vox--2020-10-05--With “Dynamite,” BTS beat the US music industry at its own cheap game

Even if you don ’ t pay much attention to pop music , you most likely have heard of the K-pop boy band BTS .
And you also may be aware of the group ’ s ascent to the Billboard Hot 100 chart ’ s No .
1 spot over the past few weeks , thanks to its late-summer bop “ Dynamite.
” First , the single held steady at the top for two weeks — a true feat in a year when most of us have probably been battling giant attention deficits — then fell to No .
2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bounced back up to No .
1 , kicking off October with , as the song itself declares , “ a little funk and soul.
” Slotting in at No .
2 this week , “ Dynamite ” has now dominated the charts for six weeks straight — a feat that seemed unheard of just six months ago .
The massively popular K-pop group became only the third band in history to release a single that debuted at the top spot , putting it in a league with Aerosmith ( for 1998 ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ na Miss a Thing ” ) and the Jonas Brothers ( for 2019 ’ s “ Sucker ” ) .
It ’ s probably significant that both of those bands , in different ways , are so quintessentially American — because so , too , is “ Dynamite.
” Written by veteran UK producer David Stewart and former UK pop star Jessica Agombar , “ Dynamite ” ’ s production was reverse-engineered from the way the band and its studio BigHit typically operate .
BTS members are all musicians who ’ ve individually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ albums .
“ Dynamite , ” however , was reportedly approved by the head of Columbia Records before the band itself ever signed off on the lyrics .
And those lyrics ... oy vey .
We need to talk about the lyrics to “ Dynamite.
” I need the world to know that BTS ’ s artistry can not and must not be defined the lyrics to “ Dynamite ” — because the lyrics to “ Dynamite ” aren ’ t true BTS lyrics , not really .
They are , instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or at least American producers , think “ American ” music needs to be in order to get radio play and air time .
They ’ re awful .
I hate them — but they ’ re also brilliant .
And I need everyone reading this to understand why .
K-pop has long struggled to win mainstream American acceptance .
BTS got closer than anyone — but it still wasn ’ t enough .
But first , some background : I ’ ve been listening to K-pop since 2005 , and a fan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Not Today ” was the first BTS song that really grabbed my attention , and I ’ ve been on that train ever since .
I think the Korean pop music industry is one of the most sophisticated entertainment industries in the world , and that Korean idol music , is among the smartest , most stylish , and most compelling genres around .
Like many K-pop fans , I ’ ve been deeply frustrated over the years by the inability of Korean idol groups to break into the landscape of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hits like “ Gee ” and “ Gangnam Style ” that were more like novelties than true critical sensations .
The increasingly global success of many newer K-pop bands , along with the advent of major fan conventions in the U.S. like the bi-coastal KCon , have drastically shifted American attitudes towards Korean music over the years .
I couldn ’ t have imagined when I attended the first East coast KCon back in 2015 , for example , that Blackpink would be headlining Coachella just four years later .
But despite all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long been effectively shut out from mainstream American radio play .
I wrote about this quandary in more depth back in March , when BTS managed to score its highest place on the Billboard pop chart yet , with their then-latest single “ On.
” As I noted then , despite BTS garnering a staggering number of global achievements — including performing in Times Square on New Year ’ s Eve , on Saturday Night Live , and at the 2019 and 2020 Grammys — American radio DJs have expressed some very specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air time .
Chief among them : The band ’ s refusal to sing in English .
This explanation — blatant , petty American xenophobia — is the main reason that BTS ’ s previous big singles , from its harder stuff like “ Mic Drop ” to summery , chill bops like “ DNA ” and “ Boy With Luv , ” never managed to really get off the ground in the U.S. , despite having essentially conquered the internet and streaming sales .
Keep in mind that as I write this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 200 weeks straight at # 1 on the Social 50 chart , Billboard ’ s metric for the musical artists with the highest social media engagement .
That ’ s almost four years at the top of the chart .
That ’ s a lot of weeks to be , as one fan put it , “ the biggest group in the world with the worst radio play.
” Because not enough radio stations had begun to budge on their xenophobic discrimination , “ On ” was only able to reach # 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hot 100 Top 5 at all was a major and important milestone , but the band ’ s longtime goal was to reach # 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 .
Prior to “ On , ” the band was always extremely vocal about its dream of chart dominance — without sacrificing its identity by singing in English .
“ We don ’ t want to change our identity or our genuineness to get the number one , ” the band ’ s leader RM told Time last year .
“ If we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change all these other things , then that ’ s not BTS.
” In retrospect , “ On ” really feels like a last-ditch , full-out effort to break that barrier once and for all .
For that single , BigHit brought out a literal brass band , produced two separate music videos and a dance video , dropped a radio edit featuring Sia , and shut down Grand Central Station for a fantastic taped performance on The Tonight Show .
It was all great — and none of it was enough .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d never do : they changed tactics .
They gave in .
They released a song that was , for the first time ever , entirely in English .
Missing the mark with “ On ” seems to be the point at which the band capitulated on its longstanding rule about recording songs in Korean .
And lo and behold , the moment they released that English-language song , “ Dynamite , ” the band suddenly got extensive radio play — over 1,500 plays around the country on its first day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in part thanks to fans who worked their asses off to stream and download the song obsessively , BTS finally got their coveted # 1 .
And then they got it again , and again .
Then they released a record-breaking ( and marvelous ) Tiny Desk concert .
Then The Tonight Show dedicated an entire week to showcasing its artistry .
To be clear : It ’ s absolutely amazing that the runaway success of “ Dynamite ” made all of this happened .
These are marks of distinction that feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that it happened because of this song in particular — well .
Let us consider the most popular song in America right now .
“ Dynamite ” is a collection of disjointed clichés that are trolling Americans The songwriters themselves frame “ Dynamite ” as a bop for the pandemic .
Agombar , who ’ s credited on plenty of peppy hits like the Jonas Brothers ’ “ What A Man Got ta Do , ” told Billboard that she and Stewart wanted to produce an infectious , uplifting hit in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And musically , at least , “ Dynamite ” hits the spot : It ’ s a self-announced blend of “ a little funk and soul , ” infused with lightly synthesized harmonies .
The band coasts over a backing track with an itchy electric guitar and intermittent horns until everything drops out for an a cappella chorus of “ Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-EY !
” that you can ’ t help but sing along to .
It ’ s bubble pop at its best , an infectious delight .
But the lyrics of “ Dynamite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first line ( “ Shoes on , get up in the morn , cup of milk , let ’ s rock and roll ” ) is a surreal echo of the first line of Rebecca Black ’ s notoriously terrible song “ Friday ” ( “ Seven a.m. , waking up in the morning ... got ta have my bowl , got ta have cereal ” ) .
It ’ s all downhill from there , devolving into a loose connection of aphorisms and idioms that sound vaguely fun , peppy , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues through a series of imagistic rhymes with little to no connection to each other : “ King Kong , kick the drum , rolling on like a rolling stone / Sing song when I ’ m walking home , jump up to the top , LeBron / Ding-dong , call me on my phone / Ice tea and a game of ping pong ” .
By the time we ’ ve reached the second verse , the song has spread out into random disjointed things Americans allegedly say : “ Ladies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so you should keep your eyes on the ball.
” Or , “ Disco overload , I ’ m into that , I ’ m good to go.
” None of these things make any sense , form a coherent picture , or really allow us to visualize what city is “ the City ” that our seven band members are “ shining through.
” The band ’ s performance of the song at the VMAs in August seemed to suggest it was Manhattan , but the music video portrays it as something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the image of “ iced tea and a game of ping pong , ” which sounds like something closer to ... anywhere from Atlanta to Seoul .
The mandate on the form of “ Dynamite ” came not from BTS itself or from BigHit , but from Columbia CEO Ron Perry ; according to Stewart , the band members and their studio suggested only a few minor lyrical changes .
As Agombar noted , Perry “ knew exactly what he wanted.
” What he wanted was a song built around lyrics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an algorithm spitting out random artificial answers to the question : “ What are things Americans like ?
