huffpost--2020-05-08--Top White House Officials Buried CDC Report On Reopening Country

The trove of emails show the nation ’ s top public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spending weeks working on guidance to help the country deal with a public health emergency , only to see their work quashed by political appointees with little explanation .
The document , titled “ Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework , ” was researched and written to help faith leaders , business owners , educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen .
It included detailed “ decision trees , ” or flow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the difficult decision of whether to reopen or remain closed .
As early as April 10 , Redfield , who is also a member of the White House coronavirus task force , shared via email the guidance and decision trees with President Donald Trump ’ s inner circle , including his son-in-law Jared Kushner , top adviser Kellyanne Conway and Joseph Grogan , assistant to the president for domestic policy .
Also included were Dr. Deborah Birx , Dr. Anthony Fauci and other task force members .
Three days later , CDC ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60-page report with attached flow charts to the White House Office of Management and Budget , a step usually taken only when agencies are seeking final White House approval for documents they have already cleared .
The 17-page version later released by The AP and other news outlets was only part of the actual document submitted by the CDC , and targeted specific facilities like bars and restaurants .
The AP obtained a copy Friday of the full document .
That version is a more universal series of phased guidelines , “ Steps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” geared to advise communities as a whole on testing , contact tracing and other fundamental infection control measures .
On April 24 , Redfield again emailed the guidance documents to Birx and Grogan , according to a copy viewed by The AP .
Redfield asked Birx and Grogan for their review so that the CDC could post the guidance publicly .
Attached to Redfield ’ s email were the guidance documents and the corresponding decision trees — including one for meat packing plants .
Two days later , on April 26 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ word from the administration , according to the internal communications .
Robert McGowan , the CDC chief of staff who was shepherding the guidance through the OMB , sent an email seeking an update .
“ We need them as soon as possible so that we can get them posted , ” he wrote to Nancy Beck , an OMB staffer .
Beck said she was awaiting review by the White House Principals Committee , a group of top White House officials .
“ They need to be approved before they can move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the task force so the task force should be aware of the status , ” Beck wrote to McGowan .
“ However , I am passing along their message : they have given strict and explicit direction that these documents are not yet cleared and can not go out as of right now — this includes related press statements or other communications that may preview content or timing of guidances.
” According to the documents , CDC continued inquiring for days about the guidance that officials had hoped to post by Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had targeted for reopening some businesses , according to a source who was granted anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the press .
“ The guidance should be more cross-cutting and say when they should reopen and how to keep people safe .
Fundamentally , the Task Force cleared this for further development , but not for release , ” wrote Quinn Hirsch , a staffer in the White House ’ s office of regulatory affairs ( OIRA ) , in an email to the CDC ’ s parent agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services .
The administration had already released its Opening Up America Again Plan , and the clock was ticking .
Staff at CDC thought if they could get their reopening advice out there , it would help communities do so with detailed expert help .
But hours later on April 30 , CDC ’ s Chief of Staff McGowan told CDC staff that neither the guidance documents nor the decision trees “ would ever see the light of day , ” according to three officials who declined to be named because they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The decision to shelve detailed advice from the nation’s top disease control experts for reopening communities during the coronavirus pandemic came from the highest levels of the White House, according to internal government emails obtained by The Associated Press.
The files also show that after the AP reported Thursday that the guidance document had been buried, the Trump administration ordered key parts of it to be fast-tracked for approval.
Advertisement
The trove of emails show the nation’s top public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spending weeks working on guidance to help the country deal with a public health emergency, only to see their work quashed by political appointees with little explanation.
The document, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen. It included detailed “decision trees,” or flow charts aimed at helping local leaders navigate the difficult decision of whether to reopen or remain closed.
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Friday that the documents had not been approved by CDC Director Robert Redfield. The new emails, however, show that Redfield cleared the guidance.
This new CDC guidance — a mix of advice already released along with newer information — had been approved and promoted by the highest levels of its leadership, including Redfield. Despite this, the administration shelved it on April 30.
Advertisement
As early as April 10, Redfield, who is also a member of the White House coronavirus task force, shared via email the guidance and decision trees with President Donald Trump’s inner circle, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, top adviser Kellyanne Conway and Joseph Grogan, assistant to the president for domestic policy. Also included were Dr. Deborah Birx, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other task force members.
Three days later, CDC’s upper management sent the more than 60-page report with attached flow charts to the White House Office of Management and Budget, a step usually taken only when agencies are seeking final White House approval for documents they have already cleared.
The 17-page version later released by The AP and other news outlets was only part of the actual document submitted by the CDC, and targeted specific facilities like bars and restaurants. The AP obtained a copy Friday of the full document. That version is a more universal series of phased guidelines, “Steps for All Americans in Every Community,” geared to advise communities as a whole on testing, contact tracing and other fundamental infection control measures.
On April 24, Redfield again emailed the guidance documents to Birx and Grogan, according to a copy viewed by The AP. Redfield asked Birx and Grogan for their review so that the CDC could post the guidance publicly. Attached to Redfield’s email were the guidance documents and the corresponding decision trees — including one for meat packing plants.
“We plan to post these to CDC’s website once approved. Peace, God bless r3,” the director wrote. (Redfield’s initials are R.R.R.)
Advertisement
Redfield’s comments contradict the White House assertion Thursday that it had not yet approved the guidelines because the CDC’s own leadership had not yet given them the green light.
Two days later, on April 26, the CDC still had not received any word from the administration, according to the internal communications. Robert McGowan, the CDC chief of staff who was shepherding the guidance through the OMB, sent an email seeking an update. “We need them as soon as possible so that we can get them posted,” he wrote to Nancy Beck, an OMB staffer.
Beck said she was awaiting review by the White House Principals Committee, a group of top White House officials. “They need to be approved before they can move forward. WH principals are in touch with the task force so the task force should be aware of the status,” Beck wrote to McGowan.
The next day, April 27, Satya Thallam of the OMB sent the CDC a similar response: “The re-opening guidance and decision tree documents went to a West Wing principals committee on Sunday. We have not received word on specific timing for their considerations.
“However, I am passing along their message: they have given strict and explicit direction that these documents are not yet cleared and cannot go out as of right now — this includes related press statements or other communications that may preview content or timing of guidances.”
Advertisement
According to the documents, CDC continued inquiring for days about the guidance that officials had hoped to post by Friday, May 1, the day Trump had targeted for reopening some businesses, according to a source who was granted anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the press.
On April 30 the CDC’s documents were killed for good.
The agency had not heard any specific critiques from either the White House Principals Committee or the coronavirus task force in days, so officials asked for an update.
“The guidance should be more cross-cutting and say when they should reopen and how to keep people safe. Fundamentally, the Task Force cleared this for further development, but not for release,” wrote Quinn Hirsch, a staffer in the White House’s office of regulatory affairs (OIRA), in an email to the CDC’s parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.
CDC staff working on the guidance decided to try again.
The administration had already released its Opening Up America Again Plan, and the clock was ticking. Staff at CDC thought if they could get their reopening advice out there, it would help communities do so with detailed expert help.
But hours later on April 30, CDC’s Chief of Staff McGowan told CDC staff that neither the guidance documents nor the decision trees “would ever see the light of day,” according to three officials who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
Advertisement
The next day, May 1, the emails showed, a staffer at CDC was told “we would not even be allowed to post the decision trees. We had the team (exhausted as they are) stand down.”
The CDC’s guidance was shelved. Until May 7.
That morning The Associated Press reported that the Trump administration had buried the guidance, even as many states had started allowing businesses to reopen.
After the story ran, the White House called the CDC and ordered them to refile all of the decision trees, except one that targeted churches. An email obtained by the AP confirmed the agency resent the documents late Thursday, hours after news broke.
“Attached per the request from earlier today are the decision trees previously submitted to both OIRA and the WH Task Force, minus the communities of faith tree,” read the email. “Please let us know if/when/how we are able to proceed from here.”
__
Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller contributed to this story from Washington.


huffpost--2020-05-09--In Private Call, Obama Said The 'Rule Of Law Is At Risk' In Michael Flynn Case

