vox--2020-05-08--Grocery workers are using Facebook and Reddit to swap stories and information

When a Trader Joe ’ s worker died on April 6 after contracting Covid-19 in early March , some of the chain ’ s employees didn ’ t learn about his death from their managers — they learned about it on Reddit .
The first pandemic-related passing to hit the Trader Joe ’ s workforce was the subject of a post to the TJCrew subreddit , an online community for the store ’ s employees .
As grocery , big-box store , and pharmacy workers have morphed into America ’ s front lines , employees say this kind of information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to my mates , [ Trader Joe ’ s store leaders said ] he was legally considered a senior citizen and had previous underlying health conditions , ” wrote the poster .
“ I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe .
Much love to all my TJ ’ s family.
” This has become a new reality during the coronavirus era : Essential workers are relying on insular , employees-only online communities like r/TJCrew for vital information .
The Goods interviewed seven different employees at stores including Walmart , Target , Trader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each of whom spoke about a chaotic situation at work and their dwindling faith that management is keeping them safe .
Some claimed that corporate offices have chosen to offload key sanitation issues — Should workers be wearing gloves ?
How many customers should be allowed in the store ?
— to individual , often overwhelmed and uninformed store managers .
Some claimed that corporate-issued directives sometimes contradict previous rules , adding to a culture of confusion .
Others are anxious that protective supplies like hand sanitizer are running low and have doubts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course of this pandemic .
Essential employees have leaned on groups on Facebook and Reddit as the coronavirus turns their world upside down Through all of that , essential employees have leaned on exclusive , semi-anonymous groups on Facebook and Reddit where they can share intel with their coworkers as the coronavirus turns their world upside down .
That resource has been crucial : One Kroger employee in Arkansas told me she didn ’ t even know the company would be offering hazard pay until she read about it on a private Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this group than anywhere else , ” she says .
It doesn ’ t sound like that will be changing anytime soon .
Online communities for grocery store employees existed long before the pandemic swept the nation .
Both the Trader Joe ’ s subreddit and the Kroger Facebook group date back to the summer of 2013 , and workers have for years used them to compare notes under the nose of management .
But the conversation in these groups has grown much more serious as grocery store labor has put these employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today , the community discourse is almost solely focused on the pandemic .
Travis Boothe , a pharmacy technician at a West Virginia Kroger , a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union , and a frequent poster in the employee Facebook group , believes that now more than ever his colleagues need a place to talk outside the earshot of their bosses .
“ With the state of business and capitalism in this country , there ’ s been a real crackdown on the flow of information .
So these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
It ’ s an asymmetric form of organization , ” says Boothe .
“ There ’ s no control of this [ Facebook group ] by the company itself .
They can have all sorts of policies in place to limit social media or the ways we interact with the public as Kroger employees , but they don ’ t change the fact that we have these rights under the National Labor Relations Act .
These communities are one great example of that.
” Jasmine Long , a 21-year-old Walmart personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way about her Walmart employee Facebook group .
She doesn ’ t know what to expect when she goes into work every day to pick up groceries for her customers .
Her responsibilities — including the maximum amount of orders Long is allowed to take — seem to change by the hour .
“ They dropped our cap down one day and shortened our hours .
And the next day they opened us up fully again and raised our cap , so we have more orders than we had before , ” says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come in every day and go with the flow .
There are supposed to be people at the door keeping track of people coming in , but I don ’ t think anyone knows what the limit is.
” Sometimes , says Long , she brings posts from her Walmart group directly to her manager , especially when she finds some contradictory information and needs a straight answer .
“ When they changed the hours for personal shoppers , people were going on there and saying , ‘ Oh , we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times , ’ or , ‘ We ’ re not going to be open at these times , ’ or , ‘ We ’ re still open all day , ” she explains .
Casey Staheli , senior manager of national media relations at Walmart , highlighted the company ’ s online newsroom , where updates on storewide coronavirus policy are posted daily , as evidence of Walmart ’ s pursuit of clarity during the pandemic .
“ We will continue taking any and all measures necessary to ensure the well-being of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Those include delivering updated procedures to associates through videos and photos , as well as schedules for cleaning to help provide clear guidance.
” Long also tells me that the group doesn ’ t serve a purely utilitarian purpose .
Sometimes , she uses it for emotional support .
Only a select number of people know what it ’ s like to be on the front lines of a pandemic .
Long feels some solidarity when she reads their stories .
“ It ’ s nice to have people know what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feels afraid to hold back .
People say what they want , ” she says .
“ It ’ s nice to know that other people are on the same page as me and are just as freaked out as I am.
” “ It ’ s nice to know that other people are on the same page as me and are just as freaked out as I am ” Richard , a Trader Joe ’ s employee who participates in these communities and asks to remain anonymous , says the online discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mass dissent .
He told me that as the coronavirus began to pick up steam in February , he was asked to not wear plastic gloves in front of the customers .
Richard says he isn ’ t 100 percent sure where that note came from , but he believes it was his regional manager .
The thinking from his bosses , remembers Richard , was that gloves “ looked dirty after you ’ ve used them.
” An online outcry from Trader Joe ’ s employees followed , and management clarified their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memo posted on the TJCrew subreddit on March 21 .
It stated that Trader Joe ’ s never had a strict policy on gloves and instead “ applied our usual approach of talking to Crew Members about why gloves aren ’ t beneficial in keeping them safe and what message our use of gloves sends to our customers.
” Richard says this moment was emblematic of a company that was still trying to grapple with the realities of the pandemic .
“ Everything is hectic and changing nonstop , and the feeling is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get away with as little changes and responses as possible until their hands are forced , ” says Richard .
“ That ’ s why it ’ s so fluid.
” Tyler , another Trader Joe ’ s employee who frequently contributes to the subreddit and asks to remain anonymous , says that he always wore gloves when he worked the register to keep his hands clean from the juices that leak out of the raw chicken packaging .
It was only after the coronavirus gained a foothold in America that Tyler was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a problem with the gloves before Covid-19 became a real problem in my area , ” says Tyler .
“ Up until [ late March ] , we were not allowed to wear gloves or masks .
The managers would always say things like , ‘ Well , that might make the customers uncomfortable.
’ If I was a customer at my store , I would be far more comfortable seeing employees with [ protective equipment ] than without because they are handling food .
Now , we are allowed to wear gloves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can only wear masks after hours .
We are out of hand sanitizer and low on gloves .
Nobody knows what is going on.
” Since this initial interview , Vox followed up with Tyler on April 26 , who confirmed that he is now required to wear a mask during his shift at Trader Joe ’ s .
Kenya Friend-Daniel , PR director at Trader Joe ’ s , responded to these claims : “ We have continued to inform Crew Members that while they can wear gloves if they choose to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommendations , proper and frequent hand washing and sanitizing is one of the best ways to protect against Covid-19.
” But Richard believes that inaction from corporate has created a web of inconsistent policies across Trader Joe ’ s locations .
Some stores , he says , have offered paid sick leave to employees who are merely “ stressed out ” about the virus .
Other stores have restricted access to that same time off exclusively for those who have a confirmed case of Covid-19 .
Richard says he doesn ’ t feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t afford to take time off , and says that employees ’ fates are tied to the proclivities of their particular manager .
“ Some managers reacted [ to the pandemic ] immediately , but if you were stuck with a manager who didn ’ t even believe that the virus was getting out of hand , well , you were out of luck , ” he says .
Sometimes , says Tyler , that inconsistent messaging can trickle down into genuine crisis situations .
In mid-March , he says his managers informed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for the coronavirus .
But his location didn ’ t close down , says Tyler , because the worker in question hadn ’ t been in the store “ for a few days.
” That discretion didn ’ t work ; Tyler says there ’ s already been another case of Covid-19 at his location .
“ What confuses me more is that there are other stores across the country closed even if crew members who tested positive hadn ’ t been in for a while , ” he says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is taking this situation or its employees ’ health seriously.
