vox--2020-08-07--What’s wrong with the mail

What’s wrong with the mail

The United States Postal Service is dealing with crippling backlogs of letters and packages .
A postmaster in upstate New York recently told their union that the regular mail was two days behind and , for the first time in their career , Express Priority Mail was not going out on time .
Despite a surge in package delivery during the pandemic , postal workers are no longer able to work overtime , and fewer mail trucks are on the road .
If your own mail seems delayed or unpredictable , it ’ s not a one-off problem .
Mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks due to a series of factors .
While the USPS has been suffering financially for years , the pandemic has delivered an existential threat to the agency .
The self-funded Postal Service has been seeking billions in aid from Congress — an effort that ’ s been stymied by President Trump , who has long had a contentious relationship with the USPS and has pushed to privatize it .
And now , the USPS is adjusting to cost-cutting policies put in place by its new postmaster general , Louis DeJoy , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican fundraiser .
The situation became even more uncertain when DeJoy announced a major restructuring of the Postal Service in a memo released on Friday .
The plan involves the reassignment of 23 postal executives in an overhaul that , according to the Washington Post , “ deemphasizes decades ’ worth of institutional postal knowledge ” and “ centralizes power around DeJoy.
” The shift in power stands to further complicate the new postmaster general ’ s relationship with Democrats in Congress , who want him investigated .
All of this means the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jeopardy .
It was actually in big trouble months ago , when postal leaders warned that without intervention from Congress , the USPS could run out of cash as soon as September .
What ’ s happening now is even more urgent .
Decisions being made by Trump allies are leading to delays that could motivate the Postal Service ’ s biggest customers to send their packages through competitors like UPS and FedEx .
And according to some , the strategy could have devastating consequences .
“ It is unimaginable to think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said John McHugh , chairman of the Package Coalition , a trade group that counts Amazon and eBay as members .
“ But if things go toward a worst-case scenario in this instance , which is entirely possible , that ’ s what would have to occur.
” It gets worse .
A more serious and immediate consequence of the Postal Service ’ s recent problems has led to concern that the delays could interfere with the November election , when a record number of people are expected to vote by mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts and the president ’ s on-going public criticism of mail-in voting , some are accusing Trump of intentionally kneecapping the Postal Service in an attempt to sabotage the election , as he trails Joe Biden in the polls .
Democrats in Congress are worried enough about the reported delays and their potential effect on democracy that they called the new postmaster general to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to demand he reverse the new policies .
The story of how we got here is complicated , and there is disagreement about what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to postal leaders and Democrats , the way to fix the mail in time for the election involves an infusion of cash and an end to the delays .
Even then , the Postal Service faces a tough road ahead .
It ’ s tempting to blame all of the Postal Service ’ s service problems on the new postmaster general , DeJoy , but it wouldn ’ t be entirely fair .
After years of money problems tied to a decline in certain types of mail and an obligation to prefund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very serious financial blow when the pandemic hit .
Starting in March , the volume of first-class mail began to plummet ( though a surge in package delivery has helped make up for that lost revenue ) .
Meanwhile , tens of thousands of postal workers got sick or began quarantining , leading to a labor shortage and the need for more overtime hours .
The Postal Service also spent hundreds of millions of dollars on personal protective equipment ( PPE ) and on retrofitting post offices with more plexiglass and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why postal leaders asked Congress for $ 75 billion when the CARES Act was being negotiated in April .
( This is not something the USPS likes to do , by the way .
It ’ s been 40 years since the Postal Service took taxpayer dollars . )
In response , President Trump called the Postal Service “ a joke ” and threatened to veto the bill if it included any money for the USPS .
Despite the president ’ s attempts to avoid giving the Postal Service any money at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for a $ 10 billion loan with strict terms .
All of that happened around the same time that Postmaster General DeJoy took office in mid-June .
It ’ s worth pointing out that DeJoy was not appointed by President Trump .
He was appointed by the six members of the Postal Service Board of Governors , all of whom were appointed by Trump .
And it was after DeJoy got to work that the mail delays began , according to multiple postal service-related union leaders and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former logistics executive with no Postal Service experience , started his new gig by launching a series of pilot programs designed to slash USPS spending .
Multiple postal worker unions reported that DeJoy ’ s policies limited mail transportation , causing mail to be left at the sorting plant for days longer than it normally would .
Meanwhile , a crackdown on overtime hours meant that sorting machines are shut down before the day ’ s work is done .
( “ If the plants run late , they will keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” read one USPS memo obtained by the Washington Post . )
As a result , mail is sitting undelivered across the country .
In response to questions about the recent issues , USPS spokesperson David Partenheimer used variations of the word “ efficient ” six times in explaining how the agency is adjusting its operations .
“ Of course we acknowledge that temporary service impacts can occur as we redouble our efforts to conform to the current operating plans , ” Partenheimer said , “ but any such impacts will be monitored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any issues will be addressed as necessary and corrected as appropriate.
” It ’ s not entirely clear how temporary the delays will be .
In fact , none of the postal workers Recode spoke to were exactly sure what the new policies entailed since DeJoy and his lieutenants did not communicate the details of the pilot programs to the unions or to individual postmasters .
“ In the field , we don ’ t have the details — only that we can ’ t approve overtime , only the district manager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs a post office in the Northeast and spoke on the condition of anonymity as they ’ re not authorized to speak to the press .
“ I ’ m in a delivery unit , so I can ’ t speak for delayed mail in a plant .
But by cutting the overtime , it would certainly delay a lot of mail.
” Individual managers might be selectively enforcing the new rules , they said , but with such poor communication from DeJoy , it ’ s hard to tell exactly what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a 20-year veteran of the USPS , added , “ Amazon parcels are given priority over everything at a national level.
” None of this confusion has helped DeJoy win any popularity contests in his short tenure as postmaster general .
Some have called DeJoy “ a crony , ” and many are scrutinizing his background and political ties .
As a former logistics executive , DeJoy ran companies that counted the USPS as a client , and his family has invested $ 30.1 million to $ 75.3 million in USPS competitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also a celebrated Republican party fundraiser who contributed over $ 1.5 million to Trump ’ s campaigns in 2016 and 2020 .
His wife , Aldona Wos , served as ambassador to Estonia in the George W. Bush administration and has been nominated by President Trump to be the next ambassador to Canada .
Others want to give DeJoy a chance .
After all , he did take on a tough job at a struggling agency in the middle of a pandemic .
“ Just to be honest , we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We have a healthy bit of skepticism , ” said Jim Sauber , chief of staff for the National Association of Letter Carriers .
“ But I know my boss and officers are not going to level charges that we can ’ t substantiate , and we ’ re not gon na jump to a conclusion until we can get a better fix on this.
” Democratic leaders in Congress seem less accommodating with regard to what DeJoy has done so far .
After the new postmaster general confirmed the details of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their Wednesday meeting , Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded that DeJoy reverse the new policies .
The Democrats said this and preserving funds for the Postal Service are essential for a deal on a new coronavirus relief package .
Still , even if the Postal Service does get an infusion of cash — you might call it a bailout — the agency ’ s future remains uncertain .
Whatever damage to the reputation of the USPS that ’ s being done now stands to affect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new postmaster general .
We might be hearing more about privatizing the Postal Service in the future , whether we like it or not .
Trump ’ s campaign against voting by mail Considering DeJoy ’ s connections to Trump and the Republican Party and the reports of worsening mail delays with the election less than 100 days away , many are afraid that the president is plotting to rig the election in November by casting doubt on the dependability of mail-in voting .
“ The Trump administration ’ s ongoing campaign to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct attack on our democracy , ” Rep. Gerry Connolly ( D-VA ) , chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations , which oversees the USPS , told Recode .
“ Rural and urban , Democrat , Republican , or independent , every American has come to rely on the Postal Service , and our election is increasingly dependent on it .
Congress must with one voice and clear action ensure service standards are not allowed to falter.
” Delays and political connections aside , we don ’ t have much hard evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Postal Service .
It does look bad that the USPS appears to be facing an existential crisis just weeks after a Trump donor took over as postmaster general .
It looks worse that the president has spent months attacking the broader use of mail-in voting , even threatening executive action to stop it .
But these things don ’ t quite add up to proof of a conspiracy against the Postal Service .
“ The notion that the postmaster general makes decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the USPS spokesperson , told Recode .
