courthousenews--2020-06-27--Judge: EPA Has No Duty to Periodically Review Industrial Pollution Risks

SAN FRANCISCO ( CN ) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no duty to review risks associated with major sources of industrial pollution on an ongoing basis — but it must update emissions-control technology for coke ovens and other sources of pollution every eight years , a federal judge ruled Friday .
In a dispute over whether 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act require the EPA to conduct risk reviews within eight years every time pollution standards are updated , or only after standards are initially rolled out , U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria sided with the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Circuit ’ s 2014 decision in WildEarth Guardians v. McCarthy , Chhabria found that when a law ’ s text is ambiguous he must defer to the government ’ s interpretation unless there is a “ specific , unequivocal command ” in the language of the statute .
“ Both parties have put forward plausible interpretations of the statute , and when the statute could reasonably be read either way , the clear-statement rule dictates the outcome of the case , ” Chhabria wrote in his 20-page ruling .
However , because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an initial risk review for coke oven battery stacks and technology reviews for coke over batteries and battery stacks , Chhabria ordered the agency to complete those reviews within 30 months .
Citizens for Pennsylvania ’ s Future and three other environmental groups sued the EPA in April 2019 , claiming the agency shirked its duty to update emission standards for coke ovens every eight years .
Coke ovens heat coal at high temperatures to create coke , a carbon-based fuel used for making steel and melting scrap iron .
The ovens , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steel mills , spew more than 40 different types of air pollutants , including benzene , lead and mercury .
The toxins are known to cause cancer , lung problems , blood disorders , skin and eye irritation , and damage the central nervous system .
The environmental groups claimed that when Congress amended the Clean Air Act in 1990 , it created a mandatory duty for the EPA to update standards for coke ovens and other major sources of air pollution every eight years .
The EPA contends it only must conduct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first put in place with no obligation for further action .
The dispute came down to what “ promulgation ” means .
The law requires risk reviews eight years after new standards are promulgated or implemented .
According to the plaintiffs , “ promulgation ” includes a follow-up review and revision of standards after eight years .
The EPA maintains “ promulgation ” only refers to the initial rollout of new standards .
For coke ovens , the EPA introduced new air pollution standards in 1993 and performed its follow-up risk review well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The agency maintains that it no longer has a legal obligation to conduct further risk reviews for those existing standards .
Chhabria acknowledged the plaintiffs presented a sound policy argument as to why the EPA should be required to conduct risk reviews on an ongoing basis .
During oral arguments in February , the judge said requiring periodic reviews makes sense because researchers can learn more about the adverse effects of a pollutant on human health over time .
But despite finding the plaintiffs presented strong legal and policy arguments , the judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defer to their interpretation .
“ Courts may not interpret statutes as imposing mandatory duties on agencies unless the mandate is clear and unequivocal , ” Chhabria wrote .
Regarding other claims in the lawsuit , the EPA acknowledged the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments require it to review the best technology for controlling industrial emissions of hazardous air pollution every eight years .
In determining a timeline for those required reviews , Chhabria found a 30-month deadline is reasonable given the complexity of coke ovens and the agency ’ s staffing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Gasp , a Birmingham , Alabama-based environmental justice group , joined Citizens For Pennsylvania ’ s Future as plaintiffs in the lawsuit .
An EPA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the decision .
Plaintiffs ’ attorney Tosh Sagar of Earthjustice did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no duty to review risks associated with major sources of industrial pollution on an ongoing basis — but it must update emissions-control technology for coke ovens and other sources of pollution every eight years, a federal judge ruled Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has no duty to review risks associated with major sources of industrial pollution on an ongoing basis — but it must update emissions-control technology for coke ovens and other sources of pollution every eight years, a federal judge ruled Friday.
In a dispute over whether 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act require the EPA to conduct risk reviews within eight years every time pollution standards are updated, or only after standards are initially rolled out, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria sided with the government’s interpretation.
Citing the Ninth Circuit’s 2014 decision in WildEarth Guardians v. McCarthy, Chhabria found that when a law’s text is ambiguous he must defer to the government’s interpretation unless there is a “specific, unequivocal command” in the language of the statute.
“Both parties have put forward plausible interpretations of the statute, and when the statute could reasonably be read either way, the clear-statement rule dictates the outcome of the case,” Chhabria wrote in his 20-page ruling.
However, because the EPA acknowledged it was required to conduct an initial risk review for coke oven battery stacks and technology reviews for coke over batteries and battery stacks, Chhabria ordered the agency to complete those reviews within 30 months.
Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future and three other environmental groups sued the EPA in April 2019, claiming the agency shirked its duty to update emission standards for coke ovens every eight years.
Coke ovens heat coal at high temperatures to create coke, a carbon-based fuel used for making steel and melting scrap iron.
The ovens, many of which are used in Pennsylvania steel mills, spew more than 40 different types of air pollutants, including benzene, lead and mercury. The toxins are known to cause cancer, lung problems, blood disorders, skin and eye irritation, and damage the central nervous system.
The environmental groups claimed that when Congress amended the Clean Air Act in 1990, it created a mandatory duty for the EPA to update standards for coke ovens and other major sources of air pollution every eight years. The EPA contends it only must conduct risk reviews eight years after standards are first put in place with no obligation for further action.
The dispute came down to what “promulgation” means. The law requires risk reviews eight years after new standards are promulgated or implemented.
According to the plaintiffs, “promulgation” includes a follow-up review and revision of standards after eight years. The EPA maintains “promulgation” only refers to the initial rollout of new standards.
For coke ovens, the EPA introduced new air pollution standards in 1993 and performed its follow-up risk review well past the eight-year deadline in 2005. The agency maintains that it no longer has a legal obligation to conduct further risk reviews for those existing standards.
Chhabria acknowledged the plaintiffs presented a sound policy argument as to why the EPA should be required to conduct risk reviews on an ongoing basis.
During oral arguments in February, the judge said requiring periodic reviews makes sense because researchers can learn more about the adverse effects of a pollutant on human health over time.
But despite finding the plaintiffs presented strong legal and policy arguments, the judge concluded the law denies him the flexibility to defer to their interpretation.
“Courts may not interpret statutes as imposing mandatory duties on agencies unless the mandate is clear and unequivocal,” Chhabria wrote.
Regarding other claims in the lawsuit, the EPA acknowledged the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments require it to review the best technology for controlling industrial emissions of hazardous air pollution every eight years.
In determining a timeline for those required reviews, Chhabria found a 30-month deadline is reasonable given the complexity of coke ovens and the agency’s staffing and budgetary constraints.
Sierra Club, Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Gasp, a Birmingham, Alabama-based environmental justice group, joined Citizens For Pennsylvania’s Future as plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
An EPA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the decision.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Tosh Sagar of Earthjustice did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.


courthousenews--2020-06-27--Trump Signs Executive Order to Protect Monuments

WASHINGTON ( CN ) — With statues memorializing figures of the Confederacy torn down or vandalized by protesters across the nation at an increasing clip , President Donald Trump on Friday said he has issued an executive order upping the prison sentences for those caught destroying monuments or statues on federal property .
“ I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments , Memorials , and Statues — and combatting recent Criminal Violence .
Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country !
” Trump tweeted .
The order declares @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States ” for anyone who damages a monument or statue “ to the fullest extent possible under federal law.
” “ Individuals and organizations have the right to peacefully advocate for either the removal or the construction of any monument , ” the order states .
“ But no individual or group has the right to damage , deface , or remove any monument by the use of force.
” The order also allows the use of federal personnel to protect federal monuments and directs federal agencies to examine their grant programs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to law enforcement agencies “ that permit the desecration of monuments , memorials or statues.
” The maneuver comes after protesters demonstrating on Lafayette Square , just within view of the White House , attempted to topple a statute of the anti-abolitionist President Andrew Jackson .
Jackson also signed the Indian Removal Act which displaced , killed and sickened thousands of Native Americans in what became known as the Trail of Tears .
Protesters and police clashed briefly after demonstrators surrounded the statue and attempted to bring it down with ropes .
Pepper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crowd and only two people were arrested , according to the Metropolitan Police Department .
In a tweet after the incident , Trump called those demonstrators “ hoodlums ” and “ anarchists ” hell bent on vandalizing a “ magnificent ” statue .

