vox--2020-10-06--Hurricane Delta: What we know about the storm heading toward the Gulf of Mexico

Hurricane Delta , the latest storm in this year ’ s “ hyperactive ” Atlantic hurricane season , is poised to make a destructive landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula late Tuesday or early Wednesday before continuing north toward Louisiana and Mississippi .
The storm is expected to be strongest when it hits the Yucatan Peninsula , but the risk to the US is also growing .
“ There is an increasing likelihood of life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds , especially along the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi , beginning on Friday , ” the National Hurricane Center said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the storm morphed from a mere tropical depression ( indicating wind speeds less than 38 mph ) to a Category 4 hurricane— a record-setting intensification , according to Samuel Lillo , a postdoctoral meteorologist at the University of Colorado Boulder Climate change has increased the frequency and intensity of Atlantic hurricanes , and rapidly intensifying hurricanes like Delta are becoming more common due to climate change as well .
As of Tuesday evening , Delta had reached maximum sustained winds of 145 mph as it barreled through the Caribbean Sea , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Current projections from the National Hurricane Center show it making landfall near Cancun , Mexico , late Tuesday or early Wednesday morning as an “ extremely dangerous hurricane.
” The storm has at least a 30 percent chance of growing into the strongest type of hurricane , Category 5 ( with wind speeds in excess of 156 miles per hour ) by the time it reaches land , according to meteorologist Jeff Masters .
How much physical destruction the storm causes will depend on whether it directly hits the tourist hot spot Cancun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a multibillion-dollar disaster .
The government ordered evacuations on Tuesday morning , and tens of thousands of tourists will have to relocate to shelters .
After moving through the Yucatan , the storm is projected to travel up the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall again on the US Gulf Coast on Friday .
Where exactly Delta might land remains uncertain , but the current trajectory shows it primarily hitting Louisiana as a Category 2 storm .
It could also impact Mississippi , Alabama , and the Florida panhandle , and could bring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even up to 12 inches in some places .
These states are still rebounding from the impact of Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Sally over the past two months .
Though its brush with the Yucatan will slow the storm , it is expected to pick up speed again .
“ Although some weakening is likely when Delta moves over the Yucatan peninsula , re-strengthening is forecast when the hurricane moves over the southern Gulf of Mexico , ” according to the National Hurricane Center briefing on Tuesday afternoon .
As Vox ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurricane ’ s trajectory , particularly beyond the immediate 24 hours .
are more prone to uncertainty , and forecasting storm intensity is particularly difficult .
But Gulf Coast residents should prepare for another major storm in line with the latest National Hurricane Center projections .
• The National Hurricane Center has a page updating every few hours with the latest watches and warnings for Delta .
Check it out .
• Here ’ s a Twitter list of weather experts who will provide up-to-the-second forecasts and warnings .
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Hurricane Delta, the latest storm in this year’s “hyperactive” Atlantic hurricane season, is forecast to make landfall in southwest Louisiana this evening as a Category 3 storm. The hurricane’s path is projected to fall between Lafayette and Lake Charles, areas that were badly affected by Hurricane Laura, the Category 4 storm that hit the Gulf Coast on August 27.
Delta’s windspeed clocked in at 120 mph Friday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm has a widening range, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching up to 160 miles outward. The NHC projects that the hurricane will bring a “life-threatening” storm surge; the stretch of coast between Louisiana’s Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and Morgan City could be the worst inundated, with a surge of up to 7 feet in some areas and 11 feet in others.
Heavy rainfall is also expected: up to 15 inches in some areas of southwestern and central Louisiana, the NHC forecasts, which will cause significant flooding.
The hurricane is the seventh major storm to hit Louisiana since June, the New York Times reports. The Gulf of Mexico as a whole has seen more hurricane activity in recent years, with climate change increasing the frequency and intensity of Atlantic hurricanes.
Hurricane Delta previously made landfall 20 miles south of Cancun, Mexico, early Wednesday morning as a Category 2 storm.
On its approach to the Yucatan Peninsula, the storm morphed from a mere tropical depression (indicating wind speeds of less than 38 mph) to a Category 4 hurricane — a record-setting intensification, according to Samuel Lillo, a postdoctoral meteorologist at the University of Colorado Boulder
Delta just went from 35mph tropical depression to 130mph category 4 hurricane in 30 hours!
I can't find any other storm on record in the Atlantic that has achieved this feat.
The next largest 30-hour intensification from tropical depression is Celia 1970: 35mph to 115mph. — Sam Lillo (@splillo) October 6, 2020
This kind of rapid intensification is becoming more common due to climate change. Warmer waters essentially provide extra fuel for hurricanes, which allows them to not only become stronger, but also intensify more quickly, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientist Jim Kossin told the Associated Press.
The tourist hot spot Cancun avoided severe physical destruction since the storm didn’t make a direct hit, instead landing 25 miles away. The Mexican government ordered evacuations on Tuesday morning, and tens of thousands of tourists had to relocate to shelters. Almost 300,000 people lost power due to the storm.
Though its brush with the Yucatan slowed the storm, it picked up speed again as it headed north toward the Gulf Coast.
Evacuation orders have been issued for many parishes in Louisiana, including Calcasieu Parish where Lake Charles is located. as well as parts of Alabama.
The National Hurricane Center advised residents this morning to quickly make preparations for the storm, with tropical-storm-force winds imminently arriving.
Preparations for the arrival of Hurricane #Delta need to be rushed to completion, with tropical-storm-force winds expected to reach the coast in the next couple of hours, making preparations dangerous or impossible to complete. pic.twitter.com/au1F6bV5dS — National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2020
How to follow Delta


vox--2020-10-06--Everyone in the White House cluster who has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus

Everyone in the White House cluster who has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus Share All sharing options for : Everyone in the White House cluster who has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus More than 20 people in and around the White House have recently tested positive for the coronavirus — including President Donald Trump himself .
The president announced on Friday , October 2 , after midnight that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 , joining several other high-ranking US government officials who have contracted SARS-CoV-2 .
Trump went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bethesda , Maryland , on Friday evening to undergo treatment .
He was discharged on Monday , October 5 .
On Tuesday , Stephen Miller , a top Trump adviser , reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus .
His case was just the latest revealed among top White House officials .
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive on Monday for the coronavirus ; four of her aides reportedly also have tested positive .
McEnany — like others in the White House cluster — failed to immediately quarantine after Trump ’ s diagnosis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporters without a mask in the following days .
McEnany and other Republican officials attended a White House event on September 26 honoring the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
GOP Sens .
Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced after Trump ’ s diagnosis that they had tested positive ; both were at the event , which took place indoors and outdoors .
Several other people , including former senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien , also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie , another attendee , announced that he tested positive and checked into a hospital .
Barrett , for her part , was diagnosed with Covid-19 over the summer but has recovered .
It is unknown whether she now carries immunity .
But it ’ s not just the one event .
On Saturday , October 3 , Sen. Ron Johnson ( R-WI ) announced he had tested positive .
Johnson was not at the Barrett event , but he did attend a lunch with other Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well-known senators , members of the press , and White House officials who have tested positive , less well-known government staff members and security officers have been infected with the coronavirus in recent days .
A number of such cases have been confirmed , including McEnany ’ s deputies , Trump aide Nicholas Luna , and military officials assigned to the White House .
Vice Commandant Charles Ray of the Coast Guard tested positive on Monday , and other military leaders entered quarantine .
The White House , in other words , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration appears to be doing little to trace the outbreak , creating concern that the White House will become a source of community spread .
At least one likely secondary infection has been reported : New York Times journalist Michael Shear , who traveled with the president the evening after the Barrett event and tested positive shortly after , said his wife tested positive following his diagnosis .
While it ’ s not clear how the president was exposed , Trump was in regular contact last week with senior counselor Hope Hicks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday , October 1 .
Hicks had traveled with Trump multiple times last week , including to the September 29 presidential debate in Cleveland , Ohio .
Over the summer , Republican Sens .
Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy were diagnosed with Covid-19 but have successfully recovered .
The virus has also infected at least 14 House members — nine Republicans and five Democrats — since March .
But this is the first time the virus , which has killed more than 210,000 Americans , has spread in such a concentrated manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and members of the press corps .
As of Tuesday , Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have both tested negative , as have Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill .
Some other Trump administration officials , including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe , tested negative as well .
Trump and his staff have been traveling to campaign events for several weeks .
Just in the past week , the president has held rallies in Florida , Virginia , Pennsylvania , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29 debate in Ohio .
Eleven people tested positive for the coronavirus in cases traced to “ pre-debate planning and set-up , ” according to the Cleveland mayor ’ s office .
One way to mitigate the White House outbreak would be to undergo a major contact tracing operation , though the Trump administration has made few efforts on that front so far .
As Vox ’ s Dylan Scott explained , the only way to figure out the full extent of the outbreak is contact tracing : “ identifying who has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he became contagious , and asking them to quarantine to prevent Covid-19 from spreading to others , and to get tested themselves.
” The Trump campaign announced in a statement Friday that he and his family are suspending in-person events .
Pence ’ s campaign travel will continue , and he plans to participate in the vice presidential debate against Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday .
Here ’ s what we know about who has tested positive — and negative — for SARS-CoV-2 so far .
People in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for the coronavirus This list includes people who attended the September 26 Barrett event and/or have had close recent contact with the White House .
• John Jenkins , president of the University of Notre Dame • Three journalists from the White House press corps , including Michael Shear of the New York Times and photojournalist Al Drago • A White House press staffer , according to the White House Correspondents ’ Association Two housekeeping staff members at the White House tested positive “ roughly three weeks ago , ” according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Vice Commandant Ray , Sen. Johnson , and Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel have also recently tested positive .
Johnson and McDaniel were not at the Barrett event , but McDaniel had contact with Trump in the days before it .
A brief list of key politicians and officials who have tested negative Given the level of uncertainty created by this news , Vox has compiled a list of key administration figures who help run the country , key lawmakers who have been in contact with the president , and key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have recently gotten negative test results for the virus .
While it could take several days for an individual who has contracted the virus to test positive , these are the initial negative tests .
Here ’ s a partial list so far : • Republican Reps. Pete Stauber and Tom Emmer of Minnesota , who traveled with Trump last week , according to a reporter from the MinnPost • Republican Sens .
Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia , who had been in contact with Trump in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Atlanta Will you help keep Vox free for all ?
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Everyone in the White House cluster who has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus
Share All sharing options for: Everyone in the White House cluster who has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus
More than 20 people in and around the White House have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks — including President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and their son, Barron Trump.
The president announced on October 2 that he and Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, joining several other high-ranking US government officials who have contracted SARS-CoV-2. Trump was given an experimental antibody treatment and oxygen at the White House, before being moved to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland for three days.
Melania Trump recuperated at home. Barron Trump, his mother announced on October 14, tested positive after his parents; the first lady said he was asymptomatic and has since tested negative.
Some prominent officials in the Trump administration have recently tested positive as well, including presidential adviser Stephen Miller, as well as press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and at least four members of her staff. McEnany — like others in the White House cluster — failed to immediately quarantine after Trump’s diagnosis, and she appeared in front of reporters without a mask in the following days.
While the administration has refused to conduct contact tracing, many Covid-19 cases in the cluster are believed to have originated around the time of a White House event — which took place indoors and outdoors — on September 26 honoring the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the federal coronavirus task force has called the gathering a “superspreader event,” criticizing it for being a “situation where people were crowded together and were not wearing masks.”
A number of attendees tested positive for the coronavirus in the days following the event, including GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina; former senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway; and Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another attendee, also tested positive and was hospitalized for a week.
Barrett, for her part, was diagnosed with Covid-19 over the summer but has recovered. It is unknown whether she now carries immunity.
But it’s not just the one event. On October 3, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) announced he had tested positive. Johnson was not at the Barrett event, but he did attend a lunch with other Republican senators last week. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) said on October 14 he was isolating after a positive test. There was some concern Barrett’s confirmation hearing could contribute to spread given many senators — including Lee, who said he is “no longer contagious” — are attending in person.
There have been more cases of political figures in recent days, which do not immediately appear linked to the cluster: Joe Biden’s campaign announced on October 15 that Kamala Harris’s communications director and a flight crew member tested positive for coronavirus. The campaign said that others, including Harris and Biden, have repeatedly tested negative in recent days, and that it is conducting contact tracing.
Beyond the relatively well-known senators, members of the press, and White House officials who have tested positive, less well-known government staff members and security officers have been infected with the coronavirus as well. A number of such cases have been confirmed, including McEnany’s deputies, Trump aide Nicholas Luna, and military officials assigned to the White House. Vice Commandant Charles Ray of the Coast Guard tested positive, leading other military leaders to enter quarantine.
The White House, in other words, became a Covid-19 hot spot.
Over the summer, Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy were diagnosed with Covid-19 but have successfully recovered. The virus has also infected more than 15 House members since March. But this is the first time the virus, which has killed more than 215,000 Americans, has spread in such a concentrated manner among White House officials, staffers, and members of the press corps.
While it’s not clear how the president was exposed, Trump was in regular contact last week with senior counselor Hope Hicks, whose positive coronavirus test was revealed on Thursday, October 1. Hicks had traveled with Trump multiple times ahead of his diagnosis, including to the September 29 presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen have both repeatedly tested negative, as have Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his wife Jill. Some other Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, have tested negative as well.
Following his recovery, Trump has resumed campaigning, promising to hold a rally nearly every day between now and November 3. He kicked these off with events in Florida and Pennsylvania, and spent part of each event incorrectly stating that those who have had the coronavirus are immune to reinfection.
While the rallies are all expected to be held outdoors, they have, thus far, not featured social distancing or universal mask wearing, fueling concerns that they will create new coronavirus clusters, both in the locales in which they are held, and among Trump’s staff. And the speculation is not unfounded; local officials believe a rally the president held on September 18 in Bemidji, Minnesota, caused at least nine cases.
Here’s what we know about some key figures who have tested positive — and negative — for SARS-CoV-2 so far.
People in the White House cluster who have reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus
This list includes people who attended the September 26 Barrett event and/or have had close recent contact with the White House.
Crede Bailey, the head of the White House security office, was hospitalized with Covid-19 in September, according to Bloomberg. He reportedly became sick before the Amy Coney Barrett event.
Two housekeeping staff members at the White House tested positive in early September, according to the New York Times.
Vice Commandant Ray, Sen. Johnson, and Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel have also recently tested positive. Johnson and McDaniel were not at the Barrett event, but McDaniel had contact with Trump in the days before it.
A brief list of key politicians and officials who have tested negative
Vox has compiled a list of key administration figures who help run the country, key lawmakers who have been in contact with the president, and key Democrats in the 2020 election cycle who have recently gotten negative test results for the virus.
While it could take several days for an individual who has contracted the virus to test positive, some recent negative tests have been made public. Here’s a partial list so far:


vox--2020-10-06--A crashed voter registration website is Floridians’ latest obstacle to the right to vote

