huffpost--2020-05-16--My Son Lost His Birthday Party To COVID-19. What Happened Next Blew Me Away.

My son ’ s 11th birthday was March 29th , and as it approached ― deep in the heart of COVID-19 social distancing — I tried to assure him that , though he couldn ’ t have a party , he could still have a fun day of close-to-home family activities .
Our family of five would have a backyard water balloon fight , I promised .
We ’ d get donuts from his favorite bakery .
I ’ d even let him go to town decorating our house with a can of spray chalk in one hand and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I knew my son was disappointed , but I hoped he ’ d understand the necessity of the sacrifice .
We had a heart-to-heart about the good reasons why everyone is keeping their distance right now .
I tried to explain the science of self-isolating in terms he ’ d understand : that though staying close to home ( and away from friends ) feels sad , it ’ s actually a way to show we care for others .
We could be carriers of the coronavirus even when we don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the last thing we want is to spread disease to any of our friends .
The following day , on my son ’ s birthday , our family assembled in front of our house to await the promised surprise .
I figured my friend and her son — who ’ s been in the same class as mine since kindergarten — might stop by with a card or some little gift they ’ d managed to score on Amazon .
But it really didn ’ t matter to me what the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any visit from friends , any little gesture that might brighten my son ’ s day — and , I admit , mine .
( These days , even a visit from the mailman is a thrill . )
Incredibly , our group of friends and their kids — five families in all — had organized to drive by in a celebratory , socially distanced parade !
Honking unreservedly , they slowly cruised past our house and then doubled back to give us another view of their handmade signs and décor .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ HAPPY BIRTHDAY !
” at the top of their lungs .
One threw candy , another popped confetti from a tube .
Our street was soon covered with a glorious detritus of sweets and shiny paper .
From the front seats of each car , my own friends called to me , too .
We shouted what catching-up questions we could : “ How are you holding up ?
Are you doing okay ?
Do you have enough toilet paper ?
” Even though we have an ongoing group text , something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to highlight our hunger for in-person communication .
I found myself in tears just seeing their faces without the barrier of a screen .
My son , meanwhile , was grinning from ear to ear , a picture of preteen shock and awe .
Not normally an effusive kid , he declared over and over , “ This is so awesome !
” and “ This is the best birthday ever !
” My other two kids agreed , un-subtly voicing their hopes of getting parades for their own upcoming birthdays .
Though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it seemed to infuse our whole family with an afterglow of delight for the rest of the day .
For hours , none of us could stop talking about how wonderful it was to see our friends all in one place , how creative their decorations were , how mischievous of them to organize without telling us .
Without a doubt , the parade was far and away the most exciting thing to happen to us in weeks — and I couldn ’ t help reflecting on how the extreme slowdown in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participating in anything like an event .
( An in-person event , no less ! )
Since my son ’ s birthday parade , I ’ ve come to realize that this season of slowing down has made gestures of friendship all the more precious to me .
It ’ s not that I can ’ t talk to friends as often as I used to ; obviously , phone calls , email and texts make communication as easy as the touch of a button .
It ’ s that with the uptick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I increasingly crave personal connection and any meaningful show of solidarity .
If I can ’ t leave my house , I want to feel I ’ m still part of something greater than myself , whether my nation , my friend group or even a 10-minute parade — and I want my children to feel that , too .
Seeing my friends show up so enthusiastically for my son scratched this itch in the very best way .
It was a reminder that we all need community , now more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstration , too , that necessity is indeed the mother of invention .
When a pandemic nixes some of our usual ways of connecting , good friends think outside the box .
( It probably doesn ’ t hurt that boredom can boost creativity .
Just look at all the inventively goofy things people are posting on TikTok during the quarantine . )
More and more people , it seems , are finding novel ways to maintain their sense of community from afar — which we need more than ever in this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the birthday parade , after all was said and done and our friends drove away , our family cleaned the street of the celebratory debris .
But there ’ s one red streamer caught on a rock that , weeks later , I still haven ’ t picked up .
I ’ m saving it , I suppose , as a reminder : Shinier , happier days will come again .
When birthday parties and other gatherings resume , I ’ m thankful to know my son ( and I ) will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @

The author's son. Courtesy of Sarah Garone
My son’s 11th birthday was March 29th, and as it approached ― deep in the heart of COVID-19 social distancing — I tried to assure him that, though he couldn’t have a party, he could still have a fun day of close-to-home family activities. Our family of five would have a backyard water balloon fight, I promised. We’d get donuts from his favorite bakery. I’d even let him go to town decorating our house with a can of spray chalk in one hand and a can of silly string in the other.
I knew my son was disappointed, but I hoped he’d understand the necessity of the sacrifice. We had a heart-to-heart about the good reasons why everyone is keeping their distance right now. I tried to explain the science of self-isolating in terms he’d understand: that though staying close to home (and away from friends) feels sad, it’s actually a way to show we care for others. We could be carriers of the coronavirus even when we don’t feel sick, I told him, and the last thing we want is to spread disease to any of our friends.
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Our talk seemed to soften the blow. But in truth — even though I’m not a birthday-party-every-year kind of parent — it hurt my heart to know that my son wouldn’t be celebrated by his friends.
Then on the eve of the big day, a friend (and fellow school mom) texted: “Will you be home tomorrow at noon? We have a surprise.”
Uh, sure, I replied. We have no plans. Now or, like, ever.
The following day, on my son’s birthday, our family assembled in front of our house to await the promised surprise. I figured my friend and her son — who’s been in the same class as mine since kindergarten — might stop by with a card or some little gift they’d managed to score on Amazon. But it really didn’t matter to me what the surprise held. I looked forward to any visit from friends, any little gesture that might brighten my son’s day — and, I admit, mine. (These days, even a visit from the mailman is a thrill.)
So I was stunned when, at the appointed hour, a caravan of cars rounded the corner of our street, all decorated with streamers, happy birthday signs and even an 8-foot inflatable football player in the bed of a truck.
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A friend in the birthday parade. Courtesy of Sarah Garone
Incredibly, our group of friends and their kids — five families in all — had organized to drive by in a celebratory, socially distanced parade! Honking unreservedly, they slowly cruised past our house and then doubled back to give us another view of their handmade signs and décor. From each vehicle hung a child yelling, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” at the top of their lungs. One threw candy, another popped confetti from a tube. Our street was soon covered with a glorious detritus of sweets and shiny paper.
From the front seats of each car, my own friends called to me, too. We shouted what catching-up questions we could: “How are you holding up? Are you doing okay? Do you have enough toilet paper?” Even though we have an ongoing group text, something about these small snatches of conversation seemed to highlight our hunger for in-person communication. I found myself in tears just seeing their faces without the barrier of a screen.
My son, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, a picture of preteen shock and awe. Not normally an effusive kid, he declared over and over, “This is so awesome!” and “This is the best birthday ever!” My other two kids agreed, un-subtly voicing their hopes of getting parades for their own upcoming birthdays.
Though the parade didn’t last long, it seemed to infuse our whole family with an afterglow of delight for the rest of the day. For hours, none of us could stop talking about how wonderful it was to see our friends all in one place, how creative their decorations were, how mischievous of them to organize without telling us. Without a doubt, the parade was far and away the most exciting thing to happen to us in weeks — and I couldn’t help reflecting on how the extreme slowdown in our social calendar emphasized the novelty of participating in anything like an event. (An in-person event, no less!)
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“I’ve come to realize that this season of slowing down has made gestures of friendship all the more precious to me.”
Since my son’s birthday parade, I’ve come to realize that this season of slowing down has made gestures of friendship all the more precious to me. It’s not that I can’t talk to friends as often as I used to; obviously, phone calls, email and texts make communication as easy as the touch of a button. It’s that with the uptick in anxiety caused by the virus situation, I increasingly crave personal connection and any meaningful show of solidarity.
If I can’t leave my house, I want to feel I’m still part of something greater than myself, whether my nation, my friend group or even a 10-minute parade — and I want my children to feel that, too. Seeing my friends show up so enthusiastically for my son scratched this itch in the very best way. It was a reminder that we all need community, now more than ever.
Their thoughtful celebration was a demonstration, too, that necessity is indeed the mother of invention. When a pandemic nixes some of our usual ways of connecting, good friends think outside the box. (It probably doesn’t hurt that boredom can boost creativity. Just look at all the inventively goofy things people are posting on TikTok during the quarantine.) More and more people, it seems, are finding novel ways to maintain their sense of community from afar — which we need more than ever in this time of increased isolation.
The day of the birthday parade, after all was said and done and our friends drove away, our family cleaned the street of the celebratory debris. But there’s one red streamer caught on a rock that, weeks later, I still haven’t picked up. I’m saving it, I suppose, as a reminder: Shinier, happier days will come again. When birthday parties and other gatherings resume, I’m thankful to know my son (and I) will have treasured friends to share them with.
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huffpost--2020-05-16--On A Tiny Chesapeake Bay Island, Fear That COVID-19 Could Deal It A Final Blow