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama , talking privately to former members of his administration , said Friday that the “ rule of law is at risk ” in the wake of what he called an unprecedented move by the Justice Department to drop charges against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn .
“ The news over the last 24 hours I think has been somewhat downplayed — about the Justice Department dropping charges against Michael Flynn , ” Obama said in a web talk with members of the Obama Alumni Association .
“ And the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free .
That ’ s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk .
And when you start moving in those directions , it can accelerate pretty quickly as we ’ ve seen in other places.
” The Flynn case was invoked by Obama as a principal reason that his former administration officials needed to make sure former Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump .
“ So I am hoping that all of you feel the same sense of urgency that I do , ” he said .
“ Whenever I campaign , I ’ ve always said , ‘ Ah , this is the most important election.
’ Especially obviously when I was on the ballot , that always feels like it 's the most important election .
This one — I ’ m not on the ballot — but I am pretty darn invested .
We got to make this happen.
” Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously pleaded guilty .
He was charged with false statements to the FBI , not perjury .
But the Justice Department , in a filing with a federal judge on Thursday , asked that the case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller be dismissed , arguing that FBI agents did not have a justifiable reason to question the then national security adviser about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak — talks FBI agents and Mueller ’ s prosecutors concluded he had lied about .
Still , Obama ’ s unvarnished remarks were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration and appeared to forecast a dramatically stepped-up political role he intends to play in this year ’ s election .
The comments came during a lengthy chat in which he also sharply criticized the response to the coronavirus pandemic , blaming it on the “ tribal ” trends that have been stoked by the president and his allies .
“ This election that ’ s coming up on every level is so important because — what we ’ re going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighting against is these long-term trends of being selfish , being tribal , being divided , and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life .
And by the way , we ’ re seeing that internationally as well .
It ’ s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty .
It would have been bad even with the best of governments .
It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ and ‘ to heck with everybody else ’ —when that mindset is operationalized in our government .
“ That ’ s why , I , by the way , am going to be spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden , ” he added .
Obama ’ s remarks about Flynn seemed especially pointed in light of the fact that the former Army general had served in his administration as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency — until he was forced out by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaotic , insubordinate manager .
During the transition , Obama even warned Trump not to hire Flynn — advice that Trump ignored .
Obama also gave some insights into his life during the pandemic .
The lack of sports , he said , is “ driving me nuts.
” But there was a bright side , he added .
His daughters , Malia and Sasha , “ are stuck having dinner with me ” at home .

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama, talking privately to former members of his administration, said Friday that the “rule of law is at risk” in the wake of what he called an unprecedented move by the Justice Department to drop charges against former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.
In the same chat, a tape of which was obtained by Yahoo News, Obama also lashed out at the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “an absolute chaotic disaster.”
“The news over the last 24 hours I think has been somewhat downplayed — about the Justice Department dropping charges against Michael Flynn,” Obama said in a web talk with members of the Obama Alumni Association.
Advertisement
“And the fact that there is no precedent that anybody can find for someone who has been charged with perjury just getting off scot-free. That’s the kind of stuff where you begin to get worried that basic — not just institutional norms — but our basic understanding of rule of law is at risk. And when you start moving in those directions, it can accelerate pretty quickly as we’ve seen in other places.”
The Flynn case was invoked by Obama as a principal reason that his former administration officials needed to make sure former Vice President Joe Biden wins the November election against President Trump. “So I am hoping that all of you feel the same sense of urgency that I do,” he said. “Whenever I campaign, I’ve always said, ‘Ah, this is the most important election.’ Especially obviously when I was on the ballot, that always feels like it's the most important election. This one — I’m not on the ballot — but I am pretty darn invested. We got to make this happen.”
Obama misstated the charge to which Flynn had previously pleaded guilty. He was charged with false statements to the FBI, not perjury. But the Justice Department, in a filing with a federal judge on Thursday, asked that the case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller be dismissed, arguing that FBI agents did not have a justifiable reason to question the then national security adviser about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak — talks FBI agents and Mueller’s prosecutors concluded he had lied about.
Advertisement
Still, Obama’s unvarnished remarks were some of his sharpest yet about the Trump administration and appeared to forecast a dramatically stepped-up political role he intends to play in this year’s election. The comments came during a lengthy chat in which he also sharply criticized the response to the coronavirus pandemic, blaming it on the “tribal” trends that have been stoked by the president and his allies.
OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images
“This election that’s coming up on every level is so important because — what we’re going to be battling is not just a particular individual or a political party. What we’re fighting against is these long-term trends of being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life. And by the way, we’re seeing that internationally as well. It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty. It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’—when that mindset is operationalized in our government.
“That’s why, I, by the way, am going to be spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden,” he added.
Obama’s remarks about Flynn seemed especially pointed in light of the fact that the former Army general had served in his administration as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency — until he was forced out by administration officials who viewed him as a chaotic, insubordinate manager. During the transition, Obama even warned Trump not to hire Flynn — advice that Trump ignored.
Advertisement


huffpost--2020-05-08--Wall Street-Friendly Lawmakers Sought Bailout For Shady Lenders