With statues memorializing figures of the Confederacy torn down or vandalized by protesters across the nation at an increasing clip, President Donald Trump on Friday said he has issued an executive order upping the prison sentences for those caught destroying monuments or statues on federal property.
WASHINGTON (CN) — With statues memorializing figures of the Confederacy torn down or vandalized by protesters across the nation at an increasing clip, President Donald Trump on Friday said he has issued an executive order upping the prison sentences for those caught destroying monuments or statues on federal property.
“I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues — and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!” Trump tweeted.
The order declares it “the policy of the United States” for anyone who damages a monument or statue “to the fullest extent possible under federal law.”
“Individuals and organizations have the right to peacefully advocate for either the removal or the construction of any monument,” the order states. “But no individual or group has the right to damage, deface, or remove any monument by the use of force.”
The order also allows the use of federal personnel to protect federal monuments and directs federal agencies to examine their grant programs and limit the amount of money that goes to law enforcement agencies “that permit the desecration of monuments, memorials or statues.”
The maneuver comes after protesters demonstrating on Lafayette Square, just within view of the White House, attempted to topple a statute of the anti-abolitionist President Andrew Jackson. Jackson also signed the Indian Removal Act which displaced, killed and sickened thousands of Native Americans in what became known as the Trail of Tears.
Protesters and police clashed briefly after demonstrators surrounded the statue and attempted to bring it down with ropes. Pepper spray was used to break up the crowd and only two people were arrested, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
In a tweet after the incident, Trump called those demonstrators “hoodlums” and “anarchists” hell bent on vandalizing a “magnificent” statue.


courthousenews--2020-06-28--Biden Slams Trump Over Reported Bounties Placed on US Troops

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump on Saturday over a report that he said , if true , contains a “ truly shocking revelation ” about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia .
The New York Times reported Friday that American intelligence officials concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan .
The report said the Russians offered rewards for successful attacks last year , at a time when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end the long-running war .
“ The truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true , and I emphasize that again , is that President Trump , the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theater of war , has known about this for months , according to the Times , and done worse than nothing , ” Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee , said during a virtual town hall .
The White House said neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence was briefed on such intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter , ” press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement .
“ This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence , who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense , ” the Russian Foreign Ministry said .
The Times quoted a Taliban spokesman denying that its militants have such a deal with the Russian intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials familiar with the intelligence , said the findings were presented to Trump and discussed by his National Security Council in late March .
Officials developed potential responses , starting with a diplomatic complaint to Russia , but the White House has yet to authorize any step , the report said .
Biden slammed Trump over his reported failure to act .
“ Not only has he failed to sanction and impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law , Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin , ” the former vice president said .
Biden called it a “ betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation — to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm ’ s way.
” He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line .
“ But they should never , never , never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting a bounty on their heads , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite frankly outraged by the report , ” Biden said .
He promised that if he is elected , “ Putin will be confronted and we ’ ll impose serious costs on Russia .
”

Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump on Saturday over a report that he said, if true, contains a "truly shocking revelation" about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump on Saturday over a report that he said, if true, contains a "truly shocking revelation" about the commander in chief and his failure to protect U.S. troops in Afghanistan and stand up to Russia.
The New York Times reported Friday that American intelligence officials concluded months ago that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The report said the Russians offered rewards for successful attacks last year, at a time when the U.S. and Taliban were holding talks to end the long-running war.
"The truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true, and I emphasize that again, is that President Trump, the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theater of war, has known about this for months, according to the Times, and done worse than nothing," Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said during a virtual town hall.
The White House said neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence was briefed on such intelligence. "This does not speak to the merit of the alleged intelligence but to the inaccuracy of the New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President Trump was briefed on this matter," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.
Russia called the report "nonsense."
"This unsophisticated plant clearly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of the propagandists of American intelligence, who instead of inventing something more plausible have to make up this nonsense," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The Times quoted a Taliban spokesman denying that its militants have such a deal with the Russian intelligence agency.
The newspaper, citing unnamed officials familiar with the intelligence, said the findings were presented to Trump and discussed by his National Security Council in late March. Officials developed potential responses, starting with a diplomatic complaint to Russia, but the White House has yet to authorize any step, the report said.
Biden slammed Trump over his reported failure to act.
"Not only has he failed to sanction and impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law, Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin," the former vice president said.
Biden called it a "betrayal of the most sacred duty we bear as a nation — to protect and equip our troops when we send them into harm's way."
He said Americans who serve in the military put their life on the line. "But they should never, never, never ever face a threat like this with their commander in chief turning a blind eye to a foreign power putting a bounty on their heads," he said.
"I'm quite frankly outraged by the report," Biden said. He promised that if he is elected, "Putin will be confronted and we'll impose serious costs on Russia."
By LYNN BERRY Associated Press


courthousenews--2020-06-27--Mississippi Takes Step Toward Dropping Rebel Image From Flag

JACKSON , Miss .
( AP ) — Spectators at the Mississippi Capitol broke into applause Saturday as lawmakers took a big step toward erasing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag , a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against racial injustice .
“ The eyes of the state , the nation and indeed the world are on this House , ” the second-ranking office in the Mississippi House , Jason White , told his colleagues .
The House and Senate voted by more than the required two-thirds majority to suspend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change the flag .
That would allow debate on a bill as soon as Sunday .
Saturday ’ s vote was the big test , though , because of the margin .
Only a simple majority is needed to pass a bill .
Republican Gov .
Tate Reeves said Saturday for the first time that he would sign a bill to change the flag if the Republican-controlled Legislature sends him one .
He had previously said that he would not veto one — a more passive stance .
“ The legislature has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new state flag , ” Reeves said on social media .
“ The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it ’ s time to end it .
If they send me a bill this weekend , I will sign it.
” A bill will say that the current flag will be removed from state law .
A commission would design a new flag that can not include the Confederate battle emblem but must include the phrase “ In God We Trust.
” The new design @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 .
If a majority voting that day accept the new design , it would become the state flag .
If a majority reject it , the commission would design a new flag using the same guidelines .
“ I know there are many good people who … believe that this flag is a symbol of our Southern pride and heritage , ” said White , the Republican speaker pro tempore of the House .
“ But for most people throughout our nation and the world , they see that flag and think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Republican Rep. Chris Brown of Nettleton appeared at a 2016 rally outside the state Capitol for people who want to keep the Confederate emblem on the flag .
He said Saturday that the current flag and a proposed new design should both go on the ballot .
“ I don ’ t think we can move forward together if we say , ‘ Ýou can have any flag you want except … this one , ' ” Brown said .
“ If we put the current flag on the ballot with another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will change it .
I believe that .
Let ’ s not steal their joy .
They want to show the world that they ’ re moving on.
” Mississippi has the last state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars .
The battle emblem has been in the upper-left corner of the Mississippi flag since 1894 .
White supremacists in the Legislature put it there during backlash to the political power that African Americans gained after the Civil War @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2000 that the flag lacked official status .
State laws were updated in 1906 , and portions dealing with the flag were not carried forward .
Legislators set a flag election in 2001 , and voters kept the rebel-themed design .
Democratic state Rep. Ed Blackmon of Canton told the House on Saturday that threats were made against him and others who served on a flag design commission in 2000 .
Blackmon , who is African American , said Mississippi needs a design without the Confederate design so his children and grandchildren can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ’ ll all be proud to say , ‘ That ’ s my flag , too , ' ” Blackmon said .
The current flag has remained divisive in a state with a 38 % Black population .
All of the state ’ s public universities and several cities and counties have stopped flying it because of the Confederate symbol .
Influential business , religious , education and sports groups are calling on Mississippi to drop the Confederate symbol .
Flag supporters say the banner should be left alone or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to decide its fate .
People for and against the current flag filled the Capitol on Saturday .
Karen Holt of Edwards , Mississippi , was with several people asking lawmakers to adopt a new banner with a magnolia , which is both the state tree and the state flower .
She said it would represent “ joy of being a citizen of the United States , ” unlike the current flag .
“ We don ’ t want anything flying over them , lofty , exalting itself , that grabs onto a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dan Hartness of Ellisville , Mississippi , walked outside the Capitol carrying a pole that with the American flag and the current Mississippi flag .
He said the state flag pays tribute to those who fought in the Civil War .
“ Being a veteran , that ’ s important to me — that you remember these guys that fought in battle , whether they ’ re on the right side or the wrong side , ” Hartness said .

