huffpost--2020-05-10--Motherhood Thrust Me Into A New, Often Isolated Life. Then The World Joined Me.

When New York City went into lockdown in mid-March , my family was at the hospital , in the pediatric intensive care unit , where my 3-month-old son lay cradled in a makeshift nest of receiving blankets and tangles of cords atop a hospital bed .
For five days , I pumped milk at his bedside , let his little hand curl around my finger , and watched his oxygen levels as he battled a respiratory infection .
Prior to this hospital stay , I could have counted the hours I was outside our apartment after our son ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as everyone who could retreated into their homes , my baby and I — and my husband , until a new hospital policy limiting patient visitors was put into place — were forced out .
Despite this , there was a strange symmetry to the timing .
A medical crisis usually throws your life wildly out of sync with the world outside .
Instead , as Lauren Collins wrote in The New Yorker of grieving for her father amid a pandemic , the world had plunged into crisis parallel to ours .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fitted to our private misery , though they were unrelated .
My phone vibrated with texts from friends checking in , not because they had any reason to know our son was sick , but because everyone in New York was checking in on everyone they knew .
After he turned the corner and was slowly weaned off oxygen , we were sent home to the canned beans and granola bars I ’ d stocked up on the week before , in a fit of what I ’ d hoped was paranoia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a phlegmy cough ; we ’ d hover over him as he slept , trying to discern if he was working too hard to breathe , if he had to go back .
But he didn ’ t .
Instead , we eased into a new reality that was also my old reality : pacing the floors of our one-bedroom apartment , gazing out the window , imagining how nice it would be to take a walk or go to a café or even commute to our offices but making no move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I had been on maternity leave for three-and-a-half months .
For much of it , my husband had been traveling for work while I stayed home with a baby I was , deep down , rather terrified of .
I ’ d spent little time around babies before having one .
Everything he did surprised and unnerved me , from his silent glares to the way he ground my nipples between his gums , leaving them crushed and bloody .
He seemed fragile and perpetually on the verge of howling or needing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ routinely left the house with their babies , and I wanted to be among them , but it wasn ’ t quite clear to me how they did this .
Even after I made a few successful outings for walks or music classes , it seemed no less mysterious to me how I might repeat it .
Days and weeks passed without my ever breathing fresh air .
When I did leave , the apartment building being constructed across the street would have doubled in size .
I had the vertiginous sense that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as if I ’ d woken from what I thought was a nap only to discover I ’ d been asleep for weeks .
One day this past winter , desperate for a taste of the outside world , I strapped him to my chest and walked to a coffee shop nearby , ordered a salad , and sat down to eat .
Sensing that he was stirring , I began rocking violently in my seat , hoping to pacify him long enough to have my lunch .
I ate the entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By the time I finished my walk home , I was sweating in the February chill and I hadn ’ t enjoyed myself at all .
New motherhood and life amid a pandemic share so many similarities that , for me at least , they ’ ve bled together .
I haven ’ t set foot outside with a clear mind in five months ; every errand is fraught with anxiety and additional burdens ( the masks , the diapers , the sanitizer , the wriggly human ) .
I tense up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space , once , childishly , because I was afraid the baby would start screaming and draw glares and now , more rationally , because I ’ m afraid of contagion .
Bereft of its old markers , time continues to feel off-kilter .
Each day , an endless continuation of the day before , is spent in the same place and doing the same rote tasks .
We know this won ’ t last forever , but we also don ’ t know how to make plans for anything worth looking forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exactly when this state will end .
Leaving home to go to work , as many women must do soon after giving birth and as many essential workers must still do now , can be physically dangerous and emotionally devastating .
Maternity leave , like sheltering in place , is a privilege if not a vacation , a luxury that rarely feels luxurious .
It can be claustrophobic , isolating , enervating .
Ever since I gave birth , I ’ ve lived in sweatpants and stained tees .
When hair salons shut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months since my last haircut .
Because my mother died when I was very young , Mother ’ s Day has been a day of mourning for me for 20 years .
Like many with dead or bad moms , I ’ d twitch at suggestions to call , send flowers to or buy discounted perfume sets for a person who didn ’ t exist for me , the annual reminders of all I had lost .
I anticipated my first Mother ’ s Day as a mother perhaps too much ; for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ d spend the day happy and celebratory , in sync with the promotional emails and crowded brunch spots that mark the occasion .
Instead , it ’ s become a bit sadder for everyone .
Some are losing their mothers and grandmothers to COVID-19 .
Other moms are separated from their kids by social distancing requirements .
Still others are with them all the time , far more than they ever expected to be .
I ’ m writing this from the kitchen table in my small Brooklyn apartment .
My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; we ’ re sleep-training him and it ’ s naptime .
He hates naptime and I hate listening to him cry .
Every two hours , all day , I get up from my laptop , open Slack on my phone and curl up to nurse him on the couch .
In between , I struggle to focus on my work assignments and to bite my tongue when I ’ m tempted to weigh in on my husband ’ s parenting decisions .
I thought by now I ’ d be back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newsroom , attending meetings and wearing impractical outfits ( midi skirts !
dry-clean-only tops ! )
while he got his turn at solo parental bonding .
Instead , the expected separation has been put off to some unknowable date .
Another end date is knowable : Tomorrow , my husband goes back to work , and balancing care of our infant with our jobs will become doubly difficult .
But though new motherhood has so much in common with the bleakness of life in quarantine , it also contains within it the purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ windowsill gardens : Every day , my husband and I need to help a living thing grow .
The relentlessness of the task can feel inhumane , and yet each moment spent wiping a butt is a moment I can ’ t spend sinking into the couch , crushed by the weight of existence .
The other week , my son started laughing .
The timing could not have been better .

FREDY DELGADO JR. / HUFFPOST
When New York City went into lockdown in mid-March, my family was at the hospital, in the pediatric intensive care unit, where my 3-month-old son lay cradled in a makeshift nest of receiving blankets and tangles of cords atop a hospital bed. For five days, I pumped milk at his bedside, let his little hand curl around my finger, and watched his oxygen levels as he battled a respiratory infection.
Prior to this hospital stay, I could have counted the hours I was outside our apartment after our son’s birth on my fingers. Now, as everyone who could retreated into their homes, my baby and I — and my husband, until a new hospital policy limiting patient visitors was put into place — were forced out.
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Despite this, there was a strange symmetry to the timing. A medical crisis usually throws your life wildly out of sync with the world outside. Instead, as Lauren Collins wrote in The New Yorker of grieving for her father amid a pandemic, the world had plunged into crisis parallel to ours. The panic and upheaval throughout the city seemed fitted to our private misery, though they were unrelated. My phone vibrated with texts from friends checking in, not because they had any reason to know our son was sick, but because everyone in New York was checking in on everyone they knew.
After he turned the corner and was slowly weaned off oxygen, we were sent home to the canned beans and granola bars I’d stocked up on the week before, in a fit of what I’d hoped was paranoia. We stayed inside. Our son still had a phlegmy cough; we’d hover over him as he slept, trying to discern if he was working too hard to breathe, if he had to go back. But he didn’t. Instead, we eased into a new reality that was also my old reality: pacing the floors of our one-bedroom apartment, gazing out the window, imagining how nice it would be to take a walk or go to a café or even commute to our offices but making no move to do so.
At this point, I had been on maternity leave for three-and-a-half months. For much of it, my husband had been traveling for work while I stayed home with a baby I was, deep down, rather terrified of. I’d spent little time around babies before having one. Everything he did surprised and unnerved me, from his silent glares to the way he ground my nipples between his gums, leaving them crushed and bloody. He seemed fragile and perpetually on the verge of howling or needing a bottle. I knew other moms routinely left the house with their babies, and I wanted to be among them, but it wasn’t quite clear to me how they did this. Even after I made a few successful outings for walks or music classes, it seemed no less mysterious to me how I might repeat it. Days and weeks passed without my ever breathing fresh air. When I did leave, the apartment building being constructed across the street would have doubled in size. I had the vertiginous sense that time was moving at the wrong speed, as if I’d woken from what I thought was a nap only to discover I’d been asleep for weeks.
Advertisement
One day this past winter, desperate for a taste of the outside world, I strapped him to my chest and walked to a coffee shop nearby, ordered a salad, and sat down to eat. Sensing that he was stirring, I began rocking violently in my seat, hoping to pacify him long enough to have my lunch. I ate the entire salad that way, rocking and chewing. By the time I finished my walk home, I was sweating in the February chill and I hadn’t enjoyed myself at all.
I had expected becoming a mother to obliterate my old life, to thrust me into a different sort of existence, and it had. What I hadn’t expected was that the rest of the world would meet me there.
New motherhood and life amid a pandemic share so many similarities that, for me at least, they’ve bled together. I haven’t set foot outside with a clear mind in five months; every errand is fraught with anxiety and additional burdens (the masks, the diapers, the sanitizer, the wriggly human). I tense up at the prospect of entering a crowded space, once, childishly, because I was afraid the baby would start screaming and draw glares and now, more rationally, because I’m afraid of contagion. Bereft of its old markers, time continues to feel off-kilter. Each day, an endless continuation of the day before, is spent in the same place and doing the same rote tasks. We know this won’t last forever, but we also don’t know how to make plans for anything worth looking forward to because we don’t know exactly when this state will end.
Leaving home to go to work, as many women must do soon after giving birth and as many essential workers must still do now, can be physically dangerous and emotionally devastating. Maternity leave, like sheltering in place, is a privilege if not a vacation, a luxury that rarely feels luxurious. It can be claustrophobic, isolating, enervating. Ever since I gave birth, I’ve lived in sweatpants and stained tees. When hair salons shut down, it had already been five months since my last haircut.
Advertisement
Because my mother died when I was very young, Mother’s Day has been a day of mourning for me for 20 years. Like many with dead or bad moms, I’d twitch at suggestions to call, send flowers to or buy discounted perfume sets for a person who didn’t exist for me, the annual reminders of all I had lost. I anticipated my first Mother’s Day as a mother perhaps too much; for years, I expected that at last I’d spend the day happy and celebratory, in sync with the promotional emails and crowded brunch spots that mark the occasion. Instead, it’s become a bit sadder for everyone. Some are losing their mothers and grandmothers to COVID-19. Other moms are separated from their kids by social distancing requirements.
Still others are with them all the time, far more than they ever expected to be. I’m writing this from the kitchen table in my small Brooklyn apartment. My now-5-month-old son is wailing in the bedroom; we’re sleep-training him and it’s naptime. He hates naptime and I hate listening to him cry. Every two hours, all day, I get up from my laptop, open Slack on my phone and curl up to nurse him on the couch. In between, I struggle to focus on my work assignments and to bite my tongue when I’m tempted to weigh in on my husband’s parenting decisions. I thought by now I’d be back at the office, swanning about the newsroom, attending meetings and wearing impractical outfits (midi skirts! dry-clean-only tops!) while he got his turn at solo parental bonding. Instead, the expected separation has been put off to some unknowable date. Another end date is knowable: Tomorrow, my husband goes back to work, and balancing care of our infant with our jobs will become doubly difficult.
At times it feels like the worst possible timing. At times I fantasize about living through the pandemic as my old childless self — baking endless loaves of banana bread, tearing through Netflix and leaving bottles of red wine in my wake, retreating to bed for the weekend with a stack of novels, learning to sew masks.
But though new motherhood has so much in common with the bleakness of life in quarantine, it also contains within it the purpose many are finding in sourdough starters and windowsill gardens: Every day, my husband and I need to help a living thing grow. The relentlessness of the task can feel inhumane, and yet each moment spent wiping a butt is a moment I can’t spend sinking into the couch, crushed by the weight of existence. The other week, my son started laughing. The timing could not have been better.