” Computer whirr .
“ Lebron !
” Computer whirr .
“ Iced tea !
” Computer whirr .
“ THE CITY !
” And that ’ s fine on one level , because god knows that from “ someone left the cake out in the rain ” to “ why be mad when you can be glad ?
” , pop music has never had a shortage of terrible lyrics .
But on another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s infuriating that BTS had to release a song that ’ s the most distorted , clichéd version of what Americans would expect a K-pop song in English to be , simply because that ’ s the only way their label thought they could get radio play in the US .
Perry ’ s goal was allegedly to attain the “ holy grail ” for BTS : a song that could chart at # 1 .
But some salient background context : Perry and his company , which has handled BigHit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have long been criticized by BTS fans for failing to properly promote BTS to U.S. radio stations .
For example , although Columbia handled the U.S. distribution for BTS ’ s two major singles earlier this year , “ On ” and the stunning “ Black Swan , ” BigHit carried most of the band ’ s American promotion .
Both singles underperformed in radio plays , and Columbia getting slammed by fans for not doing more to push the music .
In contrast , for “ Dynamite ’ s ” release , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news that BTS would be singing in English : I suspect the real reason that Perry wanted native English songwriters to produce this nonsensical song full of random Americana wasn ’ t that BTS ’ s existing music wasn ’ t good enough to do well on American radio .
I suspect , rather , that BTS ’ s existing music wasn ’ t good enough for him .
( Vox has reached out to Columbia for comment . )
But there ’ s an ultimate delightful benefit to Perry ’ s myopia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American industry ’ s demand for a song that caters to American ’ s worst expectations , BTS has essentially trolled all of us .
Hopefully “ Dynamite ” will allow Americans to finally see the full range of BTS ’ s talent To be blunt : While “ Dynamite ” is catchy and fun , it offers nothing that ’ s superior in any way to any BTS song before it .
The only thing it offers beyond general good vibes and charming musicality is a kind of birds ’ eye view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ native Koreans .
“ Dynamite ” is what a British songwriter thinks real Americans think “ America ” might look like to a bunch of Korean singers .
It ’ s America refracted , then refracted again , then placed onto the shoulders of a bunch of sophisticated international musicians whose artistry is so high that they somehow managed to transform it from a kitschy mess into one of the most solid hits of the year .
By totally owning “ Dynamite , ” the band played the US music industry ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its superficiality better than any other artist in my recent memory .
Which song should really have been BTS ’ s first US No .
1 ?
“ Moon , ” one of their other 2020 singles .
I know “ Moon ” could have easily charted No .
1 in the U.S. , because it topped the iTunes store ’ s sales chart this year in over 100 countries , including the US .
I ’ m clearly biased here , because “ Moon ” is my favorite song of 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a bevy of international songwriters including band members Jin and RM , “ Moon ” is a lush , bouncy treat .
The lyrics are a marvelously sophisticated love letter to fans in which Jin weaves a metaphor of himself as a lonely satellite that ’ s chosen to revolve around , and reflect light upon , the fans who love him .
“ Everyone says I am beautiful , ” he sings , “ but my oceans are all pitch-black / A star where flowers bloom and the sky is deep-blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beautiful is you.
” All of this is , of course , conveyed mostly in Korean — and the average American listener won ’ t know what the lyrics mean until they seek them out .
But I believe that most of BTS ’ s music itself is enough to get across the sense of the lyrics .
In “ Moon ” ’ s case both the music and lyrics are beautiful , magnetic — BTS at its best .
This is the BTS that deserves to be topping the Billboard charts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure American pop music fans — or at least the US pop music industry — even deserve a song like “ Moon.
” Not when they ’ re begging for something as lyrically insipid as “ Dynamite ” instead .
Still , following the success of “ Dynamite , ” mainstream media is now noticing what many of us noticed long ago : The success and infiltration into the US mainstream of international artists is not a fluke .
BTS is a disruptive force in the industry , one that marks a change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopefully that means “ Dynamite ” will finally blow the hinges off the gates the U.S. industry has been keeping shut , not only so that more international artists can pass through them , but so they can do so on their own terms — without having to pander to a broad-based culture that doesn ’ t appreciate them unless they ’ ve draped themselves in red , white , and blue .
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Even if you don’t pay much attention to pop music, you most likely have heard of the K-pop boy band BTS. And you also may be aware of the group’s late-summer bop “Dynamite,” which made history when it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s No. 1 spot — then made history again when it scored the band a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance.
First, the single held steady at the top for two weeks — a true feat in a year when most of us have probably been battling giant attention deficits — then fell to No. 2 in week three and four, then bounced back up to No. 1, kicking off October with, as the song itself declares, “a little funk and soul.” “Dynamite” dominated the charts for six weeks straight — a feat that seemed unheard of just six months ago.
The massively popular K-pop group became only the third band in history to release a single that debuted at the top spot, putting it in a league with Aerosmith (for 1998’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing”) and the Jonas Brothers (for 2019’s “Sucker”). It’s probably significant that both of those bands, in different ways, are so quintessentially American — because so, too, is “Dynamite.”
Written by veteran UK producer David Stewart and former UK pop star Jessica Agombar, “Dynamite”’s production was reverse-engineered from the way the band and its studio BigHit typically operate. BTS members are all musicians who’ve individually produced and written tracks on their own albums. “Dynamite,” however, was reportedly approved by the head of Columbia Records before the band itself ever signed off on the lyrics.
And those lyrics ... oy vey. We need to talk about the lyrics to “Dynamite.” I need the world to know that BTS’s artistry cannot and must not be defined by the lyrics to “Dynamite” — because the lyrics to “Dynamite” aren’t true BTS lyrics, not really.
They are, instead, a consummate subversion of what Americans, or at least American producers, think “American” music needs to be in order to get radio play and air time. They’re awful. I hate them — but they’re also brilliant. And I need everyone reading this to understand why.
K-pop has long struggled to win mainstream American acceptance. BTS got closer than anyone — but it still wasn’t enough.
But first, some background: I’ve been listening to K-pop since 2005, and a fan of BTS since 2016 or so — “Not Today” was the first BTS song that really grabbed my attention, and I’ve been on that train ever since. I think the Korean pop music industry is one of the most sophisticated entertainment industries in the world, and that Korean idol music is among the smartest, most stylish, and most compelling genres around.
Like many K-pop fans, I’ve been deeply frustrated over the years by the inability of Korean idol groups to break into the landscape of American pop music, beyond a few viral hits like “Gee” and “Gangnam Style” that were more like novelties than true critical sensations. The increasingly global success of many newer K-pop bands, along with the advent of major fan conventions in the U.S. like the bi-coastal KCon, have drastically shifted American attitudes towards Korean music over the years. I couldn’t have imagined when I attended the first East coast KCon back in 2015, for example, that Blackpink would be headlining Coachella just four years later.
But despite all of these inroads, K-pop bands have long been effectively shut out from mainstream American radio play. I wrote about this quandary in more depth back in March, when BTS managed to score its highest place on the Billboard pop chart yet, with their then-latest single “On.”
As I noted then, despite BTS garnering a staggering number of global achievements — including performing in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, on Saturday Night Live, and at the 2019 and 2020 Grammys — American radio DJs have expressed some very specific reasons for not giving the band more air time. Chief among them: The band’s refusal to sing in English.
This explanation — blatant, petty American xenophobia — is the main reason that BTS’s previous big singles, from its harder stuff like “Mic Drop” to summery, chill bops like “DNA” and “Boy With Luv,” never managed to really get off the ground in the U.S., despite having essentially conquered the internet and streaming sales. Keep in mind that as I write this, BTS is just shy of spending 200 weeks straight at #1 on the Social 50 chart, Billboard’s metric for the musical artists with the highest social media engagement. That’s almost four years at the top of the chart.
That’s a lot of weeks to be, as one fan put it, “the biggest group in the world with the worst radio play.”
BTS hit a xenophobic wall. So it changed tactics.