Spectators at the Mississippi Capitol broke into applause Saturday as lawmakers took a big step toward erasing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against racial injustice.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Spectators at the Mississippi Capitol broke into applause Saturday as lawmakers took a big step toward erasing the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against racial injustice.
"The eyes of the state, the nation and indeed the world are on this House," the second-ranking office in the Mississippi House, Jason White, told his colleagues.
The House and Senate voted by more than the required two-thirds majority to suspend legislative deadlines and file a bill to change the flag. That would allow debate on a bill as soon as Sunday.
Saturday's vote was the big test, though, because of the margin. Only a simple majority is needed to pass a bill.
Republican Governor Tate Reeves said Saturday for the first time that he would sign a bill to change the flag if the Republican-controlled Legislature sends him one. He had previously said that he would not veto one — a more passive stance.
"The legislature has been deadlocked for days as it considers a new state flag," Reeves said on social media. "The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it's time to end it. If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it."
A bill will say that the current flag will be removed from state law. A commission would design a new flag that cannot include the Confederate battle emblem but must include the phrase "In God We Trust." The new design would be put on the ballot Nov. 3. If a majority voting that day accept the new design, it would become the state flag. If a majority reject it, the commission would design a new flag using the same guidelines.
"I know there are many good people who … believe that this flag is a symbol of our Southern pride and heritage," said White, the Republican speaker pro tempore of the House. "But for most people throughout our nation and the world, they see that flag and think that it stands for hatred and oppression."
Republican Rep. Chris Brown of Nettleton appeared at a 2016 rally outside the state Capitol for people who want to keep the Confederate emblem on the flag. He said Saturday that the current flag and a proposed new design should both go on the ballot.
"I don't think we can move forward together if we say, 'Ýou can have any flag you want except … this one,'" Brown said. "If we put the current flag on the ballot with another good design, the people of Mississippi will change it. I believe that. Let's not steal their joy. They want to show the world that they're moving on."
Mississippi has the last state flag that includes the Confederate battle emblem — a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars.
The battle emblem has been in the upper-left corner of the Mississippi flag since 1894. White supremacists in the Legislature put it there during backlash to the political power that African Americans gained after the Civil War.
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the flag lacked official status. State laws were updated in 1906, and portions dealing with the flag were not carried forward. Legislators set a flag election in 2001, and voters kept the rebel-themed design.
Democratic state Rep. Ed Blackmon of Canton told the House on Saturday that threats were made against him and others who served on a flag design commission in 2000. Blackmon, who is African American, said Mississippi needs a design without the Confederate design so his children and grandchildren can stand at attention when they see it.
"We'll all be proud to say, 'That's my flag, too,'" Blackmon said.
The current flag has remained divisive in a state with a 38% Black population. All of the state's public universities and several cities and counties have stopped flying it because of the Confederate symbol.
Influential business, religious, education and sports groups are calling on Mississippi to drop the Confederate symbol. Flag supporters say the banner should be left alone or put on the statewide ballot for voters to decide its fate.
People for and against the current flag filled the Capitol on Saturday.
Karen Holt of Edwards, Mississippi, was with several people asking lawmakers to adopt a new banner with a magnolia, which is both the state tree and the state flower. She said it would represent "joy of being a citizen of the United States," unlike the current flag.
"We don't want anything flying over them, lofty, exalting itself, that grabs onto a deadly past," Holt said.
Dan Hartness of Ellisville, Mississippi, walked outside the Capitol carrying a pole that with the American flag and the current Mississippi flag. He said the state flag pays tribute to those who fought in the Civil War.
"Being a veteran, that's important to me — that you remember these guys that fought in battle, whether they're on the right side or the wrong side," Hartness said.
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press


courthousenews--2020-06-27--As Cases Surge in US, Rural Areas Seeing Increases as Well

( AP ) — For many states and counties in the U.S. , the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic in April unfolded on their television screens , not on their doorsteps .
But now , some places that appeared to have avoided the worst are seeing surges of infections , as worries shift from major cities to rural areas .
While much of the focus of concerns that the United States is entering a dangerous new phase has been on big Sunbelt states that are reporting thousands of new cases a day — like Texas and Florida — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Kansas , where livestock outnumber people .
In early June , Kansas looked to be bringing its outbreak under control , but its daily reported case numbers have more than doubled in recent weeks .
On June 5 , the seven-day average for daily new cases hovered at around 96 ; by Friday , that figure was 211 .
Idaho and Oklahoma have seen similarly large percentage increases , albeit from low starting points .
In Oklahoma , the seven-day average for daily new cases climbed from about 81 on June 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later .
During the same period , Idaho ’ s average jumped from around 40 to 160 .
Many rural counties in states including California , Arkansas , Missouri , Kansas , Texas and Florida have seen their confirmed cases more than double in a week , from June 19 to Friday , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
Lassen County , California , went from just nine cases to 172 , and Hot Spring County , Arkansas , went from 46 cases to 415 ; both spikes were attributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McDonald County , Missouri , more than tripled after Tyson Foods conducted facility-wide testing at a chicken plant there .
Missouri itself is seeing a worrying trend , with confirmed cases up 16 % over the past week .
A spike in Kansas City convinced Mayor Quinton Lucas to order employees and patrons of businesses to wear masks , when 6 feet ( about 2 meters ) of separation isn ’ t possible .
“ Case numbers in Kansas City continue to rise , and we are taking all steps we can to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said Friday .
The daily number of confirmed infections in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 45,300 on Friday , eclipsing the high of 40,000 set the previous day , according to Johns Hopkins .
While the rise partly reflects expanded testing , experts say there is ample evidence the scourge is making a comeback , including rising deaths and hospitalizations in parts of the country and higher percentages of virus tests coming back positive .
Deaths are running at about 600 per day , down from a peak of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level because of advances in treatment and because many infections are happening in younger adults , who are more likely than older ones to survive .
The virus is blamed for about 125,000 deaths and nearly 2.5 million confirmed infections nationwide in the U.S. , by Johns Hopkins ’ count .
But health officials believe the true number of infections is about 10 times higher .
Worldwide , the virus has claimed close to a half-million lives with nearly 10 million cases .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from abroad .
The European Union seems almost certain to bar Americans in the short term from entering the bloc , which is currently drawing up new travel rules , EU diplomats confirmed Saturday .
But the U.S. is not alone .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel cautioned Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over .
India reported more than 18,000 new cases , pushing its cumulative total over the half-million mark , the fourth highest globally behind the U.S. , Brazil and Russia .
German authorities renewed a lockdown in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past week after about 1,300 slaughterhouse workers tested positive for COVID-19 , in an attempt to prevent the outbreak from spreading across the area .
“ The risk posed by the virus is still serious , ” Merkel said .
“ It ’ s easy to forget because Germany has gotten through the crisis well so far , but that doesn ’ t mean we are protected , that the risk has been averted ; that is not the case , as is demonstrated by these regional outbreaks.
” Elsewhere , Egypt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controls , while China and South Korea battled smaller outbreaks in their capitals .
Britain was expected to scrap a 14-day quarantine requirement for people returning from abroad in a bid to make summer vacation travel possible .
Only travelers from “ red ” zones , places with a high level of COVID-19 , will be told to self-isolate .
A full list of countries is due to be published next week .
Egypt on Saturday lifted many restrictions put in place against the coronavirus pandemic , reopening cafes , clubs , gyms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of closure , despite a continued upward trend in new infections .
Authorities in other countries were taking a more cautious approach , with the Indian city of Gauhati , the capital of Assam state , announcing a new two-week lockdown starting Monday , with night curfews and weekend lockdowns in the rest of the state .
India ’ s death toll has reached 15,685 .
China saw an uptick in cases , one day after authorities said they expect an outbreak in Beijing to be brought under control in the near future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new cases in the nation ’ s capital , the most in a week , among 21 nationwide .
South Korea , where a resurgence in the past month threatens to erase the country ’ s earlier success , reported 51 new cases , including 35 in the Seoul metropolitan area .
Officials , worried about the fragile economy , have resisted calls to reimpose restrictions eased in April .
Australia braced for more imported cases as citizens return home .
About 300 people were due to arrive this weekend from Mumbai , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from South America and Indonesia .
One state health official said he is preparing for 5 % to 10 % of the returnees to be infected .