Florida ’ s track record on voting rights isn ’ t great , and Monday night provided another example for why that is .
The state ’ s voter registration website crashed for several hours just before the deadline to vote in the general election .
Although the state has reopened voter registrations for a day to compensate for the hours missed during the crash , advocates say it ’ s not enough .
“ The extension is important , but it may not be enough to reach all Floridians who were impacted , ” Gaby Guadalupe , deputy communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Recode .
Florida has one of the earliest voter registration deadlines in the country : October 5 by 11:59 pm .
Florida ’ s voter registration website , RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov — the state has asked people not to go to the site unless they are actually trying to register to vote , to avoid the traffic issues it had the night before — crashed in the hours preceding that deadline , preventing many Floridians from being able to register .
The state extended the voter registration deadline to October 6 by 7 pm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ register online or in person , and mailed applications must be postmarked by October 6 .
According to a statement from Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee , the site had “ an unprecedented 1.1 million requests per hour , ” and the enormous volume caused the crash .
Lee added that her office would be “ working with our state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure this was not a deliberate act against the voting process , ” but didn ’ t provide details on what led them to suspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not return a request for comment ) .
During the crash , Lee ’ s tweets indicated that the interruption was brief and had been fixed by 6 pm , but several responses to those tweets said this was not the case .
People complained that they had been trying for hours to register , and a Florida state representative tweeted just before 10 pm that the site still didn ’ t work .
According to the Orlando Sentinel , the 7 pm deadline , announced at noon , was chosen to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down .
This is not the first time a Florida government website has crashed at the time it ’ s most needed .
The state ’ s unemployment website , overwhelmed by the surge in traffic , was notoriously glitchy in the first months of the pandemic , leaving many Floridians unable to apply for benefits or having to wait weeks to do so .
Though a recent audit had found hundreds of system errors , no action was taken to fix them before the pandemic .
This isn ’ t even the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website has failed .
The Florida Democratic Party accused the state ’ s Republican leaders of “ blatant voter suppression ” and pointed to website crashes before the 2020 primaries , a routine maintenance downtime the weekend before National Voter Registration Day in 2019 , and site glitches a few days before the general election deadline in 2018 .
The Florida ACLU also noted that the website has a history of crashes that , it said , the state has made no effort to repair .
“ During every major election cycle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Guadalupe said .
“ Advocates warned that this would happen again during this critical election .
The reality is the state needs to own this mistake , find a more permanent solution , and fix the online registration system.
” It ’ s also not the first time Florida has been accused of disenfranchisement .
Until recently , the state restricted anyone convicted of a felony from voting , even after they ’ d finished their sentence .
This barred as many as 1.4 million people — 10 percent of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right to vote in the state , and disproportionately affected Black people .
In 2018 , an amendment to the state ’ s constitution to restore voting rights to ex-felons won the popular vote , only for the Republican-led legislature to pass a law that required ex-felons to pay any financial penalties from their convictions before they could be allowed to vote .
Activists have scrambled to help ex-felons pay those penalties and re-enfranchise as many of them as possible .
The state ’ s attorney general has called for an investigation into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of election laws.
” Florida does , at least , make it relatively easy to vote by mail .
Voters don ’ t need to provide an excuse when they request their ballot , they are able to track their ballot once they mail it back , and if their ballot is rejected , they must be told and given the opportunity to fix the ballot so it can be counted .
That said , Florida also has a history of rejecting an excessive number of mail-in ballots .
There is a chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Several state voting rights groups are suing Gov .
Ron DeSantis and Lee to extend the registration deadline by two more days , saying the state had plenty of time and warning to adequately prepare the website to handle anticipated increased traffic , but didn ’ t do so .
The 7 pm deadline extension , one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs said , was “ not good enough.
” The extended deadline is good news for Floridians who were locked out of registering on Monday night , but a reliable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crashes and can handle a large amount of traffic would be even better .
“ Floridians shouldn ’ t face unnecessary obstacles to their right to vote because of inadequate state software , ” Guadalupe said .
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All Open Sourced content is editorially independent and produced by our journalists .
Will you help keep Vox free for all ?
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That is our mission at Vox .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
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Florida’s track record on voting rights isn’t great, and Monday night provided another example for why that is. The state’s voter registration website crashed for several hours just before the deadline to vote in the general election. Although the state reopened voter registrations for seven hours to compensate for those missed during the crash, advocates say that wasn’t enough.
It is, however, all they have, as a federal district court judge on Friday denied their request to extend registration hours even longer — though not without some harsh words for the state and its long-standing issues with running elections.
“Notwithstanding the fact that cinemas across the country remain closed, somehow, I feel like I’ve seen this movie before,” Judge Mark Walker, of the Northern District of Florida court, wrote. “Just shy of a month from election day, with the earliest mail-in ballots beginning to be counted, Florida has done it again.”
Florida has one of the earliest voter registration deadlines in the country: October 5 by 11:59 pm. Florida’s voter registration website, RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, crashed in the hours preceding that deadline, likely preventing tens of thousands of Floridians from being able to register. The state then extended the voter registration deadline to October 6 by 7 pm.
According to a statement from Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee, the site had “an unprecedented 1.1 million requests per hour,” and the enormous volume caused the crash. Lee added that her office would be “working with our state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure this was not a deliberate act against the voting process,” though later said in a statement to Recode that “we have not identified any evidence of interference or malicious activity impacting the site.”
During the crash, Lee’s tweets indicated that the interruption was brief and had been fixed by 6 pm, but several responses to those tweets said this was not the case. People complained that they had been trying for hours to register, and a Florida state representative tweeted just before 10 pm that the site still didn’t work. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the 7 pm deadline, announced at noon, was chosen to match how many hours the system was down.
This is not the first time a Florida government website has crashed at the time it’s most needed. The state’s unemployment website, overwhelmed by the surge in traffic, was notoriously glitchy in the first months of the pandemic, leaving many Floridians unable to apply for benefits or having to wait weeks to do so. Though a recent audit had found hundreds of system errors, no action was taken to fix them before the pandemic.
This isn’t even the first time Florida’s voter registration website has failed. The Florida Democratic Party accused the state’s Republican leaders of “blatant voter suppression” and pointed to website crashes before the 2020 primaries, a routine maintenance downtime the weekend before National Voter Registration Day in 2019, and site glitches a few days before the general election deadline in 2018. The Florida ACLU also noted that the website has a history of crashes that, it said, the state has made no effort to repair.
“During every major election cycle, Florida’s voter registration website falters,” Gaby Guadalupe, deputy communications director at the ACLU of Florida, told Recode. “Advocates warned that this would happen again during this critical election. The reality is the state needs to own this mistake, find a more permanent solution, and fix the online registration system.”
It’s also not the first time Florida has been accused of disenfranchisement. Until recently, the state restricted anyone convicted of a felony from voting, even after they’d finished their sentence. This barred as many as 1.4 million people — 10 percent of the state’s population — from the right to vote in the state, and disproportionately affected Black people. In 2018, an amendment to the state’s constitution to restore voting rights to ex-felons won the popular vote, only for the Republican-led legislature to pass a law that required ex-felons to pay any financial penalties from their convictions before they could be allowed to vote. Activists have scrambled to help ex-felons pay those penalties and re-enfranchise as many of them as possible. The state’s attorney general has called for an investigation into that effort, citing “potential violations of election laws.”
Florida does, at least, make it relatively easy to vote by mail. Voters don’t need to provide an excuse when they request their ballot, they are able to track their ballot once they mail it back, and if their ballot is rejected, they must be told and given the opportunity to fix the ballot so it can be counted. That said, Florida also has a history of rejecting an excessive number of mail-in ballots.
Several state voting rights groups sued Gov. Ron DeSantis and Lee to extend the registration deadline by two more days, saying the state had plenty of time and warning to adequately prepare the website to handle anticipated increased traffic but didn’t do so. Judge Walker seemed to agree, castigating the state throughout his decision.
“In this case, potential voters attempted to perform their civic duty, to exercise their fundamental right, only to be thwarted, once again, by a state that seemingly is never prepared for an election,” Walker wrote. “This case is about failure on the part of a civil servant, whose responsibility is to run an election system, that will cost thousands of potential voters their fundamental right to vote in the upcoming election.”
Even so, Walker found, avoiding the “chaos” that another registration deadline extension would cause outweighed the harm done to those disenfranchised citizens.
The good news is that 50,000 Floridians registered to vote during the extended hours, mitigating some of the damage. A reliable website that didn’t crash when it was most needed, of course, would have mitigated that damaged completely.
“Floridians shouldn’t face unnecessary obstacles to their right to vote because of inadequate state software,” Guadalupe said.
Update, October 9, 1:30 pm ET: Updated to add court decision denying the deadline extension.
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vox--2020-10-06--Claudia Conway’s TikToks, explained