Tangier has no full-time doctor , just the small clinic that is unequipped to deal with even a single COVID-19 patient .
It has a large elderly population , a group particularly vulnerable to the deadly disease ( at least 40 % of the residents are over 60 years old ) .
And while the clinic did secure COVID-19 tests , they are not the rapid-result type and must be sent to a lab for processing ; the island ’ s remoteness means it likely takes two weeks to get the findings .
Top left : Lorraine Marshall , owner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Island , Virginia , prepares chicken salad earlier this month .
Seasonal restaurants on the island remain closed , and may not reopen this season from lack of tourists .
Bottom left : Irene Thomas , owner and manager of Brigadune Beachside Getaway , bides her time performing maintenance and upkeep on the property .
Hotels and bed & breakfasts remain closed on the island .
“ By now , here in May , it would be picking up , she said .
Left : The Bay View Inn , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a long exposure .
Dependent on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay for survival , this sense of community has long been a hallmark of Tangier ’ s people .
But that isolated way of life allows for disease to quickly spread , as influenza did earlier this year .
At least 50 islanders got the seasonal flu , including seven from a single family and a man who spent a week in intensive care , said Pruitt , the local physician .
She fears COVID-19 would sweep through the community in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one on Tangier has reported COVID-19 symptoms and residents have increasingly embraced social distancing , plenty of avenues exist for the virus to come ashore .
Despite the island ’ s requests , residents say a number of people have made day trips in recent weeks , primarily by plane , to walk the beach .
A mail boat makes the trip six days a week .
The island has a small grocery store , but many locals continue to travel to and from mainland towns to buy supplies and sell crabs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tugboats in several East Coast port cities , usually for two weeks at a time .

