buzzfeed--2020-12-05--This Viral Video Of A Girl Explaining Things She Never Realized About Abortion Has Some Truth To It

In 1857 , a doctor named Horatio Storer led the American Medical Association ( AMA ) in a campaign to @ @ @ @ @ Storer did argue in favor of life beginning at fertilization and not quickening ( when @ @ @ @ @ ) , one of his main agendas was to prove that physicians were superior to @ @ @ @ @ were competing for business at the time .
`` The argument that abortion was murder @ @ @ @ @ immoral — was central to Storer 's campaign .
However , the campaign had self-interest @ @ @ @ @ doctors like Storer to claim that they were better informed and had more moral scruples @ @ @ @ @ adding that Storer was Harvard-educated .

In 1857, a doctor named Horatio Storer led the American Medical Association (AMA) in a campaign to criminalize all abortions. While Storer did argue in favor of life beginning at fertilization and not quickening (when fetal movements can be felt), one of his main agendas was to prove that physicians were superior to midwives and other practitioners who were competing for business at the time. "The argument that abortion was murder — and that it was immoral — was central to Storer's campaign. However, the campaign had self-interest. Talking about abortion allowed doctors like Storer to claim that they were better informed and had more moral scruples," she said, adding that Storer was Harvard-educated.


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--Miley Cyrus Opened Up About Breaking Her Sobriety During The Pandemic

`` I 'm not the best partner ; I 'm not the best daughter ; I 'm not the best @ @ @ @ @ a little unreliable .
So if that 's an alcoholic — if we 're not @ @ @ @ @ we drink but how we perform as a human being — then I would say @ @ @ @ @ me because I 'm not at my best . ''

"I'm not the best partner; I'm not the best daughter; I'm not the best sister. I can be a little unreliable. So if that's an alcoholic — if we're not measuring it by how much we drink but how we perform as a human being — then I would say alcohol is a problem for me because I'm not at my best."


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--Keke Palmer Got Candid About Her Experience With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome And Acne, And This Is So

Keke Palmer Got Candid About Her Experience With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome And Acne, And This Is So Important

Keke had to figure out her diagnosis herself because doctors were n't helping her reach it .
`` Unfortunately doctors @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t ‘ look the part ’ they may not think that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ explained .
`` They may not even suggest it if you ‘ look healthy ’ @ @ @ @ @ came to a doctor in tears once and all they offered was a measles vaccine… @ @ @

Keke had to figure out her diagnosis herself because doctors weren't helping her reach it. "Unfortunately doctors are people and if you don’t ‘look the part’ they may not think that’s your problem," she explained. "They may not even suggest it if you ‘look healthy’ whatever that means! I came to a doctor in tears once and all they offered was a measles vaccine… Exactly."


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--ICE Is Trying To Force BuzzFeed News To Divulge Its Sources

Guatemalan citizens wait at an Air Force base after being deported from the US in Guatemala City .
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators issued a subpoena this week demanding BuzzFeed News identify its sources — an extraordinary attempt by the government to interfere with a news outlet acting under the protections of the First Amendment , and a move that the agency ’ s former chief lambasted as “ embarrassing.
” The effort to pressure BuzzFeed News into revealing sources comes after relentless efforts by President Donald Trump ’ s administration to undermine the free press .
The outgoing president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that publish true but critical stories about him and his administration , calling them “ fake news , ” which has opened reporters up to threats and violence .
BuzzFeed News is proud to bring you trustworthy reporting about ICE , DHS , and other government agencies .
If you have information , reach out to reporter Hamed Aleaziz at hamed.aleaziz @ buzzfeed.com or via one of our secure tip line channels .
The administration has also targeted journalist sources .
Specifically in the Department of Homeland Security , officials have warned employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the media .
They have also told employees to report colleagues they suspected of sharing sensitive internal information , along with those who requested information that fell out of their day-to-day duties .
The subpoena appears to be an escalation of the Trump administration ’ s efforts to track down the identities of people who provide information to news outlets .
It comes just months after the Washington Post reported that DHS investigators had created “ intelligence reports ” about media members who had reported on leaked documents .
ICE did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` BuzzFeed News emphatically rejects any requests for information about possible sources and methods of our reporting , ” said BuzzFeed News Editor-in-Chief Mark Schoofs .
“ We do not confirm or discuss confidential sources , and this subpoena is an outrageous overreach by the federal government .
It 's fundamentally at odds with the US Constitution and will not have any impact on our journalism . ''
A former ICE leader castigated the subpoena to BuzzFeed News .
“ This is embarrassing for ICE .
I think it is a weak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said John Sandweg , former acting director of the agency .
“ When you ’ re trying to intimidate the press , you cross a line .
It is something that the agency should never do.
” Legal experts also raised alarm that the subpoena was an effort to undermine democracy .
“ If journalists had to divulge sources or information they obtained in the course of reporting , they ’ d be no better than the investigative arm of the state , ” said David Snyder , a lawyer and executive director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The power of journalism to advance the cause of our democracy would be severely diminished.
” The subpoena , issued on Dec. 1 by an agent with the Homeland Security Investigations Office of Professional Responsibility , concerns emails sent to ICE attorneys on a fast-track deportation program and plans to fine certain undocumented immigrants .
It demands that BuzzFeed News “ provide all documentation including , but not limited to : ( 1 ) date of receipt , ( 2 ) method of receipt , ( 3 ) source of document , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the source of the document.
” The subpoena states that BuzzFeed News should produce the records to an ICE agent in Virginia by Dec. 22 .
“ Failure to comply with this summons will render you liable to proceedings in a U.S. District Court to enforce compliance with this summons as well as other sanctions , ” the document sent to BuzzFeed News reads .
“ You are requested not to disclose the existence of this summons for an indefinite period of time .
Any such disclosure will impede this investigation and thereby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The Trump administration is trying to expand a program of quick deportations for undocumented immigrants who can not prove they have been in the country continuously for two years before agents pick them up .
The effort was blocked by a federal judge soon after the policy was first announced in 2019 .
But in June , the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia lifted the preliminary injunction , opening the door for ICE officers to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants without a hearing in front of an immigration @ @

Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators issued a subpoena this week demanding BuzzFeed News identify its sources — an extraordinary attempt by the government to interfere with a news outlet acting under the protections of the First Amendment, and a move that the agency’s former chief lambasted as “embarrassing.”
The effort to pressure BuzzFeed News into revealing sources comes after relentless efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to undermine the free press. The outgoing president has for years lied about news outlets that publish true but critical stories about him and his administration, calling them “fake news,” which has opened reporters up to threats and violence.
BuzzFeed News is proud to bring you trustworthy reporting about ICE, DHS, and other government agencies. If you have information, reach out to reporter Hamed Aleaziz at hamed.aleaziz@buzzfeed.com or via one of our secure tip line channels.
The administration has also targeted journalist sources. Specifically in the Department of Homeland Security, officials have warned employees not to discuss internal policies or documents with the media. They have also told employees to report colleagues they suspected of sharing sensitive internal information, along with those who requested information that fell out of their day-to-day duties.
The subpoena appears to be an escalation of the Trump administration’s efforts to track down the identities of people who provide information to news outlets. It comes just months after the Washington Post reported that DHS investigators had created “intelligence reports” about media members who had reported on leaked documents.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"BuzzFeed News emphatically rejects any requests for information about possible sources and methods of our reporting,” said BuzzFeed News Editor-in-Chief Mark Schoofs. “We do not confirm or discuss confidential sources, and this subpoena is an outrageous overreach by the federal government. It's fundamentally at odds with the US Constitution and will not have any impact on our journalism."
A former ICE leader castigated the subpoena to BuzzFeed News.
“This is embarrassing for ICE. I think it is a weak effort to intimidate the press,” said John Sandweg, former acting director of the agency. “When you’re trying to intimidate the press, you cross a line. It is something that the agency should never do.”
Legal experts also raised alarm that the subpoena was an effort to undermine democracy.
“If journalists had to divulge sources or information they obtained in the course of reporting, they’d be no better than the investigative arm of the state,” said David Snyder, a lawyer and executive director of the nonprofit First Amendment Coalition. “The power of journalism to advance the cause of our democracy would be severely diminished.”
The subpoena, issued on Dec. 1 by an agent with the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, concerns emails sent to ICE attorneys on a fast-track deportation program and plans to fine certain undocumented immigrants. It demands that BuzzFeed News “provide all documentation including, but not limited to: (1) date of receipt, (2) method of receipt, (3) source of document, and (4) contact information for the source of the document.”
The subpoena states that BuzzFeed News should produce the records to an ICE agent in Virginia by Dec. 22.
“Failure to comply with this summons will render you liable to proceedings in a U.S. District Court to enforce compliance with this summons as well as other sanctions,” the document sent to BuzzFeed News reads. “You are requested not to disclose the existence of this summons for an indefinite period of time. Any such disclosure will impede this investigation and thereby interfere with the enforcement of federal law.”
The Trump administration is trying to expand a program of quick deportations for undocumented immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country continuously for two years before agents pick them up. The effort was blocked by a federal judge soon after the policy was first announced in 2019. But in June, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia lifted the preliminary injunction, opening the door for ICE officers to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants without a hearing in front of an immigration judge.


buzzfeed--2020-12-04--Republican Senators Say Trump’s Base Will Eventually Accept That Biden Won, But It’s Not Their Job T

Republican Senators Say Trump’s Base Will Eventually Accept That Biden Won, But It’s Not Their Job To Say It’s True