“ It ’ s bad on the substance to have the Federal Reserve be lending to subprime consumer and small business lenders , ” Graham Steele , a former Democratic counsel on the Senate Banking Committee , who now runs Stanford School of Business ’ Corporations and Society Initiative .
“ It doesn ’ t look good when the members asking for that kind of bailout for these companies are also funded by those predatory lenders.
” Writing to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell , the lawmakers encouraged the Fed to expand eligibility for loans from its Term Asset-Backed Securities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ non-bank lenders and fintech platforms.
” “ Non-bank lenders ” issue loans that are less regulated than loans made by traditional banks , but they are also willing to take greater risks .
And “ fintech platforms ” are a kind of non-bank lender that operate online and through mobile apps .
In late March , the Fed reinitiated TALF , a program it created to shore up consumer lenders after the 2008 financial crisis , to address the economic fallout from the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is eligible for the emergency loans , but it will not bail out some riskier forms of credit .
The trouble with their claim is that the Fed announced it was restarting TALF on March 23 ― days after Yellen and Bernanke ’ s op-ed , and several days before the House members ’ letter .
The House members ’ letter addressed the scope of the program , not whether it would get off the ground at all .
Nat Hoopes , the executive director of the Marketplace Lending Association , a trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HuffPost unprompted when he learned about the story from a congressional office .
He cited data showing that two-thirds of the “ investment-grade ” assets that the letter is asking for loan help for are from his group ’ s member companies .
Marketplace Lending Association members “ typically ” issue loans with interest rates of 11-17 % , according to Hoopes .
The federal government has alleged , however , that loans issued by at least one fintech platform contained hidden fees not reflected in the upfront interest rate .
Consumer advocates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insist on a 36 % cap on interest rates , but they did not end up including it in the letter , according to a congressional aide familiar with the matter .
“ The 36 % rate cap should have been applied , ” the aide said .
“ We want to avoid a situation where payday lenders ― and other predatory lenders ― are empowered to take advantage of this very severe recession that we ’ re now in.
” The prospect that Democrats like Gottheimer , who received more money from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House member this cycle , would lobby the Fed for loans not only for unsavory lenders , but for fly-by-night lenders owned by private equity firms , is particularly galling to advocates of financial reform .
“ The Fed and the Small Business Administration should do everything they can to stop private equity from getting access to taxpayer funding , as private equity funds will use that funding to lay people off and buy themselves more private jets , ” said Matt Stoller , a former House Financial Services Committee staffer , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Economic Liberties Project .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A bipartisan group of House Financial Services Committee members asked the Federal Reserve in an April letter to extend an emergency loan program to a host of controversial financial firms that offer high-interest loans to low-income Americans.
In other words, firms that offer Americans high-interest loans want a low-cost loan from the government.
Advertisement
All 14 signatories of the April letter are recipients of campaign contributions this election cycle from the political action committee of the American Financial Services Association, or AFSA, which represents subprime lenders’ interests in Washington.
“It’s bad on the substance to have the Federal Reserve be lending to subprime consumer and small business lenders,” Graham Steele, a former Democratic counsel on the Senate Banking Committee, who now runs Stanford School of Business’ Corporations and Society Initiative. “It doesn’t look good when the members asking for that kind of bailout for these companies are also funded by those predatory lenders.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) is one of 14 members of the House Financial Services Committee who sought extra help for lenders that operate outside normal banking rules. Michael Brochstein/Barcroft Media/Getty Images
Writing to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the lawmakers encouraged the Fed to expand eligibility for loans from its Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, or TALF, for “non-bank lenders and fintech platforms.” “Non-bank lenders” issue loans that are less regulated than loans made by traditional banks, but they are also willing to take greater risks. And “fintech platforms” are a kind of non-bank lender that operate online and through mobile apps.
Advertisement
The House members ― seven Democrats and seven Republicans ― were responding to a letter that the AFSA sent to Congress appealing for its members to become eligible for the program.
In late March, the Fed reinitiated TALF, a program it created to shore up consumer lenders after the 2008 financial crisis, to address the economic fallout from the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fed has said that every financial institution is eligible for the emergency loans, but it will not bail out some riskier forms of credit.
In the letter, the House members make clear that they specifically want TALF to include loans issued by “installment” lending firms that the program currently excludes. Those firms offer high-interest loans for low-income borrowers to pay off in installments.
“The market for consumer and small business credit, including consumer installment loans, play a much more vital role in the economy than they did twelve years ago,” the letter states. “In light of this development, we hope you agree that any expanded TALF program should include investment-grade securities backed by unsecured consumer loans as eligible collateral.”
Financial reform advocates consider installment loans only slightly less exploitative than the notorious payday loans that exploit low-income workers’ desperation for quick cash by saddling them with debts they can never pay off.
Advertisement
Steele called installment lending “payday lending by another name.”
“It has slightly more favorable terms,” he said. “There are a whole bunch of ways in which they are not as predatory, but still predatory.”
HuffPost reached out to the offices of all 14 members of Congress for their response to the criticism.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) said in a statement that his support for expanding TALF springs from his agreement with a March 18 op-ed by former Federal Reserve chairs Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen calling for the Fed to restart TALF to ensure households and businesses have access to credit.
He said he “took guidance from the community banks and small businesses in my District, who are also advocating to restart TALF.
“That’s who I listened to on this, because if credit markets freeze up, small businesses can’t stay in business and pay their employees right now,” he continued. “That would put even more of our local jobs at risk.”
Advertisement
A spokesperson for Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) pointed to the same column as inspiration for the letter.
The trouble with their claim is that the Fed announced it was restarting TALF on March 23 ― days after Yellen and Bernanke’s op-ed, and several days before the House members’ letter. The House members’ letter addressed the scope of the program, not whether it would get off the ground at all.
The only other lawmaker to respond was Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), who disputed that the lenders the letter was seeking help for were unsavory. Perlmutter said in a statement that the letter “does not encourage the Federal Reserve to support high interest, predatory loans, instead specifically requesting ‘investment-grade securities’ to be included in any expanded TALF program.”
“The purpose of the letter is to assist small businesses and consumers who rely on personal loans and will benefit from additional credit availability during the COVID-19 crisis,” he added.
A loan that is “investment grade” is considered at lower risk of default. It does not preclude a loan from having a high interest rate or otherwise being predatory.
Advertisement
Nat Hoopes, the executive director of the Marketplace Lending Association, a trade group that represents fintech platforms, contacted HuffPost unprompted when he learned about the story from a congressional office. He cited data showing that two-thirds of the “investment-grade” assets that the letter is asking for loan help for are from his group’s member companies. Marketplace Lending Association members “typically” issue loans with interest rates of 11-17%, according to Hoopes.
“The TALF program could be a really a critical program for low interest rate consumer credit to help people be able to borrow,” Hoopes said. “And if the Fed will respond to what Congress has asked of them, it doesn’t touch the payday lenders.”
The federal government has alleged, however, that loans issued by at least one fintech platform contained hidden fees not reflected in the upfront interest rate. Consumer advocates asked the letter’s signatories to insist on a 36% cap on interest rates, but they did not end up including it in the letter, according to a congressional aide familiar with the matter. “The 36% rate cap should have been applied,” the aide said. “We want to avoid a situation where payday lenders ― and other predatory lenders ― are empowered to take advantage of this very severe recession that we’re now in.”
“There are better ways to do it that don’t leave people indebted afterwards or involve the central bank.” - Graham Steelee, former Democratic counsel, Senate Banking Committee
The signatories of the letter to the Fed are right about one thing: In the wake of the 2008 financial crash, a growing number of workers became desperate for short-term cash and had fewer traditional credit options to get it. Filling the void, installment lending became a growth industry.
Advertisement
In recent years, the loans have spawned horror stories in prominent news outlets. ProPublica chronicled the story of one Walmart employee who ended up paying a 182% interest rate on a loan. A former employee of an installment lending firm told The Washington Post that the business was “basically a way of monetizing poor people.”
If the lawmakers’ intention was to help low-income Americans stuck in the less-than-ideal situation of relying on these fly-by-night lenders for cash, they might instead prioritize getting needy people more financial aid through existing safety net programs.
“There are better ways to do it that don’t leave people indebted afterwards or involve the central bank,” Steele said.
The AFSA PAC has contributed to the campaigns of the 14 House Financial Services Committee members who wrote a letter calling for aid that would benefit the trade group’s members.
In the 2020 election cycle alone, the AFSA PAC contributed $30,000 to the seven Democrats on the letter: $3,500 to Gottheimer; $7,000 to Perlmutter; $4,500 to Gonzalez; $5,000 to Rep. Denny Heck (Wash.); $4,500 to Rep. Bill Foster (Ill.); $4,500 to Rep. Jennifer Wexton (Va.); and $1,000 to Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.).
Advertisement
The PAC gave $41,500 to the seven Republicans on the letter: $9,000 to Rep. Lee Zeldin (N.Y.); $7,000 to Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.); $7,000 to Rep. Scott Tipton (Colo.); $6,500 to Rep. William Timmons (S.C.); $5,000 to Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (Mo.); $4,000 to Rep. Denver Riggleman (Va.); and $3,000 to Rep. Warren Davidson (Ohio).
Some of the signatories have still deeper relationships with installment lending firms.
Luetkemeyer, ranking member on the Financial Services Committee’s subcommittee for consumer protection, has received a total of $8,000 since 2015 from the World Acceptance Corporation PAC. The World Acceptance Corporation is the corporate name for World Finance, the installment lender ProPublica investigated.
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (Mo.), the top Republican on the House's consumer protection subcommittee, is a favorite target of donations from "installment" lending firms. Bill Clark/Getty Images
Gottheimer, a co-chair of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus, has received $24,700 since 2016 from Marc Rowan, billionaire co-founder of the private equity giant Apollo Global Management, and Rowan’s wife, Carolyn. As The American Prospect first reported on Friday, employees of the private equity firm have given Gottheimer $97,600 over the course of his career.
Apollo currently owns the nation’s largest installment lender, OneMain Financial. OneMain styles itself as a more ethical installment lender, claiming it caps interest rates at 36%. But it’s also proven adept at lobbying for looser regulations of subprime lending at the state level.
Advertisement
The New York Times shined a light on Gottheimer’s ties to Apollo in a Wednesday report exposing the controversial private equity industry’s efforts to secure its share of federal coronavirus aid money. Shortly before Gottheimer joined the letter to Powell, Rowan used similar arguments to pitch the Problem Solvers Caucus on allowing businesses owned by private equity firms to become eligible for the TALF program, according to the Times. (Among the signatories of the April 1 letter, Gonzalez is also a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.)
What’s more, OneMain is one of several non-bank lenders that have explicitly called for greater access to TALF.
The prospect that Democrats like Gottheimer, who received more money from the private equity industry than any other House member this cycle, would lobby the Fed for loans not only for unsavory lenders, but for fly-by-night lenders owned by private equity firms, is particularly galling to advocates of financial reform.
“The Fed and the Small Business Administration should do everything they can to stop private equity from getting access to taxpayer funding, as private equity funds will use that funding to lay people off and buy themselves more private jets,” said Matt Stoller, a former House Financial Services Committee staffer, who is now director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project.


huffpost--2020-04-08--Can Recovered Coronavirus Patients Test Positive Again?