Claudia Conway’s TikToks, explained

Claudia Conway , much to her displeasure , is trending on Twitter again .
This is not speculation about her feelings : The 15-year-old daughter of former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and “ Never Trump ” Republican attorney George Conway openly dislikes being in the news .
“ Currently trending on twitter for no apparent reason , ” she writes in her TikTok bio .
“ The media is obsessed.
” And yet Claudia has created a spectacle that is impossible to look away from : Here is a teenager , openly undermining her mother who is already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leftist ideas her parents despise .
On her TikTok are jokes about President Trump ’ s refusal to denounce white supremacy , reminders to vote blue in the upcoming election , and conservatives ’ most feared slogan : ACAB .
Since this summer , when her anti-Trump , Black Lives Matter , and “ Save Barron ” TikTok videos went viral , Claudia has been an unexpected and unusually candid political voice .
But hers is also a voice that is mired in misdirected hero worship among the Twitter # Resistance and complicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adults dissecting the messages of a 15-year-old .
As Claudia Conway ’ s TikToks have drawn national attention once again , after she exposed her mother ’ s coronavirus diagnosis and livestreamed an argument between the two of them , it ’ s worth asking whether adults should even be talking about Claudia Conway in the first place , and what the media owes her as both a private citizen and a teenage girl seemingly in crisis .
How Claudia Conway revealed her mother ’ s Covid-19 diagnosis and lit up Twitter This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the attendees of the White House ’ s reception for Amy Coney Barrett ’ s Supreme Court nomination have tested positive for the coronavirus , Claudia ’ s TikToks contained breaking news .
On October 2 , she posted a video alleging her mother was “ coughing all over the house ” after attending the event , and said that Claudia herself was struggling to breathe .
Shortly thereafter , she announced that her mother tested positive before the press did and was cited in major news outlets .
She also alluded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition was worse than he claimed , and in the comments section of one video wrote that Kellyanne had lied to her about the results .
“ [ She ] said her test was negative when it literally wasn ’ t and I spent all day around her , ” Claudia wrote .
A few days later , she posted a video of herself in the bathtub captioned with “ hey guys currently dying of covid !
” Then , on the evening of October 5 , she posted another video , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be heard .
“ Little clarification from my previous posts , ” she wrote .
“ My mother claims that she did not lie to me .
She had three tests done .
First negative , second two positive .
We were not in communication .
I misinterpreted it.
” In the background of the video , Kellyanne says , “ Do it now , ” to which Claudia says , “ I am , I ’ m doing it right now , ” referring to filming the video .
“ Say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests , ’ ” Kellyanne coaches her .
This most intimate look at the Conway family dynamics would ultimately be deleted , however .
In a TikTok that viewers shared to Twitter before it was removed , Kellyanne can be heard saying , “ You ’ ve caused so much disruption .
You lied about your fucking mother about Covid ?
About Covid ?
” Unsurprisingly , the rather salacious glimpse of a high-profile mother-daughter relationship set Twitter aflame , with left-leaning adults praising Claudia as an American hero and a better journalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t stop watching Claudia Conway argue with her mom , ” wrote Twitter employee Sam Stryker .
Our hero worship of Claudia Conway is misguided and harmful The resounding response to Claudia Conway ’ s public image is that she ’ s a spunky teenage maverick perfectly suited to destroy the Republican Party from within .
But to lift her up as a hero or as some kind of entity fated to save us from the collapse of American politics is to ignore what she and every other Gen Z supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klee writes in Mel magazine , “ If you actually listen to [ Greta ] Thunberg and the Parkland group , you won ’ t necessarily hear how they plan to enact systemic change .
Instead , they are telling the adults to get their act together , and wondering why it has fallen to the youth to voice any call to virtuous action.
” Claudia ’ s videos , ultimately , are a cry for help , from both the larger American electorate and the people in her life .
Claudia has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from her parents and has alleged verbal and physical abuse from both her mother and father .
“ My dad doesn ’ t care about me , ” she said in the same video .
“ He probably doesn ’ t even know my middle name.
” In one particularly heartbreaking TikTok , Claudia asks for tips on how to stop dissociating because “ nothing feels real ” while tears stream down her face .
And in a recent livestream , she told her followers in code that “ I ’ m on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scared of my mom.
” Teenagers denouncing their parents on the internet is not a new phenomenon ; it ’ s just that most of the time , they do it in spaces separate from the adult internet , the public one where every tweet is grounds for debate .
Many kids keep their Instagram , Twitter , or TikTok accounts private ; others have secret finstas where they allow only a small portion of their regular followers access to more private or experimental thoughts .
That ’ s how one might expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures to express her angst and frustration about being born into such a family .
We tend to assume that most internal familial controversy exists in the shadows , out of public view ( or if they are high-profile enough , to be dissected decades later in overdramatized six-part Netflix documentaries ) .
Claudia Conway , however , has made all of this public .
Though she often deletes past posts , many of her most inflammatory TikToks and tweets have remained out in the open .
It ’ s as jarring of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surrendered their “ royal highness ” titles — for once , the disputes are laid bare .
The question is : What are adults on the internet who watch these videos supposed to do about it ?
Many have stressed that , because Claudia is just 15 and clearly dealing with unimaginable pressure and attention , she deserves privacy , and she does .
Claudia herself , while acknowledging her appreciation of her more than 1 million followers , would likely agree .
“ Why is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ girl has to say ?
” she asks in one TikTok .
This is the uneasy paradox of Claudia Conway : How could the media not be interested in what she has to say ?
Claudia is just one of a new generation of leftist daughters of more conservative politicians , a cohort that includes 23-year-old Stephanie Regan , who tweeted “ Do not vote for my dad ” ahead of Robert Regan ’ s Michigan campaign for state legislature , and 25-year-old Chiara de Blasio , who was arrested at a Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of which her father , Bill de Blasio , is mayor .
Of the three , Claudia is by far the most outspoken online , and has made use of the platform closely associated with teenage rebellion .
She responds often to comments , and much like within the # FreeBritney movement , viewers theorize about her well-being using context clues .
At times , the Conways seem like any other family where parents and children disagree on political views .
In an interview with Business Insider ( during which her parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Claudia explained that “ My mom is my best friend but we do fight all the time over politics , and I ’ m always shut down by my entire family.
” While her mother had asked her to take down some of the videos , she ’ d “ respectfully declined ” to do so .
What teenager hasn ’ t argued with their family over politics , or had a parent monitor their social media accounts ?
And by all measures , Claudia ’ s social media presence is barely different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are politics , sure , but there are also regular photos of a normal high schooler living her life .
Perhaps this is what we should glean from Claudia : Her cries for help , her worrisome and sometimes contradictory statements about her family , and her frustration at American politics are not interesting because they are abnormal — they ’ re interesting because they ’ re relatable .
Young people should be allowed to be outspoken , rebellious , emotional , and even inconsistent on the internet without the social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is .
While we , the audience , have no ability — nor do we have any right — to “ save ” or “ free ” Claudia from her family situation , but we do have a duty to take her and every other young person ’ s plea for a better country and a better system seriously .
Of course teenagers are getting loud online .
After all , the internet is the only place where they have a real say .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Claudia Conway, much to her displeasure, is trending on Twitter again.