WASHINGTON — Caught between an angry president convincing millions of people that the election was stolen on one side , and reality on the other side , Republican senators have plotted out a path through the middle to avoid enraging their supporters : Settle in , do nothing , and wait for this all to blow over .
Like he does most days , President Donald Trump began his Friday by tweeting demonstrably false claims that the election he lost was “ RIGGED ” against him .
He called on Republicans to “ GET TOUGH ” in his fight to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a handful of die-hard Trump loyalists led by Rudy Giuliani , no one is getting tough .
Republicans widely accept the results of the election , but rather than saying so , they defer to the president ’ s right to exhaust his legal challenges .
Republicans who have dared articulate that President-elect Joe Biden won the election have earned blistering attacks or thinly veiled threats from the president .
If there is something close to consensus among Republican senators , it is that despite being some of the most powerful politicians in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legitimacy is something outside of and detached from them .
It ’ s a matter for the candidates and the courts to hash out .
They ’ ve adopted the compromise of “ let the process play out ” and are banking on the country coming around by the time Biden enters the White House .
“ The further you go down the road , the more you let the process play out , you increasingly diminish [ the number of ] people who wonder if this was legitimately conducted or not , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of Republican leadership .
Trump won Blunt ’ s state of Missouri by 15 points .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
“ You ’ re already hearing the language that the president ’ s using .
I think he ’ s coming to grips with reality and I think so will the rest of the country too , ” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday .
Cornyn didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just minutes earlier Trump had uploaded a 46-minute diatribe online insisting he did not actually lose the election , despite being decisively beaten in both the Electoral College and the popular vote .
His words are having an effect .
One Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that half of Republicans believe the election was stolen from Trump , setting up a future where tens of millions of Americans see Trump as a sort of rightful president-in-exile .
Few Republicans have publicly declared the results of the election legitimate , but also few see it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re also rebuffing calls to publicly refute the president ’ s lies .
Asked if he thinks Trump supporters would accept a Biden presidency , Sen. Josh Hawley , also of Missouri , said “ I don ’ t know the answer to that.
” ( Hawley , widely considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate , recently said he ’ d instead support Trump if he decided to run again . )
In a delicately worded op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer , Ohio Sen .
Rob Portman said he supports Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s getting close to the point where people need to accept the results of the election .
But he also pinpointed the problem for Republicans : “ A substantial majority of the nearly 74 million Americans who supported President Trump question the legitimacy of the election , ” Portman wrote .
Trump won his state by eight points .
“ It ’ s a problem , there ’ s no doubt , ” said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida , which Trump won by three points .
“ There ’ s always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic process is questioned , which is why it ’ s so important in my mind that the court cases play out , that the process plays out.
” Across the aisle , Democrats are all but screaming that the process has already played out .
Most states have by now certified their results , including the key states of Georgia , Michigan , Wisconsin , Arizona , and Nevada .
“ I think that it ’ s just unconscionable that people continue to stoke that .
I just think it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a fair and secure election , ” said Sen. Doug Jones , the Alabama Democrat who lost his seat in November to Republican Tommy Tuberville .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Trump ’ s surrogates continue to make sweeping claims of voter fraud , but they ’ ve consistently failed to back those claims up with actual evidence in court .
Trump ’ s legal team has been hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losses and have failed to overturn the results in a single county , let alone state .
A hand recount in Georgia affirmed that Biden had won .
Trump ’ s team put down $ 3 million to fund a partial recount in Wisconsin , which Biden won by over 20,000 votes .
When the results came back , Biden increased his lead by 87 votes .
“ It ’ s played out .
It ’ s done , ” said Jones .
“ And people should accept that and not continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a smaller group of Republicans who are more willing to acknowledge that there may be no going back and something like half the country is not going to accept Joe Biden as a legitimate president .
They argue that it ’ s not that big a deal or , for that matter , much of a break from norms .
“ Democrats for eight years called George Bush an illegitimate president .
Even when he was reelected they called him an illegitimate president , ” said Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford , referencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Republican majority on the Supreme Court .
Sen. Lindsey Graham , a loyal supporter of President Trump ’ s who just won reelection , presented half the country rejecting election results as a possible new normal .
People who hated Trump spent years arguing that he was illegitimately brought to power by Russian election interference , he said .
“ A good chunk of the country never accepted Trump being president , ” he said .
“ That was a problem before , that ’ s not a new problem.
” Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the election results , to this day insists he does not believe Biden won the election .
“ I want people at the end of the day to have confidence this is a legitimate result , ” he said .
“ And right now that ’ s not the case .
It ’ s a very sad state of affairs .
”

WASHINGTON — Caught between an angry president convincing millions of people that the election was stolen on one side, and reality on the other side, Republican senators have plotted out a path through the middle to avoid enraging their supporters: Settle in, do nothing, and wait for this all to blow over.
Like he does most days, President Donald Trump began his Friday by tweeting demonstrably false claims that the election he lost was “RIGGED” against him. He called on Republicans to “GET TOUGH” in his fight to overturn the results.
But outside of a handful of die-hard Trump loyalists led by Rudy Giuliani, no one is getting tough. Republicans widely accept the results of the election, but rather than saying so, they defer to the president’s right to exhaust his legal challenges. Republicans who have dared articulate that President-elect Joe Biden won the election have earned blistering attacks or thinly veiled threats from the president.
If there is something close to consensus among Republican senators, it is that despite being some of the most powerful politicians in the country, the question of election legitimacy is something outside of and detached from them. It’s a matter for the candidates and the courts to hash out. They’ve adopted the compromise of “let the process play out” and are banking on the country coming around by the time Biden enters the White House.
“The further you go down the road, the more you let the process play out, you increasingly diminish [the number of] people who wonder if this was legitimately conducted or not,” said Sen. Roy Blunt, a member of Republican leadership. Trump won Blunt’s state of Missouri by 15 points.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
“You’re already hearing the language that the president’s using. I think he’s coming to grips with reality and I think so will the rest of the country too,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday.
Cornyn didn’t know it at the time, but just minutes earlier Trump had uploaded a 46-minute diatribe online insisting he did not actually lose the election, despite being decisively beaten in both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
His words are having an effect. One Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that half of Republicans believe the election was stolen from Trump, setting up a future where tens of millions of Americans see Trump as a sort of rightful president-in-exile. Few Republicans have publicly declared the results of the election legitimate, but also few see it as their responsibility to do so and they’re also rebuffing calls to publicly refute the president’s lies.
Asked if he thinks Trump supporters would accept a Biden presidency, Sen. Josh Hawley, also of Missouri, said “I don’t know the answer to that.” (Hawley, widely considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, recently said he’d instead support Trump if he decided to run again.)
In a delicately worded op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said he supports Trump and voted for Trump, but it’s getting close to the point where people need to accept the results of the election. But he also pinpointed the problem for Republicans: “A substantial majority of the nearly 74 million Americans who supported President Trump question the legitimacy of the election,” Portman wrote. Trump won his state by eight points.
“It’s a problem, there’s no doubt,” said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, which Trump won by three points. “There’s always a concern when the legitimacy of the democratic process is questioned, which is why it’s so important in my mind that the court cases play out, that the process plays out.”
Across the aisle, Democrats are all but screaming that the process has already played out. Most states have by now certified their results, including the key states of Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada.
“I think that it’s just unconscionable that people continue to stoke that. I just think it’s wrong. Every scintilla of evidence points to a fair and secure election,” said Sen. Doug Jones, the Alabama Democrat who lost his seat in November to Republican Tommy Tuberville.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Trump’s surrogates continue to make sweeping claims of voter fraud, but they’ve consistently failed to back those claims up with actual evidence in court. Trump’s legal team has been hit with a nearly unbroken string of courtroom losses and have failed to overturn the results in a single county, let alone state. A hand recount in Georgia affirmed that Biden had won. Trump’s team put down $3 million to fund a partial recount in Wisconsin, which Biden won by over 20,000 votes. When the results came back, Biden increased his lead by 87 votes.
“It’s played out. It’s done,” said Jones. “And people should accept that and not continue to stoke these crazy conspiracy theories.”
There is a smaller group of Republicans who are more willing to acknowledge that there may be no going back and something like half the country is not going to accept Joe Biden as a legitimate president. They argue that it’s not that big a deal or, for that matter, much of a break from norms.
“Democrats for eight years called George Bush an illegitimate president. Even when he was reelected they called him an illegitimate president,” said Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, referencing the 2000 Florida recount famously ended by a Republican majority on the Supreme Court.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a loyal supporter of President Trump’s who just won reelection, presented half the country rejecting election results as a possible new normal. People who hated Trump spent years arguing that he was illegitimately brought to power by Russian election interference, he said.
“A good chunk of the country never accepted Trump being president,” he said. “That was a problem before, that’s not a new problem.”
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, a Trump ally who has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the election results, to this day insists he does not believe Biden won the election. “I want people at the end of the day to have confidence this is a legitimate result,” he said. “And right now that’s not the case. It’s a very sad state of affairs.”


buzzfeed--2020-12-04--Trump's Desperate Effort To Overturn The Election Is Running Out Of Time