Exactly how long COVID-19 lingers and spreads is still somewhat of a mystery .
One of the major obstacles that ’ s prevented us from gathering more evidence on how long the virus sheds is the ongoing lack of widespread testing .
In the United States , we barely have enough tests to evaluate those who are presenting symptoms for the first time , let alone people who are coming back for a second test .
DiGiallorenzo ’ s experience is rare .
Scientists have a few theories about why you can still test positive after you feel better .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jorgenson was symptom-free .
Unlike his wife , Jerri , who also had COVID-19 but tested negative after a couple of weeks , Jorgenson continued to carry the virus .
He was quarantined at his home in St. George , Utah , in late February , and the state health department tested him three times a week , but he kept testing positive .
Even though he was supposed to show two negative tests before being cleared , the Utah Department of Health canceled further tests and declared him no longer a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s also not clear how this affects the length of time you ’ re contagious , so social distancing remains vital .
According to Winslow , people could also generally be less contagious after they ’ ve recovered than they were at the start or peak of their illness because of their lack of symptoms .
It makes sense , given at the very least you ’ re not coughing or sneezing as much , therefore you ’ re not emitting respiratory droplets as easily .
For the most part , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to person .
“ People do shed the virus for a couple of days before they display symptoms and then there ’ s also a number of people that really never get that symptomatic and yet can still probably shed the virus for several days if not longer , ” Winslow said .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Chiara DiGiallorenzo first started feeling sick on March 6. She’d recently flown to Los Angeles to visit her boyfriend, and she hung out with a friend who was in town from London. Her friend wasn’t feeling well, but she figured he just had a 48-hour bug. Soon after, DiGiallorenzo and a few of her friends started to feel run down.
“We all had high fevers, terrible body aches and no sense of taste nor smell,” DiGiallorenzo, 25, told HuffPost. Her friends, all of whom are young and otherwise healthy, were able to beat the virus in a few days. But DiGiallorenzo, who has an underlying health condition, was still battling the sickness days later.
Advertisement
When she developed tightness in her chest, she decided to have a doctor check out her lungs and test her for COVID-19. A positive test came back two days later.
For about 10 days, DiGiallorenzo had a fever that ranged from 99.5 to 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit. On March 17, her symptoms cleared, and, according to the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that state you are no longer contagious three days after your symptoms end, she was officially released from isolation.
But out of an abundance of caution, she got checked out one more time by her doctor. Even though she no longer had symptoms, she again tested positive for COVID-19 — 20 days after she experienced her first symptom.
“My doctors are pretty unclear as to what my positive test indicates. They explained that it could either be that I still actively have the virus, or it is the dead virus [and] particles shedding,” DiGiallorenzo said. “It’s somewhat of a guessing game.”
Advertisement
Bulent Mavzer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images In Igdir, Turkey, doctors and nurses gather Tuesday to applaud as a COVID-19 patient is discharged from the hospital. Research has been unclear on how long a patient might remain infectious after symptoms have ended.
Exactly how long COVID-19 lingers and spreads is still somewhat of a mystery.
DiGiallorenzo is right to say it’s somewhat of a guessing game. Researchers don’t know why some people are testing positive for longer than others ― and they’re scrambling to figure out if those prolonged positive test results mean people are still contagious.
A recent study out of Beijing examined 16 patients with COVID-19 and found that half continued to test positive even after their symptoms, such as cough and fever, ended. Those patients had “markers of shedding,” indicating they could still spread the disease for up to eight days after they recovered.
Two other studies from Wuhan, China, found similar evidence, suggesting that people are still contagious after they’ve clinically recovered. On average, people with COVID-19 shed or emit the virus for 20 days, with some shedding it for up to 37 days.
One of the major obstacles that’s prevented us from gathering more evidence on how long the virus sheds is the ongoing lack of widespread testing. In the United States, we barely have enough tests to evaluate those who are presenting symptoms for the first time, let alone people who are coming back for a second test. DiGiallorenzo’s experience is rare.
Advertisement
“Because there is currently a shortage of tests, testing post-symptomatic people may not be a priority for their use,” said Ben Singer, a pulmonologist and assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Scientists have a few theories about why you can still test positive after you feel better.
Health experts have a few guesses as to why some people may test positive for days, even weeks after they recover.
The first is that the COVID-19 test is detecting remains and traces of the virus, but not the live, infectious virus itself. It’s been seen before that the remnants of the virus are detected but not the live, infectious virus, according to Singer.
“It’s possible that the immune system has destroyed the virus and you’re just seeing lingering pieces of its genetic material, and that’s what you’re detecting,” Singer said.
There is also the rare event where someone’s test produces a false positive, or a positive result when in actuality they don’t have the virus, according to Singer. False positives aren’t common, but they do occur from time to time, mainly due to a specimen mixup or accidental contamination in the lab.
Advertisement
Health experts also suspect prolonged positives may be linked to deficiencies in the immune system.
Take Mark Jorgenson, for example, who was aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship mid-February when one of the first COVID-19 outbreaks outside of Wuhan struck. Upon returning to America, Jorgenson ― who takes immunosuppressant drugs after two kidney transplants ― tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 23.
Despite being at risk for COVID-19 complications, Jorgenson was symptom-free. Unlike his wife, Jerri, who also had COVID-19 but tested negative after a couple of weeks, Jorgenson continued to carry the virus. He was quarantined at his home in St. George, Utah, in late February, and the state health department tested him three times a week, but he kept testing positive. Even though he was supposed to show two negative tests before being cleared, the Utah Department of Health canceled further tests and declared him no longer a risk to the public in mid-March.
According to Singer, we see this play out in the immunocompromised with other respiratory infections, such as the flu or norovirus. Clearing the body of a virus is a tough job for any immune system, but those with weaker immune systems seem to have a harder time getting rid of it.
“People who are receiving immunosuppressant drugs for organ transplants or bone marrow transplants or even people with advanced HIV infection will often shed virus longer than someone who has an intact immune system,” said Dean Winslow, infectious diseases specialist at Stanford Health Care. In some cases, people can shed viruses for weeks, even months, after they feel well again.
LEREXIS via Getty Images Social distancing and other preventive measures remain important even when a person doesn't appear to be sick.
Advertisement
It’s also not clear how this affects the length of time you’re contagious, so social distancing remains vital.
A recent small study from the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did suggest those who re-tested positive after recovering weren’t found to be spreading the illness. Researchers discovered that the patients were shedding dead virus particles, which cannot infect others.
More research is needed to fully understand the timeline, but the study is a is promising. Especially since post-recovery shedding has generally been under-researched, not just with COVID-19 but other infections as well.
According to Winslow, people could also generally be less contagious after they’ve recovered than they were at the start or peak of their illness because of their lack of symptoms. It makes sense, given at the very least you’re not coughing or sneezing as much, therefore you’re not emitting respiratory droplets as easily.
For the most part, the infection seems to vary from person to person. “People do shed the virus for a couple of days before they display symptoms and then there’s also a number of people that really never get that symptomatic and yet can still probably shed the virus for several days if not longer,” Winslow said.
Advertisement
This is exactly why social distancing and sheltering in place are so critical right now. The goal of these measures is to drastically “decrease the transmission from either minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic people,” Winslow added. We just don’t know who is spreading the virus and how much.
Given the rapid spread and infectivity of COVID-19, it may be wise to continue staying home for some time even after recovering from the disease if you know you had it.
“I think the prudent thing would be to self isolate for a while longer,” Winslow said.


huffpost--2020-04-07--By A 10-to-1 Margin, Americans Support Orders To Stay At Home

By a roughly 10-to-1 margin , Americans say states with stay-at-home orders are making the right call , according to a new HuffPost/YouGov survey conducted Friday and Saturday .
An 81 % majority of the public says it ’ s currently the right decision for states to tell residents to stay at home unless they have an essential reason for going out .
Just 8 % say it ’ s the wrong decision .
An even broader 89 % say they are personally trying to stay home as much as possible , with only 6 % saying they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willingness to take precautions comes as Americans ’ concerns about the potential effects of coronavirus continue to rise .
Forty-six percent of Americans now say they ’ re very concerned they or a family member will contract the virus , doubling the share who said the same in a poll conducted less than a month ago .
Views of the government response to the coronavirus remain positive .
Americans approve , 50 % to 41 % , of the way the U.S. government is handling issues related to the disease .
By 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of President Donald Trump ’ s response specifically .
About three-quarters of Americans say their daily life has changed at least somewhat compared with the start of the outbreak , with 47 % saying their life has changed a lot .
Most Americans say the outbreak has yet to significantly affect the quality of their finances , their eating and exercise habits , and their emotional health .
But 31 % say their finances are in worse shape than they were before the outbreak started , with 30 % saying the same thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about their eating habits and 35 % about their emotional health .
The survey also asked respondents across the country to describe in their own words how the coronavirus outbreak and the nation ’ s response have affected them .
Here are some of their responses , lightly edited for grammar , length and clarity .
Use the widget below to further explore the results of the HuffPost/YouGov survey , using the menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups :

LOADING ERROR LOADING
By a roughly 10-to-1 margin, Americans say states with stay-at-home orders are making the right call, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov survey conducted Friday and Saturday.
An 81% majority of the public says it’s currently the right decision for states to tell residents to stay at home unless they have an essential reason for going out. Just 8% say it’s the wrong decision. An even broader 89% say they are personally trying to stay home as much as possible, with only 6% saying they’re not making any such effort.
Advertisement
A pedestrian walks past a stay-at-home mural April 2 in Los Angeles, where schools and nonessential businesses are closed and the California governor has ordered people to stay home. Jose Sanchez/ASSOCIATED PRESS
This willingness to take precautions comes as Americans’ concerns about the potential effects of coronavirus continue to rise. Forty-six percent of Americans now say they’re very concerned they or a family member will contract the virus, doubling the share who said the same in a poll conducted less than a month ago.
Results of a HuffPost/YouGov poll on the coronavirus, conducted April 3-4. Ariel Edwards-Levy/HuffPost
A 58% majority say they’re very concerned about the spread of coronavirus across the U.S.
Results of a HuffPost/YouGov poll on the coronavirus, conducted April 3-4. Ariel Edwards-Levy/HuffPost
Advertisement
Views of the government response to the coronavirus remain positive. Americans approve, 50% to 41%, of the way the U.S. government is handling issues related to the disease. By 50% to 44%, they approve of President Donald Trump’s response specifically.
About three-quarters of Americans say their daily life has changed at least somewhat compared with the start of the outbreak, with 47% saying their life has changed a lot. Most Americans say the outbreak has yet to significantly affect the quality of their finances, their eating and exercise habits, and their emotional health. But 31% say their finances are in worse shape than they were before the outbreak started, with 30% saying the same thing about their exercise habits, 22% about their eating habits and 35% about their emotional health.
The survey also asked respondents across the country to describe in their own words how the coronavirus outbreak and the nation’s response have affected them. Here are some of their responses, lightly edited for grammar, length and clarity.
“Family member is a nurse and I’m concerned about the lack of basic safety equipment.”
“I’m a registered nurse. Like lambs to the slaughter. We need appropriate N-95 masks.”
“My husband is a hospital chaplain and considered essential staff. He is currently quarantined away from us after being tested for COVID-19 today.”
“Have personally had contact with a few people who were hospitalized for the virus. I have been denied testing because I have not been out of the country; yet I have been in contact with someone who attended Mardi Gras!”
“My 71-year-old brother passed away from the virus four days ago in New York.”
“Unable to visit my husband in the nursing facility he resides in.”
“Confined to home, unable to see my son, afraid to go to the store.”
“I’m cut off from all family.”
“I have not left my property for more than a month.”
“Unable to work or live a normal life.”
“I don’t have any money. I don’t qualify for the stimulus check.”
“I’m scared at home, doing the best I can.”
“I’m terrified.”
“My whole way of life as I knew it has changed!!!”
“My church is closed and I can’t go shopping.”
“Shopping is a pain in the ass and my gym is closed.”
“Trips canceled, spring break ruined, going batty inside all day.”
“I am a kitchen manager in a diner. Of course this damn HOAX is killing a lot more of us and a hell of a lot faster than any freaking fake virus.”
“Loss of civil rights.”
“Loss of childcare.”
“Loss of sales.”
“Loss of freelance income.”
“Lost my job (after 10 years).”
“Loss of life of friend.”
Use the widget below to further explore the results of the HuffPost/YouGov survey, using the menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups:
The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted April 3-4 among U.S. adults, using a sample selected from YouGov’s opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population.
HuffPost has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov’s nationally representative opinion polling. More details on the polls’ methodology are available here.
Most surveys report a margin of error that represents some but not all potential survey errors. YouGov’s reports include a model-based margin of error, which rests on a specific set of statistical assumptions about the selected sample rather than the standard methodology for random probability sampling. If these assumptions are wrong, the model-based margin of error.