This is not speculation about her feelings: The 15-year-old daughter of former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway and “Never Trump” Republican attorney George Conway openly dislikes being in the news. “Currently trending on twitter for no apparent reason,” she writes in her TikTok bio. “The media is obsessed.”
And yet Claudia has created a spectacle that is impossible to look away from: Here is a teenager, openly undermining her mother who is already somewhat of a media villain, espousing leftist ideas her parents despise. On her TikTok are jokes about President Trump’s refusal to denounce white supremacy, reminders to vote blue in the upcoming election, and conservatives’ most feared slogan: ACAB.
Since this summer, when her anti-Trump, Black Lives Matter, and “Save Barron” TikTok videos went viral, Claudia has been an unexpected and unusually candid political voice. But hers is also a voice that is mired in misdirected hero worship among the Twitter #Resistance and complicated by the ethical complexities that come with adults dissecting the messages of a 15-year-old. As Claudia Conway’s TikToks have drawn national attention once again, after she exposed her mother’s coronavirus diagnosis and livestreamed an argument between the two of them, it’s worth asking whether adults should even be talking about Claudia Conway in the first place, and what the media owes her as both a private citizen and a teenage girl seemingly in crisis.
How Claudia Conway revealed her mother’s Covid-19 diagnosis and lit up Twitter
This week, as President Trump and many of the attendees of the White House’s reception for Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination have tested positive for the coronavirus, Claudia’s TikToks contained breaking news. On October 2, she posted a video alleging her mother was “coughing all over the house” after attending the event, and said that Claudia herself was struggling to breathe.
Shortly thereafter, she announced that her mother tested positive before the press did and was cited in major news outlets. She also alluded in a comment that Trump’s condition was worse than he claimed, and in the comments section of one video wrote that Kellyanne had lied to her about the results. “[She] said her test was negative when it literally wasn’t and I spent all day around her,” Claudia wrote. A few days later, she posted a video of herself in the bathtub captioned with “hey guys currently dying of covid!”
Then, on the evening of October 5, she posted another video, in which her mother’s voice can be heard. “Little clarification from my previous posts,” she wrote. “My mother claims that she did not lie to me. She had three tests done. First negative, second two positive. We were not in communication. I misinterpreted it.” In the background of the video, Kellyanne says, “Do it now,” to which Claudia says, “I am, I’m doing it right now,” referring to filming the video. “Say, ‘Correction, my mom had three tests,’” Kellyanne coaches her.
This most intimate look at the Conway family dynamics would ultimately be deleted, however. In a TikTok that viewers shared to Twitter before it was removed, Kellyanne can be heard saying, “You’ve caused so much disruption. You lied about your fucking mother about Covid? About Covid?”
Unsurprisingly, the rather salacious glimpse of a high-profile mother-daughter relationship set Twitter aflame, with left-leaning adults praising Claudia as an American hero and a better journalist than Bob Woodward. “HELP I can’t stop watching Claudia Conway argue with her mom,” wrote Twitter employee Sam Stryker.
Our hero worship of Claudia Conway is misguided and harmful
The resounding response to Claudia Conway’s public image is that she’s a spunky teenage maverick perfectly suited to destroy the Republican Party from within. But to lift her up as a hero or as some kind of entity fated to save us from the collapse of American politics is to ignore what she and every other Gen Z supposed savior are asking for. As Miles Klee writes in Mel magazine, “If you actually listen to [Greta] Thunberg and the Parkland group, you won’t necessarily hear how they plan to enact systemic change. Instead, they are telling the adults to get their act together, and wondering why it has fallen to the youth to voice any call to virtuous action.”
Claudia’s videos, ultimately, are a cry for help, from both the larger American electorate and the people in her life. Claudia has repeatedly spoken about her desire to emancipate from her parents and has alleged verbal and physical abuse from both her mother and father. “My dad doesn’t care about me,” she said in the same video. “He probably doesn’t even know my middle name.” In one particularly heartbreaking TikTok, Claudia asks for tips on how to stop dissociating because “nothing feels real” while tears stream down her face. And in a recent livestream, she told her followers in code that “I’m on live right now because I’m scared of my mom.”
HELP I can’t stop watching Claudia Conway argue with her mom pic.twitter.com/EINInHyE6j — Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) October 6, 2020
Teenagers denouncing their parents on the internet is not a new phenomenon; it’s just that most of the time, they do it in spaces separate from the adult internet, the public one where every tweet is grounds for debate. Many kids keep their Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok accounts private; others have secret finstas where they allow only a small portion of their regular followers access to more private or experimental thoughts.
That’s how one might expect the leftist daughter of two conservative political figures to express her angst and frustration about being born into such a family. We tend to assume that most internal familial controversy exists in the shadows, out of public view (or if they are high-profile enough, to be dissected decades later in overdramatized six-part Netflix documentaries).
Claudia Conway, however, has made all of this public. Though she often deletes past posts, many of her most inflammatory TikToks and tweets have remained out in the open. It’s as jarring of a phenomenon to witness as it was when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surrendered their “royal highness” titles — for once, the disputes are laid bare.
The question is: What are adults on the internet who watch these videos supposed to do about it? Many have stressed that, because Claudia is just 15 and clearly dealing with unimaginable pressure and attention, she deserves privacy, and she does. Claudia herself, while acknowledging her appreciation of her more than 1 million followers, would likely agree. On October 6, she posted a statement, writing that “I am not the ‘whistleblower’ of our time. I am simply a 15-year-old girl with a following and bad luck when it comes to media coverage. Leave my family and me alone.” In a previous TikTok, she asks, “Why is the media so obsessed with everything a 15-year-old girl has to say?”
Related How a TikTok house destroyed itself
This is the uneasy paradox of Claudia Conway: How could the media not be interested in what she has to say? Claudia is just one of a new generation of leftist daughters of more conservative politicians, a cohort that includes 23-year-old Stephanie Regan, who tweeted “Do not vote for my dad” ahead of Robert Regan’s Michigan campaign for state legislature, and 25-year-old Chiara de Blasio, who was arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest in New York City, of which her father, Bill de Blasio, is mayor. Of the three, Claudia is by far the most outspoken online, and has made use of the platform closely associated with teenage rebellion. She responds often to comments, and much like within the #FreeBritney movement, viewers theorize about her well-being using context clues.
At times, the Conways seem like any other family where parents and children disagree on political views. In an interview with Business Insider (during which her parents were also in the room), Claudia explained that “My mom is my best friend but we do fight all the time over politics, and I’m always shut down by my entire family.” While her mother had asked her to take down some of the videos, she’d “respectfully declined” to do so. What teenager hasn’t argued with their family over politics, or had a parent monitor their social media accounts? And by all measures, Claudia’s social media presence is barely different from other girls’ her age — there are politics, sure, but there are also regular photos of a normal high schooler living her life.
Perhaps this is what we should glean from Claudia: Her cries for help, her worrisome and sometimes contradictory statements about her family, and her frustration at American politics are not interesting because they are abnormal — they’re interesting because they’re relatable. Young people should be allowed to be outspoken, rebellious, emotional, and even inconsistent on the internet without the social media machine elevating it to something more than it is.
While we, the audience, have no ability — nor do we have any right — to “save” or “free” Claudia from her family situation, but we do have a duty to take her and every other young person’s plea for a better country and a better system seriously. Of course teenagers are getting loud online. After all, the internet is the only place where they have a real say.


vox--2020-10-06--Join the Vox Book Club!