WASHINGTON — One month and dozens of failed election challenges since Nov. 3 , President Donald Trump and Republicans have not persuaded any judge to invalidate a significant number of ballots , let alone flip a state that President-elect Joe Biden won — and they ’ re running out of time .
Trump has vowed to press baseless allegations that the election was tainted by widespread fraud — his campaign filed another round of legal challenges in Wisconsin on Thursday — but his own lawyers have acknowledged that they ’ re up against a narrowing window .
A key date @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make it even harder for Trump and his supporters to convince any court to take dramatic steps that would upend Biden ’ s victory .
Tuesday marks the “ safe harbor ” deadline — the date when states must certify results if they want protection under federal election law against Congress stepping in to decide which candidate gets their electoral votes .
The fact that lawsuits are pending won ’ t prevent states from getting the benefits of certifying results by that date , according to election law experts .
Judges are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election and causing chaos and will be even more reluctant to do so after the deadline passes .
“ The doors close significantly after the safe harbor deadline passes , ” said Rebecca Green , codirector of the Election Law Program at William & Mary Law School .
“ It ’ s going to be a heavy lift to convince a judge to defy federal deadlines .
I think it would only happen or be successful if some kind of wild evidence of just unbelievable scale were unearthed that was credible.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Dec. 8 deadline is key to the fate of its legal challenges .
It has pushed courts to rush to consider cases by then .
In the campaign ’ s failed constitutional challenge to Biden ’ s win in Pennsylvania , Trump ’ s lawyers argued on Nov. 22 that it was “ critically important ” for a federal appeals court to hear the case before the deadline , which at that point was 16 days away .
The court agreed to expedite the case and ruled against Trump in a 3–0 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Trump ’ s campaign has focused its attention more recently on Wisconsin .
On Dec. 1 — one week before the safe harbor deadline — it attempted to skip the lower courts and bring a challenge to hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots in Milwaukee and Dane counties ( the state ’ s largest and most racially diverse counties ) directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4–3 that the campaign couldn ’ t jump ahead and had to go through the standard appeal process .
The campaign quickly filed appeals in county circuit courts later that day and sent a letter requesting a fast timeline “ to avoid any delay.
” Trump ’ s lawyers wrote that “ given the time limitations inherent in the election for President , ” they were prepared to submit all briefs and evidence by Dec. 7 .
Judges can still rule on election challenges after Dec. 8 , or even after Dec. 14 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The federal Electoral Count Act accounts for situations where there are competing slates of electors — if , for instance , a state certified results by the safe harbor deadline , but a court later invalidated those results and ordered a different slate of electors to be sent to Congress .
But election law experts who patiently gamed out for BuzzFeed News all the hypothetical legal paths that Trump and his supporters could pursue between now and Biden ’ s inauguration on Jan. 20 , 2021 , stressed that such scenarios were extremely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School said that for any court to consider the extreme step of invalidating election results at this stage , a case would need to present a “ real meaningful question ” about whether ballots were invalid and at a scale that would change the outcome .
The remaining cases brought by Trump and Republican challengers — which he described as “ factually inaccurate , ” “ grotesquely implausible , ” and “ fishing expeditions ” — did not come close to meeting that bar , he said .
Green said it was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenger to convince a court to undo results after a state had certified them and the safe harbor deadline passed .
Green said it was possible Trump was hoping to use these court fights to angle for a political solution — for instance , to convince members of Congress to reject slates of electors in states that Biden won .
Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks said this week that he would challenge the Electoral College vote , garnering a “ thank you ” tweet from Trump .
But for that to work , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress to reject the results , an extremely unlikely scenario , particularly in the Democrat-controlled House .
If the House and Senate split , the Electoral Count Act says that Congress goes with the slate certified by a state ’ s governor — putting Trump back where he started in the swing states that went for Biden .
Even if Trump managed to undermine Biden ’ s win in one state , he ’ d have to do that for multiple states to get enough electoral votes to win .
The latest round @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign and , separately , by legal teams led by attorney Sidney Powell ( whom the Trump campaign disavowed ) are rooted in sweeping , unsupported theories of widespread fraud .
Cases raising similar claims have failed so far , either because judges didn ’ t find the allegations credible or because Trump and GOP challengers failed to satisfy baseline requirements for bringing these cases before they could get to the merits .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump and Republicans lost a flurry of cases in Pennsylvania that didn ’ t allege fraud and instead challenged specific clusters of absentee ballots — a situation more similar to the recount mess in Florida in 2000 that led the Supreme Court to step in .
The one win they scored in those cases failed to make any dent in Biden ’ s lead in the state .
A federal judge tossed Trump ’ s constitutional challenge to the results in Pennsylvania , and the campaign failed to convince an appeals court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of publication time they hadn ’ t filed a petition in the US Supreme Court , notwithstanding pledges by Rudy Giuliani and campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis that the case would end up there .
An effort in state court by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly and other Republican challengers to invalidate Pennsylvania ’ s results has failed so far , too .
In a lawsuit filed weeks after the election , they challenged a law passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in October 2019 that expanded mail-in voting .
The state Supreme Court rejected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waited too long to file suit .
On Dec. 3 , the court denied their request to put the ruling on hold so they could go to the US Supreme Court .
Kelly and his co-challengers did petition the US Supreme Court this week to stop state officials from taking any more steps to finalize Biden ’ s win in advance of the Electoral College vote .
On Dec. 3 , Justice Samuel Alito ordered the state to respond by Dec. 9 , one day after the safe harbor deadline — a scheduling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sign that the court was not inclined to upend the state ’ s certification of Biden ’ s win .
In Michigan , the Trump campaign is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit that alleged poll watchers in Wayne County , which covers Detroit , were denied access to observe ballot-counting .
In a brief filed last week in the Michigan Court of Appeals , the campaign argued for an order declaring that Michigan officials improperly managed the election and that would make clear what ’ s required in future elections — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win .
There ’ s a separate case pending brought by Republican poll watchers seeking an audit of the results in Wayne County ; they ’ d previously sued , unsuccessfully , to stop the county from certifying its results .
In Wisconsin , the campaign has a case pending in federal court that ’ s separate from the appeals it filed on Dec. 3 in Milwaukee and Dane counties .
The federal lawsuit , filed Dec. 1 , accuses state election officials of unconstitutionally going against the wishes of the state legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
The campaign is asking the court to declare that the Wisconsin election was unconstitutional , to direct the legislature to decide what to do , and to block “ any actions inconsistent with the Court ’ s declaration and judgment.
” The pending cases in Wisconsin offer examples of how US election law allows for the possibility of legal fights that extend past the safe harbor deadline or the Electoral College vote .
If , for instance , Trump ’ s appeals in Milwaukee and Dane counties didn ’ t wrap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could mean Wisconsin wouldn ’ t get the benefit of “ safe harbor ” for the results — a Biden victory — that Gov .
Tony Evers already signed off on .
That wouldn ’ t guarantee Trump would win Wisconsin , however — it would be up to Congress .
If the Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately upheld Biden ’ s win , he said , it ’ s unlikely Trump could convince Congress to reject that result .
There are already signs that Trump doesn ’ t have the votes on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Three justices dissented from the Dec. 3 order kicking the campaign ’ s challenges to the lower courts , but two of those justices made clear that even if they agreed that Wisconsin election officials violated state law , striking ballots “ may be out of reach.
” What exactly state and federal courts would have the power to do after the safe harbor deadline passes or after the Electoral College votes also isn ’ t clear , since it ’ s a largely untested area of federal election law .
In 2000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bush v. Gore on Dec. 12 , which was the safe harbor deadline that year .
A majority of the justices gave significant weight to the Florida legislature ’ s intent to meet that deadline and halted a recount that would have gone past it , which meant George W. Bush won the state and the presidency .

