vox--2020-05-26--The baseless Joe Scarborough conspiracy theory that Trump keeps pushing, explained

Despite an emotional plea from her widower , Twitter has declined to delete tweets sent by President Donald Trump insinuating MSNBC host Joe Scarborough murdered a former employee while serving in the US House of Representatives .
Timothy Klausutis , husband of the late Lori Klausutis — who worked as one of Scarborough ’ s staffers when he represented Florida ’ s First District — asked Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey to remove a series of tweets the president has sent about his wife ’ s death in a powerful letter last week .
Klausutis wrote that there has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half-truths , innuendo and conspiracy theories since the day she died ” and expressed frustration with the fact that “ conspiracy theorists , including most recently the President of the United States , continue to spread their bile and misinformation on your platform disparaging the memory of my wife and our marriage.
” He also asked Twitter ’ s leader to consider his feelings — “ I am now angry as well as frustrated and grieved , ” he wrote — as well as the feelings of his late wife ’ s relatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have met her .
“ It pains me to think they would ever have to ‘ learn ’ about her this way , ” he wrote .
Trump has latched onto a baseless conspiracy theory about Lori Klausutis ’ s death as a means of attacking Scarborough , who has become one of his most vocal media critics .
Although police have determined no foul play was involved in her death , Trump has suggested otherwise for several years and has worked to publicize the issue in recent weeks with tweets like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Did he get away with murder ?
Some people think so.
” Since then , the president — and his son Donald Trump Jr. — have both repeatedly suggested the television host killed his former staffer .
Trump even did so again Tuesday morning , hours after Klausutis ’ s letter began to receive national attention .
Days after Klausutis asked the social media platform to remove the president ’ s tweets , CNN ’ s Donie O ’ Sullivan reported that Twitter declined the request without giving a reason , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sorry ” for the pain Trump ’ s tweets have caused the family .
Twitter ’ s decision to leave the tweets up is in line with its policy , one that considers world leaders ’ tweets as inherently “ newsworthy ” and ungovernable by the platform ’ s normal terms of service — even if they are in clear violation of those rules .
As many of his tweets have , Trump ’ s allegations of murder do violate Twitter ’ s terms of service , as Klausutis ’ s letter points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special privilege to make a number of baseless attacks against his political enemies and media critics .
The tweets about Scarborough are merely the latest example of this .
With followers that have long been fed by sites promoting conspiracy theories such as QAnon , Trump has never been afraid to stoke the paranoid fantasies of some of his followers for political gain — and it has proven a successful means of energizing this base .
There is no evidence connecting Scarborough with Klausutis ’ s death The details surrounding Lori Klausutis ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that hasn ’ t stopped conspiracy theorists from speculating that Scarborough was involved from the case ’ s earliest days .
In 2001 , 28-year-old Lori Klausutis fainted because of an undiagnosed heart condition , and hit her head on her desk in Scarborough ’ s Fort Walton , Florida , office where she worked as a constituent services coordinator .
She was found dead the following day .
Scarborough was not in Florida at the time .
There is simply no evidence that Scarborough was at all connected with her death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death .
The medical examiner ruled the death accidental .
Contrary to Trump ’ s claims , Klausutis ’ s death is not a “ cold case ” or an unsolved mystery in any way .
It ’ s unclear where or from whom the Scarborough conspiracy theory originated , but the Washington Post reports it has circulated since her death , where it was shared by left-leaning websites , conflated with the case of Chandra Levy , and even connected to 9/11 .
After fading from prominence for a time , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scandal that led to questions about the professionalism and judgment of the medical examiner in the case .
Amid the scandal and after , however , other experts vouched for the examiner ’ s diagnosis of the cause of Klausutis ’ s death .
None of this has stopped Trump from claiming , without evidence , that the former staffer ’ s death is a “ big topic of discussion ” in Florida in a tweet Saturday .
But it is a further reminder that there is nothing to the assertion that Scarborough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s death .
So much so that Rep. Adam Kinzinger ( R-IL ) — who admittedly has not hesitated to criticize the president in the past — called on the president to “ stop creating paranoia ” about the death in a tweet on May 24 .
Trump ’ s tweets about Klausutis ’ s death , and the platform ’ s decision not to do anything about them , has reignited a debate over how Twitter treats world leaders like the president .
At the heart of the problem is an apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders ’ tweets are inherently newsworthy and should be left up .
But rubbing against that belief is the trauma of families like Klausutis , who are forced to endure negative public attention over a very painful memory because the president wants to lash out at an adversary .
In July 2019 , Twitter decided it would not delete any tweets by the president or other high-level government officials , even if they would otherwise violate Twitter ’ s terms of service .
“ There are certain cases where it may be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access to certain Tweets , even if they would otherwise be in violation of our rules , ” Twitter said in a blog post , explaining that the platform would display a message indicating that the tweet in question violates Twitter policy .
The company has since said it would label misleading tweets , even from world leaders like Trump , that contain false information about the coronavirus — a policy it has yet to enforce .
It has , however , begun to place addendums under certain tweets , like the links @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail-in voting that invite users to “ get the facts.
” In responding to this most recent call to delete the president ’ s tweets , Twitter again said it planned “ to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward , ” CNN reported .
That expansion , Twitter told Vox , would include ensuring tweets promoting conspiracy theories “ would get a label and would point to a moment where we collect factual information.
” It did not give an exact timeline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying only , “ We ’ re accelerating that work and hope to have it in place soon.
” Twitter did make clear Trump ’ s tweets would remain , while taking the unusual step of apologizing in a statement to CNN for the pain the tweets are causing Klausutis ’ s family .
Unfortunately for Twitter , it will have to “ address things like this going forward ” — there ’ s no way around the fact that Trump habitually tweets inflammatory rhetoric and outright lies to his more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the platform ’ s exceptions for leaders argue that there is a very easy thing Twitter could do to spare pain to families like Klausutis ’ s : It could simply decide to enforce its own current policies to everyone equally — including Trump .
That would mean deleting tweets , suspending the user , or labeling false content from politicians as misleading .
In the case of Trump ’ s Scarborough tweets , Twitter has chosen not to do so .
And in making that choice , it has enabled the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to target his political enemies with no apparent regard for consequences — because , at least for the moment , there are none .
Trump weaponizes another conspiracy theory to attack an adversary It shouldn ’ t come as a surprise that a president who began his political career as the leader of the racist birther movement , which falsely claimed that former President Barack Obama was not born in the US and was thus ineligible for office , would deal so frequently in conspiracy theories .
Trump has pushed the Crowdstrike theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — hacked the Democratic National Committee servers in 2016 .
QAnon believers are regulars at Trump rallies , and Trump retweets Q supporters often .
Some have even begun running for federal office as Republicans .
All this means the playbook Trump is now running against Scarborough is a familiar one .
He has used similar tactics against other opponents , and this in many ways mirrors the Seth Rich conspiracy theory that sought to hinder the president ’ s political rivals .
Rich was murdered under mysterious circumstances near his home in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , around 4:20 am on July 10 , 2016 .
Despite no evidence , conspiracy theorists and Fox News almost immediately accused Hillary Clinton of involvement in Rich ’ s murder .
Conspiracy theorists latched onto several key details of the case to push their unfounded theory , as explained by Vox ’ s Jeff Guo : Also playing into the theory was an unfounded claim that Rich had leaked sensitive DNC details to WikiLeaks , which supposedly provided motive for his murder .
Like Timothy Klausutis , Rich ’ s family took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , suing Fox News in April 2018 for promoting it on the air .
The case was quickly dismissed in federal court before being revived by an appeals court in September 2019 , after details from the Mueller report put to rest the idea that Rich had anything to do with the leaks .
That conspiracy theory led to a great deal of misinformation being shared at a crucial political moments for Trump — the 2016 election and as he faced questions over Russia ’ s influence on that election .
Similarly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — this time by the president himself — as Trump faces economic pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic , questions over the role his administration ’ s response has played in the US death toll nearing 100,000 , and poll numbers , especially in several key battleground states , that are trailing those of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
Amid all of this , the president attacked one of the members of the media that he loves to pick fights with , MSNBC ’ s Scarborough .
And in doing so , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shifted the political conversation away from his administration ’ s response to the pandemic and the economic collapse it has triggered and toward this conspiracy theory .
In a press briefing Wednesday , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany answered questions about the president ’ s tweets , saying that the administration ’ s “ hearts were with Lori ’ s family at this time.
” Gone unsaid however , was that the Klausutis family is only going through a difficult time because the president has decided to boost an unfounded conspiracy theory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 , 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

