vox--2020-08-24--The House passed a bill that would rescue a key immigration agency from a budget crisis

The House passed a bill on Saturday that would stave off mass furloughs at US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) , which is grappling with a budget crisis due to a decrease in immigration amid the pandemic .
The agency plans to furlough about two-thirds of its staff on August 30 .
The furloughs would hamstring the agency ’ s ability to process immigration applications in a timely manner , potentially preventing more than 100,000 citizenship applicants from voting in November due to the processing delays .
The bill , which passed unanimously , would allow USCIS to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applications and prevent the furloughs .
Unlike other federal agencies , USCIS receives almost no taxpayer dollars and is dependent on fees associated with filing applications for green cards , visas , work permits , US citizenship , and humanitarian benefits such as asylum .
It ’ s not clear whether the bill will pass in the Senate , which is on recess until September .
But a senator could seek unanimous consent to pass the bill at any time .
The bill would raise optional fees for “ premium processing ” — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigration applications on an expedited , 15-day timeline — from $ 1,440 to $ 2,500 for most applicants .
It would also expand the kinds of applications for which premium processing is available .
The bill permits the agency to use the resulting revenue only to improve its adjudication and naturalization services .
“ At a time of record unemployment and with increasing delays in immigration adjudications , this bill ensures that USCIS can sustain its current workforce and keep operating at full capacity , ” Rep. Zoe Lofgren ( D-CA ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement .
“ I look forward to continuing conversations with my congressional colleagues on a longer-term solution to USCIS ’ s fiscal challenges.
” In May , USCIS asked Congress for a $ 1.2 billion bailout , claiming it would “ have to take drastic actions to keep the agency afloat ” by the end of the summer without aid .
A spokesperson for the agency said at the time that the pandemic had already brought on a “ dramatic decrease ” in its revenue .
President Donald Trump ’ s restrictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on travel , and the fact that necessary government offices weren ’ t open to process applications have all contributed to this decline .
To mitigate the budget shortfall , USCIS implemented an average 20 percent additional surcharge on all applications in July and limited spending to salary and mission-critical activities .
As a result , USCIS is now projecting to have enough funds to remain operable through November , but the agency is still planning to proceed with the furloughs — even over the recent objections of bipartisan members of Congress .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the continued efforts by Congress to ensure the agency ’ s operational continuity warrant a further delay in furloughs and contract reductions , ” the group wrote in a letter last week .
“ We believe this approach is the appropriate path forward for USCIS and its workforce.
” Immigration has come nearly to a standstill amid the pandemic .
The Trump administration has closed consulates abroad , shut down the borders with Canada and Mexico , and imposed a ban on the issuance of new green cards and certain work visas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asylum processing at the southern border has also practically stopped as Trump administration officials implemented a program to rapidly expel migrants without so much as a health exam .
While brought on by the pandemic , this kind of decrease in legal immigration is what Trump has long sought .
He has railed against what he calls “ chain migration , ” referring to US citizens or permanent residents who sponsor their immigrant family members for visas and green cards .
And he has sought to keep poor immigrants out by proposing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health insurance or who might use public benefits in the future .
( Courts have blocked the restrictions on immigrants without health insurance from going into effect for now , but the policy affecting immigrants who might go on public benefits went into effect in February . )
USCIS hasn ’ t released data on how many applications it has received since states first implemented stay-at-home orders in late March , but it has acknowledged applications are on the decline .
The latest available comprehensive data , from January through March , showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall from the preceding three months .
Applications dipped in April , May , and June compared to the same period last year across several temporary visa categories , including H-1B visas for skilled workers , H-2B visas for temporary non-agricultural workers , L-1 visas for people transferring within a multinational company , and O visas for those who show extraordinary ability or achievement in particular industries .
It ’ s possible that those numbers could decline even further as economic opportunities continue to dry up and USCIS raises its fees .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone , and last week , we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors .
Well , you helped us blow past that .
Today , we are extending that goal to 25,000 .
Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Even when the economy and the news advertising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
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The House passed a bill on Saturday that would stave off mass furloughs at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is grappling with a budget crisis due to a decrease in immigration amid the pandemic.
The agency plans to furlough about two-thirds of its staff on August 30. The furloughs would hamstring the agency’s ability to process immigration applications in a timely manner, potentially preventing more than 100,000 citizenship applicants from voting in November due to the processing delays.
The bill, which passed unanimously, would allow USCIS to raise certain fees associated with fast-tracked immigration applications and prevent the furloughs.
Unlike other federal agencies, USCIS receives almost no taxpayer dollars and is dependent on fees associated with filing applications for green cards, visas, work permits, US citizenship, and humanitarian benefits such as asylum. It’s not clear whether the bill will pass in the Senate, which is on recess until September. But a senator could seek unanimous consent to pass the bill at any time.
The bill would raise optional fees for “premium processing” — under which the agency processes certain work-based immigration applications on an expedited, 15-day timeline — from $1,440 to $2,500 for most applicants. It would also expand the kinds of applications for which premium processing is available. The bill permits the agency to use the resulting revenue only to improve its adjudication and naturalization services.
“At a time of record unemployment and with increasing delays in immigration adjudications, this bill ensures that USCIS can sustain its current workforce and keep operating at full capacity,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who introduced the bill, said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing conversations with my congressional colleagues on a longer-term solution to USCIS’s fiscal challenges.”
In May, USCIS asked Congress for a $1.2 billion bailout, claiming it would “have to take drastic actions to keep the agency afloat” by the end of the summer without aid. A spokesperson for the agency said at the time that the pandemic had already brought on a “dramatic decrease” in its revenue. President Donald Trump’s restrictions on immigration, other countries’ restrictions on travel, and the fact that necessary government offices weren’t open to process applications have all contributed to this decline.
To mitigate the budget shortfall, USCIS implemented an average 20 percent additional surcharge on all applications in July and limited spending to salary and mission-critical activities. As a result, USCIS is now projecting to have enough funds to remain operable through November, but the agency is still planning to proceed with the furloughs — even over the recent objections of bipartisan members of Congress.
“USCIS’s improved financial position and the continued efforts by Congress to ensure the agency’s operational continuity warrant a further delay in furloughs and contract reductions,” the group wrote in a letter last week. “We believe this approach is the appropriate path forward for USCIS and its workforce.”
Why USCIS is facing a budget shortfall
Immigration has come nearly to a standstill amid the pandemic. The Trump administration has closed consulates abroad, shut down the borders with Canada and Mexico, and imposed a ban on the issuance of new green cards and certain work visas through the end of the year. Asylum processing at the southern border has also practically stopped as Trump administration officials implemented a program to rapidly expel migrants without so much as a health exam.
While brought on by the pandemic, this kind of decrease in legal immigration is what Trump has long sought. He has railed against what he calls “chain migration,” referring to US citizens or permanent residents who sponsor their immigrant family members for visas and green cards. And he has sought to keep poor immigrants out by proposing to reject those who don’t have health insurance or who might use public benefits in the future. (Courts have blocked the restrictions on immigrants without health insurance from going into effect for now, but the policy affecting immigrants who might go on public benefits went into effect in February.)
USCIS hasn’t released data on how many applications it has received since states first implemented stay-at-home orders in late March, but it has acknowledged applications are on the decline. The latest available comprehensive data, from January through March, showed less than 2 percent decline in applications overall from the preceding three months.
Applications dipped in April, May, and June compared to the same period last year across several temporary visa categories, including H-1B visas for skilled workers, H-2B visas for temporary non-agricultural workers, L-1 visas for people transferring within a multinational company, and O visas for those who show extraordinary ability or achievement in particular industries. It’s possible that those numbers could decline even further as economic opportunities continue to dry up and USCIS raises its fees.
New goal: 25,000
In the spring, we launched a program asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone, and last week, we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors. Well, you helped us blow past that. Today, we are extending that goal to 25,000. Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is, quite possibly, the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes. Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers, your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world. Contribute today from as little as $3.


vox--2020-08-25--Trump didn’t just fail to address Covid-19. He made the crisis worse.

President Donald Trump and his team spent the first night of the Republican National Convention trying to gaslight America on Covid-19 — claiming that Trump “ took decisive action to save lives.
” In reality , Trump didn ’ t just fail to address the coronavirus pandemic , he actively made it worse .
I spent the better part of the past few weeks talking to experts about why the US failed on Covid-19 .