For many states and counties in the U.S., the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic in April unfolded on their television screens, not on their doorsteps. But now, some places that appeared to have avoided the worst are seeing surges of infections, as worries shift from major cities to rural areas.
(AP) — For many states and counties in the U.S., the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic in April unfolded on their television screens, not on their doorsteps. But now, some places that appeared to have avoided the worst are seeing surges of infections, as worries shift from major cities to rural areas.
While much of the focus of concerns that the United States is entering a dangerous new phase has been on big Sunbelt states that are reporting thousands of new cases a day — like Texas and Florida — the worrying trend is also happening in places like Kansas, where livestock outnumber people.
In early June, Kansas looked to be bringing its outbreak under control, but its daily reported case numbers have more than doubled in recent weeks. On June 5, the seven-day average for daily new cases hovered at around 96; by Friday, that figure was 211.
Idaho and Oklahoma have seen similarly large percentage increases, albeit from low starting points. In Oklahoma, the seven-day average for daily new cases climbed from about 81 on June 5 to 376 on Friday, three weeks later. During the same period, Idaho's average jumped from around 40 to 160.
Many rural counties in states including California, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Florida have seen their confirmed cases more than double in a week, from June 19 to Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Lassen County, California, went from just nine cases to 172, and Hot Spring County, Arkansas, went from 46 cases to 415; both spikes were attributed to outbreaks at prisons. Cases in McDonald County, Missouri, more than tripled after Tyson Foods conducted facility-wide testing at a chicken plant there.
Missouri itself is seeing a worrying trend, with confirmed cases up 16% over the past week. A spike in Kansas City convinced Mayor Quinton Lucas to order employees and patrons of businesses to wear masks, when 6 feet (about 2 meters) of separation isn't possible.
"Case numbers in Kansas City continue to rise, and we are taking all steps we can to ensure public health and safety," he said Friday.
The daily number of confirmed infections in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 45,300 on Friday, eclipsing the high of 40,000 set the previous day, according to Johns Hopkins.
While the rise partly reflects expanded testing, experts say there is ample evidence the scourge is making a comeback, including rising deaths and hospitalizations in parts of the country and higher percentages of virus tests coming back positive.
Deaths are running at about 600 per day, down from a peak of around 2,200 in mid-April. Some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level because of advances in treatment and because many infections are happening in younger adults, who are more likely than older ones to survive.
The virus is blamed for about 125,000 deaths and nearly 2.5 million confirmed infections nationwide in the U.S., by Johns Hopkins' count. But health officials believe the true number of infections is about 10 times higher. Worldwide, the virus has claimed close to a half-million lives with nearly 10 million cases.
The resurgence in the U.S. has drawn concern from abroad. The European Union seems almost certain to bar Americans in the short term from entering the bloc, which is currently drawing up new travel rules, EU diplomats confirmed Saturday.
But the U.S. is not alone. German Chancellor Angela Merkel cautioned Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. India reported more than 18,000 new cases, pushing its cumulative total over the half-million mark, the fourth highest globally behind the U.S., Brazil and Russia.
German authorities renewed a lockdown in a western region of about 500,000 people in the past week after about 1,300 slaughterhouse workers tested positive for COVID-19, in an attempt to prevent the outbreak from spreading across the area.
"The risk posed by the virus is still serious," Merkel said. "It's easy to forget because Germany has gotten through the crisis well so far, but that doesn't mean we are protected, that the risk has been averted; that is not the case, as is demonstrated by these regional outbreaks."
Elsewhere, Egypt and Britain said they would ease virus controls, while China and South Korea battled smaller outbreaks in their capitals.
Britain was expected to scrap a 14-day quarantine requirement for people returning from abroad in a bid to make summer vacation travel possible. Only travelers from "red'' zones, places with a high level of COVID-19, will be told to self-isolate. A full list of countries is due to be published next week.
Egypt on Saturday lifted many restrictions put in place against the coronavirus pandemic, reopening cafes, clubs, gyms and theaters after more than three months of closure, despite a continued upward trend in new infections.
Authorities in other countries were taking a more cautious approach, with the Indian city of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state, announcing a new two-week lockdown starting Monday, with night curfews and weekend lockdowns in the rest of the state. India's death toll has reached 15,685.
China saw an uptick in cases, one day after authorities said they expect an outbreak in Beijing to be brought under control in the near future. The National Health Commission reported 17 new cases in the nation's capital, the most in a week, among 21 nationwide.
South Korea, where a resurgence in the past month threatens to erase the country's earlier success, reported 51 new cases, including 35 in the Seoul metropolitan area. Officials, worried about the fragile economy, have resisted calls to reimpose restrictions eased in April.
Australia braced for more imported cases as citizens return home. About 300 people were due to arrive this weekend from Mumbai, India, with others expected to follow from South America and Indonesia. One state health official said he is preparing for 5% to 10% of the returnees to be infected.


Portland Police

PORTLAND , Ore. — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class action lawsuit against Portland , Oregon police on @ @ @ @ @ legal observers were targeted and attacked by officers while covering protests over the killing of @ @ @

The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.


courthousenews--2020-06-28--Dallas County Chief Executive Asks Texas Governor to Reclose State

DALLAS ( CN ) – Dallas County ’ s chief executive pleaded Sunday with Republican Governor Greg Abbott to reinstitute stay-at-home orders for 30 days and order mandatory masks and social distancing as Texas ’ confirmed Covid-19 cases continue to set new daily records .
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins – a Democrat – asked Abbott to enact the measures statewide “ or at the very least ” for specific regions .
“ If not , please rescind your prior order restricting local control and allow Dallas County to implement the above recommendations in an effort to slow the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Jenkins wrote in a letter .
“ Lives depend on swift action.
” County judges in Texas are the elected head administrator of each county — they have no judicial duties .
Abbott has been heavily criticized for reopening the state too soon in May after local officials imposed stay-at-home orders in March to mitigate the disease ’ s spread .
Texas was largely viewed as having successfully “ flattened the curve ” early in the crisis , but it has become one of the country ’ s hotspots as cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new highs for several consecutive days .
The Department of State Health Services reported 143,371 confirmed cases and 2,366 fatalities on Sunday .
Dallas County reported 570 new cases Sunday , a new daily record .
Judge Jenkins further asked Abbott to begin fining individuals who refuse to wear masks in public or who refuse to socially distance from others .
He wants restaurants to again be closed to dine-in service with only take-out or outdoor service instead .
He also wants the reclosure of gyms , public pools , movie theatres , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities that do not allow strict physical distancing or masks to be strictly worn.
” Jenkins ’ request come two days after Abbott ordered bars closed again and reduced restaurant capacity back down to 50 % from 75 % .
The capacity reduction also applies to museums , libraries and outdoor activities , including sporting events , swimming pools , water parks , zoos , rodeos , river-rafting businesses and amusement parks .
One day earlier , Abbott halted the state ’ s latest reopening phase and suspended elective surgeries to free up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear a face mask and being upbeat about reviving the state ’ s economy , Abbott admitted last week that he would shut down the state again as a “ last resort.
” Abbott was in Dallas on Sunday and appeared with Vice President Mike Pence at megachurch First Baptist Church and later at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center .
Abbott ’ s entire delegation was seen wearing masks .
Abbott admitted to the dire situation in the state , saying at a press conference the disease “ has taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in mere weeks .
He nonetheless said it was “ remarkable ” that Texas still has the second lowest death rate of the “ 28 most affected states ” in the country .
Pence declined to answer questions about shortcomings in the early federal response to the disease , saying instead that he is “ focused on the future.
” He pledge to increase testing in the state and to continue funding two drive-up testing sites in Dallas .
The hour-long press conference was largely self-congratulatory with only three questions from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Jenkins and the governor have engaged in – at times petty – public bickering over the crisis since April .
It started over a temporary , military-run hospital at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center downtown that was intended to house recovering Covid-19 patients .
Abbott made public a letter to Jenkins threatening the closure of the facility after he heard reports that Jenkins did not plan on using it .
Jenkins responded publicly that the reports were false , while Abbott responded publicly that the county never called his office about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismantled .

Dallas County’s chief executive pleaded Sunday with Republican Governor Greg Abbott to reinstitute stay-at-home orders for 30 days and order mandatory masks and social distancing as Texas’ confirmed Covid-19 cases continue to set new daily records.
DALLAS (CN) — Dallas County’s chief executive pleaded Sunday with Republican Governor Greg Abbott to reinstitute stay-at-home orders for 30 days and order mandatory masks and social distancing as Texas’ confirmed Covid-19 cases continue to set new daily records.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins — a Democrat — asked Abbott to enact the measures statewide “or at the very least” for specific regions.
“If not, please rescind your prior order restricting local control and allow Dallas County to implement the above recommendations in an effort to slow the spread of the rampant and devastating Covid-19 virus,” Jenkins wrote in a letter. “Lives depend on swift action.”
County judges in Texas are the elected head administrator of each county — they have no judicial duties.
Abbott has been heavily criticized for reopening the state too soon in May after local officials imposed stay-at-home orders in March to mitigate the disease’s spread. Texas was largely viewed as having successfully “flattened the curve” early in the crisis, but it has become one of the country’s hotspots as cases have spiked since Memorial Day and set new highs for several consecutive days.
The Department of State Health Services reported 143,371 confirmed cases and 2,366 fatalities on Sunday. Dallas County reported 570 new cases Sunday, a new daily record.
Judge Jenkins further asked Abbott to begin fining individuals who refuse to wear masks in public or who refuse to socially distance from others. He wants restaurants to again be closed to dine-in service with only take-out or outdoor service instead. He also wants the reclosure of gyms, public pools, movie theatres, concerts “and other social venues or activities that do not allow strict physical distancing or masks to be strictly worn.”
Jenkins’ request come two days after Abbott ordered bars closed again and reduced restaurant capacity back down to 50% from 75%. The capacity reduction also applies to museums, libraries and outdoor activities, including sporting events, swimming pools, water parks, zoos, rodeos, river-rafting businesses and amusement parks. One day earlier, Abbott halted the state’s latest reopening phase and suspended elective surgeries to free up hospital beds.
After weeks of refusing to wear a face mask and being upbeat about reviving the state’s economy, Abbott admitted last week that he would shut down the state again as a “last resort.”
Abbott was in Dallas on Sunday and appeared with Vice President Mike Pence at megachurch First Baptist Church and later at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Abbott’s entire delegation was seen wearing masks.
Abbott admitted to the dire situation in the state, saying at a press conference the disease “has taken a very swift and very dangerous turn” in mere weeks. He nonetheless said it was “remarkable” that Texas still has the second lowest death rate of the “28 most affected states” in the country.
Pence declined to answer questions about shortcomings in the early federal response to the disease, saying instead that he is “focused on the future.” He pledge to increase testing in the state and to continue funding two drive-up testing sites in Dallas. The hour-long press conference was largely self-congratulatory with only three questions from the media being asked before it ended.
Judge Jenkins and the governor have engaged in – at times petty – public bickering over the crisis since April. It started over a temporary, military-run hospital at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center downtown that was intended to house recovering Covid-19 patients.
Abbott made public a letter to Jenkins threatening the closure of the facility after he heard reports that Jenkins did not plan on using it. Jenkins responded publicly that the reports were false, while Abbott responded publicly that the county never called his office about it. The temporary hospital was later dismantled.