Despite an emotional plea from her widower, Twitter has declined to delete tweets sent by President Donald Trump insinuating MSNBC host Joe Scarborough murdered a former employee while serving in the US House of Representatives.
Timothy Klausutis, husband of the late Lori Klausutis — who worked as one of Scarborough’s staffers when he represented Florida’s First District — asked Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey to remove a series of tweets the president has sent about his wife’s death in a powerful letter last week.
Klausutis wrote that there has been “a constant barrage of falsehoods, half-truths, innuendo and conspiracy theories since the day she died” and expressed frustration with the fact that “conspiracy theorists, including most recently the President of the United States, continue to spread their bile and misinformation on your platform disparaging the memory of my wife and our marriage.”
He also asked Twitter’s leader to consider his feelings — “I am now angry as well as frustrated and grieved,” he wrote — as well as the feelings of his late wife’s relatives, some of whom are too young to have met her. “It pains me to think they would ever have to ‘learn’ about her this way,” he wrote.
Trump has latched onto a baseless conspiracy theory about Lori Klausutis’s death as a means of attacking Scarborough, who has become one of his most vocal media critics. Although police have determined no foul play was involved in her death, Trump has suggested otherwise for several years and has worked to publicize the issue in recent weeks with tweets like one he sent on May 12: “Did he get away with murder? Some people think so.”
Since then, the president — and his son Donald Trump Jr. — have both repeatedly suggested the television host killed his former staffer. Trump even did so again Tuesday morning, hours after Klausutis’s letter began to receive national attention.
The opening of a Cold Case against Psycho Joe Scarborough was not a Donald Trump original thought, this has been going on for years, long before I joined the chorus. In 2016 when Joe & his wacky future ex-wife, Mika, would endlessly interview me, I would always be thinking.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020
Days after Klausutis asked the social media platform to remove the president’s tweets, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan reported that Twitter declined the request without giving a reason, though the company said it was “deeply sorry” for the pain Trump’s tweets have caused the family.
Twitter spokesperson: “We are deeply sorry about the pain these statements, and the attention they are drawing, are causing the family." — Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) May 26, 2020
Twitter’s decision to leave the tweets up is in line with its policy, one that considers world leaders’ tweets as inherently “newsworthy” and ungovernable by the platform’s normal terms of service — even if they are in clear violation of those rules. As many of his tweets have, Trump’s allegations of murder do violate Twitter’s terms of service, as Klausutis’s letter points out.
The president has used this special privilege to make a number of baseless attacks against his political enemies and media critics. The tweets about Scarborough are merely the latest example of this. With followers that have long been fed by sites promoting conspiracy theories such as QAnon, Trump has never been afraid to stoke the paranoid fantasies of some of his followers for political gain — and it has proven a successful means of energizing this base.
There is no evidence connecting Scarborough with Klausutis’s death
The details surrounding Lori Klausutis’s death are clear and definitive, but that hasn’t stopped conspiracy theorists from speculating that Scarborough was involved from the case’s earliest days.
In 2001, 28-year-old Lori Klausutis fainted because of an undiagnosed heart condition, and hit her head on her desk in Scarborough’s Fort Walton, Florida, office where she worked as a constituent services coordinator. She was found dead the following day. Scarborough was not in Florida at the time.
There is simply no evidence that Scarborough was at all connected with her death. Police investigated the circumstances around her death. The medical examiner ruled the death accidental. Contrary to Trump’s claims, Klausutis’s death is not a “cold case” or an unsolved mystery in any way.
It’s unclear where or from whom the Scarborough conspiracy theory originated, but the Washington Post reports it has circulated since her death, where it was shared by left-leaning websites, conflated with the case of Chandra Levy, and even connected to 9/11. After fading from prominence for a time, it was reportedly revived due to an unrelated scandal that led to questions about the professionalism and judgment of the medical examiner in the case. Amid the scandal and after, however, other experts vouched for the examiner’s diagnosis of the cause of Klausutis’s death.
None of this has stopped Trump from claiming, without evidence, that the former staffer’s death is a “big topic of discussion” in Florida in a tweet Saturday. But it is a further reminder that there is nothing to the assertion that Scarborough had anything to do with Klausutis’s death.
So much so that Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) — who admittedly has not hesitated to criticize the president in the past — called on the president to “stop creating paranoia” about the death in a tweet on May 24.
Twitter’s presidential conspiracy theory problem
Trump’s tweets about Klausutis’s death, and the platform’s decision not to do anything about them, has reignited a debate over how Twitter treats world leaders like the president. At the heart of the problem is an apparently high-level view in the company that world leaders’ tweets are inherently newsworthy and should be left up.
But rubbing against that belief is the trauma of families like Klausutis, who are forced to endure negative public attention over a very painful memory because the president wants to lash out at an adversary.
In July 2019, Twitter decided it would not delete any tweets by the president or other high-level government officials, even if they would otherwise violate Twitter’s terms of service.
“There are certain cases where it may be in the public’s interest to have access to certain Tweets, even if they would otherwise be in violation of our rules,” Twitter said in a blog post, explaining that the platform would display a message indicating that the tweet in question violates Twitter policy. The company has since said it would label misleading tweets, even from world leaders like Trump, that contain false information about the coronavirus — a policy it has yet to enforce. It has, however, begun to place addendums under certain tweets, like the links placed under tweets Trump sent Tuesday attacking mail-in voting that invite users to “get the facts.”
In responding to this most recent call to delete the president’s tweets, Twitter again said it planned “to expand existing product features and policies so we can more effectively address things like this going forward,” CNN reported. That expansion, Twitter told Vox, would include ensuring tweets promoting conspiracy theories “would get a label and would point to a moment where we collect factual information.”
It did not give an exact timeline for when this feature will be released, saying only, “We’re accelerating that work and hope to have it in place soon.” Twitter did make clear Trump’s tweets would remain, while taking the unusual step of apologizing in a statement to CNN for the pain the tweets are causing Klausutis’s family.
Unfortunately for Twitter, it will have to “address things like this going forward” — there’s no way around the fact that Trump habitually tweets inflammatory rhetoric and outright lies to his more than 8 million followers. Those critical of the platform’s exceptions for leaders argue that there is a very easy thing Twitter could do to spare pain to families like Klausutis’s: It could simply decide to enforce its own current policies to everyone equally — including Trump.
That would mean deleting tweets, suspending the user, or labeling false content from politicians as misleading.
In the case of Trump’s Scarborough tweets, Twitter has chosen not to do so. And in making that choice, it has enabled the president to use the platform as a way to target his political enemies with no apparent regard for consequences — because, at least for the moment, there are none.
Trump weaponizes another conspiracy theory to attack an adversary
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a president who began his political career as the leader of the racist birther movement, which falsely claimed that former President Barack Obama was not born in the US and was thus ineligible for office, would deal so frequently in conspiracy theories.
Trump has pushed the Crowdstrike theory that a publicly-owned American company — not Russia — hacked the Democratic National Committee servers in 2016. QAnon believers are regulars at Trump rallies, and Trump retweets Q supporters often. Some have even begun running for federal office as Republicans.
All this means the playbook Trump is now running against Scarborough is a familiar one. He has used similar tactics against other opponents, and this in many ways mirrors the Seth Rich conspiracy theory that sought to hinder the president’s political rivals.
Rich was murdered under mysterious circumstances near his home in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC, around 4:20 am on July 10, 2016. Despite no evidence, conspiracy theorists and Fox News almost immediately accused Hillary Clinton of involvement in Rich’s murder.
Conspiracy theorists latched onto several key details of the case to push their unfounded theory, as explained by Vox’s Jeff Guo:
-The murderers left behind Rich’s valuables. (Though, by that same paranoid logic, wouldn’t a professional hitman have taken Rich’s wallet and phone in order to make it look like a regular mugging?) -Rich worked at the DNC, where in December there had been a minor scandal involving a software glitch that allowed the Bernie Sanders campaign to access private voter data collected by the Clinton campaign. -Hillary Clinton had just clinched the nomination after a surprisingly bruising primary, and there were still sore feelings in the air. -There’s a long-running conspiracy theory that the Clintons have assassinated dozens of their political enemies. If those facts don’t seem to add up to a coherent story, well, you’re thinking too hard. Conspiracy theories don’t operate logically. They start from an assumption — for instance, “the Clintons are shady” — and spiral outward in search of corroboration.
Also playing into the theory was an unfounded claim that Rich had leaked sensitive DNC details to WikiLeaks, which supposedly provided motive for his murder.
Like Timothy Klausutis, Rich’s family took action to fight back against the theory, suing Fox News in April 2018 for promoting it on the air. The case was quickly dismissed in federal court before being revived by an appeals court in September 2019, after details from the Mueller report put to rest the idea that Rich had anything to do with the leaks.
That conspiracy theory led to a great deal of misinformation being shared at a crucial political moments for Trump — the 2016 election and as he faced questions over Russia’s influence on that election.
Similarly, the Scarborough conspiracy theory is being amplified — this time by the president himself — as Trump faces economic pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic, questions over the role his administration’s response has played in the US death toll nearing 100,000, and poll numbers, especially in several key battleground states, that are trailing those of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Amid all of this, the president attacked one of the members of the media that he loves to pick fights with, MSNBC’s Scarborough. And in doing so, he has — at least temporarily — shifted the political conversation away from his administration’s response to the pandemic and the economic collapse it has triggered and toward this conspiracy theory.
In a press briefing Wednesday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany answered questions about the president’s tweets, saying that the administration’s “hearts were with Lori’s family at this time.”
"I do know that our hearts are with Lori's family at this time" -- McEnany pretends Trump has sympathy for the woman whose death he's been pushing baseless conspiracy theories about to demean Joe Scarborough & then deflects from Qs about Trump's behavior by attacking Scarborough pic.twitter.com/8A4YuUrMII — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 26, 2020
Gone unsaid however, was that the Klausutis family is only going through a difficult time because the president has decided to boost an unfounded conspiracy theory about Lori’s death.
Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary contributed reporting to this article.
Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that CrowdStrike is a publicly-owned American company.