I expected to hear a lot about federalism , individualism , and underfunded public health systems .
But experts pushed back : Those things likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they emphasized that what makes the US truly unique is Trump .
At every single step , it was Trump who not only failed to do the right thing , but actually encouraged the country and its leaders to do the wrong thing .
As experts called for federal leadership and a national plan , Trump ’ s administration actively abdicated its duties to state and local governments — claiming that when it came to procuring badly needed tests , for example , the federal government was merely a “ supplier of last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bid against one another ( and other nations ) for test kits and other equipment .
When the federal government recommended that people social distance in March , and as experts said the pandemic would be a months-long battle , Trump suggested people could get back to normal by April in time for Easter .
When the federal government released a phased plan for reopening , Trump called on states to reopen faster — to supposedly “ LIBERATE ” them from economic calamity .
As experts pushed for more testing , Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow the testing down , please.
” After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended people wear masks in public , Trump said it was a personal choice , refused for months to wear a mask in public , and even suggested people who were wearing masks were doing so to spite him ( though he ’ s recently changed his tone ) .
Trump also promoted ineffective and even dangerous treatments — from repeatedly hyping hydroxychloroquine , which hasn ’ t been shown to be useful , to at one point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s Trump ’ s record — of magical thinking , lies , and incompetence — that sets the US apart .
“ It begins in many ways , and you could argue it ends in many ways , with the Trump administration , ” Ashish Jha , the faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute , told me .
“ If George W. Bush had been president , if John McCain had been president , if Mitt Romney had been president , this would have looked very different.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same baseline issues as the US .
Public health systems are notoriously underfunded globally .
Australia , Canada , and Germany , among others , also have federalist systems of government , individualistic societies , or both .
Trump is the outlier — the special variable that not only undermined the US ’ s response but actively made it worse .
The result : America , along with Spain , is unique among the developed countries in that it not only suffered a huge outbreak in the spring , but suffered a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths spiking from June through August .
Only recently have US cases really dropped , but they remain at a level that far outpaces America ’ s developed peers .
It ’ s an outcome that didn ’ t have to be in the world ’ s wealthiest , most powerful nation .
A 2019 ranking by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Nuclear Threat Initiative found that the US was the most prepared for a major disease outbreak .
But the report warned that “ no country is fully prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was still plenty of room for error .
“ If you take what assets the United States had and you use them poorly the way we did , it doesn ’ t matter what the report says , ” Amesh Adalja , a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , told me .
“ If you don ’ t have the leadership to execute , then it makes no difference.
” To read more about how Trump let Covid-19 win , read my full explainer .
In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone , and last week , we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors .
Well , you helped us blow past that .
Today , we are extending that goal to 25,000 .
Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

President Donald Trump and his team spent the first night of the Republican National Convention trying to gaslight America on Covid-19 — claiming that Trump “took decisive action to save lives.” In reality, Trump didn’t just fail to address the coronavirus pandemic, he actively made it worse.
I spent the better part of the past few weeks talking to experts about why the US failed on Covid-19. I expected to hear a lot about federalism, individualism, and underfunded public health systems. But experts pushed back: Those things likely played a role, sure, but they emphasized that what makes the US truly unique is Trump.
At every single step, it was Trump who not only failed to do the right thing, but actually encouraged the country and its leaders to do the wrong thing.
As experts called for federal leadership and a national plan, Trump’s administration actively abdicated its duties to state and local governments — claiming that when it came to procuring badly needed tests, for example, the federal government was merely a “supplier of last resort,” leaving cash-strapped states to bid against one another (and other nations) for test kits and other equipment.
When the federal government recommended that people social distance in March, and as experts said the pandemic would be a months-long battle, Trump suggested people could get back to normal by April in time for Easter. When the federal government released a phased plan for reopening, Trump called on states to reopen faster — to supposedly “LIBERATE” them from economic calamity.
As experts pushed for more testing, Trump said that he told his people to “slow the testing down, please.” After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended people wear masks in public, Trump said it was a personal choice, refused for months to wear a mask in public, and even suggested people who were wearing masks were doing so to spite him (though he’s recently changed his tone).
Trump also promoted ineffective and even dangerous treatments — from repeatedly hyping hydroxychloroquine, which hasn’t been shown to be useful, to at one point advocating for injecting bleach.
Taken together, it’s Trump’s record — of magical thinking, lies, and incompetence — that sets the US apart.
“It begins in many ways, and you could argue it ends in many ways, with the Trump administration,” Ashish Jha, the faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, told me. “If George W. Bush had been president, if John McCain had been president, if Mitt Romney had been president, this would have looked very different.”
Other countries had to deal with the same baseline issues as the US. Public health systems are notoriously underfunded globally. Australia, Canada, and Germany, among others, also have federalist systems of government, individualistic societies, or both.
Trump is the outlier — the special variable that not only undermined the US’s response but actively made it worse.
The result: America, along with Spain, is unique among the developed countries in that it not only suffered a huge outbreak in the spring, but suffered a massive outbreak after that, with cases and deaths spiking from June through August. Only recently have US cases really dropped, but they remain at a level that far outpaces America’s developed peers.
It’s an outcome that didn’t have to be in the world’s wealthiest, most powerful nation. A 2019 ranking by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and Nuclear Threat Initiative found that the US was the most prepared for a major disease outbreak. But the report warned that “no country is fully prepared for epidemics or pandemics,” and there was still plenty of room for error.
“If you take what assets the United States had and you use them poorly the way we did, it doesn’t matter what the report says,” Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told me. “If you don’t have the leadership to execute, then it makes no difference.”
To read more about how Trump let Covid-19 win, read my full explainer.
New goal: 25,000
In the spring, we launched a program asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone, and last week, we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors. Well, you helped us blow past that. Today, we are extending that goal to 25,000. Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is, quite possibly, the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes. Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers, your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world. Contribute today from as little as $3.


vox--2020-08-25--How “kombucha girl” revolutionized internet fame

Adults on the internet typical recognize Brittany Tomlinson from the video that went viral on Twitter almost exactly one year ago of herself trying — then hating , and then sort of liking — kombucha for the first time .
That isn ’ t the reason Tomlinson , known on TikTok as Brittany Broski , is one of the most beloved creators on the internet right now .
She ’ s a skilled impressionist ( Love Island contestant , nondenominational Southern preacher , and Italian son are notable examples ) with an impossibly infectious laugh .
She ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone camera and start filming and the resulting video would be funnier than anything the Harvard Lampoon has ever written in its 144 years in print .
This also makes her a delight to interview , although we did chat about some of the sucky parts of being a newly famous person .
Below , her thoughts on alt-TikTok ( good ) , nonstop influencer partying ( bad ) , and the mortifying ordeal of being perceived ( also bad ) .
When you posted your first viral video on TikTok , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did you have that “ Oh , shit , this is huge ” moment ?
I don ’ t know .
I feel like I still haven ’ t really grasped the concept of being viral literally a year later , because I don ’ t know .
It ’ s one thing to have like your friends send it to you and be like , “ Oh , my god , you were in the New York Times , ” but then to have a bunch of strangers be like , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The worst thing is searching your name on social media and seeing people talk about you .
It ’ s like , “ Oh , my god , people perceive me ?
” I ’ d rather die than be perceived .
I read that you got fired from your job after the kombucha video — why was that ?
It went viral on gay Twitter , and people started captioning it with some explicit captions .
My boss at the bank that I worked in found it .
I was like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is happening and that it ’ s not me writing these captions that you ’ re seeing .
I don ’ t have control over my own content anymore.
” But basically , I got fired from my job .
In early September , about a week after I got fired , I was flown out to LA by a kombucha company .
By the time that I was in LA , I already had [ the agency ] UTA on my team , so I had a meeting at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We were doing brand deals and we were doing press .
It was insane .
We crammed so much into that week , and it just has not stopped since then .
What ’ s the reaction to your fame been like from friends and family ?
My parents were very supportive .
My dad specifically kind of made me cry because I was mortified that I got fired .
It was my big girl job .
I worked in trust and investment services .
It ’ s a very respectable position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was dicking around on the internet .
And I had to tell my dad that I ’ m moving to LA because I ’ ve made X amount of money in X amount of months , and it ’ s more money than I ’ ve seen in my entire life .
He told me , “ You need to go where your job is , and your job is in California.