huffpost--2020-05-11--While Trump Urges States To Reopen, White House Adopts New COVID-19 Precautions

The White House has enacted a slew of new precautions amid an outbreak of COVID-19 among West Wing staff .
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Sunday that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence , as well as every staff member in close contact with them , will now be tested daily for the coronavirus , USA Today reported .
Work areas in the White House will also undergo regular deep cleaning and social distancing guidelines will be enforced .
News of the enhanced cautionary measures comes after at least two administration aides ― Katie Miller , Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s personal valets ― tested positive for COVID-19 .
Three influential members of the White House coronavirus task force — Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert ; Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; and Dr. Stephen Hahn , the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration — also revealed over the weekend that they would partially quarantine themselves after coming into contact with an infected staff member .
`` Like other members of the White House staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask while at work .
On Thursday she was seen on television talking without a mask within a few feet of several reporters , all of whom were wearing one .
`` https : //t.co/DdlrgDRVkB — Rachel Maddow MSNBC ( @ maddow ) May 11 , 2020 Senior White House officials believe the coronavirus has already spread “ rapidly through the warren of cramped offices ” in the West Wing , The New York Times reported Sunday .
White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work.
” “ I think that I ’ d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing , ” he said , adding : “ I think that I ’ d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing .
But , you know , it ’ s the time when people have to step up and serve their country.
” WATCH : `` It is scary to go to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hassett tells @ margbrennan .
This week a White House staffer and an aide to @ VP Pence tested positive for # coronavirushttps : //t.co/meIIhwUVYj See more of Hassett 's interview on @ facethenation at 10:30 EST pic.twitter.com/5uZ6S9RwmL — Face The Nation ( @ FaceTheNation ) May 10 , 2020 Even Trump , who refuses to wear a mask or follow his own government ’ s guidelines on social distancing , has been unnerved by the recent infections in the West Wing .
A senior administration official told the paper that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is among those who serve him food , had not been wearing a mask.
” White House Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow , who was not wearing a mask , briefs masked reporters outside the White House on May 8 , 2020 .
Outwardly , however , Trump has downplayed the risks posed to the country by the coronavirus ― and has encouraged governors to reopen their states ’ economies as soon as possible .
During a visit last week to an Arizona factory where face masks are made , Trump ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said “ we have to get our country open , and we have to get it open soon .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The White House has enacted a slew of new precautions amid an outbreak of COVID-19 among West Wing staff.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Sunday that President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as every staff member in close contact with them, will now be tested daily for the coronavirus, USA Today reported. Work areas in the White House will also undergo regular deep cleaning and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.
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News of the enhanced cautionary measures comes after at least two administration aides ― Katie Miller, Pence’s spokesperson, and one of Trump’s personal valets ― tested positive for COVID-19.
Three influential members of the White House coronavirus task force — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert; Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration — also revealed over the weekend that they would partially quarantine themselves after coming into contact with an infected staff member.
"Like other members of the White House staff, Ms. Miller did not regularly wear a mask while at work. On Thursday she was seen on television talking without a mask within a few feet of several reporters, all of whom were wearing one."https://t.co/DdlrgDRVkB — Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) May 11, 2020
Senior White House officials believe the coronavirus has already spread “rapidly through the warren of cramped offices” in the West Wing, The New York Times reported Sunday.
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White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that it was “scary to go work.”
“I think that I’d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing,” he said, adding: “I think that I’d be a lot safer if I was sitting at home than I would be going to the West Wing. But, you know, it’s the time when people have to step up and serve their country.”
WATCH: "It is scary to go to work," @WhiteHouse Economic adviser Kevin Hassett tells @margbrennan. This week a White House staffer and an aide to @VP Pence tested positive for #coronavirushttps://t.co/meIIhwUVYj
See more of Hassett's interview on @facethenation at 10:30 EST pic.twitter.com/5uZ6S9RwmL — Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 10, 2020
Even Trump, who refuses to wear a mask or follow his own government’s guidelines on social distancing, has been unnerved by the recent infections in the West Wing.
A senior administration official told the paper that the president was “spooked that his valet, who is among those who serve him food, had not been wearing a mask.”
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White House Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow, who was not wearing a mask, briefs masked reporters outside the White House on May 8, 2020. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
Outwardly, however, Trump has downplayed the risks posed to the country by the coronavirus ― and has encouraged governors to reopen their states’ economies as soon as possible.
During a visit last week to an Arizona factory where face masks are made, Trump ― who was not wearing a mask ― said “we have to get our country open, and we have to get it open soon.”