WASHINGTON — One month and dozens of failed election challenges since Nov. 3, President Donald Trump and Republicans have not persuaded any judge to invalidate a significant number of ballots, let alone flip a state that President-elect Joe Biden won — and they’re running out of time.
Trump has vowed to press baseless allegations that the election was tainted by widespread fraud — his campaign filed another round of legal challenges in Wisconsin on Thursday — but his own lawyers have acknowledged that they’re up against a narrowing window. A key date in the federal election timeline next week will make it even harder for Trump and his supporters to convince any court to take dramatic steps that would upend Biden’s victory.
Tuesday marks the “safe harbor” deadline — the date when states must certify results if they want protection under federal election law against Congress stepping in to decide which candidate gets their electoral votes. The fact that lawsuits are pending won’t prevent states from getting the benefits of certifying results by that date, according to election law experts. Judges are already wary of injecting legal uncertainty into the election and causing chaos and will be even more reluctant to do so after the deadline passes.
“The doors close significantly after the safe harbor deadline passes,” said Rebecca Green, codirector of the Election Law Program at William & Mary Law School. “It’s going to be a heavy lift to convince a judge to defy federal deadlines. I think it would only happen or be successful if some kind of wild evidence of just unbelievable scale were unearthed that was credible.”
Trump’s campaign has conceded that the Dec. 8 deadline is key to the fate of its legal challenges. It has pushed courts to rush to consider cases by then. In the campaign’s failed constitutional challenge to Biden’s win in Pennsylvania, Trump’s lawyers argued on Nov. 22 that it was “critically important” for a federal appeals court to hear the case before the deadline, which at that point was 16 days away. The court agreed to expedite the case and ruled against Trump in a 3–0 decision just five days later.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
Trump’s campaign has focused its attention more recently on Wisconsin. On Dec. 1 — one week before the safe harbor deadline — it attempted to skip the lower courts and bring a challenge to hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots in Milwaukee and Dane counties (the state’s largest and most racially diverse counties) directly to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. On Dec. 3, the court ruled 4–3 that the campaign couldn’t jump ahead and had to go through the standard appeal process.
The campaign quickly filed appeals in county circuit courts later that day and sent a letter requesting a fast timeline “to avoid any delay.” Trump’s lawyers wrote that “given the time limitations inherent in the election for President,” they were prepared to submit all briefs and evidence by Dec. 7.
Judges can still rule on election challenges after Dec. 8, or even after Dec. 14, when the Electoral College votes. The federal Electoral Count Act accounts for situations where there are competing slates of electors — if, for instance, a state certified results by the safe harbor deadline, but a court later invalidated those results and ordered a different slate of electors to be sent to Congress.
But election law experts who patiently gamed out for BuzzFeed News all the hypothetical legal paths that Trump and his supporters could pursue between now and Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, stressed that such scenarios were extremely unlikely.
Justin Levitt of Loyola Law School said that for any court to consider the extreme step of invalidating election results at this stage, a case would need to present a “real meaningful question” about whether ballots were invalid and at a scale that would change the outcome. The remaining cases brought by Trump and Republican challengers — which he described as “factually inaccurate,” “grotesquely implausible,” and “fishing expeditions” — did not come close to meeting that bar, he said.
Green said it was a “strong-slash-insurmountable burden” for an election challenger to convince a court to undo results after a state had certified them and the safe harbor deadline passed.
Green said it was possible Trump was hoping to use these court fights to angle for a political solution — for instance, to convince members of Congress to reject slates of electors in states that Biden won. Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks said this week that he would challenge the Electoral College vote, garnering a “thank you” tweet from Trump.
But for that to work, Trump would have to convince both chambers of Congress to reject the results, an extremely unlikely scenario, particularly in the Democrat-controlled House. If the House and Senate split, the Electoral Count Act says that Congress goes with the slate certified by a state’s governor — putting Trump back where he started in the swing states that went for Biden. Even if Trump managed to undermine Biden’s win in one state, he’d have to do that for multiple states to get enough electoral votes to win.
“It’s long shot upon long shot,” Green said.
The latest round of lawsuits filed by Trump’s campaign and, separately, by legal teams led by attorney Sidney Powell (whom the Trump campaign disavowed) are rooted in sweeping, unsupported theories of widespread fraud. Cases raising similar claims have failed so far, either because judges didn’t find the allegations credible or because Trump and GOP challengers failed to satisfy baseline requirements for bringing these cases before they could get to the merits.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Trump and Republicans lost a flurry of cases in Pennsylvania that didn’t allege fraud and instead challenged specific clusters of absentee ballots — a situation more similar to the recount mess in Florida in 2000 that led the Supreme Court to step in. The one win they scored in those cases failed to make any dent in Biden’s lead in the state.
A federal judge tossed Trump’s constitutional challenge to the results in Pennsylvania, and the campaign failed to convince an appeals court to let them try again. As of publication time they hadn’t filed a petition in the US Supreme Court, notwithstanding pledges by Rudy Giuliani and campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis that the case would end up there.
An effort in state court by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly and other Republican challengers to invalidate Pennsylvania’s results has failed so far, too. In a lawsuit filed weeks after the election, they challenged a law passed by the Pennsylvania legislature in October 2019 that expanded mail-in voting. The state Supreme Court rejected it, finding Kelly and his co-challengers waited too long to file suit. On Dec. 3, the court denied their request to put the ruling on hold so they could go to the US Supreme Court.
Kelly and his co-challengers did petition the US Supreme Court this week to stop state officials from taking any more steps to finalize Biden’s win in advance of the Electoral College vote. On Dec. 3, Justice Samuel Alito ordered the state to respond by Dec. 9, one day after the safe harbor deadline — a scheduling decision that constitutional law scholars took as a sign that the court was not inclined to upend the state’s certification of Biden’s win.
In Michigan, the Trump campaign is appealing the dismissal of a lawsuit that alleged poll watchers in Wayne County, which covers Detroit, were denied access to observe ballot-counting. In a brief filed last week in the Michigan Court of Appeals, the campaign argued for an order declaring that Michigan officials improperly managed the election and that would make clear what’s required in future elections — but not to undo Biden’s win. There’s a separate case pending brought by Republican poll watchers seeking an audit of the results in Wayne County; they’d previously sued, unsuccessfully, to stop the county from certifying its results.
In Wisconsin, the campaign has a case pending in federal court that’s separate from the appeals it filed on Dec. 3 in Milwaukee and Dane counties. The federal lawsuit, filed Dec. 1, accuses state election officials of unconstitutionally going against the wishes of the state legislature in how they managed mail-in voting this year. The campaign is asking the court to declare that the Wisconsin election was unconstitutional, to direct the legislature to decide what to do, and to block “any actions inconsistent with the Court’s declaration and judgment.”
The pending cases in Wisconsin offer examples of how US election law allows for the possibility of legal fights that extend past the safe harbor deadline or the Electoral College vote. If, for instance, Trump’s appeals in Milwaukee and Dane counties didn’t wrap up before Dec. 8, Levitt said that could mean Wisconsin wouldn’t get the benefit of “safe harbor” for the results — a Biden victory — that Gov. Tony Evers already signed off on.
That wouldn’t guarantee Trump would win Wisconsin, however — it would be up to Congress. If the Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately upheld Biden’s win, he said, it’s unlikely Trump could convince Congress to reject that result. There are already signs that Trump doesn’t have the votes on the Wisconsin court to invalidate ballots. Three justices dissented from the Dec. 3 order kicking the campaign’s challenges to the lower courts, but two of those justices made clear that even if they agreed that Wisconsin election officials violated state law, striking ballots “may be out of reach.”
What exactly state and federal courts would have the power to do after the safe harbor deadline passes or after the Electoral College votes also isn’t clear, since it’s a largely untested area of federal election law. In 2000, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Bush v. Gore on Dec. 12, which was the safe harbor deadline that year. A majority of the justices gave significant weight to the Florida legislature’s intent to meet that deadline and halted a recount that would have gone past it, which meant George W. Bush won the state and the presidency.


buzzfeed--2020-12-04--The House Passed A Historic Bill To Decriminalize Weed On The Federal Level, But That's As Far As Th

The House Passed A Historic Bill To Decriminalize Weed On The Federal Level, But That's As Far As The Bill Is Expected To Go For Now

Members of the House of Representatives approved a historic bill Friday that would decriminalize cannabis on the federal level , the first time they have considered removing it from the list of federally controlled substances .
Known as the MORE Act , the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2020 would also expunge the records of people who have been convicted under federal marijuana laws and end the legal contradiction across much of the country where states have legalized the use of cannabis despite remaining illegal on the federal level .
`` This long overdue legislation would reverse the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country , particularly on communities of color , '' Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York , who introduced the legislation , said in a statement .
The vote passed mostly along party lines , with Democrats overwhelmingly casting 213 votes in favor of the bill , and Republicans casting only 5 votes for the bill .
Friday 's vote would be the first time any of the two houses in Congress have taken up the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal substance under President Nixon .
It would also follow the actions across most of the 50 states over the years , where cannabis has been legalized for medical use across 36 states , as well as Washington , DC , and approved for recreational use in 15 states .
`` It is not surprising that over the past two decades , public support for legalizing marijuana has surged , '' Nadler said .
`` Indeed , the states have led the way — and continue to lead the way — on marijuana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept pace with the obvious need for change .
We need to catch up because the public supports reform and because it is the right thing to do . ''

Members of the House of Representatives approved a historic bill Friday that would decriminalize cannabis on the federal level, the first time they have considered removing it from the list of federally controlled substances.
Known as the MORE Act, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2020 would also expunge the records of people who have been convicted under federal marijuana laws and end the legal contradiction across much of the country where states have legalized the use of cannabis despite remaining illegal on the federal level.
"This long overdue legislation would reverse the failed policy of criminalizing marijuana on the federal level and would take steps to address the heavy toll this policy has taken across the country, particularly on communities of color," Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, who introduced the legislation, said in a statement.
The vote passed mostly along party lines, with Democrats overwhelmingly casting 213 votes in favor of the bill, and Republicans casting only 5 votes for the bill.
Friday's vote would be the first time any of the two houses in Congress have taken up the issue since marijuana was labeled a Schedule I criminal substance under President Nixon.
It would also follow the actions across most of the 50 states over the years, where cannabis has been legalized for medical use across 36 states, as well as Washington, DC, and approved for recreational use in 15 states.
"It is not surprising that over the past two decades, public support for legalizing marijuana has surged," Nadler said. "Indeed, the states have led the way — and continue to lead the way — on marijuana, but our federal laws have not kept pace with the obvious need for change. We need to catch up because the public supports reform and because it is the right thing to do."


buzzfeed--2020-12-04--Elizabeth Warren And Ayanna Pressley Want An Investigation Into Racial Inequities In The US Pandemic

Elizabeth Warren And Ayanna Pressley Want An Investigation Into Racial Inequities In The US Pandemic Response