” My grandparents , though , were like , “ It ’ s the internet .
Why do you need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” And I was like , “ Mimi , no.
” They don ’ t know how I make money .
They think that I ’ m homeless .
A lot of TikTokers I ’ ve talked to say it ’ s been tough to separate their hometown friends from people who just want to use them for clout .
How have you dealt with the social dynamics of TikTok fame ?
I don ’ t fuck with that circle at all .
The friends that I ’ ve made online are my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fuck about clout .
You will never catch me with the Supreme fanny pack across my chest .
Opportunities have presented themselves , like , “ There ’ s a party here .
Do you want to collab with this person ?
” And it ’ s like , no , because I would not give them attention if I saw them on the street .
You get shit like the influencer parties where you should know better .
Collectively , you have like 300 million people following you and you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two TikTok worlds in LA , like the Hype House kids and then the cool alt kids .
Are you part of the latter crew ?
Straight TikTok gets all of the press and the hype , and when you think of TikTok , you think of Addison , you think of the Lopez Brothers , all these people .
But all the trends and audios come from alt TikTok .
It ’ s always been like that , because last summer , alt-TikTok was TikTok .
It was quirky girls and VSCO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world is so ridiculous .
And then [ straight TikTok ] gets credit for it .
Creators often talk in interviews about how , once they get big , they feel like they can ’ t try any new content that deviates from that .
Is that something you ’ ve felt ?
Absolutely .
I always tell my friends , because they get really discouraged , that you ’ ll gain 200,000 followers in , like , a week , and then it just stops , or your video gets really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re beating a dead horse .
You did something really funny or something really innovative and it gained you a bunch of followers , and now every time you post an Instagram picture , that ’ s what they ’ re going to comment .
Mooptopia is a great example .
She ’ s posted the same video 100 times ; if she were to ever post , like , a serious video , or comedy video or a dancing video , people would be like , “ What ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re real people , we ’ re multidimensional and have different interests .
Haley [ Sharpe ] and I talk about it sometimes because she ’ s the “ Say So girl ” and I still get called “ kombucha girl.
” We ’ re so much more than that , but you can ’ t really be mad at why you became popular .
If that ’ s how people know you , then that ’ s how people know you .
At least they ’ re following you .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You just have to keep posting what you want to post .
If it does shitty , then it does shitty , but at least you like it .
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to being an online creator and mental health .
How do you deal with all of it ?
I struggle with that still sometimes .
I feel like people like my content because it ’ s very genuine , but at what point will genuine turn into oversharing and an invasion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m running into .
I ’ m being very candid with my audience , and it is biting me in the ass .
People are so bold online ; they would never say that shit to you in person , but they say it online and I have to read it .
It ’ s part of the job , I guess .
It would never be acceptable in any social circumstance for a 38-year-old man who ’ s married with children to comment on my body .
But it happens online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok is this thinking that “ maybe this will go viral !
” Does it worry you that all anyone seems to want right now is fame ?
I think it is the mental illness speaking , but there is this obsession with going viral and getting the likes and getting the attention .
I have some little cousins and it ’ s their dream to be a YouTuber .
I wish I could just talk to them and say , “ Have a backup plan .
Chase your dream , for sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content creator , do it .
It ’ s fun .
But also you are gambling with your life when you say , ‘ All right , this is gon na be it.
” Go finish high school , have a degree , have work experience .
I feel very blessed in that regard .
If all this went away tomorrow , I have work experience .
I ’ m a licensed insurance agent .
I have a college degree .
I can make it in the real world if I need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I ’ m very happy in my little bubble , but it ’ s just this delusion of , “ I ’ m 15 and Emma Chamberlain does it so I can do it.
” You have no idea all the stresses that Emma Chamberlain goes through to do what she does .
It may look fun and easy , but it ’ s a lot of hard work .
Money is a big motivator , for sure .
You see people like [ the ] Tana Mongeaus and the Jake Pauls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they do ?
They have Louis Vuitton everything , Gucci , Prada , they live in these huge mansions .
Their YouTube AdSense must just be astronomical .
People see those lifestyles and it ’ s like , “ How fun just to be drunk all the time with your best friends wearing designer , ” and I get it .
But I feel like people aren ’ t that open and honest about what it ’ s actually like to be in the public eye .
It sucks a lot of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backup plan at all now that TikTok could possibly be going away ?
People are really pushing moving to Instagram and YouTube , for sure .
Everyone ’ s moving to YouTube and it ’ s funny to see , too , because people don ’ t know how to do it .
I ’ m doing the same shit that I would be doing on TikTok , which is just 60 seconds , but I ’ m doing it for 10 minutes .
That ’ s hard for a lot of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 minutes ?
It ’ s hard .
So for me , I mean , I ’ m just in my room talking to myself , which I do anyway .
I just hit 500K on YouTube .
So that ’ s a revenue stream as well .
So I ’ m very , very lucky .
You ’ ve said in the past that you want a more traditional career in entertainment , so you ’ re not totally tied to TikTok or any platform anyway , right ?
I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number one thing is voice acting .
I want to do voice acting so bad .
I want to voice act for a Disney Pixar film ; that ’ s my absolute end goal .
Do you have any sort of comedic process ?
Yes , sleep deprivation and lots of suffering and delirium .
In the spring , we launched a program asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone , and last week , we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors .
Well , you helped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are extending that goal to 25,000 .
Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

Adults on the internet typical recognize Brittany Tomlinson from the video that went viral on Twitter almost exactly one year ago of herself trying — then hating, and then sort of liking — kombucha for the first time.
That isn’t the reason Tomlinson, known on TikTok as Brittany Broski, is one of the most beloved creators on the internet right now. She’s a skilled impressionist (Love Island contestant, nondenominational Southern preacher, and Italian son are notable examples) with an impossibly infectious laugh. She’s the kind of person who can open her phone camera and start filming and the resulting video would be funnier than anything the Harvard Lampoon has ever written in its 144 years in print.
This also makes her a delight to interview, although we did chat about some of the sucky parts of being a newly famous person. Below, her thoughts on alt-TikTok (good), nonstop influencer partying (bad), and the mortifying ordeal of being perceived (also bad).
When you posted your first viral video on TikTok, about your “depression meal,” when did you have that “Oh, shit, this is huge” moment?
I don’t know. I feel like I still haven’t really grasped the concept of being viral literally a year later, because I don’t know. It’s one thing to have like your friends send it to you and be like, “Oh, my god, you were in the New York Times,” but then to have a bunch of strangers be like, “Oh, she’s funny”? The worst thing is searching your name on social media and seeing people talk about you. It’s like, “Oh, my god, people perceive me?” I’d rather die than be perceived.
I read that you got fired from your job after the kombucha video — why was that?
It went viral on gay Twitter, and people started captioning it with some explicit captions. My boss at the bank that I worked in found it. I was like, “I want you to know that this is happening and that it’s not me writing these captions that you’re seeing. I don’t have control over my own content anymore.” But basically, I got fired from my job.
In early September, about a week after I got fired, I was flown out to LA by a kombucha company. By the time that I was in LA, I already had [the agency] UTA on my team, so I had a meeting at the headquarters of every single social media platform. We were doing brand deals and we were doing press. It was insane. We crammed so much into that week, and it just has not stopped since then.
What’s the reaction to your fame been like from friends and family?
My parents were very supportive. My dad specifically kind of made me cry because I was mortified that I got fired. It was my big girl job. I worked in trust and investment services. It’s a very respectable position, and I got fired because I was dicking around on the internet. And I had to tell my dad that I’m moving to LA because I’ve made X amount of money in X amount of months, and it’s more money than I’ve seen in my entire life. He told me, “You need to go where your job is, and your job is in California.”
My grandparents, though, were like, “It’s the internet. Why do you need to move? Just come live with us.” And I was like, “Mimi, no.” They don’t know how I make money. They think that I’m homeless.
A lot of TikTokers I’ve talked to say it’s been tough to separate their hometown friends from people who just want to use them for clout. How have you dealt with the social dynamics of TikTok fame?
I don’t fuck with that circle at all. The friends that I’ve made online are my actual friends. I could give a fuck about clout. You will never catch me with the Supreme fanny pack across my chest. Opportunities have presented themselves, like, “There’s a party here. Do you want to collab with this person?” And it’s like, no, because I would not give them attention if I saw them on the street. You get shit like the influencer parties where you should know better. Collectively, you have like 300 million people following you and you’re partying!