vox--2020-05-26--“Human capital stock”: White House adviser Kevin Hassett uses dehumanizing term for US workers

White House economics adviser Kevin Hassett went viral over the weekend for referring to American workers as “ human capital stock ” — a racially charged , dehumanizing turn of phrase that conjured up images of livestock .
“ Our human capital stock is ready to get back to work , ” Hassett told CNN ’ s Dana Bash on Sunday , as part of his argument that the US economy is poised for a quick turnaround , even as he acknowledged that the unemployment rate will linger in double figures through November ’ s election .
While many , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ umbrage with Hassett ’ s remarks , others , such as New York magazine ’ s Jonathan Chait , pointed out that “ human capital ” has a less incendiary connotation .
“ Yes , economists should probably avoid confusing jargon when communicating in public , but I think people are getting way too outraged over an economist using an economics term , ” Chait tweeted .
And indeed , there are a number of academic publications using the term , which economists use to mean “ the knowledge , skills , competencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups of individuals acquired during their life and used to produce goods , services or ideas in market circumstances.
” Hassett generally comes across as one of the Trump White House ’ s more level-headed spokespeople , so it ’ s not unreasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt .
But even if one is inclined to interpret the “ human capital stock ” remark in a benign manner , it ’ s worth noting that the point he was trying to make — namely that Americans are eager to return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 — actually contradicts the available evidence .
America ’ s “ human capital stock ” actually isn ’ t eager to get back to work Polling , in fact , indicates everyday Americans are much less excited about returning to normal life than people like Hassett and President Donald Trump would have you believe .
On Saturday , my colleague Zeeshan Aleem detailed new Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling that found Americans are broadly unenthusiastic about resuming activities they were doing before the pandemic hit , such as using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s good reason for that reluctance — the number of new coronavirus cases diagnosed per day is currently stuck around 20,000 , with many states showing an increase .
In short , people are rightfully still worried about getting sick .
The AP/NORC Center polling dovetails with a Washington Post/Ipsos poll taken from April 27 to May 4 that found 74 percent of Americans want the US to focus on controlling the virus instead of reopening businesses — and that 54 percent felt Trump is doing too little to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other recent polls , from Citrix and Qualtrics , have found about two-thirds of Americans saying they are not yet ready to return to work .
But rather than taking measures aimed at making it as safe as possible for workers to return to work , Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) have made immunizing corporations from legal liability for potentially unsafe working conditions their top priority for any future coronavirus legislation .
To the extent that Trump has promoted a plan to safely return Americans to work , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wishful thinking ( “ it ’ s going to go away ” ) and the promotion of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine that he hopes will emerge as miracle cures .
Meanwhile , his hopes for a second term grow increasingly faint each day that the economy is damaged by businesses being shut down .
But instead of developing a plan — or even advocating the one drafted by his Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Trump on Tuesday nonsensically cited a strong day for the Dow as evidence that “ States should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market is not the economy .
As my colleague Emily Stewart has explained , it is being artificially inflated by help from the Federal Reserve and Congress .
On the other hand , businesses that have reopened in states like Georgia and Texas are struggling with a lack of demand and decreased capacity , thanks to ongoing social distancing efforts .
In a perfect world , of course , Americans would be able to go back to work and do so safely .
But in reality , those who can ’ t work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their workplaces because they don ’ t yet feel safe .
Hassett ’ s remarks represented an effort to mislead people about that state of affairs .
And in so doing , he may have let the mask slip a little .
The news moves fast .
To stay updated , follow Aaron Rupar on Twitter , and read more of Vox ’ s policy and politics coverage .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making @ @ @ @ @ @

White House economics adviser Kevin Hassett went viral over the weekend for referring to American workers as “human capital stock” — a racially charged, dehumanizing turn of phrase that conjured up images of livestock.
“Our human capital stock is ready to get back to work,” Hassett told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, as part of his argument that the US economy is poised for a quick turnaround, even as he acknowledged that the unemployment rate will linger in double figures through November’s election.
White House adviser Kevin Hassett: "Our human capital stock is ready to go back to work." #HumanCapitalStock pic.twitter.com/Yl9KwJf6KP — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 25, 2020
While many, including the House Democratic Caucus, took umbrage with Hassett’s remarks, others, such as New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait, pointed out that “human capital” has a less incendiary connotation.
“Yes, economists should probably avoid confusing jargon when communicating in public, but I think people are getting way too outraged over an economist using an economics term,” Chait tweeted.
And indeed, there are a number of academic publications using the term, which economists use to mean “the knowledge, skills, competencies and other attributes embodied in individuals or groups of individuals acquired during their life and used to produce goods, services or ideas in market circumstances.”
Hassett generally comes across as one of the Trump White House’s more level-headed spokespeople, so it’s not unreasonable to give him the benefit of the doubt. But even if one is inclined to interpret the “human capital stock” remark in a benign manner, it’s worth noting that the point he was trying to make — namely that Americans are eager to return to work despite the dangers posed by Covid-19 — actually contradicts the available evidence.
America’s “human capital stock” actually isn’t eager to get back to work
Polling, in fact, indicates everyday Americans are much less excited about returning to normal life than people like Hassett and President Donald Trump would have you believe.
On Saturday, my colleague Zeeshan Aleem detailed new Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling that found Americans are broadly unenthusiastic about resuming activities they were doing before the pandemic hit, such as using public transportation or going to the gym.
There’s good reason for that reluctance — the number of new coronavirus cases diagnosed per day is currently stuck around 20,000, with many states showing an increase. In short, people are rightfully still worried about getting sick.
New cases continued very slowly floating downwards. pic.twitter.com/MzSe4a1xN6 — The COVID Tracking Project (@COVID19Tracking) May 25, 2020
The AP/NORC Center polling dovetails with a Washington Post/Ipsos poll taken from April 27 to May 4 that found 74 percent of Americans want the US to focus on controlling the virus instead of reopening businesses — and that 54 percent felt Trump is doing too little to ensure people can safely return to work. Other recent polls, from Citrix and Qualtrics, have found about two-thirds of Americans saying they are not yet ready to return to work.
But rather than taking measures aimed at making it as safe as possible for workers to return to work, Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have made immunizing corporations from legal liability for potentially unsafe working conditions their top priority for any future coronavirus legislation.
To the extent that Trump has promoted a plan to safely return Americans to work, he’s hyped a combination of wishful thinking (“it’s going to go away”) and the promotion of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine that he hopes will emerge as miracle cures. Meanwhile, his hopes for a second term grow increasingly faint each day that the economy is damaged by businesses being shut down.
But instead of developing a plan — or even advocating the one drafted by his Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Trump on Tuesday nonsensically cited a strong day for the Dow as evidence that “States should open up ASAP.”
Stock Market up BIG, DOW crosses 25,000. S&P 500 over 3000. States should open up ASAP. The Transition to Greatness has started, ahead of schedule. There will be ups and downs, but next year will be one of the best ever! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020
But the stock market is not the economy. As my colleague Emily Stewart has explained, it is being artificially inflated by help from the Federal Reserve and Congress. On the other hand, businesses that have reopened in states like Georgia and Texas are struggling with a lack of demand and decreased capacity, thanks to ongoing social distancing efforts.
In a perfect world, of course, Americans would be able to go back to work and do so safely. But in reality, those who can’t work from home are largely reluctant to return to their workplaces because they don’t yet feel safe.
Hassett’s remarks represented an effort to mislead people about that state of affairs. And in so doing, he may have let the mask slip a little.
The news moves fast. To stay updated, follow Aaron Rupar on Twitter, and read more of Vox’s policy and politics coverage.