Because not enough radio stations had begun to budge on their xenophobic discrimination, “On” was only able to reach #4 back in March. Breaking into the Hot 100 Top 5 at all was a major and important milestone, but the band’s longtime goal was to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Prior to “On,” the band was always extremely vocal about its dream of attaining chart dominance without sacrificing its identity by singing in English. “We don’t want to change our identity or our genuineness to get the number one,” the band’s leader RM told Time last year. “If we sing suddenly in full English, and change all these other things, then that’s not BTS.”
In retrospect, “On” really feels like a last-ditch, full-out effort to break that barrier once and for all. For that single, BigHit brought out a literal brass band, produced two separate music videos and a dance video, dropped a radio edit featuring Sia, and shut down Grand Central Station for a fantastic taped performance on The Tonight Show. It was all great — and none of it was enough.
bts had the potential to go #1 on hot100 during ON era had it not been blacklisted by radios with millions of views deleted. we debuted in the top4 even though we didn’t have 1% of the organisation we had for dynamite. the industry’s tactics just confirms every suspicion i had — ki⁷ #BE (@btsroyaIty) September 27, 2020
So BTS did what they said they’d never do: they changed tactics. They gave in. They released a song that was, for the first time ever, entirely in English.
Missing the mark with “On” seems to be the point at which the band capitulated on its longstanding rule about recording songs in Korean. And lo and behold, the moment they released that English-language song, “Dynamite,” the band suddenly got extensive radio play — over 1,500 plays around the country on its first day of release. With this final obstacle cleared, in part thanks to fans who worked their asses off to stream and download the song obsessively, BTS finally got their coveted #1. And then they got it again, and again. Then they released a record-breaking (and marvelous) Tiny Desk concert. Then The Tonight Show dedicated an entire week to showcasing its artistry.
To be clear: It’s absolutely amazing that the runaway success of “Dynamite” made all of this happened. These are marks of distinction that feel long overdue for BTS.
But the fact that it happened because of this song in particular — well.
Let us consider the most popular song in America right now.
“Dynamite” is a collection of disjointed clichés that are trolling Americans
The songwriters themselves frame “Dynamite” as a bop for the pandemic. Agombar, who’s credited on plenty of peppy hits like the Jonas Brothers’ “What A Man Gotta Do,” told Billboard that she and Stewart wanted to produce an infectious, uplifting hit in the middle of a very downbeat year. And musically, at least, “Dynamite” hits the spot: It’s a self-announced blend of “a little funk and soul,” infused with lightly synthesized harmonies.
The band coasts over a backing track with a scratchy electric guitar and intermittent horns until everything drops out for an a cappella chorus of “Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-EY!” that you can’t help but sing along to. It’s bubble pop at its best, an infectious delight.
But the lyrics of “Dynamite” are a total mess. The first line (“Shoes on, get up in the morn, cup of milk, let’s rock and roll”) is a surreal echo of the first line of Rebecca Black’s notoriously terrible song “Friday” (“Seven a.m., waking up in the morning ... gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal”). It’s all downhill from there, devolving into a loose connection of aphorisms and idioms that sound vaguely fun, peppy, and pointedly “American.”
The first verse continues through a series of imagistic rhymes with little to no connection to each other: “King Kong, kick the drum, rolling on like a rolling stone / Sing song when I’m walking home, jump up to the top, LeBron / Ding-dong, call me on my phone / Ice tea and a game of ping pong”. By the time we’ve reached the second verse, the song has spread out into random disjointed things Americans allegedly say: “Ladies and gentlemen, I got the medicine, so you should keep your eyes on the ball.” Or, “Disco overload, I’m into that, I’m good to go.”
None of these things make any sense, form a coherent picture, or really allow us to visualize what city is “the City” that our seven band members are “shining through.” The band’s performance of the song at the VMAs in August seemed to suggest it was Manhattan, but the music video portrays it as something closer to Las Vegas. Then there’s the image of “iced tea and a game of ping pong,” which sounds like something closer to ... anywhere from Atlanta to Seoul.
The mandate on the form of “Dynamite” came not from BTS itself or from BigHit, but from Columbia CEO Ron Perry; according to Stewart, the band members and their studio suggested only a few minor lyrical changes. As Agombar noted, Perry “knew exactly what he wanted.” What he wanted was a song built around lyrics that sounded like they were created by an algorithm spitting out random artificial answers to the question: “What are things Americans like?” Computer whirr. “LeBron!” Computer whirr. “Iced tea!” Computer whirr. “THE CITY!”
And that’s fine on one level, because god knows that from “someone left the cake out in the rain” to “why be mad when you can be glad?”, pop music has never had a shortage of terrible lyrics. But on another level, it’s infuriating. It’s infuriating that BTS had to release a song that’s the most distorted, clichéd version of what Americans would expect a K-pop song in English to be, simply because that’s the only way their label thought they could get radio play in the US.
Perry’s goal was allegedly to attain the “holy grail” for BTS: a song that could chart at #1. But some salient background context: Perry and his company, which has handled BigHit’s U.S. distribution for years, have long been criticized by BTS fans for failing to properly promote BTS to U.S. radio stations. For example, although Columbia handled the U.S. distribution for BTS’s two major singles earlier this year, “On” and the stunning “Black Swan,” BigHit carried most of the band’s American promotion. Both singles underperformed in radio plays, and Columbia got slammed by fans for not doing more to push the music.
In contrast, for “Dynamite’s” release, Columbia literally centered its promotion around the news that BTS would be singing in English:
I suspect the real reason that Perry wanted native English songwriters to produce this nonsensical song full of random Americana wasn’t that BTS’s existing music wasn’t good enough to do well on American radio. I suspect, rather, that BTS’s existing music wasn’t good enough for him. (Vox has reached out to Columbia for comment.)
But there’s an ultimate delightful benefit to Perry’s myopia — because by so effectively fulfilling the American industry’s demand for a song that caters to American’s worst expectations, BTS has essentially trolled all of us.
Hopefully “Dynamite” will allow Americans to finally see the full range of BTS’s talent
To be blunt: While “Dynamite” is catchy and fun, it offers nothing that’s superior in any way to any BTS song before it. The only thing it offers beyond general good vibes and charming musicality is a kind of birds’ eye view of America — sung in English by native Koreans.
“Dynamite” is what a British songwriter thinks real Americans think “America” might look like to a bunch of Korean singers. It’s America refracted, then refracted again, then placed onto the shoulders of a bunch of sophisticated international musicians whose artistry is so high that they somehow managed to transform it from a kitschy mess into one of the most solid hits of the year. By totally owning “Dynamite,” the band played the US music industry’s cheap game so well that they exposed its superficiality better than any other artist in my recent memory.
Which song should really have been BTS’s first US No. 1? “Moon,” one of their other 2020 singles. I know “Moon” could have easily charted No. 1 in the U.S., because it topped the iTunes store’s sales chart this year in over 100 countries, including the US.
I’m clearly biased here, because “Moon” is my favorite song of 2020. Performed by BTS member Jin and written by a bevy of international songwriters including band members Jin and RM, “Moon” is a lush, bouncy treat. The lyrics are a marvelously sophisticated love letter to fans in which Jin weaves a metaphor of himself as a lonely satellite that’s chosen to revolve around, and reflect light upon, the fans who love him.
“Everyone says I am beautiful,” he sings, “but my oceans are all pitch-black / A star where flowers bloom and the sky is deep-blue / The one that’s truly beautiful is you.” All of this is, of course, conveyed mostly in Korean — and the average American listener won’t know what the lyrics mean until they seek them out.
But I believe that most of BTS’s music itself is enough to get across the sense of the lyrics. In “Moon”’s case both the music and lyrics are beautiful, magnetic — BTS at its best. This is the BTS that deserves to be topping the Billboard charts. But frankly, I’m not sure American pop music fans — or at least the US pop music industry — even deserve a song like “Moon.” Not when they’re begging for something as lyrically insipid as “Dynamite” instead.