It seems like there are two TikTok worlds in LA, like the Hype House kids and then the cool alt kids. Are you part of the latter crew?
Straight TikTok gets all of the press and the hype, and when you think of TikTok, you think of Addison, you think of the Lopez Brothers, all these people. But all the trends and audios come from alt TikTok. It’s always been like that, because last summer, alt-TikTok was TikTok. It was quirky girls and VSCO girls and making fun of everything because the world is so ridiculous. And then [straight TikTok] gets credit for it.
Creators often talk in interviews about how, once they get big, they feel like they can’t try any new content that deviates from that. Is that something you’ve felt?
Absolutely. I always tell my friends, because they get really discouraged, that you’ll gain 200,000 followers in, like, a week, and then it just stops, or your video gets really shitty engagement. That’s because you’re beating a dead horse. You did something really funny or something really innovative and it gained you a bunch of followers, and now every time you post an Instagram picture, that’s what they’re going to comment.
Mooptopia is a great example. She’s posted the same video 100 times; if she were to ever post, like, a serious video, or comedy video or a dancing video, people would be like, “What’s this?” People forget that we’re real people, we’re multidimensional and have different interests.
Haley [Sharpe] and I talk about it sometimes because she’s the “Say So girl” and I still get called “kombucha girl.” We’re so much more than that, but you can’t really be mad at why you became popular. If that’s how people know you, then that’s how people know you. At least they’re following you. At least they support you in some sense. You just have to keep posting what you want to post. If it does shitty, then it does shitty, but at least you like it.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to being an online creator and mental health. How do you deal with all of it?
I struggle with that still sometimes. I feel like people like my content because it’s very genuine, but at what point will genuine turn into oversharing and an invasion of privacy? That’s what I’m running into. I’m being very candid with my audience, and it is biting me in the ass. People are so bold online; they would never say that shit to you in person, but they say it online and I have to read it. It’s part of the job, I guess.
It would never be acceptable in any social circumstance for a 38-year-old man who’s married with children to comment on my body. But it happens online.
So much of the fun of TikTok is this thinking that “maybe this will go viral!” Does it worry you that all anyone seems to want right now is fame?
I think it is the mental illness speaking, but there is this obsession with going viral and getting the likes and getting the attention. I have some little cousins and it’s their dream to be a YouTuber. I wish I could just talk to them and say, “Have a backup plan. Chase your dream, for sure. If you want to be a content creator, do it. It’s fun. But also you are gambling with your life when you say, ‘All right, this is gonna be it.” Go finish high school, have a degree, have work experience.
I feel very blessed in that regard. If all this went away tomorrow, I have work experience. I’m a licensed insurance agent. I have a college degree. I can make it in the real world if I need to. I don’t want to, I’m very happy in my little bubble, but it’s just this delusion of, “I’m 15 and Emma Chamberlain does it so I can do it.” You have no idea all the stresses that Emma Chamberlain goes through to do what she does. It may look fun and easy, but it’s a lot of hard work.
Money is a big motivator, for sure. You see people like [the] Tana Mongeaus and the Jake Pauls of the world. What exactly do they do? They have Louis Vuitton everything, Gucci, Prada, they live in these huge mansions. Their YouTube AdSense must just be astronomical. People see those lifestyles and it’s like, “How fun just to be drunk all the time with your best friends wearing designer,” and I get it. But I feel like people aren’t that open and honest about what it’s actually like to be in the public eye. It sucks a lot of the time.
Are you working on a backup plan at all now that TikTok could possibly be going away?
People are really pushing moving to Instagram and YouTube, for sure. Everyone’s moving to YouTube and it’s funny to see, too, because people don’t know how to do it. I’m doing the same shit that I would be doing on TikTok, which is just 60 seconds, but I’m doing it for 10 minutes. That’s hard for a lot of people. How will you be entertaining for 10 minutes? It’s hard. So for me, I mean, I’m just in my room talking to myself, which I do anyway. I just hit 500K on YouTube. So that’s a revenue stream as well. So I’m very, very lucky.
You’ve said in the past that you want a more traditional career in entertainment, so you’re not totally tied to TikTok or any platform anyway, right?
I’m working on some show pitches. My number one thing is voice acting. I want to do voice acting so bad. I want to voice act for a Disney Pixar film; that’s my absolute end goal.
Do you have any sort of comedic process?
Yes, sleep deprivation and lots of suffering and delirium.
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New goal: 25,000
In the spring, we launched a program asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone, and last week, we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors. Well, you helped us blow past that. Today, we are extending that goal to 25,000. Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is, quite possibly, the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes. Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers, your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world. Contribute today from as little as $3.


vox--2020-08-25--Why Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is a magnet for grifters

If you had to pick one place to symbolize the corruption of the Trump era , it might be Mar-a-Lago .
A gaudy resort in Palm Beach , Florida , Mar-a-Lago has become Trump ’ s home away from home over the past four years .
It ’ s also become a hotbed of influence-peddling .
This is the argument of a new book called The Grifter ’ s Club by a handful of Miami Herald journalists who have spent several years looking into the goings-on at Mar-a-Lago .
It ’ s an eye-opening look at how the club fits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s such a magnet for well-heeled grifters and would-be movers and shakers ( such as Guo Wengui , the Chinese billionaire on whose yacht Steve Bannon was arrested last week ) .
I reached out by phone to Sarah Blaskey , one of the authors of The Grifter ’ s Club , to talk about the environment at Mar-a-Lago , who goes there and why , how wealthy socialites and foreign dignitaries have exploited it , and whether Trump ’ s use of the property during his presidency violates the emoluments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edited transcript of our conversation follows .
For people who don ’ t know , what is Mar-a-Lago and what role does it play in the Trump universe ?
Mar-a-Lago is a historic mansion on a 17-acre property in Palm Beach , Florida , which is a barrier island .
The island is eight square miles packed with some of the wealthiest families that exist in our country .
We ’ re talking about old wealth .
And Mar-a-Lago is a kind of relic of the old American aristocracy that used to vacation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t born into that kind of old wealth , though he obviously inherited a lot of money , so he tried to buy his way into Palm Beach society by buying Mar-a-Lago in the 1980s .
But eventually it became too expensive for him to maintain , so he turned it into a country club .
And now it ’ s Trump ’ s official residence ( he changed it from New York to Palm Beach last year ) and it ’ s known by him and his confidants as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are members of Mar-a-Lago ?
What does it cost ?
There are 500 memberships available .
It ’ s actually capped at 500 .
Prior to Trump ’ s presidency , there was a $ 100,000 entry fee , and then there are annual dues that you have to pay , which are much lower than that .
And the entry fees after Trump became president ?
After Trump became president , the price was hiked to $ 200,000 because there was a wave of people clamoring to join .
You document @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s revenue had more than doubled compared to the year before Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015 .
Is the explanation for that as simple as you had a bunch of people wanting to get closer to power ?
I think that ’ s right .
I mean , it ’ s anyone ’ s guess .
The Trump Organization ’ s a private business , so we don ’ t have a look at the books .
We just have the annual revenue .
But I will say , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re talking about maybe $ 5 million that first year in new membership fees alone .
And you ’ re also talking about people who are now packing the dining room in a way that we ’ ve never seen before , that are hosting more and more events at Mar-a-Lago in an effort to be closer to the president .
I think all of that has had a positive impact on his bottom line .
But it didn ’ t last long , right ?
Trump ’ s response to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point for the business .
Yeah , it appears there was a major backlash to that and it really hurt his business .
The annual profits dipped substantially after that .
What sort of people have joined the club since Trump took office ?
What do they think they ’ re getting out of it , and what are they actually getting out of it ?
The membership list is private , and we don ’ t know everyone who has joined .
But a lot of it is people looking to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And you have billionaires from China and Dubai , people that are business partners of Trump , who are trying to boost their profile and leverage their proximity to the president .
But how close they are to the president is really unclear .
Trump may breeze past your table if you ’ re a new member and say , “ Hey , how ’ s it going ?
” but he ’ s not necessarily paying attention to your opinions in the same way he would some of his older members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ England Patriots owner Robert Kraft , have been friends with Trump for a long time and have been members since the club started .
These are the sorts of people whispering into the president ’ s ears .