The US government needs to investigate whether Black , Latino , and Native American communities most impacted by the pandemic have received adequate coronavirus relief funds , Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote to the Government Accountability Office .
“ To date , the federal government has spent trillions of dollars to sustain our health system and mitigate the economic fallout during this public health emergency .
However , it is not clear whether that relief has successfully reached the communities that are most impacted , ” the lawmakers stated in their letter , shared first with BuzzFeed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disproportionate impact on people of color .
Data from the CDC shows that of COVID-19 cases in which the race is known , Latinx people represent about 24 % of cases in the US but 19 % of the population , and Black people are about 14 % of cases and 13 % of the population .
States with large Native American populations — New Mexico , Wyoming , and South Dakota , for instance — are seeing higher rates in those communities than overall .
Demographic data about the pandemic is incomprehensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority populations may be even greater than these data reveal .
After the $ 2.2 trillion CARES Act was approved in March , the flood of relief funds that suddenly became available was often claimed not by those who needed the help most urgently , but those with the most resources and know-how : large companies , business owners with good banking relationships , and large , well-funded hospitals .
In their letter , Warren and Pressley specifically requested the GAO investigate potential disparities in the Paycheck Protection Program and public health and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for example , that in a survey of Black and Latino business owners in the spring , just 12 % of those who applied for a PPP loan were approved for the full amount , and half of all surveyed owners expected their businesses to permanently close within six months .
They also questioned whether funds were reaching healthcare providers in communities most in need .
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association , for instance , found that because hospitals ’ aid was based on past revenue , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they had higher rates of the coronavirus “ received the same level of relief funding as counties with less health and financial need.
” In addition to disparities in which hospital funding , testing sites in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods in big cities “ face higher demand than those in predominantly white areas of those same cities , leading to longer waits .
Independent analyses have found that ZIP codes with large white populations have had more testing sites throughout the pandemic than ZIP codes with more people of color , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third wave of the pandemic continues to spread and set new records around the country , its unequal impacts continue to draw more attention from officials .
Marcella Nunez-Smith , director at the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale School of Medicine and cochair of president-elect Joe Biden ’ s coronavirus advisory board , recently told the Associated Press , “ We can not get this pandemic under control if we do not address head-on the issues of inequity in our country .
”

The US government needs to investigate whether Black, Latino, and Native American communities most impacted by the pandemic have received adequate coronavirus relief funds, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley wrote to the Government Accountability Office.
“To date, the federal government has spent trillions of dollars to sustain our health system and mitigate the economic fallout during this public health emergency. However, it is not clear whether that relief has successfully reached the communities that are most impacted,” the lawmakers stated in their letter, shared first with BuzzFeed News.
The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people of color. Data from the CDC shows that of COVID-19 cases in which the race is known, Latinx people represent about 24% of cases in the US but 19% of the population, and Black people are about 14% of cases and 13% of the population. States with large Native American populations — New Mexico, Wyoming, and South Dakota, for instance — are seeing higher rates in those communities than overall. Demographic data about the pandemic is incomprehensive, however, and the impact on minority populations may be even greater than these data reveal.
After the $2.2 trillion CARES Act was approved in March, the flood of relief funds that suddenly became available was often claimed not by those who needed the help most urgently, but those with the most resources and know-how: large companies, business owners with good banking relationships, and large, well-funded hospitals.
In their letter, Warren and Pressley specifically requested the GAO investigate potential disparities in the Paycheck Protection Program and public health and social services.
Warren and Pressley noted, for example, that in a survey of Black and Latino business owners in the spring, just 12% of those who applied for a PPP loan were approved for the full amount, and half of all surveyed owners expected their businesses to permanently close within six months.
They also questioned whether funds were reaching healthcare providers in communities most in need. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, for instance, found that because hospitals’ aid was based on past revenue, Black communities that needed more relief because they had higher rates of the coronavirus “received the same level of relief funding as counties with less health and financial need.”
In addition to disparities in which hospital funding, testing sites in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods in big cities “face higher demand than those in predominantly white areas of those same cities, leading to longer waits. Independent analyses have found that ZIP codes with large white populations have had more testing sites throughout the pandemic than ZIP codes with more people of color,” according to Warren and Pressley.
As the third wave of the pandemic continues to spread and set new records around the country, its unequal impacts continue to draw more attention from officials. Marcella Nunez-Smith, director at the Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale School of Medicine and cochair of president-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, recently told the Associated Press, “We cannot get this pandemic under control if we do not address head-on the issues of inequity in our country.”


buzzfeed--2020-12-04--10 Trump Lies About The Election Vs. What Really Happened

Over the past weeks , President Donald Trump has refused to accept that he lost the presidential election .
Instead , he has spent a lot of time posting increasingly unhinged tweets declaring victory and claiming widespread election fraud despite the fact that there is no truth to any of his claims .
And although Twitter ’ s civic integrity policy promises to “ help stop the spread of harmful misinformation that could compromise the integrity of an election or other civic process , ” the outgoing president ’ s tweets remain on the platform , helping spread his blatant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he “ won Michigan by a lot ” — an objective lie .
Biden was certified as the winner of the state ’ s general election on Nov. 23 .
Twitter labeled the tweet with a disclaimer reading , “ multiple sources have called this election differently , ” but clicking through the notice takes users to a page that says “ Joe Biden is the projected winner ” — hedged as if it is still election night and anything could happen , folks — “ of the 2020 presidential election.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projecting , ” mind you .
Almost a month has now passed since Election Day , and officials in many states — some who even conducted recounts — have declared their final results .
Twitter labels Trump ’ s tweets attacking the integrity of the presidential election with the incredibly vague disclaimer , “ This claim about election fraud is disputed.
” The company defines “ disputed claims ” as “ statements or assertions in which the accuracy , truthfulness , or credibility of the claim is contested or unknown.
” Attorney General @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s own Cabinet — said Tuesday that there ’ s no evidence of voter fraud that would change the outcome of the presidential election .
Trump ’ s own officials have declared the 2020 election to be “ the most secure in American history , ” and his lawyers have been unable to provide proof of fraud in courts .
Still , Twitter dings the president , who has 88 million followers , with weak and imprecise language .
It ’ s like fighting a forest fire with a water balloon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s response , noting tweets with labels “ to provide additional context ” are “ de-amplified ” on the platform , meaning they are less likely to surface through the site ’ s recommendation engine , making them more difficult for users to encounter .
And , per the company ’ s policies , “ Not all false or untrue information about politics or civic processes constitutes manipulation or interference.
” “ Twitter continues to take enforcement action on tweets that contain misleading and disputed information about the election broadly , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact-check Trump ’ s shameless election lies more directly ?
And will it ever remove them ?
Twitter ’ s standards for tweet removal are convoluted when it concerns Trump .
According to its terms of service , the platform allows tweets that would otherwise violate its terms of service to remain up if they ’ re sent from elected and government officials “ given the significant public interest in knowing and being able to discuss their actions and statements , ” to be seen alongside a “ notice providing context about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through to see the Tweet.
” Twitter says in deciding whether to remove a tweet or place it behind a notice they “ weigh the potential risk and severity of harm against the public-interest value of the Tweet.
” “ Where the risk of harm is higher and/or more severe , ” the company says , “ we are less likely to make an exception.
” In September , in direct response to the US election , the platform also expanded its civic integrity policy to combat misinformation , warning it would remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they could incite unlawful conduct to prevent a peaceful transfer of power .
At what point will Trump ’ s refusal to accept the results of the election qualify as interference in a peaceful transition of power ?
Although he has not explicitly called on supporters to take up arms in his defense , thousands of Americans have engaged with Trump ’ s tweets with promises to fight to keep him in power .
Government election officials across the country are also being subjected to threats of violence from people who believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Tuesday , a visibly shaken Georgia election official , Gabriel Sterling , said he and his family had been subjected to threats of death and rape and now receive round-the-clock police protection .
“ Mr .
President , you have not condemned these actions or this language , ” he said .
“ Someone is going to get hurt , someone is going to get shot , someone is going to get killed.
” Later on Tuesday , Trump refused to condemn the violence .
Instead , he retweeted a video of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the caption , “ Rigged Election .
Show signatures and envelopes .
Expose the massive voter fraud in Georgia .
What is Secretary of State and @ BrianKempGA afraid of .
They know what we ’ ll find !
!
!
” Twitter labeled the president ’ s tweet doubling down on a false narrative that is threatening the lives of Americans with the standard disclaimer , “ This claim about election fraud is disputed.
” Here are 11 examples of Trump tweeting objective — and dangerous — lies about the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter says these claims are “ disputed.
” Well , yes .
They are disputed by reality .