huffpost--2020-04-08--CDC Removes Unusual Guidance From Website About Drugs Touted By Trump

WASHINGTON ( Reuters ) ― The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed from its website highly unusual guidance informing doctors on how to prescribe hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine , drugs recommended by President Donald Trump to treat the coronavirus .
The move comes three days after Reuters reported that the CDC published key dosing information involving the two antimalarial drugs based on unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science .
Reuters also reported that the original guidance was crafted by the CDC after President Trump personally pressed federal regulatory and health officials to make the malaria drugs more widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though the drugs in question had been untested for COVID-19 .
Initially , the CDC webpage , titled Information for Clinicians on Therapeutic Options for Patients with COVID-19 , had said : “ Although optimal dosing and duration of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 are unknown , some U.S. clinicians have reported anecdotally ” on several ways to prescribe the medication of COVID-19 .
NEW : The CDC has updated its guidance on the controversial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine , first published on March 21 .
Potential hydroxychloroquine dosages , based on anecdotal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before and after below .
https : //t.co/qwTYmaG1Z3 pic.twitter.com/kWeDAQSGf7 — Eli Lee 🧿 ( @ elilee_ ) April 7 , 2020 Medical specialists had told Reuters they were surprised by that language .
“ Why would CDC be publishing anecdotes ?
” asked Dr. Lynn Goldman , dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University .
“ That doesn ’ t make sense .
This is very unusual.
” Doctors and other health experts had further criticized the guidance as suggesting that doctors might prescribe the medications when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not they are effective or harmful .
Now the CDC website no longer includes that information .
Instead , its first sentence says : “ There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19.
” The updated , and shortened , guidance adds that “ Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials ” for use on coronavirus patients .
The CDC did not immediately respond to questions about the removal of the original guidance .
In a statement , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the guidance for doctors at the request of a coronavirus task force , which urged prompt action .
Jeffrey Flier , a former dean of Harvard Medical School who had criticized the original guidance , applauded the updated version , calling it “ substantially improved.
” “ It states the facts without in effect recommending that physicians prescribe the drugs despite a lack of adequate evidence , ” Flier said .
The hydroxychloroquine debate has heated up and become more political as President Trump this weekend said he might want to take the @ @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ― The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed from its website highly unusual guidance informing doctors on how to prescribe hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, drugs recommended by President Donald Trump to treat the coronavirus.
The move comes three days after Reuters reported that the CDC published key dosing information involving the two antimalarial drugs based on unattributed anecdotes rather than peer-reviewed science.
Advertisement
Reuters also reported that the original guidance was crafted by the CDC after President Trump personally pressed federal regulatory and health officials to make the malaria drugs more widely available to treat the novel coronavirus, though the drugs in question had been untested for COVID-19.
Initially, the CDC webpage, titled Information for Clinicians on Therapeutic Options for Patients with COVID-19, had said: “Although optimal dosing and duration of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 are unknown, some U.S. clinicians have reported anecdotally” on several ways to prescribe the medication of COVID-19.
NEW: The CDC has updated its guidance on the controversial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, first published on March 21. Potential hydroxychloroquine dosages, based on anecdotal reports, have been removed. See before and after below. https://t.co/qwTYmaG1Z3 pic.twitter.com/kWeDAQSGf7 — Eli Lee 🧿 (@elilee_) April 7, 2020
Medical specialists had told Reuters they were surprised by that language. “Why would CDC be publishing anecdotes?” asked Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. “That doesn’t make sense. This is very unusual.”
Advertisement
Doctors and other health experts had further criticized the guidance as suggesting that doctors might prescribe the medications when it isn’t established whether or not they are effective or harmful.
Now the CDC website no longer includes that information. Instead, its first sentence says: “There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat COVID-19.”
The updated, and shortened, guidance adds that “Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are under investigation in clinical trials” for use on coronavirus patients.
To read the new CDC guidance, click here
The CDC did not immediately respond to questions about the removal of the original guidance. In a statement, it had originally told Reuters it had crafted the guidance for doctors at the request of a coronavirus task force, which urged prompt action.
Jeffrey Flier, a former dean of Harvard Medical School who had criticized the original guidance, applauded the updated version, calling it “substantially improved.”
Advertisement
“It states the facts without in effect recommending that physicians prescribe the drugs despite a lack of adequate evidence,” Flier said.


huffpost--2020-04-08--Coronavirus Live Updates: India, France Extend Lockdown, UK Unemployment May Rise By 2 Million

HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and the measures being taken to flatten the curve of transmission .
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below .
( To see the latest updates , you may need to refresh the page .
All times are Eastern .
For earlier updates on the pandemic , go here . )
Tokyo Olympics Chief Hints Games Could Be In Doubt Even In 2021 — 4/10/20 , 8:34 a.m .
ET The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed an entire year , but even that timeframe could be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committee suggested Friday .
“ I don ’ t think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not , ” Toshiro Muto , the Tokyo organizing committee ’ s CEO , told reporters at a remote news conference , The Associated Press reported .
“ We ’ re certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer.
” Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee postponed the games last month , giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2021 , for the Olympics and Aug. 24 , 2021 , for the Paralympics .
But the COVID-19 outbreak has worsened in Japan since then .
Abe declared a state of emergency earlier this week .
“ All we can do is work hard to prepare for the games , ” Muto said Friday .
“ We sincerely hope that come next year mankind will manage to overcome the coronavirus crisis.
” Boris Johnson Is ‘ Not Out Of The Wood ’ Yet , Says Father — 4/10/20 , 4:40 a.m .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prime minister will need a period of rest after being moved from the intensive care unit at St Thomas ’ Hospital in London .
Stanley Johnson said the whole family was “ amazingly grateful ” for the efforts of the National Health Service and for the huge outpouring of support .
However , he downplayed suggestions that his son would quickly return to work at Downing Street .
“ This is pretty straightforward now .
He must rest up .
As I understand it , he has moved from the ICU into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t think you can say this is out of the wood now , ” Stanley Johnson told the BBC .
“ He has to take time .
I can not believe you can walk away from this and get straight back to Downing Street and pick up the reins without a period of readjustment.
” He also said his son ’ s illness had underlined just how serious the coronavirus outbreak was .
Australia Cracks Down On Easter Travel — 4/10/20 , 4:10 a.m .
ET Australia will deploy helicopters , set up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deter people from breaking an Easter travel ban , officials warned Friday , in their toughest crackdown against the novel coronavirus .
With places of worship closed , bans on public gatherings of more than two people and nonessential travel limited to combat the spread of the virus , Australians were told to stay home this year or face dire consequences .
“ Police will take action , ” New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys told reporters , adding that police had issued almost 50 new fines for breaches of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours .
Australia had 6,152 coronavirus infections by Friday , up 100 from the previous day , with 53 virus-related deaths .
Yemen Announces Its First Case Of Coronavirus ― 4/10/20 , 3:20 a.m .
ET Yemen authorities announced Friday that the country had its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus .
Even before the announcement , the U.N. had described Yemen as the world ’ s worst humanitarian disaster .
Since war erupted there in 2014 , over 100,000 people have been killed .
Many of the country ’ s citizenry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than half of Yemen ’ s health facilities have been destroyed or closed .
A COVID-19 outbreak there could be devastating , according to The Associated Press .
New York State Has More Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Than Any Country ― 4/9/20 , 10:28 p.m .
ET The state of New York now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any country .
New York had 161,799 confirmed cases as of Thursday evening , according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center .
After the United States , the country with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with 153,222 cases .
The increase in the number of virus patients hospitalized in New York has grown at a slower rate over the past two weeks , from over 20 % a day at one point to just a 1 % increase from Wednesday to Thursday .
But the number of New Yorkers dying of COVID-19 keeps growing , with the state recording another one-day high from Wednesday to Thursday with 799 deaths .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo stressed that social distancing and other guidelines must continue to be enforced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progress .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been released from intensive care into a hospital ward .
A spokesman for Johnson said : “ The prime minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward , where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery .
...
He is in extremely good spirits.
” Johnson has spent three nights in intensive care at London ’ s St. Thomas ’ Hospital after he was admitted on Sunday night with persistent symptoms of coronavirus .
Members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To Americans Throughout COVID-19 Crisis — 4/9/20 , 2 p.m .
ET More than 60 members of Congress wrote a letter Thursday to Senate leader Mitch McConnell ( R ) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D ) asking to include in the next coronavirus relief bill “ recurring direct cash assistance to all , ” particularly for low-income workers and families .
The last $ 2 trillion relief bill “ provided a multi-year bail out for large companies , but it provided most American families with only a few months ’ worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the lawmakers — including Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-Calif. ) and “ Squad ” members Reps. Rashida Tlaib ( D-Mich. ) , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-N.Y. ) , Ayanna Pressley ( D-Mass . )
and Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) — wrote of the stimulus checks included in the bill .
“ Without ongoing and robust direct payments lasting at least the duration of this crisis , we will fail to address the pain our communities are experiencing from this crisis , ” the legislators wrote , noting that 4 in 10 adults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to afford an unexpected $ 400 expense .
“ Now is not a time for timid solutions .
In the face of an unprecedented moment in economic history and public health , we need to offer bigger , bolder and far more aggressive policies.
” A record 16.6 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last three weeks as businesses have shuttered nationwide .
And as many Americans await their stimulus paychecks , millions of undocumented workers on the front lines of the pandemic won ’ t be getting a dime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For Domestic Violence Survivors — 4/9/20 , 1:30 p.m .
ET San Francisco Mayor London Breed and District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced that the city will be making 20 apartments available for domestic violence survivors to stay in for up to 90 days at no cost .
Domestic violence reports have increased worldwide as millions of people are forced to stay home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus , leaving victims in increased proximity to abusers .
In the week after the San Francisco Bay Area issued its shelter-in-place order , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % increase in clients who were referred to victim services compared to the same week last year .
Domestic violence shelters in San Fransisco are still open , as they are considered essential , and the city is searching for additional temporary housing .
Experts recommend that victims still go to shelters , even with social isolation guidelines , as these will have protocols in place to ensure health and safety .
Need help ?
In the U.S. , call 1-800-799-SAFE ( 7233 ) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline .
CNN Says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Officials From Appearing On Network — 4/9/20 , 11:30 a.m .
ET Vice President Mike Pence ’ s office is blocking some of the nation ’ s top public health experts from appearing on CNN , citing the network ’ s decision not to air President Donald Trump ’ s daily news briefings in full , CNN reported Thursday .
CNN said it has tried over the last seven days to book experts from the White House ’ s coronavirus task force , including Drs .
Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials , then you can expect them back on your air , ” a Pence spokesperson told CNN .
CNN said it often only broadcasts the question and answer portion of the White House ’ s coronavirus briefings , which sometimes include the health care officials .
Some journalists have urged networks to stop broadcasting the briefings live , warning that the misinformation frequently peddled by Trump could be harmful to Americans navigating the pandemic .
Fauci Warns Going Back To Normal Won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You Turn On And Off ’ — 4/9/20 , 11:19 a.m .
ET While expressing “ cautious optimism ” that the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. may be reaching a turning point , Dr. Anthony Fauci again advised Americans not to expect a quick return to anything approaching “ normal.
” The nation ’ s top infectious disease expert urged people to continue social distancing and other mitigation efforts “ in order to keep those numbers down , and hopefully even get them lower.
” “ When you say ‘ get back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to be a light switch that you turn on and off , ” he said on “ CBS This Morning.
” Fauci , head of the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases , said it ’ s too early to even begin thinking about what life after the pandemic may look like .
Even when the risk subsides , the process of how people return to work and school , as well as resume public gatherings , will likely be different across various states and cities depending on the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More Than Half Of U.S .
Counties With Reported COVID-19 Cases Don ’ t Have A Daily Newspaper , New Analysis Shows — 4/9/20 , 11:06 a.m .
ET As journalists scramble to document the spiraling effects of the pandemic in their communities , a new analysis from the Brookings Institution underscores the crisis in local journalism in the U.S. Of the counties that have reported COVID-19 cases as of Monday , 50 % are considered news deserts , meaning they contain only one local newspaper or none at all .
In addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack a daily newspaper and 37 % saw local newspapers disappear between 2004 and 2019 , ” the analysis found .
The pandemic has exposed a variety of existing inequities , including the growing crisis in local journalism over the past the decade since the Great Recession .
Local media outlets across the country have been facing dire straits , such as dwindling revenue and being gutted due to mismanagement from corporate owners .
Many have been forced to drop print editions to a few days a week , go entirely digital or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Travis Waldron and Tara Golshan reported last month , the pandemic has worsened these trends , as advertising sales have cratered .
Across all levels of journalism , from national to local , outlets have laid off or furloughed journalists , or have asked them to take pay cuts in response to the pandemic .
California Sends Ventilators To New York , New Jersey , Illinois — 4/9/20 , 8:52 a.m .
ET California has sent 100 ventilators each to New York , New Jersey and Illinois , three U.S. states where COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy ( D ) promised to “ repay the favor when California needs it , ” and on Wednesday night , when the ventilators arrived , they contained a message of encouragement , according to a photo he tweeted .

HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and the measures being taken to flatten the curve of transmission.
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below. (To see the latest updates, you may need to refresh the page. All times are Eastern. For earlier updates on the pandemic, go here.)
Tokyo Olympics Chief Hints Games Could Be In Doubt Even In 2021 — 4/10/20, 8:34 a.m. ET
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed an entire year, but even that timeframe could be in doubt, the head of the organizing committee suggested Friday.
“I don’t think anyone would be able to say if it is going to be possible to get it under control by next July or not,” Toshiro Muto, the Tokyo organizing committee’s CEO, told reporters at a remote news conference, The Associated Press reported. “We’re certainly are not in a position to give you a clear answer.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee postponed the games last month, giving a new start date of July 23, 2021, for the Olympics and Aug. 24, 2021, for the Paralympics.
But the COVID-19 outbreak has worsened in Japan since then. Abe declared a state of emergency earlier this week.
“All we can do is work hard to prepare for the games,” Muto said Friday. “We sincerely hope that come next year mankind will manage to overcome the coronavirus crisis.”
— Marina Fang
Boris Johnson Is ‘Not Out Of The Wood’ Yet, Says Father — 4/10/20, 4:40 a.m. ET
Boris Johnson’s father says the prime minister will need a period of rest after being moved from the intensive care unit at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
Stanley Johnson said the whole family was “amazingly grateful” for the efforts of the National Health Service and for the huge outpouring of support. However, he downplayed suggestions that his son would quickly return to work at Downing Street.
“This is pretty straightforward now. He must rest up. As I understand it, he has moved from the ICU into a recovery unit but I don’t think you can say this is out of the wood now,” Stanley Johnson told the BBC. “He has to take time. I cannot believe you can walk away from this and get straight back to Downing Street and pick up the reins without a period of readjustment.”
He also said his son’s illness had underlined just how serious the coronavirus outbreak was.
Read more on HuffPost U.K.
— Nadine White
Australia Cracks Down On Easter Travel — 4/10/20, 4:10 a.m. ET
Australia will deploy helicopters, set up police checkpoints and hand out hefty fines to deter people from breaking an Easter travel ban, officials warned Friday, in their toughest crackdown against the novel coronavirus.
With places of worship closed, bans on public gatherings of more than two people and nonessential travel limited to combat the spread of the virus, Australians were told to stay home this year or face dire consequences.
“Police will take action,” New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys told reporters, adding that police had issued almost 50 new fines for breaches of public health orders in the previous 24 hours.
Australia had 6,152 coronavirus infections by Friday, up 100 from the previous day, with 53 virus-related deaths.
Read more.
— Reuters
Yemen Announces Its First Case Of Coronavirus ― 4/10/20, 3:20 a.m. ET
Yemen authorities announced Friday that the country had its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus.
Even before the announcement, the U.N. had described Yemen as the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. Since war erupted there in 2014, over 100,000 people have been killed. Many of the country’s citizenry are on the brink of starvation and more than half of Yemen’s health facilities have been destroyed or closed. A COVID-19 outbreak there could be devastating, according to The Associated Press.
― Jade Walker
New York State Has More Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Than Any Country ― 4/9/20, 10:28 p.m. ET
The state of New York now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any country.
New York had 161,799 confirmed cases as of Thursday evening, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. After the United States, the country with the highest number of confirmed cases is Spain with 153,222 cases.
The increase in the number of virus patients hospitalized in New York has grown at a slower rate over the past two weeks, from over 20% a day at one point to just a 1% increase from Wednesday to Thursday.
But the number of New Yorkers dying of COVID-19 keeps growing, with the state recording another one-day high from Wednesday to Thursday with 799 deaths.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stressed that social distancing and other guidelines must continue to be enforced so that the state can maintain its progress.
― Sanjana Karanth
Boris Johnson Released From Intensive Care — 4/9/20, 2:30 p.m. ET
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been released from intensive care into a hospital ward.
A spokesman for Johnson said: “The prime minister has been moved this evening from intensive care back to the ward, where he will receive close monitoring during the early phase of his recovery. ... He is in extremely good spirits.”
Johnson has spent three nights in intensive care at London’s St. Thomas’ Hospital after he was admitted on Sunday night with persistent symptoms of coronavirus.
Read more.
— Rachel Wearmouth
Members Of Congress Call For Recurring Monthly Payments To Americans Throughout COVID-19 Crisis — 4/9/20, 2 p.m. ET
More than 60 members of Congress wrote a letter Thursday to Senate leader Mitch McConnell (R) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) asking to include in the next coronavirus relief bill “recurring direct cash assistance to all,” particularly for low-income workers and families.
The last $2 trillion relief bill “provided a multi-year bail out for large companies, but it provided most American families with only a few months’ worth of assistance, at best,” the lawmakers — including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and “Squad” members Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) — wrote of the stimulus checks included in the bill.
“Without ongoing and robust direct payments lasting at least the duration of this crisis, we will fail to address the pain our communities are experiencing from this crisis,” the legislators wrote, noting that 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. say they would not be able to afford an unexpected $400 expense. “Now is not a time for timid solutions. In the face of an unprecedented moment in economic history and public health, we need to offer bigger, bolder and far more aggressive policies.”
A record 16.6 million Americans filed for unemployment in the last three weeks as businesses have shuttered nationwide. And as many Americans await their stimulus paychecks, millions of undocumented workers on the front lines of the pandemic won’t be getting a dime.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
San Francisco Opens New Temporary Housing For Domestic Violence Survivors — 4/9/20, 1:30 p.m. ET
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced that the city will be making 20 apartments available for domestic violence survivors to stay in for up to 90 days at no cost.
Domestic violence reports have increased worldwide as millions of people are forced to stay home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, leaving victims in increased proximity to abusers.
In the week after the San Francisco Bay Area issued its shelter-in-place order, the DA’s office saw a 60% increase in clients who were referred to victim services compared to the same week last year.
Domestic violence shelters in San Fransisco are still open, as they are considered essential, and the city is searching for additional temporary housing. Experts recommend that victims still go to shelters, even with social isolation guidelines, as these will have protocols in place to ensure health and safety.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
CNN Says Pence’s Office Is Blocking Health Officials From Appearing On Network — 4/9/20, 11:30 a.m. ET
Vice President Mike Pence’s office is blocking some of the nation’s top public health experts from appearing on CNN, citing the network’s decision not to air President Donald Trump’s daily news briefings in full, CNN reported Thursday.
CNN said it has tried over the last seven days to book experts from the White House’s coronavirus task force, including Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, but the requests have been denied.
“When you guys cover the briefings with the health officials, then you can expect them back on your air,” a Pence spokesperson told CNN.
CNN said it often only broadcasts the question and answer portion of the White House’s coronavirus briefings, which sometimes include the health care officials. Some journalists have urged networks to stop broadcasting the briefings live, warning that the misinformation frequently peddled by Trump could be harmful to Americans navigating the pandemic.
— Hayley Miller
Fauci Warns Going Back To Normal Won’t ‘Be A Light Switch That You Turn On And Off’ — 4/9/20, 11:19 a.m. ET
While expressing “cautious optimism” that the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. may be reaching a turning point, Dr. Anthony Fauci again advised Americans not to expect a quick return to anything approaching “normal.” The nation’s top infectious disease expert urged people to continue social distancing and other mitigation efforts “in order to keep those numbers down, and hopefully even get them lower.”
“When you say ‘get back to normal,’ it’s not going to be a light switch that you turn on and off,” he said on “CBS This Morning.”
Fauci, head of the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it’s too early to even begin thinking about what life after the pandemic may look like. Even when the risk subsides, the process of how people return to work and school, as well as resume public gatherings, will likely be different across various states and cities depending on the virus’s spread, he said.
Read more here.
— Marina Fang
More Than Half Of U.S. Counties With Reported COVID-19 Cases Don’t Have A Daily Newspaper, New Analysis Shows — 4/9/20, 11:06 a.m. ET
As journalists scramble to document the spiraling effects of the pandemic in their communities, a new analysis from the Brookings Institution underscores the crisis in local journalism in the U.S. Of the counties that have reported COVID-19 cases as of Monday, 50% are considered news deserts, meaning they contain only one local newspaper or none at all. In addition, 57% of the counties “lack a daily newspaper and 37% saw local newspapers disappear between 2004 and 2019,” the analysis found.
The pandemic has exposed a variety of existing inequities, including the growing crisis in local journalism over the past the decade since the Great Recession. Local media outlets across the country have been facing dire straits, such as dwindling revenue and being gutted due to mismanagement from corporate owners. Many have been forced to drop print editions to a few days a week, go entirely digital or shutter completely. As HuffPost’s Travis Waldron and Tara Golshan reported last month, the pandemic has worsened these trends, as advertising sales have cratered. Across all levels of journalism, from national to local, outlets have laid off or furloughed journalists, or have asked them to take pay cuts in response to the pandemic.
— Marina Fang
California Sends Ventilators To New York, New Jersey, Illinois — 4/9/20, 8:52 a.m. ET
California has sent 100 ventilators each to New York, New Jersey and Illinois, three U.S. states where COVID-19 cases are likely approaching their peak.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) promised to “repay the favor when California needs it,” and on Wednesday night, when the ventilators arrived, they contained a message of encouragement, according to a photo he tweeted.


huffpost--2020-04-08--U.S. Rapidly Deporting Hundreds Of Migrant Children Under New Coronavirus Rules

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK ( Reuters ) ― U.S. immigration officials have rapidly deported nearly 400 migrant children intercepted at the U.S.-Mexico border in the past two weeks under new rules billed as seeking to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States , according to government data seen by Reuters .
President Donald Trump ’ s administration implemented new border rules on March 21 that scrapped decades-long practices under laws meant to protect children from human trafficking and offer them a chance to seek asylum in a U.S. immigration court .
Under the new rules , U.S. officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proceedings .
Overall , U.S. border officials have expelled nearly 7,000 migrants to Mexico since the new procedures took effect , according to the data and a Mexican government official , who spoke on condition of anonymity .
Of those , 377 were minors , the data showed .
The overall number of 7,000 was first published by ProPublica , but the figure for children deported has not previously been reported .
Around 120 of the minors , who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian , were quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Honduras and El Salvador , according to data from March 27 to April 2 .
It was not clear whether the remainder of the children intercepted at the border were pushed back to Mexico or returned to their home countries during the preceding week .
U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) declined to comment .
The agency in the past has said that all people caught crossing illegally , including minors , could be subjected to the new restrictions , which aim to cut the time migrants arrested at the border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic of COVID-19 , the potentially lethal respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus , unaccompanied minors caught at the border were placed in shelters run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) .
Children traveling with adults other than parents or legal guardians would also be classified as “ unaccompanied ” and put into HHS care , even if the adults they were traveling with were family members .
Under the new rules , however , they are now called “ single minors ” and can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a CBP official .
Trump has made cracking down on immigration a central goal of his administration and , before the global health crisis , the White House had criticized the process for handling unaccompanied minors as a “ loophole ” that allows the release of migrant children into the United States .
Trump said last month that foreigners attempting to enter the country illegally could spread the coronavirus to border agents , other migrants and the U.S. public , a concern that he said justified quickly turning them around without standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minors “ happens to coincide with a long-term goal of the Trump administration ” of quickly removing all migrants apprehended at the border , said Anthony Enriquez , who directs a program for unaccompanied children at Catholic Charities Community Services in New York .
Overall , the number of migrants encountered at the border fell dramatically after the implementation of the new border rules ― with just 300 people currently in CBP custody , down from nearly 1,400 on March 27 , according to the data seen by Reuters .
The HHS office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States said there were roughly 2,800 children in custody on Monday , down from 3,100 five days earlier .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) ― U.S. immigration officials have rapidly deported nearly 400 migrant children intercepted at the U.S.-Mexico border in the past two weeks under new rules billed as seeking to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to government data seen by Reuters.
President Donald Trump’s administration implemented new border rules on March 21 that scrapped decades-long practices under laws meant to protect children from human trafficking and offer them a chance to seek asylum in a U.S. immigration court. Under the new rules, U.S. officials can quickly remove people without standard immigration proceedings.
Advertisement
Overall, U.S. border officials have expelled nearly 7,000 migrants to Mexico since the new procedures took effect, according to the data and a Mexican government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Of those, 377 were minors, the data showed.
The overall number of 7,000 was first published by ProPublica, but the figure for children deported has not previously been reported.
Around 120 of the minors, who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or legal guardian, were quickly sent on planes back to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to data from March 27 to April 2. It was not clear whether the remainder of the children intercepted at the border were pushed back to Mexico or returned to their home countries during the preceding week.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declined to comment. The agency in the past has said that all people caught crossing illegally, including minors, could be subjected to the new restrictions, which aim to cut the time migrants arrested at the border are held in U.S. custody.
Advertisement
Before the pandemic of COVID-19, the potentially lethal respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, unaccompanied minors caught at the border were placed in shelters run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Children traveling with adults other than parents or legal guardians would also be classified as “unaccompanied” and put into HHS care, even if the adults they were traveling with were family members. Under the new rules, however, they are now called “single minors” and can be sent back to Mexico, according to a CBP official.
Trump has made cracking down on immigration a central goal of his administration and, before the global health crisis, the White House had criticized the process for handling unaccompanied minors as a “loophole” that allows the release of migrant children into the United States.
Trump said last month that foreigners attempting to enter the country illegally could spread the coronavirus to border agents, other migrants and the U.S. public, a concern that he said justified quickly turning them around without standard legal processes.
The current treatment of minors “happens to coincide with a long-term goal of the Trump administration” of quickly removing all migrants apprehended at the border, said Anthony Enriquez, who directs a program for unaccompanied children at Catholic Charities Community Services in New York.
Advertisement
Overall, the number of migrants encountered at the border fell dramatically after the implementation of the new border rules ― with just 300 people currently in CBP custody, down from nearly 1,400 on March 27, according to the data seen by Reuters.
As more children have been denied entry at the border, the number of unaccompanied minors in federal custody has fallen, too.
The HHS office charged with caring for unaccompanied minors in the United States said there were roughly 2,800 children in custody on Monday, down from 3,100 five days earlier.