“ With regard to election mail , the Postal Service remains fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process when public policymakers choose to utilize the mail as a part of their election system , and to delivering election mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards .
Still , Trump seems to be doing everything he can to undermine American voters ’ confidence in mail-in voting .
There are so many tweets : And that might be all he needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Different states have different laws about how mail-in ballots work .
Currently , 34 states — including swing states like Arizona , Michigan , Minnesota , Pennsylvania , and Wisconsin — require ballots to be received by election authorities by Election Day , so any delay in the mail could lead to untold numbers of votes going uncounted .
Rules about when states count the mail-in ballots also vary , so results are bound to be delayed in states like New York , where ballots can only be counted after the polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unions are quick to point out that they take mail-in voting very seriously , and the process for delivering ballots is tried and tested .
“ The Postal Service has always given special attention to mail ballots , ” said Sauber .
“ In general , in most places in the country , during election time , if the Postal Service has mail ballots , they move heaven and earth to make sure it ’ s delivered .
They give top priority to the ballots.
” “ We ’ ve been doing mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Mark Dimondstein , president of the American Postal Workers Union .
“ It ’ s been increasing in popularity .
In the last election , 31 million people voted by mail .
There ’ s virtually no fraud.
” Individual states can update their laws governing mail-in voting before November .
Aware of this fact , the Trump campaign has sued state and local governments across the country over mail-in ballot rules .
One suit , in Pennsylvania , argues that mail-in ballot drop boxes — which are designed to handle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are monitored closely — are unconstitutional and should be removed .
Another lawsuit from the Trump campaign and other Republicans seeks to overturn a new law in Nevada that would require the state to mail everyone a ballot .
Still , assuming all laws remain as they are , disrupting the Postal Service is an obvious way to hinder the mail-in ballot process .
If slowing down the mail isn ’ t enough on its own , even creating a perception of problems with the mail could be enough to discourage some Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Trump is being effective at doing this — perhaps too effective .
A June-July poll suggested that some voters in Florida , Pennsylvania , and Michigan have become so distrustful of mail-in voting that they might rather not vote at all than rely on mail-in ballots .
Not long after this poll was published , Trump assured voters in Florida that mail-in voting was safe there .
“ We ’ ll be able to deliver .
There won ’ t be a problem with vote-by-mail , ” said Ronnie Stutts , president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think even President Trump is starting to see that .
I think he ’ s lightened up a little bit.
” The most anxiety-inducing part of all this is that there seems to be little for the average American to do .
The Postal Service is an independent agency , and there ’ s only so much Congress can do to shape its policies .
Rep. Carolyn Maloney ( D-NY ) , chair of the House government oversight committee , has called DeJoy to Capitol Hill to testify .
If he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a possibility that Maloney would subpoena him , though it ’ s terribly clear at this point that members of the Trump administration don ’ t necessarily care about subpoenas or showing up in Congress when asked .
But again , the Postal Service ’ s problems extend well beyond Trump ’ s war on vote-by-mail .
The election will come and go , and there ’ s a decent chance the USPS will still be in trouble .
Depending on how negotiations go around the new coronavirus stimulus package , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backlogs mean the mail delays could actually get worse in the weeks and months to come .
Ongoing delays could chase big package senders like Amazon and eBay away from the USPS , and without that revenue , the Postal Service would be in even more serious trouble .
After all , these customers have long been concerned about whether it might be better for their business to go through UPS or FedEx .
What the Postal Service needs right now — both to deliver mail and to keep existing — is money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term , some say , is a bit of restructuring .
“ If you think of the analogy of a house , it needs to be remodeled , ” said Arthur B. Sackler , manager of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service , whose members include not only Amazon and eBay but also catalog and greeting card companies .
“ And , at the same time , this house you ’ re remodeling , the roof is on fire .
So you ’ ve got to put the fire out first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of Americans do not want to let the house burn down , by the way .
Americans don ’ t just rely on the Postal Service .
They love it .
For years , the USPS has been the most popular government agency in the United States .
According to a Pew Research Center study released in April , 91 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Postal Service , and roughly the same percentage of Americans want to bail out the agency .
Similarly , countless companies that do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Online retailers , including Amazon , even spent millions of dollars on an ad campaign begging lawmakers to save the Postal Service .
These facts leave us with a very curious situation .
The Postal Service is seriously struggling , but it ’ s never been more important .
It ’ s critical to get prescriptions to the homes of people during a pandemic and to deliver ballots to state election boards .
It ’ s even prized by huge corporations like Amazon , who could easily give their money to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Postal Service .
At the same time , President Trump seems to disdain the agency , and the new postmaster general seems to be doing more harm than good .
The upshot of it all is that the USPS has survived difficult moments in the past .
The agency can trace its roots back to the days of the American Revolution .
Two and a half centuries later , mail service has never been more essential .
If anything , a crisis like this could serve to remind the country how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what a handful of powerful people might believe .
Update , 7:45 pm ET August 7 , 2020 : This story has been updated to include new details about the restructuring of Postal Service leadership .
Correction : A previous version of this story misstated the first name of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The United States Postal Service is dealing with crippling backlogs of letters and packages. A postmaster in upstate New York recently told their union that the regular mail was two days behind and, for the first time in their career, Express Priority Mail was not going out on time. Despite a surge in package delivery during the pandemic, postal workers are no longer able to work overtime, and fewer mail trucks are on the road. If your own mail seems delayed or unpredictable, it’s not a one-off problem.
Mail service has been disrupted nationwide in recent weeks due to a series of factors. While the USPS has been suffering financially for years, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered an existential threat to the agency. The self-funded Postal Service has been seeking billions in aid from Congress — an effort that’s been stymied by President Trump, who has long had a contentious relationship with the USPS and has pushed to privatize it. And now, the USPS is adjusting to cost-cutting policies put in place by its new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, who is a top Trump donor and longtime Republican fundraiser.
The policies include eliminating overtime for postal workers, limiting the number of mail trucks, and removing hundreds of sorting machines from postal facilities, including those in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida. DeJoy also implemented a major restructuring of the Postal Service that, according to the Washington Post, “deemphasizes decades’ worth of institutional postal knowledge” and “centralizes power around DeJoy.” These abrupt changes have led to delays in the delivery of everything from paychecks to prescriptions. There’s also widespread concern that these delays could interfere with the November election, when a record number of people are expected to vote by mail due to the pandemic.
Given the facts and the president’s ongoing public criticism of mail-in voting, many are accusing Trump of intentionally kneecapping the Postal Service in an attempt to sabotage the election, as he trails Joe Biden in the polls. In mid-August, Trump himself admitted to holding back funding for the USPS in order to limit mail-in voting. Soon thereafter, news emerged that the Postal Service had sent a letter to 46 states and Washington, DC, in late July warning that it could not guarantee their mail-in ballots would be delivered in time to be counted.
Democrats in Congress are investigating the new postmaster’s policies and working to secure funding for the USPS. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the House back early from its summer recess to vote on a Postal Service bill, and DeJoy has agreed to testify before the Oversight Committee on August 24. “Lives, livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy are under threat from the President,” she said in a letter that referred to DeJoy as a “complicit crony.” Meanwhile, two Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urging the FBI to open a criminal investigation into DeJoy, and at least six state attorneys general are exploring lawsuits to prevent the Trump administration from delaying mail ahead of the election.
Postmaster General DeJoy responded to criticism of his new initiatives in an August 18 statement. Pointing broadly to working toward “significant reforms” of the Postal Service, he said, “To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.” The statement also said that postal workers’ overtime would be “approved as needed” and that processing equipment and collection boxes “will remain where they are.” DeJoy did not say whether any actions taken under earlier policies would be reversed or whether any of the dozens of sorting machines already removed from postal facilities would be returned before the election.
All of this means the future of the Postal Service is in jeopardy. It was actually in big trouble months ago, when postal leaders warned that, without intervention from Congress, the USPS could run out of cash as soon as September. What’s happening now is even more urgent. Decisions being made by Trump allies are leading to delays that could motivate the Postal Service’s biggest customers to send their packages through competitors like UPS and FedEx. And according to some, the strategy could have devastating consequences.
“It is unimaginable to think of an America without the Postal Service,” said John McHugh, chairman of the Package Coalition, a trade group that counts Amazon and eBay as members. “But if things go toward a worst-case scenario in this instance, which is entirely possible, that’s what would have to occur.”