Give me some of the most egregious examples of influence-peddling at Mar-a-Lago .
Probably the most talked-about example of that right now is Ike Perlmutter , the chairman of Marvel Comics , who ProPublica reported was basically shadow-running the Veterans Affairs Administration from Mar-a-Lago .
And this was very much a relationship that had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Donald Trump .
So there ’ s certainly that kind of thing .
There ’ s also more traditional things like Trump handing out ambassadorships to Mar-a-Lago members .
There ’ s a Chinese billionaire named Guo Wengui who ’ s been a member for years , even before Trump was president .
He ’ s a whistleblower and a wanted man in China , but he ’ s applied for asylum in the US .
According to our reporting , Trump got a request from a friend in Vegas to deport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do it until he was stopped at the last minute by his staff .
And they stopped him from deporting Wengui by reminding him that he was a Mar-a-Lago member , which sealed it .
And Wengui still hasn ’ t been deported .
But everywhere you look at Mar-a-Lago , someone ’ s trying to make money off of their access , or their perceived access , or the brands that they ’ re building around their access .
That ’ s not to say every member does that , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders used or exploited Mar-a-Lago ?
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe very quickly realized that if he wanted to get in with the Donald , the place to do that was Mar-a-Lago .
Especially early in his presidency , Trump was not very comfortable in Washington .
But Trump and Abe would hang out at Mar-a-Lago and have dinners and play golf , and the relationship really softened up .
Suddenly things were a lot easier .
There have been allegations that Trump has actually tried to grease the wheels for some casinos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But I think leaders like Abe know that is the place to get Trump feeling comfortable , where you can really play to his strengths .
What happened the night of the North Korea missile launch when Trump was hosting a summit with Abe ?
I think we all thought the weirdest part of the story was the fact that the guy carrying the nuclear football took a photo with a Mar-a-Lago member that night .
But we learned when reporting on this that right before the call came in notifying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been showing off his favorite lounge singer to Prime Minister Abe and was asking her to twirl for Abe .
But as she ’ s twirling , someone who witnessed the scene says that as the call comes she realizes something ’ s going on and says , “ Mr .
President , I shouldn ’ t be here.
” And President Trump says , “ It ’ s just nukes .
Sing us a song.
” Honestly , that strikes me as more funny than it is alarming , but I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security situation down there .
Does anyone even know who ’ s coming into the club and who ’ s leaving and where they are in the meantime ?
Not really — it ’ s the Wild West down there .
Let me give you an example .
First , every Saturday night , especially when the president is there , maybe 1,000 people will either be attending an event or guests of members who are going to dine at the club .
Those guests of members who go to dine on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States dines each Saturday night that he ’ s at Mar-a-Lago , they are not background-checked by Secret Service at all .
The only thing that they need to get in is they need to be on a list .
The member has to call up the club and say , “ Hey , I want to bring my friend on Saturday night .
Their name is this.
” Then they drive through a Secret Service checkpoint .
So , of course , there are bomb-sniffing dogs , that kind of security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are that name on that list , and then they get in .
That list is never screened for terrorists .
That list never goes through a background check .
And that list isn ’ t preserved over time anywhere , according to the Trump Organization .
It ’ s just something they have each weekend , and it gets recycled .
And so there ’ s no log of who has even been there over time .
The staff know who are coming , but they don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there have been half a dozen examples of unknown people who just sort of wandered into the property , even when the president was there , because the location is so porous that people walk the beach .
Do we know how much federal money has been spent trying to secure Mar-a-Lago since Trump took office ?
We do not know .
There are ongoing lawsuits over the release of the entirety of those receipts .
That is not something the government has wanted to release .
But the number is big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been charged up to $ 600 a room at Mar-a-Lago every time they go , every time the president goes .
They have to rent rooms , to have their equipment to station it from , there ’ s the per diem , and all kinds of logistical costs .
They end up spending these wild amounts of money on single rooms .
Some of this stuff has to be a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution , right ?
What I think is interesting when talking about emoluments is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump hotel in DC , and they argue that foreign dignitaries staying at Trump DC is a violation of the foreign emoluments clause .
At Mar-a-Lago , what experts are talking about is the domestic emoluments clause , which says that the president can ’ t profit off of the presidency from the US federal government or state governments beyond his or her salary .
At Mar-a-Lago , because of the expense of protecting a president , they have to stay there .
And because a portion of that money goes back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he owns the property , there is concern from a lot of experts that that is a violation of the domestic emoluments clause .
What do you think becomes of Mar-a-Lago after Trump ’ s political career is over ?
It ’ s a fascinating question .
I ’ ve been watching as the annual revenue has declined since Charlottesville .
And it may just be that there are fewer new memberships coming in .
And it may be that the initial surge of revenue after Trump ’ s election was never going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s still higher than it was pre-presidency , though , and I ’ d guess that there will still be a fan base that ’ s interested in going there after his presidency .
We ’ ll see soon enough .
In the spring , we launched a program asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone , and last week , we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors .
Well , you helped us blow past that .
Today , we are extending that goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is , quite possibly , the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes .
Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers , your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world .
Contribute today from as little as $ 3 .

If you had to pick one place to symbolize the corruption of the Trump era, it might be Mar-a-Lago.
A gaudy resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago has become Trump’s home away from home over the past four years. It’s also become a hotbed of influence-peddling. This is the argument of a new book called The Grifter’s Club by a handful of Miami Herald journalists who have spent several years looking into the goings-on at Mar-a-Lago. It’s an eye-opening look at how the club fits into Trump’s world and why it’s such a magnet for well-heeled grifters and would-be movers and shakers (such as Guo Wengui, the Chinese billionaire on whose yacht Steve Bannon was arrested last week).
I reached out by phone to Sarah Blaskey, one of the authors of The Grifter’s Club, to talk about the environment at Mar-a-Lago, who goes there and why, how wealthy socialites and foreign dignitaries have exploited it, and whether Trump’s use of the property during his presidency violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution.
A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows.
Sean Illing
For people who don’t know, what is Mar-a-Lago and what role does it play in the Trump universe?
Sarah Blaskey
Mar-a-Lago is a historic mansion on a 17-acre property in Palm Beach, Florida, which is a barrier island. The island is eight square miles packed with some of the wealthiest families that exist in our country. We’re talking about old wealth. And Mar-a-Lago is a kind of relic of the old American aristocracy that used to vacation in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump wasn’t born into that kind of old wealth, though he obviously inherited a lot of money, so he tried to buy his way into Palm Beach society by buying Mar-a-Lago in the 1980s. But eventually it became too expensive for him to maintain, so he turned it into a country club. And now it’s Trump’s official residence (he changed it from New York to Palm Beach last year) and it’s known by him and his confidants as “the winter White House.”
Sean Illing
How many people are members of Mar-a-Lago? What does it cost?
Sarah Blaskey
There are 500 memberships available. It’s actually capped at 500. Prior to Trump’s presidency, there was a $100,000 entry fee, and then there are annual dues that you have to pay, which are much lower than that.
Sean Illing
And the entry fees after Trump became president?
Sarah Blaskey
After Trump became president, the price was hiked to $200,000 because there was a wave of people clamoring to join.
Sean Illing
You document in the book how by 2018 Mar-a-Lago’s revenue had more than doubled compared to the year before Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015. Is the explanation for that as simple as you had a bunch of people wanting to get closer to power?
Sarah Blaskey
I think that’s right. I mean, it’s anyone’s guess. The Trump Organization’s a private business, so we don’t have a look at the books. We just have the annual revenue. But I will say, with the increase in new memberships, you’re talking about maybe $5 million that first year in new membership fees alone. And you’re also talking about people who are now packing the dining room in a way that we’ve never seen before, that are hosting more and more events at Mar-a-Lago in an effort to be closer to the president. I think all of that has had a positive impact on his bottom line.
Sean Illing
But it didn’t last long, right? Trump’s response to the 2017 rally in Charlottesville was a turning point for the business.
Sarah Blaskey
Yeah, it appears there was a major backlash to that and it really hurt his business. The annual profits dipped substantially after that.
Sean Illing
What sort of people have joined the club since Trump took office? What do they think they’re getting out of it, and what are they actually getting out of it?
Sarah Blaskey
The membership list is private, and we don’t know everyone who has joined. But a lot of it is people looking to build brands off of being near the president. And you have billionaires from China and Dubai, people that are business partners of Trump, who are trying to boost their profile and leverage their proximity to the president.