” Friend-Daniel , responding to Tyler ’ s claims , stated that Trader Joe ’ s is “ following and exceeding recommendations from the CDC and health officials.
” “ If you were stuck with a manager who didn ’ t even believe that the virus was getting out of hand , well , you were out of luck ” “ Our actions vary by situation , and depending on the date range of potential exposure can include notifying the public and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for additional , thorough cleaning and sanitization , ” she continued .
“ We take a hypercareful approach by closing stores in these instances , and we do not reopen a store until we are satisfied that further intense cleaning and sanitation has been completed .
We recently began conducting additional , proactive cleanings of stores in some of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19.
” Richard tells me that the TJCrew subreddit has been an indispensable support system during the pandemic .
“ We only know what ’ s going on in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how transparent the manager is , ” he says .
By following the conversation on Reddit , he ’ s able to keep track of everything : confirmed coronavirus cases in Trader Joe ’ s buildings as well as the impromptu policies that have filtered into the other locations .
It offers a vital sense of clarity during a disorienting time .
“ I ’ ve learned a lot about changes that were happening to the stores long before they actually began in our store , ” Richard adds .
Tyler tells me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trader Joe ’ s management and the burgeoning whisper networks on the internet might open the door for a fully voiced unionization effort on the other end of the pandemic .
More than 20,000 Trader Joe ’ s employees signed a petition demanding hazard pay .
The company acquiesced with what Richard described as a “ tiny ” bonus program , equivalent to a taxed $ 2 an hour for his shifts over the previous month .
“ It felt more like ‘ shut up ’ money than ‘ thank you ’ money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one of the most active posts on the r/TJCrew subreddit is dedicated to the germ of a Trader Joe ’ s union — something that was hard to imagine just a few months ago — so that the workers could bargain for more than a stipend .
This is a shock for those who ’ ve dedicated themselves to organizing a labor movement in the American retail sector .
Adam Ryan , a 31-year-old Target employee in Virginia who has piloted the Target Workers Unite advocacy group since 2018 , has noticed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Facebook page in the past month .
Like every other essential business in the country , Ryan says Target employees feel underwater and out of the loop .
When I first interviewed him on April 8 , Ryan said he ’ d been promised plexiglass sneeze guards and protective masks , neither of which had materialized .
When I checked back with Ryan on April 21 , he said the protective gear did finally arrive the week before .
A Target representative chalked up any delays to “ the process of rolling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook page recently highlighted a flyer allegedly distributed by management with instructions on how to create your own masks out of a “ bandana , dishcloths , or socks ” as a stopgap solution during the pandemic .
Ryan hopes that maybe , as the outrage roils and the communication between workers continues to solidify as a collective front , he might have a popular movement on his hands .
“ I think it ’ s causing an upsurge in labor activity and worker activity ” “ I think it ’ s causing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activity .
I don ’ t think that ’ s going away anytime soon , ” says Ryan .
“ Normally , if someone has an issue with their jobs , they ’ ll just quit .
But now , jobs are scarce so folks can no longer quit .
I think that gives us labor organizers an opportunity to say , ‘ Here ’ s an alternative to address these problems.
’ ” Richard , on the other hand , isn ’ t interested in a unionization effort .
Right now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things around and present a greater capacity for leadership and empathy than they ’ ve demonstrated in recent weeks .
But even he admits that , in the future , he ’ s not sure if the pristine , family-oriented image the company sells to its workforce will ever feel authentic again .
He remembers a contest Trader Joe ’ s held in February , where stores were asked to move 100 typically low-selling products a day for the entire month .
The reward ?
A pizza party and a T-shirt .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it feels particularly hollow now .
“ Some will forever be sipping that TJ ’ s Kool-Aid , but a lot feel angered and betrayed by the company ’ s lack of effort to really protect us , ” says Richard .
“ Trader Joe ’ s is typically a great place to work , and if I have to work retail I ’ d rather work here than any other store .
It ’ s just this response to Covid-19 that has been horribly executed thus far.
” Ryan is less charitable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s management .
“ The only concern of these corporations is keeping commerce flowing , ” he says .
“ It ’ s becoming more blatantly obvious that it ’ s profit over people for these companies.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

When a Trader Joe’s worker died on April 6 after contracting Covid-19 in early March, some of the chain’s employees didn’t learn about his death from their managers — they learned about it on Reddit. The first pandemic-related passing to hit the Trader Joe’s workforce was the subject of a post to the TJCrew subreddit, an online community for the store’s employees. As grocery, big-box store, and pharmacy workers have morphed into America’s front lines, employees say this kind of information trickle-down is not unusual.
“According to my mates, [Trader Joe’s store leaders said] he was legally considered a senior citizen and had previous underlying health conditions,” wrote the poster. “I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. Much love to all my TJ’s family.”
This has become a new reality during the coronavirus era: Essential workers are relying on insular, employees-only online communities like r/TJCrew for vital information. The Goods interviewed seven different employees at stores including Walmart, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Kroger, each of whom spoke about a chaotic situation at work and their dwindling faith that management is keeping them safe.
Some claimed that corporate offices have chosen to offload key sanitation issues — Should workers be wearing gloves? How many customers should be allowed in the store? — to individual, often overwhelmed and uninformed store managers. Some claimed that corporate-issued directives sometimes contradict previous rules, adding to a culture of confusion. Others are anxious that protective supplies like hand sanitizer are running low and have doubts hygienic requirements will be met during the course of this pandemic.
Essential employees have leaned on groups on Facebook and Reddit as the coronavirus turns their world upside down
Through all of that, essential employees have leaned on exclusive, semi-anonymous groups on Facebook and Reddit where they can share intel with their coworkers as the coronavirus turns their world upside down. That resource has been crucial: One Kroger employee in Arkansas told me she didn’t even know the company would be offering hazard pay until she read about it on a private Facebook group. “I learn more from this group than anywhere else,” she says. It doesn’t sound like that will be changing anytime soon.
Online communities for grocery store employees existed long before the pandemic swept the nation. Both the Trader Joe’s subreddit and the Kroger Facebook group date back to the summer of 2013, and workers have for years used them to compare notes under the nose of management. But the conversation in these groups has grown much more serious as grocery store labor has put these employees in the line of fire, and today, the community discourse is almost solely focused on the pandemic. Travis Boothe, a pharmacy technician at a West Virginia Kroger, a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and a frequent poster in the employee Facebook group, believes that now more than ever his colleagues need a place to talk outside the earshot of their bosses.
“With the state of business and capitalism in this country, there’s been a real crackdown on the flow of information. So these communities are really crucial to cutting through that. It’s an asymmetric form of organization,” says Boothe. “There’s no control of this [Facebook group] by the company itself. They can have all sorts of policies in place to limit social media or the ways we interact with the public as Kroger employees, but they don’t change the fact that we have these rights under the National Labor Relations Act. These communities are one great example of that.”
Jasmine Long, a 21-year-old Walmart personal shopper in Arkansas, feels the same way about her Walmart employee Facebook group. She doesn’t know what to expect when she goes into work every day to pick up groceries for her customers. Her responsibilities — including the maximum amount of orders Long is allowed to take — seem to change by the hour.
“They dropped our cap down one day and shortened our hours. And the next day they opened us up fully again and raised our cap, so we have more orders than we had before,” says Long. “[We] just come in every day and go with the flow. There are supposed to be people at the door keeping track of people coming in, but I don’t think anyone knows what the limit is.”
Sometimes, says Long, she brings posts from her Walmart group directly to her manager, especially when she finds some contradictory information and needs a straight answer. “When they changed the hours for personal shoppers, people were going on there and saying, ‘Oh, we’re not going to be open at these times,’ or, ‘We’re not going to be open at these times,’ or, ‘We’re still open all day,” she explains.
Casey Staheli, senior manager of national media relations at Walmart, highlighted the company’s online newsroom, where updates on storewide coronavirus policy are posted daily, as evidence of Walmart’s pursuit of clarity during the pandemic. “We will continue taking any and all measures necessary to ensure the well-being of our associates and customers,” says Staheli. “Those include delivering updated procedures to associates through videos and photos, as well as schedules for cleaning to help provide clear guidance.”
