buzzfeed--2020-09-28--Trump Nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett For Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Seat On The Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is his nominee to replace the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , officially launching what is likely to be a bitter confirmation fight focused on Barrett ’ s anti-abortion beliefs and Republicans ’ attempts to seat her so near the Nov. 3 election .
Just over a week after Ginsburg ’ s death on Sept. 19 , Trump announced Barrett ’ s nomination from the White House .
Barrett , 48 , was one of Trump ’ s early federal court nominees and has served on the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since November 2017 .
`` She is a woman of unparalleled achievement , towering intellect , sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution , ” Trump said at the Rose Garden ceremony .
Quoting praise from some of Barrett 's former colleagues , he said , `` I looked and I studied and you are very eminently qualified for this job , you are going to be fantastic , thank you , really fantastic . ''
Senate Democrats are expected to vigorously oppose Barrett ’ s nomination , both on her record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be considered before the new Senate , and potentially a new president , is seated in January .
Absent four defections from Republicans , however , Democrats lack the numbers to stop her from being confirmed .
Only two Republicans , Sens .
Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski , have said they do not support acting on a nominee before the election ; the vast majority of Republicans — including Sen. Mitt Romney , the lone Republican to vote to convict Trump during his impeachment trial this year — support moving ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be very quick , '' Trump said , joking that Barrett 's confirmation would be `` extremely noncontroversial '' in the Senate .
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham , who chairs the Judiciary Committee , said in a statement Saturday that he will move forward on Barrett 's nomination and ensure that she `` gets a challenging , fair , and respectful hearing , '' though he did not lay out a timeline for doing so .
“ Judge Barrett is highly qualified in all the areas that matter – character , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She is an outstanding Supreme Court nominee by President Trump , '' Graham said .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump “ could not have made a better decision in choosing Barrett . ''
McConnell said he plans to meet with Barrett next week .
He did not specify the timeline for a Senate vote , but said that it will come “ in the weeks ahead , ” following a hearing in the Judiciary Committee .
McConnell also referenced Ginsburg ’ s death : “ It does seem fitting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ height of their shared profession would follow in her footsteps onto the Court.
” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , meanwhile , did not mince words on Saturday , saying in a statement that Barrett will be a vote to repeal Obamacare and restrict abortion rights .
“ Should Judge Amy Coney Barrett be confirmed , a far-right majority on the court could also turn back the clock on women ’ s rights and a woman ’ s right to choose , workers ’ rights , voting rights , civil rights , LGBTQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Schumer added .
“ The future for DACA recipients also hangs in the balance with this nominee.
” Schumer noted that Ginsburg said before she died that her wish was that Republicans not try to fill her seat before the election .
“ Republicans are poised to not only ignore her wishes , but to replace her with someone who could tear down everything that she built .
This reprehensible power grab is a cynical attack on the legitimacy of the Court , ” he said .
If confirmed , Barrett would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 6–3 .
In recent years , Democrats have cheered as Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. , a George W. Bush appointee , joined the court ’ s four Democratic appointees in ruling against the Trump administration in fights over the census and immigration .
But assuming Barrett lives up to Republicans ’ expectations , it will become harder for the left-leaning justices to end up in the majority in ideologically and politically divisive cases .
Trump ’ s other nominees , Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh , have , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fights over Trump ’ s financial records .
Barrett , a former law professor at Notre Dame Law School , has long been considered a Supreme Court frontrunner under Trump .
Trump added her to his public list of potential nominees in November 2017 , following Gorsuch ’ s confirmation and less than a month after her confirmation to the 7th Circuit .
It was a sign that the White House and outside groups that have backed Trump ’ s push to reshape the federal courts were already comfortable with her conservative bona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule on the bench .
( Read more about Barrett ’ s writings and rulings as a federal appeals judge . )
Speaking after Trump 's announcement , Barrett paid tribute to Ginsburg , acknowledging the timing of her nomination so soon after Ginsburg 's death , saying the justice `` not only broke glass ceilings , she smashed them . ''
But she also used her remarks to make clear she would be a justice in the mold of the late justice Antonin Scalia , a conservative icon and Barrett 's mentor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 20 years ago but the lessons I learned still resonate .
His judicial philosophy is mine , too .
A judge must apply the law as written .
Judges are not policymakers and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold , '' she said .
Conservative and liberal groups are pouring millions of dollars into the confirmation fight ahead .
The Judicial Crisis Network , one of the leading conservative advocacy groups that has backed Trump 's judicial nominees , announced after Saturday 's ceremony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to supporting Barrett 's nomination , including an initial $ 3 million TV and digital ad buy .
The Republican National Committee separately announced its own $ 10 million campaign .
Barrett 's writings and public statements as a law professor — when she wasn ’ t bound by judicial ethics rules that limit what lower court judges can say about their personal beliefs and Supreme Court decisions — have fueled criticism from Democrats and civil rights groups .
They contend she will be a vote to reverse the abortion rights of Roe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Black Americans , immigrants , and LGBTQ people ; and strike down the Affordable Care Act if she ’ s confirmed as a justice .
Democrats and liberal groups have condemned Barrett — who before becoming a judge spoke publicly about her belief that life begins at conception and was a member of University Faculty for Life at Notre Dame — as the replacement for Ginsburg , a pioneering women ’ s rights lawyer and champion of the court ’ s liberal wing .
Former vice president Joe Biden warned in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vote to overturn Obamacare , noting the `` urgency '' of the November election has been `` made all the more acute by what ’ s at stake at the U.S. Supreme Court .
`` Barrett `` has a written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court ’ s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act .
She critiqued Chief Justice John Roberts ’ majority opinion upholding the law in 2012 , ” he said .
Biden added , “ The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next Congress.
” NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue released a statement in advance of Saturday ’ s announcement calling Barrett ’ s nomination and Republicans ’ decision to move forward “ an attack on our very democracy ” and “ un-American.
” “ Amy Coney Barrett ’ s record tracks with Trump ’ s promises in the 2016 election — a nominee who would be a sure vote to end legal abortion in this country .
Her positions show she is a clear and present threat to reproductive freedom and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Judge Amy Coney Barrett is his nominee to replace the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, officially launching what is likely to be a bitter confirmation fight focused on Barrett’s anti-abortion beliefs and Republicans’ attempts to seat her so near the Nov. 3 election.
Just over a week after Ginsburg’s death on Sept. 19, Trump announced Barrett’s nomination from the White House. Barrett, 48, was one of Trump’s early federal court nominees and has served on the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit since November 2017.
"She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution,” Trump said at the Rose Garden ceremony. Quoting praise from some of Barrett's former colleagues, he said, "I looked and I studied and you are very eminently qualified for this job, you are going to be fantastic, thank you, really fantastic."
Senate Democrats are expected to vigorously oppose Barrett’s nomination, both on her record and on the principle that no nominee should be considered before the new Senate, and potentially a new president, is seated in January. Absent four defections from Republicans, however, Democrats lack the numbers to stop her from being confirmed. Only two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, have said they do not support acting on a nominee before the election; the vast majority of Republicans — including Sen. Mitt Romney, the lone Republican to vote to convict Trump during his impeachment trial this year — support moving ahead with a nominee.
"It's going to be very quick," Trump said, joking that Barrett's confirmation would be "extremely noncontroversial" in the Senate.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement Saturday that he will move forward on Barrett's nomination and ensure that she "gets a challenging, fair, and respectful hearing," though he did not lay out a timeline for doing so.
“Judge Barrett is highly qualified in all the areas that matter – character, integrity, intellect, and judicial disposition. She is an outstanding Supreme Court nominee by President Trump," Graham said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Trump “could not have made a better decision in choosing Barrett." McConnell said he plans to meet with Barrett next week. He did not specify the timeline for a Senate vote, but said that it will come “in the weeks ahead,” following a hearing in the Judiciary Committee.
McConnell also referenced Ginsburg’s death: “It does seem fitting that another brilliant and talented woman at the height of their shared profession would follow in her footsteps onto the Court.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, did not mince words on Saturday, saying in a statement that Barrett will be a vote to repeal Obamacare and restrict abortion rights. “Should Judge Amy Coney Barrett be confirmed, a far-right majority on the court could also turn back the clock on women’s rights and a woman’s right to choose, workers’ rights, voting rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, environmental protections and more,” Schumer added. “The future for DACA recipients also hangs in the balance with this nominee.”
Schumer noted that Ginsburg said before she died that her wish was that Republicans not try to fill her seat before the election.
“Republicans are poised to not only ignore her wishes, but to replace her with someone who could tear down everything that she built. This reprehensible power grab is a cynical attack on the legitimacy of the Court,” he said.
If confirmed, Barrett would deepen the court’s conservative-leaning majority to 6–3. In recent years, Democrats have cheered as Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., a George W. Bush appointee, joined the court’s four Democratic appointees in ruling against the Trump administration in fights over the census and immigration. But assuming Barrett lives up to Republicans’ expectations, it will become harder for the left-leaning justices to end up in the majority in ideologically and politically divisive cases. Trump’s other nominees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, have, however, delivered surprises on LGBTQ rights and subpoena fights over Trump’s financial records.
Barrett, a former law professor at Notre Dame Law School, has long been considered a Supreme Court frontrunner under Trump. Trump added her to his public list of potential nominees in November 2017, following Gorsuch’s confirmation and less than a month after her confirmation to the 7th Circuit. It was a sign that the White House and outside groups that have backed Trump’s push to reshape the federal courts were already comfortable with her conservative bona fides without knowing how she’d rule on the bench.
(Read more about Barrett’s writings and rulings as a federal appeals judge.)
Speaking after Trump's announcement, Barrett paid tribute to Ginsburg, acknowledging the timing of her nomination so soon after Ginsburg's death, saying the justice "not only broke glass ceilings, she smashed them." But she also used her remarks to make clear she would be a justice in the mold of the late justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon and Barrett's mentor.
"I clerked for the justice more than 20 years ago but the lessons I learned still resonate. His judicial philosophy is mine, too. A judge must apply the law as written. Judges are not policymakers and they must be resolute in setting aside any policy views they might hold," she said.
Conservative and liberal groups are pouring millions of dollars into the confirmation fight ahead. The Judicial Crisis Network, one of the leading conservative advocacy groups that has backed Trump's judicial nominees, announced after Saturday's ceremony that it was committing $10 million to supporting Barrett's nomination, including an initial $3 million TV and digital ad buy. The Republican National Committee separately announced its own $10 million campaign.
Barrett's writings and public statements as a law professor — when she wasn’t bound by judicial ethics rules that limit what lower court judges can say about their personal beliefs and Supreme Court decisions — have fueled criticism from Democrats and civil rights groups. They contend she will be a vote to reverse the abortion rights of Roe v. Wade; roll back legal protections for Black Americans, immigrants, and LGBTQ people; and strike down the Affordable Care Act if she’s confirmed as a justice.
Democrats and liberal groups have condemned Barrett — who before becoming a judge spoke publicly about her belief that life begins at conception and was a member of University Faculty for Life at Notre Dame — as the replacement for Ginsburg, a pioneering women’s rights lawyer and champion of the court’s liberal wing.
Former vice president Joe Biden warned in a statement Saturday that Barrett would likely be a vote to overturn Obamacare, noting the "urgency" of the November election has been "made all the more acute by what’s at stake at the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Barrett "has a written track record of disagreeing with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. She critiqued Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion upholding the law in 2012,” he said.
Biden added, “The Senate should not act on this vacancy until after the American people select their next president and the next Congress.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue released a statement in advance of Saturday’s announcement calling Barrett’s nomination and Republicans’ decision to move forward “an attack on our very democracy” and “un-American.”
“Amy Coney Barrett’s record tracks with Trump’s promises in the 2016 election — a nominee who would be a sure vote to end legal abortion in this country. Her positions show she is a clear and present threat to reproductive freedom and the promise of Roe,” Hogue said.