But how close they are to the president is really unclear. Trump may breeze past your table if you’re a new member and say, “Hey, how’s it going?” but he’s not necessarily paying attention to your opinions in the same way he would some of his older members. The older members, like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, have been friends with Trump for a long time and have been members since the club started. These are the sorts of people whispering into the president’s ears.
Sean Illing
Give me some of the most egregious examples of influence-peddling at Mar-a-Lago.
Sarah Blaskey
Probably the most talked-about example of that right now is Ike Perlmutter, the chairman of Marvel Comics, who ProPublica reported was basically shadow-running the Veterans Affairs Administration from Mar-a-Lago. And this was very much a relationship that had been established at Mar-a-Lago through a longtime friendship with Donald Trump. So there’s certainly that kind of thing. There’s also more traditional things like Trump handing out ambassadorships to Mar-a-Lago members.
There’s a Chinese billionaire named Guo Wengui who’s been a member for years, even before Trump was president. He’s a whistleblower and a wanted man in China, but he’s applied for asylum in the US. According to our reporting, Trump got a request from a friend in Vegas to deport Wengui and he was all ready to do it until he was stopped at the last minute by his staff. And they stopped him from deporting Wengui by reminding him that he was a Mar-a-Lago member, which sealed it. And Wengui still hasn’t been deported.
But everywhere you look at Mar-a-Lago, someone’s trying to make money off of their access, or their perceived access, or the brands that they’re building around their access. That’s not to say every member does that, but it is certainly common.
Sean Illing
How have foreign leaders used or exploited Mar-a-Lago?
Sarah Blaskey
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe very quickly realized that if he wanted to get in with the Donald, the place to do that was Mar-a-Lago. Especially early in his presidency, Trump was not very comfortable in Washington. But Trump and Abe would hang out at Mar-a-Lago and have dinners and play golf, and the relationship really softened up. Suddenly things were a lot easier. There have been allegations that Trump has actually tried to grease the wheels for some casinos in Japan at one of those dinners. But I think leaders like Abe know that is the place to get Trump feeling comfortable, where you can really play to his strengths.
Sean Illing
What happened the night of the North Korea missile launch when Trump was hosting a summit with Abe?
Sarah Blaskey
I think we all thought the weirdest part of the story was the fact that the guy carrying the nuclear football took a photo with a Mar-a-Lago member that night. But we learned when reporting on this that right before the call came in notifying the president of the missile launch, Trump had been showing off his favorite lounge singer to Prime Minister Abe and was asking her to twirl for Abe. But as she’s twirling, someone who witnessed the scene says that as the call comes she realizes something’s going on and says, “Mr. President, I shouldn’t be here.” And President Trump says, “It’s just nukes. Sing us a song.”
Sean Illing
Honestly, that strikes me as more funny than it is alarming, but I guess it does speak to the bizarre security situation down there. Does anyone even know who’s coming into the club and who’s leaving and where they are in the meantime?
Sarah Blaskey
Not really — it’s the Wild West down there. Let me give you an example. First, every Saturday night, especially when the president is there, maybe 1,000 people will either be attending an event or guests of members who are going to dine at the club. Those guests of members who go to dine on that same terrace where the president of the United States dines each Saturday night that he’s at Mar-a-Lago, they are not background-checked by Secret Service at all. The only thing that they need to get in is they need to be on a list. The member has to call up the club and say, “Hey, I want to bring my friend on Saturday night. Their name is this.” Then they drive through a Secret Service checkpoint.
So, of course, there are bomb-sniffing dogs, that kind of security. They show their ID, proving that they are that name on that list, and then they get in. That list is never screened for terrorists. That list never goes through a background check. And that list isn’t preserved over time anywhere, according to the Trump Organization. It’s just something they have each weekend, and it gets recycled.
And so there’s no log of who has even been there over time. The staff know who are coming, but they don’t know who’s been there. Furthermore, there have been half a dozen examples of unknown people who just sort of wandered into the property, even when the president was there, because the location is so porous that people walk the beach.
Sean Illing
Do we know how much federal money has been spent trying to secure Mar-a-Lago since Trump took office?
Sarah Blaskey
We do not know. There are ongoing lawsuits over the release of the entirety of those receipts. That is not something the government has wanted to release. But the number is big. I mean, the Secret Service has been charged up to $600 a room at Mar-a-Lago every time they go, every time the president goes. They have to rent rooms, to have their equipment to station it from, there’s the per diem, and all kinds of logistical costs. They end up spending these wild amounts of money on single rooms.
Sean Illing
Some of this stuff has to be a violation of the emoluments clause of the Constitution, right?
Sarah Blaskey
What I think is interesting when talking about emoluments is that usually experts look at something like the Trump hotel in DC, and they argue that foreign dignitaries staying at Trump DC is a violation of the foreign emoluments clause.
At Mar-a-Lago, what experts are talking about is the domestic emoluments clause, which says that the president can’t profit off of the presidency from the US federal government or state governments beyond his or her salary. At Mar-a-Lago, because of the expense of protecting a president, they have to stay there. And because a portion of that money goes back into the president’s pocket because he owns the property, there is concern from a lot of experts that that is a violation of the domestic emoluments clause.
Sean Illing
What do you think becomes of Mar-a-Lago after Trump’s political career is over?
Sarah Blaskey
It’s a fascinating question. I’ve been watching as the annual revenue has declined since Charlottesville. And it may just be that there are fewer new memberships coming in. And it may be that the initial surge of revenue after Trump’s election was never going to hold no matter what happened. It’s still higher than it was pre-presidency, though, and I’d guess that there will still be a fan base that’s interested in going there after his presidency. We’ll see soon enough.
New goal: 25,000
In the spring, we launched a program asking readers for financial contributions to help keep Vox free for everyone, and last week, we set a goal of reaching 20,000 contributors. Well, you helped us blow past that. Today, we are extending that goal to 25,000. Millions turn to Vox each month to understand an increasingly chaotic world — from what is happening with the USPS to the coronavirus crisis to what is, quite possibly, the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes. Even when the economy and the news advertising market recovers, your support will be a critical part of sustaining our resource-intensive work — and helping everyone make sense of an increasingly chaotic world. Contribute today from as little as $3.


vox--2020-08-25--Pumpkin spice lattes — and the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash — explained

August 25 is not a day that is particularly known for feeling especially crisp or autumnal in most parts of North America .
And yet it ’ s the day in 2020 — the earliest release date so far — that Starbucks chose to ready its blazing orange jugs of “ pumpkin sauce ” and unleash its annual run of pumpkin spice lattes upon its customers .
You ’ d be forgiven for mistaking this tone for one of disdain .
Since its inception in 2003 , the pumpkin spice latte has become something of a straw man for discussions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the meaning of “ basic , ” resulting in widespread hatred for an otherwise innocuous beverage .
For example , back in 2014 , at the height of pumpkin spice mania , this very website described the PSL as “ an unctuous , pungent , saccharine brown liquid , equal parts dairy and diabetes , served in paper cups and guzzled down by the liter ” — even though clearly the pumpkin spice latte is a highly delicious treat that pairs well with wearing vests and making dorky comments about how crisp the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contains 380 calories ; yes , it will make your coffee a rather unappetizing orange color ; no , you should not “ guzzle it down by the liter.
” But contempt for the PSL and other items of the seasonal pumpkin spice variety is often not really about the flavor itself .
After all , there are plenty of other flavors we should all be way more furious about .
( There is a shop in Scotland that serves mayonnaise ice cream , people ! )
Too frequently , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our collective skepticism of savvy marketing .
After all , the PSL is doing something right : It ’ s Starbucks ’ most popular seasonal beverage , with about 424 million sold worldwide .
In 2019 , the chain leaned in further with the introduction of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew , finally admitting to the world that late August is still iced coffee weather .
The history of the PSL The pumpkin spice latte almost didn ’ t exist .
As former Starbucks veteran Tim Kern told Quartz , “ A number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so dominated by a flavor other than coffee that it didn ’ t put Starbucks ’ coffee in the best light.
” Fortunately for Starbucks , the Tim Kerns of the company were ultimately overruled , because within a decade of its launch in 2003 , the PSL became its top-selling drink , with more than 200 million of them sold .
In 2015 , Forbes estimated the PSL brought in around $ 100 million in revenue over a single season .