Long also tells me that the group doesn’t serve a purely utilitarian purpose. Sometimes, she uses it for emotional support. Only a select number of people know what it’s like to be on the front lines of a pandemic. Long feels some solidarity when she reads their stories.
“It’s nice to have people know what you’re going through. Nobody feels afraid to hold back. People say what they want,” she says. “It’s nice to know that other people are on the same page as me and are just as freaked out as I am.”
“It’s nice to know that other people are on the same page as me and are just as freaked out as I am”
Richard, a Trader Joe’s employee who participates in these communities and asks to remain anonymous, says the online discussion between grocery store workers has occasionally sparked mass dissent. He told me that as the coronavirus began to pick up steam in February, he was asked to not wear plastic gloves in front of the customers. Richard says he isn’t 100 percent sure where that note came from, but he believes it was his regional manager. The thinking from his bosses, remembers Richard, was that gloves “looked dirty after you’ve used them.” An online outcry from Trader Joe’s employees followed, and management clarified their gloves policy, according to an internal memo posted on the TJCrew subreddit on March 21. It stated that Trader Joe’s never had a strict policy on gloves and instead “applied our usual approach of talking to Crew Members about why gloves aren’t beneficial in keeping them safe and what message our use of gloves sends to our customers.” Richard says this moment was emblematic of a company that was still trying to grapple with the realities of the pandemic.
“Everything is hectic and changing nonstop, and the feeling is Trader Joe’s is trying to get away with as little changes and responses as possible until their hands are forced,” says Richard. “That’s why it’s so fluid.”
Tyler, another Trader Joe’s employee who frequently contributes to the subreddit and asks to remain anonymous, says that he always wore gloves when he worked the register to keep his hands clean from the juices that leak out of the raw chicken packaging. It was only after the coronavirus gained a foothold in America that Tyler was suddenly being scrutinized.
“Nobody had a problem with the gloves before Covid-19 became a real problem in my area,” says Tyler. “Up until [late March], we were not allowed to wear gloves or masks. The managers would always say things like, ‘Well, that might make the customers uncomfortable.’ If I was a customer at my store, I would be far more comfortable seeing employees with [protective equipment] than without because they are handling food. Now, we are allowed to wear gloves, but last I heard, we can only wear masks after hours. We are out of hand sanitizer and low on gloves. Nobody knows what is going on.” Since this initial interview, Vox followed up with Tyler on April 26, who confirmed that he is now required to wear a mask during his shift at Trader Joe’s.
Kenya Friend-Daniel, PR director at Trader Joe’s, responded to these claims: “We have continued to inform Crew Members that while they can wear gloves if they choose to, in line with CDC guidelines and recommendations, proper and frequent hand washing and sanitizing is one of the best ways to protect against Covid-19.”
But Richard believes that inaction from corporate has created a web of inconsistent policies across Trader Joe’s locations. Some stores, he says, have offered paid sick leave to employees who are merely “stressed out” about the virus. Other stores have restricted access to that same time off exclusively for those who have a confirmed case of Covid-19. Richard says he doesn’t feel comfortable going to work but can’t afford to take time off, and says that employees’ fates are tied to the proclivities of their particular manager.
“Some managers reacted [to the pandemic] immediately, but if you were stuck with a manager who didn’t even believe that the virus was getting out of hand, well, you were out of luck,” he says.
Sometimes, says Tyler, that inconsistent messaging can trickle down into genuine crisis situations. In mid-March, he says his managers informed him that one of his coworkers had tested positive for the coronavirus. But his location didn’t close down, says Tyler, because the worker in question hadn’t been in the store “for a few days.” That discretion didn’t work; Tyler says there’s already been another case of Covid-19 at his location. “What confuses me more is that there are other stores across the country closed even if crew members who tested positive hadn’t been in for a while,” he says. “The company does not seem like it is taking this situation or its employees’ health seriously.”
Friend-Daniel, responding to Tyler’s claims, stated that Trader Joe’s is “following and exceeding recommendations from the CDC and health officials.”
“If you were stuck with a manager who didn’t even believe that the virus was getting out of hand, well, you were out of luck”
“Our actions vary by situation, and depending on the date range of potential exposure can include notifying the public and crew members, and closing our stores for additional, thorough cleaning and sanitization,” she continued. “We take a hypercareful approach by closing stores in these instances, and we do not reopen a store until we are satisfied that further intense cleaning and sanitation has been completed. We recently began conducting additional, proactive cleanings of stores in some of the areas hardest hit by Covid-19.”
Richard tells me that the TJCrew subreddit has been an indispensable support system during the pandemic. “We only know what’s going on in our store, and that depends on how transparent the manager is,” he says. By following the conversation on Reddit, he’s able to keep track of everything: confirmed coronavirus cases in Trader Joe’s buildings as well as the impromptu policies that have filtered into the other locations. It offers a vital sense of clarity during a disorienting time. “I’ve learned a lot about changes that were happening to the stores long before they actually began in our store,” Richard adds.
Tyler tells me that he thinks the current dissatisfaction with Trader Joe’s management and the burgeoning whisper networks on the internet might open the door for a fully voiced unionization effort on the other end of the pandemic. More than 20,000 Trader Joe’s employees signed a petition demanding hazard pay. The company acquiesced with what Richard described as a “tiny” bonus program, equivalent to a taxed $2 an hour for his shifts over the previous month. “It felt more like ‘shut up’ money than ‘thank you’ money,” he said. Right now, one of the most active posts on the r/TJCrew subreddit is dedicated to the germ of a Trader Joe’s union — something that was hard to imagine just a few months ago — so that the workers could bargain for more than a stipend.
This is a shock for those who’ve dedicated themselves to organizing a labor movement in the American retail sector. Adam Ryan, a 31-year-old Target employee in Virginia who has piloted the Target Workers Unite advocacy group since 2018, has noticed a burst of activity on his website and Facebook page in the past month. Like every other essential business in the country, Ryan says Target employees feel underwater and out of the loop. When I first interviewed him on April 8, Ryan said he’d been promised plexiglass sneeze guards and protective masks, neither of which had materialized. When I checked back with Ryan on April 21, he said the protective gear did finally arrive the week before. A Target representative chalked up any delays to “the process of rolling them out.”
The Target Workers Unite Facebook page recently highlighted a flyer allegedly distributed by management with instructions on how to create your own masks out of a “bandana, dishcloths, or socks” as a stopgap solution during the pandemic. Ryan hopes that maybe, as the outrage roils and the communication between workers continues to solidify as a collective front, he might have a popular movement on his hands.
“I think it’s causing an upsurge in labor activity and worker activity”
“I think it’s causing an upsurge in labor activity and worker activity. I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon,” says Ryan. “Normally, if someone has an issue with their jobs, they’ll just quit. But now, jobs are scarce so folks can no longer quit. I think that gives us labor organizers an opportunity to say, ‘Here’s an alternative to address these problems.’”
Richard, on the other hand, isn’t interested in a unionization effort. Right now, he believes that management will eventually turn things around and present a greater capacity for leadership and empathy than they’ve demonstrated in recent weeks. But even he admits that, in the future, he’s not sure if the pristine, family-oriented image the company sells to its workforce will ever feel authentic again. He remembers a contest Trader Joe’s held in February, where stores were asked to move 100 typically low-selling products a day for the entire month. The reward? A pizza party and a T-shirt. That wasn’t much then, and it feels particularly hollow now.
“Some will forever be sipping that TJ’s Kool-Aid, but a lot feel angered and betrayed by the company’s lack of effort to really protect us,” says Richard. “Trader Joe’s is typically a great place to work, and if I have to work retail I’d rather work here than any other store. It’s just this response to Covid-19 that has been horribly executed thus far.”
Ryan is less charitable when asked for his estimate of Target’s management. “The only concern of these corporations is keeping commerce flowing,” he says. “It’s becoming more blatantly obvious that it’s profit over people for these companies.”