buzzfeed--2020-09-28--Women Detained By ICE Told Members Of Congress They Underwent Unwanted Medical Procedures

Members of Congress who visited immigrants detained by federal authorities at a facility that has come under fire following allegations of unwanted gynecological procedures heard firsthand accounts on Saturday from women who said they were coerced or had unwanted medical treatment .
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and House Judiciary Committee were among those who toured and spoke with immigrants detained at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia , including a woman who asked them to read her medical file and explain what she had been injected with .
Rep. Pramila Jayapal , a Democrat from Washington state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke with women , four of which said they had unwanted procedures they felt they were forced to undergo , otherwise it would result in them receiving a contraceptive injection without being told of the side effects .
On a call with reporters , Jayapal said she has now spoken to eight women who say they had been subjected to forced unnecessary procedures — some of which have resulted in full or partial sterilization — or procedures without their consent or full knowledge .
`` This is clearly an epidemic within Irwin County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the for-profit nature of these procedures , '' Jayapal said .
`` One woman said she was treated like an animal , all described being shackled and coming out bleeding . ''
The Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla , Georgia , has come under intense scrutiny following allegations that a gynecologist had performed unwanted hysterectomies on ICE detainees .
There has , however , been no evidence to support the accusations of mass sterilizations on immigrants at the ICE detention center .
Ken Cuccinelli , the second in command at the Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which oversees ICE , on Thursday said that over the course of four years , two hysterectomies were performed at the Irwin County Hospital near the facility .
Cuccinelli said after seeing the reports he immediately dispatched a team of people outside of ICE to review records at the facility , which is separate from an investigation being carried out by DHS 's Office of Inspector General .
Still , several people have since come forward to accuse Mahendra Amin of conducting other gynecological procedures on women without their consent .
BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorneys who allege Amin conducted medical procedures on them without revealing or fully explaining what he planned to do .
This , they and their lawyers say , meant the women did not give consent .
Experts said that in order for women to consent they have to be fully informed of the procedure .
The allegations against Amin came after a whistleblower — Dawn Wooten , who worked as a nurse at the detention center — filed a complaint with the DHS 's Office of Inspector General .
Wooten , whose complaint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing , also alleged that unwanted hysterectomies were being performed on immigrant women .
Wooten didn ’ t name the doctor — but soon after , Amin ’ s name was made public by advocates and attorneys .
California Rep. Raul Ruiz , also a Democrat , said all procedures done without someone 's consent should be investigated , not just hysterectomies .
`` They should be considered because of the potential and the risks of causing infertility , scarring , further complications , further pain , '' Ruiz told reporters .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to take a blade to a woman 's body , then you need to have informed consent otherwise it is an assault to that woman . ''
The Irwin County Detention Center , despite attempts in recent days to paint over mold and swap out moldy shower curtains , was not complying with national standards for public health , which , Ruiz said , was particularly concerning during the coronavirus pandemic .
Women had one disposable mask to use for months and were only given a new one the day before their @ @ @ @ @

Members of Congress who visited immigrants detained by federal authorities at a facility that has come under fire following allegations of unwanted gynecological procedures heard firsthand accounts on Saturday from women who said they were coerced or had unwanted medical treatment.
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and House Judiciary Committee were among those who toured and spoke with immigrants detained at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia, including a woman who asked them to read her medical file and explain what she had been injected with.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, said that during the visit she spoke with women, four of which said they had unwanted procedures they felt they were forced to undergo, otherwise it would result in them receiving a contraceptive injection without being told of the side effects. On a call with reporters, Jayapal said she has now spoken to eight women who say they had been subjected to forced unnecessary procedures — some of which have resulted in full or partial sterilization — or procedures without their consent or full knowledge.
"This is clearly an epidemic within Irwin County Detention Center we believe is tied to the for-profit nature of these procedures," Jayapal said. "One woman said she was treated like an animal, all described being shackled and coming out bleeding."
The Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, has come under intense scrutiny following allegations that a gynecologist had performed unwanted hysterectomies on ICE detainees. There has, however, been no evidence to support the accusations of mass sterilizations on immigrants at the ICE detention center.
Ken Cuccinelli, the second in command at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, on Thursday said that over the course of four years, two hysterectomies were performed at the Irwin County Hospital near the facility. Cuccinelli said after seeing the reports he immediately dispatched a team of people outside of ICE to review records at the facility, which is separate from an investigation being carried out by DHS's Office of Inspector General.
Still, several people have since come forward to accuse Mahendra Amin of conducting other gynecological procedures on women without their consent.
BuzzFeed News has spoken to four women or their attorneys who allege Amin conducted medical procedures on them without revealing or fully explaining what he planned to do. This, they and their lawyers say, meant the women did not give consent.
Experts said that in order for women to consent they have to be fully informed of the procedure.
The allegations against Amin came after a whistleblower — Dawn Wooten, who worked as a nurse at the detention center — filed a complaint with the DHS's Office of Inspector General. Wooten, whose complaint primarily focused on medical care and COVID-19 testing, also alleged that unwanted hysterectomies were being performed on immigrant women. Wooten didn’t name the doctor — but soon after, Amin’s name was made public by advocates and attorneys.
California Rep. Raul Ruiz, also a Democrat, said all procedures done without someone's consent should be investigated, not just hysterectomies.
"They should be considered because of the potential and the risks of causing infertility, scarring, further complications, further pain," Ruiz told reporters. "The point here is if you are going to take a blade to a woman's body, then you need to have informed consent otherwise it is an assault to that woman."
The Irwin County Detention Center, despite attempts in recent days to paint over mold and swap out moldy shower curtains, was not complying with national standards for public health, which, Ruiz said, was particularly concerning during the coronavirus pandemic.
Women had one disposable mask to use for months and were only given a new one the day before their visit, Ruiz said.


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--Gwyneth Paltrow Posed In Her Birthday Suit To Celebrate Her 48th Birthday And Her Daughter Didn't He

Gwyneth Paltrow Posed In Her Birthday Suit To Celebrate Her 48th Birthday And Her Daughter Didn't Hesitate To Comment On It

And earlier this year she talked to Jimmy Kimmel about how her children have grown to appreciate her sex-positive lifestyle @ @ @ @ @ My son said to me the other day , he was like , ‘ At @ @ @ @ @ really embarrassing that there were vibrators on your website , and now I think it @ @ @ @ @ ! '
He ’ s like , ‘ You ’ re a feminist , Mom @ @ @ @ @ badass.
’ I was like , ‘ Thank you !
’ ”

And earlier this year she talked to Jimmy Kimmel about how her children have grown to appreciate her sex-positive lifestyle website, saying, "My son said to me the other day, he was like, ‘At first I thought it was really embarrassing that there were vibrators on your website, and now I think it’s a great thing!' He’s like, ‘You’re a feminist, Mom. You’re a badass.’ I was like, ‘Thank you!’”