The story of how we got here is complicated, and there is disagreement about what’s really going on. However, according to postal leaders and Democrats, the way to fix the mail in time for the election involves an infusion of cash and an end to the delays. Even then, the Postal Service faces a tough road ahead.
The Postal Service’s controversial new policies, explained
It’s tempting to blame all of the Postal Service’s service problems on the new postmaster general, DeJoy, but it wouldn’t be entirely fair. After years of money problems tied to a decline in certain types of mail and an obligation to prefund its retirement benefits, the USPS suffered a very serious financial blow when the pandemic hit.
Starting in March, the volume of first-class mail began to plummet (though a surge in package delivery has helped make up for that lost revenue). Meanwhile, tens of thousands of postal workers got sick or began quarantining, leading to a labor shortage and the need for more overtime hours. The Postal Service also spent hundreds of millions of dollars on personal protective equipment (PPE) and on retrofitting post offices with more plexiglass and more space for social distancing.
This is why postal leaders asked Congress for $75 billion when the CARES Act was being negotiated in April. (This is not something the USPS likes to do, by the way. It’s been 40 years since the Postal Service took taxpayer dollars.) In response, President Trump called the Postal Service “a joke” and threatened to veto the bill if it included any money for the USPS. Despite the president’s attempts to avoid giving the Postal Service any money at all, the agency ended up making an agreement with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for a $10 billion loan with strict terms.
Postmaster General DeJoy took office in mid-June amid the coronavirus crisis. It’s worth pointing out that DeJoy was not appointed by President Trump. He was appointed by the six members of the Postal Service Board of Governors, all of whom were appointed by Trump. And it was after DeJoy got to work that the mail delays began, according to multiple postal service-related union leaders and trade groups interviewed by Recode.
DeJoy, a former logistics executive with no Postal Service experience, started his new gig by launching a series of pilot programs designed to slash USPS spending. Multiple postal worker unions reported that DeJoy’s policies limited mail transportation, causing mail to be left at the sorting plant for days longer than it normally would. Meanwhile, a crackdown on overtime hours meant that sorting machines are shut down before the day’s work is done. (“If the plants run late, they will keep the mail for the next day,” read one USPS memo obtained by the Washington Post.) The Postal Service also began the process of decommissioning 10 percent of its mail-sorting machines, which are designed to process flat mail, like letters and ballots. As a result, mail is sitting undelivered across the country.
In response to questions about the recent issues, USPS spokesperson David Partenheimer used variations of the word “efficient” six times in explaining how the agency is adjusting its operations. “Of course we acknowledge that temporary service impacts can occur as we redouble our efforts to conform to the current operating plans,” Partenheimer said, “but any such impacts will be monitored and temporary, as the root causes of any issues will be addressed as necessary and corrected as appropriate.”
It’s not entirely clear how temporary the delays will be. In fact, none of the postal workers Recode spoke to were exactly sure what the new policies entailed, since DeJoy and his lieutenants did not communicate the details of the pilot programs to the unions or to individual postmasters.
“In the field, we don’t have the details — only that we can’t approve overtime, only the district manager can,” explained a postmaster who runs a post office in the Northeast and spoke on the condition of anonymity as they’re not authorized to speak to the press. “I’m in a delivery unit, so I can’t speak for delayed mail in a plant. But by cutting the overtime, it would certainly delay a lot of mail.”
Individual managers might be selectively enforcing the new rules, they said, but with such poor communication from DeJoy, it’s hard to tell exactly what’s happening. The postmaster, who is a 20-year veteran of the USPS, added, “Amazon parcels are given priority over everything at a national level.”
None of this confusion has helped DeJoy win any popularity contests in his short tenure as postmaster general.
Some call DeJoy “a crony,” and many are scrutinizing his background and political ties. As a former logistics executive, DeJoy ran companies that counted the USPS as a client, and his family has invested $30.1 million to $75.3 million in USPS competitors or contractors, including UPS. DeJoy is also a celebrated Republican party fundraiser who contributed over $1.5 million to Trump’s campaigns in 2016 and 2020. His wife, Aldona Wos, served as ambassador to Estonia in the George W. Bush administration and has been nominated by President Trump to be the next ambassador to Canada.
Others want to give DeJoy a chance. After all, he did take on a tough job at a struggling agency in the middle of a pandemic.
“Just to be honest, we’re very suspicious of this new postmaster general. We have a healthy bit of skepticism,” said Jim Sauber, chief of staff for the National Association of Letter Carriers. “But I know my boss and officers are not going to level charges that we can’t substantiate, and we’re not gonna jump to a conclusion until we can get a better fix on this.”
Democratic leaders in Congress seem less accommodating with regard to what DeJoy has done so far. After the new postmaster general confirmed the details of the operational changes to the Postal Service in their early August meeting, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded that DeJoy reverse the new policies. The Democrats said this and preserving funds for the Postal Service are essential for a deal on a new coronavirus relief package.
Still, even if the Postal Service does get an infusion of cash — you might call it a bailout — the agency’s future remains uncertain. Whatever damage to the reputation of the USPS that’s being done now stands to affect the broader perception of the agency under the new postmaster general. We might be hearing more about privatizing the Postal Service in the future, whether we like it or not.
Trump’s campaign against voting by mail
Considering DeJoy’s connections to Trump and the Republican Party and the reports of worsening mail delays with the election approaching, many are afraid that the president is plotting to rig the election in November by casting doubt on the dependability of mail-in voting.
“The Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to sabotage the US Postal Service is a direct attack on our democracy,” Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, which oversees the USPS, told Recode. “Rural and urban, Democrat, Republican, or independent, every American has come to rely on the Postal Service, and our election is increasingly dependent on it. Congress must with one voice and clear action ensure service standards are not allowed to falter.”
Delays and political connections aside, we don’t have much hard evidence of a Trump-led plot to overthrow the Postal Service. It does look bad that the USPS appears to be facing an existential crisis just weeks after a Trump donor took over as postmaster general. It looks worse that the president has spent months attacking the broader use of mail-in voting, even threatening executive action to stop it. But these things don’t quite add up to proof of a conspiracy against the Postal Service.
“The notion that the postmaster general makes decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the president is wholly misplaced and off-base,” Partenheimer, the USPS spokesperson, told Recode. “With regard to election mail, the Postal Service remains fully committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process when public policymakers choose to utilize the mail as a part of their election system, and to delivering election mail in a timely manner consistent with our operational standards.”
Still, Trump seems to be doing everything he can to undermine American voters’ confidence in mail-in voting. There are so many tweets:
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
And that might be all he needs to discourage people from voting by mail.
Different states have different laws about how mail-in ballots work. Currently, 34 states — including swing states like Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — require ballots to be received by election authorities by Election Day, so any delay in the mail could lead to untold numbers of votes going uncounted. Rules about when states count the mail-in ballots also vary, so results are bound to be delayed in states like New York, where ballots can only be counted after the polls close. It’s especially discouraging for voters that postal leaders felt the need to warn states that delays around Election Day could be so bad that voters could be disenfranchised.
The Postal Service and postal unions are quick to point out that they take mail-in voting very seriously, and the process for delivering ballots is tried and tested.
“The Postal Service has always given special attention to mail ballots,” said Sauber. “In general, in most places in the country, during election time, if the Postal Service has mail ballots, they move heaven and earth to make sure it’s delivered. They give top priority to the ballots.”
“We’ve been doing mail ballots as postal workers for generations,” said Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union. “It’s been increasing in popularity. In the last election, 31 million people voted by mail. There’s virtually no fraud.”
Individual states can update their laws governing mail-in voting before November. Aware of this fact, the Trump campaign has sued state and local governments across the country over mail-in ballot rules. One suit, in Pennsylvania, argues that mail-in ballot drop boxes — which are designed to handle ballots, look like mailboxes, and are monitored closely — are unconstitutional and should be removed. Another lawsuit from the Trump campaign and other Republicans seeks to overturn a new law in Nevada that would require the state to mail everyone a ballot.
Still, assuming all laws remain as they are, disrupting the Postal Service is an obvious way to hinder the mail-in ballot process. If slowing down the mail isn’t enough on its own, even creating a perception of problems with the mail could be enough to discourage some Americans from mail-in voting. And it looks like Trump is being effective at doing this — perhaps too effective. A June-July poll suggested that some voters in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan have become so distrustful of mail-in voting that they might rather not vote at all than rely on mail-in ballots. Not long after this poll was published, Trump assured voters in Florida that mail-in voting was safe there.