vox--2020-05-08--Can I get a coronavirus test at home or not?

For weeks now , the federal government has issued warnings to the American public about deceptive or just plain crooked companies selling at-home coronavirus test kits that weren ’ t authorized by the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) — despite some of them claiming that they were .
That ’ s now changed .
If you want to get tested for Covid-19 without leaving your home , you now have two FDA-authorized options to choose from .
On May 7 , the FDA granted an emergency use authorization for at-home saliva collection for Covid-19 tests developed by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , RUCDR Infinite Biologics , joins LabCorp ’ s Pixel at-home nasal swab test , which was authorized by the FDA on April 21 .
( You can find a current list of FDA-authorized tests here . )
This should mean , depending on availability , you can now spit in a tube from the comfort of your living room to find out if you have Covid-19 .
For many , that ’ s a more attractive prospect than shoving a swab up your nose .
The Pixel test lets you get tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlike some of the “ getting stabbed in the brain ” diagnostic tests we ’ ve seen , it does not require the swab to be inserted too far .
Still , the saliva-based test seems like the less painful option .
Of course , the test is not as simple as just spitting in your house .
With a doctor ’ s order , you have to buy a kit and follow the directions , which include spitting under the supervision of a health care professional via telehealth .
Then you must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the lab .
The Rutgers lab is currently the only one authorized to process the tests , which are sold by at least two kit distributors : 1Health.io and Vault Health , which lists the price of a test at $ 150 .
“ With at-home testing , individuals now have access to testing without the fear of exposure to the virus or wasting scarce PPE used in nasal swab test environments , ” Vault Health CEO Jason Feldman told Recode .
Due in part to the FDA wanting to get as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 tests have operated in a bit of a regulatory gray area .
This has some drawbacks .
While the at-home collection spit test is newly authorized , distributors like 1Health.io and Vault Health have been allowed to market their at-home saliva tests for weeks now , due to the FDA ’ s policy of allowing diagnostic tests to be sold as long as they submitted for an Emergency Use Authorization ( EUA ) and passed their own validation tests .
Until today , 1Health.io only sold its tests to health care providers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received the authorization , but it ’ s now selling directly to consumers , too .
If it seems like the nature of FDA authorization is confusing , that ’ s because it is .
No coronavirus tests are approved by the FDA yet — only FDA authorized , via the EUA .
Both 1Health.io and Vault Health previously claimed to have FDA authorization , to have FDA approval , or to be “ FDA EUA-approved ” in marketing materials and press releases for their at-home saliva tests .
In fact , only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mid-April , but the at-home saliva collection element of the process didn ’ t yet have the FDA ’ s authorization .
Now it does .
Other at-home diagnostic test distributors have been even more cavalier about marketing their tests .
In late March , the FDA even issued a stern warning for American consumers to be on the lookout for unauthorized or fraudulent test kits .
One company , MicroGen DX , later told STAT that it didn ’ t need FDA authorization for its at-home collection test at all .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of unauthorized tests from other countries .
The evolving realm of serologic or antibody tests is dealing with even fewer restrictions .
This has allowed some companies — Reuters calls them “ dubious vendors ” — to flood the market with more than 150 tests that haven ’ t been reviewed or authorized by the FDA .
Some Chinese serologic tests didn ’ t even have the approval of China ’ s equivalent of the FDA but were being used by public health departments in Denver and Los Angeles .
The FDA recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be more in line with that for diagnostic tests : Commercial serologic test manufacturers must now either have or be in the process of getting an EUA .
The tests also must have minimum sensitivity and specificity rates of 90 percent and 95 percent , respectively .
There are currently no FDA-authorized at-home collection antibody tests .
As for tests that can be completely done at home — that is , you don ’ t need to send anything to a lab — there are none that are FDA authorized .
It also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting a while for them .
Experts have told CNBC that rapid at-home coronavirus tests are possible but probably months away from becoming a reality .
You can buy at-home rapid antibody tests in other countries , some of which have been approved by those countries ’ respective FDA equivalents , but the reliability of these tests is very much in question .
Oh , and there ’ s one last hurdle to clear if you want to get an at-home collection test : availability .
Pixel ’ s kit is so popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care workers and first responders .
Vault tells Recode it can deliver 10,000 tests per day , and Rutgers can process 20,000 tests per day , though it ’ s likely that capacity will increase as more distributors sell more kits and more labs are authorized to process the test .
Meanwhile , some at-home collection tests may be subject to state restrictions .
Pixel is not available in New York , New Jersey , Maryland , or Rhode Island , for instance .
Vault says it ’ s available in every state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s available in all 50 states .
All that said , at-home collection is still seen as less accurate due to an increased risk of human error .
If you don ’ t trust yourself to properly collect a sample and ship it to the lab , consider going to an old-fashioned testing location instead .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

For weeks now, the federal government has issued warnings to the American public about deceptive or just plain crooked companies selling at-home coronavirus test kits that weren’t authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — despite some of them claiming that they were. That’s now changed.
If you want to get tested for Covid-19 without leaving your home, you now have two FDA-authorized options to choose from. On May 7, the FDA granted an emergency use authorization for at-home saliva collection for Covid-19 tests developed by a lab at Rutgers University. The lab, RUCDR Infinite Biologics, joins LabCorp’s Pixel at-home nasal swab test, which was authorized by the FDA on April 21. (You can find a current list of FDA-authorized tests here.)
This should mean, depending on availability, you can now spit in a tube from the comfort of your living room to find out if you have Covid-19. For many, that’s a more attractive prospect than shoving a swab up your nose. The Pixel test lets you get tested for the coronavirus from home, but unlike some of the “getting stabbed in the brain” diagnostic tests we’ve seen, it does not require the swab to be inserted too far. Still, the saliva-based test seems like the less painful option.
Of course, the test is not as simple as just spitting in your house. With a doctor’s order, you have to buy a kit and follow the directions, which include spitting under the supervision of a health care professional via telehealth. Then you must properly package and ship the test back to the lab. The Rutgers lab is currently the only one authorized to process the tests, which are sold by at least two kit distributors: 1Health.io and Vault Health, which lists the price of a test at $150.
“With at-home testing, individuals now have access to testing without the fear of exposure to the virus or wasting scarce PPE used in nasal swab test environments,” Vault Health CEO Jason Feldman told Recode.
Due in part to the FDA wanting to get as many tests as possible out there, Covid-19 tests have operated in a bit of a regulatory gray area. This has some drawbacks. While the at-home collection spit test is newly authorized, distributors like 1Health.io and Vault Health have been allowed to market their at-home saliva tests for weeks now, due to the FDA’s policy of allowing diagnostic tests to be sold as long as they submitted for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and passed their own validation tests. Until today, 1Health.io only sold its tests to health care providers to distribute to their patients until it received the authorization, but it’s now selling directly to consumers, too.
If it seems like the nature of FDA authorization is confusing, that’s because it is. No coronavirus tests are approved by the FDA yet — only FDA authorized, via the EUA. Both 1Health.io and Vault Health previously claimed to have FDA authorization, to have FDA approval, or to be “FDA EUA-approved” in marketing materials and press releases for their at-home saliva tests. In fact, only the Rutgers test itself was authorized in mid-April, but the at-home saliva collection element of the process didn’t yet have the FDA’s authorization. Now it does.
Other at-home diagnostic test distributors have been even more cavalier about marketing their tests. In late March, the FDA even issued a stern warning for American consumers to be on the lookout for unauthorized or fraudulent test kits. One company, MicroGen DX, later told STAT that it didn’t need FDA authorization for its at-home collection test at all. The FDA has also cracked down on shipments of unauthorized tests from other countries.