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--27 Hacks, Tips, And Habits To Help You Get Better Sleep Over Time

Here 's more about each : White noise is most popular when it come to falling asleep .
It includes all frequencies at equal intensity — so you wo n't hear one sound more than another , which makes it good at masking loud sounds that stimulate the brain .
Examples of white noise include radio or TV static , vacuum cleaners , or a fan .
Pink noise also contains all frequencies but not at equal intensity .
Lower frequencies are stronger in pink noise , making it more rumbly and deeper sounding than white noise .
Pink noise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , steady rain , wind , waves , and rustling leaves .
Brown noise is even deeper than pink noise .
The lower frequencies in brown noise are stronger than in pink noise .
Think waterfalls or thunder .
P.S .
If you 're on the market for a noise machine , you can get one that has 20 unique sounds from Amazon for $ 49.95 .
There are also playlists on Spotify , like this white noise one , or apps , like the myNoise app ( which is free for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YouTube channel ) .

Here's more about each:
White noise is most popular when it come to falling asleep. It includes all frequencies at equal intensity — so you won't hear one sound more than another, which makes it good at masking loud sounds that stimulate the brain. Examples of white noise include radio or TV static, vacuum cleaners, or a fan.
Pink noise also contains all frequencies but not at equal intensity. Lower frequencies are stronger in pink noise, making it more rumbly and deeper sounding than white noise. Pink noise happens a lot in nature — for example, steady rain, wind, waves, and rustling leaves.
Brown noise is even deeper than pink noise. The lower frequencies in brown noise are stronger than in pink noise. Think waterfalls or thunder.
P.S. If you're on the market for a noise machine, you can get one that has 20 unique sounds from Amazon for $49.95. There are also playlists on Spotify, like this white noise one, or apps, like the myNoise app (which is free for iOS and Android and has its own YouTube channel).


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--16 A+ Period Tweets That Made Me Laugh More Than I Should Have

If you 're like me and you hate periods with a passion , then you 've come to the right @ @ @ @ @ period tweets are here to comfort you like two Advils and an extra strong heating @ @ @ @ @ you like what you read , why not give these Twitter users a follow ?

If you're like me and you hate periods with a passion, then you've come to the right place. Because these funny period tweets are here to comfort you like two Advils and an extra strong heating pad. BTW, if you like what you read, why not give these Twitter users a follow?


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--16 Funny Vagina Tweets That You'll Probably Only Laugh At If You Have A Vagina

Hey , hi , hello .
If you have a vagina and like to laugh , then you 've come @ @ @ @ @ Because these funny tweets about vaginas , vulvas , and more are A+++ .
BTW @ @ @ @ @ you read , why not give some of these clever Twitter users a follow !

Hey, hi, hello. If you have a vagina and like to laugh, then you've come to the right place. Because these funny tweets about vaginas, vulvas, and more are A+++. BTW, if you like what you read, why not give some of these clever Twitter users a follow!


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--America’s “Patchwork Pandemic” Is Why We Haven’t Gotten COVID-19 Under Control

The world ’ s most powerful nation has played whack-a-mole with the coronavirus , slowing its transmission in one place only for it to flare up somewhere else .
As the US marched steadily toward 200,000 recorded deaths from COVID-19 , President Donald Trump returned to a familiar line that he has pushed since the start of the pandemic : “ It is going away.
” In reality , COVID-19 is not going away — certainly not before an election that for many will be a referendum on Trump ’ s handling of this crisis .
Over the past six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive game of whack-a-mole with the coronavirus , temporarily taming its spread in one place only to have it flare up somewhere else where stringent controls on viral transmission were either never put in place , or were relaxed before it was safe to do so .
This patchwork spread of COVID-19 has kept the world ’ s most powerful nation in the coronavirus ’ s grip , as shown in these animations tracking its spread as it killed 200,000 Americans across the country since March .
This map shows the weekly rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people for what the US Census Bureau calls “ core-based statistical areas.
” These consist of a county or combination of counties containing at least one city with at least 10,000 people .
While some rural areas that are grayed out in our map have also been hit hard by COVID-19 , this geographical view clearly reveals the shifting patchwork of hot spots of viral transmission that has characterized the US epidemic so far .
As testing has expanded across the nation , the meaning of a “ case ” has changed : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mild or no symptoms who would not have been tested in the early days .
( Read the methods to learn how we set the color scale so that the map still highlights the initial outbreak in and around New York City . )
The animation reveals the restless pattern of what the Atlantic ’ s Ed Yong in May dubbed America ’ s “ patchwork pandemic.
” Unlike countries in Europe , Asia , and Oceania that were able to enact nationwide measures to limit the spread of the virus , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Instead , individual states , cities , and counties temporarily got things under control , only for the virus to find susceptible populations elsewhere , especially in places with limited restrictions on gatherings and no face mask requirements .
“ This is just spreading from place to place to place , and it ’ s going to continue to do that , ” Kate Grabowski , an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University , told BuzzFeed News .
In part , the patchwork pandemic in the US is a consequence of the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
But epidemiologists and health policy experts fault the Trump administration for failing to develop a strong national infection-control strategy and to coordinate with state and county health departments to tackle the crisis head-on .
“ One of my major concerns about the pandemic response is that we ’ ve never had a united plan for the United States , ” Howard Koh of the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health , formerly assistant secretary of health in the Obama administration , told BuzzFeed News .
Instead , individual state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on when and how to lock down and reopen .
Even after New York City and other parts of the Northeast were hit hard in April , lockdowns elsewhere were inconsistent and often short-lived .
Encouraged by Trump , states across the South and West rushed to open bars , restaurants , and other businesses in May , despite failing to meet White House and CDC guidelines for reopening .
“ We didn ’ t have a consistent imposition of public health measures , ” Ezekiel Emanuel , vice provost of global initiatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former health policy adviser to the Obama administration , told BuzzFeed News .
“ And then we rushed to open up things like restaurants and bars.
” The result was the surge in cases across the Sun Belt states that took off from mid-June , clearly visible in the animation after early infection hot spots around New York City , New Orleans , and Detroit had calmed down .
New local outbreaks have continued to emerge .
Right now , some of the worst affected areas are in Wisconsin — where cases have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks .
“ We have this rolling thunder of waves of illness across the country , ” Koh said .
A lack of leadership at the federal and state level also means that the nation has missed on opportunity to systematically gather information on which interventions are most effective in curbing viral transmission , according to Jessica Metcalf , a demographer at Princeton University who studies infectious disease dynamics .
“ We still do n't have a robust sense of what works to reduce transmission , and how this scales with the costs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email .
This animation of COVID-19 deaths highlights the enormously high death tolls in April in New York City and the surrounding area in particular .
Death rates are now lower in part because doctors have gotten better at treating the people who are most seriously ill. We now know that putting people on ventilators is less helpful than was initially thought .
Laying severely ill patients face down seems to help , as does treatment with steroids and the antiviral drug remdesivir , given emergency approval on May 1 .
Still , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have hit already disadvantaged local communities , including high death rates among Native Americans in counties including Navajo , Arizona , and McKinley , New Mexico — and more recently in the border communities of southeast Texas , where large numbers of people in the Latino community have died .
Across the nation , Black Americans have disproportionately been infected and died : The patchwork pandemic has underlined the nation ’ s stark racial and economic divides .
These charts show the daily counts of cases and deaths for the nation as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK , France , and Spain are now wrestling with a significant “ second wave ” of COVID-19 after months with relatively few cases , the US never had any respite over the summer months .
Instead , the patchwork pandemic has given the US an ongoing roller coaster of infections and deaths .
And over the past couple of weeks , new confirmed cases have been trending up once again .
Experts warn that this roller coaster will continue , with outbreaks likely to return to places where the virus has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s everywhere .
It ’ s an endemic disease at this point , ” Grabowski said .
“ I think we ’ re certainly going to see increases in infections in New York City and Florida again.
” The big hope is that an effective vaccine can finally bring things under control — not eliminating the virus , but turning it into something we can live with .
“ If we can eventually get a vaccine that is widely available and effective , there ’ s a chance that this ‘ patchwork @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; however , that ’ s a big ‘ if , ’ ” Maia Majumder , a computational epidemiologist at Harvard University , told BuzzFeed News by email .
Right now , Trump is butting heads with senior health officials in the administration over his desire to get a vaccine approved before the election , pushing back against safeguards to ensure that candidate vaccines are only approved for the public after rigorous processes to determine their safety and efficacy .
Few experts think a massive rollout across the majority of the population can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , even if things go well .
“ I keep saying November 2021 , ” Emanuel said .
Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , has said a vaccine that is 75 % effective would be unlikely to achieve the herd immunity needed to finally stop rampant transmission of the coronavirus and allow us to resume something like our previous lives if only two-thirds of Americans take it .
And a growing worry is that many people won ’ t take a vaccine .
According @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Research Center , just 51 % of Americans said they would definitely or probably take a vaccine if it were available today .
That level of hesitancy exceeds the hardcore of committed anti-vaxxers and seems to reflect wider concerns that approval may be rushed before safety has been fully established .
“ I think the hesitancy reflects the politicization , ” Emanuel said .