Photography by Craig Hudson
TANGIER ISLAND, Virginia ― In the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, about 70 miles north of Virginia Beach, lies the tiny island of Tangier ― a place whose residents are as familiar with isolated living as they are with an uncertain future.
This 700-acre spit of marshland, accessible only by boat or small plane, is rapidly vanishing due to a combination of a climate change-driven rise in sea levels, erosion and a phenomenon known as post-glacial rebound that’s slowly causing the land to sink. Its economy is dependent on the bay’s crab and oyster fisheries and the scores of visitors that flock to the island each spring and summer, a fragile factor even in good years. And 2020 is not a good year.
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The coronavirus pandemic has spared the island so far, even as it rages across Virginia and much of the rest of the country. Many of the island’s roughly 440 permanent residents hope to keep it that way, pleading with would-be visitors to stay out, even as the economic impact of a year with no tourists could be devastating.
“I don’t agree with people coming from out of town for no good reason,” said Inez Pruitt, a physician assistant at the Tangier Island Health Foundation, the island’s only clinic. “If it’s not essential travel, they need to stay home until this passes.”
Pruitt and other local leaders are urging locals to practice social distancing, wash their hands frequently and avoid travel off the island. They’ve also taken to social media to discourage outsiders from visiting ― though no official policy or order bars them and the Federal Aviation Administration has kept the local airport open.
Companies that run cruises to the island have delayed their seasons. And to deter tourists, Tangier’s hotels and bed and breakfasts remain shuttered.
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“So far, we’ve been getting sort of a refuge from the virus,” said James “Ooker” Eskridge, the island’s mayor and a third-generation commercial fisherman. “But if it did get a foothold here, then we would worry about it spreading pretty quick because of the close-knit community.”
Tangier has no full-time doctor, just the small clinic that is unequipped to deal with even a single COVID-19 patient. It has a large elderly population, a group particularly vulnerable to the deadly disease (at least 40% of the residents are over 60 years old). And while the clinic did secure COVID-19 tests, they are not the rapid-result type and must be sent to a lab for processing; the island’s remoteness means it likely takes two weeks to get the findings.
Virginia has recorded more than 27,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 955 deaths. And while Tangier has no confirmed cases, Accomack County, which includes the island, is among the hardest-hit in the state per capita, with more than 600 confirmed COVID-19 cases and nine fatalities.
In some ways, Tangier’s seclusion makes it uniquely prepared for this moment. But the pandemic adds a new element to the island’s ongoing crisis. And some fear an outbreak of COVID-19 would ultimately be the demise of this historic community.
Top left: Lorraine Marshall, owner of the only year-round restaurant on Tangier Island, Virginia, prepares chicken salad earlier this month. Seasonal restaurants on the island remain closed, and may not reopen this season from lack of tourists. Bottom left: Irene Thomas, owner and manager of Brigadune Beachside Getaway, bides her time performing maintenance and upkeep on the property. Hotels and bed & breakfasts remain closed on the island. “By now, here in May, it would be picking up, she said. Left: The Bay View Inn, one of the closed bed & breakfasts, is seen in a long exposure. Craig Hudson for HuffPost
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Preparing For A Lost Season
May is typically when the tourist season ramps up on Tangier. Spanky’s Place, a 1950’s style ice-cream parlor, and other seasonal eateries and gift shops would be back open. The local airport would be buzzing with small plane traffic, and cruise boats would, on a good day, be dropping off hundreds of visitors.
Irene Thomas owns Brigadune Beachside Getaway, one of the island’s year-round hotels, nestled just down the road from the sprawling public beach on the island’s south end. She said the calls to cancel reservations started in March and haven’t let up.
“By now, in May, [business] would be picking up,” she said. “We would probably have anywhere from, say, three to eight people staying over the course of the weekdays, and I believe we would already be getting full on weekends.”
Thomas’ business has been shuttered since Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed an executive order in late March to close all non-essential businesses in the state. The order, which lifted late Thursday on a modified basis, exempted hotels, but Thomas said there was no way for her to comply with the prohibition on gatherings of 10 or more people. A separate statewide stay-at-home order is set to expire on June 10.
Carol Pruitt-Moore heads out on her skiff with her golden retriever, Progger from the harbor on Tangier Island earlier this month. Moore is a seventh-generation islander. Craig Hudson for Huffpost
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Many locals are hopeful the summer season won’t be entirely lost, that maybe come July things will look better. Others are less optimistic.
Lorraine Marshall, owner of Lorraine’s Seafood Restaurant the island’s sole year-round restaurant, has managed to weather the crisis thanks to a steady stream of takeout and delivery orders from locals. She fears other seasonal eateries won’t be able to make ends meet.
“I don’t think people are going to be coming for the rest of the summer,” she said. That’s our best time of the year, in the summer. So I don’t know what’s going to happen. The other restaurants would be open too, but if there’s no tourists they might not, because that’s what they depend on.”
Carol Pruitt-Moore, a seventh-generation resident and one of Tangier’s unofficial historians, shares that worry.
“Even if the country opens up in July, who’s going to have the money to come to Tangier?” she asked. “That’s your ferry. That’s your overnight stay. That’s your meals. It’s not going to happen.”
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“Tangier’s going to suffer this summer,” she said.
One bright spot is that the spring crabbing season has been exceptional in the Chesapeake, with Tangier’s watermen able to prop up the island’s struggling economy. In late March, female blue crabs were fetching $25 per bushel. Now they are selling for between $65 and $85 per bushel, way above the average price of $50, said Lonnie Moore, Carol’s husband and a lifelong waterman. The male crabs are bringing in as much as $150 a bushel.
Tangier’s watermen sell their catches to mainland restaurants and independent suppliers of fish markets up and down the East Coast. Despite the pandemic, crabs have been in high demand.
“Let’s say there was no market for the crabs this year... man, it would be critical over here ― devastating,” said Eskridge, who also makes his living as a commercial crabber.
Having the fishery as a safety net right now “makes quite a difference,” he said.
‘We’re One Big Family Here’
If there’s a connection deeper than Tangier’s people to the land and surrounding waters, it’s to one another. The first documented white settlers arrived on the island from Maryland’s Eastern Shore in 1778, although native peoples had been using it as hunting grounds for centuries before that.
Looking at the gravestones in churchyards, the surnames Parks, Pruitt, Crockett and Thomas are everywhere, as are their descendants who reside on the island today.
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The sense of community is apparent wherever you go, even amid a pandemic. In town, people greet one another with friendly waves, even if they just passed each other a few minutes earlier. The island has an active Facebook page, where residents exchange recipes, offer to lend a helping hand and report strange sightings (including multiple accounts of a masked photographer walking about town last week). With church services shut down, the New Testament Congregation has taken to airing sermons on social media.
In many ways, daily life looks much as it does in the sleepy offseason. Fishermen take to the water hoping for a successful day’s catch and teenagers cruise the island together on golf carts, ATVs, scooters and bicycles. Few people wear masks. Virtually everyone is on a first-name basis.
When one islander was asked last week where another might be, he sped off, only to return a few minutes later to say that the person was on their way. There’s little need for cell phones; word of mouth moves quickly here.
“You’ve got ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ ‘The Waltons,’ and ‘Rosanne’ rolled up in one sitcom,” said Pruitt-Moore.
Tangier Mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge records a sermon by Duane Crockett, an elder of New Testament Congregation, inside the church to share on social media in lieu of regular service as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 on the island. Craig Hudson for Huffpost
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Dependent on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay for survival, this sense of community has long been a hallmark of Tangier’s people. But that isolated way of life allows for disease to quickly spread, as influenza did earlier this year. At least 50 islanders got the seasonal flu, including seven from a single family and a man who spent a week in intensive care, said Pruitt, the local physician. She fears COVID-19 would sweep through the community in much the same way.
“We’re one big family here,” she said.
While no one on Tangier has reported COVID-19 symptoms and residents have increasingly embraced social distancing, plenty of avenues exist for the virus to come ashore. Despite the island’s requests, residents say a number of people have made day trips in recent weeks, primarily by plane, to walk the beach. A mail boat makes the trip six days a week. The island has a small grocery store, but many locals continue to travel to and from mainland towns to buy supplies and sell crabs. And about a dozen residents work on tugboats in several East Coast port cities, usually for two weeks at a time.
As the phased reopening of certain businesses across much of Virginia begins, it may only be a matter of time before COVID-19 arrives on Tangier.
A HuffPost freelance photographer traveled to Tangier last week via the island’s mailboat after receiving special permission to do so from the mayor. Nevertheless, Pruitt cautioned all non-residents against traveling to the island for the time being.
“You don’t want anybody coming to your house if you don’t know who they are and could possibly have COVID,” she said. “We don’t want to let our guard down until it’s completely gone.”
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Life On A Rapidly Vanishing Island
The pandemic is just the latest existential threat for Tangier. With its highest point just four feet above sea level, Tangier is at the mercy of a rapidly warming planet ― although many residents question whether human greenhouse gas emissions are driving that.
More than two-thirds of the island’s landmass has disappeared since 1850, according to a 2015 study by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers scientists. An average of 8 acres vanish each year, and residents agree Tangier could be one large storm away from being wiped off the map.
The study concluded that rising seas and erosion could sink most of the remaining land in as little as 25 years, leaving residents with no choice but to flee. “If no action is taken, the citizens of Tangier may become among the first climate change refugees in the continental USA,” according to the study.
The island received national headlines in June of 2017 when President Donald Trump phoned Eskridge and ― and with no apparent backup for the claim ― reportedly told the mayor he need not worry about sea-level rise, and that the island would be there for hundreds more years. Islanders are hopeful that construction of an approved sea wall to mitigate erosion will get underway this summer.
Like the island itself, Tangier’s population is dwindling, down from a peak of 1,200 in the 1930s to about 425 today. An outbreak of COVID-19 could be a fatal blow.
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“Folks probably would be discouraged from coming back,” Eskridge said. We definitely don’t need that on top of our concerns we already have.”
As mayor, Eskridge is fielding calls from both islanders who make their living off summer tourism and want to welcome back visitors and those who worry doing so is not worth the risk.
“You want to protect the elderly on the island, but at the same time you have folks that depend on tourism and you don’t want them to go under,” Eskridge said. “I guess it’s a balancing act.”
For Pruitt-Moore, a few months of hardship are worth it if it means saving this already imperiled island community from the potential ravages of COVID-19.
“I understand people wanting to get to work,” she said. “But I also understand if corona hits Tangier, it would be such devastation that Tangier would not recover.”


huffpost--2020-05-16--Chris Hayes Points Out The Glaring Flaw With Trump Supporters' Anti-Mask Stance

Chris Hayes on Friday dropped some truth bombs on President Donald Trump , his supporters and the right-wingers who continue to pour scorn on wearing face masks that aim to slow the spread of the coronavirus .
The host of MSNBC ’ s “ All In ” noted how “ not wearing a mask has kind of become a sort of weird , culture war virtue signaling by Trump people.
” Trump himself has not worn a mask during recent briefings and tours of factories .
GOP lawmakers and anti-lockdown protesters have also failed to wear them .
But , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who he noted are “ very much in the minority ” ) in fact appear to be obliviously working against their stated desire to ease lockdown restrictions and reopen the country .
He spelled out why there is “ nothing stupider ” they can do : But for Donald Trump ’ s own stated aims , for the stated aims of those protesters , and all the right-wingers out there who think they ’ re the ones , the vanguard of opening up America and getting American capitalism cracking again , there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do than turn not wearing a mask into some right-wing badge of honor .
“ The mask is your friend , ” Hayes continued .
“ If the stated goal here is to open up the American economy and get people back to work and achieve some level of normalcy , something we all desperately want , there is really good evidence that everyone wearing a mask can really help us in that project.
” Hayes acknowledged he doesn ’ t like wearing a mask because it fogs up his glasses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does it for the bigger picture , he said .
“ We are facing a pandemic that has ravaged everyone ’ s life , ” Hayes concluded .
“ The easiest , lowest-hanging fruit to make things at least somewhat better , the smallest , most trivial thing is : Let ’ s all wear masks.
” On its website , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “ wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain ” and “ especially in areas of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the U.S. have now died from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said Friday that the nationwide death toll could hit 100,000 by June 1 .
Trump , meanwhile , continues to push for the reopening of the country , despite case numbers still rising and against the advice of public health officials .