vox--2020-05-26--Trump’s latest travel ban targets Brazil

In an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus , President Donald Trump will soon ban travelers coming from the latest hotspot : Brazil .
Any noncitizen who has been in Brazil within the last 14 days will be turned away starting Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Trump had initially said the ban wouldn ’ t go into effect until Thursday but then moved up the effective date .
Brazil has the highest daily Covid-19 death rate worldwide and could see deaths increase fivefold by August to 125,000 .
President Jair Bolsonaro , who has prioritized keeping businesses open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and described the virus as just a “ little flu ” has yet to implement shutdown measures in order to slow the rate of infection .
“ Today ’ s action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country , ” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Sunday .
“ These new restrictions do not apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil.
” Trump told reporters on May 19 that while he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in here and infecting our people , ” he has ensured that the administration is sending thousands of ventilators to the country , whose health system has buckled as it faces almost 400,000 confirmed coronavirus cases .
The country ’ s underfunded hospitals are ill-equipped to care for the many Brazilians living in poverty should they be infected , as my colleague Alex Ward writes .
But while Trump has been publicly sympathetic to the people of Brazil and their president , his longtime ally , the governor of Sao Paulo said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationship with the US will be affected by Mr. Trump ’ s decision ” to restrict travel .
Brazil is one of many countries facing travel restrictions Brazil is just the latest country to face travel restrictions in the US .
In January , Trump blocked foreigners who had recently visited China and in February , he imposed additional restrictions on Iranians , many of whom were already subject to a travel ban unrelated to coronavirus .
In March , Trump began barring entry for all travelers from Europe , including the UK @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visiting these countries , however , were exempt , meaning that they could have imported coronavirus without detection .
Trump is also reportedly weighing a travel ban on Russia , which has the third-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases .
Though these bans may have prevented some transmission of coronavirus , they have come at a great socioeconomic cost for the countries affected .
“ China ’ s economy is taking a huge hit , with a ripple effect felt around the world , ” Nicole Errett , lecturer in the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Science , said .
“ Airports and borders are closed , supply chains are interrupted , businesses are shuttered .
Health and health systems are also affected , as it becomes difficult to transport health care workers and resources where they are needed , and people avoid or can ’ t access routine health care services.
” It ’ s not clear whether travel bans are effective at this stage While Trump has repeatedly cited these bans as key policies in his response to the virus , researchers are still learning about how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
Since Trump imposed his initial travel restrictions on people coming from China at the outset of the pandemic , they now have a better understanding of the circumstances under which restrictions might be effective .
New Zealand , which brought the number of daily new coronavirus cases down to zero , and Australia , which has just over 7,000 cases , have both enacted strict lockdowns and sent overseas travelers to mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival .
China and Italy , on the other hand , both adopted stringent restrictions on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avert a pandemic .
China ’ s decision to lock down domestic transportation in the Hubei province , where the virus originated , coupled with international travel restrictions , led to a delay both in the spread of the virus internally and in other countries — one paper estimates by about 2.9 days .
Another paper recently published in Science that has yet to be peer-reviewed determined that the combination of those approaches produced a “ much larger synergistic effect ” than either of them would have alone .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Italy had a similar impact .
Italy was the first European Union country to ban flights to and from China on account of coronavirus , going against the recommendations of the World Health Organization .
Joshua Michaud , associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation , said that these case studies show that travel restrictions can prevent the spread of the virus if placed early enough and if they ’ re stringent enough .
“ The difficulty with this virus is that , if it ’ s not early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intended effect , ” he said .
“ If you have an incomplete travel ban or it comes too late , it doesn ’ t help very much .
It ’ s like pulling the fire alarm when the house is on fire.
” The US ’ s initial ban on Chinese travelers didn ’ t cover all people coming from China because they could re-route through other countries and get around the ban .
What ’ s more , the virus had already reached the US undetected , mostly coming from Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within the US is so high that further travel restrictions will likely have a comparatively marginal effect — but they will prevent at least some transmission .
Whether preventing that transmission is worth the obvious diplomatic and socioeconomic costs of shutting down travel is still an open question .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

In an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Donald Trump will soon ban travelers coming from the latest hotspot: Brazil.
Any noncitizen who has been in Brazil within the last 14 days will be turned away starting Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Trump had initially said the ban wouldn’t go into effect until Thursday but then moved up the effective date.
Brazil has the highest daily Covid-19 death rate worldwide and could see deaths increase fivefold by August to 125,000. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has prioritized keeping businesses open against the advice of his health ministers and described the virus as just a “little flu” has yet to implement shutdown measures in order to slow the rate of infection.
“Today’s action will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Sunday. “These new restrictions do not apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil.”
Trump told reporters on May 19 that while he didn’t want Brazilians “coming in here and infecting our people,” he has ensured that the administration is sending thousands of ventilators to the country, whose health system has buckled as it faces almost 400,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. The country’s underfunded hospitals are ill-equipped to care for the many Brazilians living in poverty should they be infected, as my colleague Alex Ward writes.
But while Trump has been publicly sympathetic to the people of Brazil and their president, his longtime ally, the governor of Sao Paulo said that Brazil’s “diplomatic and economic relationship with the US will be affected by Mr. Trump’s decision” to restrict travel.
Brazil is one of many countries facing travel restrictions
Brazil is just the latest country to face travel restrictions in the US.
In January, Trump blocked foreigners who had recently visited China and in February, he imposed additional restrictions on Iranians, many of whom were already subject to a travel ban unrelated to coronavirus. In March, Trump began barring entry for all travelers from Europe, including the UK and Ireland. US citizens who were visiting these countries, however, were exempt, meaning that they could have imported coronavirus without detection.
Trump is also reportedly weighing a travel ban on Russia, which has the third-highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases.
Though these bans may have prevented some transmission of coronavirus, they have come at a great socioeconomic cost for the countries affected.
“China’s economy is taking a huge hit, with a ripple effect felt around the world,” Nicole Errett, lecturer in the University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Science, said. “Airports and borders are closed, supply chains are interrupted, businesses are shuttered. Health and health systems are also affected, as it becomes difficult to transport health care workers and resources where they are needed, and people avoid or can’t access routine health care services.”
It’s not clear whether travel bans are effective at this stage
While Trump has repeatedly cited these bans as key policies in his response to the virus, researchers are still learning about how travel bans can curb the spread of coronavirus. Since Trump imposed his initial travel restrictions on people coming from China at the outset of the pandemic, they now have a better understanding of the circumstances under which restrictions might be effective.
New Zealand, which brought the number of daily new coronavirus cases down to zero, and Australia, which has just over 7,000 cases, have both enacted strict lockdowns and sent overseas travelers to mandatory 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
China and Italy, on the other hand, both adopted stringent restrictions on domestic and international travel but were unable to avert a pandemic.
China’s decision to lock down domestic transportation in the Hubei province, where the virus originated, coupled with international travel restrictions, led to a delay both in the spread of the virus internally and in other countries — one paper estimates by about 2.9 days. Another paper recently published in Science that has yet to be peer-reviewed determined that the combination of those approaches produced a “much larger synergistic effect” than either of them would have alone.
It’s not yet clear whether travel restrictions in Italy had a similar impact. Italy was the first European Union country to ban flights to and from China on account of coronavirus, going against the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
Joshua Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said that these case studies show that travel restrictions can prevent the spread of the virus if placed early enough and if they’re stringent enough.
“The difficulty with this virus is that, if it’s not early enough, it may not have the intended effect,” he said. “If you have an incomplete travel ban or it comes too late, it doesn’t help very much. It’s like pulling the fire alarm when the house is on fire.”
The US’s initial ban on Chinese travelers didn’t cover all people coming from China because they could re-route through other countries and get around the ban. What’s more, the virus had already reached the US undetected, mostly coming from Europe.
At this point, community transmission within the US is so high that further travel restrictions will likely have a comparatively marginal effect — but they will prevent at least some transmission. Whether preventing that transmission is worth the obvious diplomatic and socioeconomic costs of shutting down travel is still an open question.