courthousenews--2020-06-28--Democrats Seek to Sway Swing Voters in Colorado

DENVER ( CN ) — Colorado swing voters will help decide on Tuesday which Democratic candidates to pit against incumbent conservatives backed by President Donald Trump in November .
The state ’ s former Governor John Hickenlooper and former Speaker of the State house Andrew Romanoff are both vying to turn up the heat on Republican Senator Cory Gardner .
Although the state leaned left in recent elections , Democrats do not hold a majority in the Centennial State .
“ What ’ s interesting about Colorado is that the plurality of the vote is unaffiliated , so the outcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the base on either side , ” said Ken Bickers , a political science professor at the University of Colorado , Boulder .
“ Unaffiliated voters are unaffiliated , so they ’ ll be making up their minds not principally based on the party label , but on other kinds of factors.
” Those factors include stances on healthcare , gun control and police reform .
The state ’ s 1.3 million unaffiliated registered voters can ’ t caucus , but they do participate in state primaries .
Colorado is also home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 969,495 registered Republicans .
For “ Any-Dem-Will-Do Blues , ” Gardner is an easy target to aim for .
Within the party however , many Democrats are divided on whether to put forward put centrist Hickenlooper or progressive Romanoff .
Although generally liked and supported by the Democratic National Committee , Hickenlooper ’ s Senate campaign hit hiccup after hiccup .
On June 5 , the Colorado Ethics Commission fined Hickenlooper $ 2,750 for accepting free travel during his last months in office .
Then more recently , a 2014 comment he made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resurfaced .
“ Hickenlooper ’ s made some awkward statements , he said a number of things he ’ s needed to apologize for particularly about Black Lives Matter and an awkward early slavery reference , ” said Seth Masket , director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver .
“ These aren ’ t necessarily terribly costly things when it comes down to elections , but you could also see a number of progressives saying , ‘ Why do I need to tolerate this right now when I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hickenlooper ’ s policy stances like opposing “ Medicare for All ” — which Romanoff backs — and supporting fracking — which Romanoff opposes — are being tested by the energized progressive wing of the party .
“ There ’ s some evidence that we have an energized left at the moment and they are looking to Romanoff , ” Masket said .
“ Hickenlooper has a lot of important advantages going into this , but judging from his behavior and judging from Romanoff ’ s behavior , is this is likely a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the debate among Democrats will put the Working Party at a disadvantage against a GOP unified around Gardner in the general election .
“ We ’ re going to be unified coming out of the primary and that ’ s going to help us going into November , ” said Kyle Kohli , Colorado Communications Director for the Republican National Committee .
“ Contrast that with what ’ s going on in the Democratic primary with Romanoff and Hickenlooper , which is really devolving into a big fight.
” Whichever Democrat comes out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , Gardner is still ahead by campaign budget .
According to the Federal Election Commission , Hickenlooper ’ s campaign raised $ 12 million , of which it spent about half .
Gardner raised $ 15 million , of which he spent $ 6 million .
Trailing behind , Romanoff raised $ 2.8 million and spent $ 2 million .
Besides the Senate , Democrats also see the state ’ s 3rd Congressional District as another Republican stronghold to break through .
When the blue wave washed over the purple state in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the storm against Democratic opponent Diane Mitsch Bush .
The district ’ s most populous county , Pueblo , also supported Trump in 2016 .
First time candidate James Iacino is campaigning against Mitsch Bush on the Democratic ticket , arguing that the issue of partisanship stretches beyond elections .
“ You ’ ve got some entrenched extremes that continue to dominate the news and continue to feed that narrative that we are more divided than we are united and it ’ s going to take new leadership and people willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iacino said .
“ If we don ’ t beat Scott Tipton , then any of the programs we ’ re talking about are just not going to happen , ” added Iacino , who supports a public healthcare option and immigration reform .
Tipton , who has represented the district since 2012 , stands off against opponent Lauren Boebert on Tuesday .
If Democrats say Tipton is too conservative , Boebert counters that he isn ’ t MAGA enough to represent the district .
While Boebert leads in Twitter followers , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.1 million in campaign contributions to Boebert ’ s $ 133,256 .
The spread of Covid-19 may have made voters more wary of political issues impacting their pocketbook , but the Colorado Secretary of State ’ s office said the pandemic will not effect the election schedule .
The Centennial State has been using mail-in ballots since 2013 and in-person polls will open on Tuesday with mask requirements and social distancing measures in place .
As of Thursday , the Secretary of State ’ s office reported 838,500 of the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ballots .

Colorado swing voters will help decide on Tuesday which Democratic candidates to pit against incumbent conservatives backed by President Donald Trump in November.
DENVER (CN) — Colorado swing voters will help decide on Tuesday which Democratic candidates to pit against incumbent conservatives backed by President Donald Trump in November.
The state’s former Governor John Hickenlooper and former Speaker of the State House Andrew Romanoff are both vying to turn up the heat on Republican Senator Cory Gardner.
Although the state leaned left in recent elections, Democrats do not hold a majority in the Centennial State.
“What's interesting about Colorado is that the plurality of the vote is unaffiliated, so the outcome of the election will be determined less by the base on either side,” said Ken Bickers, a political science professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. “Unaffiliated voters are unaffiliated, so they'll be making up their minds not principally based on the party label, but on other kinds of factors.”
Those factors include stances on health care, gun control and police reform.
The state's 1.3 million unaffiliated registered voters can’t caucus, but they do participate in state primaries. Colorado is also home to more than a million Democrats and 969,495 registered Republicans.
For "Any-Dem-Will-Do Blues," Gardner is an easy target to aim for. Within the party however, many Democrats are divided on whether to put forward put centrist Hickenlooper or progressive Romanoff.
Although generally liked and supported by the Democratic National Committee, Hickenlooper’s Senate campaign hit hiccup after hiccup. On June 5, the Colorado Ethics Commission fined Hickenlooper $2,750 for accepting free travel during his last months in office. Then more recently, a 2014 comment he made likening politicians to slaves on a ship resurfaced.
“Hickenlooper’s made some awkward statements, he said a number of things he's needed to apologize for particularly about Black Lives Matter and an awkward early slavery reference,” said Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver. “These aren't necessarily terribly costly things when it comes down to elections, but you could also see a number of progressives saying, ‘Why do I need to tolerate this right now when I have another option.’”
Many of Hickenlooper’s policy stances like opposing "Medicare for All" — which Romanoff backs — and supporting fracking — which Romanoff opposes — are being tested by the energized progressive wing of the party.
“There's some evidence that we have an energized left at the moment and they are looking to Romanoff,” Masket said. “Hickenlooper has a lot of important advantages going into this, but judging from his behavior and judging from Romanoff’s behavior, is this is likely a reasonably competitive primary.”
Many Republicans hope the debate among Democrats will put the Working Party at a disadvantage against a GOP unified around Gardner in the general election.
“We're going to be unified coming out of the primary and that's going to help us going into November,” said Kyle Kohli, Colorado Communications Director for the Republican National Committee. “Contrast that with what's going on in the Democratic primary with Romanoff and Hickenlooper, which is really devolving into a big fight.”
Whichever Democrat comes out on top come Tuesday, Kohli pointed out, Gardner is still ahead by campaign budget.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Hickenlooper's campaign raised $12 million, of which it spent about half. Gardner raised $15 million, of which he spent $6 million. Trailing behind, Romanoff raised $2.8 million and spent $2 million.
Besides the Senate, Democrats also see the state’s 3rd Congressional District as another Republican stronghold to break through. When the blue wave washed over the purple state in 2018, incumbent Republican Scott Tipton held out the storm against Democratic opponent Diane Mitsch Bush. The district’s most populous county, Pueblo, also supported Trump in 2016.
First time candidate James Iacino is campaigning against Mitsch Bush on the Democratic ticket, arguing that the issue of partisanship stretches beyond elections.
“You've got some entrenched extremes that continue to dominate the news and continue to feed that narrative that we are more divided than we are united and it's going to take new leadership and people willing to work together to change that,” Iacino said.
“If we don't beat Scott Tipton, then any of the programs we're talking about are just not going to happen,” added Iacino, who supports a public health care option and immigration reform.
Tipton, who has represented the district since 2012, stands off against opponent Lauren Boebert on Tuesday. If Democrats say Tipton is too conservative, Boebert counters that he isn't MAGA enough to represent the district.
While Boebert leads in Twitter followers, the Federal Election Commission shows Tipton raised $1.1 million in campaign contributions to Boebert's $133,256.
The spread of Covid-19 may have made voters more wary of political issues impacting their pocketbook, but the Colorado Secretary of State’s office said the pandemic will not effect the election schedule. The Centennial State has been using mail-in ballots since 2013 and in-person polls will open on Tuesday with mask requirements and social distancing measures in place.
As of Thursday, the Secretary of State’s office reported 838,500 of the state's 3.4 million registered voters had turned in their ballots.