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Chris Hayes on Friday dropped some truth bombs on President Donald Trump, his supporters and the right-wingers who continue to pour scorn on wearing face masks that aim to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The host of MSNBC’s “All In” noted how “not wearing a mask has kind of become a sort of weird, culture war virtue signaling by Trump people.” Trump himself has not worn a mask during recent briefings and tours of factories. GOP lawmakers and anti-lockdown protesters have also failed to wear them.
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But, Hayes explained, the anti-mask brigade (who he noted are “very much in the minority”) in fact appear to be obliviously working against their stated desire to ease lockdown restrictions and reopen the country.
He spelled out why there is “nothing stupider” they can do:
But for Donald Trump’s own stated aims, for the stated aims of those protesters, and all the right-wingers out there who think they’re the ones, the vanguard of opening up America and getting American capitalism cracking again, there is nothing stupider, nothing more counterproductive you can do than turn not wearing a mask into some right-wing badge of honor.
“The mask is your friend,” Hayes continued. “If the stated goal here is to open up the American economy and get people back to work and achieve some level of normalcy, something we all desperately want, there is really good evidence that everyone wearing a mask can really help us in that project.”
Hayes acknowledged he doesn’t like wearing a mask because it fogs up his glasses and makes him feel claustrophobic.
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But he does it for the bigger picture, he said.
“We are facing a pandemic that has ravaged everyone’s life,” Hayes concluded. “The easiest, lowest-hanging fruit to make things at least somewhat better, the smallest, most trivial thing is: Let’s all wear masks.”
On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain” and “especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.”
More than 88,000 people in the U.S. have now died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said Friday that the nationwide death toll could hit 100,000 by June 1.
Trump, meanwhile, continues to push for the reopening of the country, despite case numbers still rising and against the advice of public health officials.
Check out Hayes’ monologue above.


huffpost--2020-04-04--Inside A Coronavirus Quarantine Unit At Rikers

One of the most concentrated coronavirus outbreaks in the world is happening in New York City ’ s biggest jail complex , which holds roughly 5,000 detainees in its eight facilities .
As of Friday , 273 staff members and 239 incarcerated people had tested positive for COVID-19 in New York City ’ s jails ― the Department of Correction wouldn ’ t specify how many of those cases were specifically at Rikers .
But the infection rate at the jail is eight times that of the city , itself the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak , according to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is suing for the release of certain high-risk inmates .
One of the eight buildings on Rikers Island , the Eric M. Taylor Center , is now being used as a quarantine unit for 180 people who have coronavirus symptoms and those who have tested positive for the disease .
The EMTC was shut down in early March as part of a plan to eventually close all the jails on Rikers Island , but reopened three weeks later to help stave off the outbreak , since the only building with a medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelmed .
And while this kind of segregation seems like a necessary stopgap , seven incarcerated men told HuffPost the conditions inside the facility are hazardous to their health , and they ’ re afraid they will die there .
They described a lack of medical care , and a filthy environment where people with the virus are detained alongside those who are awaiting their results or who have tested negative .
Those who test positive are supposed to be sent to a dormitory area with others who have the virus , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ David Soto , a 41-year-old being held at EMTC , read to HuffPost over the phone .
But HuffPost spoke with four people with confirmed cases who said they are still being kept in cells alongside men who are awaiting their tests or who are negative .
There are plenty of opportunities for those locked in EMTC ’ s solitary cells to catch the virus .
Men see each other in the communal day room , when they use the phones , and when they take showers .
On top of that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaned , and that they don ’ t have access to any disinfectant .
The men are only given one mask and told HuffPost they are served meals , which are usually cold , by guards who don ’ t frequently change their gloves .
On Wednesday , when Gumbs spoke with HuffPost , he said he ’ d been waiting six hours to see a doctor at the medical clinic , but that to get any attention “ you have to pass out on the floor and be unresponsive.
” He knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the higher his chances are of becoming infected .
Incarcerated men told HuffPost that at most , they ’ ve seen a nurse come by every few days to take people ’ s temperature , and that anyone with a fever is given Tylenol or , more often , nothing at all .
Hatcher said his chest feels heavy and congested , but that he ’ s not getting any medical help .
The men described being treated like “ animals ” in a dirty and chaotic environment .
The hallways are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t want to pick up for fear of contracting the virus , said Sean Monroe , who was transferred to EMTC on March 22 .
He described the unit as “ the worst back alley you ’ ve ever seen ” and said he was staring at a wall smeared with collard greens from someone ’ s meal , while on the phone with HuffPost .

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For almost a week, Kelvin Heredia has had trouble breathing. Last Sunday, he was transferred to a building on Rikers Island that is now being used to test incarcerated men for the coronavirus. The 24-year-old has asthma, and he’s suffering from chest pains and panic attacks that block off his airways. He doesn’t have an inhaler.
His COVID-19 test came back positive. But instead of getting the medical help he needs, he is being ignored.
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Heredia says no doctor or nurse has come by to check on him. On Wednesday, he waited until 3 a.m. to be treated by someone at the jail’s infirmary, and was repeatedly told by staff that the clinic was too overcrowded to see him.
“I’m worried I might have a heart attack, and what if I can’t breath?” he said, adding that he’s being held in Rikers for a parole violation. “I don’t know if I’m going to wake up.”
A prisoner looks at a corrections officer from behind several layers of glass and bars in the enhanced supervision housing unit at Rikers Island in New York on March 12, 2015. Brendan McDermid/Reuters
One of the most concentrated coronavirus outbreaks in the world is happening in New York City’s biggest jail complex, which holds roughly 5,000 detainees in its eight facilities. As of Friday, 273 staff members and 239 incarcerated people had tested positive for COVID-19 in New York City’s jails ― the Department of Correction wouldn’t specify how many of those cases were specifically at Rikers. But the infection rate at the jail is eight times that of the city, itself the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, according to an analysis from The Legal Aid Society, which is suing for the release of certain high-risk inmates.
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The jail’s top doctor called the situation a “public health disaster unfolding before our eyes,” and detainees say they are crammed together in dorms without the necessary gloves, soap and cleaning supplies to protect themselves from getting sick.
“They are treating us as if we are not humans. A lot of us are going to be going home in body bags.” - Chris Hatcher
One of the eight buildings on Rikers Island, the Eric M. Taylor Center, is now being used as a quarantine unit for 180 people who have coronavirus symptoms and those who have tested positive for the disease. The EMTC was shut down in early March as part of a plan to eventually close all the jails on Rikers Island, but reopened three weeks later to help stave off the outbreak, since the only building with a medical unit to treat contagious diseases is completely overwhelmed.
And while this kind of segregation seems like a necessary stopgap, seven incarcerated men told HuffPost the conditions inside the facility are hazardous to their health, and they’re afraid they will die there. They described a lack of medical care, and a filthy environment where people with the virus are detained alongside those who are awaiting their results or who have tested negative.
“They are treating us as if we are not humans,” said Chris Hatcher, a 39-year-old who has been in EMTC since last Thursday. “A lot of us are going to be going home in body bags.”
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A spokesperson for Correctional Health Services said that people are “placed in special housing units for monitoring or isolation for a variety of reasons, including the possibility of COVID-19 infection,” and that the CHS facilities are “among the best equipped in the nation to provide the appropriate, safe care to those patients.”
In this March 16, 2011, file photo, a security fence surrounds inmate housing on the Rikers Island correctional facility in New York. Bebeto Matthews/AP
Dirty Cells, A Chorus Of Coughs
The EMTC can hold up to 1,700 people, and most are detained in open, dormitory-style areas. There’s also a portion of the building with solitary cells, where incarcerated men told HuffPost they were sent to take a coronavirus test and wait for their results.
Those who test positive are supposed to be sent to a dormitory area with others who have the virus, according to a Department of Correction letter that David Soto, a 41-year-old being held at EMTC, read to HuffPost over the phone. But HuffPost spoke with four people with confirmed cases who said they are still being kept in cells alongside men who are awaiting their tests or who are negative.
“If I didn’t come in with corona[virus] I’m going to get it,” said Abdoul Quattra, who was transferred to EMTC on March 26 and is still awaiting his tests results. Three days after being sent to the facility, he got a fever, cold and migraine.
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“I’m worrying about dying in this place,” he said.
Quattra and Soto say they are being kept in an area with roughly 35 solitary cells. This week, 16 people in their unit tested positive for the virus, a figure corroborated in multiple HuffPost interviews, yet only a few were transferred to another part of the building.
“They don’t clean the cells, they don’t check our pulses, they don’t do nothing.” - Chris Hatcher
Correctional Health Services did not answer HuffPost’s questions about why all people with the coronavirus were not being quarantined together.
There are plenty of opportunities for those locked in EMTC’s solitary cells to catch the virus. Men see each other in the communal day room, when they use the phones, and when they take showers. On top of that, they say their cells are not being cleaned, and that they don’t have access to any disinfectant. The men are only given one mask and told HuffPost they are served meals, which are usually cold, by guards who don’t frequently change their gloves.
New York City’s DOC told HuffPost that “hand soap and cleaning supplies are offered free of charge to people in custody” and that hand soap is allowed in each person’s cell.
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The men at EMTC described hearing a chorus of coughs and sneezes and said they have no idea when they will get medical care or be transferred to another area.
“They don’t clean the cells, they don’t check our pulses, they don’t do nothing,” said Hatcher, who tested positive for the coronavirus.
This June 20, 2014, file photo shows the Rikers Island jail complex with the Manhattan skyline in the background. Seth Wenig/AP
Pleading For Medical Care
Bernard Gumbs said he hasn’t seen a doctor or nurse since he arrived at the facility on Monday, despite telling correctional officers that he has chest pains. The 39-year-old, who has asthma, said he has not yet seen his test results, but has flu-like symptoms and has been coughing up phlegm.
On Wednesday, when Gumbs spoke with HuffPost, he said he’d been waiting six hours to see a doctor at the medical clinic, but that to get any attention “you have to pass out on the floor and be unresponsive.” He knows the longer he stays in the unit, the higher his chances are of becoming infected.
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“You got to basically sit in this, wait, and hope that God just gives you another chance,” he said. “My worst fears are that my family will not be able to talk to me because I’m dead.”
Incarcerated men told HuffPost that at most, they’ve seen a nurse come by every few days to take people’s temperature, and that anyone with a fever is given Tylenol or, more often, nothing at all. Hatcher said his chest feels heavy and congested, but that he’s not getting any medical help.
“I’m locked inside this cell and scared for my life,” he said. “I don’t want to be put on the back of an ice truck because these people don’t care.”
“I don’t want to be put on the back of an ice truck because these people don’t care.” - Chris Hatcher
The men described being treated like “animals” in a dirty and chaotic environment. The hallways are littered with garbage that correctional officers don’t want to pick up for fear of contracting the virus, said Sean Monroe, who was transferred to EMTC on March 22. He described the unit as “the worst back alley you’ve ever seen” and said he was staring at a wall smeared with collard greens from someone’s meal, while on the phone with HuffPost.
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Multiple men said they don’t have access to water for hours at a time, and that they aren’t always served the required three meals a day. New York City’s DOC said detainees are not deprived of meals or water and that the department is committed to “robust sanitation protocols throughout its facilities” and has “ramped up existing cleaning policies to combat the potential spread of the coronavirus.”
Fights regularly break out in the hallways, often instigated by staff, according to Corey Williams, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday. While on the phone with HuffPost, Williams said the yelling noises in the background were COs “roughing” up six guys.
The conditions inside EMTC are getting worse as more staff on Rikers test positive for the coronavirus. Detained people rely on COs to bring them to medical clinics and make sure they get checkups, said Kelsey De Avila, the project director of jail services at Brooklyn Defender Services.
“We will see deaths,” she said. “The violence will increase. You’re going to have tensions among staff members and among people in custody.”
Men in EMTC have been waiting more than a week for their coronavirus test results, giving them plenty of time to catch the virus if they hadn’t already.
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On Thursday, Monroe said he’d been waiting to get his test results for 12 days, leaving him stuck in a hellish limbo of wondering if he’s been exposed to the virus.