The evolving realm of serologic or antibody tests is dealing with even fewer restrictions. This has allowed some companies — Reuters calls them “dubious vendors” — to flood the market with more than 150 tests that haven’t been reviewed or authorized by the FDA. Some Chinese serologic tests didn’t even have the approval of China’s equivalent of the FDA but were being used by public health departments in Denver and Los Angeles. The FDA recently changed its policy on antibody tests to be more in line with that for diagnostic tests: Commercial serologic test manufacturers must now either have or be in the process of getting an EUA. The tests also must have minimum sensitivity and specificity rates of 90 percent and 95 percent, respectively. There are currently no FDA-authorized at-home collection antibody tests.
As for tests that can be completely done at home — that is, you don’t need to send anything to a lab — there are none that are FDA authorized. It also looks as though we’ll be waiting a while for them. Experts have told CNBC that rapid at-home coronavirus tests are possible but probably months away from becoming a reality. You can buy at-home rapid antibody tests in other countries, some of which have been approved by those countries’ respective FDA equivalents, but the reliability of these tests is very much in question.
Oh, and there’s one last hurdle to clear if you want to get an at-home collection test: availability. Pixel’s kit is so popular it’s only available to health care workers and first responders. Vault tells Recode it can deliver 10,000 tests per day, and Rutgers can process 20,000 tests per day, though it’s likely that capacity will increase as more distributors sell more kits and more labs are authorized to process the test. Meanwhile, some at-home collection tests may be subject to state restrictions. Pixel is not available in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, or Rhode Island, for instance. Vault says it’s available in every state except Alaska, and 1Health says it’s available in all 50 states.
All that said, at-home collection is still seen as less accurate due to an increased risk of human error. If you don’t trust yourself to properly collect a sample and ship it to the lab, consider going to an old-fashioned testing location instead.


vox--2020-05-08--Trump claims Germany and Japan are “following us” in their coronavirus responses. No chance.

The United States has endured over 78,000 coronavirus deaths as of May 8 , far more than double the second hardest-hit country .
Unlike most comparable countries , the trajectory of the per-day death toll has not yet meaningfully bent down here nor has the number of new cases diagnosed each day .
By contrast , Germany and Japan combined have had just over 9,000 confirmed Covid-related deaths .
Though Japan didn ’ t get off to a great start , the number of new cases per day has been hovering around 200 there .
In Germany , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the new case numbers are far below the nearly 15,000 identified in the US on Thursday .
Put succinctly , while both countries continue to grapple with the virus and life is far from normal for people there , the pandemic has been somewhat brought under control to an extent Americans can only dream of .
Here , by contrast , things aren ’ t really improving — and there ’ s no indication our federal government is capable of meeting the challenge .
In fact , it ’ s quite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump tell it , German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are enamored by his fantastic response to the novel coronavirus , and they ’ re following his lead .
They ’ ve even told him as much on the phone .
“ I spoke with Angela Merkel today , I spoke with Prime Minister Abe of Japan ; I spoke with many of the leaders over the last four or five days .
And so many of them , almost all of them — I would say all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to admit it — but they all view us as the world leader , and they ’ re following us , ” Trump told House Republicans during an on-camera meeting on Friday .
Trump went on to talk up how US ventilator and testing capacity have expanded over the past month or so .
But what he doesn ’ t seem to grasp is that because countries like Germany and Japan had more success containing the initial outbreaks of coronavirus , they haven ’ t needed ventilators as badly .
And while Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how the US has conducted so many more tests than other countries , the reality is that countries where the virus didn ’ t spin as out of control as it did here haven ’ t had to play catchup like the US has .
In short , Germany and Japan have little need for US help and certainly would not be interested in following in the path we ’ re on .
Trump , however , is trying to turn that reality on its head .
“ So many people have died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can ’ t do anything about , unfortunately.
” Trump ’ s bizarre comments about Germany and Japan came moments after he talked about the rising US death toll as if it were something he ’ s powerless to do anything about .
He favorably compared the current state of affairs with a scenario in which the federal government literally did nothing and left as many as 2.2 million Americans to die .
“ So many people have died .
That ’ s the one thing we can ’ t do anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What I can say is if we did it the different way — if we went ‘ herd , ’ if we just said ‘ let ’ s wing it ’ — we would ’ ve been talking about numbers that would ’ ve been unsustainable.
” Implicit in Trump ’ s comment is the idea that 2,000 Americans dying a day from the coronavirus is “ sustainable.
” Instead of trying to reduce that number by urging people to stay home and continue social distancing to slow the spread , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for states to reopen businesses .
Models predict that states following his guidance will ultimately result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths , but at this point , the president ’ s paramount concern is trying to transform the coronavirus into an economic success story .
What Friday laid bare is that to the extent Trump has a plan to deal with the coronavirus , it ’ s a combination of passing the buck to the states , blind faith , and changing the topic whenever possible .
Trump insisted during Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to go away , at some point.
” Pressed to provide evidence , he said , “ I just rely on what doctors say.
” But no serious doctor believes the coronavirus will simply disappear on its own .
The top infectious disease experts in Trump ’ s own government have even said so publicly .
That comment wasn ’ t the only indication that Trump is struggling to comprehend the coronavirus problem .
He responded to news that Katie Miller , press secretary for Mike Pence , tested positive for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against frequent testing .
“ Katie , she tested very good for a long period of time , and then all of the sudden today she tested positive , ” Trump said .
“ This is why the whole concept of tests aren ’ t necessarily great.
” But the Miller news is actually an argument for more testing , not less , as the whole idea is to identify and quarantine asymptomatic carriers ( as she claims to be ) before they come into contact with other people and unwittingly spread the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument for wearing masks .
But even when he had an event with elderly World War II veterans at high risk of dying from Covid-19 on Friday , Trump refused to wear one .
The news moves fast .
To stay updated , follow Aaron Rupar on Twitter , and read more of Vox ’ s policy and politics coverage .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The United States has endured over 78,000 coronavirus deaths as of May 8, more than three times as many as the second hardest-hit country, the United Kingdom. Unlike most comparable countries, the trajectory of the per-day death toll has not yet meaningfully bent down here, nor has the number of new cases diagnosed each day.
By contrast, Germany and Japan combined have had just over 9,000 confirmed Covid-related deaths. Though Japan didn’t get off to a great start, the number of new cases per day has been hovering around 200 there. In Germany, it’s around 1,000. In either case, the new case numbers are far below the nearly 15,000 identified in the US on Thursday.
Put succinctly, while both countries continue to grapple with the virus and life is far from normal for people there, the pandemic has been somewhat brought under control to an extent Americans can only dream of. Here, by contrast, things aren’t really improving — and there’s no indication the US government is capable of meeting the challenge. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
And yet, to hear President Donald Trump tell it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are enamored by his fantastic response to the novel coronavirus, and they’re following his lead. They’ve even told him as much on the phone.
“I spoke with Angela Merkel today, I spoke with Prime Minister Abe of Japan; I spoke with many of the leaders over the last four or five days. And so many of them, almost all of them — I would say all of them, not everyone would want to admit it — but they all view us as the world leader, and they’re following us,” Trump told House Republicans during an on-camera meeting Friday.
"All of them, not everyone would want to admit it, but they all view us as the world leader, and they're following us" -- Trump claims that the US coronavirus response is the toast of world leaders (the US has well over 2 times more deaths than the second hardest-hit country) pic.twitter.com/3bW3Olt8Qj — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2020
Trump went on to talk up how US ventilator and testing capacity have expanded over the past month or so. But what he doesn’t seem to grasp is that because countries like Germany and Japan had more success containing the initial outbreaks of coronavirus, they haven’t needed ventilators as badly. And while Trump is in the habit of boasting about how the US has conducted so many more tests than other countries, the reality is that countries where the virus didn’t spin as out of control as it did here haven’t had to play catchup like the US has.
In short, Germany and Japan have little need for American help and certainly would not be interested in following the path the US is on. Trump, however, is trying to turn that reality on its head.
“So many people have died. That’s the one thing we can’t do anything about, unfortunately.”
Trump’s bizarre comments about Germany and Japan came moments after he talked about the rising US death toll as if it were something he’s powerless to do anything about. He favorably compared the current state of affairs with a scenario in which the federal government literally did nothing and left as many as 2.2 million Americans to die.