Join the Vox Book Club!

The Vox Book Club is linking to Bookshop.org to support local and independent book sellers .
Here ’ s how the Vox Book Club works : Every month , we pick a book .
Throughout the month , we publish discussion posts containing thoughts and questions from Vox book critic Constance Grady , but we also have comments turned on and moderated so you can share your thoughts , too .
Talk among yourselves !
Post your opinions and questions !
Or use our discussion posts as a jumping-off point for ( socially distanced ) discussions with your own friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the month , we gather on Zoom for a virtual live discussion .
Our pick for October is Silvia Moreno-Garcia ’ s Mexican Gothic .
Mexican Gothic kicks off in the 1950s , as the cosmopolitan , young , Mexico City socialite Noémi travels to a decaying English manor perched above a mining town that the English built and then ruined .
It ’ s full of classic gothic set pieces — women wandering down crumbling hallways in their nightgowns holding up candelabras , repressed and heavily taboo sex , creepy evil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ animated by the knowledge that the real source of evil in this book is colonialism .
To close out the month , Constance will host a live discussion of Mexican Gothic on Thursday , October 29 , with the author herself , Silvia Moreno-Garcia .
Come join us !
Sign up here to be notified about new book selections , discussions , and related live events .
Thursday , October 29 : Virtual live discussion featuring Vox book critic Constance Grady and Mexican Gothic author Silvia Moreno-Garcia .
Sign up for the Vox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send you the RSVP link as soon as it ’ s up !

The Vox Book Club is linking to Bookshop.org to support local and independent booksellers.
Here’s how the Vox Book Club works: Each month, we pick a book. Around the middle of the month, we publish a discussion post containing thoughts and questions from Vox book critic Constance Grady, but we also have comments turned on and moderated so you can share your thoughts, too. Talk among yourselves! Post your opinions and questions! Or use the conversation as a jumping-off point for your own conversations with friends and family. And at the end of the month, we gather on Zoom for a virtual live discussion.
Our pick for November 2021 is Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. It’s a witty and biting debut novel that also contains one of the cringiest Thanksgiving scenes ever committed to the page. We’ll have plenty to discuss here on the site, and at the end of the month, we’ll meet with Reid herself live on Zoom to discuss the whole thing. RSVP here to join the fun, and in the meantime, subscribe to the Vox Book Club newsletter to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Here’s the full Vox Book Club schedule for November 2021:
Friday, November 19: Discussion post on Such a Fun Age published to Vox.com
Tuesday, November 30, 5 pm Eastern: Virtual live event with author Kiley Reid. RSVP here. Reader questions are encouraged!


vox--2020-10-06--Top US military officials are going into quarantine after exposure to Covid-19

The Joint Chiefs of Staff , the top military advisers to the president , are heading into quarantine after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus .
The vice commandant of the US Coast Guard , Adm. Charles Ray , tested positive for the virus on Monday .
Defense Department officials now say the chair and vice chair , along with the military heads of the Army , Navy , Marine Corps , Air Force , Coast Guard , and Space Force , will isolate “ out of an abundance of caution ” after attending sensitive Pentagon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close contacts from these meetings are self-quarantining and have been tested this morning , ” Jonathan Hoffman , the top Pentagon spokesperson , said in a Tuesday statement .
“ No Pentagon contacts have exhibited symptoms and we have no additional positive tests to report at this time.
” Which means that Covid-19 has now reached the highest echelons of the US military .
While the Joint Chiefs aren ’ t in the chain of command , they do lead their respective services and provide President Donald Trump with important military advice on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can ’ t perform their duties to their fullest abilities , it makes America ’ s defense process a little harder .
It ’ s still unclear how or where Ray got infected , but he and other top brass attended the White House ’ s reception for Gold Star families on Sunday , at which many participants failed to wear masks .
That ceremony took place a day after the White House ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett , Trump ’ s Supreme Court pick , where many at the event seemingly caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus about five days after the public Barrett reveal , requiring him to spend a few days at Walter Reed medical center .
Simply put , it ’ s just not a good look for a top military official to potentially have been infected during a White House event .
Ray reportedly felt unwell last Friday , which , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , is roughly within the average time frame in which symptoms begin to show after exposure .
Ray went on to attend meetings with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chiefs chair , and other senior Pentagon officials last week in small secure areas .
Some of the officials who were in the room with him are still awaiting the results of their coronavirus tests .
Meanwhile , one of Trump ’ s top military aides , Jayna McCarron of the Coast Guard , also tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday along with an active-duty military valet that traveled with the president around the time he announced his positive coronavirus test .
In the meantime , it ’ s a good idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home to keep themselves and others safe .
Milley , by virtue of being Trump ’ s top military adviser , can still receive classified information and communications at home .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

The Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military advisers to the president, are heading into quarantine after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus.
The vice commandant of the US Coast Guard, Adm. Charles Ray, tested positive for the virus on Monday. Defense Department officials now say the chair and vice chair, along with the military heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, and US Cyber Command will isolate “out of an abundance of caution” after attending sensitive Pentagon meetings with Ray. (The Marine Corps commandant wasn’t in these meetings.)
“All potential close contacts from these meetings are self-quarantining and have been tested this morning,” Jonathan Hoffman, the top Pentagon spokesperson, said in a Tuesday statement. “No Pentagon contacts have exhibited symptoms and we have no additional positive tests to report at this time.”
DEVELOPING: @USCG Vice Commandant Adm. Charles Ray tests positive for #COVID19 - was at the Pentagon last week for mtgs w/sr military leaders
"Out of an abundance of caution, all potential close contacts from these meetings are self-quarantining" per @ChiefPentSpox pic.twitter.com/vKGDQW1Xfl — Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) October 6, 2020
Which means that Covid-19 has now reached the highest echelons of the US military. While the Joint Chiefs aren’t in the chain of command, they do lead their respective services and provide President Donald Trump with important military advice on key national security questions. If they can’t perform their duties to their fullest abilities, it makes America’s defense process a little harder.
It’s still unclear how or where Ray got infected, but he and other top brass attended the White House’s reception for Gold Star families on Sunday, at which many participants failed to wear masks. That ceremony took place a day after the White House ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Supreme Court pick, where many at the event seemingly caught the virus. Trump tested positive for the coronavirus about five days after the public Barrett reveal, requiring him to spend a few days at Walter Reed medical center.
Simply put, it’s just not a good look for a top military official to potentially have been infected during a White House event. Ray reportedly felt unwell last Friday, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is roughly within the average time frame in which symptoms begin to show after exposure.
Ray went on to attend meetings with Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Joint Chiefs chair, and other senior Pentagon officials last week in small secure areas. Some of the officials who were in the room with him are still awaiting the results of their coronavirus tests.
Meanwhile, one of Trump’s top military aides, Jayna McCarron of the Coast Guard, also tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday along with an active-duty military valet that traveled with the president around the time he announced his positive coronavirus test.
In the meantime, it’s a good idea for the Joint Chiefs to work from home to keep themselves and others safe. Milley, by virtue of being Trump’s top military adviser, can still receive classified information and communications at home.


vox--2020-10-06--The Supreme Court just gave us a window into how it will handle this election