This map shows the weekly rate of new confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for what the US Census Bureau calls “core-based statistical areas.” These consist of a county or combination of counties containing at least one city with at least 10,000 people. While some rural areas that are grayed out in our map have also been hit hard by COVID-19, this geographical view clearly reveals the shifting patchwork of hot spots of viral transmission that has characterized the US epidemic so far.
As testing has expanded across the nation, the meaning of a “case” has changed: Those identified today include many people with mild or no symptoms who would not have been tested in the early days. (Read the methods to learn how we set the color scale so that the map still highlights the initial outbreak in and around New York City.)
The animation reveals the restless pattern of what the Atlantic’s Ed Yong in May dubbed America’s “patchwork pandemic.” Unlike countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania that were able to enact nationwide measures to limit the spread of the virus, the US never took a coordinated national approach.
Instead, individual states, cities, and counties temporarily got things under control, only for the virus to find susceptible populations elsewhere, especially in places with limited restrictions on gatherings and no face mask requirements.
“This is just spreading from place to place to place, and it’s going to continue to do that,” Kate Grabowski, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told BuzzFeed News.
In part, the patchwork pandemic in the US is a consequence of the US federal system, which gives autonomy to states. But epidemiologists and health policy experts fault the Trump administration for failing to develop a strong national infection-control strategy and to coordinate with state and county health departments to tackle the crisis head-on.
“One of my major concerns about the pandemic response is that we’ve never had a united plan for the United States,” Howard Koh of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, formerly assistant secretary of health in the Obama administration, told BuzzFeed News.
Instead, individual state and local governments have taken the lead on when and how to lock down and reopen. Even after New York City and other parts of the Northeast were hit hard in April, lockdowns elsewhere were inconsistent and often short-lived.
Encouraged by Trump, states across the South and West rushed to open bars, restaurants, and other businesses in May, despite failing to meet White House and CDC guidelines for reopening.
“We didn’t have a consistent imposition of public health measures,” Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost of global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and a former health policy adviser to the Obama administration, told BuzzFeed News. “And then we rushed to open up things like restaurants and bars.”
The result was the surge in cases across the Sun Belt states that took off from mid-June, clearly visible in the animation after early infection hot spots around New York City, New Orleans, and Detroit had calmed down.
New local outbreaks have continued to emerge. Right now, some of the worst affected areas are in Wisconsin — where cases have surged in 18- to 24-year-olds in recent weeks.
“We have this rolling thunder of waves of illness across the country,” Koh said.
A lack of leadership at the federal and state level also means that the nation has missed on opportunity to systematically gather information on which interventions are most effective in curbing viral transmission, according to Jessica Metcalf, a demographer at Princeton University who studies infectious disease dynamics.
“We still don't have a robust sense of what works to reduce transmission, and how this scales with the costs,” Metcalf told BuzzFeed News by email.
Weekly coronavirus deaths


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--Here Are The Best Costco Snacks According To Nutritionists

`` My clients love the Bare Organic Apple Chips because they ’ re crunchy , sweet , and satisfying .
@ @ @ @ @ – as pure as you can get !
Apples are often overlooked in terms of @ @ @ @ @ ’ re a great source of prebiotic fiber ( pectin ) , and are delicious @ @ @ @ @ with some nuts . ''
—Rachel Beller , MS , RDN , CEO of Beller @ @ @ @ @ Transformation Masterclass

To help guide you through the aisles of your fave bulk store, we reached out to several nutritionists and dietitians to ask them which snacks they buy and love at Costco. Here's what they said!


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--This Son Writes His Mom's Advice On Signs, And It's Going Viral Because She's So Wise

Poonam said that her messages are so important because young people are listening , and the postings allow her and @ @ @ @ @ right kind of messages .
`` I want to share things that are super important @ @ @ @ @ get enough importance in the hustle and bustle of the day — things like mental @ @ @ @ @ , our environment , and so on .
There 's so much to say , @ @ @ @ @ space where everyone is willing to listen and contribute , '' she said .

Poonam said that her messages are so important because young people are listening, and the postings allow her and her son to spread the right kind of messages. "I want to share things that are super important and things that do not get enough importance in the hustle and bustle of the day — things like mental health, posture, equality, our environment, and so on. There's so much to say, and what better than a space where everyone is willing to listen and contribute," she said.


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--Jim Parsons Opened Up About Not Being Able To Taste Or Smell When He Had COVID-19, And It Sounds Tru

Jim Parsons Opened Up About Not Being Able To Taste Or Smell When He Had COVID-19, And It Sounds Truly Bizarre

`` We did n't know what it was , '' he went on .
`` We thought we had colds @ @ @ @ @ less likely [ that it was a cold ] .
And then we lost our @ @ @ @ @ and we were like ... yeah . ''

"We didn't know what it was," he went on. "We thought we had colds. And then it seemed less likely [that it was a cold]. And then we lost our sense of smell and taste and we were like...yeah."


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--This Red-Food Visual Test Is Harder Than You Probably Think

The food in the box is an apple !

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


buzzfeed--2020-09-30--Russia, Adderall, And Earpieces: We're Keeping A Running List Of False And Misleading Information Ab

Russia, Adderall, And Earpieces: We're Keeping A Running List Of False And Misleading Information About The First Presidential Debate

Watch out for documents taken out of context and narratives questioning Joe Biden 's mental fitness .
The first of four presidential debates will see former vice president Joe Biden square off against President Donald Trump .
The candidates will discuss COVID-19 , the economy , race and protests , and election integrity .
We are keeping track of false , misleading , and unverified information about the debates circulating online .
Before passing on any online rumor , take the time to verify it .
This can be done by checking how recently an account has been created , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news outlets , or searching online to find another source .
How to read this post : UNVERIFIED : Claims that have no concrete evidence either confirming or refuting them .
This type of claim has either no sources or no evidence , and is based on conjecture with no original reporting behind it .
Treat this kind of information with healthy skepticism and wait to see how it develops .
MISLEADING : Posts that take a real event out of context , for example : miscaptioning a video or photo from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are presented at a deceptive angle or descriptions that cherry-pick facts .
Avoid spreading or engaging with this type of post .
FALSE : Reporters or reliable sources with direct knowledge have contradicted this information on the record , or it is refuted by unimpeachable evidence .
Examples include images or videos filmed at a different time or location but presented as recent , demonstrably false claims , and websites masquerading as news outlets publishing untrue information .
The false rumors were perpetuated by the Daily Caller , Breitbart , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's part of a long tradition of presidential candidates being accused of wearing earpieces during debates , going back more than a decade .
On a call with reporters , the Biden campaign said , `` It is completely absurd .
Of course he 's not wearing an earpiece , and we never asked for breaks . ''
NBC News has found a coordinated attempt to spread this message through a network of right-wing Facebook pages .
The document , which was tweeted by the president 's son and has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The [ intelligence community ] does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication . ''
The falsehood once again plays into an ongoing effort by Biden 's opponents to question his mental fitness .
Giuliani is also a known purveyor of false information and has made countless false claims in the past .
This is a developing story .
Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter .

Before passing on any online rumor, take the time to verify it. This can be done by checking how recently an account has been created, keeping a close eye on information from news outlets, or searching online to find another source.
How to read this post:
UNVERIFIED: Claims that have no concrete evidence either confirming or refuting them. This type of claim has either no sources or no evidence, and is based on conjecture with no original reporting behind it. Treat this kind of information with healthy skepticism and wait to see how it develops.
MISLEADING: Posts that take a real event out of context, for example: miscaptioning a video or photo from the protests. This can also include images that are presented at a deceptive angle or descriptions that cherry-pick facts. Avoid spreading or engaging with this type of post.
FALSE: Reporters or reliable sources with direct knowledge have contradicted this information on the record, or it is refuted by unimpeachable evidence. Examples include images or videos filmed at a different time or location but presented as recent, demonstrably false claims, and websites masquerading as news outlets publishing untrue information.


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--The Trump Administration Is Giving Up Its Fight To Prevent Undocumented Teens From Getting Abortions