“So many people have died. That’s the one thing we can’t do anything about, unfortunately,” he said. “What I can say is if we did it the different way — if we went ‘herd,’ if we just said ‘let’s wing it’ — we would’ve been talking about numbers that would’ve been unsustainable.”
TRUMP: "So many people have died. That's the one thing we can't do anything about, unfortunately. What I can say is if we did it the different way -- if we went 'herd,' if we just said 'let's wing it' -- we would've been talking about numbers that would've been unsustainable." pic.twitter.com/4HZpqLdMJT — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2020
Implicit in Trump’s comment is the idea that 2,000 Americans dying a day from the coronavirus is “sustainable.” Instead of trying to reduce that number by urging people to stay home and continue social distancing to slow the spread, Trump is doing the opposite by calling for states to reopen businesses. Models predict that states following his guidance will ultimately result in tens of thousands of preventable deaths, but at this point, the president’s paramount concern is trying to transform the coronavirus into an economic success story.
What Friday’s comments laid bare is that to the extent Trump has a plan to deal with the coronavirus, it’s a combination of passing the buck to the states, blind faith, and changing the topic whenever possible.
Trump insisted during Friday’s event that “this is going to go away, at some point.” Pressed to provide evidence, he said, “I just rely on what doctors say.”
TRUMP: This is going to go away.
REPORTER: But what evidence have you seen that coronavirus will go away without a vaccine?
TRUMP: I just rely on what doctors say.
(No doctor that I'm aware of has said this will happen) pic.twitter.com/UC7qvDyypH — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2020
But no serious doctor believes the coronavirus will simply disappear on its own. The top infectious disease experts in Trump’s own government have even said so publicly.
That comment wasn’t the only indication Trump is struggling to comprehend the coronavirus problem. He responded to news that Katie Miller, press secretary for Mike Pence, tested positive for the coronavirus by framing it as an argument against frequent testing.
“Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time, and then all of the sudden today she tested positive,” Trump said. “This is why the whole concept of tests aren’t necessarily great.”
TRUMP: “Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time, and then all of the sudden she tested positive ... this is why the whole concept of tests aren't necessarily great ... today, I guess, for some reason, she tested positive." pic.twitter.com/xNFEJn3W9s — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 8, 2020
But the Miller news is actually an argument for more testing, not less, as the whole idea is to identify and quarantine asymptomatic carriers (as she claims to be) before they come into contact with other people and unwittingly spread the virus.
It’s also an argument for wearing masks. But even when he had an event with elderly World War II veterans at high risk of dying from Covid-19 on Friday, Trump refused to wear one.
The news moves fast. To stay updated, follow Aaron Rupar on Twitter, and read more of Vox’s policy and politics coverage.


vox--2020-05-08--It’s easy to sneak onto your partner’s phone. Don’t.

Most Americans think snooping on a partner ’ s phone is a bad thing to do , but that hasn ’ t stopped more than a third of people in committed relationships from doing it anyway , according to Pew research published Friday .
As many of us find ourselves cooped up with our partners and our phones for the foreseeable future , the researchers suggest that using this technology is not necessarily great for the health of our long-term relationships .
As tempting as it may be to snoop , please don ’ t .
Pew ’ s study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 5,000 US adults who were asked a wide variety of questions about their digital habits and their relationship status , including questions about whether they ’ d ever looked up an ex on social media and with whom they shared their passwords .
A number of questions also revolved around phone snooping .
Of those surveyed , 34 percent of people in committed relationships admitted to snooping on their partner ’ s phone without their knowledge .
Interestingly , the survey also found that 42 percent of women ( who are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through their current partners ’ phones without them knowing , while just 25 percent of men say they have .
Some 70 percent of people say that this activity is rarely or never acceptable .
“ As smartphones have the ability to bring people together and the ability to connect , we see there are often some mixed effects , ” Monica Anderson , associate director of research at Pew who focuses on technology and the internet , told Recode .
“ These technologies have helped in terms of communication and giving people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but there are also some negative side effects as well.
” Again , it looks like the vast majority of Americans think that secretly looking through a partner ’ s phone is a bad thing , though it ’ s easy to imagine how tempting it might be to check if your loved one is cheating , especially if a phone is left unattended .
In a 2019 survey from HP , 60 percent of people said they would look at a text message that popped up in preview mode on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When people sneak a peek at their partner ’ s phone , it feeds secrecy and distrust into the relationship , both of which are likely to be the primary reasons the person is checking in the first place , ” therapist Kurt Smith told the HuffPost last year .
A bit of a side note : Social media behavior isn ’ t always great for relationships , either .
About a quarter of people in committed relationships are bothered by how much time their significant other spends on these sites which , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than video games .
What ’ s more problematic is that more than half of partnered people use social media to check up on people they used to date .
More generally , about 25 percent of those whose partners used these services said they were anxious or unsure about how their partners are actually using these platforms .
But again , the big takeaway from this new Pew study is the simple fact that seven out of 10 people do not think it ’ s okay to snoop through a partner ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it !
In fact , this new Pew study seems to suggest that phones in general can be a strain on a relationship .
More than half of Americans complain that their partners are at least sometimes preoccupied by their devices while they ’ re trying to have a conversation , the Pew data says .
A whopping 40 percent of people in relationships report that they ’ re annoyed by how much time their partner spends on their phone .
But our reliance on smartphones has also created a new way we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pew reports that 75 percent of all adults in committed relationships share their phone passwords , while 42 percent have shared a password to a social media account .
But while younger people are more likely to share cellphone passcodes , older adults seem more willing to share email passwords .
If you ’ re the privacy-liking sort of couple , there are a few things you can do to keep your partner , or anyone else , from poking around in your phone .
Simple steps include setting up your phone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ login , such as a fingerprint or face scan , to unlock .
( Some worry about privacy issues with biometric security , but a passcode can be just as secure . )
If you ’ re worried about the content of messages or notifications popping up on the screen , you can go to your phone ’ s settings and turn off text previews or notifications for specific apps .
And if you ’ re looking for even more ways to keep people from snooping , Lifehacker has a good guide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s cellphone ?
Don ’ t do it .
Open Sourced is made possible by the Omidyar Network .
All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Most Americans think snooping on a partner’s phone is a bad thing to do, but that hasn’t stopped more than a third of people in committed relationships from doing it anyway, according to Pew research published Friday. As many of us find ourselves cooped up with our partners and our phones for the foreseeable future, the researchers suggest that using this technology is not necessarily great for the health of our long-term relationships.
As tempting as it may be to snoop, please don’t.
Pew’s study, conducted last October, involved surveying nearly 5,000 US adults who were asked a wide variety of questions about their digital habits and their relationship status, including questions about whether they’d ever looked up an ex on social media and with whom they shared their passwords.
A number of questions also revolved around phone snooping. Of those surveyed, 34 percent of people in committed relationships admitted to snooping on their partner’s phone without their knowledge. Interestingly, the survey also found that 42 percent of women (who are in relationships) say they’ve snooped through their current partners’ phones without them knowing, while just 25 percent of men say they have. Some 70 percent of people say that this activity is rarely or never acceptable.
“As smartphones have the ability to bring people together and the ability to connect, we see there are often some mixed effects,” Monica Anderson, associate director of research at Pew who focuses on technology and the internet, told Recode. “These technologies have helped in terms of communication and giving people a space to talk about their relationship, but there are also some negative side effects as well.”
Again, it looks like the vast majority of Americans think that secretly looking through a partner’s phone is a bad thing, though it’s easy to imagine how tempting it might be to check if your loved one is cheating, especially if a phone is left unattended. In a 2019 survey from HP, 60 percent of people said they would look at a text message that popped up in preview mode on a partner’s phone screen.
“When people sneak a peek at their partner’s phone, it feeds secrecy and distrust into the relationship, both of which are likely to be the primary reasons the person is checking in the first place,” therapist Kurt Smith told the HuffPost last year.