huffpost--2020-04-05--You Can, And Should, Watch This Superb Abortion Drama On VOD Now

When “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” opened on March 13 , the world was different .
America was only just beginning to take the coronavirus seriously .
Movie theaters hadn ’ t yet shuttered en masse .
But even then , director Eliza Hittman was justifiably disappointed to see her film debut amid mounting global panic .
“ The impact that it might have on the release makes me really sad , ” she told me that week .
To her point , a drama this hushed and wrenching does not make for passive viewing .
More importantly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reach the mainstream .
But since mid-March , studios have fast-tracked a handful of current and upcoming titles to video-on-demand services ( e.g.
, iTunes , Amazon Prime Video and cable systems like Comcast and Spectrum ) , giving shut-ins access to “ The Invisible Man , ” “ Birds of Prey , ” “ Trolls World Tour ” and more when theaters can ’ t .
Focus Features , the distributor behind “ Never Rarely , ” opted to take the same route , despite Hittman ’ s earlier preference .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hittman said by phone on Friday , but no one knows whether life will be back to normal then .
A VOD premiere is the right move these days , and she more or less agrees .
The film , which deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience , would have gotten lost in the deluge of delayed movies once the COVID-19 pandemic passes .
“ Because we ’ re living in such an open-ended nightmare and because we have states in the country that are trying to restrict access [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m just happy the film is out there for people to watch at this very vulnerable moment , ” Hittman said .
“ I feel lucky that we had a burst of life before the world shut down .
Obviously the film has increasing relevance in this current political moment.
” “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” marks Hittman ’ s third feature .
Her work so far constitutes a triptych of social realism centered on adolescents .
“ It Felt Like Love ” ( 2013 ) is about a shy high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard-edged older guy to seem hip , and “ Beach Rats ” ( 2017 ) won Hittman vast acclaim for its raw depiction of a closeted Brooklyn teen ( Harris Dickinson ) who scours the internet for adult men to hook up with .
Using naturalistic scene-setting and intimate handheld camerawork , Hittman ’ s films have a vérité sensibility that ’ s complemented by subtle , much-needed specks of humor .
“ Never Rarely ” is the best of the three , and the best of what indie cinema can achieve .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a taciturn 17-year-old musician with inattentive parents ( Sharon Van Etten and Ryan Eggold ) and a part-time gig at a grocery store managed by a creep ( Drew Seltzer ) .
When Autumn discovers she ’ s pregnant , she visits a local women ’ s clinic that turns out to be a front for anti-abortion propaganda .
She ’ ll have to abort the baby herself ― a risky move at best ― or travel elsewhere for the procedure .
Autumn ’ s loyal cousin ( Talia Ryder , who ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s “ West Side Story ” remake ) accompanies her to New York , where a Planned Parenthood counselor portrayed by a real-life social worker poses a series of sensitive questions about Autumn ’ s sexual history .
Those queries are based on intake forms that Hittman discovered while doing research , and each has four available answers : never , rarely , sometimes or always .
Not once does the film resort to polemics about reproductive rights , instead trusting the audience to understand the broader implications surrounding Autumn ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sought from the beginning , even when it came to casting .
She wanted her lead actor to be someone who grasped the story ’ s gravity without relying on the canned verbiage often used when talking about social issues .
Hittman met Flanigan several years ago through mutual friends , and she ’ d been eager to hire her ever since .
When first approached about this opportunity , Flanigan said no , feeling too inexperienced for such complex material .
She deals with anxiety and was nervous about the prospect of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hittman , who is petite and has a compassionate demeanor , convinced Flanigan to reconsider .
“ I auditioned a lot of young actresses , and a lot of them came in the room and did really good auditions and they were really talented .
But then when we would start to talk about the issues , I felt they came in with talking points that their mother had prepared them with , ” Hittman explained during our initial conversation .
“ They were guarded and sheltered .
People come in and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to tell you how much the story is important in the world .
And Sidney and I just had a much more authentic , real conversation about the issues .
I think that the character has seen things and been through things and there ’ s an inner complexity , and that ’ s a hard thing to find casting this movie.
” This was Flanigan ’ s first time acting , and she ’ s tasked with carrying the bulk of the narrative herself , often through revealing close-ups .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to relent .
Now 21 , she ’ d been playing what she calls the “ underground music scene ” in upstate New York , never imagining a life that would take her to prestigious premieres at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals .
The movie garnered jury prizes at both .
“ This is obviously a really controversial topic , and there was a part of me that was a little nervous about some people giving a little backlash or just being hostile about it , ” Flanigan said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was so supportive and empathetic and appreciative .
It gave me a lot of hope.
” “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always ” joins “ Obvious Child , ” “ 4 Months , 3 Weeks and 2 Days ” and “ Citizen Ruth ” in the limited canon of first-class movies about abortion that neither sermonize nor minimize the harshest realities .
Each takes a different tone ― particularly 1996′s “ Ruth , ” a biting , brilliant satire starring Laura Dern ― but they all chronicle women who need a support system to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s also a delicate abortion subplot in “ Portrait of a Lady on Fire , ” the beautiful French romance from 2019 that ’ s now streaming on Hulu . )
Despite avoiding overt politics itself , “ Never Rarely ” arrives on VOD at a fitting time .
Amid the coronavirus self-isolation guidelines , several states have moved to classify abortion as a nonessential procedure , which would force women to journey farther to seek one at a time when travel is discouraged .
In Texas , abortions have been banned except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s life or health .