vox--2020-05-26--Amy Cooper’s 911 call is part of an all-too-familiar pattern

Christian Cooper was bird-watching in New York ’ s Central Park on Monday when he saw a woman with an unleashed dog .
Leashes are required in the Ramble , the part of the park where the two were walking .
“ That ’ s important to us birders because we know that dogs won ’ t be off leash at all and we can go there to see the ground-dwelling birds , ” Cooper told CNN .
So Cooper decided to say something .
What happened next was captured in a video that ’ s now been seen by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amy Cooper , refused to put her dog on a leash or move to another area .
So Christian took out some dog treats he carries for situations like this .
At that point , according to Christian , she began to panic — and he started filming .
In the video , posted to Facebook and shared thousands of times , Amy approaches Christian , potentially violating social distancing guidelines .
Then she threatens to call the police , saying , “ I ’ m going to tell them there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Finally , she actually calls the authorities , saying that an “ African American ” man “ is recording me and threatening me and my dog.
” Cooper says very little on the video , and certainly nothing threatening .
When police arrived , both Christian and Amy had already left the park .
And after the video went viral , Amy issued an apology and was fired from her job .
But for many , the incident is a reminder of larger ills in American society : the willingness of white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , and the epidemic of violence against black Americans by both police and white civilians , including the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor .
“ We live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery , where black men are seen as targets , ” Christian Cooper told CNN .
“ This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage , and I wasn ’ t having it.
” Amy Cooper called the police after a dispute about her dog Christian Cooper told CNN he was “ pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to abide by the park ’ s leash rules .
But Amy claims he was screaming at her .
“ He was running in an open field , ” she told CNN .
“ He came out of the bush.
” When she refused to leash her dog , he says he told her , “ if you ’ re going to do what you want , I ’ m going to do what I want , but you ’ re not going to like it.
” He meant he was going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I didn ’ t know what that meant .
When you ’ re alone in a wooded area , that ’ s absolutely terrifying , right ?
” She now claims that fear is the reason she decided to call the police .
“ I think I was just scared , ” she told CNN .
“ When you ’ re alone in the Ramble , you don ’ t know what ’ s happening .
It ’ s not excusable , it ’ s not defensible.
” Amy also says she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ I ’ m not a racist , ” she told CNN .
“ I did not mean to harm that man in any way.
” Amy also told CNN that her “ entire life is being destroyed right now ” — after calls on social media for her employer to fire her , she has been let go by Franklin Templeton , the investment company where she worked .
“ Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday , we have made the decision to terminate the employee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company said on Twitter .
“ We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton.
” Amy Cooper has also surrendered her dog to the shelter where she adopted him , after some people noted that she appeared to be choking him with his collar in the video .
“ The dog is now in our rescue ’ s care and he is safe and in good health , ” shelter staff said in a Facebook post , according to CNN .
The incident was part of a long history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans In this particular case , no arrests were made and Christian was not physically harmed .
But there ’ s a long history of such 911 calls by white people resulting in arrests , interrogation , and violence against black people .
This dangerous pattern received greater national attention in 2018 when two black men , Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson , were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks while doing nothing more than waiting for a business partner to arrive .
Soon after , a white Oakland woman became the subject of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she called the police on a black family who were barbecuing in a park — the family were detained and questioned for an hour .
Also in 2018 , Chikesia Clemons was arrested and thrown to the ground by police at an Alabama Waffle House after restaurant staff called over a dispute with the bill .
The officers exposed Clemons ’ breasts and threatened to break her arm .
As P.R .
Lockhart wrote at Vox in 2018 , “ if ‘ shopping while black ’ and ‘ driving while black ’ have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for people and police to treat black people with suspicion , recent incidents have provided an increasing number of scenarios to add to the list.
” Indeed , black bird-watchers have long spoken out about the dangers of “ birding while black.
” In a 2016 essay by that name , J .
Drew Lanham wrote about encountering Confederate flags and KKK graffiti while out looking for birds , and having to give up a promising research project because a white supremacist group became active in the mountainous area he was supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear has always accompanied binoculars , scopes , and field guides as baggage , ” he wrote .
Many in the birding community have voiced support for Christian Cooper since the incident became public .
“ Black Americans often face terrible daily dangers in outdoor spaces , where they are subjected to unwarranted suspicion , confrontation , and violence , ” Rebeccah Sanders , senior vice president for state programs at the Audubon Society , said in a statement .
“ We are grateful Christian Cooper is safe .
He takes great delight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ birds with others and serves as a board member of the New York City Audubon Society , where he promotes conservation of New York City ’ s outdoor spaces and inclusion of all people.
” For his part , Christian Cooper told the Washington Post , “ I don ’ t think there ’ s an African American person in America who hasn ’ t experienced something like this at some point.
” But , he said , “ I don ’ t shy away from confronting the scofflaw when I see it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unusable — not just to us birders but to anybody who enjoys the beauty.
” 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 , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

Christian Cooper was bird-watching in New York’s Central Park on Monday when he saw a woman with an unleashed dog.
Leashes are required in the Ramble, the part of the park where the two were walking. “That’s important to us birders because we know that dogs won’t be off leash at all and we can go there to see the ground-dwelling birds,” Cooper told CNN.
So Cooper decided to say something. What happened next was captured in a video that’s now been seen by millions of Americans.
The woman, Amy Cooper, refused to put her dog on a leash or move to another area. So Christian took out some dog treats he carries for situations like this. At that point, according to Christian, she began to panic — and he started filming.
In the video, posted to Facebook and shared thousands of times, Amy approaches Christian, potentially violating social distancing guidelines. Then she threatens to call the police, saying, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” Finally, she actually calls the authorities, saying that an “African American” man “is recording me and threatening me and my dog.” Cooper says very little on the video, and certainly nothing threatening.
Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm — Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020
When police arrived, both Christian and Amy had already left the park. And after the video went viral, Amy issued an apology and was fired from her job. But for many, the incident is a reminder of larger ills in American society: the willingness of white people to call the police on black people, and the epidemic of violence against black Americans by both police and white civilians, including the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
“We live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets,” Christian Cooper told CNN. “This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn’t having it.”
Amy Cooper called the police after a dispute about her dog
Christian Cooper told CNN he was “pretty calm” when he asked Amy Cooper to abide by the park’s leash rules. But Amy claims he was screaming at her. “He was running in an open field,” she told CNN. “He came out of the bush.”
When she refused to leash her dog, he says he told her, “if you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it.” He meant he was going to film her, but Amy says, “I didn’t know what that meant. When you’re alone in a wooded area, that’s absolutely terrifying, right?”
She now claims that fear is the reason she decided to call the police. “I think I was just scared,” she told CNN. “When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”
Amy also says she wants to “publicly apologize to everyone.”
“I’m not a racist,” she told CNN. “I did not mean to harm that man in any way.”
Amy also told CNN that her “entire life is being destroyed right now” — after calls on social media for her employer to fire her, she has been let go by Franklin Templeton, the investment company where she worked.
“Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately,” the company said on Twitter. “We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton.”
Amy Cooper has also surrendered her dog to the shelter where she adopted him, after some people noted that she appeared to be choking him with his collar in the video.
“The dog is now in our rescue’s care and he is safe and in good health,” shelter staff said in a Facebook post, according to CNN.
The incident was part of a long history of white people calling the police on black Americans
In this particular case, no arrests were made and Christian was not physically harmed. But there’s a long history of such 911 calls by white people resulting in arrests, interrogation, and violence against black people.
This dangerous pattern received greater national attention in 2018 when two black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks while doing nothing more than waiting for a business partner to arrive. Soon after, a white Oakland woman became the subject of countless “BBQ Becky” memes after she called the police on a black family who were barbecuing in a park — the family were detained and questioned for an hour. Also in 2018, Chikesia Clemons was arrested and thrown to the ground by police at an Alabama Waffle House after restaurant staff called over a dispute with the bill. The officers exposed Clemons’ breasts and threatened to break her arm.
As P.R. Lockhart wrote at Vox in 2018, “if ‘shopping while black’ and ‘driving while black’ have been long used to describe a tendency for people and police to treat black people with suspicion, recent incidents have provided an increasing number of scenarios to add to the list.”
Indeed, black bird-watchers have long spoken out about the dangers of “birding while black.” In a 2016 essay by that name, J. Drew Lanham wrote about encountering Confederate flags and KKK graffiti while out looking for birds, and having to give up a promising research project because a white supremacist group became active in the mountainous area he was supposed to study.
“In remote places, fear has always accompanied binoculars, scopes, and field guides as baggage,” he wrote.
Many in the birding community have voiced support for Christian Cooper since the incident became public.
“Black Americans often face terrible daily dangers in outdoor spaces, where they are subjected to unwarranted suspicion, confrontation, and violence,” Rebeccah Sanders, senior vice president for state programs at the Audubon Society, said in a statement. “We are grateful Christian Cooper is safe. He takes great delight in sharing New York City’s birds with others and serves as a board member of the New York City Audubon Society, where he promotes conservation of New York City’s outdoor spaces and inclusion of all people.”
For his part, Christian Cooper told the Washington Post, “I don’t think there’s an African American person in America who hasn’t experienced something like this at some point.”
But, he said, “I don’t shy away from confronting the scofflaw when I see it. Otherwise, the park would be unusable — not just to us birders but to anybody who enjoys the beauty.”