huffpost--2020-04-18--15 Movie Musicals That Will Brighten Your Dimming Spirit

Judy Garland will , of course , always be associated with “ The Wizard of Oz.
” One of the less-heralded gems in her cinematic oeuvre , however , is 1946′s “ The Harvey Girls.
” This delightfully campy Western fantasia gives us a showstopper in the exuberant “ On the Atchison , Topeka and the Santa Fe , ” which won an Oscar for Best Song .
There ’ s also a 20-year-old Angela Lansbury as a “ dancehall girl ” from a local brothel , and even an Emerald City reunion of sorts between Garland and Ray Bolger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oz.
” ― Curtis M. Wong No movie can brighten my mood and lift my spirits when I ’ m feeling down in mere seconds the way that “ Singin ’ in the Rain ” does .
This movie has everything : that famous MGM technicolor gloss , amazing set pieces , Gene Kelly ’ s effortlessly beautiful dancing , and Debbie Reynolds in her first big role in a major musical .
Every single song in this movie — and I mean EVERY single song — is a banger .
From “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to the titular song , every time a new number starts the attention to detail and the art of pure spectacle and scale is unmatched .
This movie is funny and sweet and sad in all the right places and , even at almost 70 years old , it still holds up .
― Zeba Blay “ Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ” ( 1954 ) I need to preface this recommendation by saying that it is … a problematic fave , to say the least .
The plot of “ Seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet if you saw it as a kid , like I did , you are probably still enraptured by it .
It ’ s about seven “ scroungy backwoodsmen ” out West and the women they fall in love with .
The songs are beautiful and catchy , and it contains one of the most exquisite extended dance scenes I ’ ve ever seen .
― Emma Gray If Julie Andrews hadn ’ t already been note-perfect in “ Mary Poppins ” and “ The Sound of Music , ” perhaps more praise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Victor/Victoria.
” Directed by Andrews ’ husband Blake Edwards , the movie is an entertaining , genre-defying farce that , for its time , was also forward-thinking when it came to queer characters and themes .
Andrews ’ thrilling performance of “ Le Jazz Hot ” ranks alongside “ My Favorite Things ” ( from “ The Sound of Music ” ) as a sparkling musical achievement in cinema .
― Curtis M. Wong This made-for-TV movie , directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen , was adapted from Eleanor H. Porter ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starred Keshia Knight-Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad .
The film follows orphan Polly Whittier who visits her well-to-do aunt in Harrington , Alabama , in the 1950s .
Polly brings the small , segregated town together with her sunny disposition and , well , it ’ s also a bit of a tear-jerker at the very end .
We played the VHS tape ad nauseam in my home in the ’ 90s , and I still know the words to all nine of the 100-minute movie ’ s musical numbers .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really needs to get it together and add it to the service .
― Erin E. Evans “ The Five Heartbeats ” is , quite simply , a classic .
The 10-song movie musical follows a Motown-inspired R & B group over three decades as the group members — portrayed by Robert Townsend , Michael Wright , Harry Lennix , Leon and Tico Wells — make hit records , battle alcohol and substance abuse , and face turbulent moments in their relationships .
Townsend , who starred and directed the film , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make , taking more than three years and 10,000 actor auditions before it was finally released in theaters .
But it was all worth it , of course .
I ’ ve watched this movie more than a dozen times and seeing Eddie King Jr. drunkenly sing “ Nights Like This ” never gets old .
― Erin E. Evans Although the 1962 film is a classic , I tend to go for the Bette Midler-lead version of “ Gypsy , ” as it reminds me of quality time spent with my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ musical theater .
It tells the story of Louise ( Elisabeth Moss/Cynthia Gibb ) , a girl who ’ s mostly ignored by her domineering stage mother Rose ( Midler ) as she focuses her energy on making younger sister June ( Lacey Chabert/Jennifer Rae Beck ) a vaudeville star .
But when June gets sick of show business , Mama Rose is left with Louise , who eventually proves her worth in the burlesque world under the pseudonym Gypsy Rose Lee .
If there ’ s anyone who can belt out a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Midler , whose rendition of the song “ Rose ’ s Turn ” is one to remember .
― Leigh Blickley Less traditional than most musicals on this list , Todd Haynes ’ subversive 1998 glam-rock fantasia borrowed from the lives of David Bowie , Iggy Pop , Lou Reed and Oscar Wilde to create a carnal circus that celebrates and critiques pop mythology .
The costume design alone , with its sequined glint and colorful quirk , is electrifying , and the soundtrack pays homage to underground ’ 70s music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Youth and The Stooges .
Plus , the cast is a who ’ s who of future movie-star royalty , from Ewan McGregor and Christian Bale to Toni Collette and Jonathan Rhys Meyers .
― Matthew Jacobs “ Carmen : A Hip-Hopera ” is arguably the best musical that doesn ’ t take itself too seriously to watch at a time like this .
Directed by Robert Townsend , it marries Georges Bizet ’ s 1875 “ Carmen ” and the world of hip-hop to deliver a star-studded yet kitschy romance .
Sgt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is seduced by a young , aspiring actress , Carmen ( Beyoncé ) , who convinces him to move to Los Angeles after he ruins his engagement , gets fired from his job and gets arrested .
The musical is filled with bops to sing along to , but the highlight is Bey ’ s iconic sing-rapping in the “ If Looks Could Kill You ’ d Be Dead ” number .
― Taryn Finley Neil Patrick Harris was absolutely delightful in the 2014 Broadway incarnation of this musical , but John Cameron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Songs like “ The Origin of Love ” and “ Wicked Little Town ” all tug at the heartstrings and could make this movie worthwhile viewing on their own .
But by today ’ s standards , it ’ s also easy to forget how subversive the film was in featuring a gender-fluid heroine at its center .
― Curtis M. Wong So you ’ ve exhausted all the award-winning , critically hailed movie musicals and you ’ re left wondering : Shouldn ’ t these all star the premiere vocalist of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , let it be known that a little film called “ Raise Your Voice ” exists , and the story a small-town girl attending the performing arts school of her dreams is the perfect quarantine watch .
The movie features the most emotionally complex turn of Duff ’ s early-aughts oeuvre ― “ Cinderella Story ” please take SEVERAL seats ― as she grapples with finding her ( you guessed it ) voice after the tragic death of her brother .
It ’ s an ultimately uplifting tearjerker that hits almost all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Duff ’ s mom , and John Corbett plays her eccentric music teacher , so literally what are you waiting for ?
― Cole Delbyck Keira Knightley starring in a movie set in this century sans corset doesn ’ t happen very often .
But one in which she sings and plays guitar , much to the delight of a scruffy Mark Ruffalo , makes “ Begin Again ” a must see .
The John Carney-directed film didn ’ t make much of an impact when it was released in theaters back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a feel-good movie that ’ s not overly saccharine and features some genuinely well-written ( and Oscar-nominated ! )
songs .
The film captures the polarities of living New York City , a place that can make you feel all alone or at the center of the universe , as Knightley and Ruffalo ’ s characters set out to record an album in various public places around town .
For the remaining Maroon 5 fans out there , Adam Levine also stars as Knightley ’ s pop star ex and is an unexpected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Begin Again ” was released , Carney disparaged Knightley ’ s performance , so watch it in her honor because in this household we do not tolerate SLANDER .
― Cole Delbyck