Sidney Flanigan in "Never Rarely Sometimes Always." Sundance Institute
When “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” opened on March 13, the world was different. America was only just beginning to take the coronavirus seriously. Movie theaters hadn’t yet shuttered en masse. But even then, director Eliza Hittman was justifiably disappointed to see her film debut amid mounting global panic. “The impact that it might have on the release makes me really sad,” she told me that week.
Still, Hittman insisted that “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” — a Sundance standout about a working-class teenager (newcomer Sidney Flanigan) trekking from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to obtain an abortion — was “not a streaming movie.” She wanted people to see it on a big screen, their attention undivided.
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To her point, a drama this hushed and wrenching does not make for passive viewing. More importantly, small indie films count on word-of-mouth marketing to reach the mainstream. But since mid-March, studios have fast-tracked a handful of current and upcoming titles to video-on-demand services (e.g., iTunes, Amazon Prime Video and cable systems like Comcast and Spectrum), giving shut-ins access to “The Invisible Man,” “Birds of Prey,” “Trolls World Tour” and more when theaters can’t. Focus Features, the distributor behind “Never Rarely,” opted to take the same route, despite Hittman’s earlier preference.
Focus considered re-releasing it in July, Hittman said by phone on Friday, but no one knows whether life will be back to normal then. A VOD premiere is the right move these days, and she more or less agrees. The film, which deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience, would have gotten lost in the deluge of delayed movies once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.
“Because we’re living in such an open-ended nightmare and because we have states in the country that are trying to restrict access [to abortions], I think I’m just happy the film is out there for people to watch at this very vulnerable moment,” Hittman said. “I feel lucky that we had a burst of life before the world shut down. Obviously the film has increasing relevance in this current political moment.”
Eliza Hittman on the set of "Never Rarely Sometimes Always." Angal Field/Focus Features
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“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” marks Hittman’s third feature. Her work so far constitutes a triptych of social realism centered on adolescents. “It Felt Like Love” (2013) is about a shy high schooler (Gina Piersanti) courting a hard-edged older guy to seem hip, and “Beach Rats” (2017) won Hittman vast acclaim for its raw depiction of a closeted Brooklyn teen (Harris Dickinson) who scours the internet for adult men to hook up with. Using naturalistic scene-setting and intimate handheld camerawork, Hittman’s films have a vérité sensibility that’s complemented by subtle, much-needed specks of humor. “Never Rarely” is the best of the three, and the best of what indie cinema can achieve.
Hittman’s protagonist is Autumn, a taciturn 17-year-old musician with inattentive parents (Sharon Van Etten and Ryan Eggold) and a part-time gig at a grocery store managed by a creep (Drew Seltzer). When Autumn discovers she’s pregnant, she visits a local women’s clinic that turns out to be a front for anti-abortion propaganda. She’ll have to abort the baby herself ― a risky move at best ― or travel elsewhere for the procedure. Autumn’s loyal cousin (Talia Ryder, who’s set to appear in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake) accompanies her to New York, where a Planned Parenthood counselor portrayed by a real-life social worker poses a series of sensitive questions about Autumn’s sexual history. Those queries are based on intake forms that Hittman discovered while doing research, and each has four available answers: never, rarely, sometimes or always.
Not once does the film resort to polemics about reproductive rights, instead trusting the audience to understand the broader implications surrounding Autumn’s experiences. That’s something Hittman sought from the beginning, even when it came to casting. She wanted her lead actor to be someone who grasped the story’s gravity without relying on the canned verbiage often used when talking about social issues.
Hittman met Flanigan several years ago through mutual friends, and she’d been eager to hire her ever since. When first approached about this opportunity, Flanigan said no, feeling too inexperienced for such complex material. She deals with anxiety and was nervous about the prospect of leaving home for so long. But Hittman, who is petite and has a compassionate demeanor, convinced Flanigan to reconsider.
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Talia Ryder in "Never Rarely Sometimes Always." Focus Features
“I auditioned a lot of young actresses, and a lot of them came in the room and did really good auditions and they were really talented. But then when we would start to talk about the issues, I felt they came in with talking points that their mother had prepared them with,” Hittman explained during our initial conversation. “They were guarded and sheltered. People come in and they want to present themselves and then they want to tell you how much the story is important in the world. And Sidney and I just had a much more authentic, real conversation about the issues. I think that the character has seen things and been through things and there’s an inner complexity, and that’s a hard thing to find casting this movie.”
This was Flanigan’s first time acting, and she’s tasked with carrying the bulk of the narrative herself, often through revealing close-ups. It was Hittman’s script that convinced her to relent. Now 21, she’d been playing what she calls the “underground music scene” in upstate New York, never imagining a life that would take her to prestigious premieres at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals. The movie garnered jury prizes at both.
“This is obviously a really controversial topic, and there was a part of me that was a little nervous about some people giving a little backlash or just being hostile about it,” Flanigan said. “But then it just ended up everybody was so supportive and empathetic and appreciative. It gave me a lot of hope.”
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” joins “Obvious Child,” “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” and “Citizen Ruth” in the limited canon of first-class movies about abortion that neither sermonize nor minimize the harshest realities. Each takes a different tone ― particularly 1996′s “Ruth,” a biting, brilliant satire starring Laura Dern ― but they all chronicle women who need a support system to weather their distress. (There’s also a delicate abortion subplot in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” the beautiful French romance from 2019 that’s now streaming on Hulu.)
Advertisement
Despite avoiding overt politics itself, “Never Rarely” arrives on VOD at a fitting time. Amid the coronavirus self-isolation guidelines, several states have moved to classify abortion as a nonessential procedure, which would force women to journey farther to seek one at a time when travel is discouraged. In Texas, abortions have been banned except when necessary to preserve a patient’s life or health.


huffpost--2020-04-05--Queen Elizabeth Makes Rare Public Address Amid Coronavirus Crisis

During the pre-recorded address from Windsor Castle , Her Majesty praised those working on the front lines to fight COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
She also thanked those who are staying home to “ protect the vulnerable.
” “ I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time .
A time of disruption in the life of our country : a disruption that has brought grief to some , financial difficulties to many , and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.
” She also addressed how the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge .
And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any .
That the attributes of self-discipline , of quiet good-humored resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterize this country.
” The queen praised people across the Commonwealth for their efforts and at one point , even got personal ― harkening back to a wartime speech she gave with her late sister , Princess Margaret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very first broadcast I made , in 1940 , helped by my sister .
We as children spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety .
Today , once again , many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones .
But now as then , we know deep down , that it is the right thing to do.
” Before signing off and sending her thanks and “ warmest good wishes , ” the queen ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We should take comfort that while we have more still to endure , better days will return .
We will be with our friends again ; we will be with our families again ; we will meet again.
” The address took place in the castle ’ s White Drawing Room , which was specifically chosen to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 , according to The Guardian .
Only the queen , who is 93 , and a single BBC cameraman were present in the room .
This is reportedly only the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation outside of her annual Christmas address .
The previous times were in 1991 , in regard to the Gulf War ; in 1997 , before Princess Diana ’ s funeral ; in 2002 , before the Queen Mother ’ s funeral ; and in 2012 , to mark her diamond jubilee .
She is currently staying at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip for an indefinite period of time .
A statement on the royal family ’ s website said that the queen was , of course , still working and having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone .
“ Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus , luckily with relatively mild symptoms , I now find myself on the other side of the illness , but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation , ” the Prince of Wales , 71 , said in a clip released by Clarence House on Wednesday .
“ At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives , my wife and I are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circumstances and of those having to endure sickness , isolation and loneliness , ” he said , adding that their hearts “ go out to all those older people throughout this country who are now experiencing great difficulty .
Prince William and Kate Middleton are also doing their part to thank health care workers and provide messages of encouragement .
The couple also shared a cute video of Prince George , Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis participating in the Clap For Our Carers campaign , to thank all the “ doctors , nurses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volunteers and other NHS staff working tirelessly to help those affected by # COVID19 .
”