Still, following the success of “Dynamite,” mainstream media is now noticing what many of us noticed long ago: The success and infiltration into the US mainstream of international artists is not a fluke. BTS is a disruptive force in the industry, one that marks a change that’s here to stay.
Hopefully that means “Dynamite” will finally blow the hinges off the gates the U.S. industry has been keeping shut, not only so that more international artists can pass through them, but so they can do so on their own terms — without having to pander to a broad-based culture that doesn’t appreciate them unless they’ve draped themselves in red, white, and blue.


vox--2020-10-05--California’s largest wildfire on record is now a million-acre “gigafire”

A single wildfire in California has reached the stunning size of more than 1 million acres , becoming the first “ gigafire ” in the state in decades .
As of Monday morning , the August Complex Fire in the northern part of the state had burned at least 1,002,000 acres and was 54 percent contained , according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ( Cal Fire ) .
The area that has burned since the fire ignited on August 16 is larger than Rhode Island and spans seven counties .
The blaze is just one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Golden State right now in what has already been an extraordinary year for these sweeping infernos .
Across the state , fires have burned a record-shattering 4 million acres so far in 2020 .
“ The 4 million mark is unfathomable .
It boggles the mind , and it takes your breath away , ” Scott McLean , a spokesperson for Cal Fire , told the Associated Press on October 4 .
“ And that number will grow.
” At least 31 people have died in California as a result of the fires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risks of deadly air pollution as clouds of smoke settle over urban areas .
The fires have also destroyed more than 8,000 structures .
And it ’ s not just California that ’ s been burned badly ; Western states including Oregon , Washington , and Colorado have also seen severe wildfires this year .
It ’ s the breathtaking culmination of bad luck , years of poor forestry practices , urban development , and climate change .
Why wildfires got to be so bad in 2020 A number of factors have converged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This summer , much of the western United States experienced record heat and severe drought conditions .
That left grasses , shrubs , and forests dry and ready to burn .
In August , Northern California experienced a massive thunderstorm that delivered little rain but more than 11,000 lightning strikes , igniting more than 300 blazes , including the fires that make up the August Complex .
Typically , the vast majority of wildfires are ignited by human sources , like power lines , camp fires , heavy machinery , and arson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a natural source is unusual .
But 2020 ’ s wildfires are emerging on top of a growing trend of large , dangerous wildfires , especially in California .
Of the 20 largest fires on record in California , 17 have ignited since 2000 .
The five largest wildfires in state history ignited this year .
Wildfires are a natural and important part of forest , grassland , and chaparral shrubland in the West .
However , human activity is making these wildfires worse at every step .
That ’ s due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is leading to hotter , arid conditions that fuel larger wildfires .
Another consequence of climate change is that the wildfire season itself is getting longer .
“ What you can say is that our fire seasons here in California have on average expanded by 75 days , ” Lynnette Round , a spokesperson for Cal Fire , told Vox in September .
“ Our summers are longer , which means that conditions are hotter , they ’ re drier , and that makes us more susceptible to wildfires.
” It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildland-urban interface as neighborhoods sprawl into fire zones .
That increases the risk of igniting a fire and raises the damage total of the blazes that do occur .
Decades of suppressing naturally occurring wildfires have also led vegetation to accumulate so that when conditions do get hot and dry , there ’ s much more fuel to burn .
California has also seen years of clear-cutting diverse forests and replacing them with a single tree species .
A diverse array of species in a forest helps naturally regulate and limit wildfires while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires .
Historically , there have been larger individual gigafires sporadically in the western United States .
The Great Fire of 1910 burned more than 3 million acres across Idaho and Montana , for instance .
But since the 1970s , the overall annual area burned by wildfires has been trending upward , and in California , the August Complex is now the largest on record for the state .
Forecasts show that conditions remain ripe to spread wildfires .
For the August Complex , Cal Fire is expecting high temperatures and low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And autumn is the season for high winds like the Diablo Winds in Northern California that can gust up to 70 mph .
As these winds pick up , they could spread the flames further .
In addition to the immense challenge of containing such a huge blaze burning in the wilderness , firefighters have to contend with the Covid-19 pandemic , forcing crews to take infection control precautions as they try to keep the flames in check .
California ’ s firefighting efforts also rely on prison labor , with almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid between $ 2 and $ 5 a day , plus $ 1 per hour when fighting a fire .
However , Covid-19 has spread in prisons , forcing the state to release some inmates to relieve overcrowding and to quarantine others .
That has left the state scrambling to make up the labor shortfall .
These factors are only complicating what has already been a brutal year for the Golden State .
Help keep Vox free for all Millions turn to Vox each month to understand what ’ s happening in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

A single wildfire in California has reached the stunning size of more than 1 million acres, becoming the first “gigafire” in the state in decades.
As of Tuesday morning, the August Complex Fire in the northern part of the state had burned at least 1,003,300 acres and was 54 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). The area that has burned since the fire ignited on August 16 is larger than Rhode Island and spans seven counties.
The blaze is just one of almost two dozen major wildfires in the Golden State right now in what has already been an extraordinary year for these sweeping infernos.
Across the state, fires have burned a record-shattering 4 million acres so far in 2020. “The 4 million mark is unfathomable. It boggles the mind, and it takes your breath away,” Scott McLean, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, told the Associated Press on October 4. “And that number will grow.”
At least 31 people have died in California as a result of the fires, and millions are facing the health risks of deadly air pollution as clouds of smoke settle over urban areas. The fires have also destroyed more than 8,000 structures.
And it’s not just California that’s been burned badly; Western states including Oregon, Washington, and Colorado have also seen severe wildfires this year. It’s the breathtaking culmination of bad luck, years of poor forestry practices, urban development, and climate change.
Why wildfires got to be so bad in 2020
A number of factors have converged to create this unprecedented season of wildfires. This summer, much of the western United States experienced record heat and severe drought conditions. That left grasses, shrubs, and forests dry and ready to burn. In August, Northern California experienced a massive thunderstorm that delivered little rain but more than 11,000 lightning strikes, igniting more than 300 blazes, including the fires that make up the August Complex.
Typically, the vast majority of wildfires are ignited by human sources, like power lines, camp fires, heavy machinery, and arson, so having so many blazes sparked from a natural source is unusual.
But 2020’s wildfires are emerging on top of a growing trend of large, dangerous wildfires, especially in California. Of the 20 largest fires on record in California, 17 have ignited since 2000. The five largest wildfires in state history ignited this year.
5 of the largest wildfires in CA history have occurred this year. As we move further into fall we recognize that we still have the potential to experience more large & damaging wildfires so we remain prepared. Make sure you & your family also plan, prepare, & stay aware. pic.twitter.com/blmgo4r52p — CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) September 30, 2020
Wildfires are a natural and important part of forest, grassland, and chaparral shrubland in the West. However, human activity is making these wildfires worse at every step.
That’s due in part to climate change, which is leading to hotter, arid conditions that fuel larger wildfires.
Another consequence of climate change is that the wildfire season itself is getting longer. “What you can say is that our fire seasons here in California have on average expanded by 75 days,” Lynnette Round, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, told Vox in September. “Our summers are longer, which means that conditions are hotter, they’re drier, and that makes us more susceptible to wildfires.”
It’s also due to human development in the wildland-urban interface as neighborhoods sprawl into fire zones. That increases the risk of igniting a fire and raises the damage total of the blazes that do occur.
Decades of suppressing naturally occurring wildfires have also led vegetation to accumulate so that when conditions do get hot and dry, there’s much more fuel to burn. California has also seen years of clear-cutting diverse forests and replacing them with a single tree species. A diverse array of species in a forest helps naturally regulate and limit wildfires while monocultures can become more vulnerable to major fires.
Historically, there have been larger individual gigafires sporadically in the western United States. The Great Fire of 1910 burned more than 3 million acres across Idaho and Montana, for instance. But since the 1970s, the overall annual area burned by wildfires has been trending upward, and in California, the August Complex is now the largest on record for the state.