After three years of arguing in court to block pregnant , undocumented teenagers in government custody from obtaining abortions , the Trump administration dropped the fight on Tuesday , announcing it had officially changed its policy .
The new policy makes clear that the Office of Refugee Resettlement , the branch of the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees undocumented minors and those seeking asylum in the US , must allow teenagers in its custody to obtain abortions .
Trump ’ s ORR had previously refused to grant minors access to the procedure , but a series of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration to reverse its practice and allow the teenagers to get abortions .
The Justice Department had kept the legal battle alive , although it dropped the issue of allowing the teens access to abortion last year , instead focusing its arguments on whether the government could notify a teen ’ s parent or guardian , over the teen ’ s objection , about their decision to get an abortion .
The administration ’ s new policy prevents ORR staff from disclosing to anyone that a minor is pregnant or seeking an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest change in policy means that the Trump administration is giving up the fight altogether .
The American Civil Liberties Union , which brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration , filed papers on Tuesday notifying the court that it was dropping the case in light of the new policy .
The Justice Department also agreed to pay $ 336,710 to the ACLU to cover its legal fees in the case .
“ After three years of battling in court alongside brave young women , we are relieved that the government finally abandoned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its custody from accessing abortion , ” Brigitte Amiri , deputy director of the ACLU ’ s Reproductive Freedom Project , said in a statement .
`` Today ’ s policy change rights one of the wrongs this administration has committed against immigrants in detention , but their health and safety are still very much at stake . ''
The case began in October 2017 , when the ACLU filed an emergency lawsuit on behalf of a 17-year-old , referred to in court filings as Jane Doe , who was being held in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She was about 15 weeks pregnant and had been fighting to obtain an abortion since she was apprehended at the US–Mexico border more than a month earlier , but the shelter workers prevented her from accessing the procedure due to the agency ’ s policy .
Her lawyers argued that Doe was running out of time to get an abortion ; Texas bans the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy .
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan quickly ordered the Trump administration to allow Doe to have an abortion .
The administration fought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her favor , and she was able to obtain an abortion .
However , Chutkan ’ s order only applied to Doe ; over the next few months , several other teens filed individual claims that they too were blocked by ORR from obtaining abortions .
The case was approved as a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all minors in that position in March 2018 .
Ultimately , Chutkan entered a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from blocking access to abortion care for all minors in its custody .
The case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mixed results ; in June 2018 , the justices dismissed an earlier DC Circuit opinion that sided with Jane Doe — meaning the decision in her case would not be used as precedent in future litigation — but otherwise allowed the case to proceed .
The Trump administration continued to press the fight ; in June 2019 , the DC Circuit issued an 81-page opinion concluding that the administration ’ s policy violated the constitutional right to abortion as determined by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade .
The government decided not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge that ruling .
Since then , the ACLU and the Trump administration have been in negotiations over a new ORR policy that would help settle the case .
Doe released a statement via the ACLU Tuesday , saying , “ After three years of waiting , I am so glad to know that what happened to me will never happen to anyone else .
The decision to have an abortion is personal and belongs to each individual — no one should be shamed for making the right decision for themselves or blocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country to make a better life for myself , and I am working on a building a life that I can be proud of .
I am happy to know that my fight means that other young women like me will be able to make the decision about whether to become a parent for themselves.
” The policy in question was based on one issued by President George W. Bush ’ s administration in 2008 , which called for “ heightened ORR involvement ” in serious medical procedures , specifically abortions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it reinterpreted and expanded that policy , instructing ORR staff to attempt to prevent minors from obtaining abortions .
The administration even tried to reverse an abortion that was already underway by recommending that a minor who took the first of two pills necessary for a medical abortion be transported to a hospital to attempt to “ preserve the life ” of the teen and the “ unborn child , ” the acting head of the department at the time wrote in an email to shelter staff .
When Scott Lloyd took over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ORR in March 2017 , he ordered his staff to notify him of every pregnancy and abortion request from minors in its care .
Lloyd , who was involved in anti-abortion work before joining the Trump administration , was a controversial figure during his short tenure at ORR until November 2018 , when he moved to a different office .
He oversaw the separation of children from their parents at the border , kept a list of pregnancies , including the last menstrual cycle , of pregnant girls and young women in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ block them from obtaining abortions .
Lloyd instructed shelter staff to bring several of the teenagers to anti-abortion clinics that specialize in convincing people not to get the procedure .
After testifying before Congress about the administration 's child separations policy , Lloyd moved to the White House Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives before leaving the administration entirely in June 2019 .
On Monday , Lloyd published an op-ed in the Federalist titled “ How the United States Can Stop Helping Illegal Immigrants Get Abortions.
” Lloyd wrote that the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over allowing minors in its care to have abortions because DOJ assumed that if it were taken to the Supreme Court , Justice Brett Kavanaugh would have to recuse himself , having previously ruled on the same case as a judge in the DC Circuit court .
“ The remaining justices would split along ideological lines , leaving the DC Circuit ruling in place , ” Lloyd wrote , explaining the Department of Justice ’ s reasoning .
He also added that changes on the Supreme Court , including a recent ruling in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are “ new indications that [ Trump ] would prevail ” if the administration took up the issue again .
The news comes shortly after Trump announced his pick for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s replacement , Amy Coney Barrett , who was a vocal opponent of abortion rights before she became a judge .
This is a developing story .
Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.

After three years of arguing in court to block pregnant, undocumented teenagers in government custody from obtaining abortions, the Trump administration dropped the fight on Tuesday, announcing it had officially changed its policy.
The new policy makes clear that the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the branch of the Department of Health and Human Services that oversees undocumented minors and those seeking asylum in the US, must allow teenagers in its custody to obtain abortions. Trump’s ORR had previously refused to grant minors access to the procedure, but a series of court orders since late 2017 had forced the administration to reverse its practice and allow the teenagers to get abortions.
The Justice Department had kept the legal battle alive, although it dropped the issue of allowing the teens access to abortion last year, instead focusing its arguments on whether the government could notify a teen’s parent or guardian, over the teen’s objection, about their decision to get an abortion. The administration’s new policy prevents ORR staff from disclosing to anyone that a minor is pregnant or seeking an abortion except in emergency situations.
The latest change in policy means that the Trump administration is giving up the fight altogether. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration, filed papers on Tuesday notifying the court that it was dropping the case in light of the new policy.
The Justice Department also agreed to pay $336,710 to the ACLU to cover its legal fees in the case.
“After three years of battling in court alongside brave young women, we are relieved that the government finally abandoned its attempts to block young people in its custody from accessing abortion,” Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a statement. "Today’s policy change rights one of the wrongs this administration has committed against immigrants in detention, but their health and safety are still very much at stake."
The case began in October 2017, when the ACLU filed an emergency lawsuit on behalf of a 17-year-old, referred to in court filings as Jane Doe, who was being held in a federally funded shelter in South Texas. She was about 15 weeks pregnant and had been fighting to obtain an abortion since she was apprehended at the US–Mexico border more than a month earlier, but the shelter workers prevented her from accessing the procedure due to the agency’s policy. Her lawyers argued that Doe was running out of time to get an abortion; Texas bans the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan quickly ordered the Trump administration to allow Doe to have an abortion. The administration fought the order but the judge ruled again in her favor, and she was able to obtain an abortion. However, Chutkan’s order only applied to Doe; over the next few months, several other teens filed individual claims that they too were blocked by ORR from obtaining abortions. The case was approved as a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all minors in that position in March 2018.
Ultimately, Chutkan entered a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from blocking access to abortion care for all minors in its custody. The case went up to the Supreme Court with mixed results; in June 2018, the justices dismissed an earlier DC Circuit opinion that sided with Jane Doe — meaning the decision in her case would not be used as precedent in future litigation — but otherwise allowed the case to proceed.
The Trump administration continued to press the fight; in June 2019, the DC Circuit issued an 81-page opinion concluding that the administration’s policy violated the constitutional right to abortion as determined by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade. The government decided not to petition the US Supreme Court to challenge that ruling. Since then, the ACLU and the Trump administration have been in negotiations over a new ORR policy that would help settle the case.
Doe released a statement via the ACLU Tuesday, saying, “After three years of waiting, I am so glad to know that what happened to me will never happen to anyone else. The decision to have an abortion is personal and belongs to each individual — no one should be shamed for making the right decision for themselves or blocked from doing so. I came to this country to make a better life for myself, and I am working on a building a life that I can be proud of. I am happy to know that my fight means that other young women like me will be able to make the decision about whether to become a parent for themselves.”
The policy in question was based on one issued by President George W. Bush’s administration in 2008, which called for “heightened ORR involvement” in serious medical procedures, specifically abortions. When the Trump administration took office, it reinterpreted and expanded that policy, instructing ORR staff to attempt to prevent minors from obtaining abortions. The administration even tried to reverse an abortion that was already underway by recommending that a minor who took the first of two pills necessary for a medical abortion be transported to a hospital to attempt to “preserve the life” of the teen and the “unborn child,” the acting head of the department at the time wrote in an email to shelter staff. When Scott Lloyd took over as the head of the division of ORR in March 2017, he ordered his staff to notify him of every pregnancy and abortion request from minors in its care.
Lloyd, who was involved in anti-abortion work before joining the Trump administration, was a controversial figure during his short tenure at ORR until November 2018, when he moved to a different office. While he was head of the agency, ORR oversaw the children who were separated from their parents at the border, kept a list of pregnancies, sometimes including the last menstrual cycle, of pregnant girls and young women in his agency’s custody to attempt to block them from obtaining abortions. Lloyd instructed shelter staff to bring several of the teenagers to anti-abortion clinics that specialize in convincing people not to get the procedure.
After testifying before Congress about the administration's child separations policy, Lloyd moved to the White House Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives before leaving the administration entirely in June 2019.
On Monday, Lloyd published an op-ed in the Federalist titled “How the United States Can Stop Helping Illegal Immigrants Get Abortions.” Lloyd wrote that the Trump administration’s legal team dropped the fight over allowing minors in its care to have abortions because DOJ assumed that if it were taken to the Supreme Court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh would have to recuse himself, having previously ruled on the same case as a judge in the DC Circuit court.
“The remaining justices would split along ideological lines, leaving the DC Circuit ruling in place,” Lloyd wrote, explaining the Department of Justice’s reasoning. He also added that changes on the Supreme Court, including a recent ruling in a different case related to immigration, are “new indications that [Trump] would prevail” if the administration took up the issue again.
The news comes shortly after Trump announced his pick for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement, Amy Coney Barrett, who was a vocal opponent of abortion rights before she became a judge.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow BuzzFeed News on Twitter.