“We’ll be able to deliver. There won’t be a problem with vote-by-mail,” said Ronnie Stutts, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. “I think even President Trump is starting to see that. I think he’s lightened up a little bit.”
The most anxiety-inducing part of all this is that there seems to be little for the average American to do. The Postal Service is an independent agency, and there’s only so much Congress can do to shape its policies. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), chair of the House government oversight committee, and House leaders are calling on DeJoy and Robert Duncan, chair of the Postal Service Board of Governors to testify on August 24. Democrats in the Senate are also pressing DeJoy to reverse his new policies, which they say would disenfranchise millions of American voters.
But again, the Postal Service’s problems extend well beyond Trump’s war on vote-by-mail. The election will come and go, and there’s a decent chance the USPS will still be in trouble. Depending on how negotiations go around the new coronavirus stimulus package, these recent delays could continue. Growing backlogs mean the mail delays could actually get worse in the weeks and months to come. Ongoing delays could chase big package senders like Amazon and eBay away from the USPS, and without that revenue, the Postal Service would be in even more serious trouble. After all, these customers have long been concerned about whether it might be better for their business to go through UPS or FedEx.
What the Postal Service needs right now — both to deliver mail and to keep existing — is money. What it needs in the long term, some say, is a bit of restructuring.
“If you think of the analogy of a house, it needs to be remodeled,” said Arthur B. Sackler, manager of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, whose members include not only Amazon and eBay but also catalog and greeting card companies. “And, at the same time, this house you’re remodeling, the roof is on fire. So you’ve got to put the fire out first before you can remodel.”
The vast majority of Americans do not want to let the house burn down, by the way. Americans don’t just rely on the Postal Service. They love it.
For years, the USPS has been the most popular government agency in the United States. According to a Pew Research Center study released in April, 91 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, and roughly the same percentage of Americans want to bail out the agency. Similarly, countless companies that do business with the Postal Service are fans. Online retailers, including Amazon, even spent millions of dollars on an ad campaign begging lawmakers to save the Postal Service.
These facts leave us with a very curious situation. The Postal Service is seriously struggling, but it’s never been more important. It’s critical to get prescriptions to the homes of people during a pandemic and to deliver ballots to state election boards. It’s even prized by huge corporations like Amazon, who could easily give their money to a competing private company but would rather work with the Postal Service. At the same time, President Trump seems to disdain the agency, and the new postmaster general seems to be doing more harm than good.
The upshot of it all is that the USPS has survived difficult moments in the past. The agency can trace its roots back to the days of the American Revolution. Two and a half centuries later, mail service has never been more essential. If anything, a crisis like this could serve to remind the country how much it needs the Postal Service, despite what a handful of powerful people might believe.
Additional reporting by Jason Del Rey.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the first name of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.


vox--2020-08-07--How Ellen DeGeneres’s facade of kindness crumbled

The most chaotic , dramatic story in television right now is whatever ’ s going on offstage at The Ellen DeGeneres Show .
Reports of a toxic work culture , discrimination , and sexual harassment are tarnishing the 17-year-old , feel-good talk show ’ s reputation as a dreamland where celebrities become our closest friends , donations change lives , and a lot of clunky dancing takes place .
The cracks in this veneer started off thin and narrow : As the show became a daytime TV juggernaut over the past two decades , rumors simultaneously circulated that DeGeneres was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show portrayed her to be .
But the cracks have spread over the past year , and became glaringly obvious during a memorable , uncomfortable interview on her show in November ; months later , former employees began speaking up about what a terror it was to work on the show .
The discourse kept growing .
Celebrities chimed in , some defending DeGeneres and some affirming what former staffers had said .
Other previous employees went on the record to address their own negative experiences with DeGeneres .
And finally , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nightmare workplace and producers sexually harassing their junior staffers were published , leaving the public image of the show — and DeGeneres herself — in disarray .
DeGeneres acknowledged that the show had its faults .
“ On day one of our show , I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice , and everyone would be treated with respect , ” DeGeneres wrote , apologizing in a letter to her staff about the reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed , and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case .
And for that , I am sorry .
Anyone who knows me knows it ’ s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.
” That letter preceded the report in which allegations of sexual misconduct against her producers was published .
Though she hasn ’ t been directly accused of outright malpractice , every part of the show operates under DeGeneres ’ s name and specific brand of relentless kindness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ host of niceness just may not have known what was happening to her staffers .
At worst , she knew and ignored — or even participated in — what a toxic workplace her show had become .
There ’ s now a question of whether or not the show will go on .
And if does go on , will people still watch it ?
A pivotal moment in the dismantling of DeGeneres ’ s persona as TV ’ s friendliest talk show host happened in November during an interview with actress and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like most of DeGeneres ’ s interviews , seemed to be casual , as if DeGeneres and Johnson were old friends .
But this typical pattern was subverted and dove into awkward territory when DeGeneres asked Johnson about why she wasn ’ t invited to Johnson ’ s recent 30th birthday party .
The implication : Dakota Johnson is too cool for nice Ellen , or maybe she ’ s even a mean girl .
“ Actually , no , that ’ s not the truth , Ellen , ” Johnson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everybody .
Ask Jonathan , your producer.
” Off-camera , a staffer confirmed that Johnson was right .
DeGeneres had been invited .
“ Why didn ’ t I go ?
” DeGeneres asked out loud , admitting defeat .
“ Oh yeah , I had that thing.
” To keep the ball in her joking court , she added , “ [ The party ] was probably in Malibu .
That ’ s too far for me to go to.
” DeGeneres ’ s whereabouts on October 5 , the day of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly known .
But she was spotted in Texas the next day , sitting beside George W. Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game .
The October 6 appearance caused an online backlash because of DeGeneres ’ s apparent willingness to be friendly with a former president whose administration supported anti-LGBTQ policies ( DeGeneres is gay ) and failed to act in the face of Hurricane Katrina ( DeGeneres was born in Louisiana ) .
Through admonishing Johnson , DeGeneres was caught fibbing and inadvertently drew attention to her controversial hangout with Bush .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ career on being seen as authentically nice , her fib tarnished her reputation even more than watching a game with George W. Bush did .
Stories about not-pleasant encounters with DeGeneres started surfacing on Twitter soon afterward , and some of DeGeneres ’ s past , incredibly awkward interviews with celebrities have been touted out as evidence that DeGeneres was never as nice as she wanted us to think .
The Johnson interview and the many memes it inspired about how DeGeneres wasn ’ t telling the truth and trying to embarrass Johnson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s record .
Months later , in March , podcast host Kevin T. Porter posted a dare about DeGeneres that would go viral .
He promised a $ 2 food bank donation for every mean story someone had about DeGeneres .
Porter called the submissions at roughly 300 , donating $ 600 .
Granted , there ’ s no fact-checking when it comes to those stories on Twitter .
But the allure of finding a disconnect between DeGeneres ’ s onscreen persona and her real-life actions drove people to the thread .
Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more than 18,000 retweeted , and a little more than 2,900 replied to it .
More stories of the show ’ s poor environment quickly followed .
Weeks later , on April 16 , Variety reported that various crew members from DeGeneres ’ s show were frustrated after a lack of communication and lack of transparency when it came to getting paid .
The show was being done remotely and only four core crew members , according to Variety ’ s sources , were retained .
Many staffers saw a drastic pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprised to see DeGeneres film remotely from her home .
Variety reported : DeGeneres ’ s show often features her being generous and donating money that goes a long way to helping people ’ s lives .
Not retaining her staff and keeping them in the dark about their salary cuts during a pandemic doesn ’ t match up with the person who ’ s so kind to charities and disadvantaged guests on her show .
Exacerbating matters , DeGeneres tweeted on April 9 that quarantine was like “ being in jail.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inappropriate , lacking in self-awareness , and from a place of privilege .
It was after the reports of DeGeneres ’ s treatment of her staff that the narrative shifted into something more serious .
There ’ s a difference between not gauging the Johnson joke and not paying your staff .
Her staff ’ s horror stories about their salaries drove the narrative beyond gossip of Ellen not being the Ellen on her show and into the territory of DeGeneres ’ s competence as a boss and the consequences of her actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a toxic workplace .