2015 was also the year that Starbucks changed its decade-old formula @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , rather than simply caramel coloring and pumpkin pie spices ( like cinnamon , nutmeg , ginger , allspice , and cloves ) .
By all accounts , it tasted pretty much the same , just , according to its inventor , “ cleaner.
” At that point , the PSL wasn ’ t just a cash cow ; it was a cultural phenomenon .
In part , that ’ s thanks to its marketing — there is nothing inherently seasonal about the spices that go in pumpkin pie , but Starbucks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drink should only be consumed during the fall months , thereby increasing demand .
But there ’ s another reason the PSL exploded so much over the past decade .
Culinary food trend analyst Suzy Badaracco told Vox in 2014 , “ Pumpkin became recognized as part of the comfort food trend during the recession in 2008 , ” due to its association with Thanksgiving and the holidays .
In tough times , we ’ re more likely to crave foods that bring back happy memories .
Surely , though , the reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin with was their prevalence on social media .
It ’ s not that they ’ re inherently photogenic — a Starbucks cup is a Starbucks cup regardless of what ’ s inside it , and the PSL doesn ’ t get its own specially designed cup the way the holiday drinks do .
It ’ s because when you add a PSL to a photo of , say , your new fall boots standing atop crunchy-looking leaves or a selfie featuring a festive dark lip color , it adds to the autumnal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coincidence that Instagram — the epicenter of cutesy fall tableaus — happened to blow up in the early 2010s , which is the same time it became cool to claim you despised pumpkin spice .
But maybe that ’ s not the whole story .
The backlash is about our anxieties around capitalism The fact that the pumpkin spice latte — which , to many , conjures the scents and imagery of Thanksgiving — is released in increasingly hot weather year after year is often touted as an ominous harbinger of the evil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s agricultural revisionism !
” argue some , citing the fact that pumpkins aren ’ t actually in season until autumn proper .
A viral John Oliver clip from 2014 declares as much , noting that “ that bottle of pumpkin-flavored science goo sits behind the counter of Starbucks , never aging , like Ryan Seacrest ” : Perhaps in response to such criticism , in 2019 Starbucks released its second pumpkin spice beverage since the PSL ’ s introduction , but this time , it ’ s cold .
The Pumpkin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brew with pumpkin cold foam and topped with pumpkin spice , which CNBC describes as “ less sweet and has a stronger coffee taste than a pumpkin spice latte.
” The success of the PSL is also largely responsible for the barrage of pumpkin spice-flavored everything else , including cream cheese , dog treats , Kahlua , and an especially wacky seasonal crossover , Peeps .
There have also been air fresheners , deodorant , even Four Loko ( okay , that one ended up being a joke ) , resulting in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trend “ gone too far.
” ( Indeed , back in 2010 , the spice brand McCormick forecast that pumpkin spice would be a popular flavor for the holiday season , which in turn likely exacerbated the rush . )
When a food trend is as in-your-face as pumpkin spice is — ever been to a Trader Joe ’ s in October ?
— it forces us to think about how the free market is essentially designed to create this kind of phenomenon .
If a product like the pumpkin spice latte sells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for other companies to attempt to replicate that success .
But it ’ s uncomfortable when we see it happening on such an exaggerated scale .
Actually , the backlash is about our contempt for women Well , maybe , but maybe what pumpkin spice backlash is really about is our dismissal of trends that are coded as feminine .
As Jaya Saxena wrote in Taste last fall , in a piece titled “ Women Aren ’ t Ruining Food , ” “ When men enjoy something , they elevate it .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it.
” She continues , on the topic of “ girly ” food crazes like açai bowls , rosé , and pumpkin spice versus “ manly ” ones like barbecue , Flamin ’ Hot Cheetos , and IPAs : Plus , “ masculine ” foods are almost never chastised for being “ basic , ” the ever-nebulous term used to describe someone with average , predictable taste that ’ s usually reserved for women .
In the most stereotypical ( and by now probably outdated ) terms , a “ basic bitch ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Uggs , and absolutely adores hashtag-PSLs , marking her as a woman with “ a girlish interest in seasonal changes and an unsophisticated penchant for sweet , ” as the Cut noted back in 2014 .
There are often classist implications , too .
In a BuzzFeed piece about “ basic ” and class anxiety , Anne Helen Peterson wrote : Essentially , hating pumpkin spice lattes is our way of othering those who drink them , and in the process , marking ourselves as decidedly un-basic .
Of course , this notion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the same way black people have been using it for decades , which , as Kara Brown explained in Jezebel , pretty much just translates to “ I think that the stuff you like is lame and I don ’ t really like you.
” “ Rihanna could become the official spokesperson for Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes and nobody would think of her as basic , ” she wrote .
“ You know why ?
Because Rihanna does what she wants and what she thinks is cool and doesn ’ t give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe nobody cares anymore Even if Rihanna suddenly became the official spokesperson of PSLs , however , there is also the possibility that , quite frankly , nobody really cares that much anymore .
We seemed to have hit peak “ pumpkin spice hot take ” in the year 2014 , with searches for “ pumpkin spice latte ” peaking in 2015 .
Plus , the pumpkin spice bubble may have already popped .
The analytics company 1010data revealed that despite the fact that pumpkin spice products for sale had risen by nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sales went up just 21 percent .
We just aren ’ t craving it like we used to .
Maybe that ’ s because we ’ ve all been stricken with a case of seasonal beverage fatigue in general .
Starbucks is constantly coming out with random gimmicky drinks , from the Unicorn Frappuccino to the so-called “ secret menu.
” If that ’ s true , it tracks that we aren ’ t seeing the same kind of anger directed at what is arguably replacing pumpkin spice as autumn ’ s de @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Starbucks and Dunkin ’ Donuts released maple pecan lattes .
And according to restaurant menu data from that year , “ mentions of maple as a flavor in nonalcoholic beverages on menus are up 86 percent this year over last .
... Pumpkin mentions , on the other hand , are down 20 percent.
” Yet nobody ’ s complaining about how stupid maple syrup is .
And these days , tweets about PSLs are way more in the vein of “ Screw you and let me enjoy my shitty drink in peace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have also expressed exhaustion about the “ actually-ing ” over what pumpkin spice even is , as if anyone really wants to talk about it .
There are even ironic tweets poking fun at the automation of feminist responses to the anti-pumpkin spice brigade : Anyway , this is all to say that maybe by now pumpkin spice has finally returned to signifying the autumnal blend of cinnamon , ginger , nutmeg , and cloves , and nothing more : not basic , not everything wrong with capitalism , and not gross .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s delicious .
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August 30 is not a day that is particularly known for feeling especially crisp or autumnal in most parts of North America. And yet it’s the day in 2022 — somehow not even their earliest release date ever — that Starbucks chose to ready its blazing orange jugs of “pumpkin sauce” and unleash its annual run of pumpkin spice lattes upon its customers.
You’d be forgiven for mistaking this tone for one of disdain. Since its inception in 2003, the pumpkin spice latte has become something of a straw man for discussions about capitalism, seasonal creep, and the meaning of “basic,” resulting in widespread hatred for an otherwise innocuous beverage.
For example, back in 2014, at the height of pumpkin spice mania, this very website described the PSL as “an unctuous, pungent, saccharine brown liquid, equal parts dairy and diabetes, served in paper cups and guzzled down by the liter” — even though clearly the pumpkin spice latte is a highly delicious treat that pairs well with wearing vests and making dorky comments about how crisp the air feels today. Yes, it contains 380 calories; yes, it will make your coffee a rather unappetizing orange color; no, you should not “guzzle it down by the liter.”
But contempt for the PSL and other items of the seasonal pumpkin spice variety is often not really about the flavor itself. After all, there are plenty of other flavors we should all be way more furious about. (There is a shop in Scotland that serves mayonnaise ice cream, people!) Too frequently, it’s about sexism, class anxiety, and our collective skepticism of savvy marketing. After all, the PSL is doing something right: It’s Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage, with about 424 million sold worldwide. In 2019, the chain leaned in further with the introduction of the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, finally admitting to the world that late August is still iced coffee weather.
The history of the PSL
The pumpkin spice latte almost didn’t exist. As former Starbucks veteran Tim Kern told Quartz, “A number of us thought it was a beverage so dominated by a flavor other than coffee that it didn’t put Starbucks’ coffee in the best light.”