It’s been a long few weeks in coronavirus isolation.
“Words fail,” I say as I sip my fourth cup of coffee and look out the window, thinking, “It’s quiet uptown.” I grab another pair of leggings and a T-shirt I’ve had for far too many years to change into.
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Thank God for musicals. Show tunes have helped me through these dark days, which might last a little longer than some of us initially thought. So, since we can’t physically head to Broadway, why not stream some magic through our living room screens?
In this list, HuffPost culture reporters share their picks for movie musicals that will have you smiling, singing and perhaps dancing through the pandemic, until we attempt to go “back to before.”
“Meet Me In St. Louis” (1944)
Two words: Judy. Garland. If that alone isn’t enough to sway you, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” set in St. Louis right before the 1904 World’s Fair, is full of beautiful period costumes, and enduring songs like “The Trolley Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” But, again: Judy Freaking Garland.
― Emma Gray
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Available to watch (with commercial breaks) on the TVTime smartTV app, or rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime.
“The Harvey Girls” (1946)
Judy Garland will, of course, always be associated with “The Wizard of Oz.” One of the less-heralded gems in her cinematic oeuvre, however, is 1946′s “The Harvey Girls.” This delightfully campy Western fantasia gives us a showstopper in the exuberant “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” which won an Oscar for Best Song. There’s also a 20-year-old Angela Lansbury as a “dancehall girl” from a local brothel, and even an Emerald City reunion of sorts between Garland and Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow in “Oz.”
― Curtis M. Wong
Available for rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime.
“Singin’ in the Rain” (1952)
No movie can brighten my mood and lift my spirits when I’m feeling down in mere seconds the way that “Singin’ in the Rain” does. This movie has everything: that famous MGM technicolor gloss, amazing set pieces, Gene Kelly’s effortlessly beautiful dancing, and Debbie Reynolds in her first big role in a major musical. Every single song in this movie — and I mean EVERY single song — is a banger. From “Good Morning” to “Moses Supposes” to the titular song, every time a new number starts the attention to detail and the art of pure spectacle and scale is unmatched. This movie is funny and sweet and sad in all the right places and, even at almost 70 years old, it still holds up.
― Zeba Blay
Available for rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime.
“Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (1954)
I need to preface this recommendation by saying that it is … a problematic fave, to say the least. The plot of “Seven Brides” is rife with misogyny, yet if you saw it as a kid, like I did, you are probably still enraptured by it. It’s about seven “scroungy backwoodsmen” out West and the women they fall in love with. The songs are beautiful and catchy, and it contains one of the most exquisite extended dance scenes I’ve ever seen.
― Emma Gray
Available to rent on Apple TV, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime.
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“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964)
Jacques Demy’s gorgeous French ballad was inspired by Hollywood’s Technicolor musicals, painting a vivid but bittersweet portrait of an ill-fated romance. The 1964 classic launched Catherine Deneuve’s career, inspired “La La Land” and remains one of the most handsomely designed productions ever committed to film. If you need a gentle cry, this is your jam.
― Matthew Jacobs
Available to watch on Criterion Channel, or rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes and Amazon Prime.
“Victor/Victoria” (1982)
If Julie Andrews hadn’t already been note-perfect in “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music,” perhaps more praise would be heaped on the woefully overlooked “Victor/Victoria.” Directed by Andrews’ husband Blake Edwards, the movie is an entertaining, genre-defying farce that, for its time, was also forward-thinking when it came to queer characters and themes. Andrews’ thrilling performance of “Le Jazz Hot” ranks alongside “My Favorite Things” (from “The Sound of Music”) as a sparkling musical achievement in cinema.
― Curtis M. Wong
Available for rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime.
“Polly” (1989)
This made-for-TV movie, directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen, was adapted from Eleanor H. Porter’s book “Pollyanna,” and starred Keshia Knight-Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad. The film follows orphan Polly Whittier who visits her well-to-do aunt in Harrington, Alabama, in the 1950s. Polly brings the small, segregated town together with her sunny disposition and, well, it’s also a bit of a tear-jerker at the very end. We played the VHS tape ad nauseam in my home in the ’90s, and I still know the words to all nine of the 100-minute movie’s musical numbers. It’s streaming on YouTube, but Disney Plus really needs to get it together and add it to the service.
― Erin E. Evans
Available on YouTube.
“The Five Heartbeats” (1991)
“The Five Heartbeats” is, quite simply, a classic. The 10-song movie musical follows a Motown-inspired R&B group over three decades as the group members — portrayed by Robert Townsend, Michael Wright, Harry Lennix, Leon and Tico Wells — make hit records, battle alcohol and substance abuse, and face turbulent moments in their relationships. Townsend, who starred and directed the film, said it was a “rollercoaster ride” to make, taking more than three years and 10,000 actor auditions before it was finally released in theaters. But it was all worth it, of course. I’ve watched this movie more than a dozen times and seeing Eddie King Jr. drunkenly sing “Nights Like This” never gets old.
― Erin E. Evans
Available on Hulu, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes and Amazon Prime.
“Gypsy” (1993)
Although the 1962 film is a classic, I tend to go for the Bette Midler-lead version of “Gypsy,” as it reminds me of quality time spent with my mom, who sparked my love of musical theater. It tells the story of Louise (Elisabeth Moss/Cynthia Gibb), a girl who’s mostly ignored by her domineering stage mother Rose (Midler) as she focuses her energy on making younger sister June (Lacey Chabert/Jennifer Rae Beck) a vaudeville star. But when June gets sick of show business, Mama Rose is left with Louise, who eventually proves her worth in the burlesque world under the pseudonym Gypsy Rose Lee. If there’s anyone who can belt out a hit while commanding the screen, it’s Midler, whose rendition of the song “Rose’s Turn” is one to remember.
― Leigh Blickley
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Available to watch on Vudu or with an Amazon Prime subscription, and for rent on YouTube, Google Play and iTunes.
“Velvet Goldmine” (1998)
Less traditional than most musicals on this list, Todd Haynes’ subversive 1998 glam-rock fantasia borrowed from the lives of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Oscar Wilde to create a carnal circus that celebrates and critiques pop mythology. The costume design alone, with its sequined glint and colorful quirk, is electrifying, and the soundtrack pays homage to underground ’70s music by way of Thom Yorke, Sonic Youth and The Stooges. Plus, the cast is a who’s who of future movie-star royalty, from Ewan McGregor and Christian Bale to Toni Collette and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
― Matthew Jacobs
Available for rent on YouTube, Good Play, Vudu, iTunes and Amazon Prime.
“Carmen: A Hip-Hopera” (2001)
“Carmen: A Hip-Hopera” is arguably the best musical that doesn’t take itself too seriously to watch at a time like this. Directed by Robert Townsend, it marries Georges Bizet’s 1875 “Carmen” and the world of hip-hop to deliver a star-studded yet kitschy romance. Sgt. Derek Hill (Mekhi Phifer) is seduced by a young, aspiring actress, Carmen (Beyoncé), who convinces him to move to Los Angeles after he ruins his engagement, gets fired from his job and gets arrested. The musical is filled with bops to sing along to, but the highlight is Bey’s iconic sing-rapping in the “If Looks Could Kill You’d Be Dead” number.
― Taryn Finley
Available for rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes or Amazon Prime.
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001)
Neil Patrick Harris was absolutely delightful in the 2014 Broadway incarnation of this musical, but John Cameron Mitchell will always be the definitive Hedwig. Songs like “The Origin of Love” and “Wicked Little Town” all tug at the heartstrings and could make this movie worthwhile viewing on their own. But by today’s standards, it’s also easy to forget how subversive the film was in featuring a gender-fluid heroine at its center.
― Curtis M. Wong
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Available for rent on YouTube, Google Play, iTunes or Amazon Prime.
“Chicago” (2002)
There’s no denying the talent in this film adaptation of “Chicago.” Renee Zellweger. Catherine Zeta-Jones. John C. Reilly. Queen Latifah. Taye Diggs. Richard Gere! When the movie hit theaters nearly 18 years ago it was a bonafide hit, earning $306.7 million worldwide and six Oscars, including Best Picture. The story about two death-row murderesses who develop a fierce rivalry is such a crowd pleaser and features some of the best musical numbers caught on film. Zellweger and Zeta-Jones stun in a cellblock tango very much worth the watch.
― Leigh Blickley
Available with Hulu and Amazon Prime subscriptions, or for rent on Google Play, YouTube, Vudu and iTunes.
“Raise Your Voice” (2004)
So you’ve exhausted all the award-winning, critically hailed movie musicals and you’re left wondering: Shouldn’t these all star the premiere vocalist of our times, Hilary Duff? Well, let it be known that a little film called “Raise Your Voice” exists, and the story a small-town girl attending the performing arts school of her dreams is the perfect quarantine watch. The movie features the most emotionally complex turn of Duff’s early-aughts oeuvre ― “Cinderella Story” please take SEVERAL seats ― as she grapples with finding her (you guessed it) voice after the tragic death of her brother. It’s an ultimately uplifting tearjerker that hits almost all the right notes. Rita Wilson also stars as Duff’s mom, and John Corbett plays her eccentric music teacher, so literally what are you waiting for?
― Cole Delbyck
Available for rent on YouTube, Google Play, Vudu and iTunes and Amazon Prime.
“Begin Again” (2013)
Keira Knightley starring in a movie set in this century sans corset doesn’t happen very often. But one in which she sings and plays guitar, much to the delight of a scruffy Mark Ruffalo, makes “Begin Again” a must see. The John Carney-directed film didn’t make much of an impact when it was released in theaters back in 2013, but it’s a feel-good movie that’s not overly saccharine and features some genuinely well-written (and Oscar-nominated!) songs. The film captures the polarities of living New York City, a place that can make you feel all alone or at the center of the universe, as Knightley and Ruffalo’s characters set out to record an album in various public places around town. For the remaining Maroon 5 fans out there, Adam Levine also stars as Knightley’s pop star ex and is an unexpected bright spot in the film. After “Begin Again” was released, Carney disparaged Knightley’s performance, so watch it in her honor because in this household we do not tolerate SLANDER.
― Cole Delbyck


huffpost--2020-04-27--South Korea Maintains Kim Jong Un Health Rumors Are Untrue

SEOUL , South Korea ( AP ) — A top South Korean official said his country remains confident there have been no “ unusual developments ” in North Korea , suggesting that rumors about the possible ill health of leader Kim Jong Un are untrue .
Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told a closed-door forum in Seoul on Sunday that South Korea has “ enough intelligence to confidently say that there are no unusual developments ” in rival North Korea that would back up speculation about Kim Jong Un ’ s health , according to his ministry .
The minister said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led to that conclusion , but stressed that it had undergone a complex analysis .
The rumors about Kim ’ s health began to swirl after he missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather , North Korea founder Kim Il Sung .
Kim Jong Un is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea , and he hadn ’ t missed the event , one of the most important in the North , since assuming power after his father Kim Jong Il ’ s death in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s comments are a reiteration of earlier South Korean statements that Kim Jong Un appeared to be handling state affairs normally and that no unusual activities had been detected in North Korea .
Those comments failed to dispel the rumors about Kim , which have been fed by the silence of North Korea ’ s state media about their leader ’ s whereabouts .
As the absolute leader of a country with a nuclear weapons program , Kim ’ s health is matter of intense interest both regionally and globally .
If something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts say it could lead to instability in North Korea .
South Korea ’ s presidential office earlier said it has information that Kim has been staying out of Pyongyang , North Korea ’ s capital , and that there had been no emergency readiness order issued by the North ’ s military or the ruling Workers ’ Party that likely would have been made if Kim were truly in serious condition .
On Monday , South Korean President Moon Jae-in repeated an offer to conduct some inter-Korean cooperation projects such as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he will strive for mutual prosperity “ based on confidence between Chairman Kim and me and our firm resolve to ( achieve ) peace.
” Monday is the second anniversary of Moon ’ s first summit with Kim at the Korean border village of Panmunjom .
Satellite photos released Saturday by 38 North , a website specializing in North Korea studies , showed that a train likely belonging to Kim has been parked at his compound on the country ’ s east coast since last week .
“ The train ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health , but it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country ’ s eastern coast , ” 38 North said .