Forecasts show that conditions remain ripe to spread wildfires. For the August Complex, Cal Fire is expecting high temperatures and low humidity levels, but lower wind speeds. And autumn is the season for high winds like the Diablo Winds in Northern California that can gust up to 70 mph. As these winds pick up, they could spread the flames further.
In addition to the immense challenge of containing such a huge blaze burning in the wilderness, firefighters have to contend with the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing crews to take infection control precautions as they try to keep the flames in check. California’s firefighting efforts also rely on prison labor, with almost 200 inmate fire crews. Inmates are paid between $2 and $5 a day, plus $1 per hour when fighting a fire. However, Covid-19 has spread in prisons, forcing the state to release some inmates to relieve overcrowding and to quarantine others. That has left the state scrambling to make up the labor shortfall.
These factors are only complicating what has already been a brutal year for the Golden State.


vox--2020-10-05--How to vote by mail in 2020

How to vote by mail in 2020

Vox answers your biggest questions about the 2020 US presidential election , which could be one of the most consequential of our lifetimes .
Like just about every other facet of life in America , Election Day is going to look a little bit different in 2020 .
Though voters will still go to the polls , at least in most states , a record number of people are expected to vote by mail from the comfort of their homes .
But while in a normal election you probably just need to know two dates — when to register to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election is — there are a few more to keep track of if you plan to vote by mail this November .
Vox is here to help .
First , make sure you ’ re registered — some states ’ relevant deadlines are as early as October 4 ( many have later deadlines if you are voting in person ) .
Then you should know what types of voting your state allows , and where it falls on the spectrum of making it easy ( or hard ) for voters to cast their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few states conduct their elections solely through the mail , the vast majority of American states and territories have expanded absentee voting during the pandemic to permit any voter to cast a ballot by mail .
Some , however , still have strict requirements for who can get an absentee ballot .
Specifically , most states require that you submit an absentee ballot request ( absentee voting is functionally the same thing as mail-in voting , despite what President Donald Trump may say ) .
Then it ’ s a good idea to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to show up , and of course when you need to return it so that it ’ s counted .
For ballot requests and/or returns , remember the relevant deadline may be for receipt , not postmarking .
Treat the deadlines with extreme caution , though : The USPS warned 46 states and the District of Columbia in late July this year that the anticipated surge of absentee voting could be such that some ballots arrive too late to be counted .
What ’ s more , Trump ’ s unfounded animus against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Postal Service could make things even harder .
None of that is to dissuade you from voting by mail , but it should underscore the critical importance of requesting your ballot early and voting early .
Some more words of warning : The rules aren ’ t totally settled in some places .
And there are a lot of active lawsuits over state election laws right now , some of which are trying to make it easier to vote absentee and others that are trying to cut back on it .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with your local elections office about deadlines and rules that may vary by county ; rules for military and overseas voters vary , too .
Finally , be sure to fill out and seal your ballot carefully , as it may be rejected if it ’ s missing a requirement like a matching signature .
In several states , certification by a witness or notary may be required .
If you ’ re not sure how you plan to vote — in many states , early in-person voting is also an option , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a secure ballot dropbox !
— then Vox ’ s Jen Kirby has the comprehensive voting guide for you .
( Note : In some states , you may have to vote provisionally if you request a mail ballot but decide to vote in person .
You may also be able to track your ballot to ensure it gets to election officials . )
But if you are planning to vote by mail , Vox has collected the dates you need to know — deadlines to register to vote ( if you want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to apply for an absentee ballot , dates when ballots are expected to go out to voters , and deadlines to return your ballot — right here .
Read on for those dates in all 50 states and Washington , DC , organized by how easy or difficult it is to vote by mail in each .
Or go ahead and do a page “ find ” search to see your state deadlines quickly .
Again , it ’ s best to get started well before the deadlines to account for mailing windows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vary and are subject to change .
Check with a local election official if you have any questions about how to vote .
If you live in Colorado , Hawaii , Oregon , Utah , or Washington , you ’ re in luck .
All five states already use universal vote-by-mail systems , so , pandemic notwithstanding , not much has changed .
If you ’ re registered to vote , a ballot should show up in your mailbox — you just need to get it back in the mail , or into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s received by your state ’ s deadline — or well before it .
That ’ s not to say you couldn ’ t go vote in-person on Election Day if you wanted to — voting centers or county elections offices in all five states allow you to cast a vote day-of if you so choose — but voting by mail is more readily accessible .
Here are the deadlines you need to know : • Register to vote by : Oct. 26 if voting by mail • Ballots expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • Ballots expected to be mailed by : Oct. 16 • Return your ballot by : 6 pm on Nov. 3 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 14 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 13 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 2 ; received between Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 by canvass date ; Nov. 3 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be mailed out : Oct. 16 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 If you live in California , Nevada , New Jersey , Vermont , or the District of Columbia , voting absentee should be straightforward .
On account of the coronavirus pandemic , all four states and DC plan to automatically send absentee ballots to registered voters .
In Nevada and New Jersey , things have been complicated by pending Trump campaign lawsuits that seek to block the states from sending an absentee ballot to every registered voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points out , there are plenty of reasons to doubt that effort will succeed , but it ’ s worth keeping an eye on as Election Day draws closer .
In any case , if you live in one of these states and you ’ re registered to vote , you should have an absentee ballot coming your way ahead of the November election .
Here ’ s when you can expect them , and when they need to be returned by to be counted : • Ballots expected to start to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 20 • Register to vote by : Oct. 13 , or Oct. 26 if you ’ re registering in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : First week of October • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 10 • Register to vote by : Oct. 6 , or Oct. 29 if registering online • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Late September or early October • Return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 ; received by Nov. 10 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by 8 pm on Nov. 5 • Register to vote by : Day-of registration available • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : Received by 7 pm on Nov. 3 or returned to the town clerk ’ s office by close of business on Nov. 2 If you live in one of about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ step to deal with before you can vote from home .
Though almost every state has expanded absentee ballot access in the face of the coronavirus pandemic ( we ’ ll get to the ones that haven ’ t — like Texas and Mississippi — in a minute ) , most still require voters to request an absentee ballot .
That means there are at least two dates to know : when you need to submit your request by , and when your ballot needs to be returned by .
In some cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be sent an absentee ballot application to fill out if they wish .
In other states , you might need to seek out an application on the state ’ s election website ( frequently found on the secretary of state ’ s site ) .
Montana is somewhat of a strange case : In addition to having no-excuse absentee voting , counties have the option of switching to something more similar to universal mail-in voting in the pandemic .
Most have done so , though all will have in-person polling places open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the following states always allow for no-excuse absentee voting , others in this category have only recently adopted that policy in response to Covid-19 .
Yet others , such as Alabama and Kentucky , still technically require an excuse — but coronavirus concerns are enough .
One last thing : Several states , like Wyoming and Minnesota , don ’ t have a ballot request deadline to speak of , but that doesn ’ t mean you don ’ t need to do it early .
Just because you can request a ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean it ’ ll show up in time for you to vote it .
• Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 2 ; received by noon on Nov. 3 • Ballots must be notarized or signed by two witnesses .
• Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 9 ( earlier for remote , military , and overseas voters ) • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 13 • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 7 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 27 by mail or online ; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : 7:30 pm on Nov. 3 • Register to vote by : Oct. 27 ( postmarked-by date if registering by mail ) • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 30 by mail ; Nov. 2 by noon if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 24 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Oct. 23 by mail ; Oct. 30 if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 29 by mail ; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 24 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 17 • Request your ballot by : 5 pm on Oct. 24 • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out : Oct. 5 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 2 ; received by Nov. 9 ; in person by Nov. 3 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 14 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 6 • Register to vote by : 4 pm on Oct. 5 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 14 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 6 • Register to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 4 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Request must be received by Oct. 20 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 24 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by 10 am on Nov. 13 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Late September or early October • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote by Oct. 19 online or by mail ; in person through Election Day • Request your ballot by : Oct. 30 by mail ; Nov. 3 by 4 pm local time if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 at the clerk ’ s office ; or postmarked by Nov. 2 and received by Nov. 17 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; received by Nov. 10 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 21 by mail ; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 22 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • If you ’ re not in a category at risk for Covid-19 , absentee ballots must be notarized .