Over the past weeks, President Donald Trump has refused to accept that he lost the presidential election. Instead, he has spent a lot of time posting increasingly unhinged tweets declaring victory and claiming widespread election fraud despite the fact that there is no truth to any of his claims.
And although Twitter’s civic integrity policy promises to “help stop the spread of harmful misinformation that could compromise the integrity of an election or other civic process,” the outgoing president’s tweets remain on the platform, helping spread his blatant falsehoods.
On Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he “won Michigan by a lot” — an objective lie. Biden was certified as the winner of the state’s general election on Nov. 23. Twitter labeled the tweet with a disclaimer reading, “multiple sources have called this election differently,” but clicking through the notice takes users to a page that says “Joe Biden is the projected winner” — hedged as if it is still election night and anything could happen, folks — “of the 2020 presidential election.”
It is not just the media “projecting,” mind you. Almost a month has now passed since Election Day, and officials in many states — some who even conducted recounts — have declared their final results.
Twitter labels Trump’s tweets attacking the integrity of the presidential election with the incredibly vague disclaimer, “This claim about election fraud is disputed.” The company defines “disputed claims” as “statements or assertions in which the accuracy, truthfulness, or credibility of the claim is contested or unknown.”
Trump’s claims of voter fraud aren’t “contested” or “unknown.” They’re utter bullshit.
Attorney General Bill Barr — a member of Trump’s own Cabinet — said Tuesday that there’s no evidence of voter fraud that would change the outcome of the presidential election. Trump’s own officials have declared the 2020 election to be “the most secure in American history,” and his lawyers have been unable to provide proof of fraud in courts.
Still, Twitter dings the president, who has 88 million followers, with weak and imprecise language. It’s like fighting a forest fire with a water balloon.
A Twitter spokesperson defended the company’s response, noting tweets with labels “to provide additional context” are “de-amplified” on the platform, meaning they are less likely to surface through the site’s recommendation engine, making them more difficult for users to encounter. And, per the company’s policies, “Not all false or untrue information about politics or civic processes constitutes manipulation or interference.”
“Twitter continues to take enforcement action on tweets that contain misleading and disputed information about the election broadly,” the spokesperson said.
But will Twitter ever fact-check Trump’s shameless election lies more directly? And will it ever remove them?
Twitter’s standards for tweet removal are convoluted when it concerns Trump. According to its terms of service, the platform allows tweets that would otherwise violate its terms of service to remain up if they’re sent from elected and government officials “given the significant public interest in knowing and being able to discuss their actions and statements,” to be seen alongside a “notice providing context about the rule violation that allows people to click through to see the Tweet.”
Twitter says in deciding whether to remove a tweet or place it behind a notice they “weigh the potential risk and severity of harm against the public-interest value of the Tweet.”
“Where the risk of harm is higher and/or more severe,” the company says, “we are less likely to make an exception.”
In September, in direct response to the US election, the platform also expanded its civic integrity policy to combat misinformation, warning it would remove false or misleading claims about the results if they could incite unlawful conduct to prevent a peaceful transfer of power.
At what point will Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election qualify as interference in a peaceful transition of power? Although he has not explicitly called on supporters to take up arms in his defense, thousands of Americans have engaged with Trump’s tweets with promises to fight to keep him in power.
Government election officials across the country are also being subjected to threats of violence from people who believe Trump’s lies about fraud. On Tuesday, a visibly shaken Georgia election official, Gabriel Sterling, said he and his family had been subjected to threats of death and rape and now receive round-the-clock police protection. “Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language,” he said. “Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed.”
Later on Tuesday, Trump refused to condemn the violence. Instead, he retweeted a video of Sterling’s plea for presidential intervention with the caption, “Rigged Election. Show signatures and envelopes. Expose the massive voter fraud in Georgia. What is Secretary of State and @BrianKempGA afraid of. They know what we’ll find!!!”
Twitter labeled the president’s tweet doubling down on a false narrative that is threatening the lives of Americans with the standard disclaimer, “This claim about election fraud is disputed.”
Here are 11 examples of Trump tweeting objective — and dangerous — lies about the election that are still on the platform. Twitter says these claims are “disputed.” Well, yes. They are disputed by reality.


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--I’m 33 Years Old. I Got COVID-19 Eight Months Ago. I’m Still Sick.