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A top South Korean official said his country remains confident there have been no “unusual developments” in North Korea, suggesting that rumors about the possible ill health of leader Kim Jong Un are untrue.
Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told a closed-door forum in Seoul on Sunday that South Korea has “enough intelligence to confidently say that there are no unusual developments” in rival North Korea that would back up speculation about Kim Jong Un’s health, according to his ministry.
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The minister said he would not reveal what specific intelligence led to that conclusion, but stressed that it had undergone a complex analysis.
The rumors about Kim’s health began to swirl after he missed the April 15 commemoration of the 108th birthday of his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung. Kim Jong Un is the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, and he hadn’t missed the event, one of the most important in the North, since assuming power after his father Kim Jong Il’s death in late 2011.
The unification minister’s comments are a reiteration of earlier South Korean statements that Kim Jong Un appeared to be handling state affairs normally and that no unusual activities had been detected in North Korea. Those comments failed to dispel the rumors about Kim, which have been fed by the silence of North Korea’s state media about their leader’s whereabouts.
As the absolute leader of a country with a nuclear weapons program, Kim’s health is matter of intense interest both regionally and globally. If something were to happen to Kim, some experts say it could lead to instability in North Korea.
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South Korea’s presidential office earlier said it has information that Kim has been staying out of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, and that there had been no emergency readiness order issued by the North’s military or the ruling Workers’ Party that likely would have been made if Kim were truly in serious condition.
On Monday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in repeated an offer to conduct some inter-Korean cooperation projects such as a joint anti-coronavirus quarantine campaign. Moon also said he will strive for mutual prosperity “based on confidence between Chairman Kim and me and our firm resolve to (achieve) peace.”
Monday is the second anniversary of Moon’s first summit with Kim at the Korean border village of Panmunjom.
Satellite photos released Saturday by 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea studies, showed that a train likely belonging to Kim has been parked at his compound on the country’s east coast since last week.


huffpost--2020-04-27--1-Eyed Squirrel With Instagram Account Is Returned To Nature

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries took Willamina the squirrel from Emily Istre of Lafayette on Thursday , the Acadiana Advocate reported .
Istre created an Instagram account for the squirrel , @ one_eyed_willa , and posted images of it eating off a plate , snuggling with her or hanging out in an elaborate indoor treehouse .
In videos , she sings a lullaby to it and does yoga while the squirrel scampers underneath .
The account gained more than 1,600 followers , but she found that caring for a baby squirrel is exhausting : “ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Istre told the newspaper .
Istre said she started caring for the baby squirrel in mid-March , after her mother found it alone in her backyard , dehydrated and with an infected eye .
She tried to contact the state wildlife agency and people who rehabilitate squirrels through a list on the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries website , but with coronavirus restrictions shutting things down , she said she got no response .
So she did online research about how to care for the animal , and things took off from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biologist and permits coordinator for Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries , said it is illegal for anybody to rehabilitate wildlife without getting a permit through the agency .
Collins said the agency remains in operation during COVID-19 restrictions .
Collins did not comment specifically on Istre ’ s situation but told the newspaper that people with good intentions often “ intervene unnecessarily , removing what appears to be injured/orphaned wildlife ” from nature .
In comments on her Instagram account , Istra said Willamina has been placed with a wildlife rehab specialist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who truly adores animals.
” She said the squirrel will be released on a private property with nesting boxes and trail cameras .
Istre said she does not believe in trying to domesticate wild animals , but she believes this situation was unique .
She also said caring for a squirrel is nonstop work .
“ It takes a lot of patience .
She makes a big mess .
I ’ m constantly cleaning .
Constantly .
I don ’ t want people to think this is a normal thing or something to @ @ @ @

Emily Istre, of Lafayette, La., holds a squirrel she named Willamina. Joey Morvant via AP
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A one-eyed squirrel that gained a social media following is being returned to nature.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries took Willamina the squirrel from Emily Istre of Lafayette on Thursday, the Acadiana Advocate reported.
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Istre created an Instagram account for the squirrel, @one_eyed_willa, and posted images of it eating off a plate, snuggling with her or hanging out in an elaborate indoor treehouse. In videos, she sings a lullaby to it and does yoga while the squirrel scampers underneath.
The account gained more than 1,600 followers, but she found that caring for a baby squirrel is exhausting: “It’s like having a toddler on meth,” Istre told the newspaper.
Istre said she started caring for the baby squirrel in mid-March, after her mother found it alone in her backyard, dehydrated and with an infected eye. She tried to contact the state wildlife agency and people who rehabilitate squirrels through a list on the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries website, but with coronavirus restrictions shutting things down, she said she got no response.
So she did online research about how to care for the animal, and things took off from there.
Melissa Collins, a wildlife biologist and permits coordinator for Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, said it is illegal for anybody to rehabilitate wildlife without getting a permit through the agency. Collins said the agency remains in operation during COVID-19 restrictions.
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Collins did not comment specifically on Istre’s situation but told the newspaper that people with good intentions often “intervene unnecessarily, removing what appears to be injured/orphaned wildlife” from nature.
In comments on her Instagram account, Istra said Willamina has been placed with a wildlife rehab specialist she described as “a WONDERFUL WOMAN who truly adores animals.” She said the squirrel will be released on a private property with nesting boxes and trail cameras.
Istre said she does not believe in trying to domesticate wild animals, but she believes this situation was unique. She also said caring for a squirrel is nonstop work.


huffpost--2020-04-27--Trump's Focus On His Base Amid Coronavirus Crisis Complicates Path To Reelection

While the coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 54,000 Americans , eliminated more than 20 million jobs and dashed the routines of daily life for nearly everyone , Trump has leveled attacks on Democrats .
He ’ s blamed former President Barack Obama ’ s team for his own administration ’ s failures , picked fights with reporters and thrown rhetorical bombs meant to thrill his hardcore supporters .
During a particularly rough stretch last week , Trump pledged to bar foreigners from entering the country .
The executive order Trump ultimately signed was less severe than he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a chance to highlight action on an issue that ’ s central to his political brand .
Four years after Trump captured the White House by perfectly threading narrow victories in critical battleground states , he is betting that a relentless focus on his base will yield a repeat performance .
It ’ s a risky strategy because Trump ’ s standing in some of those states shows signs of weakening .
And there ’ s little evidence to suggest he has significantly broadened his appeal in other places to offset those vulnerabilities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frankly , because part of being the president is to rise above , to ignore certain things , ” said Ari Fleischer , who served as White House press secretary under President George W. Bush , whose lukewarm approval ratings soared after his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks .
“ And I think at a time like this he should leave a lot of the gauntlets on the ground and rise above .
But that ’ s not him.
” Fleischer said that , while the virus puts limits on the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political environment is far more polarized today than it was in the early 2000s , Trump ’ s White House could be appealing to the country as a whole with events honoring doctors , nurses and front-line workers that “ send helpful , meaningful signals that we are one nation and we can play a meaningful part.
” Other Republicans , however , believe Trump is playing it right .
Stephen Bannon , the president ’ s former chief strategist , believes 2020 is a “ base election ” year and thinks Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ new nationalism ” born in the wake of a pandemic that began in China .
He predicted Americans would rally around their president during a period of crisis .
Trump ’ s approval rating has remained remarkably steady over the course of his presidency , with about 42 % of poll respondents saying they approve of the job he ’ s doing as president , according to a new The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research .
That ’ s even as many question the veracity of his statements and believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough during the crisis .
But the coronavirus has threatened to rewrite the Electoral College map , and Trump ’ s campaign has become concerned about losing support in several key swing states , particularly Florida and Wisconsin .
Some advisers have all but written off Michigan , which Trump captured in 2016 by fewer than 11,000 votes .
He is now locked in a feud with the state ’ s Democratic governor .
Trump campaign officials who requested anonymity to describe campaign strategy stressed that the election is still six months away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted polls can be be wrong or change , especially if the pandemic wanes or the economy rebounds .
And they said the campaign believes that voters will credit Trump for the strong economy before the pandemic hit , even as they have expressed worry that he could be pushing to open things too quickly and that any resulting deaths will not be forgiven by voters in November .
Jason Miller , communications director for Trump ’ s 2016 campaign , countered that last week ’ s immigration executive order may appeal to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was also aimed at helping African Americans , Hispanics , women and immigrants already in the U.S. legally who typically hold lower-wage jobs at a higher percentage than those in what is typically viewed as the president ’ s base .
Trump ’ s campaign has been trying to chip away at Democrats ’ advantage with those demographic groups , even as advocates counter that minority immigrants will suffer by being prevented from having their parents and other family members join them in the country .
Miller also defended the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a time of national crisis , arguing that some fights are worth picking and that Trump will be judged , not on his daily briefings , but on how the country eventually recovers from the crisis .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — During times of war and strife, national leaders often aim to unite a broken country and, in the process, broaden their appeal beyond their most loyal supporters. Not President Donald Trump.
Confronting a pandemic that has upended his presidency and threatened his reelection prospects, Trump has focused almost exclusively on tending to his base.
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While the coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 54,000 Americans, eliminated more than 20 million jobs and dashed the routines of daily life for nearly everyone, Trump has leveled attacks on Democrats. He’s blamed former President Barack Obama’s team for his own administration’s failures, picked fights with reporters and thrown rhetorical bombs meant to thrill his hardcore supporters.
During a particularly rough stretch last week, Trump pledged to bar foreigners from entering the country. The executive order Trump ultimately signed was less severe than he suggested, but it still gave him a chance to highlight action on an issue that’s central to his political brand.
Four years after Trump captured the White House by perfectly threading narrow victories in critical battleground states, he is betting that a relentless focus on his base will yield a repeat performance. It’s a risky strategy because Trump’s standing in some of those states shows signs of weakening. And there’s little evidence to suggest he has significantly broadened his appeal in other places to offset those vulnerabilities.
The pandemic hasn’t changed that.
“It drives me crazy, frankly, because part of being the president is to rise above, to ignore certain things,” said Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, whose lukewarm approval ratings soared after his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks. “And I think at a time like this he should leave a lot of the gauntlets on the ground and rise above. But that’s not him.”
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Fleischer said that, while the virus puts limits on the president’s ability to travel and the political environment is far more polarized today than it was in the early 2000s, Trump’s White House could be appealing to the country as a whole with events honoring doctors, nurses and front-line workers that “send helpful, meaningful signals that we are one nation and we can play a meaningful part.”
Other modern presidents have looked to transcend partisan boundaries at a time of crisis or tragedy, including Bill Clinton in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Ronald Reagan after the Challenger space shuttle explosion and Lyndon Johnson after John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
“I’m surprised the administration isn’t doing this as well,” Fleischer said.
Other Republicans, however, believe Trump is playing it right. Stephen Bannon, the president’s former chief strategist, believes 2020 is a “base election” year and thinks Trump can broaden his support because of a “new nationalism” born in the wake of a pandemic that began in China. He predicted Americans would rally around their president during a period of crisis.
“Trump is a wartime president,” Bannon said.
Trump’s approval rating has remained remarkably steady over the course of his presidency, with about 42% of poll respondents saying they approve of the job he’s doing as president, according to a new The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s even as many question the veracity of his statements and believe he is not listening to health experts enough during the crisis.
But the coronavirus has threatened to rewrite the Electoral College map, and Trump’s campaign has become concerned about losing support in several key swing states, particularly Florida and Wisconsin. Some advisers have all but written off Michigan, which Trump captured in 2016 by fewer than 11,000 votes. He is now locked in a feud with the state’s Democratic governor.
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In former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump faces a presumptive Democratic nominee whose promises of across-the-aisle outreach and pragmatic, experienced-based management may play well in several battlegrounds states. That includes Arizona, which has a vast suburban population uneasy with the constant Trump drama, tweets and base plays.
“People are going to look for stability,” said Doug Cole, a veteran Republican operative in Arizona who worked on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. “Biden can capitalize on that.”
Trump campaign officials who requested anonymity to describe campaign strategy stressed that the election is still six months away, an eternity in politics. They noted polls can be be wrong or change, especially if the pandemic wanes or the economy rebounds. And they said the campaign believes that voters will credit Trump for the strong economy before the pandemic hit, even as they have expressed worry that he could be pushing to open things too quickly and that any resulting deaths will not be forgiven by voters in November.
But there are warning signs. Several Republicans who mimicked Trump’s 2016 strategy by focusing on immigration failed to win congressional or governors’ races.
“Whatever impact it has in boosting turnout among core supporters, it boosts the backlash vote even more,” said Frank Sharry, the executive director of the liberal immigration advocacy group America’s Voice.
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He noted the 2017 Virginia’s governor’s race, in which GOP nominee Ed Gillespie tried to feather candidate Ralph Northam with ads on immigration. The strategy backfired, as it did in many 2018 midterm races.
Jason Miller, communications director for Trump’s 2016 campaign, countered that last week’s immigration executive order may appeal to the base. But he said it was also aimed at helping African Americans, Hispanics, women and immigrants already in the U.S. legally who typically hold lower-wage jobs at a higher percentage than those in what is typically viewed as the president’s base.
Trump’s campaign has been trying to chip away at Democrats’ advantage with those demographic groups, even as advocates counter that minority immigrants will suffer by being prevented from having their parents and other family members join them in the country.
Miller also defended the president’s refusal to put petty political riffs aside at a time of national crisis, arguing that some fights are worth picking and that Trump will be judged, not on his daily briefings, but on how the country eventually recovers from the crisis.
“He is bringing the country together with determinative action and results,” he said.
___
Lemire reported from New York. Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
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Follow Colvin and Lemire on Twtter at https://twitter.com/colvinj and https://twitter.com/JonLemire.
___