• Request your ballot by : noon on Nov. 2 ( if needed in your county ) • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 9 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 28 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Register to vote by : Oct. 21 to Oct. 28 ( varies by county ) ; registration for voting absentee requires a witness • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 4 • Return your ballot by : 5 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : 5 pm on Oct. 20 • Ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Oct. 12 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 27 by mail ; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 10 or by Nov. 4 without a postmark • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 4 , the earliest in the country • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This extended deadline is being contested , however . )
• Ballots must be signed by a witness .
• Register to vote by : Voter registration not required • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 24 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 2 ; received by Nov. 9 ( before canvass ) ; in person by Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 31 by noon • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 6 • Return your ballot by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Nov. 13 ; in person by Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : 5 pm on Oct. 27 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : 5 pm on Oct. 27 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 14 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by 8 pm on Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 6 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 13 by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : 8 pm on Nov. 3 • Register to vote by : Oct. 5 , or Oct. 4 online • Request your ballot by : Oct. 24 , or Oct. 30 in person • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Oct. 4 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • After a Supreme Court ruling , a witness signature is required if you have not already submitted your ballot .
• Request your ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 • Request your ballot by : Oct. 23 ; in person by Oct. 31 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by noon on Nov. 6 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 without a postmark ) ; in person by Nov. 2 • Register to vote by : Oct. 14 if registering online or by mail , or Oct. 30 in person • Request your ballot by : 5 pm on Oct. 29 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 17 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 9 • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 18 • Return your ballot by : 7 pm on Nov. 3 With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , there are still a handful of states that have done relatively little to accommodate for the reality of a largely uncontrolled pandemic .
In Indiana , Louisiana , Mississippi , Tennessee , and Texas , you still need an excuse to request an absentee ballot — and generalized coronavirus concerns don ’ t count .
In some cases , that could change .
But for now , here ’ s what you need to know to vote by mail in these five states : • Eligible excuses to request an absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 13 • Register to vote by : Oct. 5 if registering by mail or in person ; Oct. 13 if registering online • Eligible excuses : Covid-19 specific excuses can be found here ; general excuses can be found here • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : 4:30 pm on Nov. 2 • Ballots must be signed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request an absentee ballot can be found here ( a judge ’ s ruling may expand the list ) • Request your ballot by : No date specified — to be safe , the earlier the better • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 21 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by Nov. 10 ; in person by Oct. 31 • Eligible excuses to request an absentee ballot can be found here • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absentee ballot can be found here • Ballots expected to start to be mailed out : Sept. 19 • Return your ballot by : Postmarked by Nov. 3 ; received by 5 pm on Nov. 4 Correction , September 8 : This article has been updated to reflect Maine ’ s new voter registration deadline , per the governor ’ s August executive order .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work , and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
Contribute today from as little as $ 3 @

Editor’s note, October 28: The USPS strongly recommends sending back your ballot by mail at least one week before Election Day. If you haven’t mailed yours yet, see our guide to other options for returning your ballot. The article below is no longer being updated.
Like just about every other facet of life in America, Election Day is going to look a little bit different in 2020. Though voters will still go to the polls, at least in most states, a record number of people are expected to vote by mail from the comfort of their homes.
But while in a normal election you probably just need to know two dates — when to register to vote by, and what day the election is — there are a few more to keep track of if you plan to vote by mail this November.
Vox is here to help.
First, make sure you’re registered — some states’ relevant deadlines are as early as October 4 (many have later deadlines if you are voting in person). Then you should know what types of voting your state allows, and where it falls on the spectrum of making it easy (or hard) for voters to cast their ballots by mail.
Though only a few states conduct their elections solely through the mail, the vast majority of American states and territories have expanded absentee voting during the pandemic to permit any voter to cast a ballot by mail. Some, however, still have strict requirements for who can get an absentee ballot.
Specifically, most states require that you submit an absentee ballot request (absentee voting is functionally the same thing as mail-in voting, despite what President Donald Trump may say). Then it’s a good idea to know when you can expect your ballot to show up, and of course when you need to return it so that it’s counted. For ballot requests and/or returns, remember the relevant deadline may be for receipt, not postmarking.
Treat the deadlines with extreme caution, though: The USPS warned 46 states and the District of Columbia in late July this year that the anticipated surge of absentee voting could be such that some ballots arrive too late to be counted. What’s more, Trump’s unfounded animus against mail-in voting and changes at the US Postal Service could make things even harder. None of that is to dissuade you from voting by mail, but it should underscore the critical importance of requesting your ballot early and voting early.
Some more words of warning: The rules aren’t totally settled in some places. And there are a lot of active lawsuits over state election laws right now, some of which are trying to make it easier to vote absentee and others that are trying to cut back on it. It’s always a good idea to check with your local elections office about deadlines and rules that may vary by county; rules for military and overseas voters vary, too.
Finally, be sure to fill out and seal your ballot carefully, as it may be rejected if it’s missing a requirement like a matching signature. In several states, certification by a witness or notary may be required.
If you’re not sure how you plan to vote — in many states, early in-person voting is also an option, as is depositing your absentee ballot in a secure ballot dropbox! — then Vox’s Jen Kirby has the comprehensive voting guide for you. (Note: In some states, you may have to vote provisionally if you request a mail ballot but decide to vote in person. You may also be able to track your ballot to ensure it gets to election officials.)
But if you are planning to vote by mail, Vox has collected the dates you need to know — deadlines to register to vote (if you want to vote by mail), deadlines to apply for an absentee ballot, dates when ballots are expected to go out to voters, and deadlines to return your ballot — right here.
Read on for those dates in all 50 states and Washington, DC, organized by how easy or difficult it is to vote by mail in each. Or go ahead and do a page “find” search to see your state deadlines quickly. Again, it’s best to get started well before the deadlines to account for mailing windows, and these dates and rules may vary and are subject to change. Check with a local election official if you have any questions about how to vote.
The vote-by-mail states
If you live in Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, or Washington, you’re in luck. All five states already use universal vote-by-mail systems, so, pandemic notwithstanding, not much has changed. If you’re registered to vote, a ballot should show up in your mailbox — you just need to get it back in the mail, or into a ballot dropbox, early enough that it’s received by your state’s deadline — or well before it.
That’s not to say you couldn’t go vote in-person on Election Day if you wanted to — voting centers or county elections offices in all five states allow you to cast a vote day-of if you so choose — but voting by mail is more readily accessible.
Here are the deadlines you need to know:
Colorado
Register to vote by: Oct. 26 if voting by mail
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 12
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
Hawaii
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Ballots expected to be mailed by: Oct. 16
Return your ballot by: 6 pm on Nov. 3
Oregon
Register to vote by: Oct. 13
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 14
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
Utah
Register to vote by: Oct. 23
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 13
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 2; received between Nov. 10 and Nov. 17 by canvass date; Nov. 3 in person
Washington
Register to vote by: Oct. 26
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 16
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3
The absentee-ballot-for-all states
If you live in California, Nevada, New Jersey, Vermont, or the District of Columbia, voting absentee should be straightforward. On account of the coronavirus pandemic, all four states and DC plan to automatically send absentee ballots to registered voters.
In Nevada and New Jersey, things have been complicated by pending Trump campaign lawsuits that seek to block the states from sending an absentee ballot to every registered voter. As Vox’s Ian Millhiser points out, there are plenty of reasons to doubt that effort will succeed, but it’s worth keeping an eye on as Election Day draws closer.