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--Scars, Tattoos, And License Plates: This Is What Palantir And The LAPD Know About You

Newly revealed documents show how Los Angeles police were trained to use the flagship product of the most secretive company in law enforcement .
Ahead of its Sept. 30 public listing , Palantir , a secretive data analytics company with ties to the defense and intelligence communities , has been touting itself as a tool that can “ target terrorists and keep soldiers safe.
” With an expected valuation of about $ 22 billion , it will become one of the biggest surveillance companies in the world .
Palantir promises that where “ technological infrastructure has failed , ” it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deliver , its software needs data — lots of it .
Now , two never-before-seen documents , “ Intermediate Course ” and “ Advanced Course ” training manuals , reveal how the Los Angeles Police Department has taught its officers to use Palantir Gotham , one of the most controversial and powerful law enforcement tools in the world .
Much of that LAPD data consists of the names of people arrested for , convicted of , or even suspected of committing crimes , but that ’ s just where it starts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement activity .
Maybe a police officer was told a person knew a suspected gang member .
Maybe an officer spoke to a person who lived near a crime “ hot spot , ” or was in the area when a crime happened .
Maybe a police officer simply had a hunch .
The context is immaterial .
Once the LAPD adds a name to Palantir ’ s database , that person becomes a data point in a massive police surveillance system .
Palantir — which takes its name from the all-seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and the LAPD argue that these documents show how the system protects the public .
It allows the police to quickly find criminals by plumbing a vast amount of personal information — plucking a suspected killer from a haystack .
But to critics , these documents show something vastly different .
At great taxpayer expense , and without public oversight or regulation , Palantir helped the LAPD construct a vast database that indiscriminately lists the names , addresses , phone numbers , license plates , friendships , romances , jobs of Angelenos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those in between .
LAPD ’ s Palantir database includes information from the DMV , meaning people with a California driver ’ s license can be swept into Palantir .
It also includes 1 billion pictures taken of license plates from traffic lights and toll booths in Los Angeles and neighboring areas .
If you ’ ve driven through Los Angeles since 2015 , the police can see where your car was photographed , when it was photographed , and then click on your name to learn all about you .
Palantir is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost 5,000 people , more than half of all LAPD officers had accounts on Palantir , according to an “ LAPD Palantir Usage Metrics ” document .
The same document says that in 2016 , those officers ran 60,000 searches in support of more than 10,000 cases .
Dozens of California police departments , sheriff 's offices , airport police , universities , and school districts signed onto data-sharing agreements with the LAPD between 2012 and 2017 .
Contractually , these entities had to send daily copies of their own police records ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plate readings , and dispatch information so that the LAPD could put that data into Palantir .
The Los Angeles School Police Department , Compton Unified School District Police Department , El Camino College , Cal Poly University Police Department , and California State University all signed these agreements .
For activists like Jamie Garcia , an organizer with the advocacy group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition , the LAPD 's well-established history of over-policing Black and brown communities means the department simply should n't be trusted with this kind of technology .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism , '' she told BuzzFeed News .
Jacinta González , an organizer with Latinx advocacy group Mijente , said that Palantir gives police an opportunity to expand their power and reinforce the over-policing of Black and Brown communities .
“ [ Palantir ] is not actually improving things , ” she said .
“ It 's expanding the power that police have .
And it ’ s minimizing the right that communities have to fight back , because many times , the surveillance is done in secretive ways .
It 's ridiculous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is doing in their city , and we have to wait until you get FOIA documents to actually understand.
” The police and their critics do share one point of view , however : They both believe Palantir is working as intended .
Obtained by BuzzFeed News through a Freedom of Information Act request , the “ Intermediate ” and “ Advanced ” training guides comprise two eight-hour courses explaining to LAPD Crime Intelligence officers how to use Palantir on the job , revealing the granular level of detail the software brings to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police can search for people by name .
But , as you 'll see in the slides below , they can also search by race , gender , gang membership , tattoos , scars , friends , or family .
According to the training manuals , searches like these will return a list of names along with associated home addresses , email addresses , vehicles , warrants , and mugshots .
If Palantir finds related surveillance pictures , it will offer those up as well , along with any personal connections it might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , neighbors , and coworkers .
LAPD officers can use this information as leads or to generate lists of people who the system believes are likely to commit a crime in the future .
Created in 2004 , Palantir was designed to solve a problem : Information about the same people is spread between multiple databases — and even when it ’ s all compiled , it can be hard to interpret .
The company ’ s law enforcement software , Gotham , has also been used by the Northern California Regional Intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departments in the state access to Palantir ’ s powerful , expensive software .
And big metropolitan police departments — like those in New Orleans , New York City , and Chicago — have used Palantir .
The US Department of Health and Human Services has used its enterprise product , Palantir Foundry , to organize information about the coronavirus pandemic .
Palantir CEO Alexander Karp didn ’ t major in engineering or computer science .
He received a PhD in philosophy from Goethe University in Frankfurt in 2002 .
In an analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researcher and Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society faculty associate Moira Weigel argues that Karp sees big data analytics as an example of “ incontestable self-evidence ” that treats correlations “ simply as given.
” This can be seen in Palantir ’ s design .
When the software maps relationships from person to person , person to car , person to home , or person to crime scene , those relationships are treated as fact and presented without caveat , though they are determined by an algorithm and not guaranteed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who embedded with the LAPD for two years to study its use of Palantir , told BuzzFeed News that when a system like this is designed this way , people using it can easily interpret results as evidence that someone may be or may become a criminal .
“ If there 's somebody who the cops have been interested in 10 times throughout the course of your life , the idea is basically , where there 's smoke , there 's fire , ” Brayne said .
“ There 's probably a reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this particular person.
” The LAPD started pursuing data-driven policing strategies as a way to respond to scandal .
Following the Rampart scandal in the late 1990s , which involved corruption , abuse of suspects , and evidence theft in the LAPD ’ s gang unit , the federal Department of Justice placed the LAPD under a consent decree , which forced the department to institute reforms and comply with federal audits .
So the department tried something new .
In 2002 , James Hahn , then the mayor of Los Angeles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LAPD .
Bratton came from the New York Police Department , where he introduced CompStat , a program that mapped crime .
Among his tasks at the LAPD were to introduce new data-driven strategies and get the department out from under the consent decree .
Andrew Ferguson , American University law professor and author of The Rise of Big Data Policing , said that at the LAPD , data-driven policing does n't just mean using evidence to go after crimes .
It means part of the police 's job is to conduct more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Palantir is a data-driven surveillance system more than a data-driven policing system , ” Ferguson said , meaning that Palantir helps the police watch people , rather than keep people safe .
And by design , it 's infinitely expandable .
“ It can be a platform for whatever sources of surveillance data they want to bring into the platform.
” The problem with data-driven policing , according to Ferguson , is that it does n't solve underlying problems within policing like concerns about misconduct or racism .
Although data-driven policing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s not .
The LAPD has used Palantir for more than a decade — first , as part of an initiative called the Los Angeles Strategic Extraction and Restoration ( LASER ) , which ran from 2009 to 2019 .
Currently , Palantir is used in a program the department calls Data-Informed , Community-Focused Policing .
Palantir is expensive , and police departments often struggle to afford it .
Between 2015 and 2016 , the LA Mayor ’ s Office of Public Safety got the money to pay for Palantir from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Federal Emergency Management Agency ’ s Urban Areas Security Initiative ( UASI ) Program , which gives cities technology to `` prevent , protect against , mitigate , respond to , and recover from acts of terrorism . ''
It ’ s unclear if the LAPD always used federal UASI money to pay for Palantir , or if it only used federal money in those years .
But purchase orders show that Palantir software upgrades and user licenses cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars .
Senator Ron Wyden ( D-OR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the LAPD has used federal money in order to finance Palantir .
`` The federal government should n't be spending money on unproven surveillance software or crime prediction programs that target Black and Hispanic Americans and do n't actually reduce crime , ” he said .
“ The Justice Department has an obligation to make sure taxpayer money actually makes all of us safer while protecting the rights of every American.
” The LAPD also received federal money to design LASER , although it never directly funded payments to Palantir .
Under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bureau of Justice Assistance started the Smart Policing Initiative to provide grants to organize data-driven programs at police departments .
The LAPD was one of the first departments to receive a Smart Policing Initiative grant for creating a `` place- and offender-based policing '' for gun violence .
Using that money , the LAPD and contractor Justice and Security Strategies devised LASER .
LASER promised “ precision policing.
” Police would reduce crime by preemptively targeting the people and areas that presented the highest risk .
It involved two main pieces of software @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a company that makes a predictive policing software , was supposed to help the LAPD identify crime hot spots by looking at time , weather , and location where a crime has been reported in the past .
Academics have criticized the company for sending police to the same places where crime has already been reported , rather than identifying areas where crime is underreported .
( The LAPD ended its use of PredPol in April , citing the cost . )
Palantir was used to identify crime hot spots by allowing police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were displayed on a timeline or a map , showing the concentration of which crimes have been reported where .
For the LAPD , Palantir swallowed up the contents of several major databases that were previously spread across public safety agencies throughout Los Angeles and the state , including incident reports , arrests , citations , license plate reader data , field interviews , recovered vehicles , warrants , booking photos , and data from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System , and the county ’ s Community Health Services data .
Palantir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ links between the people within it ( e.g.
, “ Sally was interviewed by police in a report about Fred ” ) and makes it searchable .
Palantir also took in much of the data collected during the LAPD 's own policing activities .
Field interviews include information that police collect from civilians , including family members , neighbors , lovers , friends , and coworkers .
Their notes can also include descriptive information like race , height , weight , eye color , hair color , scars , nicknames , or tattoos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as suspected gang affiliation .
In 2014 , five years into using Palantir , the LAPD paid $ 2.9 million to update its existing system to include “ Thunderbird , ” a software that organizes license plate data , using its Urban Areas Security Initiative Grant money from FEMA .
Palantir also analyzed data obtained from private sources .
In one exercise in the Advanced Course training manual , police officers were asked to import telecom data from Verizon .
( One file is called “ Verizon — Phone Source Destination.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's phone number , the recipient phone number , the date , duration of the call , and the latitude and longitude of all the cell towers used .
Brayne told BuzzFeed News that technologies like Palantir are part of a larger trend of data-driven policing .
In an ideal world , data-driven methods would push police to rely on evidence .
But in practice , she said , it often results in officers using the veneer of objectivity to back up their hunches .
“ What 's going on in the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Brayne said .
“ It 's like , ‘ Okay , now let 's rely on fancier stuff like AI or machine learning or predictive algorithms rather than just historical crime data to identify hot spots or heat density maps.
’ ” Gonzalez said it ’ s concerning that Palantir , which was designed to be used for military intelligence in war zones , is being handed to local police departments using federal money .
“ The federal government does this , knowing that there are not adequate legal protections for people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ You 're seeing a whole parallel system of information gathering ... being used to police communities and to criminalize communities.
” According to activist group Stop LAPD Spying , the most controversial aspect of LASER was its “ Chronic Offender Bulletins.
” Every day between 2011 and 2019 , police officers patrolling one of 40 “ LASER Zones ” — areas that police determined to have a high risk of crime — used Palantir to rank the top 12 “ Chronic Offenders ” thought most likely to commit a violent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also had to choose five to ten “ backup ” people . )
The top twelve Chronic Offenders were determined using a point system .
Officers were told to look at arrest reports , investigative reports , and field interview cards .
Each violent crime arrest over the past two years was worth five points .
Being on parole was worth five points .
Gang membership earned five points .
An arrest for a violent crime or for being in possession of a handgun was worth five points .
“ Quality police contacts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but which Brayne said were probably “ gesturing at legal thresholds around reasonable suspicion ” — over the past two years were worth one point each .
The LAPD told BuzzFeed News that it no longer creates Chronic Offender bulletins .
From the training guide , it ’ s unclear if these people were suspects , gave an interview to police , were associated with a suspect , or just happened to be the area .
In the training manuals , police aren ’ t taught to analyze how those names were extracted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and move on with their work .
But according to critics like María Vélez , a criminologist at the University of Maryland , the LAPD 's predictive policing overtargeted Black and Latino Angelenos .
In Los Angeles , 52 % of the population is white , 49 % is Latino , and 9 % is Black .
Those singled out by the Chronic Offender Bulletins were 53 % Latino and 31 % Black , according to an LAPD inspector general report .
The LAPD inspector general report argued that since the racial percentages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those of arrest rates , it was n't evidence of a problem .
But Vélez said that the Chronic Offender Bulletins should be compared to the community demographics rather than those of arrests .
“ That ’ s disproportionate , ” she said .
“ The focus of a data-driven surveillance system is to put a lot of innocent people in the system , ” Ferguson said .
“ And that means that many folks who end up in the Palantir system are predominantly poor people of color , and who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police.
” In the eyes of the LAPD inspector general , LASER 's flaws outweighed its benefits .
In a report published in 2019 , the office laid out its concerns .
Often , police didn ’ t have reliable information about who was in a gang and who wasn ’ t .
( This year , California ’ s Office of the Attorney General found that LAPD officers falsely added dozens of people to the state 's gang database . )
The inspector general also found major inconsistencies in how police selected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chronic Offenders “ based on verbal or informal referrals from field personnel , ” the inspector general report says .
Two reporting districts “ did not use the point system at all.
” Out of the 637 Chronic Offenders identified by the LAPD , 44 % were never arrested for a violent or gun-related crime , despite LASER 's attempt to target violent crime .
And 10 % of Chronic Offenders had zero contacts with police — meaning zero arrests and zero mentions in field interviews .
Per LASER ’ s guidelines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been arrested for a violent crime .
“ The database included people who were in custody , who had been arrested for only non-violent crimes and whose points were either not entered or appeared to be over- or under-stated , ” the report said .
People might or might not have found out that they were a Chronic Offender .
Sometimes the police sent a warning letter , and other times police found the person and spoke to them directly .
But there was no easy way for someone to appeal their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove themselves from surveillance .
The only way for a person to remove their information from Palantir , according to the LAPD , is to get a court order .
The inspector general report also said that “ one of the primary areas that lacked clarity was the overall goal of the [ LASER ] program itself.
” Was the goal to “ extract ” violent people from the community ?
To deter crime ?
What are marks of success ?
The report could not determine .
It also could n't find evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that in 6 out of the 13 LASER Zones , violent crime rates were “ the same as , or worse than , those for non-LASER Zones.
” Although the department had argued that the program had reduced crime , citing a 23 % drop in violent crime in the Newton reporting division in a federal grant application in 2016 , the inspector general report and activist pushback were too much a deterrent to continue the program .
And so , in April 2019 , the LAPD ended the program .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Introduced this year , the Data-Informed , Community-Focused Policing program was supposed to be a more ethical iteration of LASER , but it works largely the same way : Police use Palantir to ingest large amounts of data , identify crime hot spots on map , and create lists of people ( largely based on parole data ) who might commit a crime in the future .
Brayne said that even LAPD officers don ’ t know how Data-Informed , Community-Focused Policing is different from LASER .
“ I am tentatively viewing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meaningful shift in practice , ” she said .
There is one difference : The new plan formally expands the surveillance that began under LASER .
Under LASER , the LAPD said people who were arrested for violent or gun-related crimes could be surveilled .
Now , people suspected of nonviolent property crimes can also be .
The outline for the initiative also talks about preventing crime through “ the physical maintenance or general upkeep of a place.
” The idea that police should pursue property crime and property damage as a mode @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broken windows ” policing , which critics have said pushes police to overreact to nonviolent crimes .
For people like Stop LAPD Spying 's Garcia , these police tactics are more of the same , even if they are packaged as new and scientific .
“ All that stuff is very old .
It 's not anything new , ” Garcia said .
“ The only thing that 's fairly new about it , that they want to hide and bury , is the use of algorithms.
” ●