courthousenews--2020-06-28--The Perils of Politicizing a Plague

The Perils of Politicizing a Plague

Politicizing a plague has a long , sordid history , dating back to the Black Death .
The medieval political mindset of leaders in many countries today indicates that the more things change , the more they remain the same .
( CN ) — Politicization of disease has a long , depressing history in what we know today as the Western World .
For centuries , it was a series of attacks against Jews — already segregated and ghettoized , forced into a job ( money-lending ) that the dominant Christian and Muslim populations claimed to abhor — which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to kill , sack and deport the residents of the ghettoes .
While Jews , so far , have escaped this fate during the Covid-19 pandemic , politicians around the world with medieval mindsets have employed the same tactics — with a twist , or several twists .
One goal of this series is to show how disease has been politicized since the Black Death , the worst pandemic in history , which arrived in Europe by 1347 after killing uncounted thousands in Asia .
A second goal will be to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hallucinatory politicization of Covid-19 reflects the pogroms of the past — again , with a twist .
When the citizens of medieval Europe sacked and burned Jewish ghettoes during the Black Death , claiming that Jews were “ poisoning the wells , ” the Christians had no idea what caused the plague , or who carried it — what the vectors were .
Today we know .
But the pattern is the same : Donald Trump blames China ; China retorts , “ We ’ ve controlled it better than you did ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Brazil ’ s President Jair Bolsonaro says it ’ s no problem at all ; India ’ s Narendra Modi “ opens up ” his country to appeal to his relatively wealthy voters , despite the mounting and undercounted death toll .
The third goal will be to examine whether today ’ s politicization of disease differs from the previous ones , and if so , in what ways .
The conclusion we will state in advance : Pre-scientific societies , cloaked in ignorance , flailing about for a way to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence against “ socially distant ” groups .
And though we do not yet understand all the ins and outs of Covid-19 , we — modern humanity — have fallen into the same execrable habits : Blame outsiders — the people and governments we already despise .
Attack , defame , and loot if you can .
The Courthouse News database already contains more than 100 lawsuits about Covid-19 scams : phony virus tests , bogus vaccines , counterfeit masks , telephone fraud , internet fraud .
Even televangelist Jim Bakker has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the attorney general of Arkansas .
Seen from the awful heights of science today , the residents of 14th century Strasbourg , Basel and Frankfurt may be excused — perhaps — for resorting to mass terror in a time of mass fear .
But what excuse can government leaders make today for spending so much time politicizing a lethal disease , rather than devoting all their efforts to trying to limit its spread , seeking a cure , and spending money on the science needed for it , rather than on propaganda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic , which has claimed more than 500,000 lives and continues to stalk the world , it is worse than sad — it is a comment upon humanity — that so many so-called leaders , in so many countries — above all in Brazil , the United States , India , Russia and China — try to use a global catastrophe for small-minded , partisan political advantage that hurts their own people .
This series will focus on how Western societies and governments have weaponized diseases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Black Death , the worst pandemic in history , which killed one-third to one-half of the people of Europe .
Most accounts peg its arrival in Europe at October 1347 , when ships fleeing plague in the Crimea — or perhaps merely merchant ships — arrived in Messina , Sicily .
By then , the zoonotic disease , Yersinia pestis — transmitted to humans by fleas deserting the rats that died of it — had already killed uncounted thousands in China and across the Asian steppes as traders and warriors carried it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jump across animal hosts , sometimes from one species to another , and then to humans .
The Black Plague jumped from rats to fleas to humans .
Covid-19 , according to the best scientific guesses today , may have jumped from bats to other mammals to humans .
Weaponization of the Black Death preceded its politicization .
The earliest record of the arrival of Y. Pestis in Europe is probably the 1348 account of Gabriele de Mussi ( ca .
1280-1356 ) , which begins : “ In the name of God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the disease or mortality which occurred in 1348 , put together by Gabrielem de Mussis of Piacenza.
” The chronicler probably was not in the Crimean city of Caffa ( now Feodosija ) when the plague arrived , but his account was nearly contemporaneous .
He wrote : “ In 1346 , in the countries of the East , countless numbers of Tartars and Saracens were struck down by a mysterious illness which brought sudden death.
” This happened as the Tartars , or Mongols — descendants of Genghis Khan ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ All medical advice and attention was useless ; the Tartars died as soon as the signs of disease appeared on their bodies : swellings in the armpit or groin caused by coagulating humors , followed by a putrid fever.
” The description of the swellings , or buboes , makes it clear that this was the bubonic plague .
The “ putrid ” adjective indicates stench , which surely influenced European theories that contagions were carried by “ vapors ” in the air .
De Mussi continued : “ The dying Tartars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the disaster brought about by the disease , and realizing that they had no hope of escape , lost interest in the siege .
But they ordered corpses to be placed in catapults and lobbed into the city in the hope that the intolerable stench would kill everyone inside .
… Moreover , one infected man could carry the poison to others , and infect people and places with the disease by look alone .
No one knew , or could discover , a means of defense.
” De Mussi said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Venice , carrying the plague .
The chronicle , cited bymicrobiologistMark Wheelis in “ Biological Warfare at the 1346 Siege of Caffa , ” in the September 2002 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases , makes it clear that plague sufferers knew that the disease spread from human contact , though they did not know how .
Wheelis then was a senior lecturer in microbiology at the University of California , Davis .
Repeated calls to UC-Davis went unanswered .
The reference to the “ intolerable stench ” was repeated for hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where “ miasma ” or “ nighttime humors ” were believed to spread disease .
Wheelis did not believe that the refugees of Caffa were responsible for bringing the Black Death to Europe : It would have arrived anyway .
But de Mussi ’ s account shows an early example of the weaponization of disease .
This is different from the politicization of it — which was not far behind .
( During and after World War II , the United States and the Soviet Union , among others , devoted substantial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pestis , anthrax , botulism , staphylococcus , brucellosis ( undulant fever ) and tularemia .
By 1348 , Y. Pestis was ravaging Europe , and by 1349 Christians were massacring Jews by the thousands , blaming them for “ poisoning the wells.
” One of the first mass murders came in April 1348 , in Toulon , Provence , where Christians sacked the Jewish quarter and murdered dozens of Jews in their homes .
More mass murders and robberies soon followed in Barcelona and elsewhere in Catalonia .
The height of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9 in Basel , 600 Jews were burned to death , including their rabbi .
Two thousand Jews were burned alive that year in the Valentine ’ s Day massacre in Strasbourg — even before plague came to the city .
An indeterminate number were murdered in Erfurt on March 21 : Estimates range from 100 to 3,000 .
More massacres followed in Flanders , Frankfurt am Main , Cologne and in Mainz , where 3,000 Jews were killed .
After the genocides , Christians sifted through the ashes to enrich themselves from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 Jewish quarters were sacked and burned in the first two years of the pogroms .
Profiteering from the Covid-19 pandemic may not be as blatant as sifting through medieval ashes for melted gold and silver , but it has become a multimillion-dollar business in the United States and elsewhere .
The biggest known haul was British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ’ s ill-advised $ 20 million purchase of home-test coronavirus kits from a Chinese company , all of which were bogus , according to The New York Times .
Smaller-scale frauds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , abound across the United States .
More such lawsuits are being filed every day .
During the Black Death , some Jewish ghettoes did suffer fewer per capita infections than in the quarters from which they had been banned .
Historians have attributed this to better hygiene , with emphasis on hand-washing before and after meals , dietary restrictions , and the social isolation already being enforced on the ghettoes .
Pogroms waned by 1351 , after the plague had killed more than one-third of the people of Europe , but did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1370 , citizens of Brussels killed dozens of Jews and banished the survivors .
The spark was the supposed desecration of hosts at a synagogue .
Christians claimed the Jews had stabbed the hosts , which miraculously shed blood .
The allegedly stolen hosts were recovered and revered by Brussels Christians as the “ Sacrament of Miracle ” until after the Holocaust of WWII made that unpopular .
The reliquary that contained the hosts is still housed in the Brussels cathedral .
Syphilis , which began ravaging Europe in 1494 , was known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in France as the Italian disease .
Theories that it was brought back by conquistadors from the New World , where it was a relatively benign disease , have been discredited , but continue to circulate .
What ’ s certain is that the natives of the New World suffered far greater mortality per capita from measles , smallpox , influenzas and other diseases introduced by the invaders than Europeans suffered from syphilis .
Syphilis , because of its sexual transmission , fortified the prescientific delusion of disease as a moral stain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this religious view of disease , if plague was an act of God against sinners , the “ cure ” could be to murder the people who were accused of spreading it .
The death toll from smallpox across millennia may approach or surpass the mortality from the Black Death .
As many as 300 million people died of smallpox in the 20th century alone .
Its morbidity rate is as high as one-third , though many people survived it , among them Queen Elizabeth I and Beethoven .
The earliest record of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mummified body of Pharaoh Ramses V of Egypt , who died in 1157 B.C.
, ” according to a BBC report of 2011 , “ Smallpox : Eradicating the Scourge.
” The British physician Edward Jenner invented vaccination in 1796 .
Clued in by folk tales , and observing that milkmaids who contracted a mild form of the disease , known as cowpox , seemed to be immune from smallpox , Jenner extracted pus from the hand of a milkmaid and inserted it into an incision he made in the arm of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was publicly promoting his procedure as proof against smallpox .
Public reaction was immense — and often hostile .
Some clerics called it “ un-Christian ” because cowpox came from an animal .
“ Scientific ” objectors denounced it , because smallpox and other diseases were known to come from “ vapors ” in the air , particularly at night .
But with smallpox continuing to devastate England , and the world , the English Parliament approved a Vaccination Act in 1853 , mandating vaccination of children .
In 1867 the Parliament toughened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 14 years old , and added penalties for violators .
Opponents echoed the religious objections and called it invasion of privacy .
They formed an Anti-Vaccination League and Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League , and began publishing pamphlets , according to a 2002 article in BMJ ( formerly the British Medical Journal ) , “ Anti-vaccinationists past and present.
” In an anti-vaccination march in 1885 in Leicester , a center of vaccine resistance , thousands of protesters carried banners , a child ’ s coffin and an effigy of Jenner , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Social History of Medicine , “ They might as well brand us : Working class resistance to compulsory vaccination in Victorian England.
” The resistance led the Parliament to create a commission to study vaccination , which found in 1896 that vaccination did prevent smallpox , but suggested removing penalties for failing to vaccinate .
This led to the Vaccination Act of 1898 , which included a conscientious objector clause that parents could invoke — just as parents in the United States today can object to public school districts ’ requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host of diseases to be enrolled .
English resistance led to similar resistance in the United States , including the Anti-Vaccination Society of America , founded in 1879 , and similar societies in New England ( 1882 ) and New York City ( 1885 ) .
American anti-vaxxers fought in court to repeal vaccination laws in several states , including Illinois , California and Wisconsin .
The anti-vaccination movement reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905 , in Jacobson v. Massachusetts — the first Supreme Court case about the power of states in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Cambridge , Massachusetts in 1902 , where the city Board of Health ordered all city residents to be vaccinated against smallpox .
Henning Jacobson objected , on privacy grounds , and was criminally charged .
Jacobson appealed , and the Supreme Court ruled that states could enact compulsory laws to protect the public from communicable disease .
Estimations of mortality , hard to confirm for lack of data , have been revised upward for the “ Spanish flu , ” which killed at least 50 million people in the aftermath of World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use a broad spectrum of mortality , ranging from 2.5 % to 5 % of the world ’ s population , which translates to 50 million to 100 million deaths — from a flu .
The pandemic , therefore , was five to 10 times deadlier than the First World War , according to an April 23 article in Humanitarian Law and Policy , a publication of the International Red Cross .
“ The lives lost during this episode teach us a valuable lesson : transparent information is crucial at all times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ respect and implement public health measures , the population needs to trust the authorities .
In 1918 , after four years of conflict and propaganda , that trust was simply broken .
What was true then is even more so in 2020 .
Mistrust of information from health authorities is still a challenge .
Modern means of communication and the recent development of digital social networks make it even harder .
Undocumented claims , false information , conspiracy theories , and dangerous conclusions can spread as quickly as viruses.
” Poliomyelitis has killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ B.C.
, when an Egyptian stela depicted a sufferer with a withered leg .
Probably because the disease was still crippling and killing more than 500,000 people a year , there were no widespread protests in the late 1950s when the United States began vaccinating millions of children with the Salk and Sabin vaccines in public schools .
Memories of the late , wartime President Franklin D. Roosevelt , a polio sufferer who used a wheelchair , surely contributed to Americans ’ acceptance of the vaccines .
Introduction of the DPT ( diphtheria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tetanus ) and MMR ( measles , mumps and rubella ) vaccines in the 1960s and ‘ 70s did not go as smoothly .
The MMR vaccine began being widely distributed in 1971 in the United States .
Measles then was killing more than 2 million people a year worldwide , mostly children .
Interestingly , semi-widespread public resistance to the MMR vaccine did not begin in the United States until a generation after its introduction .
In 1998 , British scientist Andrew Wakefield claimed that he had found a connection between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the respected British medical journal that published Wakefield ’ s article , retracted it in 2010 .
The British General Medical Council found that Wakefield had a “ fatal conflict of interest ” because he had been paid to seek evidence to support a lawsuit filed by parents of autistic children .
Wakefield was barred from practicing medicine in Great Britain .
Numerous studies since then have found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism , but the anti-vaxxer crusade continues in the United States — even denouncing the search for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who asked to remain anonymous told Courthouse News he believes that parents of autistic children drive the campaign , searching for someone to blame for what remains a scientific mystery — a recurrence of the medieval linking of disease to moral stain .
The politicization of AIDS was so obvious , and is so recent , that it is hardly necessary to recount .
The late Randy Shilts ’ s 1987 book , “ And the Band Played On , ” describing the Reagan administration ’ s sluggish reaction to what some called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it out in detail .
As with syphilis , and “ blame the Jews ” for just about anything , reactionaries cast the disease as God ’ s punishment for a moral failing — the unspoken corollary being that those who died of it deserved it .
Governments , authoritarian or ostensibly democratic , will always try to seize upon social chaos to try to cement themselves in office .
Rulers , by instinct , will blame “ outsiders ” to try to shore up their power by exploiting fear in a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the United States , Brazil , China , India and Iran have done this more brazenly and shamelessly than most other nations .
Suffice it to say that the United States , by any estimate the most technologically and economically advanced country in the world , with 4.25 % of the world ’ s population , has suffered 25.4 % of the world ’ s confirmed deaths by Covid-19 .
The politicization of Covid-19 , so far , has not been as overtly violent as the weaponization of the Black Plague .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ humans have all but conquered smallpox , polio and other fatal diseases , it may be even more shameful .
The Senate Judiciary Committee last week discussed a bill to hold China responsible for billions of dollars in damages that Covid-19 has wrought upon the United States .
It was an act of pure political grandstanding that could not be enforced even if it were passed .
It was political panic .
The rulers and citizens of Europe had no idea what caused the Black Plague and spread it .
So they panicked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though there is much more to learn about it .
But governments around the world , including our own , have no excuse for spending so much time , treasure and effort in politicizing a disease rather than trying to control it .
It ’ s important to note that governments today are panicking , far more than their citizens are .
Most citizens around the world try to abide by protective suggestions and orders .
It ’ s the governments and politicians that are panicking .
The Black Plague itself — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were directed against the people who supposedly carried it .
The politicization of Covid-19 is a bizarre throwback to the medieval age : the wild claims on right-wing U.S. websites that Bill Gates , George Soros and the World Health Organization designed Covid-19 ; that vaccines will kill you or control your mind ; that , as Donald Trump Jr. said , reports on the pandemic are a fraudulent plot by the Democratic Party and “ the media ” to steal this year ’ s presidential election .
These politically inspired fantasies are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the United States , where even bacilli , viruses and chemical reactions have been politicized .
Once upon a time , the United States was a world leader in science .
We still are , but for how long ?
The sad conclusion must be that with billions of people living in poverty around the world , without access to basic health care , medicine and even clean drinking water , while their oppressive governments reject science and increase appeals to extremist religions — Christian , Jewish , Muslim and Hindu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are unlikely to happen , there is no reason to expect that this plague will end soon , or will be our last .
( Part II of the Courthouse News series on politicizing plagues , concentrating on the world ’ s present pandemic , will be published Tuesday