They ’ re the ones who had to call it out .
In July , BuzzFeed published two scalding articles by reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli .
Yandoli spoke to former and current employees who say DeGeneres ’ s show was toxic and , in some cases , was a place where producers sexually harassed staffers .
Those staffers said DeGeneres either had no idea of what was going on at her show or , worse , knew and did nothing .
The first BuzzFeed story featured accounts from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who said she experienced racist comments and then was chastised for voicing her opinion .
She is Black , and said that coworkers distanced themselves from her when she raised concerns .
BuzzFeed reported : DeGeneres addressed the workplace allegations in a letter to her staff on July 30 .
She took responsibility stating that there would be an investigation into the workplace practices .
But she also said that she wasn ’ t fully accountable for the transgressions because she had put the show in the hands of producers who were in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : That same day , BuzzFeed published a second , follow-up article featuring interviews with dozens — the news outlet spoke to 36 people — of former Ellen Show employees , many of whom said that producers Kevin Leman , Ed Glavin , and Jonathan Norman engaged in sexual harassment and misconduct .
Essentially , some of the people that DeGeneres herself said she put in charge and relied on took advantage of their subordinates .
The producers in question either denied or declined to speak about the accusations , and the show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it “ hoped to determine the validity and extent of publicly reported allegations and to understand the full breadth of the show ’ s day-to-day culture.
” But the question remains about whether DeGeneres herself knew about what was going on , or didn ’ t want to know .
The former employees are split .
“ She knows , ” a former employee told BuzzFeed of DeGeneres ’ s involvement in the toxicity .
“ She knows shit goes on , but also she doesn ’ t want to hear it.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Degeneres made herself the face of unflinching niceness At this point , more and more people are coming forward about how awful it was to work at certain television shows with certain actors , writers rooms , creatives , and Hollywood bigwigs , bringing the reality of what it ’ s like working in Hollywood to light .
The stories about abuse and caustic workplaces seem like symptoms of a bigger problem — an industry with little to no oversight or protections for its workers .
But what makes The Ellen DeGeneres Show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shocking is that DeGeneres has built an entire career and celebrity status by assuring us that she wasn ’ t like other celebrities .
DeGeneres ’ s brand is about being so relentlessly kind and so interminably inoffensive that you didn ’ t have to worry about Ellen ever being problematic .
DeGeneres once admitted that her perceived “ niceness ” can feel like a cage — a cage built on the years of good deeds and good-natured humor DeGeneres has displayed .
“ I wanted to show all of me , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December 2018 , explaining the freedom of stand-up and how it allowed her to be more of herself .
“ The talk show is me , but I ’ m also playing a character of a talk-show host .
There ’ s a tiny , tiny bit of difference.
” The problem for DeGeneres is : What happens when you take away the niceness that she built her empire on ?
In the wake of the accusations against DeGeneres and the show , celebrities like Katy Perry and Ashton Kutcher have defended DeGeneres @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or observed mistreatment .
Some former celebrity guests , including Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson , said that they were treated poorly on the show and weren ’ t surprised at all by the ex-employees ’ stories .
At the same time , on social media , detractors began dream casting possible replacements for DeGeneres .
Although her show is in syndication and is not part of a larger franchise — The Ellen DeGeneres Show lives and dies by Ellen DeGeneres — the idea is that other hosts with more authentically friendly reputations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throne .
( Names like The Late Late Show host James Corden , a.k.a .
Carpool Karaoke Connoisseur , were the ones most bandied about . )
But Ellen ’ s show doesn ’ t seem to be in any present danger .
Andy Lassner , an executive producer on the show , tweeted on July 30 that the show would continue ; it ’ s currently on a previously scheduled summer hiatus but is still scheduled to return with DeGeneres at the helm in the fall .
With the rise of social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t expect celebrities to be the most idealized versions of themselves 24 hours a day , seven days a week .
Some celebrities are even lauded for snapping and showing brief , maybe chaotic moments of vulnerability because it affirms their humanity .
Many people , including DeGeneres , knew she wasn ’ t ever going to be as nice as her talk show promised her to be .
But I also don ’ t think anyone expected DeGeneres ’ s talk show to be as caustic and volatile behind the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question isn ’ t if DeGeneres ’ s persona is fake , it ’ s whether her scores of fans can support a show that ’ s caused so many people that work there so much pain .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The most chaotic, dramatic story in television right now is whatever’s going on offstage at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Reports of a toxic work culture, discrimination, and sexual harassment are tarnishing the 17-year-old, feel-good talk show’s reputation as a dreamland where celebrities become our closest friends, donations change lives, and a lot of clunky dancing takes place.
The cracks in this veneer started off thin and narrow: As the show became a daytime TV juggernaut over the past two decades, rumors simultaneously circulated that DeGeneres was not as nice in person as the show portrayed her to be. But the cracks have spread over the past year, and became glaringly obvious during a memorable, uncomfortable interview on her show in November; months later, former employees began speaking up about what a terror it was to work on the show.
The discourse kept growing. Celebrities chimed in, some defending DeGeneres and some affirming what former staffers had said. Other previous employees went on the record to address their own negative experiences with DeGeneres.
And finally, in July, two scathing reports of a nightmare workplace and producers sexually harassing their junior staffers were published, leaving the public image of the show — and DeGeneres herself — in disarray.
DeGeneres acknowledged that the show had its faults.
“On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness — no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect,” DeGeneres wrote, apologizing in a letter to her staff about the reports’ allegations. “Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it’s the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.”
That letter preceded the report in which allegations of sexual misconduct against her producers was published.
Though she hasn’t been directly accused of outright malpractice, every part of the show operates under DeGeneres’s name and specific brand of relentless kindness. At best, the patron celebrity TV host of niceness just may not have known what was happening to her staffers. At worst, she knew and ignored — or even participated in — what a toxic workplace her show had become.
There’s now a question of whether or not the show will go on. And if does go on, will people still watch it?
Dakota Johnson’s confrontational interview left a big crack in Ellen’s facade
DeGeneres’s reputation began showing wear months ago.
A pivotal moment in the dismantling of DeGeneres’s persona as TV’s friendliest talk show host happened in November during an interview with actress and celebrity scion Dakota Johnson. The interview, like most of DeGeneres’s interviews, seemed to be casual, as if DeGeneres and Johnson were old friends. But this typical pattern was subverted and dove into awkward territory when DeGeneres asked Johnson about why she wasn’t invited to Johnson’s recent 30th birthday party. The implication: Dakota Johnson is too cool for nice Ellen, or maybe she’s even a mean girl.
“Actually, no, that’s not the truth, Ellen,” Johnson said about the supposed diss. “Ask everybody. Ask Jonathan, your producer.”
Off-camera, a staffer confirmed that Johnson was right. DeGeneres had been invited.
“Why didn’t I go?” DeGeneres asked out loud, admitting defeat. “Oh yeah, I had that thing.” To keep the ball in her joking court, she added, “[The party] was probably in Malibu. That’s too far for me to go to.”
DeGeneres’s whereabouts on October 5, the day of Johnson’s party, are not publicly known. But she was spotted in Texas the next day, sitting beside George W. Bush at a Dallas Cowboys game. The October 6 appearance caused an online backlash because of DeGeneres’s apparent willingness to be friendly with a former president whose administration supported anti-LGBTQ policies (DeGeneres is gay) and failed to act in the face of Hurricane Katrina (DeGeneres was born in Louisiana).
Through admonishing Johnson, DeGeneres was caught fibbing and inadvertently drew attention to her controversial hangout with Bush. For DeGeneres, who has built her career on being seen as authentically nice, her fib tarnished her reputation even more than watching a game with George W. Bush did.
Stories about not-pleasant encounters with DeGeneres started surfacing on Twitter soon afterward, and some of DeGeneres’s past, incredibly awkward interviews with celebrities have been touted out as evidence that DeGeneres was never as nice as she wanted us to think. The Johnson interview and the many memes it inspired about how DeGeneres wasn’t telling the truth and trying to embarrass Johnson left a permanent mark on DeGeneres’s record.
Months later, in March, podcast host Kevin T. Porter posted a dare about DeGeneres that would go viral. He promised a $2 food bank donation for every mean story someone had about DeGeneres. Porter called the submissions at roughly 300, donating $600.
Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen Degeneres always talks about! ❤
She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive
Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank — Kevin T. Porter (@KevinTPorter) March 20, 2020
Granted, there’s no fact-checking when it comes to those stories on Twitter. But the allure of finding a disconnect between DeGeneres’s onscreen persona and her real-life actions drove people to the thread. Over 71,000 people liked Porter’s tweet, more than 18,000 retweeted, and a little more than 2,900 replied to it.
More stories of the show’s poor environment quickly followed. Weeks later, on April 16, Variety reported that various crew members from DeGeneres’s show were frustrated after a lack of communication and lack of transparency when it came to getting paid. The show was being done remotely and only four core crew members, according to Variety’s sources, were retained. Many staffers saw a drastic pay reduction without any clear communication and were surprised to see DeGeneres film remotely from her home. Variety reported:
“When returning from break, the crew was paid the week of March 30th despite having no firm plans for production to resume,” the spokesperson said. Pay reduced to 8 hours from 10 hours per work day for the week of the 30th, insiders said. As of April 10, crew was told to expect a reduced compensation of two, 8-hour work days per week.
DeGeneres’s show often features her being generous and donating money that goes a long way to helping people’s lives. Not retaining her staff and keeping them in the dark about their salary cuts during a pandemic doesn’t match up with the person who’s so kind to charities and disadvantaged guests on her show. Exacerbating matters, DeGeneres tweeted on April 9 that quarantine was like “being in jail.” The comparison was called out for being inappropriate, lacking in self-awareness, and from a place of privilege.
It was after the reports of DeGeneres’s treatment of her staff that the narrative shifted into something more serious. There’s a difference between not gauging the Johnson joke and not paying your staff. Her staff’s horror stories about their salaries drove the narrative beyond gossip of Ellen not being the Ellen on her show and into the territory of DeGeneres’s competence as a boss and the consequences of her actions.
Ellen DeGeneres’s staff suffered from a toxic workplace. They’re the ones who had to call it out.
In July, BuzzFeed published two scalding articles by reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli. Yandoli spoke to former and current employees who say DeGeneres’s show was toxic and, in some cases, was a place where producers sexually harassed staffers. Those staffers said DeGeneres either had no idea of what was going on at her show or, worse, knew and did nothing.
The first BuzzFeed story featured accounts from 10 former employees, including a woman who said she experienced racist comments and then was chastised for voicing her opinion. She is Black, and said that coworkers distanced themselves from her when she raised concerns. BuzzFeed reported:
The former employee said she was also called into a meeting with executive producer Ed Glavin, where she was reprimanded for her objections to the term “spirit animal,” asking for a raise, and suggesting employees on the show receive diversity and inclusion training.
“He said that I was walking around looking resentful and angry,” she said.
DeGeneres addressed the workplace allegations in a letter to her staff on July 30. She took responsibility stating that there would be an investigation into the workplace practices. But she also said that she wasn’t fully accountable for the transgressions because she had put the show in the hands of producers who were in charge of the day-to-day. She wrote:
As we’ve grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again. I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop. As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or — worse — disregarded.
That same day, BuzzFeed published a second, follow-up article featuring interviews with dozens — the news outlet spoke to 36 people — of former Ellen Show employees, many of whom said that producers Kevin Leman, Ed Glavin, and Jonathan Norman engaged in sexual harassment and misconduct. Essentially, some of the people that DeGeneres herself said she put in charge and relied on took advantage of their subordinates.
BuzzFeed reported:
One ex-employee said head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman asked him if he could give him a hand job or perform oral sex in a bathroom at a company party in 2013. Another said they separately saw Leman grab a production assistant’s penis. … BuzzFeed News spoke to 36 former employees, many of whom independently corroborated incidents of harassment, sexual misconduct, and assault from top producers like Leman. All of the ex-employees, many of whom had voluntarily left the show, asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution.
The producers in question either denied or declined to speak about the accusations, and the show’s distributor Warner Bros. said that it “hoped to determine the validity and extent of publicly reported allegations and to understand the full breadth of the show’s day-to-day culture.”
But the question remains about whether DeGeneres herself knew about what was going on, or didn’t want to know. The former employees are split.
“She knows,” a former employee told BuzzFeed of DeGeneres’s involvement in the toxicity. “She knows shit goes on, but also she doesn’t want to hear it.”
The story is so shocking because Ellen Degeneres made herself the face of unflinching niceness
At this point, more and more people are coming forward about how awful it was to work at certain television shows with certain actors, writers rooms, creatives, and Hollywood bigwigs, bringing the reality of what it’s like working in Hollywood to light. The stories about abuse and caustic workplaces seem like symptoms of a bigger problem — an industry with little to no oversight or protections for its workers.
But what makes The Ellen DeGeneres Show production team’s alleged transgressions more shocking is that DeGeneres has built an entire career and celebrity status by assuring us that she wasn’t like other celebrities. DeGeneres’s brand is about being so relentlessly kind and so interminably inoffensive that you didn’t have to worry about Ellen ever being problematic.
DeGeneres once admitted that her perceived “niceness” can feel like a cage — a cage built on the years of good deeds and good-natured humor DeGeneres has displayed.
“I wanted to show all of me,” she told the New York Times in December 2018, explaining the freedom of stand-up and how it allowed her to be more of herself. “The talk show is me, but I’m also playing a character of a talk-show host. There’s a tiny, tiny bit of difference.”
The problem for DeGeneres is: What happens when you take away the niceness that she built her empire on?
In the wake of the accusations against DeGeneres and the show, celebrities like Katy Perry and Ashton Kutcher have defended DeGeneres, saying they were never treated poorly or observed mistreatment. Some former celebrity guests, including Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson, said that they were treated poorly on the show and weren’t surprised at all by the ex-employees’ stories.
At the same time, on social media, detractors began dream casting possible replacements for DeGeneres. Although her show is in syndication and is not part of a larger franchise — The Ellen DeGeneres Show lives and dies by Ellen DeGeneres — the idea is that other hosts with more authentically friendly reputations are more deserving of the daytime TV throne. (Names like The Late Late Show host James Corden, a.k.a. Carpool Karaoke Connoisseur, were the ones most bandied about.)
But Ellen’s show doesn’t seem to be in any present danger. Andy Lassner, an executive producer on the show, tweeted on July 30 that the show would continue; it’s currently on a previously scheduled summer hiatus but is still scheduled to return with DeGeneres at the helm in the fall.
With the rise of social media and constant public contact, people don’t expect celebrities to be the most idealized versions of themselves 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some celebrities are even lauded for snapping and showing brief, maybe chaotic moments of vulnerability because it affirms their humanity.
Many people, including DeGeneres, knew she wasn’t ever going to be as nice as her talk show promised her to be. But I also don’t think anyone expected DeGeneres’s talk show to be as caustic and volatile behind the scenes as reported. And now the question isn’t if DeGeneres’s persona is fake, it’s whether her scores of fans can support a show that’s caused so many people that work there so much pain.


vox--2020-08-07--RSVP now to talk The Vanishing Half with Brit Bennett and the Vox Book Club

The Vox Book Club is linking to Bookshop.org to support local and independent booksellers .
When Brit Bennett ’ s first novel The Mothers came out in 2016 , Bennett was one of the hottest debut authors of the season .
Now that The Vanishing Half is out and has become an instant bestseller , she ’ s cemented her place as a star of the literary scene .
So I ’ m thrilled to announce that we ’ ll be talking with Bennett about The Vanishing Half for the Vox Book Club on August 27 at 5 pm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a SoCal native who graduated from Stanford and got an MFA from the University of Michigan , where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers .
She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 awardee , and her debut novel The Mothers was a New York Times bestseller .
Her essays are featured in the New Yorker , New York Times Magazine , Paris Review , and Jezebel .
The Vanishing Half was an instant bestseller and is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
It ’ s a rich , extravagant fairy tale of a book , concerning a set of twin sisters named Stella and Desiree .
The twins grow up in an all-Black town where the population is devoted to ensuring that each successive generation has lighter skin than the one before it .
At 16 , light-skinned Stella and Desiree run away from home .
Desiree goes on to marry the darkest-skinned man she can find .
And Stella starts passing for white .
The Vox Book Club will be discussing The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussion post is scheduled to go up on Friday , August 14 , and at the end of the month , we ’ ll all get together live and in person-ish !
Bennett and I will be meeting on Zoom to discuss the book on Thursday , August 27 , at 5 pm Eastern .