In any case, if you live in one of these states and you’re registered to vote, you should have an absentee ballot coming your way ahead of the November election. Here’s when you can expect them, and when they need to be returned by to be counted:
California
Register to vote by: Oct. 19
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 3
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 20
District of Columbia
Register to vote by: Oct. 13, or Oct. 26 if you’re registering in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: First week of October
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 10
Nevada
Register to vote by: Oct. 6, or Oct. 29 if registering online
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Late September or early October
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 10
New Jersey
Register to vote by: Oct. 13
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by 8 pm on Nov. 5
Vermont
Register to vote by: Day-of registration available
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: Received by 7 pm on Nov. 3 or returned to the town clerk’s office by close of business on Nov. 2
The states with no-excuse absentee ballot applications
If you live in one of about 35 states, you have one more step to deal with before you can vote from home. Though almost every state has expanded absentee ballot access in the face of the coronavirus pandemic (we’ll get to the ones that haven’t — like Texas and Mississippi — in a minute), most still require voters to request an absentee ballot. That means there are at least two dates to know: when you need to submit your request by, and when your ballot needs to be returned by.
In some cases, like Iowa, every registered voter will be sent an absentee ballot application to fill out if they wish. In other states, you might need to seek out an application on the state’s election website (frequently found on the secretary of state’s site).
Montana is somewhat of a strange case: In addition to having no-excuse absentee voting, counties have the option of switching to something more similar to universal mail-in voting in the pandemic. Most have done so, though all will have in-person polling places open as well.
And while some of the following states always allow for no-excuse absentee voting, others in this category have only recently adopted that policy in response to Covid-19. Yet others, such as Alabama and Kentucky, still technically require an excuse — but coronavirus concerns are enough.
One last thing: Several states, like Wyoming and Minnesota, don’t have a ballot request deadline to speak of, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to do it early. Just because you can request a ballot up to November 2 doesn’t mean it’ll show up in time for you to vote it.
Alabama
Register to vote by: Oct. 19
Request your ballot by: Oct. 29
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 2; received by noon on Nov. 3
Ballots must be notarized or signed by two witnesses.
Alaska
Register to vote by: Oct. 4
Request your ballot by: Oct. 24
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 9 (earlier for remote, military, and overseas voters)
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 13
Arizona
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Request your ballot by: Oct. 23
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 7
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
Arkansas
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Request your ballot by: Oct. 27 by mail or online; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: 7:30 pm on Nov. 3
Connecticut
Register to vote by: Oct. 27 (postmarked-by date if registering by mail)
Request your ballot by: Nov. 2
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 3
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
Delaware
Register to vote by: Oct. 10
Request your ballot by: Oct. 30 by mail; Nov. 2 by noon if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
Florida
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Request your ballot by: 5 pm Oct. 24
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 24
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
Georgia
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Request your ballot by: Oct. 30
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
Idaho
Register to vote by: Oct. 9
Request your ballot by: Oct. 23 by mail; Oct. 30 if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
Illinois
Register to vote by: Oct. 18
Request your ballot by: Oct. 29 by mail; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 24
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 17
Iowa
Register to vote by: Oct. 24
Request your ballot by: 5 pm on Oct. 24
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 5
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 2; received by Nov. 9; in person by Nov. 3
Kansas
Register to vote by: Oct. 13
Request your ballot by: Oct. 27
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 14
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 6
Kentucky
Register to vote by: 4 pm on Oct. 5
Request your ballot by: Oct. 27
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 14
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 6
Maine
Register to vote by: Oct. 19 if registering by mail
Request your ballot by: Oct. 29
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 4
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
Maryland
Register to vote by: Oct. 13
Request your ballot by: Request must be received by Oct. 20
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 24
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by 10 am on Nov. 13
Massachusetts
Register to vote by: Oct. 24
Request your ballot by: Oct. 20 (recommended); Oct. 28 (hard deadline)
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Late September or early October
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 6
Michigan
Register to vote by Oct. 19 online or by mail; in person through Election Day
Request your ballot by: Oct. 30 by mail; Nov. 3 by 4 pm local time if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Nov. 3
Minnesota
Register to vote by: Oct. 13
Request your ballot by: Nov. 2
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 10
Missouri
Register to vote by: Oct. 7
Request your ballot by: Oct. 21 by mail; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 22
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
If you’re not in a category at risk for Covid-19, absentee ballots must be notarized.
Montana
Register to vote by: Oct. 26
Request your ballot by: noon on Nov. 2 (if needed in your county)
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 9
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 9
Nebraska
Register to vote by: Oct. 16
Request your ballot by: Oct. 23
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 28
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
New Hampshire
Register to vote by: Oct. 21 to Oct. 28 (varies by county); registration for voting absentee requires a witness
Request your ballot by: Nov. 2
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 4
Return your ballot by: 5 pm on Nov. 3
New Mexico
Register to vote by: Oct. 6
Request your ballot by: 5 pm on Oct. 20
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 12
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
New York
Register to vote by: Oct. 9
Request your ballot by: Oct. 27 by mail; Nov. 2 if submitting application in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 10 or by Nov. 4 without a postmark
North Carolina
Register to vote by: Oct. 9
Request your ballot by: Oct. 27
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 4, the earliest in the country
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 12 (This extended deadline is being contested, however.)
Ballots must be signed by a witness.
North Dakota
Register to vote by: Voter registration not required
Request your ballot by: Nov. 2
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 24
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 2; received by Nov. 9 (before canvass); in person by Nov. 3
Ohio
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Request your ballot by: Oct. 31 by noon
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 6
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 2; received by Nov. 13; in person by Nov. 3
Oklahoma
Register to vote by: Oct. 9
Request your ballot by: 5 pm on Oct. 27
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
Pennsylvania
Register to vote by: Oct. 19
Request your ballot by: 5 pm on Oct. 27
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 14
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by 8 pm on Nov. 3; received by Nov. 6
Rhode Island
Register to vote by: Oct. 4
Request your ballot by: Oct. 13 by 4 pm
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: 8 pm on Nov. 3
South Carolina
Register to vote by: Oct. 5, or Oct. 4 online
Request your ballot by: Oct. 24, or Oct. 30 in person
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Oct. 4
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
After a Supreme Court ruling, a witness signature is required if you have not already submitted your ballot.
South Dakota
Register to vote by: Oct. 19
Request your ballot by: 5 pm on Nov. 2
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
Virginia
Register to vote by: Oct. 15 (extended after a website malfunction)
Request your ballot by: Oct. 23; in person by Oct. 31
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by noon on Nov. 6
West Virginia
Register to vote by: Oct. 13
Request your ballot by: Oct. 28
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 9 (also accepted if received by Nov. 4 without a postmark); in person by Nov. 2
Wisconsin
Register to vote by: Oct. 14 if registering online or by mail, or Oct. 30 in person
Request your ballot by: 5 pm on Oct. 29
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 17
Return your ballot by: Received by Nov. 3
A witness signature is required.
Wyoming
Register to vote by: Oct. 19
Request your ballot by: Nov. 2
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 18
Return your ballot by: 7 pm on Nov. 3
The rest (states with excuse-required absentee ballot applications)
With fewer than 60 days until the general election, there are still a handful of states that have done relatively little to accommodate for the reality of a largely uncontrolled pandemic. In Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas, you still need an excuse to request an absentee ballot — and generalized coronavirus concerns don’t count.
In some cases, that could change. But for now, here’s what you need to know to vote by mail in these five states:
Indiana
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Eligible excuses to request an absentee ballot can be found here
Request your ballot by: Oct. 22
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 13
Louisiana
Register to vote by: Oct. 5 if registering by mail or in person; Oct. 13 if registering online
Eligible excuses: Covid-19 specific excuses can be found here; general excuses can be found here
Request your ballot by: Oct. 30
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: 4:30 pm on Nov. 2
Ballots must be signed by a witness.
Mississippi
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Eligible excuses to request an absentee ballot can be found here (a judge’s ruling may expand the list)
Request your ballot by: No date specified — to be safe, the earlier the better
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 21
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by Nov. 10; in person by Oct. 31
Ballots must be notarized.
Tennessee
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Eligible excuses to request an absentee ballot can be found here
Request your ballot by: Oct. 27
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Nov. 3
Texas
Register to vote by: Oct. 5
Eligible excuses to request an absentee ballot can be found here
Request your ballot by: Oct. 23
Ballots expected to start to be mailed out: Sept. 19
Return your ballot by: Postmarked by Nov. 3; received by 5 pm on Nov. 4
Correction, September 8: This article has been updated to reflect Maine’s new voter registration deadline, per the governor’s August executive order.