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Queen Elizabeth addressed the U.K. and the Commonwealth on Sunday in an effort to encourage the public and provide a sense of reassurance amid the coronavirus pandemic.
During the pre-recorded address from Windsor Castle, Her Majesty praised those working on the front lines to fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. She also thanked those who are staying home to “protect the vulnerable.”
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“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all.”
She also addressed how the nation has responded, saying: “I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge. And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humored resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterize this country.”
The four-and-a-half minute speech featured footage of front-line crisis workers, as well as people cheering on health care workers.
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The queen praised people across the Commonwealth for their efforts and at one point, even got personal ― harkening back to a wartime speech she gave with her late sister, Princess Margaret.
“It reminds me of the very first broadcast I made, in 1940, helped by my sister. We as children spoke from here at Windsor to children who had been evacuated from their homes and sent away for their own safety. Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones. But now as then, we know deep down, that it is the right thing to do.”
Royal Family/Twitter
Before signing off and sending her thanks and “warmest good wishes,” the queen ended with a message of hope: “We should take comfort that while we have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.”
The address took place in the castle’s White Drawing Room, which was specifically chosen to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19, according to The Guardian. Only the queen, who is 93, and a single BBC cameraman were present in the room.
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This is reportedly only the fifth time the queen has spoken to the nation outside of her annual Christmas address. The previous times were in 1991, in regard to the Gulf War; in 1997, before Princess Diana’s funeral; in 2002, before the Queen Mother’s funeral; and in 2012, to mark her diamond jubilee.
Queen Elizabeth in November 2015. Chris Jackson via Getty Images
Buckingham Palace previously announced that because of the coronavirus, the queen would be rescheduling and canceling upcoming events, including Trooping the Colour in June.
She is currently staying at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip for an indefinite period of time. A statement on the royal family’s website said that the queen was, of course, still working and having her audience with the prime minister by phone.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last month that he tested positive for coronavirus and was self-isolating at his official residence in Downing Street.
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Prince Charles also tested positive for coronavirus, but is now out of self-isolation after experiencing “mild symptoms.”
“Having recently gone through the process of contracting this coronavirus, luckily with relatively mild symptoms, I now find myself on the other side of the illness, but still in no less a state of social distance and general isolation,” the Prince of Wales, 71, said in a clip released by Clarence House on Wednesday.
“At such an unprecedented and anxious time in all our lives, my wife and I are thinking particularly of all those who have lost their loved ones in such very difficult and abnormal circumstances and of those having to endure sickness, isolation and loneliness,” he said, adding that their hearts “go out to all those older people throughout this country who are now experiencing great difficulty.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles attend the Commonwealth Day reception on March 9. WPA Pool via Getty Images
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Prince William and Kate Middleton are also doing their part to thank health care workers and provide messages of encouragement. The couple also shared a cute video of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis participating in the Clap For Our Carers campaign, to thank all the “doctors, nurses, carers, GPs, pharmacists, volunteers and other NHS staff working tirelessly to help those affected by #COVID19.”


huffpost--2020-04-05--Defense Secretary Defends Navy Captain's Ouster, Downplays Virus Spread On Ship

Crozier was ousted as commander of the aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt four days after he asked military authorities @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
The letter was @ @ @ @ @ the media .
The New York Times , citing two Naval sources close to Crozier @ @ @ @ @ Sunday that Crozier has tested positive for COVID-19 .

Crozier was ousted as commander of the aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt four days after he asked military authorities for help after onboard sailors tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The letter was unclassified and was leaked to the media.
The New York Times, citing two Naval sources close to Crozier and his family, reported Sunday that Crozier has tested positive for COVID-19.


huffpost--2020-04-05--CNN Host To Pastor: How Is It 'Pro-Life' To Pack People Into Church Amid Pandemic?

Tony Spell — the pastor of the evangelical Life Tabernacle Church in Central , outside of Baton Rouge , which is one of the cities hardest hit by the virus — was charged last week with refusing to abide by Democratic Gov .
John Bel Edwards ’ order that temporarily limits gatherings to 10 people .
“ We believe the science of this , ” Spell told Blackwell .
“ However , we do have a command from God and there are no governing bodies that can tell us we can not gather and worship freely.
” “ Yes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , noting that many people who contract the virus “ don ’ t even know they have it ” and often recover from it .
“ People have been locked up in their homes for 22 days now .
... And the hope is the last stronghold in those people ’ s lives.
” “ If you believe the science ― and I assume you are pro-life , is that correct ?
” Blackwell asked Spell , using the term adopted by many people who oppose reproductive rights .
Spell confirmed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pro-life stance to put people in jeopardy of contracting a disease , getting a virus that has no treatment , no cure , often has no symptoms and has killed more than [ 8,500 people in the U.S. ] in five weeks ?
” Blackwell continued .
“ If they do contract the virus , if they have fears of the virus , the church is more essential now than ever , ” Spell said .
“ There is a physician in Jesus Christ.
” As of Sunday afternoon , there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the disease caused by the coronavirus , across the country .
More than 9,400 people have died .
Louisiana has become one of the hot spots in recent weeks , with more than 13,000 confirmed cases and at least 477 deaths .
Late last month , President Donald Trump proposed easing social distancing measures and encouraging economic activity by Easter , which is April 12 .
But public health experts on the White House ’ s coronavirus task force convinced him to extend the restrictions , warning that millions of people could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spell was charged last week with six misdemeanor counts of violating Edwards ’ stay-at-home order .
Each count carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $ 500 fine , reported The Associated Press .
“ If this were about self-promotion then I would livestream and televise my services , which we have the ability to do but we refuse to because the word of God commands us to assemble together , ” he said .
“ This is an attack on religious liberty in the greatest nation in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the tens of thousands of places of worship in the U.S. that are holding services online during the pandemic , Spell said “ conviction.
” “ Neither the pressure of our friends , family , lawsuit , jail or death will stop us from operating our convictions , which is let us go into the house of the Lord , ” he said .

