , including the families of the victims and the death row prisoners , scores of correctional officers , members of local and national media , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from around the country , ” the complaint states .
According to the lawsuit , there has been only one execution nationwide since March , carried out by state officials in Missouri .
According to the Death Penalty Information Center , 25 states still permit the death penalty .
Among those states , nine haven ’ t carried out an execution in the past decade , and another five haven ’ t executed someone in the past five years , per the center ’ s data .
Federal executions have been even rarer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prisons , three federal executions took place in the early 2000s , with the last one taking place in 2003 .
There were a total of 37 federal executions between 1927 and 2003 , with none occurring in the 1970s , 1980s , or 1990s .
Since 2003 , the federal government ’ s authority to execute inmates has been tied up in court .
Federal death row inmates who had execution dates on the calendar filed a lawsuit to stop any future lethal injections in 2005 , and a judge delayed those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As the George W. Bush administration and , later , the Obama administration set additional execution dates , those inmates joined the case and their executions were also put on hold .
The litigation had been inactive since 2011 , when the Obama administration began exploring changes to the lethal injection protocol , which in practice put the entire system on hold .
It picked back up when the Justice Department announced last summer that it had adopted the new protocol and initially set five execution dates .
The fifth inmate who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitchell , is involved in the lethal injection protocol case , but he also has a separate legal challenge to his conviction pending before the 9th Circuit .
A three-judge panel in April rejected Mitchell ’ s argument that he should be allowed to interview jurors to probe whether there was racial bias ; Mitchell is Native American .
He filed a request for the full court to reconsider the case on June 15 .
In ruling against Mitchell , two of the judges wrote separately to express concerns they had that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ penalty against Mitchell when the Navajo Nation , as well as the victims ’ family , opposed capital punishment .
Mitchell was found guilty in the murder of a 63-year-old woman and her 9-year-old granddaughter ; the crime took place on a Navajo reservation .
“ The imposition of the death penalty in this case is a betrayal of a promise made to the Navajo Nation , and it demonstrates a deep disrespect for tribal sovereignty , ” Judge Morgan Christen wrote .
“ People can disagree about whether the death penalty should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows that the United States gave tribes the option to decide for themselves .
”

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is set to execute Daniel Lewis Lee on July 13 by lethal injection. If it happens, it’ll be the first time in nearly two decades that the federal government has carried out an execution.
Death row inmates and death penalty opponents have less than two weeks to convince a judge to intervene before Lee’s execution, the first of four that the Trump administration has scheduled for men convicted of murdering children. On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a new lawsuit raising a novel argument — that at least one of the executions should be delayed because the coronavirus pandemic puts everyone involved in the lethal injection process at risk of exposure.
Rev. Seigen Hartkemeyer, a Zen Buddhist priest who has served as a spiritual adviser to Wesley Purkey, a death row inmate scheduled for execution on July 15, wrote in a blog post published by the ACLU on Thursday that he has a religious duty to be with Purkey. But Hartkemeyer said that because he has a history of lung illness and is 68 years old, he was being “asked to make an impossible decision.”
“The federal government’s decision to proceed with Wes’s execution burdens my religious freedom by forcing me to choose between performing my religious duties as a priest, and protecting my own life,” Hartkemeyer wrote. “Although Trump officials have repeatedly claimed the mantle of guardians of religious liberty, too often their commitment wavers when it is inconvenient for their political agenda. This appears to be one of those times.”
Late Thursday, a federal appeals court stepped in to pause Purkey's execution, issuing a decision in a separate challenge that Purkey raised about his criminal conviction. The US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled against Purkey, finding that he wasn't entitled to raise issues now related to whether his trial counsel was ineffective. But the court agreed to stay Purkey's execution until he'd had a chance to exhaust all of his legal options — he could petition the full 7th Circuit to rehear the case for instance, or ask the US Supreme Court to take the case. If Purkey does end up losing, however, the new ACLU case would come back into play.
The ACLU lawsuit isn’t the only pending legal action challenging the Trump administration’s plan. Purkey and other death row inmates have been fighting in court since the Justice Department announced last July that Attorney General Bill Barr had ordered the Bureau of Prisons to resume lethal injections for the first time since 2003. The inmates are still waiting to see if a judge will step in before Lee’s scheduled execution on July 13.
Purkey, Lee, and the other two inmates whose executions are scheduled for July and August were all convicted of murder, among other serious crimes. The Justice Department has made clear that it chose these first four inmates to execute based on the fact that their cases involved the murder of children.
“The American people, acting through Congress and Presidents of both political parties, have long instructed that defendants convicted of the most heinous crimes should be subject to a sentence of death,” Barr said in a statement released by DOJ last month. “The four murderers whose executions are scheduled today have received full and fair proceedings under our Constitution and laws. We owe it to the victims of these horrific crimes, and to the families left behind, to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.”
Lee was found guilty in the murder of a family of three, including an 8-year-old girl. His legal team released a video of the girl’s grandmother, Earlene Peterson, explaining that she was opposed to Lee being executed instead of serving a life sentence, which is what Lee’s codefendant received after he was found guilty.
“Yes, I believe you have to pay for what you do, but that don’t mean death,” Peterson says in the video.