Politicization of disease has a long, depressing history in what we know today as the Western World.
(CN) — Politicization of disease has a long, depressing history in what we know today as the Western World. For centuries, it was a series of attacks against Jews — already segregated and ghettoized, forced into a job (money-lending) that the dominant Christian and Muslim populations claimed to abhor — which made it easier, when plague struck, to kill, sack and deport the residents of the ghettoes.
While Jews, so far, have escaped this fate during the Covid-19 pandemic, politicians around the world with medieval mindsets have employed the same tactics — with a twist, or several twists.
One goal of this series is to show how disease has been politicized since the Black Death, the worst pandemic in history, which arrived in Europe by 1347 after killing uncounted thousands in Asia.
A second goal will be to show how today’s vicious and increasingly hallucinatory politicization of Covid-19 reflects the pogroms of the past — again, with a twist. When the citizens of medieval Europe sacked and burned Jewish ghettoes during the Black Death, claiming that Jews were “poisoning the wells,” the Christians had no idea what caused the plague, or who carried it — what the vectors were.
Today we know. But the pattern is the same: Donald Trump blames China; China retorts, “We’ve controlled it better than you did;” Trump blames New York and California; Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro says it’s no problem at all; India’s Narendra Modi “opens up” his country to appeal to his relatively wealthy voters, despite the mounting and undercounted death toll.
The third goal will be to examine whether today’s politicization of disease differs from the previous ones, and if so, in what ways.
The conclusion we will state in advance: Pre-scientific societies, cloaked in ignorance, flailing about for a way to deal with plague, resorted to execration and violence against “socially distant” groups. And though we do not yet understand all the ins and outs of Covid-19, we — modern humanity — have fallen into the same execrable habits: Blame outsiders — the people and governments we already despise. Attack, defame, and loot if you can.
The Courthouse News database already contains more than 100 lawsuits about Covid-19 scams: phony virus tests, bogus vaccines, counterfeit masks, telephone fraud, internet fraud. Even televangelist Jim Bakker has been accused of peddling a phony cure, by the attorney general of Arkansas.
Seen from the awful heights of science today, the residents of 14th century Strasbourg, Basel and Frankfurt may be excused — perhaps — for resorting to mass terror in a time of mass fear.
But what excuse can government leaders make today for spending so much time politicizing a lethal disease, rather than devoting all their efforts to trying to limit its spread, seeking a cure, and spending money on the science needed for it, rather than on propaganda?
There is no excuse for this.
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 500,000 lives and continues to stalk the world, it is worse than sad — it is a comment upon humanity — that so many so-called leaders, in so many countries — above all in Brazil, the United States, India, Russia and China — try to use a global catastrophe for small-minded, partisan political advantage that hurts their own people.
Plague Politics in Europe
Courthouse News outlined a history of plagues in a previous series.
This series will focus on how Western societies and governments have weaponized diseases and politicized them.
We begin with the Black Death, the worst pandemic in history, which killed one-third to one-half of the people of Europe. Most accounts peg its arrival in Europe at October 1347, when ships fleeing plague in the Crimea — or perhaps merely merchant ships — arrived in Messina, Sicily.