huffpost--2020-04-27--Mama Leopard Stops Traffic To Teach Her Mewling Cubs How To Cross The Road

Footage from South Africa shows a leopard giving her cubs one of the most important lessons in a busy national park : how to cross the road .
The clip shows the leopard stepping onto the road at Kruger National Park to ensure the scene was safe .
Then , once she determined no threat , the big cat fetched her two cubs .
But one of the cubs needed a little more help than the other and cried out for its mother , as seen in the footage posted online by Latest Sightings : “ This was an extremely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t often get to see a leopard mother relocate her cubs when they are still so young , ” Thinus Delport , who filmed the scene , told Latest Sightings .
It ’ s so rare that Delport said he ’ s never seen it in more than 50 years of visiting the park .
“ This just came to show that patience really does pay off , ” he said .
Although the footage was posted last week , it ’ s not clear when it was filmed as the park has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic .
“ This video is in honor of all the animals that are locked up in cages when they should be in the wild , ” Latest Sightings wrote in the description after a not-so-veiled reference to the caged cats of the Netflix series , “ Tiger King .
”

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Footage from South Africa shows a leopard giving her cubs one of the most important lessons in a busy national park: how to cross the road.
The clip shows the leopard stepping onto the road at Kruger National Park to ensure the scene was safe. Then, once she determined no threat, the big cat fetched her two cubs.
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But one of the cubs needed a little more help than the other and cried out for its mother, as seen in the footage posted online by Latest Sightings.
“This was an extremely rare sighting, and you don’t often get to see a leopard mother relocate her cubs when they are still so young,” Thinus Delport, who filmed the scene, told Latest Sightings.
It’s so rare that Delport said he’s never seen it in more than 50 years of visiting the park.
“This just came to show that patience really does pay off,” he said.
Although the footage was posted last week, it’s not clear when it was filmed as the park has been closed to tourists due to the coronavirus pandemic.


huffpost--2020-06-09--Provincetown, Long A Haven For Outsiders, Debates How Wide To Open Its Doors This Summer

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images A biker rides down Commercial Street on May 25 , 2020 , in Provincetown .
Massachusetts has @ @ @ @ @ reopening after the coronavirus shutdown , with restaurants , lodging and retail allowed to operate @ @ @ @ @ The Intimacy Of Provincetown Is Deadly This Season ’ Right In The Coronavirus Bullseye