The Supreme Court handed down a brief order Monday night making it harder for voters in South Carolina to cast a ballot .
The Court ’ s order in Andino v. Middleton is only two paragraphs long , and it is accompanied by a concurring opinion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh that is only about a page long .
Nevertheless , this short order , the dissenting votes of the three most conservative justices , and Kavanaugh ’ s brief opinion provide a great deal of information about how the Supreme Court is likely to handle disputes regarding a presidential election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision in Andino reinstates a South Carolina law requiring absentee voters to have another person sign their ballot as a witness .
A lower court which blocked this law reasoned that this requirement , applied in the context of a deadly pandemic , places too high a burden on voters who fear becoming infected with Covid-19 .
The Supreme Court ’ s decision to reinstate this witness requirement is not surprising .
Last July , in Merrill v. People First of Alabama , the Supreme Court voted along party lines to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Alabama .
Interestingly , no justice publicly dissented from the Court ’ s decision in Andino that South Carolina ’ s witness requirement must be reinstated — although when a party seeks a stay of a lower court order , sometimes dissenting justices quietly dissent without making that fact public .
Justices Clarence Thomas , Samuel Alito , and Neil Gorsuch did note their dissents , however , signaling that they would have tossed out an unknown number of ballots that have already been cast .
Andino reveals that there is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by these three dissenters , and the slightly more moderate views on voting rights held by Roberts and Kavanaugh .
And it shows how Kavanaugh — whose vote would matter a great deal in a 6-3 Republican Court — is likely to treat litigation over the 2020 election .
The dissenting justices ’ position is extraordinarily hostile to the right to vote The position of the three dissenters — Thomas , Alito , and Gorsuch — is astonishing .
The lower court handed down its decision blocking the witness requirement in mid-September , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cast a ballot in South Carolina .
That means that thousands of South Carolina voters cast their ballot while the lower court ’ s order was still in effect .
It ’ s likely that at least some of these voters , acting under the entirely reasonable belief that South Carolina would comply with a federal court order , did not have their ballots signed by a witness — given that until Monday night , the state was subject to a federal court order requiring it to count ballots that were not witnessed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Gorsuch would have ordered unwitnessed ballots tossed out even if they were cast during the period when South Carolina was bound by a court order .
These three justices effectively required voters to anticipate that a federal court order would subsequently be stayed by an order of the Supreme Court of the United States .
Perhaps a voting rights lawyer familiar with the Supreme Court ’ s decision in Merrill could have warned such voters that a Supreme Court stay was likely in the Andino case , but the law typically does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counsel simply to determine how they should cast their ballot .
In any event , Thomas , Alito , and Gorsuch ’ s vote reveals a consuming hostility to the right to vote .
Voting rights plaintiffs , and their lawyers , should likely write off the possibility of these three justices doing anything to protect the franchise .
Kavanaugh ’ s stance is still hostile to the right to vote , but much less so than the three dissenters ’ position Because three members of an eight-justice Court voted to toss out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know that the other five justices did not vote for such a harsh outcome .
Chief Justice John Roberts , Justice Kavanaugh , and the three liberal justices all voted to allow ballots “ cast before this stay issues and received within two days of this order ” to be counted .
Roberts did not explain why he voted the way that he did , but Kavanaugh did write a brief concurring opinion explaining why he thinks that ballots cast in the future must be signed by a witness .
In that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his vote .
The first is the Court ’ s decision in Purcell v. Gonzales ( 2006 ) , which established that “ federal courts ordinarily should not alter state election rules in the period close to an election.
” Kavanaugh ’ s citation to Purcell suggests that he thinks that the lower court should not have changed South Carolina ’ s election rules less than two months before an election .
Kavanaugh ’ s other reason for reinstating South Carolina ’ s witness requirement is worth quoting at some length : Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first is that federal courts typically should not intervene to prevent voters from being disenfranchised during a pandemic .
The decision about whether to alter state election laws to ensure that the coronavirus does not interfere with voters ’ ability to cast a ballot primarily rests with state legislatures .
But Kavanaugh also states that this principle cuts in both directions .
A state ’ s decision “ either to keep or to make changes to election rules to address COVID–19 ” should generally be honored by federal courts .
Thus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal judiciary should permit states to make it easier to vote during the pandemic , should they choose to do so .
That ’ s bad news for President Trump , as Republicans have filed several lawsuits seeking to block state laws making it easer to vote , including a Nevada law providing for vote by mail , and guaranteeing that many ballots that arrive up to three days after Election Day will still be counted .
To be clear , Kavanaugh ’ s opinion is hardly good news for voting rights advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kavanaugh will do nothing to block many laws that disenfranchise voters during the pandemic .
With Republicans about to gain a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court — and with three justices taking an extreme anti-voting stance in Andino — voting rights advocates will likely need Kavanaugh and Roberts ’ s votes to prevail in any case that reaches the Supreme Court .
But Kavanaugh ’ s opinion does suggest that the Supreme Court is more likely to take a position of indifference towards voting rights during the November election , rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible turn .
There is still one live issue before the Supreme Court that isn ’ t discussed in Kavanaugh ’ s opinion .
In Scarnati v. Pennsylvania Democratic Party , Republican lawyers ask the US Supreme Court to block a decision by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania , which requires the state to count mailed ballots that arrive up to three days after the election .
The Purcell decision is generally understood to prevent federal courts from modifying state election law close to an election .
It would be an extraordinary extension @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interpreting their own state ’ s election law .
Indeed , it ’ s not entirely clear how many states could run elections under such circumstances , because disputes about the proper meaning of state election law are inevitable during election season .
If state courts can not interpret those laws , these disputes would go unresolved .
Kavanaugh ’ s opinion in Andino refers only to federal courts .
It remains unlikely that even this very conservative Court will block a state supreme court ’ s decision interpreting that state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court rules in Scarnati , there is at least some risk that a majority of the justices will embrace the Republican Party ’ s position in that case .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already contributed , thank you .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