huffpost--2020-04-08--Colbert Reaches His Limit Of Trump Hissy Fits: ‘Y'Know What? Who Gives A S**t!’

All of this drama no longer plays to the camera , Sir , not even to your own supporters ― @ @ @ @ @ matter who you voted for .
Everyone just wants to know the truth , because @ @ @ @ @ stay alive .
So grow up and do your damn job .
We have to @ @ @ @ @ .

All of this drama no longer plays to the camera, Sir, not even to your own supporters ― because it doesn’t matter who you voted for. Everyone just wants to know the truth, because that’s how you stay alive. So grow up and do your damn job. We have to, you should, too.


huffpost--2020-06-03--Lady Bunny Hopes Fans 'Laugh Their Masks Off' Watching New Comedy Special

Give Lady Bunny props for making it through the first half of 2020 with her ribald sense of humor intact ― after all , a diva is nothing without her stage .
The New York drag icon will kick off LGBTQ Pride Month this week with the release of a new virtual special , “ Lady Bunny in Cuntagious.
” Co-written with Beryl Mendelbaum , the 35-minute stand-up set features sketches that playfully skewer current affairs as well as musical re-workings of songs by Lizzo , Madonna and more .
( Catch a sneak peek at the show with Lady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That Walk ” above ) As her show ’ s title suggests , Lady Bunny ’ s brand of laughs isn ’ t for the easily offended .
True to form , “ Cuntagious ” doesn ’ t shy away from the COVID-19 crisis and other topical subject matter .
One skit finds her offering some tongue-in-cheek tips on surviving a pandemic .
Later , she hosts a mock newscast , with one-line zingers aimed at President Donald Trump and his presumptive Democratic presidential rival , Joe Biden .
Musically , the highlight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peggy Lee ’ s 1969 classic , “ Is That All There Is ?
” performed in duet with punk-drag artist Christeene .
In an interview with HuffPost , Lady Bunny said her aim this time around was to brighten her own spirits as well as offer audiences necessary levity at a dark time for the world at large .
“ My future , like that of many performers , is completely up in the air , and I cope with it by writing jokes , ” she said .
“ We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s grim , and I see it every day .
My act has always been tasteless , so I leave the feel-good platitudes and self-help to my older sister RuPaul .
While I love that many of my friends have found success reading stories to kids , I ’ m just not that queen.
” For LGBTQ people in New York and other cities across the country , June 2020 will be a Pride Month like no other , with parades canceled and nightlife venues shuttered temporarily or , in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Last month , the queer community also lost one of its most pioneering voices .
Larry Kramer , who founded the HIV/AIDS advocacy group ACT UP and wrote the seminal 1985 play “ The Normal Heart , ” died on May 27 at age 84 .
The release of “ Cuntagious ” at a time when Lady Bunny ’ s calendar is typically stacked with in-person appearances is , of course , bittersweet .
At present , her next scheduled live gig is set for August 2021 .
These days , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little more self-sufficient and learning new things ― which I claimed I never had time for .
Good thing I wear a lot of muumuus with no need for tailoring !
” '' I ’ m a little more self-sufficient and learning new things ― which I claimed I never had time for , '' Lady Bunny said of her life in quarantine .
Taking a page from Kramer , Lady Bunny said she wants LGBTQ people to use this disruption in large-scale gatherings to rethink the ways they will honor Pride ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commercialized and corporation-driven ― in the future .
“ [ Larry ] wasn ’ t afraid to challenge our government , pharmaceutical companies , Wall Street or the church to demand our rights , ” she said .
“ Nowadays , we ’ ve been given a seat at the table of the powerful , and in our efforts not to lose that seat , we ’ re often reluctant to challenge it .
Basically , we need more fight and fewer weak hashtags and glitzy galas filled with straight celebs.
” Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live audience , she is excited that “ Cuntagious ” will allow her to deliver a fully-realized performance piece to audiences around the world .
As for what she ’ d most like her fans to take away from the show , she said , “ I want them to laugh their masks off !
” Of course , she is ready to get back to business in other ways once the pandemic is behind us , too .

Give Lady Bunny props for making it through the first half of 2020 with her ribald sense of humor intact ― after all, a diva is nothing without her stage.
The New York drag icon will kick off LGBTQ Pride Month this week with the release of a new virtual special, “Lady Bunny in Cuntagious.” Co-written with Beryl Mendelbaum, the 35-minute stand-up set features sketches that playfully skewer current affairs as well as musical re-workings of songs by Lizzo, Madonna and more. (Catch a sneak peek at the show with Lady Bunny spoofing RuPaul’s “Sissy That Walk” above)
Advertisement
As her show’s title suggests, Lady Bunny’s brand of laughs isn’t for the easily offended. True to form, “Cuntagious” doesn’t shy away from the COVID-19 crisis and other topical subject matter. One skit finds her offering some tongue-in-cheek tips on surviving a pandemic.
Later, she hosts a mock newscast, with one-line zingers aimed at President Donald Trump and his presumptive Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden. Musically, the highlight is a “deranged” take on Peggy Lee’s 1969 classic, “Is That All There Is?” performed in duet with punk-drag artist Christeene.
Lady Bunny's new comedy special, "Lady Bunny in Cuntagious," debuts Friday. Santiago Felipe
In an interview with HuffPost, Lady Bunny said her aim this time around was to brighten her own spirits as well as offer audiences necessary levity at a dark time for the world at large.
Advertisement
“My future, like that of many performers, is completely up in the air, and I cope with it by writing jokes,” she said. “We’re all freaked out by this ... it’s grim, and I see it every day. My act has always been tasteless, so I leave the feel-good platitudes and self-help to my older sister RuPaul. While I love that many of my friends have found success reading stories to kids, I’m just not that queen.”
For LGBTQ people in New York and other cities across the country, June 2020 will be a Pride Month like no other, with parades canceled and nightlife venues shuttered temporarily or, in some cases, permanently due to the coronavirus.
Last month, the queer community also lost one of its most pioneering voices. Larry Kramer, who founded the HIV/AIDS advocacy group ACT UP and wrote the seminal 1985 play “The Normal Heart,” died on May 27 at age 84.
The release of “Cuntagious” at a time when Lady Bunny’s calendar is typically stacked with in-person appearances is, of course, bittersweet. At present, her next scheduled live gig is set for August 2021.
These days, she said, “I’m a little more self-sufficient and learning new things ― which I claimed I never had time for. Good thing I wear a lot of muumuus with no need for tailoring!”
Advertisement
"I’m a little more self-sufficient and learning new things ― which I claimed I never had time for," Lady Bunny said of her life in quarantine. Santiago Felipe via Getty Images
Taking a page from Kramer, Lady Bunny said she wants LGBTQ people to use this disruption in large-scale gatherings to rethink the ways they will honor Pride ― criticized in recent years for becoming too commercialized and corporation-driven ― in the future.
“[Larry] wasn’t afraid to challenge our government, pharmaceutical companies, Wall Street or the church to demand our rights,” she said. “Nowadays, we’ve been given a seat at the table of the powerful, and in our efforts not to lose that seat, we’re often reluctant to challenge it. Basically, we need more fight and fewer weak hashtags and glitzy galas filled with straight celebs.”
Though Lady Bunny misses the electricity of a live audience, she is excited that “Cuntagious” will allow her to deliver a fully-realized performance piece to audiences around the world. As for what she’d most like her fans to take away from the show, she said, “I want them to laugh their masks off!”
Of course, she is ready to get back to business in other ways once the pandemic is behind us, too.
“I’m most looking forward to sex with strangers,” she quipped.
“Lady Bunny in Cuntagious” will premiere June 5 on Voss Events.