courthousenews--2020-06-28--A Divided Poland Holds Presidential Vote Delayed by Pandemic

WARSAW , Poland ( AP ) — Poles voted in a presidential election Sunday that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and was taking place amid deep cultural and political divisions in the European Union nation .
President Andrzej Duda , a 48-year-old conservative backed by the nationalist ruling Law and Justice party , was running against 10 other candidates as he sought a second 5-year term .
Whether Duda wins or not will determine whether the ruling party keeps its near-monopoly on political power in Poland .
Turnout at 5 p.m. local time was 47.89 % which the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that time in Poland ’ s 30 years of democracy .
In many places there were lines during the day .
The strong political polarization seemed to mobilize many among almost 30 million eligible voters .
The highest regional turnout of 54.76 % was in the capital , Warsaw , and in the two western cities of Poznan ( 53.21 % ) and Zielona Gora ( 53.04 % ) .
Most recent polls showed that no single candidate was likely to reach the 50 % required to avoid a runoff given the crowded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are male .
In that case , the two top vote-getters will face each other on July 12 .
The vote had been scheduled for May 10 but was postponed in a chaotic political and legal battle as the ruling party pressed to hold it despite the pandemic .
Exit polls will be announced immediately after polling stations close Sunday at 9 p.m. ( 1900 GMT , 3 p.m. EDT ) .
The final official results are expected by late Wednesday , after all votes sent from abroad are counted .
Polling ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the front-runner but might not win the required majority needed to win outright .
Polls also showed that he would have a more difficult time in a runoff given that many opposition votes would be expected to unite against him .
Duda ’ s strongest challenge comes from Warsaw mayor , Rafal Trzaskowski , also 48 , who is backed by the centrist Civic Platform party .
Trzaskowski entered the race late after the May election date was scrapped .
Duda ’ s once-strong support , bolstered by adulatory coverage in state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lockdown restrictions were lifted and other candidates could campaign .
Poland has not been as badly hit by the pandemic as many countries in Western Europe , and most people were voting in person , though required to wear masks and observe other hygiene rules .
There was also a mail-in voting option , and thousands of voters in some southwestern regions with higher virus infection numbers were required to vote by mail .
As of Sunday , Poland had nearly 34,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among its 38 million people , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 69-year-old office worker , joined many others voting early in Warsaw .
He cast his ballot for Duda , saying he opposed political “ experiments ” in a time of crisis .
“ In the face of what is happening , stability is needed , ” he said .
Duda ’ s campaign focused on defending traditional values in the mostly Catholic nation while promising to keep raising living standards to Western European levels .
He took a position against same-sex marriage and adoption and denounced the LGBT rights movement as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric — along with laws that have given the Law and Justice party much greater control over the justice system and the party ’ s harnessing of public media to promote the government ’ s image — have raised concerns among some that Poland is following Hungary in eroding democratic norms established after communism collapsed three decades ago .
On the campaign trail , Trzaskowski promised to keep the ruling party ’ s popular social welfare spending programs while vowing to restore constitutional norms .
That message resonated with Iwona Goge , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was encouraged to see so many others voting .
“ It ’ s bad .
Poland is terribly divided and people are getting discouraged , ” she said .
Other presidential candidates include Szymon Holownia , a TV personality and journalist who had once studied to be a priest .
Holownia is unaffiliated with any party and has generated some enthusiasm among those tired of years of bickering between Law and Justice and Civic Platform , the country ’ s two main parties .
Also in the running are a left-wing politician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gay presidential contender , Robert Biedron ; the head of an agrarian party , Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz ; and a lawmaker with the far-right Confederation party , Krzysztof Bosak .
By VANESSA GERA and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press

Poles voted in a presidential election Sunday that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and was taking place amid deep cultural and political divisions in the European Union nation.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poles voted in a presidential election Sunday that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and was taking place amid deep cultural and political divisions in the European Union nation.
President Andrzej Duda, a 48-year-old conservative backed by the nationalist ruling Law and Justice party, was running against 10 other candidates as he sought a second 5-year term. Whether Duda wins or not will determine whether the ruling party keeps its near-monopoly on political power in Poland.
Turnout at 5 p.m. local time was 47.89% which the State Electoral Commission said was the highest for that time in Poland's 30 years of democracy. In many places there were lines during the day.
The strong political polarization seemed to mobilize many among almost 30 million eligible voters.
The highest regional turnout of 54.76% was in the capital, Warsaw, and in the two western cities of Poznan (53.21%) and Zielona Gora (53.04%).
Most recent polls showed that no single candidate was likely to reach the 50% required to avoid a runoff given the crowded field of candidates, all of whom are male. In that case, the two top vote-getters will face each other on July 12.
The vote had been scheduled for May 10 but was postponed in a chaotic political and legal battle as the ruling party pressed to hold it despite the pandemic.
Exit polls will be announced immediately after polling stations close Sunday at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT, 3 p.m. EDT). The final official results are expected by late Wednesday, after all votes sent from abroad are counted.
Polling ahead of Sunday's vote suggested Duda was the front-runner but might not win the required majority needed to win outright. Polls also showed that he would have a more difficult time in a runoff given that many opposition votes would be expected to unite against him.
Duda's strongest challenge comes from Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, also 48, who is backed by the centrist Civic Platform party. Trzaskowski entered the race late after the May election date was scrapped.
Duda's once-strong support, bolstered by adulatory coverage in state media, began to slip once virus lockdown restrictions were lifted and other candidates could campaign.
Poland has not been as badly hit by the pandemic as many countries in Western Europe, and most people were voting in person, though required to wear masks and observe other hygiene rules. There was also a mail-in voting option, and thousands of voters in some southwestern regions with higher virus infection numbers were required to vote by mail.
As of Sunday, Poland had nearly 34,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among its 38 million people, with over 1,400 deaths.
Stanislaw Tasiemski, a 69-year-old office worker, joined many others voting early in Warsaw. He cast his ballot for Duda, saying he opposed political "experiments" in a time of crisis.
"In the face of what is happening, stability is needed," he said.
Duda's campaign focused on defending traditional values in the mostly Catholic nation while promising to keep raising living standards to Western European levels. He took a position against same-sex marriage and adoption and denounced the LGBT rights movement as a dangerous "ideology."
That kind of rhetoric — along with laws that have given the Law and Justice party much greater control over the justice system and the party's harnessing of public media to promote the government's image — have raised concerns among some that Poland is following Hungary in eroding democratic norms established after communism collapsed three decades ago.
On the campaign trail, Trzaskowski promised to keep the ruling party's popular social welfare spending programs while vowing to restore constitutional norms.
That message resonated with Iwona Goge, a 79-year-old who voted for Trzaskowski in Warsaw and was encouraged to see so many others voting.
"It's bad. Poland is terribly divided and people are getting discouraged," she said.
Other presidential candidates include Szymon Holownia, a TV personality and journalist who had once studied to be a priest. Holownia is unaffiliated with any party and has generated some enthusiasm among those tired of years of bickering between Law and Justice and Civic Platform, the country's two main parties.
Also in the running are a left-wing politician who is Poland's first openly gay presidential contender, Robert Biedron; the head of an agrarian party, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz; and a lawmaker with the far-right Confederation party, Krzysztof Bosak.
By VANESSA GERA and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press