Lee and the other death row inmates who went to court won an injunction in the fall from a federal judge in Washington, DC, putting a pause on their executions. But the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit reversed that decision in April, giving the Trump administration the green light to set a new schedule.
The inmates asked the US Supreme Court to order a delay and review the DC Circuit’s decision, but on June 29 a majority of the justices rejected that request; Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor would have delayed the executions and taken up the case, according to the order released by the court.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to get involved didn’t end the inmates’ legal fight, however. In mid-June, the inmates filed a new motion for a preliminary injunction, this time pressing different legal arguments than they did the first round. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan set a fast briefing schedule, ordering the government to respond within a week. She has yet to rule.
The first injunction was about whether the single-drug injection protocol adopted by the Trump administration violated the Federal Death Penalty Act because it didn’t match execution protocols adopted by states where the federal death row inmates were set to be executed. Chutkan ruled that the inmates were likely to win on this argument. The DC Circuit disagreed in a 2–1 decision in April.
Trump’s two appointees to the DC Circuit, judges Greg Katsas and Neomi Rao, sided with the administration in that decision. The Trump administration has made clear that it views the confirmation of conservative federal judges, especially in the appeals courts, as a central part of its policy strategy, politicizing these nominations despite protests from judges, and Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., that they are nonpolitical actors.
The DC Circuit ruling noted that the inmates still had other unresolved legal claims, however, and that’s what the inmates are pressing now before Chutkan. They’re arguing that the administration’s lethal injection plan violates other federal laws, such as the Administrative Procedure Act; the inmates contend the administration failed to consider various risks associated with its lethal injection drug of choice, sodium pentobarbital, and that it represents the type of “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.
Purkey, who was convicted in 2003 of raping and killing a 16-year-old girl, has a separate lawsuit pending seeking to block his July 15 execution. His lawyers filed a request for an injunction in late June arguing that he has schizophrenia, dementia, and other mental illnesses that make him incompetent to be executed under the Eighth Amendment. That case is also assigned to Chutkan, and she set a similarly fast schedule for briefing.
“Wes Purkey is a severely brain-damaged and mentally ill man who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease,” Rebecca Woodman, one of Purkey’s attorneys, said in a statement. “He has long accepted responsibility for the crime that put him on death row, but as his dementia has progressed, he no longer has a rational understanding of why the government plans to execute him. He believes his execution is part of a large-scale conspiracy against him by the federal government in retaliation for his frequent challenges to prison conditions, and he believes his own lawyers are working against him within this conspiracy."
Purkey, Lee, and the two other inmates set for execution — Keith Nelson and Dustin Lee Honken — are held at the Terre Haute high-security federal prison facility in Indiana. In the lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Indiana by Hartkemeyer, the Buddhist priest, the ACLU lawyers noted that the Terre Haute facility had documented cases of COVID-19; state and federal jails and prisons across the US have been hot spots for coronavirus cases.
“The Federal Government’s extensive and large-scale plans for the executions amplify the risk posed by the executions. Each execution will require the travel, movement, and congregation of hundreds of individuals, including the families of the victims and the death row prisoners, scores of correctional officers, members of local and national media, as well as large numbers of witnesses and legal counsel from around the country,” the complaint states.
According to the lawsuit, there has been only one execution nationwide since March, carried out by state officials in Missouri.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 25 states still permit the death penalty. Among those states, nine haven’t carried out an execution in the past decade, and another five haven’t executed someone in the past five years, per the center’s data.
Federal executions have been even rarer. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, three federal executions took place in the early 2000s, with the last one taking place in 2003. There were a total of 37 federal executions between 1927 and 2003, with none occurring in the 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s.
Since 2003, the federal government’s authority to execute inmates has been tied up in court. Federal death row inmates who had execution dates on the calendar filed a lawsuit to stop any future lethal injections in 2005, and a judge delayed those executions while the case was being litigated. As the George W. Bush administration and, later, the Obama administration set additional execution dates, those inmates joined the case and their executions were also put on hold.
The litigation had been inactive since 2011, when the Obama administration began exploring changes to the lethal injection protocol, which in practice put the entire system on hold. It picked back up when the Justice Department announced last summer that it had adopted the new protocol and initially set five execution dates.
The fifth inmate who originally had an execution date, Lezmond Mitchell, is involved in the lethal injection protocol case, but he also has a separate legal challenge to his conviction pending before the 9th Circuit. A three-judge panel in April rejected Mitchell’s argument that he should be allowed to interview jurors to probe whether there was racial bias; Mitchell is Native American. He filed a request for the full court to reconsider the case on June 15.
In ruling against Mitchell, two of the judges wrote separately to express concerns they had that the Justice Department chose to pursue the death penalty against Mitchell when the Navajo Nation, as well as the victims’ family, opposed capital punishment. Mitchell was found guilty in the murder of a 63-year-old woman and her 9-year-old granddaughter; the crime took place on a Navajo reservation.
“The imposition of the death penalty in this case is a betrayal of a promise made to the Navajo Nation, and it demonstrates a deep disrespect for tribal sovereignty,” Judge Morgan Christen wrote. “People can disagree about whether the death penalty should ever be imposed, but our history shows that the United States gave tribes the option to decide for themselves.”


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