A bit of a side note: Social media behavior isn’t always great for relationships, either. About a quarter of people in committed relationships are bothered by how much time their significant other spends on these sites which, according to Pew, cause more frustration than video games. What’s more problematic is that more than half of partnered people use social media to check up on people they used to date. More generally, about 25 percent of those whose partners used these services said they were anxious or unsure about how their partners are actually using these platforms.
But again, the big takeaway from this new Pew study is the simple fact that seven out of 10 people do not think it’s okay to snoop through a partner’s phone. Don’t do it!
In fact, this new Pew study seems to suggest that phones in general can be a strain on a relationship. More than half of Americans complain that their partners are at least sometimes preoccupied by their devices while they’re trying to have a conversation, the Pew data says. A whopping 40 percent of people in relationships report that they’re annoyed by how much time their partner spends on their phone.
But our reliance on smartphones has also created a new way we can show that we trust our partners. Pew reports that 75 percent of all adults in committed relationships share their phone passwords, while 42 percent have shared a password to a social media account. But while younger people are more likely to share cellphone passcodes, older adults seem more willing to share email passwords.
If you’re the privacy-liking sort of couple, there are a few things you can do to keep your partner, or anyone else, from poking around in your phone. Simple steps include setting up your phone to require a passcode or a biometric login, such as a fingerprint or face scan, to unlock. (Some worry about privacy issues with biometric security, but a passcode can be just as secure.) If you’re worried about the content of messages or notifications popping up on the screen, you can go to your phone’s settings and turn off text previews or notifications for specific apps. And if you’re looking for even more ways to keep people from snooping, Lifehacker has a good guide.
Still, snooping through your partner’s cellphone? Don’t do it.
Open Sourced is made possible by the Omidyar Network. All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists.


vox--2020-05-08--3 charts explain how the US got lucky with coronavirus — and why things still look bad

America fell behind in its battle against the novel coronavirus before it ever came to the United States .
We have talked about how the US health system made us less prepared for a pandemic than other rich countries with universal health care .
But the US had another important structural disadvantage : we are markedly less healthy than our economic peers .
Considering what we know about how Covid-19 affects people with chronic conditions — particularly people with cardiovascular diseases , as well as diabetes — Americans were especially vulnerable to this particular pathogen .
One chart tells the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are to die prematurely from a few key conditions ( heart disease , cancer , diabetes , chronic respiratory disease ) .
The US outpaces all of the European countries on the list , along with Canada , Japan , and South Korea .
“ Disease burden due to cardiovascular disease , chronic respiratory disease , and diabetes is similarly higher in the U.S. than in comparable countries , ” Cynthia Cox , director of the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker , told me .
“ Those are certainly factors that make the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is something the United States had control over .
But , as we covered in our international health care series earlier this year , America ’ s failure to deliver universal coverage paired with the high out-of-pocket costs Americans are forced to pay for their medical care has led to worse health outcomes here than patients experience in our peer countries .
And only in America is there going to be an enormous spike in the uninsured rate because of the coronavirus-driven economic recession .
But these problems have been with us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us more vulnerable in the coronavirus pandemic .
On the other hand , Cox pointed out , the United States did have one important structural advantage — though it ’ s not really anything we can take credit for .
America ’ s population is meaningfully younger than that of rich European countries .
Covid-19 is hardest on the elderly , and simply having an older population can make a country more vulnerable to the disease .
When it all shakes out , the US has a middling case fatality rate ( a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread testing is , though , at this point , the testing situation here is more “ stubbornly mediocre ” than “ dangerously bad ” ) compared to other countries .
But going by our age demographics , it ’ s not a very impressive performance .
Some of the hardest-hit countries in deaths per capita — Italy , Spain and France , for starters — also have proportionally more older people than the United States does .
On the other hand , Germany has a larger elderly population , relatively , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And they benefitted from a stronger public health response to the Covid-19 threat .
Every country ’ s coronavirus experience is dependent on different factors .
Some of them are within a country ’ s control ( the strength of its health system and the resulting well-being of its population ) and some are not as much ( long-standing demographic trends ) .
What we know for the United States is our coronavirus response has been hindered by the variables which we had the power to influence , had we acted before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a virus that more severely affects older people , of which we have fewer than our peer countries — and it ’ s less dangerous for younger people , unlike deadly pathogens of the past .
It is , in a way , a grim warning for us .
A big reason the coronavirus pandemic hasn ’ t been worse so far — and it ’ s all relative , considering more than 75,000 Americans have already lost their lives — is a little bit of luck .
Every day at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

America fell behind in its battle against the novel coronavirus before it ever came to the United States.
We have talked about how the US health system made us less prepared for a pandemic than other rich countries with universal health care. But the US had another important structural disadvantage: we are markedly less healthy than our economic peers. Considering what we know about how Covid-19 affects people with chronic conditions — particularly people with cardiovascular diseases, as well as diabetes — Americans were especially vulnerable to this particular pathogen.
One chart tells the tale, looking at how likely Americans are to die prematurely from a few key conditions (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease). The US outpaces all the European countries on the list, along with Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
“Disease burden due to cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes is similarly higher in the US than in comparable countries,” Cynthia Cox, director of the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, told me. “Those are certainly factors that make the US more prone to a problematic outbreak.”
This is something the US had control over. But, as we covered in our international health care series earlier this year, America’s failure to deliver universal coverage paired with the high out-of-pocket costs Americans are forced to pay for their medical care has led to worse health outcomes here than patients experience in our peer countries.
And only in America will there be an enormous spike in the uninsured rate because of the coronavirus-driven economic recession. But these problems have been with us a long time and they have made us more vulnerable in the coronavirus pandemic.
On the other hand, Cox pointed out, the US did have one important structural advantage — though it’s not really anything we can take credit for. America’s population is meaningfully younger than that of rich European countries. Covid-19 is hardest on the elderly, and simply having an older population can make a country more vulnerable to the disease.
When it all shakes out, the US has a middling case fatality rate (a metric that is also dependent on how widespread testing is, though, at this point, the testing situation here is more “stubbornly mediocre” than “dangerously bad”) compared to other countries.
But going by our age demographics, it’s not an impressive performance. Some of the hardest-hit countries in deaths per capita — Italy, Spain, and France, for starters — also have proportionally more older people than the US does. On the other hand, Germany has a larger elderly population, relatively, but they are also healthier than the US. And they benefited from a stronger public health response to the Covid-19 threat.
Every country’s coronavirus experience is dependent on different factors. Some of them are within a country’s control (the strength of its health system and the resulting well-being of its population) and some are not as much (long-standing demographic trends).
What we know for the US is that our coronavirus response has been hindered by variables which we had the power to influence, had we acted before the virus ever came here. But this is a virus that more severely affects older people, of which we have fewer than our peer countries — and it’s less dangerous for younger people, unlike deadly pathogens of the past.
It is, in a way, a grim warning for us. A big reason the coronavirus pandemic hasn’t been worse so far — and it’s all relative, considering more than 75,000 Americans have already lost their lives — is a little bit of luck.


vox--2020-05-08--Social distancing arrests target people of color

Since shelter-in-place orders were implemented throughout the US , there has been a growing number of videos showing police using excessive violence when arresting people of color for social distancing violations .
In San Diego , a black woman was arrested for walking her dog in Ocean Beach on May 1 .
Video of the arrest shows three officers repeatedly slamming the woman to the ground while putting her in handcuffs .
In Los Angeles , police donned riot gear , formed a skirmish line , and used their batons to disperse a large birthday party that had gathered in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park neighborhood in late March , according to a video taken at the gathering .
Meanwhile , in New York City , several videos of excessively violent social distancing arrests of people of color have gone viral .
This has come in sharp contrast with other viral videos and photos of police in white neighborhoods within the city calmly handing out masks to park-goers .
While racial breakdowns of many localities ’ arrest records have not yet been made public , early data out of New York City shows that social distancing policing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other communities of color .
Arrest data released late Thursday by the Brooklyn District Attorney ’ s office showed that between March 17 and May 4 , 40 people were arrested for violating the city ’ s social distancing order .