Correction, October 12: Updated to reflect Virginia’s deadline to register to vote was October 13. This deadline was later extended to October 15 after a website outage.


vox--2020-10-05--If Trump has learned anything from getting Covid-19, he’s not showing it

If President Donald Trump has learned anything from getting sick with Covid-19 , he ’ s not showing it .
In his latest tweets and comments , Trump has continued to downplay the coronavirus — even after it put him in the hospital .
Since Trump ’ s diagnosis last Thursday , he and his administration have seemingly tried to cover up the president ’ s disease .
They ’ ve downplayed his symptoms .
They ’ ve suggested he needed to be hospitalized not because of his apparently high fever and low oxygen levels but “ out of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted videos and photos of Trump in the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center .
Even the president ’ s own doctors have taken to politicized spin , arguing that they were trying to be “ upbeat ” as they refused to fully and truthfully answer questions about Trump ’ s health .
On Sunday , that culminated with a photo op as Trump was driven outside Walter Reed hospital so he could wave at supporters — exposing at least the driver and a passenger in the car to infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Walter Reed , tweeted , “ That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof , but hermetically sealed against chemical attack .
The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures .
The irresponsibility is astounding .
My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.
” Then on Monday , Trump tweeted that he ’ ll be leaving Walter Reed hospital later in the day .
He wrote , “ Don ’ t be afraid of Covid .
Don ’ t let it dominate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts immediately admonished , arguing that Americans should continue to follow recommended precautions for the coronavirus .
This is all out of the same playbook Trump has used for Covid-19 from day one .
It ’ s an attempt to make everything seem normal , as if the coronavirus isn ’ t wrecking millions of lives , in a desperate attempt to go back to a world that could help ensure Trump ’ s reelection .
As Trump told journalist Bob Woodward , “ I wanted to always play [ the coronavirus ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as it ’ s put people in danger again and again .
He ’ s called for states to reopen — to “ LIBERATE ” them — even as experts warned that opening too soon would lead to new cases ( and , sure enough , cases spiked over the summer as states opened prematurely ) .
He ’ s pushed for less testing , arguing more tests pick up more cases and therefore make the US look bad , even as experts said more testing , along with contact tracing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s mocked masks and frequently refused to wear one himself , even as experts and a growing body of research show masks are key to stopping Covid-19 .
This obsession with creating a false sense of normalcy seemingly extended to the moment that Trump received a positive coronavirus test .
As the Washington Post initially reported , and White House staff confirmed , Trump attended campaign events on Thursday even after he and his staff learned that one of Trump ’ s closest aides , Hope Hicks , was showing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent reports , as some staff noticed Trump seemed fatigued .
In doing this , Trump likely exposed his own staff and supporters to Covid-19 .
A potential silver lining to Trump getting sick was that maybe it would show him how serious this virus is — that it ’ s real , that it can make people very ill and kill them .
Trump alluded to that in a video on Sunday , claiming , “ I learned a lot about Covid .
I learned it by really going to school .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , Trump was back out Sunday for the drive-by photo op , and then posted a tweet on Monday downplaying the risk of Covid-19 .
This is all ridiculous , of course .
We already know Trump is sick and hospitalized , being treated with multiple experimental drugs , including steroids , and supplemental oxygen .
This is obviously not normal .
And we know the consequences of this action .
It ’ s how the US ended with nearly 210,000 Covid-19 deaths so far — more than any other country in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US ended up , after accounting for population , at the top 20 percent among developed countries for Covid-19 deaths .
( If the US had the same Covid-19 death rate as Canada , more than 125,000 more Americans would likely be alive today . )
It ’ s why America can ’ t go back to normal , even as countries like Germany , New Zealand , and South Korea open up more , as it faces far too many coronavirus cases — more than 130,000 since Trump announced he tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself got sick .
As he lived his denial , going to ill-advised campaign rallies and events , frequently refusing to wear a mask , Trump exposed himself to the coronavirus again and again .
And it ’ s all set to continue — as Trump and his staff ’ s barrage of mistruths and political spin since his diagnosis on Thursday have proved .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
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If you haven ’ t , please consider helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world : Contribute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

If President Donald Trump has learned anything from getting sick with Covid-19, he’s not showing it. In his latest tweets and comments, Trump has continued to downplay the coronavirus — even after it put him in the hospital.
Since Trump’s diagnosis last Thursday, he and his administration have seemingly tried to cover up the president’s disease. They’ve downplayed his symptoms. They’ve suggested he needed to be hospitalized not because of his apparently high fever and low oxygen levels but “out of an abundance of caution.” They’ve posted videos and photos of Trump in the presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Even the president’s own doctors have taken to politicized spin, arguing that they were trying to be “upbeat” as they refused to fully and truthfully answer questions about Trump’s health.
On Sunday, that culminated with a photo op as Trump was driven outside Walter Reed hospital so he could wave at supporters — exposing at least the driver and a passenger in the car to infection. As James Phillips, attending physician at Walter Reed, tweeted, “That Presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of COVID19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.”
Then on Monday, Trump tweeted that he’ll be leaving Walter Reed hospital later in the day. He wrote, “Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.” It was a warning experts immediately admonished, arguing that Americans should continue to follow recommended precautions for the coronavirus.
This is all out of the same playbook Trump has used for Covid-19 from day one. It’s an attempt to make everything seem normal, as if the coronavirus isn’t wrecking millions of lives, in a desperate attempt to go back to a world that could help ensure Trump’s reelection. As Trump told journalist Bob Woodward, “I wanted to always play [the coronavirus] down.”
Trump has stuck to this even as it’s put people in danger again and again. He’s called for states to reopen — to “LIBERATE” them — even as experts warned that opening too soon would lead to new cases (and, sure enough, cases spiked over the summer as states opened prematurely). He’s pushed for less testing, arguing more tests pick up more cases and therefore make the US look bad, even as experts said more testing, along with contact tracing, is still needed to slow the outbreak. He’s mocked masks and frequently refused to wear one himself, even as experts and a growing body of research show masks are key to stopping Covid-19.
This obsession with creating a false sense of normalcy seemingly extended to the moment that Trump received a positive coronavirus test. As the Washington Post initially reported, and White House staff confirmed, Trump attended campaign events on Thursday even after he and his staff learned that one of Trump’s closest aides, Hope Hicks, was showing symptoms. That continued, based on recent reports, as some staff noticed Trump seemed fatigued. In doing this, Trump likely exposed his own staff and supporters to Covid-19.
A potential silver lining to Trump getting sick was that maybe it would show him how serious this virus is — that it’s real, that it can make people very ill and kill them. Trump alluded to that in a video on Sunday, claiming, “I learned a lot about Covid. I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school.” Despite that, Trump was back out Sunday for the drive-by photo op, and then posted a tweet on Monday downplaying the risk of Covid-19.
This is all ridiculous, of course. We already know Trump is sick and hospitalized, being treated with multiple experimental drugs, including steroids, and supplemental oxygen. This is obviously not normal.
And we know the consequences of this action. It’s how the US ended with nearly 210,000 Covid-19 deaths so far — more than any other country in the world. It’s how the US ended up, after accounting for population, at the top 20 percent among developed countries for Covid-19 deaths. (If the US had the same Covid-19 death rate as Canada, more than 125,000 more Americans would likely be alive today.) It’s why America can’t go back to normal, even as countries like Germany, New Zealand, and South Korea open up more, as it faces far too many coronavirus cases — more than 130,000 since Trump announced he tested positive.
It’s why Trump himself got sick. As he lived his denial, going to ill-advised campaign rallies and events, frequently refusing to wear a mask, Trump exposed himself to the coronavirus again and again.
And it’s all set to continue — as Trump and his staff’s barrage of mistruths and political spin since his diagnosis on Thursday have proved.