vox--2020-05-26--The NBA might be returning this summer — in Disney World

The NBA — among the first professional sports leagues in the US to suspend play due to the coronavirus pandemic — is looking to relaunch its season in late July at Walt Disney World ’ s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando , according to a statement from Mike Bass , the league ’ s chief communications officer .
No agreement has yet been struck .
But the plan would essentially move basketball to the Disney complex— a 255-acre campus with arenas and ample hotel space — on a full-time basis , with players and staff living , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not be permitted to attend games .
The NBA suddenly suspended its season March 11 , after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for Covid-19 — a move that sent a nationwide signal to Americans about the seriousness of the virus .
Since then , at least 10 NBA players and multiple members of team staff have tested positive for the virus , and the mother of one prominent player , Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns , died after contracting Covid-19 .
But after more than two months without NBA basketball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most popular sports leagues , one idea gained traction : What about keeping players , coaches , and staff in a single location , testing them regularly , and permitting them to practice and play in a quarantine “ bubble ” of sorts ?
The NBA appears to be seriously considering it — with Disney World as the location of the bubble .
Basketball fans want the sport to return — and so do players While millions of Americans and television executives have eagerly awaited the return of live team sports , sporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the coronavirus , among spectators as well as among players and staff .
Basketball requires close physical proximity and contact — across the country , basketball hoops have been removed from parks and playgrounds to prevent people from playing .
Still , the NBA has been taking steps to prepare for a season relaunch .
The league allowed voluntary practices with four or fewer players present to begin on May 8 , with Covid-19 testing provided to players and staff in locations where that ’ s possible .
As of May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lakers , the Los Angeles Clippers , and the Orlando Magic .
If the season did not restart this year , players would stand to lose roughly $ 850 million in gross pay .
According to results sent to NBA agents and others , a recent poll performed by the National Basketball Players Association ( NBPA ) found that most NBA players wanted to play again , even in empty facilities .
Polling conducted by Morning Consult indicates that fans are ready to get back to watching sports , too — even if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Forty-one percent of those polled from May 19-21 said they wanted leagues to start playing sports again , empty venues or not .
That ’ s an increase from just 16 percent in early April .
In an interview with ESPN , NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said that players were ready to finish the season .
“ It ’ s time .
It ’ s time , ” she said .
“ It ’ s been two-and-a-half months of , ‘ What if ?
’ My players need some level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I reached out to the National Basketball Coaches Association ( NBCA ) to find out how coaches in the league viewed the NBA ’ s new plans .
I will update this story if and when I hear back .
A lot of plans for the return of sports have centered on creating a “ bubble ” of sorts , where players , coaches , and staff would live , practice , and play games while quarantined from the outside world , with frequent temperature checks and coronavirus testing .
And for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideal staging area .
Disney World could become the NBA ’ s new bubble Florida launched phase two of its reopening plan last week , with some restaurants , gyms , and hair salons permitted to open with limited capacity .
The state has publicly pitched itself to professional sports leagues and teams across the country as a safe place to relaunch .
“ We want to have you here , ” Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis told reporters May 13 , referring to professional sports teams .
“ We want to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have Major League Baseball.
” He later added : “ What I would tell commissioners of the leagues is , if you have a team in an area where they just won ’ t let them operate , we ’ ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida , because we think it ’ s important , and we know that it can be done safely.
” As Yahoo !
Sports ’ s Keith Smith detailed , the Disney complex offers abundant hotel space and basketball facilities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex is private property , Disney could block off roads and other means of access so that NBA players and staff could stay quarantined .
And from Disney ’ s perspective , the potential value of the NBA playing exclusively on its property is incalculable .
Disney owns ESPN , which in turn broadcasts hundreds of NBA games each year ( a deal worth a little over $ 2.6 billion annually ) .
The company has been hit hard financially by the coronavirus pandemic , with parks shut down and ESPN losing money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As an unnamed former Disney executive told the Athletic ’ s Joe Vardon , an NBA presence in Disney World could be a much-needed boon to Disney — and ESPN ’ s — profits , encouraging visitors to return to the amusement park when possible : But there are lots of questions left for the NBA , Disney , and the NBPA to answer .
Which teams would go to Disney World ?
Would the NBA season begin where it left off , or will teams move on to the playoffs ?
Would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arriving at Disney World ?
What about players ’ families ?
And if itt works ( leaving aside what “ works ” even means for a potentially truncated NBA season held in what ’ s essentially a sports theme park ) , what does it mean for other sports , especially those with larger staff and bigger teams , like football ?
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

The NBA — among the first professional sports leagues in the US to suspend play due to the coronavirus pandemic — is looking to relaunch its season in late July at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, according to a statement from Mike Bass, the league’s chief communications officer.
No agreement has yet been struck. But the plan would essentially move basketball to the Disney complex— a 255-acre campus with arenas and ample hotel space — on a full-time basis, with players and staff living, practicing, and playing there. Fans would not be permitted to attend games.
The following is a statement from NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass: pic.twitter.com/8gfK5iVXs8 — NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2020
The NBA suddenly suspended its season March 11, after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for Covid-19 — a move that sent a nationwide signal to Americans about the seriousness of the virus.
Since then, at least 10 NBA players and multiple members of team staff have tested positive for the virus, and the mother of one prominent player, Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, died after contracting Covid-19.
But after more than two months without NBA basketball, one of the world’s most popular sports leagues, one idea gained traction: What about keeping players, coaches, and staff in a single location, testing them regularly, and permitting them to practice and play in a quarantine “bubble” of sorts? The NBA appears to be seriously considering it — with Disney World as the location of the bubble.
Basketball fans want the sport to return — and so do players
While millions of Americans and television executives have eagerly awaited the return of live team sports, sporting events offer specific challenges to stopping the spread of the coronavirus, among spectators as well as among players and staff. Basketball requires close physical proximity and contact — across the country, basketball hoops have been removed from parks and playgrounds to prevent people from playing.
Still, the NBA has been taking steps to prepare for a season relaunch. The league allowed voluntary practices with four or fewer players present to begin on May 8, with Covid-19 testing provided to players and staff in locations where that’s possible. As of May 8, that included the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Orlando Magic.
If the season did not restart this year, players would stand to lose roughly $850 million in gross pay. According to results sent to NBA agents and others, a recent poll performed by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) found that most NBA players wanted to play again, even in empty facilities.
Polling conducted by Morning Consult indicates that fans are ready to get back to watching sports, too — even if they aren’t permitted to attend. Forty-one percent of those polled from May 19-21 said they wanted leagues to start playing sports again, empty venues or not. That’s an increase from just 16 percent in early April.
As Top Leagues Move Closer to Return, Fans Are Increasingly Open to Crowd-Less Sporting Events https://t.co/ioLdQhKbXP via @AlexMSilverman pic.twitter.com/bv9eNbUDCv — Morning Consult (@MorningConsult) May 26, 2020
In an interview with ESPN, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts said that players were ready to finish the season. “It’s time. It’s time,” she said. “It’s been two-and-a-half months of, ‘What if?’ My players need some level of certainty. I think everybody does.”
I reached out to the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA) to find out how coaches in the league viewed the NBA’s new plans. I will update this story if and when I hear back.
A lot of plans for the return of sports have centered on creating a “bubble” of sorts, where players, coaches, and staff would live, practice, and play games while quarantined from the outside world, with frequent temperature checks and coronavirus testing. And for the NBA, Disney World might make an ideal staging area.
Disney World could become the NBA’s new bubble
Florida launched phase two of its reopening plan last week, with some restaurants, gyms, and hair salons permitted to open with limited capacity. The state has publicly pitched itself to professional sports leagues and teams across the country as a safe place to relaunch.
“We want to have you here,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters May 13, referring to professional sports teams. “We want to have basketball practicing again, we would love to have Major League Baseball.”
He later added: “What I would tell commissioners of the leagues is, if you have a team in an area where they just won’t let them operate, we’ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida, because we think it’s important, and we know that it can be done safely.”
As Yahoo! Sports’s Keith Smith detailed, the Disney complex offers abundant hotel space and basketball facilities. And perhaps more importantly, because the complex is private property, Disney could block off roads and other means of access so that NBA players and staff could stay quarantined.
And from Disney’s perspective, the potential value of the NBA playing exclusively on its property is incalculable. Disney owns ESPN, which in turn broadcasts hundreds of NBA games each year (a deal worth a little over $2.6 billion annually). The company has been hit hard financially by the coronavirus pandemic, with parks shut down and ESPN losing money with few live sports to broadcast. As an unnamed former Disney executive told the Athletic’s Joe Vardon, an NBA presence in Disney World could be a much-needed boon to Disney — and ESPN’s — profits, encouraging visitors to return to the amusement park when possible:
“Right now that message is so important, one in our culture, two as it relates to sports being a place that people can go back to and feel safe. I think it’s a very powerful message. It says, ‘Wow, the NBA guys who are worth tens of millions of dollars and the owners are worth billions and billions of dollars, have felt like this is a safe place to put their athletes.’”
But there are lots of questions left for the NBA, Disney, and the NBPA to answer. Which teams would go to Disney World? Would the NBA season begin where it left off, or will teams move on to the playoffs? Would players be quarantined for two weeks upon arriving at Disney World? What about players’ families?
And if itt works (leaving aside what “works” even means for a potentially truncated NBA season held in what’s essentially a sports theme park), what does it mean for other sports, especially those with larger staff and bigger teams, like football?


vox--2020-05-26--RSVP now: Nicole Cliffe and the Vox Book Club finish off The Secret History, live on Zoom

It ’ s the end of another month of reading with Vox ’ s new book club , and that means it ’ s time for another live discussion event .
In April , we capped off our conversation about The City We Became with a Zoom Q & A with author N.K .
Jemisin .
And this month , we ’ re finishing up our discussion of The Secret History ( murder !
Bacchanalias !
Jokes in ancient Greek ! )
with a conversation with the queen of the internet herself , Nicole Cliffe .
Nicole Cliffe co-founded The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website on the internet , Vox excepted .
She ’ s currently a columnist for Slate , and she ’ s also written for the Guardian and is a former judge of the Morning News ’ Tournament of Books .
She reviewed The Secret History for The Awl in 2012 .
I plan to be extremely starstruck by her .
Nicole and I will be meeting on Zoom this Thursday , May 28 , at 5 pm ET .
We ’ ll talk until 5:45 pm , with the last 10 minutes reserved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the end of the event , we ’ ll reveal our pick for next month ’ s book .
We would love to see you there , and you can RSVP here .
In the meantime , you can catch up on our ongoing Secret History conversation here on Vox , and chat us up in the comments or on Twitter with the hashtag # VoxBookClub .
( I ’ m @ constancegrady if you ’ d like to tag me . )
And to make sure you don ’ t miss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
I ’ m excited to keep reading with you .
I ’ ll see you on Thursday .
Click here to RSVP for our May book club event , discussing The Secret History with Nicole Cliffe .
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 .