Of those 40 arrests , 35 were black , four were Latinx , and one was white .
More than a third of the arrests came in the borough ’ s predominantly black Brownsville neighborhood .
Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez told the New York Times that he ’ s reviewing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At this point in the pandemic , his office has declined to prosecute misdemeanor cases that do not involve public safety threats , including social distancing arrests .
“ We can not police our way out of this pandemic , ” Gonzalez told the Times .
But Brooklyn ’ s numbers reflect a larger trend throughout the rest of the city .
According to a CBS2 report , 120 people were arrested for violating the social distancing order between March 16 and May 5 ; almost 68 percent of those arrests were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while only 7 percent were white .
And yet Jennvine Wong , a staff attorney for the Cop Accountability Project at the Legal Aid Society , told Vox that the data may not be capturing the full picture of the NYPD ’ s actions — it could be a lot worse .
“ I ’ m not exactly sure how the NYPD is categorizing [ social distancing arrests ] and if they have one code that they ’ re categorizing it under or their methodology in doing so , ” she said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged with something else .
“ It ’ s one of the reasons why we did ask and request from the NYPD some more details with respect to their enforcement guidelines , but we haven ’ t received that information as of yet.
” Wong compared the social distancing orders with stop and frisk , which effectively allowed police to stop anyone on the suspicion of a crime .
“ It ’ s hard to tell whether or not , for example , [ with ] a criminal possession of marijuana case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing or because there was some other reason for the approach that gave the officer some sort of reasonable suspicion to stop that person , ” she said .
“ I think that is exactly where you see people drawing this reference to stop and frisk.
” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio initially defended the NYPD ’ s social distancing arrest policy at a news conference Thursday .
“ What happened with stop and frisk was a systematic , oppressive , unconstitutional strategy that created a new problem much bigger than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ This is the farthest thing from that .
This is addressing a pandemic .
This is addressing the fact that lives are in danger all the time .
By definition , our police department needs to be a part of that because safety is what they do.
” But after the Times reported the racial disparities in the arrest data , de Blasio changed his tune , promising on Twitter to “ do better.
” The arrests of people of color for violating social distancing orders are painted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and heavily white — protests against those same orders across the country .
Armed white men have demonstrated and protested at numerous state Capitols and in big cities all over the US without drawing much of a reaction from local police at all .
In Texas , a white woman who was jailed for opening her salon business in defiance of the state ’ s order became the cause du jour for conservative lawmakers in the state .
She was released from Dallas county jail after a state Supreme Court ruling .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ t a surprise to Gloria J. Browne-Marshall , a professor of criminal justice at John Jay College in New York City .
“ Why is anyone surprised with this when we have police and other white people killing black and brown people with impunity ?
” asked Browne-Marshall .
Excessive policing of black and brown communities has been at the heart of American policymaking for 400 years , she told Vox .
It ’ s not surprising that this has carried on into the coronavirus pandemic .
“ This over-policing and over-criminalization of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , needs to actually be viewed from a different perspective , ” Browne-Marshall said , explaining how these arrests cascade into larger issues for people of color .
“ Now you have people [ who were arrested ] , if they did have a job , now they have more difficulties keeping that job .
Which means there are more difficulties keeping their families together .
And we ’ ll have another media article on the disproportionate number of housing issues when it comes to people of color.
” Every day at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Since shelter-in-place orders were implemented throughout the US, there has been a growing number of videos showing police using excessive violence when arresting people of color for social distancing violations.
In San Diego, a black woman was arrested for walking her dog in Ocean Beach on May 1. Video of the arrest shows three officers repeatedly slamming the woman to the ground while putting her in handcuffs.
In Los Angeles, police donned riot gear, formed a skirmish line, and used their batons to disperse a large birthday party that had gathered in the city’s predominantly black Hyde Park neighborhood in late March, according to a video taken at the gathering.
Meanwhile, in New York City, several videos of excessively violent social distancing arrests of people of color have gone viral. This has come in sharp contrast with other viral videos and photos of police in white neighborhoods within the city calmly handing out masks to park-goers.
While racial breakdowns of many localities’ arrest records have not yet been made public, early data out of New York City shows that social distancing policing is falling heaviest on black people and other communities of color.
Arrest data released late Thursday by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office showed that between March 17 and May 4, 40 people were arrested for violating the city’s social distancing order. Of those 40 arrests, 35 were black, four were Latinx, and one was white. More than a third of the arrests came in the borough’s predominantly black Brownsville neighborhood.
Brooklyn district attorney Eric Gonzalez told the New York Times that he’s reviewing the arrests to determine if charges are necessary. At this point in the pandemic, his office has declined to prosecute misdemeanor cases that do not involve public safety threats, including social distancing arrests.
“We cannot police our way out of this pandemic,” Gonzalez told the Times.
But Brooklyn’s numbers reflect a larger trend throughout the rest of the city. According to a CBS2 report, 120 people were arrested for violating the social distancing order between March 16 and May 5; almost 68 percent of those arrests were black and 24 percent were Latinx, while only 7 percent were white.
And yet Jennvine Wong, a staff attorney for the Cop Accountability Project at the Legal Aid Society, told Vox that the data may not be capturing the full picture of the NYPD’s actions — it could be a lot worse. “I’m not exactly sure how the NYPD is categorizing [social distancing arrests] and if they have one code that they’re categorizing it under or their methodology in doing so,” she said, referring to how people may be getting charged with something else. “It’s one of the reasons why we did ask and request from the NYPD some more details with respect to their enforcement guidelines, but we haven’t received that information as of yet.”
Wong compared the social distancing orders with stop and frisk, which effectively allowed police to stop anyone on the suspicion of a crime. “It’s hard to tell whether or not, for example, [with] a criminal possession of marijuana case, that person was approached because of social distancing or because there was some other reason for the approach that gave the officer some sort of reasonable suspicion to stop that person,” she said. “I think that is exactly where you see people drawing this reference to stop and frisk.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio initially defended the NYPD’s social distancing arrest policy at a news conference Thursday. “What happened with stop and frisk was a systematic, oppressive, unconstitutional strategy that created a new problem much bigger than anything it purported to solve,” he said. “This is the farthest thing from that. This is addressing a pandemic. This is addressing the fact that lives are in danger all the time. By definition, our police department needs to be a part of that because safety is what they do.”
But after the Times reported the racial disparities in the arrest data, de Blasio changed his tune, promising on Twitter to “do better.”
Saving lives in this pandemic is job one. The NYPD uses summonses and arrests to do it.
Most people practice social distancing, with only hundreds of summonses issued over 6 weeks. But the disparity in the numbers does NOT reflect our values.
We HAVE TO do better and we WILL. pic.twitter.com/VFEFV724wU — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 8, 2020
The arrests of people of color for violating social distancing orders are painted in sharp relief against the backdrop of wide-scale — and heavily white — protests against those same orders across the country.
Armed white men have demonstrated and protested at numerous state Capitols and in big cities all over the US without drawing much of a reaction from local police at all. In Texas, a white woman who was jailed for opening her salon business in defiance of the state’s order became the cause du jour for conservative lawmakers in the state. She was released from Dallas county jail after a state Supreme Court ruling.
The racial disparity in policing wasn’t a surprise to Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a professor of criminal justice at John Jay College in New York City. “Why is anyone surprised with this when we have police and other white people killing black and brown people with impunity?” asked Browne-Marshall.
Excessive policing of black and brown communities has been at the heart of American policymaking for 400 years, she told Vox. It’s not surprising that this has carried on into the coronavirus pandemic.
“This over-policing and over-criminalization of people of color, black and brown people, needs to actually be viewed from a different perspective,” Browne-Marshall said, explaining how these arrests cascade into larger issues for people of color. “Now you have people [who were arrested], if they did have a job, now they have more difficulties keeping that job. Which means there are more difficulties keeping their families together. And we’ll have another media article on the disproportionate number of housing issues when it comes to people of color.”