Ahead of its Sept. 30 public listing, Palantir, a secretive data analytics company with ties to the defense and intelligence communities, has been touting itself as a tool that can “target terrorists and keep soldiers safe.” With an expected valuation of about $22 billion, it will become one of the biggest surveillance companies in the world.
Palantir promises that where “technological infrastructure has failed,” it can create clarity and order. But to deliver, its software needs data — lots of it.
Now, two never-before-seen documents, “Intermediate Course” and “Advanced Course” training manuals, reveal how the Los Angeles Police Department has taught its officers to use Palantir Gotham, one of the most controversial and powerful law enforcement tools in the world.
Much of that LAPD data consists of the names of people arrested for, convicted of, or even suspected of committing crimes, but that’s just where it starts. Palantir also ingests the bycatch of daily law enforcement activity. Maybe a police officer was told a person knew a suspected gang member. Maybe an officer spoke to a person who lived near a crime “hot spot,” or was in the area when a crime happened. Maybe a police officer simply had a hunch. The context is immaterial. Once the LAPD adds a name to Palantir’s database, that person becomes a data point in a massive police surveillance system.
Palantir — which takes its name from the all-seeing stones in The Lord of the Rings — and the LAPD argue that these documents show how the system protects the public. It allows the police to quickly find criminals by plumbing a vast amount of personal information — plucking a suspected killer from a haystack.
But to critics, these documents show something vastly different. At great taxpayer expense, and without public oversight or regulation, Palantir helped the LAPD construct a vast database that indiscriminately lists the names, addresses, phone numbers, license plates, friendships, romances, jobs of Angelenos — the guilty, innocent, and those in between.
LAPD’s Palantir database includes information from the DMV, meaning people with a California driver’s license can be swept into Palantir. It also includes 1 billion pictures taken of license plates from traffic lights and toll booths in Los Angeles and neighboring areas. If you’ve driven through Los Angeles since 2015, the police can see where your car was photographed, when it was photographed, and then click on your name to learn all about you.
Palantir is no small thing within the LAPD. Almost 5,000 people, more than half of all LAPD officers had accounts on Palantir, according to an “LAPD Palantir Usage Metrics” document. The same document says that in 2016, those officers ran 60,000 searches in support of more than 10,000 cases.


buzzfeed--2020-09-29--Anti-Vaxxers Are Feeding Off Concerns That Trump Is Rushing A Coronavirus Vaccine