The Supreme Court handed down a brief order Monday night making it harder for voters in South Carolina to cast a ballot.
The Court’s order in Andino v. Middleton is only two paragraphs long, and it is accompanied by a concurring opinion from Justice Brett Kavanaugh that is only about a page long. Nevertheless, this short order, the dissenting votes of the three most conservative justices, and Kavanaugh’s brief opinion provide a great deal of information about how the Supreme Court is likely to handle disputes regarding a presidential election held amid a pandemic.
The Court’s decision in Andino reinstates a South Carolina law requiring absentee voters to have another person sign their ballot as a witness. A lower court which blocked this law reasoned that this requirement, applied in the context of a deadly pandemic, places too high a burden on voters who fear becoming infected with Covid-19.
The Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate this witness requirement is not surprising. Last July, in Merrill v. People First of Alabama, the Supreme Court voted along party lines to reinstate a similar requirement in the state of Alabama. Interestingly, no justice publicly dissented from the Court’s decision in Andino that South Carolina’s witness requirement must be reinstated — although when a party seeks a stay of a lower court order, sometimes dissenting justices quietly dissent without making that fact public.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch did note their dissents, however, signaling that they would have tossed out an unknown number of ballots that have already been cast.
Andino reveals that there is a meaningful divide between the extreme views held by these three dissenters, and the slightly more moderate views on voting rights held by Roberts and Kavanaugh. And it shows how Kavanaugh — whose vote would matter a great deal in a 6-3 Republican Court — is likely to treat litigation over the 2020 election.
The dissenting justices’ position is extraordinarily hostile to the right to vote
The position of the three dissenters — Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch — is astonishing. The lower court handed down its decision blocking the witness requirement in mid-September, and at least 20,000 voters have already cast a ballot in South Carolina.
That means that thousands of South Carolina voters cast their ballot while the lower court’s order was still in effect. It’s likely that at least some of these voters, acting under the entirely reasonable belief that South Carolina would comply with a federal court order, did not have their ballots signed by a witness — given that until Monday night, the state was subject to a federal court order requiring it to count ballots that were not witnessed.
Nevertheless, Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch would have ordered unwitnessed ballots tossed out even if they were cast during the period when South Carolina was bound by a court order. These three justices effectively required voters to anticipate that a federal court order would subsequently be stayed by an order of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Perhaps a voting rights lawyer familiar with the Supreme Court’s decision in Merrill could have warned such voters that a Supreme Court stay was likely in the Andino case, but the law typically does not require ordinarily voters to hire legal counsel simply to determine how they should cast their ballot.
In any event, Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch’s vote reveals a consuming hostility to the right to vote. Voting rights plaintiffs, and their lawyers, should likely write off the possibility of these three justices doing anything to protect the franchise.
Kavanaugh’s stance is still hostile to the right to vote, but much less so than the three dissenters’ position
Because three members of an eight-justice Court voted to toss out already-cast ballots with no witness signature, we know that the other five justices did not vote for such a harsh outcome. Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Kavanaugh, and the three liberal justices all voted to allow ballots “cast before this stay issues and received within two days of this order” to be counted.
Roberts did not explain why he voted the way that he did, but Kavanaugh did write a brief concurring opinion explaining why he thinks that ballots cast in the future must be signed by a witness.
In that opinion, Kavanaugh offers two justifications for his vote. The first is the Court’s decision in Purcell v. Gonzales (2006), which established that “federal courts ordinarily should not alter state election rules in the period close to an election.” Kavanaugh’s citation to Purcell suggests that he thinks that the lower court should not have changed South Carolina’s election rules less than two months before an election.
Kavanaugh’s other reason for reinstating South Carolina’s witness requirement is worth quoting at some length:
[T]he Constitution “principally entrusts the safety and the health of the people to the politically accountable officials of the States.” “When those officials ‘undertake[ ] to act in areas fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties,’ their latitude ‘must be especially broad.’” It follows that a State legislature’s decision either to keep or to make changes to election rules to address COVID–19 ordinarily “should not be subject to second-guessing by an ‘unelected federal judiciary,’ which lacks the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health and is not accountable to the people.”
Justice Kavanaugh says two significant things here. The first is that federal courts typically should not intervene to prevent voters from being disenfranchised during a pandemic. The decision about whether to alter state election laws to ensure that the coronavirus does not interfere with voters’ ability to cast a ballot primarily rests with state legislatures.
But Kavanaugh also states that this principle cuts in both directions. A state’s decision “either to keep or to make changes to election rules to address COVID–19” should generally be honored by federal courts. Thus, Kavanaugh appears to be signaling that the federal judiciary should permit states to make it easier to vote during the pandemic, should they choose to do so.
That’s bad news for President Trump, as Republicans have filed several lawsuits seeking to block state laws making it easer to vote, including a Nevada law providing for vote by mail, and guaranteeing that many ballots that arrive up to three days after Election Day will still be counted.
To be clear, Kavanaugh’s opinion is hardly good news for voting rights advocates, as it makes it clear that Kavanaugh will do nothing to block many laws that disenfranchise voters during the pandemic. With Republicans about to gain a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court — and with three justices taking an extreme anti-voting stance in Andino — voting rights advocates will likely need Kavanaugh and Roberts’s votes to prevail in any case that reaches the Supreme Court.
But Kavanaugh’s opinion does suggest that the Supreme Court is more likely to take a position of indifference towards voting rights during the November election, rather than actively trying to sabotage Democrats at every possible turn.
There is still one live issue before the Supreme Court that isn’t discussed in Kavanaugh’s opinion. In Scarnati v. Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Republican lawyers ask the US Supreme Court to block a decision by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which requires the state to count mailed ballots that arrive up to three days after the election.
The Purcell decision is generally understood to prevent federal courts from modifying state election law close to an election. It would be an extraordinary extension of Purcell to prevent state courts from interpreting their own state’s election law.
Indeed, it’s not entirely clear how many states could run elections under such circumstances, because disputes about the proper meaning of state election law are inevitable during election season. If state courts cannot interpret those laws, these disputes would go unresolved.
Kavanaugh’s opinion in Andino refers only to federal courts. It remains unlikely that even this very conservative Court will block a state supreme court’s decision interpreting that state’s own election law. But, until the Supreme Court rules in Scarnati, there is at least some risk that a majority of the justices will embrace the Republican Party’s position in that case.


vox--2020-10-06--How a climate bill becomes a reality

How a climate bill becomes a reality

Helluva week in politics , huh ?
And yet , in the background , the world is still warming , the fires still burning , the future still dimming .
There will be plenty of episodes on the election to come .
But I wanted to take a step back and talk about a part of policymaking that is often ignored but that our world may , literally , depend on .
In campaign season , candidates make extravagant promises about all the bills they will pass .
The implicit promise is the passage of those bills will solve the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But that ’ s often not how it works .
Between passage and reality lies what Leah Stokes calls “ the fog of enactment ” : a long , quiet process in which the language of bills is converted into the specificity of laws , and where interest groups and other actors can organize to gut even the strongest legislation .
This is where wins can become losses ; where historic legislative achievements can be turned into desultory , embarrassing failures .
Stokes is a political scientist at UC Santa Barbara and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States .
Her book tracks the fate of a series of clean energy standards passed in the states in recent decades , investigating why some of them failed so miserably , and how others succeeded .
But her book is more than that , too : It ’ s a theory of how policymaking actually works , where it gets hijacked , how power is actually wielded , and how to do policymaking better .
So this conversation on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broadly — we talk about far more than climate , and the principles here apply to virtually everything — but is also about the key question of the next few years narrowly : How do we write a climate bill that actually works ?
My conversation with Stokes can be heard on The Ezra Klein Show .
Subscribe to The Ezra Klein Show wherever you listen to podcasts , including Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Spotify , and Stitcher .
The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power Help keep Vox free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month to understand what ’ s happening in the news , from the coronavirus crisis to a racial reckoning to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
But our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work .
If you have already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Helluva week in politics, huh? And yet, in the background, the world is still warming, the fires still burning, the future still dimming. There will be plenty of episodes on the election to come. But I wanted to take a step back and talk about a part of policymaking that is often ignored but that our world may, literally, depend on.
In campaign season, candidates make extravagant promises about all the bills they will pass. The implicit promise is the passage of those bills will solve the problems they’re meant to address. But that’s often not how it works. Between passage and reality lies what Leah Stokes calls “the fog of enactment”: a long, quiet process in which the language of bills is converted into the specificity of laws, and where interest groups and other actors can organize to gut even the strongest legislation. This is where wins can become losses; where historic legislative achievements can be turned into desultory, embarrassing failures.
Stokes is a political scientist at UC Santa Barbara and the author of Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States. Her book tracks the fate of a series of clean energy standards passed in the states in recent decades, investigating why some of them failed so miserably, and how others succeeded. But her book is more than that, too: It’s a theory of how policymaking actually works, where it gets hijacked, how power is actually wielded, and how to do policymaking better.
So this conversation on The Ezra Klein Show is about policymaking broadly — we talk about far more than climate, and the principles here apply to virtually everything — but is also about the key question of the next few years narrowly: How do we write a climate bill that actually works?
My conversation with Stokes can be heard on The Ezra Klein Show.
Subscribe to The Ezra Klein Show wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Leah Stokes’s book recommendations
Rising by Elizabeth Rush
The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy