huffpost--2020-06-23--It’s Time For America To Get Serious About Fixing The Trains

Sergei KIBALCHICH/Getty Images In a new era of social distancing and an ongoing battle over climate change , railroads suddenly look like the smarter choice .
For one thing , air travel suddenly looks a lot less enticing in the COVID-19 era .
With social distancing nearly impossible at 30,000 feet , anxieties are high and passengers eye each other skeptically , worried that every cough or sneeze will spread the coronavirus .
And the pandemic has dealt the aviation industry a catastrophic financial blow , grounding thousands of planes and leading to pay cuts for many of the roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That approach wouldn ’ t immediately work on this side of the Atlantic because the U.S. lacks the necessary railway infrastructure to make up for losing short-haul flights .
But advocates argue that federal pandemic-related stimulus money could get rail improvement or expansion projects started .
That would create millions of jobs and chip away at U.S. transportation emissions , which currently represent more than a quarter of the national carbon footprint .
While it ’ s hard to nail down precise numbers because of high variance within both modes of travel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ powered by electricity or diesel depending on location ― uses far less energy per passenger-mile than air travel How The Railways Were Built An efficient national rail system in the U.S. might sound pie-in-the-sky , but there ’ s a strong historical precedent .
In the 19th century , rail was the most practical way to travel overland between distant cities ( horse-pulled vehicles being far slower ) .
After the Civil War , the network of tracks grew to span the contiguous United States and territories , with stops in every major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tracks themselves , were privately owned .
Passengers and politicians alike grew to resent the oligopoly of the railroad companies , which overcharged customers , underpaid workers for what could be dangerous jobs and used their clout with politicians to seize land and evade taxes .
By the mid-20th century , passenger rail was in deep decline .
Amtrak , a quasi-public corporation , emerged out of the ashes in 1971 with the passage of the Rail Passenger Service Act , which brought the country ’ s remaining 20 passenger railways under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But unlike many European countries , the U.S. never fully nationalized its rail system .
Instead , the tracks themselves mostly remained in the hands of private rail owners , which had by then pivoted entirely to the far more profitable freight sector .
Still , until the coronavirus arrived , passenger rail ’ s prospects were looking up .
Last fall , Amtrak announced record ridership that put it on track to make a profit in 2020 , for what would have been the first time in its history .
Like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffered as states shut down their economies .
Amtrak reported a 95 % drop in ridership this April compared to last year ( it will use at least $ 1 billion in federal relief funds to make up for lost ticket sales ) .
Although Amtrak ’ s situation was comparable to the 96 % decline in air travel that same month , it ’ s possible that in an era of social distancing , trains may have a few advantages that airlines lack .
Given much lower per-passenger fuel costs , operating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than flying a half-full jet .
Airlines pack seats into narrow cabins ; trains ’ comparative spaciousness allows passengers to sit farther apart .
Air travel also involves hours standing in line at airports , a potential hazard given that the virus spreads more easily in crowded conditions indoors .
While it remains to be seen whether air travel will pick up post-pandemic , the nation ’ s interest in rail certainly seems to be growing , and new passenger rail projects are springing up across the country .
The private Texas Central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final environmental impact statement , an important regulatory milestone on the way to beginning construction of its proposed Dallas-to-Houston line .
In Florida , the privately owned Brightline , which will eventually connect Miami with Orlando , reported steadily increasing ridership and revenues before shutting down temporarily due to COVID-19 .
And on the public side , the California High-Speed Rail project continues to plug away despite delays , while the state of Virginia is spending $ 3.7 billion in a deal with freight company CSX to expand its D.C.-to-Richmond service .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far , federal economic assistance related to the COVID-19 crisis has focused mostly on helping American businesses and individuals simply survive the lockdowns .
But in May , Rep. Seth Moulton ( D-Mass . )
released a stimulus plan that would specifically target passenger rail .
He wants to spend $ 205 billion over five years to build a national high-speed rail network , a scheme that his office calculated would create at least 725,000 jobs a year ― jobs that will be much needed in a nation with more than 40 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a quarter of what is spent on the Defense Department in a single year .
Rail is the mode that “ best supports 21st-century development in bustling urban centers , walkable downtowns even in much smaller cities and towns and the agglomeration economies of cities and megaregions that are driving the vast majority of current economic growth , ” according to a white paper laying out Moulton ’ s plan .
In other words , trains are not only better for the environment than other modes of transportation , but they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes communities greener and allows economies to grow .

The train pulls up to the platform a few minutes ahead of schedule, ready for passengers to board. Once they’ve settled into their spacious seats, the train pulls away, exactly on time. As they speed smoothly through the countryside, hungry passengers visit the dining car for healthy, regionally inspired food. There’s even a play area, complete with a slide, to keep kids entertained during the journey.
This might sound like a utopian vision for railroad travel, but it’s an everyday reality in Switzerland, whose trains were named “best in the world” in 2018.
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It is, however, a far cry from train travel in the United States. Even Amtrak’s Northeast corridor service ― which runs from Richmond, Virginia, to Boston and is considered the crown jewel of American passenger rail ― can’t compete with the quality of service found in countries like Switzerland, China, Spain and Japan.
While rail advocates have long called on the U.S. to invest in train infrastructure and commit to building a world-class, coast-to-coast, environmentally friendly passenger rail system, the funding has yet to come. Flying remains the default way to travel between distant cities.
Some see a sliver of hope that this may change, however, as the U.S. grapples with both the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis.
For one thing, air travel suddenly looks a lot less enticing in the COVID-19 era. With social distancing nearly impossible at 30,000 feet, anxieties are high and passengers eye each other skeptically, worried that every cough or sneeze will spread the coronavirus. And the pandemic has dealt the aviation industry a catastrophic financial blow, grounding thousands of planes and leading to pay cuts for many of the roughly 715,000 people it employs in the U.S.
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The Trump administration agreed to a $25 billion bailout package in April but it’s likely the industry will need help for months or even years to come. Meanwhile, transportation experts, environmentalists and some lawmakers question the logic of continuing to prop up an industry responsible for 3% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
“Does it make sense to do that?” asked Anthony Perl, a professor of urban studies and political science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. “Or should we spend some money on an alternative that might be more resilient and post-carbon friendly? We’re still a long way from electric-powered planes.”
Global greenhouse gas emissions from flying could triple between 2018 and 2050, according to the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization. In Europe, some governments are adding “green strings” to pandemic bailout packages for airlines. France and the Netherlands, for example, will require the Air France KLM group to cut emissions per passenger in half and to halve emissions from domestic flights, which, on a per-mile basis, burn far more fuel than long-haul routes.
Overall, these green strings, if they don’t get cut by industry lobbying, would effectively limit the number of short-haul flights that airlines can run ― a technically easy change to make on a continent where there’s already a more environmentally friendly option: frequent, efficient high-speed rail.
That approach wouldn’t immediately work on this side of the Atlantic because the U.S. lacks the necessary railway infrastructure to make up for losing short-haul flights. But advocates argue that federal pandemic-related stimulus money could get rail improvement or expansion projects started. That would create millions of jobs and chip away at U.S. transportation emissions, which currently represent more than a quarter of the national carbon footprint. While it’s hard to nail down precise numbers because of high variance within both modes of travel, it’s clear that rail ― powered by electricity or diesel depending on location ― uses far less energy per passenger-mile than air travel
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In short, this could be the perfect time to radically rethink how America travels and finally bring the country’s passenger rail network into the 21st century.
How The Railways Were Built
In the 19th century, rail was the most practical way to travel overland between distant cities. Print Collector via Getty Images
An efficient national rail system in the U.S. might sound pie-in-the-sky, but there’s a strong historical precedent. In the 19th century, rail was the most practical way to travel overland between distant cities (horse-pulled vehicles being far slower). After the Civil War, the network of tracks grew to span the contiguous United States and territories, with stops in every major settlement. But those railroads, including the tracks themselves, were privately owned. Passengers and politicians alike grew to resent the oligopoly of the railroad companies, which overcharged customers, underpaid workers for what could be dangerous jobs and used their clout with politicians to seize land and evade taxes.
“Railroaders were the original robber barons,” said Perl, author of “New Departures: Rethinking Rail Passenger Policy in the Twenty-First Century.” “The founding legacy of the North American rail industry is one of total disregard for the public interest. Remember William Henry Vanderbilt, who owned the New York Central Railway? His motto was, ‘The public be damned.’”
Reacting to the excesses of the Gilded Age, progressive officials worked to prevent public investment in railroads, which was seen as handing tax dollars over to fat cats. Instead, Perl said, as the automobile emerged as an apparently more democratic mode of transportation, public money flowed into roads (and, much later, aviation).
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By the mid-20th century, passenger rail was in deep decline. Amtrak, a quasi-public corporation, emerged out of the ashes in 1971 with the passage of the Rail Passenger Service Act, which brought the country’s remaining 20 passenger railways under the protective wing of the federal government. But unlike many European countries, the U.S. never fully nationalized its rail system. Instead, the tracks themselves mostly remained in the hands of private rail owners, which had by then pivoted entirely to the far more profitable freight sector.
“Rail is still the only major mode of transportation where the infrastructure is private property,” Perl said. “Passenger rail is kind of a victim of its own early success, and this legacy makes it much harder for North America to deal with the railroads. It’s a lot of baggage to carry.”
Time To Change Track
Today, with the exception of the busy Northeast Corridor service — which runs mostly along state-owned tracks, as well as sections that Amtrak inherited from bankrupt railroads in the 1970s — publicly owned passenger trains run on rail that belongs to freight companies, which prioritize their own trains, rendering passenger service unreliable.
Modernizing the U.S. rail system would involve fixing existing tracks and laying new ones, improving signaling technology and replacing trains, but Perl said that simply adding sidetracks to allow trains to more easily pass one another would go a long way. Making even that happen, however, would require untangling a mess of regulation and property rights.
Last fall, Amtrak looked to be on track to make its first-ever yearly profit in 2020. But this April as the pandemic crushed travel, the railway reported a 95% drop in ridership. Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
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Still, until the coronavirus arrived, passenger rail’s prospects were looking up. Last fall, Amtrak announced record ridership that put it on track to make a profit in 2020, for what would have been the first time in its history. Like nearly every industry, however, rail suffered as states shut down their economies. Amtrak reported a 95% drop in ridership this April compared to last year (it will use at least $1 billion in federal relief funds to make up for lost ticket sales).
Although Amtrak’s situation was comparable to the 96% decline in air travel that same month, it’s possible that in an era of social distancing, trains may have a few advantages that airlines lack. Given much lower per-passenger fuel costs, operating a half-full train could make more sense than flying a half-full jet. Airlines pack seats into narrow cabins; trains’ comparative spaciousness allows passengers to sit farther apart. Air travel also involves hours standing in line at airports, a potential hazard given that the virus spreads more easily in crowded conditions indoors.
While it remains to be seen whether air travel will pick up post-pandemic, the nation’s interest in rail certainly seems to be growing, and new passenger rail projects are springing up across the country. The private Texas Central Railway just announced the publication of its final environmental impact statement, an important regulatory milestone on the way to beginning construction of its proposed Dallas-to-Houston line. In Florida, the privately owned Brightline, which will eventually connect Miami with Orlando, reported steadily increasing ridership and revenues before shutting down temporarily due to COVID-19. And on the public side, the California High-Speed Rail project continues to plug away despite delays, while the state of Virginia is spending $3.7 billion in a deal with freight company CSX to expand its D.C.-to-Richmond service.
In several cases, these advances involve new deals between public railways and the private freight companies that own the tracks, which suggests the paralysis that has gripped U.S. rail infrastructure for decades may be loosening.
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What Should Our Stimulus Priorities Be?
One pandemic stimulus proposal envisions a major investment in high-speed rail infrastructure creating over 700,000 jobs a year over five years. guenterguni via Getty Images
So far, federal economic assistance related to the COVID-19 crisis has focused mostly on helping American businesses and individuals simply survive the lockdowns. But in May, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) released a stimulus plan that would specifically target passenger rail. He wants to spend $205 billion over five years to build a national high-speed rail network, a scheme that his office calculated would create at least 725,000 jobs a year ― jobs that will be much needed in a nation with more than 40 million new unemployment claims since March ― for about a quarter of what is spent on the Defense Department in a single year.
Rail is the mode that “best supports 21st-century development in bustling urban centers, walkable downtowns even in much smaller cities and towns and the agglomeration economies of cities and megaregions that are driving the vast majority of current economic growth,” according to a white paper laying out Moulton’s plan. In other words, trains are not only better for the environment than other modes of transportation, but they can also promote the kind of density that makes communities greener and allows economies to grow.
While previous stimulus efforts, including after the 2008 recession, focused on highways, Moulton said that “investment is achieving diminishing returns.” Highways promote sprawl, leading to longer commutes and more emissions while making regional economies less efficient, he argued. “Forcing everyone into more cars or over-crowded planes has failed for our international peers and is failing here at home,” the congressman said.
The United States has prioritized roads and planes for decades, and it’s going to take more than a single stimulus bill, however ambitious, to change that. And the window for real change is closing, said Sean Jeans-Gail, vice president for policy and government affairs at the Rail Passengers Association, a D.C.-based advocacy group.
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While the world is up against a lot in 2020, and other priorities may have eclipsed the environment, that doesn’t mean the threat of climate change has gone away. It might never seem like a convenient time to invest in greener transportation, Jeans-Gail said, but the pandemic recovery may give us a perfect excuse to act. He predicts fundamental shifts in our transportation network as we enter the post-pandemic era. “And not only in the willingness of people to get on airplanes — those small steel tubes with poor ventilation,” he said.
Recent investments in rail are a positive sign, but they’re still “nibbling at the edges,” Jeans-Gail argues. Pandemic stimulus money coupled with adoption of the Green New Deal ― a plan proposed by congressional Democrats to tackle climate change, which calls for high-speed rail among other measures ― could make a real difference.
“If there were a lot of money that somehow became available because of COVID, that could be the key,” he said. “Maybe we could do something on the level of what the Eisenhower administration did with the highways in the 1950s ― connect every part of the country and have that sort of 21st-century rail system that you see in almost every other part of the world, except the U.S.”
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huffpost--2020-06-23--Schools Across U.S. Wonder How To Social Distance With Meager Budgets

As schools consider how and when to reopen their buildings during the pandemic , many are finding themselves overwhelmed by the potential expenses that would come with operating under social distancing guidelines : protective equipment , staff for smaller classrooms , and additional transportation to keep students spread out on bus rides .
In Hartford , Connecticut , Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez shudders at the thought of how to afford a scenario where each teacher had dramatically fewer students .
In some grades , she said , she has individual teachers with up to 27 students in their classrooms .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to announce when they will resume in-person instruction .
The trajectory of the outbreak remains uncertain , and many are waiting on direction from their states .
Many are developing plans for at least some distance learning , and budgets are one of the factors that could determine how much they do from afar .
Head football coach Bob Wager , right , and sophomore safety Cameron Conley greet each other at the re-opening of strength and conditioning camp at Arlington Martin High School , Thursday , June 18 , 2020 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states have been easing the economic and social lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic , some are now letting high school athletes return for summer workouts before teachers have even figured out how they are going to hold classroom instruction .
( AP Photo/LM Otero ) In Camden , New Jersey , one of the state ’ s poorest cities , Superintendent Katrina McCombs said costs for classroom cleanings , protective equipment and other virus-related expenses are a concern , especially because the city relies on cash infusions from a state government that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the current and next fiscal years .
New Jersey has not yet issued guidelines for reopening schools , but McCombs said she hopes the governor leaves flexibility for big urban districts like hers , where families could be at especially high risk for exposure given the number of multi-generational households .
“ I think the big thing that comes to mind right away ... just thinking about those logistics of our city , I would hope that as the governor is rolling out those recommendations they can take those unique factors into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
As schools reopen it will cost the average school district about $ 1.8 million to make social distancing possible , according to an estimate published by AASA , the School Superintendents Association , and the Association of School Business Officials International .
The expense will strain budgets of districts that are bracing for cuts due to the economic downturn and hoping for additional federal aid .
“ You have a significant increase in costs for school districts at a time when school districts are going to have less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of the states ’ budgets are going to be decimated , “ said Ben Domenech , executive director of AASA .
“ How is that going to play out ?
” In the town of Stonington , Connecticut , school board chairwoman Alexa Garvey said it would help immensely with finances if the state eased guidance in place for the summer that there should be only one student on each seat of a bus .
There are also unresolved questions about providing masks .
The superintendent of Florida ’ s Miami-Dade County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation ’ s largest , said at a recent National Press Club panel that it was considering teachers ’ and parents ’ input on how to continue instruction in light of changes forced by the pandemic and the associated costs .
The affluent town of Greenwich , Connecticut , where the school system has 12.2 students for every teacher and instructor on staff , is like many others developing approaches for various scenarios .
To keep up social distancing when buildings reopen , Superintendent Toni Jones has said the district could use media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classrooms to spread out staff .
In Hartford , which has 14.7 students per teacher , the district serves many high-poverty communities and also brings in thousands of students from 60 other towns through school-choice programs .
The superintendent there said the challenges associated with reopening are so severe , it may be time to come up with entirely new models for instruction .
“ Is it that the entire ecosystem has to be examined ?
” Torres-Rodriguez said .
“ If we ’ re going to go to smaller class sizes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teachers from ?
” “ We know that we have experts in our community right now .
We have our corporate .
We have our industry .
We have higher ed , ” she said .
“ So how do we leverage our retirees , for example ?
How do we leverage our soon to be college upper class students ?
Industry ?
I just think it is an opportunity .
”

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As schools consider how and when to reopen their buildings during the pandemic, many are finding themselves overwhelmed by the potential expenses that would come with operating under social distancing guidelines: protective equipment, staff for smaller classrooms, and additional transportation to keep students spread out on bus rides.
The burdens loom large in particular for urban, under-resourced districts that often have neither the space nor the budgets to accommodate new health protocols.
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In Hartford, Connecticut, Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez shudders at the thought of how to afford a scenario where each teacher had dramatically fewer students. In some grades, she said, she has individual teachers with up to 27 students in their classrooms.
“My budget would be non-existent,” she said.
The vast majority of American school districts have yet to announce when they will resume in-person instruction. The trajectory of the outbreak remains uncertain, and many are waiting on direction from their states. Many are developing plans for at least some distance learning, and budgets are one of the factors that could determine how much they do from afar.
Head football coach Bob Wager, right, and sophomore safety Cameron Conley greet each other at the re-opening of strength and conditioning camp at Arlington Martin High School, Thursday, June 18, 2020, in in Arlington, Texas. While states have been easing the economic and social lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, some are now letting high school athletes return for summer workouts before teachers have even figured out how they are going to hold classroom instruction. (AP Photo/LM Otero) ASSOCIATED PRESS
In Camden, New Jersey, one of the state’s poorest cities, Superintendent Katrina McCombs said costs for classroom cleanings, protective equipment and other virus-related expenses are a concern, especially because the city relies on cash infusions from a state government that is facing a $10 billion shortfall over the current and next fiscal years.
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New Jersey has not yet issued guidelines for reopening schools, but McCombs said she hopes the governor leaves flexibility for big urban districts like hers, where families could be at especially high risk for exposure given the number of multi-generational households.
“I think the big thing that comes to mind right away ... just thinking about those logistics of our city, I would hope that as the governor is rolling out those recommendations they can take those unique factors into consideration especially in our large urban districts,” she said.
As schools reopen it will cost the average school district about $1.8 million to make social distancing possible, according to an estimate published by AASA, the School Superintendents Association, and the Association of School Business Officials International. The expense will strain budgets of districts that are bracing for cuts due to the economic downturn and hoping for additional federal aid.
“You have a significant increase in costs for school districts at a time when school districts are going to have less money. Why? Because you see all of the states’ budgets are going to be decimated,“ said Ben Domenech, executive director of AASA. “How is that going to play out?”
In the town of Stonington, Connecticut, school board chairwoman Alexa Garvey said it would help immensely with finances if the state eased guidance in place for the summer that there should be only one student on each seat of a bus. There are also unresolved questions about providing masks.
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“Does every child need a mask?” she said. “What are our obligations to supplying those masks?”
The superintendent of Florida’s Miami-Dade County Public Schools district, one of the nation’s largest, said at a recent National Press Club panel that it was considering teachers’ and parents’ input on how to continue instruction in light of changes forced by the pandemic and the associated costs.
“Based on the demands of social distancing and precautions, there will not be enough money to have the old system back in a fully functional way,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
Schools with more resources will have more options.
The affluent town of Greenwich, Connecticut, where the school system has 12.2 students for every teacher and instructor on staff, is like many others developing approaches for various scenarios. To keep up social distancing when buildings reopen, Superintendent Toni Jones has said the district could use media centers, cafeterias and other spaces for classrooms to spread out staff.
In Hartford, which has 14.7 students per teacher, the district serves many high-poverty communities and also brings in thousands of students from 60 other towns through school-choice programs. The superintendent there said the challenges associated with reopening are so severe, it may be time to come up with entirely new models for instruction.
“Is it that the entire ecosystem has to be examined?” Torres-Rodriguez said. “If we’re going to go to smaller class sizes, where are we going to get more teachers from?”
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“We know that we have experts in our community right now. We have our corporate. We have our industry. We have higher ed,” she said. “So how do we leverage our retirees, for example? How do we leverage our soon to be college upper class students? Industry? I just think it is an opportunity.”
___


huffpost--2020-06-23--Republican Group Relentlessly Dunks On 'Disheveled' Post-Rally Trump In New Ad

The Lincoln Project is not letting President Donald Trump ’ s very underwhelming campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , slide .
In a new attack ad dropped Monday , the anti-Trump Republican group hit the president for the second time in two days over the mediocre turnout at the event , which was supposed to kickstart his bid for reelection but ended up falling significantly short of the campaign team ’ s jacked-up expectations .
Trump , who often touts his crowd sizes as an indicator of his support , had boasted that more than a million people had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduling a rally amid the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Your campaign was so preoccupied with whether they could , they didn ’ t stop to think if they should , ” The Lincoln Project tweeted alongside their new video , titled “ Disheveled.
” Created on a Jurassic Park theme , the video shows Trump walking to Marine One on his way to the rally , set to the movie ’ s triumphant overture .
On his return from the rally at the 19,200-capacity BOK Center — which local fire officials estimated roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rendition of the theme ( known colloquially online as “ the bad harmonica cover ” ) plays instead as a seemingly exhausted Trump disembarks the chopper with his tie undone .
Your campaign was so preoccupied with whether they could , they did n't stop to think if they should .
pic.twitter.com/cfAAkGLttH — The Lincoln Project ( @ ProjectLincoln ) June 22 , 2020 A day earlier , alongside the release of another ad about the Tulsa rally ’ s lackluster attendance , Lincoln Project co-founder and Republican strategist Rick Wilson said Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall .
He can ’ t deliver on COVID-19 testing .
And now he can ’ t even deliver crowds.
” Trump had prepared for a “ record-setting ” crowd , with his team establishing an overflow area outside the center where he and Vice President Mike Pence were supposed to give remarks before the rally .
The outdoor appearance was ultimately scrapped when the was no overflow crowd .

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The Lincoln Project is not letting President Donald Trump’s very underwhelming campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, slide.
In a new attack ad dropped Monday, the anti-Trump Republican group hit the president for the second time in two days over the mediocre turnout at the event, which was supposed to kickstart his bid for reelection but ended up falling significantly short of the campaign team’s jacked-up expectations. Trump, who often touts his crowd sizes as an indicator of his support, had boasted that more than a million people had registered to attend, despite criticisms of scheduling a rally amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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He ended up addressing a venue ringed by vast sections of empty seats.
“Your campaign was so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,” The Lincoln Project tweeted alongside their new video, titled “Disheveled.”
Created on a Jurassic Park theme, the video shows Trump walking to Marine One on his way to the rally, set to the movie’s triumphant overture. On his return from the rally at the 19,200-capacity BOK Center — which local fire officials estimated roughly 6,200 people attended — an amateur melodica rendition of the theme (known colloquially online as “the bad harmonica cover”) plays instead as a seemingly exhausted Trump disembarks the chopper with his tie undone.
Your campaign was so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. pic.twitter.com/cfAAkGLttH — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 22, 2020
A day earlier, alongside the release of another ad about the Tulsa rally’s lackluster attendance, Lincoln Project co-founder and Republican strategist Rick Wilson said Trump “can’t deliver on his wall. He can’t deliver on COVID-19 testing. And now he can’t even deliver crowds.”
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Trump had prepared for a “record-setting” crowd, with his team establishing an overflow area outside the center where he and Vice President Mike Pence were supposed to give remarks before the rally. The outdoor appearance was ultimately scrapped when the was no overflow crowd.


huffpost--2020-06-23--Jennifer Aniston And Lisa Kudrow Dish Hilarious Memories From Filming 'Friends'

This is the one where Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow dish about their best memories filming “ Friends.
” The pair teamed up for Variety ’ s “ Actors on Actors ” series Monday , catching up virtually to discuss the ’ 90s sitcom ’ s upcoming HBO Max reunion special , indulge in some throwbacks and even spill about watching the show while at home in isolation .
“ I love stumbling on a “ Friends ” episode .
This one time I was with Courteney [ Cox ] , and we were trying to find something to reference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And then we stumbled on — there ’ s bloopers online — and we sat there at the computer like two nerds watching these bloopers laughing at ourselves , ” Aniston said .
And it turns out Aniston was laughing just as hard as everybody else in Season 7 , Episode 15 , where Ross ( David Schwimmer ) learns the bagpipes .
“ Where you started to sing full 100 % sounding like the bagpipe — I couldn ’ t hold it together .
No one could hold it together , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a coughing fit .
They also recalled taking 45 minutes to film one scene from “ The One With the Videotape ” because the cast couldn ’ t stop laughing .
In February , “ Friends ” fans were over the moon when it was announced that the whole gang ― Aniston , Kudrow , Cox , Schwimmer , Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc ― would reunite for an unscripted special almost 16 years after the last episode of the show aired .
The HBO Max special , which was supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ studio audience in March , has been tentatively pushed back to August barring a second wave of coronavirus infections .
Aniston said she expects it will “ be really fun ... if we ever get out of quarantine , get to do our reunion show , ” although she ’ s not sure how exactly it will play out .
“ I can ’ t wait to do that .
I really can ’ t wait to do that , ” Kudrow replied .
“ We don ’ t know everything about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we ’ re meant to be surprised by some things as well .
”

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This is the one where Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow dish about their best memories filming “Friends.”
The pair teamed up for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, catching up virtually to discuss the ’90s sitcom’s HBO Max reunion special, indulge in some throwbacks and even spill about watching the show while at home in isolation.
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“I love stumbling on a “Friends” episode. This one time I was with Courteney [Cox], and we were trying to find something to reference, an old “Friends” thing. And then we stumbled on — there’s bloopers online — and we sat there at the computer like two nerds watching these bloopers laughing at ourselves,” Aniston said.
“I’ve done it, too. I’ve done that, hours watching bloopers,” Kudrow said.
And it turns out Aniston was laughing just as hard as everybody else in Season 7, Episode 15, where Ross (David Schwimmer) learns the bagpipes.
“Where you started to sing full 100% sounding like the bagpipe — I couldn’t hold it together. No one could hold it together,” Aniston laughed, sending Kudrow into a coughing fit. They also recalled taking 45 minutes to film one scene from “The One With the Videotape” because the cast couldn’t stop laughing.
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In February, “Friends” fans were over the moon when it was announced that the whole gang ― Aniston, Kudrow, Cox, Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt Le Blanc ― would reunite for an unscripted special almost 16 years after the last episode of the show aired. The HBO Max special has faced delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Aniston said she expects it will “be really fun ... if we ever get out of quarantine, get to do our reunion show,” although she’s not sure how exactly it will play out.
“I can’t wait to do that. I really can’t wait to do that,” Kudrow replied. “We don’t know everything about it, we need to say. I think we’re meant to be surprised by some things as well.”
Check out the full conversation below.


huffpost--2020-06-23--Firing Of U.S. Attorney Highlights William Barr’s Pattern Of Misleading The Public

After a tense 24-hour standoff that began Friday night , Barr ’ s varied and contradictory explanations for the departure of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman extended a pattern of misleading statements he ’ s made during his time atop the Justice Department at a time when the nation ’ s policing and legal systems are already facing widespread fury and protest .
Barr , who took over as attorney general a few months after Trump fired Jeff Sessions , hasn ’ t shown much independence from Trump since his confirmation in February 2019 .
He intervened in the prosecution of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more lenient sentence , he tried to dismiss charges against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and he ’ s backed Trump ’ s whims at nearly every turn .
The highest-profile instance of Barr ’ s misleading of the public to benefit Trump came when he issued a summary of the special counsel report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign before Robert Mueller ’ s report was released last year .
Barr ’ s summary , which Mueller privately complained “ did not fully capture the context , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report and created “ public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation , ” steered media coverage of the report for weeks before a fuller , yet still redacted , version was released .
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the United States , a federal judge appointed by former President George W. Bush issued a remarkable opinion saying that Barr “ distorted ” the Mueller report .
The judge questioned whether Barr intended to create a “ one-sided narrative about the Mueller Report — a narrative that is clearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the redacted version of the Mueller Report.
” The latest saga unfolded late Friday night , when Berman , the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York , found out in a press release from the Justice Department that he was “ stepping down.
” Berman , who was appointed by judges in his district , not Trump ― soon clarified in his own statement that he was not “ stepping down ” and planned to stay until “ a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.
” Had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could have hand-picked a replacement .
Barr initially announced that U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito would fill that spot .
But Barr ’ s attempt to force Berman out , and Berman ’ s subsequent defiance , forced the administration to follow standard procedure and install Audrey Strauss , Berman ’ s deputy in the Southern District of New York office , as acting U.S. attorney .
Berman praised Strauss and said she would help “ safeguard the Southern District ’ s enduring tradition of integrity and independence.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ solid explanation for precisely why the Trump administration wanted to force out Berman .
None of the potential reasons for forcing Berman out look particularly great .
Even the most benign explanation ― that Trump wanted to nominate his recent golf buddy , Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton , to the job ― isn ’ t really standard DOJ operating procedure , especially because Clayton has no prosecutorial experience .
Trump said on Saturday that the decision was “ all up to the attorney general ” and that he was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump had to be involved .
Because Berman was appointed by the judges of the Southern District of New York , the Department of Justice ’ s position was that only Trump could dismiss him .
Trump later told Fox News that he had “ to sign a document , or I guess give it the OK ” but said he “ spent very little time talking about it ” with Barr .
The White House press secretary said Monday that Trump was involved in Berman ’ s dismissal only in a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his role in the June 1 violent attack on protesters as federal law enforcement officers cleared Lafayette Square , next to the White House , ahead of a presidential photo-op at a nearby church .
He even claimed that the pepper balls and pepper spray fired at demonstrators were “ not a chemical irritant , ” even though the manufacturer of pepper balls calls them a “ chemical irritant ” on its own website .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) asked the Justice Department ’ s inspector general and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Professional Responsibility to jointly examine “ the removal of the U.S. Attorney Berman and whether he was removed for partisan political purposes , to influence an investigation or prosecution , or to retaliate for his actions in any specific investigation or prosecution.
” But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) said calls for Barr ’ s impeachment were “ a waste of time at this point because we know that we have a corrupt Republican majority in the Senate , which will not consider an impeachment no matter what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts.
” The statement DOJ released with the letter was misleading as well .
In a press release , the Justice Department claimed de Blasio made the move to Phase 2 of rolling back coronavirus-related restrictions following “ action by the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division , ” which implied at causal link .
In fact , de Blasio announced on Thursday that New York City would be moving to Phase 2 ― before DOJ sent its letter on Friday or made it public on Monday , the day Phase 2 went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Justice Department previously sent a letter to an elected official in Montgomery County alleging that they allowed a protest that featured “ hundreds of people packed into a library ” to move forward .
But that DOJ letter was based on an inaccurate Fox News story .
The protest , in fact , took place outdoors in the library parking lot .
The Justice Department never publicly corrected its mistake .

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WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump’s firing on Saturday of a top federal prosecutor is once again drawing focus to the role that Attorney General William Barr has played as an enforcer of the president’s personal and political priorities.
After a tense 24-hour standoff that began Friday night, Barr’s varied and contradictory explanations for the departure of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman extended a pattern of misleading statements he’s made during his time atop the Justice Department at a time when the nation’s policing and legal systems are already facing widespread fury and protest.
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Barr, who took over as attorney general a few months after Trump fired Jeff Sessions, hasn’t shown much independence from Trump since his confirmation in February 2019. He intervened in the prosecution of Trump associate Roger Stone to advocate for a more lenient sentence, he tried to dismiss charges against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and he’s backed Trump’s whims at nearly every turn.
The highest-profile instance of Barr’s misleading of the public to benefit Trump came when he issued a summary of the special counsel report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign before Robert Mueller’s report was released last year. Barr’s summary, which Mueller privately complained “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of the report and created “public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation,” steered media coverage of the report for weeks before a fuller, yet still redacted, version was released.
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the United States, a federal judge appointed by former President George W. Bush issued a remarkable opinion saying that Barr “distorted” the Mueller report. The judge questioned whether Barr intended to create a “one-sided narrative about the Mueller Report — a narrative that is clearly in some respects substantively at odds with the redacted version of the Mueller Report.”
The latest saga unfolded late Friday night, when Berman, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, found out in a press release from the Justice Department that he was “stepping down.” Berman, who was appointed by judges in his district, not Trump ― soon clarified in his own statement that he was not “stepping down” and planned to stay until “a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.”
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Had Berman stepped aside, the Trump administration could have hand-picked a replacement. Barr initially announced that U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Craig Carpenito would fill that spot. But Barr’s attempt to force Berman out, and Berman’s subsequent defiance, forced the administration to follow standard procedure and install Audrey Strauss, Berman’s deputy in the Southern District of New York office, as acting U.S. attorney. Berman praised Strauss and said she would help “safeguard the Southern District’s enduring tradition of integrity and independence.”
There hasn’t been a solid explanation for precisely why the Trump administration wanted to force out Berman. None of the potential reasons for forcing Berman out look particularly great. Even the most benign explanation ― that Trump wanted to nominate his recent golf buddy, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, to the job ― isn’t really standard DOJ operating procedure, especially because Clayton has no prosecutorial experience.
Trump said on Saturday that the decision was “all up to the attorney general” and that he was “not involved.” But legally speaking, Trump had to be involved. Because Berman was appointed by the judges of the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice’s position was that only Trump could dismiss him.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr's misleading statements have added to a growing lack of confidence in the nation's policing and legal systems. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Trump later told Fox News that he had “to sign a document, or I guess give it the OK” but said he “spent very little time talking about it” with Barr. The White House press secretary said Monday that Trump was involved in Berman’s dismissal only in a “sign-off capacity.”
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By then, the misleading public narrative surrounding Berman’s forced departure had once against spoiled trust in Barr. “How can anyone trust Bill Barr’s Justice Department now?” asked the editorial board of The Washington Post.
Barr has also downplayed his role in the June 1 violent attack on protesters as federal law enforcement officers cleared Lafayette Square, next to the White House, ahead of a presidential photo-op at a nearby church. He even claimed that the pepper balls and pepper spray fired at demonstrators were “not a chemical irritant,” even though the manufacturer of pepper balls calls them a “chemical irritant” on its own website.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked the Justice Department’s inspector general and the head of the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility to jointly examine “the removal of the U.S. Attorney Berman and whether he was removed for partisan political purposes, to influence an investigation or prosecution, or to retaliate for his actions in any specific investigation or prosecution.”
In a speech on the Senate floor, Schumer laid out what he called a “sordid, ham-handed plot by President Trump and Attorney General Barr to oust a well-respected U.S. Attorney.”
But House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said calls for Barr’s impeachment were “a waste of time at this point because we know that we have a corrupt Republican majority in the Senate, which will not consider an impeachment no matter what the evidence and no matter what the facts.”
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The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Berman refused to sign a letter to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio that contrasted his treatment of protests to his treatment of religious communities. The Justice Department released the letter, which was dated Friday, on Monday afternoon.
The statement DOJ released with the letter was misleading as well. In a press release, the Justice Department claimed de Blasio made the move to Phase 2 of rolling back coronavirus-related restrictions following “action by the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division,” which implied at causal link. In fact, de Blasio announced on Thursday that New York City would be moving to Phase 2 ― before DOJ sent its letter on Friday or made it public on Monday, the day Phase 2 went into effect.


huffpost--2020-05-09--Is The Coronavirus Mutating And Becoming More Contagious?

Almost immediately , debates began over the data and what exactly it revealed .
The Los Angeles Times published a story with the title , “ Scientists say a now-dominant strain of the coronavirus could be more contagious than original.
” The New York Times reported that a “ turbocharged ” version of the coronavirus was unlikely .
Experts have been mixed about what the results of the study could mean , wondering if there might be other reasons we ’ re seeing a more dominant strain of the virus crop up in recent months .
The study reveals there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus , but it ’ s not necessarily a more infectious one Virus mutations are normal , and sometimes do lead to a genetic advantage If the virus is more stable and mutates less , it may lead to a better vaccine or treatments “ One is flu and the other is measles , ” he explained , noting the huge difference between the two .
With the flu , you need a new shot every year .
“ But the measles works great ; you only get two in a lifetime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can make very good vaccines against respiratory viruses .
All our vaccines have to be safe .
But when we find one , I think it will be good .
”

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A new study prompted scary headlines this week about a mutation in the novel coronavirus that could possibly make it more contagious.
The paper from scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and researchers in the U.K. warns of a mutation affecting the “spikes” on the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This new strain has become more prevalent, the authors say, meaning it could theoretically make the disease spread faster and more people ill. They call it an “urgent concern.”
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Almost immediately, debates began over the data and what exactly it revealed. The Los Angeles Times published a story with the title, “Scientists say a now-dominant strain of the coronavirus could be more contagious than original.” The New York Times reported that a “turbocharged” version of the coronavirus was unlikely. Experts have been mixed about what the results of the study could mean, wondering if there might be other reasons we’re seeing a more dominant strain of the virus crop up in recent months.
So, what’s the deal? Is a new strain of the virus actually capable of spreading wider and faster, and should we be concerned?
The study reveals there’s a new dominant strain of the virus, but it’s not necessarily a more infectious one
If you look at SARS-CoV-2 under a microscope, you can see tiny “spikes” on the virus, which are what it uses to attach to your cells and make you sick. The study found that these spikes are actually mutating, explained Kirsten Hokeness, chair of the department of science and technology at Bryant University and an expert in immunology, virology and microbiology.
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“The crown-like spike proteins are what the virus uses to infect host cells so that it can replicate and then exit,” said Hokeness, who was not affiliated with the study. “So, the spike plays an important role in the life cycle of the virus in humans. Without it, we would not get infected.”
Frank Esper, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital who was also not affiliated with the study, said the paper (which has not yet been peer-reviewed) indicates a spike-protein mutation called D614G has become more prevalent since the virus originated in China.
Comparing the early version of the virus found in China to those in Europe and elsewhere, the researchers found this newer mutation of the virus has seemingly become the more dominant strain. It’s now more common.
A mutation, especially in the spike part of the virus, can arguably make the virus better able to perform its primary function ― replicate and infect. But it’s not clear that this new, dominant strain of the virus will become more contagious or superpowered.
This strain may be more “fit” or “stable,” Esper said, meaning it is less likely to mutate as quickly as the initial strain. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more contagious.
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Both experts appreciate the paper’s findings about the mutation, but think the study might go too far in its claims. For instance, it could be that the virus had more opportunity to spread in certain places before governments forced citizens into lockdown, which is why the mutation is more prevalent.
Is it possible that the new strain is more transmissible? Maybe. But we don’t know that yet, and that doesn’t necessarily make it more infectious than it already is.
“There is no evidence in the literature that suggests that this mutant strain would be or could be worse by increasing the infection rate, hospitalization or even deaths,” Hokeness said. “I would argue that this is not something of ‘urgent’ concern as the authors suggest, but it is something that warrants further investigation.”
Creative-Touch via Getty Images The "spikes" on the novel coronavirus are what the virus uses to attach to your cells and make you sick.
Virus mutations are normal, and sometimes do lead to a genetic advantage
The fact that the novel coronavirus mutated into a new strain isn’t something groundbreaking, either. Any virus can “replicate very quickly and in massive amounts,” Hokeness said, so finding new genetic sequences is not strange.
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“Each cell that [the virus] infects can make upwards of a million copies of the virus,” she said. “This rapid rate of replication is very prone to errors,” which can add up quickly. Errors then get passed on to new viruses, that then replicate again, resulting in minor mutations from the original form.
In fact, in the case of this recently identified SARS-CoV-2 strain, you might even think of it as “a new lineage of a virus,” rather than a completely new, different strain, because it is such a small change overall, Hokeness said.
“If you think about viruses, they must find a host to survive, and like a vigorous cancer, they will do what they must to stay ‘alive.’ When the virus initially jumped from bats to humans, as we think it did, it was able to unlock the human receptors and gain access to the cell to multiply,” she said.
Hokeness said it’s likely the novel coronavirus “perfected” its jumping capability “as it spread through the human population, meaning that the virus could have changed its structure to more easily infect people.” It might simply be a more efficient strain, not one that creates different or more severe symptoms.
She likened the virus’s mutation process to getting a key made for your front door ― it unlocks the door but may be a little hard to get in and out of the lock.
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“If you shave the key just a bit it can now easily fit into the lock without trouble,” she said. Finding “small ways to access the receptor just a bit better,” can make some strains more likely to persist.
“This virus is checking, making sure what it wrote is what it wants to write, so there are fewer mistakes.” - Frank Esper
And despite some change, the novel coronavirus still appears to be a little more stable, or less prone to mutation, than other RNA viruses due to its size, Esper said. (RNA is a type of genetic material contained in the virus; SARS, the flu and Ebola are also considered RNA viruses.)
“This virus is one of the biggest RNA viruses out there,” he said. “Because it is large, it actually has a good polymerase, which is the enzyme that allows it to replicate.” This means the virus can “proofread” its genetic sequence better than smaller viruses like HIV and the flu.
“This virus is checking, making sure what it wrote is what it wants to write, so there are fewer mistakes,” he said. “Therefore its mutation rate is a lot lower. Mutating is an evolutionary advantage. It’s why the flu comes every year, and HIV is so tough to eradicate.”
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But right now, the novel coronavirus doesn’t really need to mutate very much. “It is a strong virus,” Hokeness said. “It has transmissibility that is remarkable in many ways, like the levels of asymptomatic spread, which means we most likely won’t see major changes any time soon.”
She said mutating is a situation where if it isn’t broken, why fix it? “This virus is good at what it does, so there is not a lot of evolutionary pressure for it to mutate,” Hokeness said. “Any mutations that make it less effective would be accidental and a result of mistakes in replication.”
If the virus is more stable and mutates less, it may lead to a better vaccine or treatments
Researchers need to monitor changes to the coronavirus spikes for a simple reason, which is why this recent study is still important, even if the conclusion might be a little overblown. Targeting the spikes is likely how researchers are going arrive at a treatment, because it’s how the virus attaches to cells in the body.
It is important to understand the stability of the virus, how much or how little the virus changes over time, “particularly as we work to find treatments such as a vaccine” and “further unravel degrees to which the population can develop immunity to the virus,” Hokeness said.
“If you look at most of the vaccines that are in clinical trials right now, they are targeting that spike protein these authors are looking at,” Hokeness said. “If the spike proteins mutate to a large degree, any vaccine that targets that will not work or won’t work well.”
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On top of that, mutations can affect natural immunity. “If a virus mutates in a way that the immune system can’t recognize it, it would mean that even people who got the virus during this first infectious cycle, could get it again, as the immune system wouldn’t recognize it,” Hokeness said.
“We can make very good vaccines against respiratory viruses. All our vaccines have to be safe. But when we find one, I think it will be good.” - Frank Esper
For these reasons, the stability we’re seeing in the virus right now is a good thing, because there will be a better chance of winding up with an effective vaccine (eventually).
“I do not expect it to behave like the flu,” Esper said. “It comes down to the proofreading function. Flu changes so much; it basically reinvents itself each year, so much so that we need a new vaccine.” Because the novel coronavirus has such an effective polymerase enzyme ― the proofreading system to keep it from making errors ― it’s unlikely to mutate as much or as fast, Esper said.
He speculated that it is “still going to be a pretty similar virus a year from now.”
Currently, there are not a lot of respiratory viruses for which we have vaccines, said Esper.
“One is flu and the other is measles,” he explained, noting the huge difference between the two. With the flu, you need a new shot every year. “But the measles works great; you only get two in a lifetime,” he said. “We can make very good vaccines against respiratory viruses. All our vaccines have to be safe. But when we find one, I think it will be good.”
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huffpost--2020-05-08--DHS Document Reveals 11 Secret Service Agents Currently Have Coronavirus

In March , the Secret Service , which is responsible for the protection of President Trump and other leaders , acknowledged that a single employee tested positive in March .
However the problem is currently far more widespread , with 11 active cases at the agency as of Thursday evening , according to a daily report compiled by the DHS .
“ To protect the privacy of our employee ’ s health information and for operational security , the Secret Service is not releasing how many of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19 , nor how many of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantined , ” Justine Whelan , a Secret Service spokesperson , said .
Whelan said the Secret Service is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control , but she declined to comment on how many of the Secret Service employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus worked at the White House complex .
“ Since the beginning of this pandemic , the Secret Service has been working with all of our public safety partners and the White House Medical Unit to ensure the safety and security of both our protected persons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The Secret Service continues to follow guidance issued by the CDC to ensure the health and welfare of our employees and those they come in contact with.
” On Monday , Yahoo News reported that there are regularly held large events with unmasked attendees in close quarters at the White House — including inside the Oval Office , which is the president ’ s inner sanctum .
Many Secret Service employees on the White House grounds are among those who are not wearing masks .
The agency did not respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing masks or whether personal protective equipment is being provided to members of the Secret Service who request it .
Pence and Trump have also regularly opted not to wear masks .
While temperature checks were being administered to everyone entering the White House complex , not everyone who entered the Oval Office with the president was given a test .
On multiple occasions last week , reporters were brought into the Oval Office without being given tests or being required to wear masks .
“ Having worked in the White House , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that come in and out of there , and they touch things , ” said Patel , a Yahoo News health contributor .
“ So , unless you are literally testing every individual and then following up … even with wiping down those surfaces every night , it ’ s not foolproof.
” In the days since that report , multiple COVID-19 cases have been confirmed within Trump ’ s inner circle .
On Thursday , news broke that one of Trump ’ s military valets tested positive .
According to CNBC , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the president , including serving meals and helping him with his clothes and other personal needs.
” The White House declined to comment on whether Stephen Miller had tested negative or was being quarantined .
Deere , the deputy press secretary , provided a new statement saying , “ The President ’ s physician and White House Operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the President , First Family and the entire White House Complex safe and healthy at all times.
” Yet even after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration staff , not everyone who gets in a room with the president is being tested .
The press that covered the event where Trump discussed Miller ’ s diagnosis was brought into the State Dining Room without being given tests .
One of the untested reporters asked Trump for a reaction to the fact the virus is apparently spreading inside the White House , which is ostensibly one of the safest places in the country .

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WASHINGTON — Multiple members of the U.S. Secret Service have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to Department of Homeland Security documents reviewed by Yahoo News.
In March, the Secret Service, which is responsible for the protection of President Trump and other leaders, acknowledged that a single employee tested positive in March. However the problem is currently far more widespread, with 11 active cases at the agency as of Thursday evening, according to a daily report compiled by the DHS.
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This report comes as a pair of cases among White House staffers close to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have put the West Wing’s coronavirus security procedures in the spotlight.
According to the DHS document, along with the 11 active cases there are 23 members of the Secret Service who have recovered from COVID-19 and an additional 60 employees who are self-quarantining.
No details have been provided about which members of the Secret Service are infected or if any have recently been on detail with the president or vice president.
The DHS, which oversees the agency, referred all requests for comment to the Secret Service, which in turn declined to comment on the number of coronavirus cases among its employees.
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“To protect the privacy of our employee’s health information and for operational security, the Secret Service is not releasing how many of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19, nor how many of its employees were, or currently are, quarantined,” Justine Whelan, a Secret Service spokesperson, said.
While the Secret Service is best known for providing security to the president and vice president, it also protects other leaders, including presidential candidates, former presidents, and visiting dignitaries. The Secret Service also conducts investigations, including most recently, scams involving the coronavirus.
Whelan said the Secret Service is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, but she declined to comment on how many of the Secret Service employees who have tested positive for the coronavirus worked at the White House complex.
“Since the beginning of this pandemic, the Secret Service has been working with all of our public safety partners and the White House Medical Unit to ensure the safety and security of both our protected persons and our employees,” Whelan said. “The Secret Service continues to follow guidance issued by the CDC to ensure the health and welfare of our employees and those they come in contact with.”
However, the coronavirus measures at the White House complex, which includes both Trump and Pence’s offices, have not necessarily followed the guidelines from the CDC or the president’s own coronavirus task force.
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Those guidelines include staying 6 feet away from other people, avoiding large gatherings and wearing masks or other face coverings.
On Monday, Yahoo News reported that there are regularly held large events with unmasked attendees in close quarters at the White House — including inside the Oval Office, which is the president’s inner sanctum. Many Secret Service employees on the White House grounds are among those who are not wearing masks. The agency did not respond to questions about why its employees are not wearing masks or whether personal protective equipment is being provided to members of the Secret Service who request it. Pence and Trump have also regularly opted not to wear masks.
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere responded to questions about coronavirus protocols in the West Wing last week by saying, “Those in close proximity to the president and vice president are being tested for COVID-19.”
“Temperature checks are occurring for all those entering the complex as well as an additional temperature check for those in close proximity to the president and vice president,” Deere said.
While temperature checks were being administered to everyone entering the White House complex, not everyone who entered the Oval Office with the president was given a test. On multiple occasions last week, reporters were brought into the Oval Office without being given tests or being required to wear masks.
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Dr. Kavita Patel, a primary care physician who worked in the Obama administration as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, said she believes the partial testing for those in the White House complex is not sufficient.
“Having worked in the White House, there’s a ton of people that come in and out of there, and they touch things,” said Patel, a Yahoo News health contributor. “So, unless you are literally testing every individual and then following up … even with wiping down those surfaces every night, it’s not foolproof.”
In the days since that report, multiple COVID-19 cases have been confirmed within Trump’s inner circle. On Thursday, news broke that one of Trump’s military valets tested positive. According to CNBC, the valet “had very close contact with the president, including serving meals and helping him with his clothes and other personal needs.”
After the news emerged about his valet, Trump told reporters that the White House had only been testing on a weekly basis and would increase the number of tests given to key staffers.
“So we test once a week. Now we’re going to go testing once a day, but even when you test once a day, somebody could — something happens where they catch something,” Trump said.
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On Friday, another top staffer tested positive for the coronavirus. Speaking at a meeting with Republican lawmakers in the White House State Dining Room, Trump indicated the staffer was Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller.
“She’s a wonderful young woman, Katie,” Trump said. “She tested very good for a long period of time and, all of a sudden today, she tested positive. She hasn’t come into contact with me.”
Miller is the wife of Stephen Miller, who is one of the president’s closest advisers. The Millers did not respond to requests for comment.
The White House declined to comment on whether Stephen Miller had tested negative or was being quarantined. Deere, the deputy press secretary, provided a new statement saying, “The President’s physician and White House Operations continue to work closely to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the President, First Family and the entire White House Complex safe and healthy at all times.”
“In addition to social distancing, daily temperature checks and symptom histories, hand sanitizer, and regular deep cleaning of all work spaces, every staff member in close proximity to the president and vice president is being tested daily for COVID-19 as well as any guests,” Deere said.
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Yet even after the pair of coronavirus cases among the Trump administration staff, not everyone who gets in a room with the president is being tested. The press that covered the event where Trump discussed Miller’s diagnosis was brought into the State Dining Room without being given tests. One of the untested reporters asked Trump for a reaction to the fact the virus is apparently spreading inside the White House, which is ostensibly one of the safest places in the country.


huffpost--2020-05-09--Thousands Of Crew Members Still Trapped On Cruise Ships After Weeks At Sea

Vásquez , 36 , and tens of thousands of other crew members have been trapped for weeks aboard dozens of cruise ships around the world — long after governments and cruise lines negotiated their passengers ’ disembarkation .
Some have gotten ill and died ; others have survived but are no longer getting paid .
Both national and local governments have stopped crews from disembarking in order to prevent new cases of COVID-19 in their territories .
Some of the ships , including 20 in U.S. waters , have seen infections and deaths among the crew .
But most ships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this May 8 , 2020 photo , people aboard the Norwegian Epic cruise ship docked at PortMiami in Miami , sit on their balconies .
Tens of thousands of crew members , including U.S. citizens , remain confined to cabins aboard cruise ships , weeks after governments and companies negotiated disembarkation for passengers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic .
Most crew members are stuck in ships with no confirmed cases but are rejected by governments because of new rules to avoid importing more virus cases .
The Centers for Disease Control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80,000 crew members remained on board ships off the U.S. coast after most passengers had disembarked .
The Coast Guard said Friday that there were still 70,000 crew members in 102 ships either anchored near or at U.S. ports or underway in U.S. waters .
The total number of crew members stranded worldwide was not immediately available .
But thousands more are trapped on ships outside the U.S. , including in Uruguay and the Manila Bay , where 16 cruise ships are waiting to test about 5,000 crew members before they will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take each crew member straight home via charter plane or private car without using rental vehicles or taxis .
Complicating that mission , the CDC requires company executives to agree to criminal penalties if crew members fail to obey health authorities ’ orders to steer clear of public transportation and restaurants on their way home .
Melinda Mann , 25 , a youth program manager for Holland America , spent more than 50 days without stepping on dry land before finally disembarking from the Koningsdam ship Friday in Los Angeles .
Before she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to walk off another ship with other U.S. crew members last week but the ship ’ s security guards stopped them .
For 21 hours a day , Mann remained isolated in a 150-square-foot ( 14-square- meter ) cruise cabin that is smaller than her bedroom in her Midland , Georgia , home .
She read 30 books and was only able to leave her room three times a day to walk around the ship .
Her contract ended April 18 , so she was not paid for weeks .
Earlier this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members from Canada aboard the Emerald Princess were told to prepare to be flown home in a charter plane .
But the Bahamian government did not allow the ship to dock in the end .
The Antarctic cruise set sail from Argentina on March 15 , after a pandemic had already been declared .
The ship ’ s physician , Dr. Mauricio Usme , said that when the first passenger fell ill , on March 22 , he was pressured by the captain , the cruise operator and owners to modify the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ship to be admitted into ports .
Dr. Usme refused .
The boat anchored in the port of Montevideo on March 27 .
More than half of its passengers and crew tested positive for COVID-19 .
Finally , on April 10 , 127 passengers , including some who were infected , were allowed to disembark and fly home to Australia , New Zealand , the U.S. , Canada and Europe .
Crew members were told to stay on board .
CMI , the Miami-based company that manages the boat , said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary permissions ” to let crew members of 22 nationalities go home , but said they were all still under contract receiving pay .
Marvin Paz Medina , a Honduran man who works as the ship ’ s storekeeper , sent a video to the AP of his tiny cabin of about 70 square feet ( 6.5 square meters ) , where he has been confined for more than 35 days .
“ It ’ s hard being locked up all day , staring at the same four walls , ” he said @

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MIAMI (AP) — Carolina Vásquez lost track of days and nights, unable to see the sunlight while stuck for two weeks in a windowless cruise ship cabin as a fever took hold of her body.
On the worst night of her encounter with COVID-19, the Chilean woman, a line cook on the Greg Mortimer ship, summoned the strength to take a cold shower fearing the worst: losing consciousness while isolated from others.
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Vásquez, 36, and tens of thousands of other crew members have been trapped for weeks aboard dozens of cruise ships around the world — long after governments and cruise lines negotiated their passengers’ disembarkation. Some have gotten ill and died; others have survived but are no longer getting paid.
Both national and local governments have stopped crews from disembarking in order to prevent new cases of COVID-19 in their territories. Some of the ships, including 20 in U.S. waters, have seen infections and deaths among the crew. But most ships have had no confirmed cases.
“I never thought this would turn into a tragic and terrifying horror story,” Vásquez told The Associated Press in an interview through a cellphone app from the Greg Mortimer, an Antarctic cruise ship floating off Uruguay. Thirty-six crew members have fallen ill on the ship.
In this May 8, 2020 photo, people aboard the Norwegian Epic cruise ship docked at PortMiami in Miami, sit on their balconies. Tens of thousands of crew members, including U.S. citizens, remain confined to cabins aboard cruise ships, weeks after governments and companies negotiated disembarkation for passengers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Most crew members are stuck in ships with no confirmed cases but are rejected by governments because of new rules to avoid importing more virus cases. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month that about 80,000 crew members remained on board ships off the U.S. coast after most passengers had disembarked. The Coast Guard said Friday that there were still 70,000 crew members in 102 ships either anchored near or at U.S. ports or underway in U.S. waters.
The total number of crew members stranded worldwide was not immediately available. But thousands more are trapped on ships outside the U.S., including in Uruguay and the Manila Bay, where 16 cruise ships are waiting to test about 5,000 crew members before they will be allowed to disembark.
As coronavirus cases and deaths have risen worldwide, the CDC and health officials in other countries have expanded the list of conditions that must be met before crews may disembark.
Cruise companies must take each crew member straight home via charter plane or private car without using rental vehicles or taxis. Complicating that mission, the CDC requires company executives to agree to criminal penalties if crew members fail to obey health authorities’ orders to steer clear of public transportation and restaurants on their way home.
“The criminal penalties gave us (and our lawyers) pause,” Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley wrote in a letter to crew members earlier this week, but he added that company executives ultimately agreed to sign.
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Melinda Mann, 25, a youth program manager for Holland America, spent more than 50 days without stepping on dry land before finally disembarking from the Koningsdam ship Friday in Los Angeles. Before she was transferred to the Koningsdam, she tried to walk off another ship with other U.S. crew members last week but the ship’s security guards stopped them.
For 21 hours a day, Mann remained isolated in a 150-square-foot (14-square- meter) cruise cabin that is smaller than her bedroom in her Midland, Georgia, home. She read 30 books and was only able to leave her room three times a day to walk around the ship. Her contract ended April 18, so she was not paid for weeks.
“Keeping me in close captivity for so long is absolutely ridiculous,” Mann said in a telephone interview.
Earlier this week in Nassau, Bahamas, crew members from Canada aboard the Emerald Princess were told to prepare to be flown home in a charter plane. But the Bahamian government did not allow the ship to dock in the end.
Leah Prasad’s husband is among the stranded crew members. Prasad said she has spent hours tracking down government agencies to help her husband, a Maitre D’Hotel for Carnival.
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“He is getting discouraged. He is stuck in a cabin,” Prasad said. “It is not good for his mental health.”
Angela Savard, a spokeswoman for Canada’s foreign affairs, said the government was continuing to explore options to bring Canadians home.
For those aboard the Greg Mortimer in Montevideo, desperation is setting in, crew members told the AP.
The Antarctic cruise set sail from Argentina on March 15, after a pandemic had already been declared. The ship’s physician, Dr. Mauricio Usme, said that when the first passenger fell ill, on March 22, he was pressured by the captain, the cruise operator and owners to modify the health conditions that had to be met for the ship to be admitted into ports.
Dr. Usme refused. The boat anchored in the port of Montevideo on March 27. More than half of its passengers and crew tested positive for COVID-19. Finally, on April 10, 127 passengers, including some who were infected, were allowed to disembark and fly home to Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., Canada and Europe. Crew members were told to stay on board.
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The doctor was hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Montevideo, along with a Filipino crew member, who later died.
“People are exhausted and mentally drained,” said Dr. Usme, now recovered and back on the Greg Mortimer. “It’s a complex situation. You feel very vulnerable and at imminent risk of death.”
CMI, the Miami-based company that manages the boat, said it has been “unable to get the necessary permissions” to let crew members of 22 nationalities go home, but said they were all still under contract receiving pay.
Marvin Paz Medina, a Honduran man who works as the ship’s storekeeper, sent a video to the AP of his tiny cabin of about 70 square feet (6.5 square meters), where he has been confined for more than 35 days. “It’s hard being locked up all day, staring at the same four walls,” he said.
Paz Medina says his children keep asking him when he’s coming home, but he doesn’t have an answer.
“We are trapped, feeling this anxiety that at any moment we can get seriously ill,” said Paz Medina. “We do not want this anymore. We want to go home.”
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huffpost--2020-05-09--U.S. Turned Down Offer To Manufacture Millions Of N95 Masks As Coronavirus Spread

“ We still have four like-new N95 manufacturing lines , ” Bowen emailed a top HHS official on Jan. 22 , the day the first coronavirus case was detected in the country .
“ Reactivating these machines would be very difficult and very expensive but could be achieved in a dire situation.
” Laura Wolf , director of the agency ’ s Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection , responded that the government wasn ’ t “ anywhere near answering those questions for you yet ” in response to Bowen ’ s offer .
“ We are the last major domestic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next day .
“ My phones are ringing now , so I don ’ t ‘ need ’ government business .
I ’ m just letting you know that I can help you preserve our infrastructure if things ever get really bad .
I ’ m a patriot first , businessman second.
” The new revelation is part of an 89-page whistleblower complaint from former federal vaccine chief Rick Bright , who alleges he was removed from his position as retaliation for his early warnings about the pandemic and his refusal to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
The newly revealed emails also show that Bright attempted to warn agency leaders about mask shortages , citing Bowen ’ s offer .
But the offer fell “ on deaf ears , ” Bright told Bowen in an email .
Read the full story at The Washington Post .

“We still have four like-new N95 manufacturing lines,” Bowen emailed a top HHS official on Jan. 22, the day the first coronavirus case was detected in the country. “Reactivating these machines would be very difficult and very expensive but could be achieved in a dire situation.”
Laura Wolf, director of the agency’s Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection, responded that the government wasn’t “anywhere near answering those questions for you yet” in response to Bowen’s offer.
“We are the last major domestic mask company,” Bowen emailed the next day. “My phones are ringing now, so I don’t ‘need’ government business. I’m just letting you know that I can help you preserve our infrastructure if things ever get really bad. I’m a patriot first, businessman second.” The new revelation is part of an 89-page whistleblower complaint from former federal vaccine chief Rick Bright, who alleges he was removed from his position as retaliation for his early warnings about the pandemic and his refusal to make “potentially harmful drugs” to combat the virus. The newly revealed emails also show that Bright attempted to warn agency leaders about mask shortages, citing Bowen’s offer. But the offer fell “on deaf ears,” Bright told Bowen in an email.
“U.S. mask supply is at imminent risk,” Bowen replied. “Rick, I think we’re in deep shit.”
Read the full story at The Washington Post.


huffpost--2020-05-09--Elon Musk Threatens To Move Tesla Because He’s Not Allowed To Reopen During Pandemic

Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened Saturday to pull the company ’ s factory and headquarters out of California in an escalating spat with local officials who have stopped the company from reopening its electric vehicle factory .
He wrote that whether the company keeps any manufacturing in Fremont depends on how Tesla is treated in the future .
Frankly , this is the final straw .
Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately .
If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all , it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left in CA .
— Elon Musk ( @ elonmusk ) May 9 , 2020 An order in the six-county San Francisco Bay Area forced Tesla to close the Fremont plant starting March 23 to help prevent the virus ’ spread , and it was extended until the end of May .
Public health experts say the orders have reduced the number of new coronavirus cases nationwide .
California Gov .
Gavin Newsom allowed the Bay Area counties to continue restrictions while easing them in other areas of the state .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Department said it has been working with Tesla to develop a safety plan allowing the Fremont plant to reopen while protecting workers .
“ We look forward to coming to an agreement on an appropriate safety plan very soon , ” the statement said .
But the statement also said residents and businesses have made sacrifices to protect the health of people in the region .
“ It is our collective responsibility to move through the phases of reopening and loosening the restrictions of the shelter-in-place order in the safest way possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the department said .
Fremont Mayor Lily Mei wrote in a statement that she is growing concerned about the regional economy without provisions for major manufacturing to resume operations .
“ We know many essential businesses have proven they can successfully operate using strict safety and social distancing practices , ” the statement said .
Despite Musk ’ s threat , it would be costly and difficult to quickly shift production from Fremont to Texas or Nevada .
The Fremont facility , which was formerly run jointly by General Motors and Toyota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. vehicle assembly plant , and the company would lose critical production if it shut the plant down to move equipment .
“ Moving away from Fremont would take at least 12 to 18 months and could add risk to the manufacturing and logistics process in the meantime , ” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a note to investors .
But Musk plans another U.S. factory to increase output , possibly in Texas , and could move production once that plant is up and running .
The lack of production in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is a big financial strain .
On a conference call last month , Musk said the company only has assembly plants in Fremont and Shanghai , and the Fremont facility produces the majority of its vehicles .
He called the closure of Fremont a “ serious risk.
” The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people .
But it has killed more than 77,000 people in the U.S. , with the death toll rising .
Ives wrote that there ’ s now a high-stakes poker game between Musk and county @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Now all eyes move to the courts and the response from Alameda County and potentially California state officials.
” Musk ’ s tweets come as competing automakers are starting to reopen factories in the U.S. Toyota will restart production on Monday , while General Motors , Ford and Fiat Chrysler all plan to restart their plants gradually on May 18 .
Tesla is the only major automaker with a factory in California .
Musk ’ s threats came after a series of bizarre tweets earlier this month including one that said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high .
Musk also posted parts of the U.S. national anthem and wrote that he would sell his houses and other possessions .

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened Saturday to pull the company’s factory and headquarters out of California in an escalating spat with local officials who have stopped the company from reopening its electric vehicle factory.
On Twitter, Musk also threatened to sue over Alameda County Health Department coronavirus restrictions that have stopped Tesla from restarting production at its factory in Fremont south of San Francisco.
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“Frankly, this is the final straw,” he tweeted. “Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately.”
He wrote that whether the company keeps any manufacturing in Fremont depends on how Tesla is treated in the future.
Frankly, this is the final straw. Tesla will now move its HQ and future programs to Texas/Nevada immediately. If we even retain Fremont manufacturing activity at all, it will be dependen on how Tesla is treated in the future. Tesla is the last carmaker left in CA. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2020
Musk has been ranting about the stay-home order since the company’s April 29 first-quarter earnings were released, calling the restrictions fascist and urging governments to stop taking people’s freedom.
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An order in the six-county San Francisco Bay Area forced Tesla to close the Fremont plant starting March 23 to help prevent the virus’ spread, and it was extended until the end of May. Public health experts say the orders have reduced the number of new coronavirus cases nationwide. California Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed the Bay Area counties to continue restrictions while easing them in other areas of the state.
In a statement Saturday, Alameda County’s Health Department said it has been working with Tesla to develop a safety plan allowing the Fremont plant to reopen while protecting workers. “We look forward to coming to an agreement on an appropriate safety plan very soon,” the statement said.
But the statement also said residents and businesses have made sacrifices to protect the health of people in the region. “It is our collective responsibility to move through the phases of reopening and loosening the restrictions of the shelter-in-place order in the safest way possible, guided by data and science,” the department said.
Fremont Mayor Lily Mei wrote in a statement that she is growing concerned about the regional economy without provisions for major manufacturing to resume operations. “We know many essential businesses have proven they can successfully operate using strict safety and social distancing practices,” the statement said.
Emails seeking from Newsom have not been returned.
Despite Musk’s threat, it would be costly and difficult to quickly shift production from Fremont to Texas or Nevada. The Fremont facility, which was formerly run jointly by General Motors and Toyota, currently is Tesla’s only U.S. vehicle assembly plant, and the company would lose critical production if it shut the plant down to move equipment.
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“Moving away from Fremont would take at least 12 to 18 months and could add risk to the manufacturing and logistics process in the meantime,” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a note to investors.
But Musk plans another U.S. factory to increase output, possibly in Texas, and could move production once that plant is up and running.
The lack of production in Fremont cuts off Tesla’s revenue and is a big financial strain. On a conference call last month, Musk said the company only has assembly plants in Fremont and Shanghai, and the Fremont facility produces the majority of its vehicles. He called the closure of Fremont a “serious risk.”
The coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. But it has killed more than 77,000 people in the U.S., with the death toll rising.
Ives wrote that there’s now a high-stakes poker game between Musk and county officials — and Musk showed his cards. “Now all eyes move to the courts and the response from Alameda County and potentially California state officials.”
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Musk’s tweets come as competing automakers are starting to reopen factories in the U.S. Toyota will restart production on Monday, while General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler all plan to restart their plants gradually on May 18. Tesla is the only major automaker with a factory in California.
Musk’s threats came after a series of bizarre tweets earlier this month including one that said Tesla’s stock price was too high. Musk also posted parts of the U.S. national anthem and wrote that he would sell his houses and other possessions.
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huffpost--2020-05-08--13 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

13 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

Above : The full moon sets Thursday behind trees in the Taunus region near Frankfurt , Germany .
The full moon of May is known as the flower moon .
Traditional Thai dancers wearing protective face shields perform at the Erawan Shrine , which was reopened after the Thai government relaxed measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in Bangkok on Monday .
Iraqi youths wearing protective face masks ride bicycles and perform somersaults Sunday as they practice parkour during the holy month of Ramadan in Najaf , Iraq .
Grooming and its critic Friday at the Caturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restaurants in the city were being allowed to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Graduating Anderson High School senior Teyaja Jones accents her cap and gown with a matching bandanna face cover Tuesday in Austin , Texas .
Shane Cowbrough , father of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough , cries Wednesday as masked pallbearers carry the casket of his daughter in Trenton , Ontario , during a repatriation ceremony for the six Canadian Armed Forces members killed in a helicopter crash off of Greece during Operation Reassurance .
Hospital staff , including nurses , doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over Medical City Dallas in Texas .
A Palestinian Hamas police cadet throws a sound grenade as he demonstrates his skills Thursday with his colleagues during a graduation ceremony amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in Gaza City .
A pedestrian wearing a face mask in Madrid takes a selfie Sunday in front of a stencil graffiti depicting actors John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson taking a selfie in their “ Pulp Fiction ” roles as they wear face masks .
A village officer dressed as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rides in a small boat Monday to deliver relief goods to residents in the flooded Artex Compound in Malabon , Metro Manila , Philippines .
A Palestinian youth plays with fireworks Wednesday during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at Deir Al- Balah city in central Gaza Strip .
Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft fly in formation during a rehearsal in Moscow on Monday for a flyover to mark the 75th anniversary Saturday of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II .

With the news continuing to revolve around the coronavirus pandemic, it’s easy to miss great images that fly under the radar. We’ve got you covered.
We’re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week of May 2 to 8. Check them out below.
Above: The full moon sets Thursday behind trees in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany. The full moon of May is known as the flower moon.
MLADEN ANTONOV via Getty Images
Traditional Thai dancers wearing protective face shields perform at the Erawan Shrine, which was reopened after the Thai government relaxed measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in Bangkok on Monday.
Alaa Al-Marjani / Reuters
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Iraqi youths wearing protective face masks ride bicycles and perform somersaults Sunday as they practice parkour during the holy month of Ramadan in Najaf, Iraq.
Sakchai Lalit/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Grooming and its critic Friday at the Caturday Cafe in Bangkok, Thailand. Small restaurants in the city were being allowed to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Eric Gay/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Graduating Anderson High School senior Teyaja Jones accents her cap and gown with a matching bandanna face cover Tuesday in Austin, Texas.
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Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press/AP
Shane Cowbrough, father of Sub-Lt. Abbigail Cowbrough, cries Wednesday as masked pallbearers carry the casket of his daughter in Trenton, Ontario, during a repatriation ceremony for the six Canadian Armed Forces members killed in a helicopter crash off of Greece during Operation Reassurance.
Tom Pennington via Getty Images
Hospital staff, including nurses, doctors and administrators, cheer Wednesday as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over Medical City Dallas in Texas.
Mohammed Salem / Reuters
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A Palestinian Hamas police cadet throws a sound grenade as he demonstrates his skills Thursday with his colleagues during a graduation ceremony amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in Gaza City.
GABRIEL BOUYS via Getty Images
A pedestrian wearing a face mask in Madrid takes a selfie Sunday in front of a stencil graffiti depicting actors John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson taking a selfie in their “Pulp Fiction” roles as they wear face masks.
Thomas Mukoya / Reuters
A double rainbow frames a woman selling snacks Sunday along the road in Siaya county, Kenya.
Eloisa Lopez / Reuters
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A village officer dressed as the “Star Wars” character Darth Vader rides in a small boat Monday to deliver relief goods to residents in the flooded Artex Compound in Malabon, Metro Manila, Philippines.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
A Palestinian youth plays with fireworks Wednesday during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at Deir Al- Balah city in central Gaza Strip.
Maxim Shemetov / Reuters