It’s the end of another month of reading with Vox’s new book club, and that means it’s time for another live discussion event. In April, we capped off our conversation about The City We Became with a Zoom Q&A with author N.K. Jemisin. And this month, we’re finishing up our discussion of The Secret History (murder! Bacchanalias! Jokes in ancient Greek!) with a conversation with the queen of the internet herself, Nicole Cliffe.
Nicole Cliffe co-founded The Toast, a.k.a. the only good website on the internet, Vox excepted. She’s currently a columnist for Slate, and she’s also written for the Guardian and is a former judge of the Morning News’ Tournament of Books. She reviewed The Secret History for The Awl in 2012. I plan to be extremely starstruck by her.
Nicole and I will be meeting on Zoom this Thursday, May 28, at 5 pm ET. 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, we’ll reveal our pick for next month’s book. We would love to see you there, and you can RSVP here.
In the meantime, you can catch up on our ongoing Secret History conversation here on Vox, and chat us up in the comments or on Twitter with the hashtag #VoxBookClub. (I’m @constancegrady if you’d like to tag me.) And to make sure you don’t miss anything, sign up for our newsletter!
I’m excited to keep reading with you. I’ll see you on Thursday.
Click here to RSVP for our May book club event, discussing The Secret History with Nicole Cliffe.


vox--2020-05-26--How South America became a coronavirus epicenter

South America has become “ a new epicenter ” of the coronavirus pandemic , according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) — and it looks like the situation there is going to get worse before it gets any better .
The region officially has more than 636,000 confirmed cases and more than 31,000 deaths as of May 25 .
But due to a dearth of testing and medical facilities , experts believe the outbreak is far bigger than the official numbers show .
Brazil , the continent ’ s largest and most populous country , also has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed cases — and President Jair Bolsonaro is still refusing to impose aggressive measures to curb the spread .
In Peru , the area ’ s second-most affected country , many of the nation ’ s poorest residents are forced to violate government-imposed quarantine measures and curfews in order to buy food for the day or access government stimulus benefits .
And in Chile , the government ’ s inability to provide enough food for its citizens during the pandemic has led thousands to take to the streets of the capital , Santiago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a perfect breeding ground for the virus to spread .
President Sebastián Piñera said Sunday that the outbreak has brought the country ’ s health care system “ very close to the limit ” of breaking .
Even more concerning , experts say these conditions are unlikely to improve anytime soon .
Some countries in South America have deficient health care systems that struggled to cope with infectious diseases endemic to the region even before the coronavirus hit .
Plus , the Southern Hemisphere is headed into winter , the season that tends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prevalent .
Widespread poverty may worsen these problems as the poorest residents struggle to pay for care or defy stay-at-home policies in search of food and funds .
It ’ s these trends that have Evangelina Martich , an Argentine expert on health policy at the University of Carlos III in Spain , concerned about South America ’ s immediate future .
“ The economic and social consequences will be huge , ” she told me .
How South America became the world ’ s coronavirus epicenter With over half of the region @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is at the heart of South America ’ s Covid-19 troubles .
Dr. Carissa Etienne , the WHO ’ s regional director for the Americas , told reporters Tuesday that the situation in the country is bad and projected to get worse .
“ We are particularly concerned that the number of new cases reported last week in Brazil was the highest for a seven-day period since the outbreak began , ” Etienne said .
She also pointed to a coronavirus model showing that “ daily deaths are growing exponentially , forecasting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 22 , 2020 .
By August 1 , 2020 , a total of 88,300 deaths are projected.
” Much , if not all , of the blame for Brazil ’ s dire numbers falls squarely at Bolsonaro ’ s feet .
As Vox ’ s Jen Kirby has reported , the Brazilian president continues to minimize the disease as “ a little flu ” and promote the use of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine to cure it .
Such stances sparked a massive fight between Bolsonaro and state and local leaders who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strict lockdown measures in defiance of the president .
The political turmoil , which resulted in the firing of one health minister and the resignation of the minister who replaced him , has led to disastrous results .
Brazil ’ s public health system was already strained before the pandemic ; now , hospital systems in some of its major cities are on the verge of being completely overwhelmed .
A lack of adequate supplies and health care equipment has put front-line workers at risk .
Meanwhile , the virus is spreading rapidly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favelas on the outskirts of cities , where social distancing is nearly impossible due to cramped or unsanitary conditions and the number of people who must work every day just to survive .
It has also reached remote indigenous communities , which have far from adequate health care .
“ We ’ re very concerned , ” Marcos Espinal , head of the communicable diseases department at the Pan American Health Organization , recently told reporters .
Brazil “ still has a long way to go ” before it sees any real signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brazil isn ’ t the only country suffering .
Peru has also seen an explosion of cases in the last month .
As of May 25 , it has nearly 120,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,500 deaths — both of which are the region ’ s second-largest tallies .
“ This situation is not just a health emergency , but a health catastrophe , ” Dr. Alfredo Celis of the Medical College of Peru told CNN en Español , adding that “ the pandemic has overtaken the response capacity of the health sector.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ first countries in South America to impose a lockdown , many Peruvians , out of necessity , haven ’ t observed social distancing protocols .
That ’ s because millions in the country are impoverished and must leave their homes every day to find work and buy food .
The food part is especially critical , as only 49 percent of Peruvian homes own a fridge or freezer , according to the country ’ s 2017 Census .
The need to purchase meals for day-of consumption has led to consistently large crowds at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a daily basis .
“ We must endure [ the crowds ] because there is no other way , ” a woman told TV Peru in April .
“ If not , we will not have food .
We have nothing to eat , that ’ s why we have come here.
” This dilemma , among others , is why Peru ’ s future looks so troubling .
“ Peru is projected to have a peak of daily deaths that are estimated at about 168 [ per day ] by June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Americas director , said at Tuesday ’ s briefing .
“ And by August 4 , 2020 , a total of more than 13,000 deaths are projected.
” The situation in Chile , the region ’ s third-hardest-hit country with 74,000 infected and more than 750 dead , may offer a glimpse into South America ’ s future .
The country is experiencing an acute food shortage due to a lack of resources to pay for them during the crisis .
This sparked mass anti-lockdown protests in the capital last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bosque , one of Santiago ’ s poorest neighborhoods , people threw rocks at police and burned piles of wood .
“ The last weeks we have had a great demand from neighbors for food , ” Sadi Melo , mayor of the El Bosque neighborhood and a member of the opposition Socialist Party , told local radio station BioBio .
“ We are in a very complex situation of hunger and lack of work.
” In response , Piñera said his government would provide 2.5 million baskets of food and other essentials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to “ the most vulnerable families.
” Over the weekend , the government also announced a three-month emergency basic income for about a quarter of Chile ’ s population to help pay for food and other needs .
Yet few believe these measures will be enough to solve Chile ’ s economic problems .
Meanwhile , the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread .
Clearly , then , much of South America is in dire straits .
The problem is that the crisis is bound to continue — and likely get worse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the coronavirus As the number of coronavirus cases ticks up in South America , health care systems on the continent are being overwhelmed .
“ Hospital beds , health professionals , and medical supplies in general such as ventilators were already in short supply even before the start of the pandemic , ” Sara Niedzwiecki , an expert on health care systems in South America at the University of California Santa Cruz , told me last month .
“ After Covid-19 , the fear of the health system collapsing is very real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ health service shortage is a challenge for every country in South America.
” South America is also nearing its flu season as the Southern Hemisphere heads into winter .
Experts say the flu will increase the number of people seeking medical attention .
The region also continues to struggle with other major diseases , including dengue , yellow fever , and chikungunya , all of which require tremendous resources to treat and ultimately eradicate .
It doesn ’ t help that countries seeking necessary equipment like masks and ventilators are getting outbid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American governments are also still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis and are deeply in debt .
Which means that even if regional leaders wanted to spend more money to address the looming crisis , they ’ d basically have to put themselves in longer-term economic jeopardy .
“ It ’ s not easy to take on more debt because these countries are already very indebted , ” the University of Chicago ’ s Michael Albertus told me in April .
The economic situation is only going to get worse as the global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economies in the region are heavily dependent on commodity exports : oil from Venezuela and Ecuador , precious metals like copper and zinc from Chile , Peru , and Bolivia .
Without foreign trade and with few intra-continental sales , national economies and governments will lose the revenue they need to fight off the disease .
All of that is especially bad news for the region ’ s poor , who make up about 30 percent of the continent ’ s total population .
Their difficulties paying for medical care or purchasing food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffer most during the crisis , experts say .
Millions live in slums and don ’ t have free or reliable access to water , making basic safety measures like social distancing and regular hand-washing nearly impossible .
It ’ s perhaps no surprise , then , that countries in South America are considering relaxing their lockdowns .
That may help ease some of the economic pain in the short term , but it could be disastrous in the longer term if the coronavirus is allowed to spread unchecked .
“ The number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places like Brazil and the rest of South America could far exceed what we ’ re seeing in the US , ” Peter Hotez , dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine , told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .

South America has become “a new epicenter” of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) — and it looks like the situation there is going to get worse before it gets any better.
The region officially has more than 636,000 confirmed cases and more than 31,000 deaths as of May 25. But due to a dearth of testing and medical facilities, experts believe the outbreak is far bigger than the official numbers show.
Brazil, the continent’s largest and most populous country, also has the largest outbreak, with more than 363,000 confirmed cases — and President Jair Bolsonaro is still refusing to impose aggressive measures to curb the spread.
In Peru, the area’s second-most affected country, many of the nation’s poorest residents are forced to violate government-imposed quarantine measures and curfews in order to buy food for the day or access government stimulus benefits.
And in Chile, the government’s inability to provide enough food for its citizens during the pandemic has led thousands to take to the streets of the capital, Santiago, to protest the lockdown, creating a perfect breeding ground for the virus to spread. President Sebastián Piñera said Sunday that the outbreak has brought the country’s health care system “very close to the limit” of breaking.
Even more concerning, experts say these conditions are unlikely to improve anytime soon.
Some countries in South America have deficient health care systems that struggled to cope with infectious diseases endemic to the region even before the coronavirus hit. Plus, the Southern Hemisphere is headed into winter, the season that tends to make illnesses like the coronavirus more prevalent. Widespread poverty may worsen these problems as the poorest residents struggle to pay for care or defy stay-at-home policies in search of food and funds.
It’s these trends that have Evangelina Martich, an Argentine expert on health policy at the University of Carlos III in Spain, concerned about South America’s immediate future. “The economic and social consequences will be huge,” she told me.
How South America became the world’s coronavirus epicenter
With over half of the region’s total coronavirus cases, Brazil is at the heart of South America’s Covid-19 troubles. Dr. Carissa Etienne, the WHO’s regional director for the Americas, told reporters Tuesday that the situation in the country is bad and projected to get worse.
“We are particularly concerned that the number of new cases reported last week in Brazil was the highest for a seven-day period since the outbreak began,” Etienne said. She also pointed to a coronavirus model showing that “daily deaths are growing exponentially, forecasting a peak of about 1,020 daily deaths by June 22, 2020. By August 1, 2020, a total of 88,300 deaths are projected.”
Much, if not all, of the blame for Brazil’s dire numbers falls squarely at Bolsonaro’s feet.
As Vox’s Jen Kirby has reported, the Brazilian president continues to minimize the disease as “a little flu” and promote the use of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine to cure it. Such stances sparked a massive fight between Bolsonaro and state and local leaders who have taken the crisis more seriously, imposing strict lockdown measures in defiance of the president.
The political turmoil, which resulted in the firing of one health minister and the resignation of the minister who replaced him, has led to disastrous results.
Brazil’s public health system was already strained before the pandemic; now, hospital systems in some of its major cities are on the verge of being completely overwhelmed. A lack of adequate supplies and health care equipment has put front-line workers at risk.
Meanwhile, the virus is spreading rapidly among more vulnerable communities, especially in favelas on the outskirts of cities, where social distancing is nearly impossible due to cramped or unsanitary conditions and the number of people who must work every day just to survive. It has also reached remote indigenous communities, which have far from adequate health care.
“We’re very concerned,” Marcos Espinal, head of the communicable diseases department at the Pan American Health Organization, recently told reporters. Brazil “still has a long way to go” before it sees any real signs of progress, he added.
But Brazil isn’t the only country suffering. Peru has also seen an explosion of cases in the last month. As of May 25, it has nearly 120,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,500 deaths — both of which are the region’s second-largest tallies.
“This situation is not just a health emergency, but a health catastrophe,” Dr. Alfredo Celis of the Medical College of Peru told CNN en Español, adding that “the pandemic has overtaken the response capacity of the health sector.”
Though Peru was one of the first countries in South America to impose a lockdown, many Peruvians, out of necessity, haven’t observed social distancing protocols. That’s because millions in the country are impoverished and must leave their homes every day to find work and buy food. The food part is especially critical, as only 49 percent of Peruvian homes own a fridge or freezer, according to the country’s 2017 Census.
The need to purchase meals for day-of consumption has led to consistently large crowds at markets, forcing thousands into close quarters on a daily basis. “We must endure [the crowds] because there is no other way,” a woman told TV Peru in April. “If not, we will not have food. We have nothing to eat, that’s why we have come here.”
This dilemma, among others, is why Peru’s future looks so troubling. “Peru is projected to have a peak of daily deaths that are estimated at about 168 [per day] by June 30,” Etienne, the WHO’s Americas director, said at Tuesday’s briefing. “And by August 4, 2020, a total of more than 13,000 deaths are projected.”
The situation in Chile, the region’s third-hardest-hit country with 74,000 infected and more than 750 dead, may offer a glimpse into South America’s future.
The country is experiencing an acute food shortage due to a lack of resources to pay for them during the crisis. This sparked mass anti-lockdown protests in the capital last week. At one recent demonstration in El Bosque, one of Santiago’s poorest neighborhoods, people threw rocks at police and burned piles of wood.
“The last weeks we have had a great demand from neighbors for food,” Sadi Melo, mayor of the El Bosque neighborhood and a member of the opposition Socialist Party, told local radio station BioBio. “We are in a very complex situation of hunger and lack of work.”
In response, Piñera said his government would provide 2.5 million baskets of food and other essentials in the coming week, with priority going to “the most vulnerable families.”
Over the weekend, the government also announced a three-month emergency basic income for about a quarter of Chile’s population to help pay for food and other needs. Yet few believe these measures will be enough to solve Chile’s economic problems. Meanwhile, the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Clearly, then, much of South America is in dire straits. The problem is that the crisis is bound to continue — and likely get worse.
Why South America will continue to struggle with the coronavirus
As the number of coronavirus cases ticks up in South America, health care systems on the continent are being overwhelmed.
“Hospital beds, health professionals, and medical supplies in general such as ventilators were already in short supply even before the start of the pandemic,” Sara Niedzwiecki, an expert on health care systems in South America at the University of California Santa Cruz, told me last month. “After Covid-19, the fear of the health system collapsing is very real,” she said, adding that “health service shortage is a challenge for every country in South America.”
South America is also nearing its flu season as the Southern Hemisphere heads into winter. Experts say the flu will increase the number of people seeking medical attention. The region also continues to struggle with other major diseases, including dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya, all of which require tremendous resources to treat and ultimately eradicate.
It doesn’t help that countries seeking necessary equipment like masks and ventilators are getting outbid by richer countries. And most South American governments are also still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis and are deeply in debt.
Which means that even if regional leaders wanted to spend more money to address the looming crisis, they’d basically have to put themselves in longer-term economic jeopardy. “It’s not easy to take on more debt because these countries are already very indebted,” the University of Chicago’s Michael Albertus told me in April.
The economic situation is only going to get worse as the global economy heads into a recession. Many economies in the region are heavily dependent on commodity exports: oil from Venezuela and Ecuador, precious metals like copper and zinc from Chile, Peru, and Bolivia. Without foreign trade and with few intra-continental sales, national economies and governments will lose the revenue they need to fight off the disease.
All of that is especially bad news for the region’s poor, who make up about 30 percent of the continent’s total population. Their difficulties paying for medical care or purchasing food means they will be the ones to suffer most during the crisis, experts say. Millions live in slums and don’t have free or reliable access to water, making basic safety measures like social distancing and regular hand-washing nearly impossible.
It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that countries in South America are considering relaxing their lockdowns. That may help ease some of the economic pain in the short term, but it could be disastrous in the longer term if the coronavirus is allowed to spread unchecked.
“The number of people who could eventually die in places like Brazil and the rest of South America could far exceed what we’re seeing in the US,” Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, told the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.