Eight months out from the first frightening peak of coronavirus cases in the US , Americans are facing another dangerous surge of the pandemic .
More than 100,000 Americans are in the hospital right now , sick with COVID-19 — the most there ’ s ever been .
At least 13.9 million people in the US have had the virus .
Some fully recovered and bounced right back to their lives , perhaps without even knowing they ’ d ever been infected .
Some — at least 273,000 so far — have died .
And others , like me , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of headaches , exhaustion , chest pains , and shortness of breath , their post-viral symptoms dragging out for weeks that have turned into months , with no end or relief in sight .
I ’ m 33 years old .
Before I got sick with COVID-19 in April , I was traveling nonstop for my work as a campaign reporter , with 12- to 14-hour days on my feet , sometimes working 10 or more days in a row .
In between all that , I ’ d fit in hot yoga @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The best way I can describe how I am now , at the end of this strange , horrible year , is that I wake up most days feeling like I drank a six-pack of beer the night before .
Washing the dishes , doing my laundry , or walking a few blocks leaves me in need of a sit-down .
It ’ s a sort of gritty feeling in my body , a woolly feeling in my brain .
My breathing is up and down ; when I 'm tired , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 10 hours of sleep most nights .
And if I push too hard , it ’ s not just laborious — it ’ s actually painful , from my lungs to my head to the stinging in my eyes .
“ Hopefully it will improve soon , ” one doctor told me a few months ago .
That was the extent of her advice .
Before he got sick in July , “ I had tons of energy .
I ’ d never take a break , probably like you , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and patient benefit adviser at a hospital in Orlando , told me .
“ And just all of a sudden , it just hit me out of nowhere .
I went from feeling 27 to feeling like I 'm 207 years old.
” For the past eight months , those of us who have long-term post-COVID symptoms , as well as those who ’ ve watched loved ones suffer or die from the virus , have seen the president refuse to acknowledge that COVID-19 has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ Fake News Media Conspiracy ” — even after getting sick himself .
“ Don ’ t let it dominate you .
Don ’ t be afraid of it , ” Trump said right after coming out of Walter Reed Medical Center , where he ’ d been treated with antibodies and steroids inaccessible to most Americans .
“ You ’ re going to beat it .
We have the best medical equipment , we have the best medicines , all developed recently.
” Of course , hundreds of thousands of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
Now , can the US be a place where someone can survive even if they ’ re knocked off track by a severe illness ?
The answer , for a long time , has been that it is not .
This country ’ s disability safety net has been woefully inadequate since well before the pandemic .
It ’ s certainly not capable now of handling the needs of everyone who is currently seeing or will in the next few months see their lives dramatically upended by long-term COVID-related illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged the devastation of COVID-19 and has a clear plan to address the pandemic — but there are still two and a half months to survive before that plan can be put into action .
And there ’ s still no specific plan to federally fund clinics or research to help people with lingering symptoms .
Biden ’ s main offering , according to his team , is to protect health insurance coverage for preexisting conditions and make insurance accessible for those who lose their jobs because of the pandemic .
That will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have long-term symptoms and no health insurance — but even those of us with post-viral problems who already have decent health insurance are struggling to access guidance and care .
COVID-19 has forced me to reevaluate how I think about health , work , vulnerability , and strength .
And I ’ ve wondered whether the pandemic will force our culture at large to make some reevaluations , too .
Maybe it will force us to question the American cult of individualism , that idea that doing well or being well is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willpower .
Maybe it will finally make clear that we ’ re not , as the ads at the beginning of the lockdowns said , “ all in this together , ” and that our failure to think about collective health and responsibility means many , many people fall through the cracks in a crisis .
By the time we have a vaccine , there will only be more of us struggling to see what the future looks like with slowed down bodies and long-term consequences of the virus , trying to figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of life for however long this lasts .
When well-meaning friends express shock at how long I ’ ve been sick and how supportive my employer has been in giving me time to recover , it rankles .
I ’ m so grateful , but shouldn ’ t we all have this basic human consideration ?
To be able to rest and recover instead of driving ourselves to work , potentially at the cost of our lives ?
But the paradox is that if we don ’ t just keep laboring through it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survive .
Every now and then , over the past seven months , I have obsessively gone back through my calendar and counted the days leading up to it .
On March 5 , I was in LA at a packed rally for Joe Biden , talking to voters about why they ’ d gotten behind him after their candidates dropped out .
On March 6 , I was at LAX , and it had started to sink in that things were getting weird .
There were a few people in masks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bought four bottles at the only place that still had them , the Magic Johnson store in Terminal 5 .
On the flight , I sat wedged between two men , chatting with one about news of this virus and prognosticating how bad it could really get .
“ If you look at what we know , millions of Americans are going to get sick , ” he said .
“ And I guess a lot of people are going to die.
” We looked at each other in silence for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me sneezed and wiped his nose with his hand .
On March 7 , I was in Kansas City , Missouri , reporting on another Biden rally .
Before it started , I sat in a crowded restaurant with colleagues eating barbeque with our hands .
Pretty soon after , the campaign trail dissolved , and we all retreated to our respective bubbles .
The first weekend I was home in DC , my 12-year-old cousin came over for a sleepover — we watched movies and snuggled on the couch , cooked and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no 6-foot distance between us .
It 's a very specific ache now , to think about the warmth of being that close to someone you love .
On April 4 , a Saturday , I went for a run , and that ’ s when things took a turn .
I couldn ’ t stop coughing — I assumed it was allergies .
But for days afterward , the coughing didn ’ t stop .
By April 8 , a Wednesday night , I wrote this email to my editors at 2:51 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hey just wanted to let you both know , coughing is a fair bit worse tonight .
Reached back out to One Medical and will assess what to do in the morning I think .
Hoping it settles but just wanted to make sure you had that and to keep you posted .
I gave them my updated emergency contact number , my aunt ’ s , just in case .
Looking back , the mild language I was using speaks to how reluctant I was to accept that something serious was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was doing “ fair bit worse , ” I was actually struggling to breathe .
When I said I would assess what to do in the morning , I was really considering whether I needed to call an ambulance and go to the hospital right then .
I didn ’ t go to the hospital in the end , though maybe I should have .
Sitting up in bed , I watched videos my mum sent me from a doctor on YouTube explaining how to breathe through COVID coughing and got through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several months of intense sickness , followed by several more months of getting a bit better and then worse again .
It felt like I was being put through my paces with cycles of new and freshly horrifying symptoms every few weeks .
For about a month , I was throwing up a lot and had to switch to a bland diet .
Then for about two months , I woke up every day with intense chest pain , as if I 'd been doing chest presses all night in my sleep .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of breath came and went throughout .
Month to month I can see that I ’ m very slowly getting some energy back — but there ’ s the constant possibility , which no one has been able to really rule out , that one of these setbacks will be so bad that I actually do end up in the hospital , or worse .
One day early on , I tried to do a YouTube yoga session “ for when you ’ re sick ” and ended up a sobbing mess on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have the energy to get past about three minutes .
I kept pushing myself to get back to work , as though by the force of sheer willpower I could stop being sick .
The day Trump left Walter Reed Medical Center , I watched on TV as he puffed up the steps of the White House to the Truman Balcony , where he removed his mask , waved , and saluted .
An obvious lesson I learned this year : You ca n't bully yourself into disappearing a life-threatening illness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on , that it ’ s a question of fearlessness or mental toughness , is just not how this — or any — illness really works .
And yet , as he minimized the disease on national television , I once again minimized my own sickness : I can get back to work in a day or two , I told myself , while I labored to breathe .
Just one more day .
So far , there ’ s an element of randomness in how hard different people are hit by COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the research to tell us why a healthy 33-year-old is knocked down for months while a seventysomething man with other risk factors can bounce back in days ( though level of care can certainly be a factor ; not everyone has had access to the president ’ s exclusive , top-tier treatment ) .
Our recovery , too , is not created equal .
In a country with no federally mandated paid sick leave or protections for workers who are too ill to work — even in a pandemic , when spreading the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — people with long COVID are forced to choose between resting for their health and a paycheck .
That leads to a deep-seated fear that so many of us , and particularly women of color , have ingrained in us .
If you stop working , if you don ’ t push yourself , if you don ’ t fight for it , you lose everything .
Some of the questions I asked myself in the first few months I was ill : Are you really this sick ?
Why aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and keep going ?
Why aren ’ t you doing your job as a reporter as the world falls to bits around you ?
What use are you like this to the people you love and the world at large ?
Whether or not they can work is also not an abstract question for the four others with long COVID who I spoke to for this story .
Jenn Fryer , 36 , from Costa Mesa , California , lost her job as a fashion designer in March , a few months before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been avoiding seeing doctors , especially because her brother , who also had COVID-19 , was hospitalized for a few weeks and landed with a roughly million-dollar bill .
He has insurance that will help with those charges , she said , but for her , it ’ s not an option to rack up medical costs .
“ Ever since my brother went to the hospital and got put on the ventilator , I get massive anxiety attacks thinking about it .
I 'll just break down crying .
I do n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or anything .
And I was also scared … because I do n't have health insurance right now , ” she said .
Jenn said she ’ s receiving $ 450 per week , the maximum unemployment she can get in California , which only just covers her rent .
“ I mean , it affects your self-esteem , but also it ’ s our livelihood .
And especially right now , it 's not getting any extra help from the government anymore .
You ca n't really survive that way , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the unemployment funding boost from the federal CARES Act .
She ’ s trying to apply for jobs , but there ’ s not a lot out there — and just the effort of going through the interview is sometimes absolutely exhausting .
“ I had an interview last month , and I had to put together a whole presentation and do that via Zoom , and it was exhausting .
Like afterwards , I felt like I ran like 5 miles .
And it 's not just like exhausting physically ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ I realized that even the way that I pronounce things is different , which is kind of weird .
I 'll have to think about it , like is this pronounced this way or this way ?
” Carlos Cabral , 35 , who works as a surgical technologist at a hospital in Pasadena , California , got sick from COVID-19 after traveling to Mexico to be with his dying grandfather in April .
He was hospitalized for about a week , and in that time he was so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and heart were affected .
A few days in , the doctor suggested he talk to a chaplain and sort out his financial affairs because it wasn ’ t looking good .
“ I wrote a farewell message on my phone to my mom , my dad , and my sisters and my best friend .
That was a really powerful moment for me this year .
Where I felt like I had no control over what was happening .
I lived a beautiful life .
I felt grateful , but you know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all I really wanted was to hug them one last time.
” The following day , somehow , Carlos began to recover .
He ’ s back at work now , but his lungs are not back to normal , he said he ’ s noticeably slower than he used to be , and he still has fatigue and neuropathy — tingling and pain — in his hands and feet .
He told his bosses he can ’ t pull the 24-hour shifts that are expected at the hospital anymore , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 12 hours at a time .
Junior had to put his music work on hold — when he got sick in July he was about to record an EP .
His work at the hospital , too , has paused .
He ’ s on short-term disability right now , because he can ’ t do his job remotely and he ’ s not only too fatigued to work but also scared of whether or not he ’ s still infectious .
He ’ s been testing negative for COVID , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms .
His hospital , like many others around the country , has also been losing money fast .
They ’ ve closed their outpatient services and have a freeze on hiring , so he can ’ t look for a job in a different department there .
Junior is very concerned that he ’ ll soon lose his job .
“ I had to take like a month off , and then I told them after the month , I still do n't feel good .
I could probably drive to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of my energy is driving to work , and once I get there , it 's done , ” he said .
At first , like me , he struggled with not being able to work and be more helpful in the midst of a pandemic .
But then “ it kind of shifted my perspective , ” Junior said .
“ Before it was , ‘ I miss going to work , ’ but as the symptoms progressed and life kept going on but you kind of stay in that same place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] .
Now it 's not ‘ I miss going to work.
’ It 's ‘ I miss being able to walk down the sidewalk for 30 minutes.
’ ” There are a handful of clinics around the country starting to focus specifically on COVID patients with post-viral symptoms .
But there isn ’ t widely available medical support or research to help this new population of Americans .
As someone with pretty good health insurance , it ’ s still taken me more than six months to speak to a doctor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to the root of what I ’ m going through .
Last week , after several tests , he landed on the same thing several other doctors have told me : It ’ s not clear why I ’ m not better yet , and there ’ s nothing to be done except rest and wait .
In other countries , governments are starting to acknowledge that the long-term public health fallout of long COVID isn ’ t going away .
The head of the UK ’ s National Health Service said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly funded clinics to serve people with these post-viral complications , investing £10 million into clinical services , planning , and research .
“ Long COVID is already having a very serious impact on many people ’ s lives and could well go on to affect hundreds of thousands , ” said NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens , estimating that around 60,000 people in the UK are already dealing with long-term COVID symptoms .
“ More recent evidence is also showing that long COVID can be categorised into four different syndromes : post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ syndrome , permanent organ damage and long term COVID syndrome , ” the NHS announcement said .
That ’ s already more clarity than most of us in the US with long COVID have been able to get .
Our CDC took until July to even acknowledge that people have long-term issues from COVID and now offers only this explanation : “ The long-term significance of these effects is not yet known .
CDC will continue active investigation and provide updates as new data emerge , which can inform COVID-19 clinical care as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19.
” In the absence of real medical guidance , we ’ re realizing that we need to learn how to live with this illness .
Educating ourselves in these support groups is exhausting but necessary — something we ’ re learning from people who have for far longer dealt with other “ invisible ” illnesses like chronic fatigue and lupus .
They ’ re all too familiar with what we ’ re dealing with now : when the medical profession doesn ’ t seem to have many answers for you , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to understand or even believe that you ’ re struggling .
For many people — myself included — the scarcity of tests early in the pandemic has left us adrift in a particularly strange limbo , experiencing the crushing symptoms of the virus while having no definitive positive test result .
When tests were still scarce , many people were told by doctors that they likely had the virus but couldn ’ t get tested unless they were hospitalized .
And then there were plenty of false negative test results , which doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the early months .
( That ’ s what happened to me — and after ruling out other possibilities , I was told by doctors that I should assume I had COVID-19 . )
Both of those scenarios are particularly hard to deal with in this culture of reluctance to give people space and resources to be sick and recover , where illness must be in some way certified to be taken seriously ( to the point where , in several states , voters had to provide a doctor ’ s note @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the midst of a pandemic ) .
“ I woke up with fatigue so bad one day — I woke up and I actually laughed because of how ridiculous the fatigue was , like , if I were to tell people nobody would believe me .
I was that tired , ” said Junior .
“ No one will ever believe me that I can barely walk to the bathroom.
” Carlos said he filed a complaint to the hospital he works for after a surgeon and anaesthesiologist he was working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t real and mocking him after he told them he was having a hard day with the fatigue .
They were suspended for their comments , he said .
“ After that moment , I remember thinking , I 've always been such a happy person .
I 'm just so tired of feeling unworthy .
Because that ’ s what it ’ s like , feeling broken .
Like not myself , ” he said .
He ’ s taken up meditation , which has helped improve his mental health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of gentle stretching every day .
In one long COVID support group , there ’ s a discussion about histamines , with links to preliminary studies .
In another , people share stories about stupid things we forget : One woman ran a bath and only realized after she tried getting in that it was ice cold .
Jenn told me she sometimes forgets how to put her car in drive .
Jenn always has a thesaurus site open on her phone now , for when she loses her words .
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blank is coming and try to slow down my speech until my brain can catch up .
Swapping these stories , we laughed about our weird brain freezes — relieved to speak to someone else who truly understands .
A friend of mine who had chronic fatigue for years has helped me draw a road map for how to live with this , and importantly , how to stop seeing relapses and improvements as failures and victories — a tally that can drive you mad .
She introduced me to spoon theory : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advocate Christine Miserandino came up with to try to explain how she lives with lupus .
When you have a chronic illness , you have limited amounts of energy every day — imagine you start the day with 15 spoons .
Each thing you do , from showering to making coffee to speaking to your boss on the phone , takes a certain number of spoons .
The spoons are finite .
Ration your energy accordingly , and know that if you exceed your daily spoons , you ’ ll be working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lose my words , sometimes , in the middle of a sentence .
I ’ m asking a question or making a point , and the gears in my brain just grind to a halt .
This is a jarring feeling for someone whose livelihood hinges on finding the right words , in multiple languages .
My mind is trying to race ahead at its normal pace and it just .
Doesn ’ t .
Work .
So maybe it ’ s OK if I speak a little slower for however long this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the words , and catch my breath .
Jenn tells me how she ’ s still struggling with fatigue almost every day , body aches , swelling of her feet , and trouble regulating her body temperature .
I can relate .
Occasionally , after a busy day , I ’ ll have some trouble breathing again — maybe the worst symptom because it ’ s hard to talk to family and friends outside my isolated apartment .
In recent weeks , I ’ ve been exhausted every single day .
Pre-COVID , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class , take a long walk , hang out with friends , all things that I ’ ve relied on to pick me up when I ’ m low on energy .
Now , the options are sleep , walk down the block , a video chat .
This is just how it has to be sometimes .
I tell myself it won ’ t be forever .
Right before getting sick , Jenn bought a Peloton bike — she had to sell it pretty soon after , because leisurely walks and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s able to do right now .
“ Sometimes I 'll go for walks with my dog , and honestly , even if I go up a slight hill , I 'm like , Oh my gosh .
And then my inhaler does n't work , I mean , there 's nothing that can help it , ” she said .
Junior had chronic fatigue in the past .
He said he ’ s trying to heal his post-COVID symptoms the same way he dealt with that disease : through lifestyle and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune system .
“ You have to completely change your diet to like anti-inflammatory everything , all organic everything .
You have to regulate your sleep .
You ca n't exercise too little , but you can not exercise too much .
You have to get rid of stress , ” he said .
Easier said than done with the pressure to find and keep work , while feeling like your body ’ s on the brink of giving up on you some days .
Despite these challenges , he ’ s philosophical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimistic .
He said where there ’ s hardship , often there ’ s transformation , both for individual people and for us as a society .
“ I 'm not really like a religious person , but I do believe in the universe and our connection with it , and how we 're all intertwined , ” he said .
“ This year the world is shifting , with the volcanoes and COVID and the rioting and what 's going on overseas in , like , Hong Kong and China , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like everyone is going through something at the same time.
” “ I feel like we 're going through some kind of huge energy , spiritual shift , but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel , kind of with this election being like the first thing to change , ” he said .
“ And then after that , it 's going to be like a snowball .
Everything will get better one by one , and then we 'll all go into that shift .
But right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through it.
” It ’ s comforting to hear Junior ’ s optimism , though I ’ m more skeptical about the world at large making real progress .
As we head into a pandemic winter that feels particularly foreboding , I am more hopeful about people on an individual level .
Surely , if nothing else , more of us have to come out of this with a greater awareness of this country ’ s systemic failures and how we internalize the harsh demands that are placed on us .
The week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , now 13 , for the first time since the spring , bundled up against the cold in my aunt and uncle ’ s backyard , masked and at a distance across a fire pit .
I wanted to cry with the simple relief of being in their company , talking about the usual things ( school , soccer , work , food , politics ) and the less usual things ( masks , hospitals , symptoms , vaccines ) .
The next day , I traveled for work again for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I needed to sleep for 17 hours when I got home .
I ’ ve taken these things as evidence that although it ’ s nothing like what it used to be , life is moving forward .
Maybe moving at a slightly slower pace doesn ’ t have to be a terrible calamity .
Having a little patience and a lot of restraint does not mean that I 'm giving up .
●