Vaccine skeptics have long stoked unfounded conspiracy theories about immunizations .
Political pressure to produce a coronavirus vaccine at “ warp speed ” is adding fuel to their fire .
When news leaked this month that AstraZeneca was halting its coronavirus vaccine trial , the company explained that it was “ a routine action.
” The goal , to determine whether one participant ’ s illness was linked to the vaccine , was heralded by scientists as exactly how trials are supposed to work : putting safety first .
But Children ’ s Health Defense , a group that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for years , reacted with alarm .
It quickly posted about the news on its website and social media accounts , and its founder , Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , declared without basis that pharmaceutical companies “ have always been able to dismiss these sort of tragic outcomes as sad ‘ coincidence.
’ ” “ Vaccines are not accustomed to this level of scrutiny , ” the organization tweeted .
The stakes for this vaccine could not be higher : In order to stop the spread of a virus that has killed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take it , and the more people the better .
But as President Donald Trump and his close associates openly push for a vaccine to be ready by the election , Americans are increasingly worried .
Concerns that politics is being prioritized over science are now becoming mainstream , emboldening fringe groups that have long spread conspiracy theories about the dangers of vaccines .
“ All of this stuff is just a gift to the anti-vaccine movement , ” Peter Hotez , a virologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closer , Trump has ramped up promises of a speedy vaccine .
He has repeatedly said that a shot could be ready as soon as October , calling the longer timeline given by his CDC director a “ mistake.
” And the FDA ’ s reported plan to toughen its requirements for candidate vaccines , which would entail collecting additional safety data , was undermined by Trump ’ s remark last week that he “ may or may not approve it.
” Still , practically speaking , there is almost no chance that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
Hotez said he believes that Operation Warp Speed , which is channeling $ 10 billion in taxpayer funds to fast-track six vaccine candidates , is being conducted rigorously .
But he complained that there hasn ’ t been enough of an emphasis on transparency : “ The communications around it has been a nightmare.
” “ The world is littered with good vaccines that don ’ t get used because of public misperception , ” he said .
“ There ’ s real danger here that that could happen.
” Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have found themselves in the uncomfortable position of trying to assure the public that a resulting vaccine will be safe , while also calling out moves by the Trump administration that could threaten safety .
On the campaign trail , Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are toeing the line by saying they trust vaccines but not Trump .
Harris has said that the president ’ s word alone on any potential vaccine would not be enough for her .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo announced last week that his state would conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines .
“ Frankly , I ’ m not going to trust the federal government ’ s opinion , ” he told reporters .
The FDA ’ s earlier actions have given them and others reason to be nervous .
The agency authorized hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma , two experimental coronavirus treatments championed by Trump , over the vocal protests of scientists who said there was insufficient evidence that they work .
Misinformation could especially damage the willingness of people in racial and ethnic minority groups to take a vaccine or help with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have historically been subjected to biased medical care and unethical experimentation , are already underrepresented in clinical trials .
Experts worry that not enough of them are enrolling in studies to test whether these vaccines will work for everyone , and US polls indicate that , out of all ethnic groups , Black Americans are the least enthusiastic about getting the vaccine .
Some anti-vaccine groups have sought to capitalize on these fears .
“ The NIH is encouraging minorities to participate in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials , ” Children ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ African Americans are especially susceptible to vaccine injury.
” It linked to a PDF that mixed debunked claims — such as that the CDC purportedly covered up evidence that vaccinated Black baby boys are more likely to develop autism — with true statements , including that the Tuskegee study deliberately withheld treatment from Black syphilis patients , a major ethical violation .
The group did not return a request for comment .
The National Medical Association , which represents Black doctors , is forming a task force to independently review coronavirus vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If there ’ s a reason to not recommend a COVID-19 vaccine , we want that reason to be based on facts and data , not somebody ’ s dreamed-up conspiracy or some type of misinformation campaign , ” said Leon McDougle , the group ’ s president and a family physician .
In an effort to restore public trust , top health officials and pharmaceutical executives are now stating their commitment to safety in unusually explicit terms .
The CEOs of nine COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers signed a pledge this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of vaccinated individuals the top priority.
” Following calls for greater transparency after the AstraZeneca trial paused , that company and three other Operation Warp Speed frontrunners released their ordinarily confidential clinical trial plans .
And before Congress last week , top US infectious disease scientist Anthony Fauci and the directors of the CDC and the FDA assured the public that the vaccines will be vetted without political interference and that they would get the shots themselves .
Asked how it was combating misinformation , a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information campaign that will “ focus on vaccine safety , efficacy and hesitancy.
” They said the program , which has been “ weeks ” in the making , involved “ dozens of NGO , industry and community leaders.
” ( The FDA did not respond to a request for comment . )
But Hotez and other government officials think they should go much further .
He ’ d like to see trusted vaccine researchers communicating with the public and perhaps going on TV as often as every week to explain the science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s needed because the country has never been on track to produce vaccines in such a short time frame before , and it can ’ t afford to lose Americans ’ confidence before they 're even ready .
“ There ’ s no road map here , ” he said .

Social media has long been a breeding ground for vaccine misinformation. Both online and offline, anti-vaccine groups have pushed falsehoods, such as that vaccines cause autism and that the government and pharmaceutical companies are in a conspiracy to cover it up. In recent years, anti-vaccine activists were dealt setbacks by states that tightened their immunization requirements, eliminating so-called personal belief exemptions from rules requiring kids to be vaccinated before attending school. When such legislation came up in California in 2019, activists staged protests that at some points turned violent.
Then came the coronavirus.
In the absence of clear, consistent, and trustworthy messaging on COVID-19, misinformation is thriving. In the first few months of 2020, researchers found more than 2,300 reports across 87 countries of rumors and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus.
It has become such a big problem that the World Health Organization and the United Nations are urging countries to combat it. “False information is hindering the response to the pandemic so we must join forces to fight it and to promote science-based public health advice,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director-general, said in a statement last week.
While some prominent sources of misinformation have been kicked off social media platforms, “these ideas mostly circulate among ordinary people,” Daniel Allington, a computational social scientist at King’s College London who has studied COVID-19 misinformation, said by email. “I have Facebook friends who share this stuff. It saddens me to see how easily some people slip down that rabbit hole.”
Vaccine critics have demonstrated against lockdowns and shunned masks and contact tracing. Now, as at least 10 vaccines are making their way through late-stage trials, and with Trump pressing for a vaccine "within a matter of weeks," activists are invoking language about “medical freedom” and “bodily autonomy” to cast doubt on the vetting process.
“Want to be forced to take an improperly tested, hastily approved C0V1D vaccine? Neither do we,” one group, Texans for Vaccine Choice, declared in a recent Facebook post.
In a text message, Jackie Schlegel, the group’s executive director, said that their mission is to “protect and advance informed consent, medical privacy, and vaccine choice.” “We are excited about the massive influx of Americans on both sides of the aisle who are waking up to these core principals, and realizing the choice of what we put into our bodies is vital to freedom and bodily autonomy,” she wrote.
Another group, the Freedom Angels Foundation, wrote on Instagram: “As if va$$ines didn’t already cause enough injury & death....now C19 is taking it whole other level.” Asked for comment, a representative said by email: “The Covid issue has inherently brought our issues to the forefront through no machination on our part.”
Groups like these, which have opposed strengthened vaccine requirements in Texas and California, make up a minority of Americans. Pre-pandemic polls indicate that the vast majority of the public believes in the benefits of vaccination. But a growing number of people are now questioning whether the coronavirus vaccine trials will be thorough and based on science, not politics.
Public willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine dropped from 72% in May to 51% in September, according to polls by the Pew Research Center. Just 9% of Americans polled by Axios–Ipsos said this month that they’re “very likely” to take the first-generation vaccine, down from 17% in August.
Their confusion is understandable, experts say. “The minority that are deeply entrenched and believe in the conspiracy theories — they’re dug in. You’re not going to extricate those,” Hotez said. But the noise is drawing in “people who are not even necessarily anti-vaccine.”
Some vaccine makers have also not done themselves any favors, critics say.
Executives at Moderna, a biotech firm, have made millions selling stocks while its vaccine is still in trials, drawing scrutiny from both pharmaceutical watchdogs and anti-vaxxers. “Some seriously dirty [money bag emojis] here,” Sherri Tenpenny, an osteopathic physician and anti-vaccine activist, recently tweeted. The firm, which did not respond to a request for comment, has never brought a vaccine to market before. (Tenpenny also did not respond to a request for comment.)
A trial for another frontrunner vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, was halted this month due to a participant reportedly developing neurological symptoms consistent with transverse myelitis, a spinal inflammatory disorder. After health authorities determined the illness was not linked to the vaccine, AstraZeneca then restarted the trials in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil. But no further information was released, and the vaccine’s US trials remain on hold pending a safety review by the FDA.
In a clinical trial with tens of thousands of people, it’s statistically expected that some of them will develop symptoms that may or may not have anything to do with the vaccine. It is not unusual for a study to pause out of an abundance of caution.
But some scientists criticized AstraZeneca for not being more transparent about those details, given the unprecedented interest in the vaccine trials. The news only became public in the science publication Stat, which cited anonymous sources and private conversations between the CEO and investors. And it was only then that the company disclosed that the trial had paused once before, in July, when a participant developed multiple sclerosis. That illness was also determined to be unrelated to the vaccine.
“It’s all rumor. It’s all whispering down the lane,” said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, shortly after the suspected safety incidents came to light and the overseas trials were restarted. “You’d like to know the details of just what it was and the details of why regulators were comfortable that wasn’t a problem. We don’t know any of those details.”