Fortunately for Starbucks, the Tim Kerns of the company were ultimately overruled, because within a decade of its launch in 2003, the PSL became its top-selling drink, with more than 200 million of them sold. In 2015, Forbes estimated the PSL brought in around $100 million in revenue over a single season.
2015 was also the year that Starbucks changed its decade-old formula to include actual pumpkin for the first time, rather than simply caramel coloring and pumpkin pie spices (like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves). By all accounts, it tasted pretty much the same, just, according to its inventor, “cleaner.”
At that point, the PSL wasn’t just a cash cow; it was a cultural phenomenon. In part, that’s thanks to its marketing — there is nothing inherently seasonal about the spices that go in pumpkin pie, but Starbucks is able to convince us that the drink should only be consumed during the fall months, thereby increasing demand.
But there’s another reason the PSL exploded so much over the past decade. Culinary food trend analyst Suzy Badaracco told Vox in 2014, “Pumpkin became recognized as part of the comfort food trend during the recession in 2008,” due to its association with Thanksgiving and the holidays. In tough times, we’re more likely to crave foods that bring back happy memories.
Surely, though, the reason we all began talking about PSLs to begin with was their prevalence on social media. It’s not that they’re inherently photogenic — a Starbucks cup is a Starbucks cup regardless of what’s inside it, and the PSL doesn’t get its own specially designed cup the way the holiday drinks do.
It’s because when you add a PSL to a photo of, say, your new fall boots standing atop crunchy-looking leaves or a selfie featuring a festive dark lip color, it adds to the autumnal aesthetic. It’s not a coincidence that Instagram — the epicenter of cutesy fall tableaus — happened to blow up in the early 2010s, which is the same time it became cool to claim you despised pumpkin spice.
But maybe that’s not the whole story.
The backlash is about our anxieties around capitalism
The fact that the pumpkin spice latte — which, to many, conjures the scents and imagery of Thanksgiving — is released in increasingly hot weather year after year is often touted as an ominous harbinger of the evil forces of seasonal creep. “It’s agricultural revisionism!” argue some, citing the fact that pumpkins aren’t actually in season until autumn proper.
A viral John Oliver clip from 2014 declares as much, noting that “that bottle of pumpkin-flavored science goo sits behind the counter of Starbucks, never aging, like Ryan Seacrest”:
Perhaps in response to such criticism, in 2019 Starbucks released its second pumpkin spice beverage since the PSL’s introduction, but this time, it’s cold. The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is a vanilla cold brew with pumpkin cold foam and topped with pumpkin spice, which CNBC describes as “less sweet and has a stronger coffee taste than a pumpkin spice latte.”
The success of the PSL is also largely responsible for the barrage of pumpkin spice-flavored everything else, including cream cheese, dog treats, Kahlua, and an especially wacky seasonal crossover, Peeps. There have also been air fresheners, deodorant, even Four Loko (okay, that one ended up being a joke), resulting in the expected amount of hand-wringing about a food trend “gone too far.” (Indeed, back in 2010, the spice brand McCormick forecast that pumpkin spice would be a popular flavor for the holiday season, which in turn likely exacerbated the rush.)
When a food trend is as in-your-face as pumpkin spice is — ever been to a Trader Joe’s in October? — it forces us to think about how the free market is essentially designed to create this kind of phenomenon. If a product like the pumpkin spice latte sells, it’s natural under capitalism for other companies to attempt to replicate that success. But it’s uncomfortable when we see it happening on such an exaggerated scale.
Actually, the backlash is about our contempt for women
Well, maybe, but maybe what pumpkin spice backlash is really about is our dismissal of trends that are coded as feminine. As Jaya Saxena wrote in Taste last fall, in a piece titled “Women Aren’t Ruining Food,” “When men enjoy something, they elevate it. But when women enjoy something, they ruin it.”
She continues, on the topic of “girly” food crazes like açai bowls, rosé, and pumpkin spice versus “manly” ones like barbecue, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and IPAs:
When those foods blow up, we judge women for falling for the marketing or trying to jump on the bandwagon, and we assume that because they like something other women like, they don’t have minds of their own. And on top of that, women are asked to reckon with, consciously or unconsciously, the perceived psycho-sexual symbolism attached to seemingly innocuous foods.
Plus, “masculine” foods are almost never chastised for being “basic,” the ever-nebulous term used to describe someone with average, predictable taste that’s usually reserved for women.
In the most stereotypical (and by now probably outdated) terms, a “basic bitch” wears North Face, leggings, and Uggs, and absolutely adores hashtag-PSLs, marking her as a woman with “a girlish interest in seasonal changes and an unsophisticated penchant for sweet,” as the Cut noted back in 2014.
There are often classist implications, too. In a BuzzFeed piece about “basic” and class anxiety, Anne Helen Peterson wrote:
Unique taste — and the capacity to avoid the basic — is a privilege. A privilege of location (usually urban), of education (exposure to other cultures and locales), and of parentage (who would introduce and exalt other tastes). To summarize the groundbreaking work of theorist Pierre Bourdieu: We don’t choose our tastes so much as the micro-specifics of our class determine them. To consume and perform online in a basic way is thus to reflect a highly American, capitalist upbringing. Basic girls love the things they do because nearly every part of American commercial media has told them that they should.
Essentially, hating pumpkin spice lattes is our way of othering those who drink them, and in the process, marking ourselves as decidedly un-basic.
Of course, this notion of what “basic” means is not the same way black people have been using it for decades, which, as Kara Brown explained in Jezebel, pretty much just translates to “I think that the stuff you like is lame and I don’t really like you.”
“Rihanna could become the official spokesperson for Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes and nobody would think of her as basic,” she wrote. “You know why? Because Rihanna does what she wants and what she thinks is cool and doesn’t give a damn about anybody else.”
Or maybe nobody cares anymore
Even if Rihanna suddenly became the official spokesperson of PSLs, however, there is also the possibility that, quite frankly, nobody really cares that much anymore. We seemed to have hit peak “pumpkin spice hot take” in the year 2014, with searches for “pumpkin spice latte” peaking in 2015.
Plus, the pumpkin spice bubble may have already popped. The analytics company 1010data revealed that despite the fact that pumpkin spice products for sale had risen by nearly 50 percent between 2015 and 2016, sales went up just 21 percent. We just aren’t craving it like we used to.
Maybe that’s because we’ve all been stricken with a case of seasonal beverage fatigue in general. Starbucks is constantly coming out with random gimmicky drinks, from the Unicorn Frappuccino to the so-called “secret menu.”
If that’s true, it tracks that we aren’t seeing the same kind of anger directed at what is arguably replacing pumpkin spice as autumn’s de facto flavor. In 2017, both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts released maple pecan lattes. And according to restaurant menu data from that year, “mentions of maple as a flavor in nonalcoholic beverages on menus are up 86 percent this year over last. ... Pumpkin mentions, on the other hand, are down 20 percent.” Yet nobody’s complaining about how stupid maple syrup is.
And these days, tweets about PSLs are way more in the vein of “Screw you and let me enjoy my shitty drink in peace, because everything is terrible.”
Pumpkin Spice Latte comes back tomorrow and I am 100% getting one in 91 degree weather because this world is a shitshow and I take joy where I can get it, like in delicious flavored coffee drinks. — drunk wynhaught (@drunkhaught) August 27, 2018
People have also expressed exhaustion about the “actually-ing” over what pumpkin spice even is, as if anyone really wants to talk about it.
"pumpkin spice refers to the spices used in pumpkin pie and doesn't actually taste like pumpkins" is the "Frankenstein was the name of the doctor" of this decade — Kyle (@KylePlantEmoji) August 27, 2018
There are even ironic tweets poking fun at the automation of feminist responses to the anti-pumpkin spice brigade:
Women's unabashed enjoyment of a thing has always led to wholesale dismissal of said thing as frivolous and/or bad. From early examples like needlework to more current cases like pumpkin spice and romance novels, we can track this trend throughout history. In this paper I will - — The Ripped Bodice (@TheRippedBodice) August 27, 2018
Anyway, this is all to say that maybe by now pumpkin spice has finally returned to signifying the autumnal blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, and nothing more: not basic, not everything wrong with capitalism, and not gross. Because it’s not! It’s delicious.
Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.
Update, August 29, 1:40 pm: This story was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with the 2022 PSL return date.