We ’ ll talk until 5:45 pm , with the last 10 minutes reserved for questions from the audience , and at the end of the event , I ’ ll reveal our pick for next month ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see you there .
RSVP now , and be sure to sign up for the Vox Book Club newsletter to make sure you don ’ t miss anything .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The Vox Book Club is linking to Bookshop.org to support local and independent booksellers.
When Brit Bennett’s first novel The Mothers came out in 2016, Bennett was one of the hottest debut authors of the season. Now that The Vanishing Half is out and has become an instant bestseller, she’s cemented her place as a star of the literary scene. So I’m thrilled to announce that we’ll be talking with Bennett about The Vanishing Half for the Vox Book Club on August 27 at 5 pm, and you can RSVP now.
Bennett is a SoCal native who graduated from Stanford and got an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 awardee, and her debut novel The Mothers was a New York Times bestseller. Her essays are featured in the New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, Paris Review, and Jezebel.
The Vanishing Half was an instant bestseller and is one of my favorite new novels of the year. It’s a rich, extravagant fairy tale of a book, concerning a set of twin sisters named Stella and Desiree. The twins grow up in an all-Black town where the population is devoted to ensuring that each successive generation has lighter skin than the one before it.
At 16, light-skinned Stella and Desiree run away from home. Desiree goes on to marry the darkest-skinned man she can find. And Stella starts passing for white.
The Vox Book Club will be discussing The Vanishing Half throughout August. Our first discussion post is scheduled to go up on Friday, August 14, and at the end of the month, we’ll all get together live and in person-ish!
Bennett and I will be meeting on Zoom to discuss the book on Thursday, August 27, at 5 pm Eastern. We’ll talk until 5:45 pm, with the last 10 minutes reserved for questions from the audience, and at the end of the event, I’ll reveal our pick for next month’s book. We would love to see you there. RSVP now, and be sure to sign up for the Vox Book Club newsletter to make sure you don’t miss anything.


vox--2020-08-07--How Ohio has avoided becoming another Covid-19 hot spot (so far)

This week , it seemed as if Ohio ’ s coronavirus outbreak had reached Gov .
Mike DeWine .
It was reported on Thursday morning that DeWine , who was supposed to meet with President Donald Trump later that day in Cleveland , had tested positive for Covid-19 .
He would stay home and get tested again , rather than accompany the president .
But then came the follow-up story on Thursday evening : A second test on DeWine was negative .
He may never have been sick at all .
The whole thing was a little confusing and opaque @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to explain the state of Ohio ’ s outbreak .
Early on in the pandemic , DeWine ’ s considerate public health approach was often contrasted with the Trump administration ’ s more bulldozing strategy .
He was one of a handful of Republican governors — along with Maryland ’ s Larry Hogan and Massachusetts ’ s Charlie Baker — who faced outbreaks in the spring and appeared to take the threat seriously .
Today , Ohio is faring better than the summer ’ s worst hot spots .
But the situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , to clear things up on DeWine : The different results could be explained by the two different tests he took .
The initial positive was from what ’ s called an antigen test : It can give results within minutes , by looking for certain proteins , but is generally less accurate than a diagnostic test that detects the virus ’ s genetic material .
That kind of test , called a PCR test , was what DeWine took the second time , and it came back negative .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that DeWine ’ s first test was a false positive from the less accurate antigen test .
DeWine and his wife were going to be tested again on Friday .
But really , that bizarre turn of events is just an excuse to explore the Covid-19 outbreak in DeWine ’ s home state ( and mine ) , a focal point in the spring that has been overshadowed by the Arizona-California-Florida-Texas cohort .
Ohio is doing okay on Covid-19 compared to other states After talking with some Ohio-based public health experts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s current situation would best be described as “ okay ” — which was the take from Sara Paton , an epidemiologist at Wright State University .
The state experienced a second wave of infections starting in late June and continuing through July .
On June 1 , there were 439 new cases reported ; on July 1 , there were 1,307 .
The state appears to have peaked on July 13 with 1,715 new cases .
Ohio ’ s surge coincided with those in other states , but its outbreak hasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those of some other large states .
Cases are more concentrated in the state ’ s three biggest cities — Cincinnati , Cleveland , and Columbus — leading to some of the same racial disparities seen elsewhere in the country .
Black people are 13 percent of Ohio ’ s population but they make up 25 percent of Covid-19 cases and 19 percent of Ohio ’ s 3,618 deaths .
As in most other states , nursing homes have suffered greatly , with long-term care facilities accounting for more than half of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The number of daily new cases in Ohio has now dropped below 1,000 for more than a week .
According to the Covid Exit Strategy dashboard , cases were down 17 percent over the past two weeks , and hospitalizations have dipped as well .
One measure of an outbreak ’ s saturation in a state , new cases per million people , bodes well for Ohio : It ranks in the bottom third of states , with 96 .
That ’ s still above the targets experts have set for states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schools , but it ’ s better than most .
“ I ’ m hopeful that those trends reflect people realizing that things aren ’ t normal and have gone back to taking precautions — like wearing masks , ” William Miller , an epidemiologist at Ohio State University , told me .
One question that always arises when examining a state ’ s Covid-19 data : How well are they actually surveilling for the disease ?
On that front , Ohio is again doing better than most other states , even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on the standards set by public health experts .
For example , its positive test rate is down slightly to 5.2 percent ; that is better than 30-some other states but a little above the target set by experts ( 5 percent or , preferably , less ) for confidence that a state is catching most cases .
In Ohio , as in most places , getting timely test results has sometimes been a struggle .
Local health officials in southwestern Ohio were recently reporting up to two-week delays .
That is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perspective : Officials want results quickly so they can ask the infected person and anybody they have recently come into close contact with to isolate themselves so they don ’ t spread the virus to other people .
“ Even areas with a low number of cases are more likely to be problematic if testing rates and timely results are low , ” Zelalem Haile , an Ohio University epidemiologist , told me .
“ In such areas , the spread can be as high , and many cases will remain undetected.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ohio looks better than the summer ’ s trouble spots .
Texas and Arizona have triple its positive test rates .
Florida has three times as many new cases per million people .
And Ohio ’ s outbreak appears to be plateauing , with no evidence of the kind of acceleration we ’ ve seen in Alabama and Mississippi , two new hot spots identified by experts .
DeWine has been an example of responsible Republican leadership There are a few explanations for Ohio ’ s relatively stable coronavirus status quo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ structural , like lower population density and a high number of hospital beds per capita .
Though at this point the virus has reached all 88 of Ohio ’ s counties , it can still be harder for an airborne virus to spread where people are more spaced out .
But experts also credited DeWine ’ s pandemic response and Ohioans ’ willingness to adhere to social distancing guidance and wear masks .
That has suppressed spread and allowed the state ’ s health system to handle the Covid-19 caseload .
The Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capacity plans for the three major cities in cooperation with the state government , but they haven ’ t been needed yet .
DeWine also deployed the state ’ s protective equipment stockpile in June , and hospitals did not report supply shortages during the recent spike in cases , the association said .
“ He uses data and science for his decisions , ” Paton said , “ and is pretty transparent on what he is doing and why.
” The differences between DeWine , who was wearing a mask back in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t wear one until July , have been frequently drawn .
The New York Times reported in April on DeWine ’ s “ split from Trump ” in the pandemic and the public ’ s rising approval of the governor .
That doesn ’ t mean Ohio ’ s response has been free from any problems or controversy .
One Ohio prison had such a bad outbreak , there were more coronavirus cases than its supposed inmate occupancy , as ProPublica reported .
DeWine got locked in a chaotic legal battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s primary elections in March .
His top public health adviser , Amy Acton , stepped down in June after she was targeted by activists who opposed the state ’ s stay-at-home order .
But even there , the discord was between DeWine ’ s more cautious approach and the desire of conservative activists , much like Trump ’ s , to reopen the economy as soon as possible in an election year .
The governor has allowed businesses to reopen with some restrictions , but he also issued a statewide mask order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic governors in Minnesota and Wisconsin .
“ The reopening was inevitable .
I believe the decision to reopen was based on evidence of adherence to the recommended guidelines by Ohioans , ” Haile said .
“ Cases were far less than what was expected or projected from various models , which is another indication that guidelines were being followed allowing the curve to flatten.