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. ― Rob Anderson needs to earn $2 million in the next 12 weeks.
Normally, that would be an unremarkable achievement for the co-owner of the Canteen, a popular counter-service restaurant in Provincetown. During a typical summer, as many as 65,000 people fly, ferry or drive 60 miles along the hooked peninsula of Cape Cod to arrive at this three-square-mile oasis of art galleries, bed-and-breakfasts, beaches, and rainbow flags. They stroll down Commercial Street, where the Canteen occupies prime real estate, brushing elbows against the cars brave (or stupid) enough to try to make it down the main drag in the middle of the day.
The restaurant’s 60-person staff dishes out lobster rolls, fish tacos, Brussels sprouts and frosé (that’s a rosé slushie) to the crowds that pack into its backyard. More than 9,000 lobster rolls and 10,000 frosés pass across the counter in August alone. By the time a normal summer ends, sales will hit Anderson’s target, which is a good thing because like many businesses in town, the Canteen pays virtually all of its bills for the year from the money it pulls in during several hectic weeks.
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“We have a saying here,” Anderson told me. “Summer seats pay for winter heat.”
By October, having brought in some $200 million in tourism during its high season, Provincetown will empty out to less than 3,000 year-round residents and again resemble the small fishing village it once was. Much of the housing stock will lie vacant over the winter. The Soup Kitchen in Provincetown will resume preparing 125 hot lunches every day, eventually serving 15,000 meals by the time it wraps up for the year.
People walk on the beach at Provincetown Harbor on May 25. The country's unofficial LGBTQ summer playground faces a greater challenge this year because of the coronavirus. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
This summer, of course, will be different ― although nobody knows how exactly.
Like much of the country, Provincetown is in the throes of figuring out how to safely reopen during a pandemic. But while the shutdown has posed problems everywhere, the beach town and LGBTQ mecca is facing a pressure-cooker version of this dilemma. Workers here log massive overtime during the tourism season and live off savings, reduced wages or unemployment the rest of the year. Provincetown also has an aging population (median age, 57), with a significant number of HIV-positive, immunocompromised residents. The nearest intensive care bed is over an hour’s drive away.
And unlike the monthslong timelines being considered elsewhere for reopening, the runway here is a short one: June has arrived and with it, a roiling debate about what to do next.
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Who’s In Charge?
Narrowly speaking, Provincetown is following orders. On May 18, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) released a four-phase reopening plan for the state. At each phase, more business sectors can reopen but with modifications. Advancing to the next phase will depend on public health data. If a spike is observed in COVID-19 cases, the current phase could be paused or even rolled back. Phase one began on May 18. On June 8, the state advanced to phase two, and restaurants, lodging and retail businesses reopened across Massachusetts.
The problem is that the guidelines governing restaurants and lodging, which constitute the majority of Provincetown’s businesses, were not released until May 29, leaving only a little over a week for owners to entirely revamp their establishments in time to open their doors at the start of phase two.
“To effectively execute new systems, new layouts, new protocols, to hire staff, to train staff, it takes time,” said Anderson, who co-owns the Canteen with his husband, Loïc Rossignon.
Rob Anderson (left), co-owner of the Canteen, and his partner and co-owner Loïc Rossignon make up a grocery order for delivery inside their Provincetown restaurant on May 13. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
Normally, Anderson told me, he would have had 42 people on staff by Memorial Day. On the day we spoke in late May, he had 12. To ramp up by July, he would need to hire dozens of additional workers within weeks — a process that normally takes him several months. And don’t forget, he reminded me, that anyone coming from out of town would need to quarantine for 14 days before they could begin working. That would land the Canteen, and any other local establishments attempting to hire on an accelerated timeline, fully open for business sometime in August — two-thirds of the way into the season.
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In the gap left by the state’s guidance, Provincetown’s stakeholders ― business owners, year-round residents, second-home owners and investors, who own 70% of the housing stock ― asked the town to give direction. But the executive arm of the local government, which is led by a five-member elected Select Board, is not designed to respond to global pandemics. The Select Board members, often in concert with the town’s Board of Health, have been debating the many measures being considered — mandatory mask orders, the regulation of whale watch tours, the partial closure of Commercial Street to cars — during meetings broadcast over public conference calls that last several hours. Like the business owners, they are hamstrung by the delay in guidance from the state, at risk of enacting policies today that may be overridden by the governor tomorrow.
All of the proposed stopgaps will likely fail without the resolution of a larger question hanging over every conversation: Should Provincetown focus its energy on welcoming visitors safely in order to plug a $200 million hole? Or should it batten down the hatches until the storm has passed?
A recent survey of the Provincetown community, conducted by the town’s recovery coalition, found that a majority of respondents believed that stopping the coronavirus should be the local government’s priority. But in that same survey, a majority also felt that reopening this summer, including restaurants and inns, would be possible. Clearly, not everyone here agrees on how serious the COVID-19 threat is — or how to protect against it.
‘The Intimacy Of Provincetown Is Deadly This Season’
A sign on the Marine Specialties store on Commercial Street in Provincetown tells customers that the store is closed on May 13. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
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Myra Slotnick, a playwright who has lived in Provincetown for 18 years, stood in front of the town hall every weekend for a month with homemade signs. One sign read: “Protect our town. Shut it down.” Another had a blunter message: “Vacation is a week. Death is forever.”
“The numbers in Barnstable County today were 1,200,” Slotnick told me on the day we spoke, referring to the number of people who had tested positive for COVID-19, “and over 100 deaths.” (The numbers for the county ― which essentially consists of the Cape Cod peninsula ― have since risen to 1,458 and 123, respectively. In Provincetown, there have been 28 confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death.)
“This is with nobody here,” Slotnick continued. “So imagine: People spill into town. Then you add alcohol, then you add the party atmosphere, the irreverence, the feeling of ownership with some people when they come here. And then they infect two people, who infect four people, who infect 10 people.”
She paused, as if thinking of another way to say this.
“We’re sitting ducks. People don’t have to come here, but we have no place else to go.”
Slotnick and other residents point to Provincetown’s beloved social life ― the drag shows, dance floors and beach parties that have been part of the town’s appeal for decades ― as a prime risk factor. Commercial Street itself is a vibrant scene. Longtime summer resident Michael Cunningham, in his 2002 book “Land’s End,” compared riding a bike on it to “flying a spaceship through a field of sluggish but erratically moving asteroids.”
“Provincetown is intimate and that’s its charm,” Slotnick said. “But I really feel that the intimacy of Provincetown is deadly this season. ... I don’t think you can social distance on Commercial Street. I don’t think you can safely do any of the things that people flock to Ptown for.”
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Select Board member Lise King has also been one of the most outspoken advocates for prioritizing safety in Provincetown this summer. In late March, a Facebook post of hers warning of the risks of visiting was quoted in The New York Times. “TO ANYONE THINKING ABOUT COMING TO PTOWN,” the post began. “PLEASE make yourself aware of our circumstances and make an informed choice.”
King’s appearance in the Times garnered a rebuke (also on Facebook) from Select Board Chair David Abramson, who wrote that it had “created an atmosphere of fear, anxiety and animosity.” He described her actions as “unconscionable” and an “act of self-promotion.” (Abramson declined to be interviewed for this article.)
“If this is my political last stand in Provincetown, that’s OK,” King told me. “I have to be able to live with what happens here for the rest of my life. So my decision is a moral one.”
“Let’s be conservative and say 10 people die over the course of the summer,” she went on. “Which 10 people are you willing to bury in town? We all know each other. Which 10 people are you OK to sacrifice so that we can have a tourist economy?”
Right In The Coronavirus Bullseye
A rainbow flag hangs in a Commercial Street business window that reflects the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown on May 13. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images
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As King pointed out to The New York Times, Provincetown has a health care capacity that corresponds to its small, relatively rural setting. It’s served by Outer Cape Health, a nonprofit that operates three community health centers, none of which have overnight beds. The nearest hospital is more than an hour away in Hyannis, making Provincetown’s community health center the farthest from a hospital in the state of Massachusetts.
In a normal year, Outer Cape Health would significantly increase its staffing in preparation for the summer spike in visitors. But this March, citing losses of up to $1 million in monthly revenue due to COVID-19, it announced that 70 of its 200 staffers had been furloughed. Outer Cape Health laid off a smaller number and reduced hours for others in a “staff reorganization” that impacted half of its workforce. (It has since rehired roughly 20 of the furloughed staff, largely to do COVID-19 contact tracing.) The Provincetown center will remain open this summer, but at reduced capacity, offering telehealth services and in-person visits as needed.
Dr. Andrew Jorgensen, chief medical officer for Outer Cape Health, told me he was “cautiously optimistic about the summer.” He cited his organization’s access to an extensive medical transportation system, which allows the Provincetown center to quickly transfer patients to the hospital, as well as his organization’s robust testing capacity and new contact tracing program.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer,” Jorgensen said. “If Massachusetts, New York and the rest of New England are doing a really careful job in the reopening process, but then people come on vacation from places where maybe it wasn’t so careful, it could easily infect the population.”
But there are systems in place, he noted. “If somebody was here in town and was exhibiting symptoms, we’d be able to quickly test them and, if they were positive, deploy the contact tracing process in order to contain it as quickly as possible,” he said.
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Adding to the town’s health care situation is its history as a refuge for people with AIDS during the early years of that epidemic. Provincetown’s AIDS Support Group, which lives on today as the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod, was founded in 1983. As Masha Gessen wrote in The New Yorker in 2018, the town “had low rents in the off-season, many queer landlords who weren’t afraid to rent to the sick, an AIDS support group, a gay magazine full of treatment information (I was the editor), and a lesbian town nurse named Alice Foley. ... She would drive sick men two and a half hours to one of the Boston hospitals when necessary.”
Today, roughly 10% of Provincetown residents are living with HIV — the highest per-capita rate in the state and among the highest in the country. With a population that also skews older — a third of its residents are over 65 — the community is in some ways particularly vulnerable.
“Our demographic is right in the bullseye of the virus,” Slotnick said.
Nadine Licostie, who co-owns the Seaglass Inn & Spa with her wife, Faith Licostie, said they would wait to reopen their hotel until a reliable plan for health care is in place.
“Someone is going to come into town who’s going to have the virus,” she said. “And they’re going to spread it. And then how do you start taking care of the people who get sick?”
She added: “Our number one responsibility is to make sure that Provincetown residents are safe and that our staff is safe. We’ve got 20 people on staff and we want to put them back to work, but we can’t do it until we know there’s some safety for them.”
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Top image: Crowds fill Commercial Street on July 10, 2019. Bottom image: Closed stores line the usually crowded Commercial Street on May 25, 2020. AP/GETTY IMAGES
Who Polices Wearing Masks?
Some stakeholders in Provincetown, however, are worried about the town’s ability to survive a different threat than a COVID-19 outbreak: an empty summer.
“I don’t think anybody in the business community wants to open up the floodgates and invite everybody from the world to come,” said Rick Murray, who owns the Crown & Anchor entertainment complex and the Mussel Beach Health Club. “But we do need to have some semblance of economic activity in order to survive. This is a slow-booming economic tsunami. It’s not just for these eight weeks — this is a two-to-three-year struggle that we’re all going to be in. And I don’t think everybody can see that right now.”
One of the major drivers of tourism in Provincetown is a series of theme weeks, in which visitors from around the world descend upon the town for events like Bear Week, Girl Splash, Family Week and Carnival. Most of the theme weeks for summer 2020 have been canceled.
“When you take out those big commerce weeks, it’s very different,” Murray said.
The bulk of tourism in Provincetown occurs in July and August, which means that many businesses have a little more than eight weeks to sell enough T-shirts, bowls of clam chowder, jigsaw puzzles and margaritas to pay their gas, insurance, tax, and rent or mortgage bills for the other 10 months of the year. Cities like New York or San Francisco can reopen throughout the fall and winter — but if Provincetown’s economy doesn’t turn profitable in the next two months, it may not have the opportunity again for another year.
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The debate about how to balance tourism and safety this summer has crystallized in the discussion about face masks. Currently, Provincetown requires masks to be worn on the busiest section of Commercial Street from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Some residents have argued that the order should be extended to require masks at all times and throughout the whole town. Others point out that the 9-to-9 mandatory masking on Commercial Street already goes above and beyond the governor’s order, which only requires masks to be worn when social distancing is not possible. They argue that further expanding regulations is unnecessary and would project an image of Provincetown as an unsafe, inhospitable place, discouraging visits from the very tourists that the economy desperately needs.
People wearing face masks walk down Commercial Street on May 25. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
“Wearing masks all the time is not realistic, or in my opinion, safe,” wrote Michela Murphy, whose family owns the restaurant Sal’s Place, in a letter to the Select Board. She emphasized that she was not “anti-mask” and added that she herself had made and distributed thousands of masks since the pandemic started. But, she wrote, “[h]uman beings are ... not meant to wear masks affecting their ability to breathe for most of the hours that they are awake.” Like many business owners, Murphy called for the governor’s order to be clearly explained and advertised in town, but not expanded on.
Following on the heels of any discussion of mask policy is the question of how that policy would be enforced. Part of Provincetown’s history as an LGBTQ haven is its protection of free expression. The town is a place where people come to be themselves, and its promise to visitors has long been a respite from shame.
For a community of people whose existence was effectively outlawed in some parts of the country as late as 2003 — the year the Supreme Court ruled that anti-sodomy laws were unconstitutional — such an escape is no small thing. Many of the most mundane, and beautiful, sights from a summer day in Provincetown — two women walking with their hands in each other’s back pockets, a drag queen on rollerblades, a throng of men in Daisy Duke shorts who may have had a daiquiri too many with lunch — might draw a stare, a punch or even a summons in another part of the country. In Provincetown, though, “live and let live” practically emanates from the sidewalks ― a commitment, if not explicit then firmly entrenched, to freedom from societal expectations on how a person should dress, look or behave.
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Recent town meetings have been peppered with requests for the police to aggressively enforce masks and social distancing, but such a move would be a radical departure from Provincetown’s culture. Not everyone believes it would be a popular or even a practical step.
“It’s complicated and I recognize that people are scared,” said Eric Sussman, Provincetown’s emergency management transportation coordinator. “But if the moment comes where bad behavior is exhibited — the kind of bad behavior that requires an enforcement officer — I hope that police officer is available, instead of walking down the street issuing a ticket to a non-mask-wearer.”
‘There’s No Safety Net’
Lost somewhere between the voices of those calling for caution in Provincetown and those advocating for a faster reopening are those who do not own the businesses but work in them — many of whom survive the winter in seasonal jobs in other parts of the country or on savings accrued during 60- to 80-hour weeks during the summer.
Kiki Jackson spends her winters working at a coffee shop in New Orleans and her summers at KoHi Coffee in Provincetown. She arrived back on Cape Cod in April but has not returned to work; her household includes an immunocompromised person, and her job as general manager at KoHi would put her in contact with a large volume of customers. A combination of unemployment benefits and savings will carry her through September, but that marks the end of the season in Provincetown. She doesn’t know what she’ll do next.
Provincetown residents gain and lose roughly 400 jobs every summer as part of the seasonal economy — a 25% fluctuation in the local employment rate. An overwhelming majority of these jobs are in the leisure and hospitality industry, which has been devastated by the pandemic. In April, the sector’s unemployment rate nationwide was almost 40%. And undocumented immigrants, who numbered an estimated 5,000 on the cape in 2016, may be in the direst straits of all. Without access to unemployment benefits, including the additional weekly $600 provided by the pandemic-driven CARES Act, their options for relief have been slim.
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Alyssa Costa waits for customers at a takeout window on May 25 in Provincetown. Michael Dwyer/AP
The Soup Kitchen in Provincetown usually provides an important bridge to help the community survive the off-season. But even though the organization extended its service this year through May 29 — a full five weeks longer than in a normal year — its doors are now closed until the fall.
One of the modifications that Anderson made to the Canteen’s operations when he was forced to shut down normal service was to turn the restaurant into an ad hoc grocery store that delivers. In addition to providing groceries to paying customers who don’t want to risk visiting the supermarket, he’s also doing two to 10 free grocery orders a day, funded by some $15,000 in donations that he’s collected so far through his website. He said the vast majority of people using the free grocery program were undocumented workers and elderly residents without an income.
“The [business] owners, for the most part, own property. It’ll be hard for everyone, but they have some equity,” said Nadine Licostie, the Seaglass Inn & Spa owner. “But for the workers, there’s no safety net.”
A Queer Haven
“If you’re lucky in your life,” Paul Lisicky writes in “Later,” his memoir about Provincetown at the height of the AIDS crisis, “a place, or two, will be offered to you. You love this place like a person you can’t stop making love to — you dream about this person when they’re right in front of you. You move through its streets and paths aroused and alert. You can’t get that mischievous smile off your face. You want to put your hands on it, that place, that whole place. You have a secret, and isn’t it lucky that everyone else on the street shares that secret with you?”
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When I was a child, my family would drive 14 miles from Wellfleet to spend the day in Provincetown, where my siblings and I would load white paper bags with penny candy at Cabot’s and buy tie-dyed T-shirts at Marine Specialties, the Army-Navy shop on Commercial Street that sells a little bit of everything. Even then, years before I came out, there was something about this place that allowed my shoulders to loosen and my chest to expand, something in the drag queens on bicycles and the handsome women drinking cocktails in the front yards of their B&Bs that made me feel safe.
A jogger runs along an empty Commercial Street on May 13. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
There are vacation destinations across America that will be transformed by COVID-19 and families who, after 20 consecutive visits to a beloved beach town, will stay home this year, their summer radically changed. But there is a particular heartache to the loss of queer space. It was not so long ago that men who were sick made their way to this hamlet from around the country, confident that it was a place that would take them in.
My uncle David was one of them. He first came to Provincetown as a recent college graduate in the late 1970s, years before he became HIV-positive. He eventually moved to San Francisco, some 3,000 miles away, but he still managed to come back to town every summer right up through 1992, the year before he died of AIDS. It was a place where he found something. And though I am sure that my something is very different, I return to Provincetown most summers, too.
I struggle to explain why my chest feels more capacious in Provincetown, even as an adult. Maybe it has something to do with the reality that queer space is still geographically rare — one recent study put the total number of gay bars in the country at under 1,000, including just 16 lesbian bars nationwide. Maybe it’s about the fact that even though queer people can now legally marry — and many of them have in Provincetown — a case now sits before the Supreme Court that would give employers carte blanche to fire us when we return from our honeymoons. Or maybe the tug I feel toward this town is something less statistical, more visceral: It’s how totally unremarkable it is to see two women kissing there, how I feel both visible and anonymous when I walk down the street.
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Lynette Molnar, an event producer who founded Provincetown for Women, had a more straightforward explanation.
“I used to live in San Francisco and I was gay-bashed there twice,” she said. “But I can walk down Commercial Street anytime, day or night, hear a man clear his throat, and never even turn around. I have no fear here.”
“We may not be having any dance parties this summer,” she added. “But we get to see ourselves here and I think that will still be possible.”
A Resilient And Resourceful Town
“Provincetown is a tough little New England town with smart people in it,” the journalist and part-time resident Mark Harris told me.
Ryan Landry, a writer and performer who has been coming to Provincetown since 1979, echoed this sentiment. He won’t be able to produce any of his long-running shows this summer. But he has always been resourceful, he told me, noting past performances like wrestling in kitty litter and drag queen softball (you had to bring a purse instead of a mitt, he explained). He’s confident that he’ll figure something out, including possibly doing shows outside if it’s safe.
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“I’m going to make sure that I have fun this summer and that a lot of people do,” Landry said. “There will be a lot of camaraderie and a lot of goodness. Hopefully, we’ll get back to loving the cape for the cape.”
The natural beauty of Cape Cod, which has drawn both tourists and artists to the peninsula for more than a century, came up repeatedly when I asked residents what they thought might define Provincetown’s summer this year.
“A part of what I find so special about Provincetown is the bike ride through the trails where I don’t see another human for a few minutes, and the rocks on the beach where if you turn a certain way, you just see water,” said Richard Moore, a second-home owner.
Moore said he hoped those who visited this summer would be able to enjoy a kind of tranquility that’s usually only found in the fall or spring. “Some of the most healing and insightful times that I’ve had in Provincetown have been off-season. To experience Provincetown in the summer in that way is, in a sense, a gift for people who are able.”
Just how many people will experience Provincetown this summer remains to be seen. June 8 has arrived, and with it, the reopening of dining, lodging and retail businesses, all of which have heavily modified their operations without any certainty about how many customers will be walking in the door.
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At the Carpe Diem Guesthouse, owners Stephen Hooper and Paul Graves have designed new systems for room sanitization, contactless check-in and contactless towel service. Josh Patner will offer gloves to visitors at his retail store, Loveland, where he said shopping is normally a “tactile” experience. And over at the Canteen, Rob Anderson and his husband have erected a new wall inside their restaurant so that staff will be able to safely take orders from the updated menu.