A friend of mine who had chronic fatigue for years has helped me draw a road map for how to live with this, and importantly, how to stop seeing relapses and improvements as failures and victories — a tally that can drive you mad.
She introduced me to spoon theory: an imperfect but helpful concept that patient advocate Christine Miserandino came up with to try to explain how she lives with lupus. When you have a chronic illness, you have limited amounts of energy every day — imagine you start the day with 15 spoons. Each thing you do, from showering to making coffee to speaking to your boss on the phone, takes a certain number of spoons. The spoons are finite. Ration your energy accordingly, and know that if you exceed your daily spoons, you’ll be working with far fewer the following day.
I lose my words, sometimes, in the middle of a sentence. I’m asking a question or making a point, and the gears in my brain just grind to a halt. This is a jarring feeling for someone whose livelihood hinges on finding the right words, in multiple languages. My mind is trying to race ahead at its normal pace and it just. Doesn’t. Work. So maybe it’s OK if I speak a little slower for however long this lasts. Give myself time to find the words, and catch my breath.
Jenn tells me how she’s still struggling with fatigue almost every day, body aches, swelling of her feet, and trouble regulating her body temperature. I can relate. Occasionally, after a busy day, I’ll have some trouble breathing again — maybe the worst symptom because it’s hard to talk to family and friends outside my isolated apartment. In recent weeks, I’ve been exhausted every single day. Pre-COVID, I’d go to a yoga class, take a long walk, hang out with friends, all things that I’ve relied on to pick me up when I’m low on energy. Now, the options are sleep, walk down the block, a video chat. This is just how it has to be sometimes. I tell myself it won’t be forever.
Right before getting sick, Jenn bought a Peloton bike — she had to sell it pretty soon after, because leisurely walks and a weekly gentle yoga session are what she’s able to do right now.
“Sometimes I'll go for walks with my dog, and honestly, even if I go up a slight hill, I'm like, Oh my gosh. And then my inhaler doesn't work, I mean, there's nothing that can help it,” she said.
Junior had chronic fatigue in the past. He said he’s trying to heal his post-COVID symptoms the same way he dealt with that disease: through lifestyle and diet changes that help his energy and immune system.
“You have to completely change your diet to like anti-inflammatory everything, all organic everything. You have to regulate your sleep. You can't exercise too little, but you cannot exercise too much. You have to get rid of stress,” he said.
Easier said than done with the pressure to find and keep work, while feeling like your body’s on the brink of giving up on you some days.
Despite these challenges, he’s philosophical about this chaotic year, and ultimately optimistic. He said where there’s hardship, often there’s transformation, both for individual people and for us as a society.
“I'm not really like a religious person, but I do believe in the universe and our connection with it, and how we're all intertwined,” he said. “This year the world is shifting, with the volcanoes and COVID and the rioting and what's going on overseas in, like, Hong Kong and China, and then with the election, it seems like everyone is going through something at the same time.”
“I feel like we're going through some kind of huge energy, spiritual shift, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, kind of with this election being like the first thing to change,” he said. “And then after that, it's going to be like a snowball. Everything will get better one by one, and then we'll all go into that shift. But right now, we're all just going through it.”
It’s comforting to hear Junior’s optimism, though I’m more skeptical about the world at large making real progress. As we head into a pandemic winter that feels particularly foreboding, I am more hopeful about people on an individual level. Surely, if nothing else, more of us have to come out of this with a greater awareness of this country’s systemic failures and how we internalize the harsh demands that are placed on us.
The week before Thanksgiving, I saw my cousin, now 13, for the first time since the spring, bundled up against the cold in my aunt and uncle’s backyard, masked and at a distance across a fire pit. I wanted to cry with the simple relief of being in their company, talking about the usual things (school, soccer, work, food, politics) and the less usual things (masks, hospitals, symptoms, vaccines). The next day, I traveled for work again for the first time since March — a 48-hour trip. I needed to sleep for 17 hours when I got home. I’ve taken these things as evidence that although it’s nothing like what it used to be, life is moving forward. Maybe moving at a slightly slower pace doesn’t have to be a terrible calamity. Having a little patience and a lot of restraint does not mean that I'm giving up. ●


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--This Woman Caught Her Boyfriend Jerking Off Even Though She Asked Him Not To Anymore — Is She Being

This Woman Caught Her Boyfriend Jerking Off Even Though She Asked Him Not To Anymore — Is She Being Unfair?

The one exception to all of this , I should mention , is if your partner 's masturbation or porn @ @ @ @ @ point of concern .
Like , if he 's sequestered in his room all day @ @ @ @ @ and it 's negatively impacting your sex life together , that may require an intervention @ @ @ @ @ sound like that 's the case here .
You 've walked in on him jerking @ @ @ @ @ in the course of two years .
That does n't indicate to me that he @ @ @ @ @ that needs to be addressed — although it does indicate that he should get better @ @ @ @

The one exception to all of this, I should mention, is if your partner's masturbation or porn use is excessive to the point of concern. Like, if he's sequestered in his room all day endlessly scrolling through PornHub, and it's negatively impacting your sex life together, that may require an intervention. But it doesn't sound like that's the case here. You've walked in on him jerking off a handful of times in the course of two years. That doesn't indicate to me that he has any sort of problem that needs to be addressed — although it does indicate that he should get better at locking doors.


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--Republican Senators Say It’s Not Their Job To Actually Tell People That Biden Won The Election


buzzfeed--2020-12-05--Elizabeth Warren And Ayanna Pressley Want To Know How Badly The US Pandemic Response Failed People O

Elizabeth Warren And Ayanna Pressley Want To Know How Badly The US Pandemic Response Failed People Of Color


buzzfeed--2020-12-06--This Woman Caught Her Boyfriend Jerking Off Even Though She Asked Him Not To Anymore — Is She Being