” But in Ohio , as elsewhere , complacency poses a threat .
Paton pointed out that social contacts in the state , as measured by the Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Washington , are not down as much as they have been in California , Florida , or Texas , which have been in more of a crisis mode than Ohio over the past month .
All it takes is a superspreader event or two for new hot spots to flare up and then spread could rapidly accelerate .
The state may struggle with containing new outbreaks ; NPR reported last month that Ohio had not hired enough contact tracing workers based on its estimated need to track Covid-19 .
“ Masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It would help Ohio more if people would social distance more .
DeWine has made this point many times on his press conferences , ” Paton said .
“ There have been a lot of Covid outbreaks in Ohio due to backyard barbecues , weddings , funerals , etc.
” So Ohio still has work to do .
The virus certainly isn ’ t suppressed yet .
The situation , like DeWine ’ s test results , is fraught and unpredictable .
But the governor ’ s leadership has put the state in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others .
The public would seem to agree .
Based on the polling , the Washington Post ’ s Amber Phillips wrote last week : “ He ’ s now one of the most popular governors in America.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

This week, it seemed as if Ohio’s coronavirus outbreak had reached Gov. Mike DeWine.
It was reported on Thursday morning that DeWine, who was supposed to meet with President Donald Trump later that day in Cleveland, had tested positive for Covid-19. He would stay home and get tested again, rather than accompany the president.
But then came the follow-up story on Thursday evening: A second test on DeWine was negative. He may never have been sick at all.
The whole thing was a little confusing and opaque — not a bad analogy, actually, to explain the state of Ohio’s outbreak. Early on in the pandemic, DeWine’s considerate public health approach was often contrasted with the Trump administration’s more bulldozing strategy. He was one of a handful of Republican governors — along with Maryland’s Larry Hogan and Massachusetts’s Charlie Baker — who faced outbreaks in the spring and appeared to take the threat seriously.
Today, Ohio is faring better than the summer’s worst hot spots. But the situation still isn’t ideal.
First, though, to clear things up on DeWine: The different results could be explained by the two different tests he took. The initial positive was from what’s called an antigen test: It can give results within minutes, by looking for certain proteins, but is generally less accurate than a diagnostic test that detects the virus’s genetic material. That kind of test, called a PCR test, was what DeWine took the second time, and it came back negative. So it seems plausible, if not certain, that DeWine’s first test was a false positive from the less accurate antigen test. DeWine and his wife were going to be tested again on Friday.
But really, that bizarre turn of events is just an excuse to explore the Covid-19 outbreak in DeWine’s home state (and mine), a focal point in the spring that has been overshadowed by the Arizona-California-Florida-Texas cohort.
Ohio is doing okay on Covid-19 compared to other states
After talking with some Ohio-based public health experts and looking at the data, Ohio’s current situation would best be described as “okay” — which was the take from Sara Paton, an epidemiologist at Wright State University.
The state experienced a second wave of infections starting in late June and continuing through July. On June 1, there were 439 new cases reported; on July 1, there were 1,307. The state appears to have peaked on July 13 with 1,715 new cases. Ohio’s surge coincided with those in other states, but its outbreak hasn’t swelled to the same degree as those of some other large states.
Cases are more concentrated in the state’s three biggest cities — Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus — leading to some of the same racial disparities seen elsewhere in the country. Black people are 13 percent of Ohio’s population but they make up 25 percent of Covid-19 cases and 19 percent of Ohio’s 3,618 deaths. As in most other states, nursing homes have suffered greatly, with long-term care facilities accounting for more than half of the fatalities.
But things are looking better. The number of daily new cases in Ohio has now dropped below 1,000 for more than a week. According to the Covid Exit Strategy dashboard, cases were down 17 percent over the past two weeks, and hospitalizations have dipped as well.
One measure of an outbreak’s saturation in a state, new cases per million people, bodes well for Ohio: It ranks in the bottom third of states, with 96. That’s still above the targets experts have set for states that want to safely reopen businesses and schools, but it’s better than most.
“I’m hopeful that those trends reflect people realizing that things aren’t normal and have gone back to taking precautions — like wearing masks,” William Miller, an epidemiologist at Ohio State University, told me.
One question that always arises when examining a state’s Covid-19 data: How well are they actually surveilling for the disease? On that front, Ohio is again doing better than most other states, even if its performance isn’t really exemplary based on the standards set by public health experts. For example, its positive test rate is down slightly to 5.2 percent; that is better than 30-some other states but a little above the target set by experts (5 percent or, preferably, less) for confidence that a state is catching most cases.
In Ohio, as in most places, getting timely test results has sometimes been a struggle. Local health officials in southwestern Ohio were recently reporting up to two-week delays. That is far too long from a public health perspective: Officials want results quickly so they can ask the infected person and anybody they have recently come into close contact with to isolate themselves so they don’t spread the virus to other people.
“Even areas with a low number of cases are more likely to be problematic if testing rates and timely results are low,” Zelalem Haile, an Ohio University epidemiologist, told me. “In such areas, the spread can be as high, and many cases will remain undetected.”
Still, across all of these metrics, Ohio looks better than the summer’s trouble spots. Texas and Arizona have triple its positive test rates. Florida has three times as many new cases per million people.
And Ohio’s outbreak appears to be plateauing, with no evidence of the kind of acceleration we’ve seen in Alabama and Mississippi, two new hot spots identified by experts.
DeWine has been an example of responsible Republican leadership
There are a few explanations for Ohio’s relatively stable coronavirus status quo, experts say. Some of them are structural, like lower population density and a high number of hospital beds per capita. Though at this point the virus has reached all 88 of Ohio’s counties, it can still be harder for an airborne virus to spread where people are more spaced out.
But experts also credited DeWine’s pandemic response and Ohioans’ willingness to adhere to social distancing guidance and wear masks. That has suppressed spread and allowed the state’s health system to handle the Covid-19 caseload.
The Ohio Hospital Association told me it developed surge capacity plans for the three major cities in cooperation with the state government, but they haven’t been needed yet. DeWine also deployed the state’s protective equipment stockpile in June, and hospitals did not report supply shortages during the recent spike in cases, the association said.
“He uses data and science for his decisions,” Paton said, “and is pretty transparent on what he is doing and why.”
The differences between DeWine, who was wearing a mask back in the spring, and Trump, who didn’t wear one until July, have been frequently drawn. The New York Times reported in April on DeWine’s “split from Trump” in the pandemic and the public’s rising approval of the governor.
That doesn’t mean Ohio’s response has been free from any problems or controversy. One Ohio prison had such a bad outbreak, there were more coronavirus cases than its supposed inmate occupancy, as ProPublica reported. DeWine got locked in a chaotic legal battle while trying to postpone the state’s primary elections in March. His top public health adviser, Amy Acton, stepped down in June after she was targeted by activists who opposed the state’s stay-at-home order.
But even there, the discord was between DeWine’s more cautious approach and the desire of conservative activists, much like Trump’s, to reopen the economy as soon as possible in an election year. The governor has allowed businesses to reopen with some restrictions, but he also issued a statewide mask order on July 23, earlier than the Democratic governors in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“The reopening was inevitable. I believe the decision to reopen was based on evidence of adherence to the recommended guidelines by Ohioans,” Haile said. “Cases were far less than what was expected or projected from various models, which is another indication that guidelines were being followed allowing the curve to flatten.”
But in Ohio, as elsewhere, complacency poses a threat. Paton pointed out that social contacts in the state, as measured by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, are not down as much as they have been in California, Florida, or Texas, which have been in more of a crisis mode than Ohio over the past month.
All it takes is a superspreader event or two for new hot spots to flare up and then spread could rapidly accelerate. The state may struggle with containing new outbreaks; NPR reported last month that Ohio had not hired enough contact tracing workers based on its estimated need to track Covid-19.
“Masks are only part of the solution. It would help Ohio more if people would social distance more. DeWine has made this point many times on his press conferences,” Paton said. “There have been a lot of Covid outbreaks in Ohio due to backyard barbecues, weddings, funerals, etc.”
So Ohio still has work to do. The virus certainly isn’t suppressed yet. The situation, like DeWine’s test results, is fraught and unpredictable.
But the governor’s leadership has put the state in a better position to succeed than most others. The public would seem to agree. Based on the polling, the Washington Post’s Amber Phillips wrote last week: “He’s now one of the most popular governors in America.”