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CNN Host Victor Blackwell on Sunday grilled a Louisiana pastor over his decision to host massive in-person church services during the coronavirus pandemic, despite guidance from public health officials and a stay-at-home order from the governor.
Tony Spell — the pastor of the evangelical Life Tabernacle Church in Central, outside of Baton Rouge, which is one of the cities hardest hit by the virus — was charged last week with refusing to abide by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order that temporarily limits gatherings to 10 people.
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Roughly 1,800 people attended last week’s services, Spell said during a Sunday appearance on CNN’s “New Day Weekend.” Following his interview, hundreds of worshippers gathered at the church once again, Reuters reported.
“We believe the science of this,” Spell told Blackwell. “However, we do have a command from God and there are no governing bodies that can tell us we cannot gather and worship freely.”
Blackwell asked Spell whether he believes the science that shows people who gather in large groups are at greater risk of contracting the virus.
“Yes, we believe the science,” Spell said, noting that many people who contract the virus “don’t even know they have it” and often recover from it. “People have been locked up in their homes for 22 days now. ... And the hope is the last stronghold in those people’s lives.”
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Blackwell continued to press him.
“If you believe the science ― and I assume you are pro-life, is that correct?” Blackwell asked Spell, using the term adopted by many people who oppose reproductive rights. Spell confirmed that he is.
“How is this a pro-life stance to put people in jeopardy of contracting a disease, getting a virus that has no treatment, no cure, often has no symptoms and has killed more than [8,500 people in the U.S.] in five weeks?” Blackwell continued.
Spell responded that “people’s hope is in the House of God.”
“If they do contract the virus, if they have fears of the virus, the church is more essential now than ever,” Spell said. “There is a physician in Jesus Christ.”
“We were supposed to be at a million-and-a-half body bags,” he added. “We’re at 8,400. So the narrative is false.”
As of Sunday afternoon, there were more than 331,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, across the country. More than 9,400 people have died. Louisiana has become one of the hot spots in recent weeks, with more than 13,000 confirmed cases and at least 477 deaths.
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Late last month, President Donald Trump proposed easing social distancing measures and encouraging economic activity by Easter, which is April 12. But public health experts on the White House’s coronavirus task force convinced him to extend the restrictions, warning that millions of people could die if he didn’t.
Spell was charged last week with six misdemeanor counts of violating Edwards’ stay-at-home order. Each count carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine, reported The Associated Press.
“Instead of showing the strength and resilience of our community during this difficult time, Mr. Spell has chosen to embarrass us for his own self-promotion,” Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran said in a statement last week. “This is not an issue over religious liberty, and it’s not about politics,” the statement continued. “We are facing a public health crisis and expect our community’s leaders to set a positive example and follow the law.” Spell denied that he was seeking to promote himself.
“If this were about self-promotion then I would livestream and televise my services, which we have the ability to do but we refuse to because the word of God commands us to assemble together,” he said. “This is an attack on religious liberty in the greatest nation in the world.”
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Asked what distinguishes his church from the tens of thousands of places of worship in the U.S. that are holding services online during the pandemic, Spell said “conviction.”
“Neither the pressure of our friends, family, lawsuit, jail or death will stop us from operating our convictions, which is let us go into the house of the Lord,” he said.
The Central Police Department did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.


huffpost--2020-04-05--How Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Response Compares To Herbert Hoover’s Great Depression Failure

Eric Rauchway : Well , of course , we generally date the beginning of the Great Depression from around sometime in the autumn of 1929 or the late summer of 1929 .
And that ’ s just a few months into Hoover ’ s term in the presidency .
And then it lasts throughout the rest of his presidency .
Everything he did was inadequate to the task of turning things around .
In fact , the official business cycle dates say that things turn around right when Roosevelt came into office in March of 1933 .
So , generally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to try to do things , and he didn ’ t do things .
Now , we could go on from there to say , well , maybe there wasn ’ t much that could be done ― and possibly that ’ s true .
You can say several things in mitigation of Hoover ’ s record .
Certainly , the U.S. government had never faced a crisis like this before .
Certainly , the federal budget wasn ’ t anything like what it is now .
Certainly , the federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local functions in the way that proved to be necessary .
Still , I think the most charitable thing you could say about Hoover , therefore , is that he lacked imagination .
And that ’ s too charitable , to be honest with you , because of course people told him he needed to do these things increasingly through the course of his presidency .
Increasingly not even just what we might call bleeding heart liberals , but people who are of Hoover ’ s own social circle or people whom he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he refused to do them .
You know , this is not just saying , “ Oh well , it ’ s traditionally the states ’ job and the states can take care of it.
” It ’ s saying that even if the states can ’ t take care of it , I don ’ t think the federal government should do it for ideological reasons .
And you can find the same thing in the case of the bank panic ― or the last of the series of bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s presidency .
There ’ s the big one that began just before the November ’ 32 election and lasted to the end of Hoover ’ s presidency ( in early March of 1933 , when inaugurations then occurred ) .
During this time , repeatedly ― people who were , again , not lefties , people who were high up in the Federal Reserve told Hoover that a ) he had the authority to close the banks , and b ) he ought to exercise his power over and over and over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidency .
And he adamantly refused to do so .
He said , it ’ s my job to keep the banks open .
So , again , this is sort of him feeling like he didn ’ t have the authority to do something .
He was told repeatedly that he did , even though he sort of fished for people to tell them he didn ’ t .
And he just didn ’ t want to do it .
And he didn ’ t do it .
Even in the late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last time the president was inaugurated in March .
So there was a long time after the election of ’ 32 before Roosevelt became president .
But in the middle or near the end of February , Roosevelt ’ s people told Hoover ’ s people that the first thing Roosevelt was going to do upon coming into office was to close the banks .
And so Hoover knew it was going to happen .
You know , he might as well have done it , but he refused to do it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at least in these ways , as a step on the road to socialism , or as he would have said , collectivism .
But he meant basically the same thing .
And he would go on to say that the things that Roosevelt did put the United States on the road to Moscow .
So , he felt that anything resembling what we come to call the New Deal was essentially a step toward communism .
He was ― I guess you ’ d call that the modern version of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , right ?
Very resistant to the idea that government ought to intervene with aid to the unemployed or to check in any way capitalism .
Unless , of course , it was aiding capitalism in the way that capitalists wanted to be aided is what he was saying .
Well , I think that there ’ s a definite and unfortunate parallel to the onset of the Depression , which is saying , “ Oh , well this thing isn ’ t the thing .
This thing that is a thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s going to be .
This thing that is a thing that is starting to look very bad is the foreigner ’ s fault .
And there ’ s nothing we can really do about it now anyway.
” That is pretty much the Hoover playbook for the Great Depression .
And I guess you can map that onto the current administration ’ s response , I imagine .
But his antipathy to expertise , which may stem from his personality , goes very nicely with the broader Republican wish to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s gotten rid of a lot of capacity that we might have had to deal with a situation like this one .
And his unwillingness to plan and to recognize the oncoming crisis may again have something to do with his personal psychology , but it certainly maps on to the broader Republican wish not to ― I mean , there was that op-ed , I think it was in the Wall Street Journal by [ Steve ] Forbes and a couple other guys who presumably don ’ t have whatever Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did say we don ’ t want to pay too much to the unemployed .
[ Forbes , Art Laffer and Steven Moore made a joint statement opposing the expansion of unemployment insurance on March 18 .
Laffer and Moore made the same argument in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on March 20 . ]
Well , I think there ’ s something about Hoover as a bridge to the modern moment that probably tells us something about that .
You know , he was defeated for the presidency in ’ 32 by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So he had to live for the latter 32 years of his life with liberalism ascendant , even during the Eisenhower administration .
I think it would be fair to say that .
And although he was deeply conservative himself , he also wanted to rehabilitate himself personally .
And so he did a lot to ingratiate himself publicly with liberals , to reconcile himself publicly to liberalism in a way that he wouldn ’ t do , let ’ s say if he had lived from ’ 64 another 32 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came roaring back .

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Great American presidents are often remembered for how they steered the country through crisis.
Abraham Lincoln led the Union to victory in the Civil War, during which he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Franklin Roosevelt led the nation through the Great Depression and World War II. John F. Kennedy remained cool and diplomatic during the Cuban Missile Crisis. These presidents are remembered for their steely resolve and creative action; two of them have monuments on the National Mall in Washington.
And then there are presidents remembered for their abject failure in the face of crisis. Most of these ― Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, to name a few ― are easily forgotten. Others are still alive with some control over their presidential narrative, like Jimmy Carter or George W. Bush. But not Herbert Hoover.
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The nation’s 31st president became the patron saint of failure in office after his inept response to the Great Depression led to his landslide defeat in 1932, shattered the power of the era’s conservative ideology, and made him a political whipping boy for decades to come. Even today, no president wants their name brought up in the same sentence as his ― but President Donald Trump’s blustering, blundering and bullying response to the coronavirus pandemic is being compared to Hoover’s incompetence.
HuffPost asked University of California-Davis history professor Eric Rauchway, author of Winter War: Hoover, Roosevelt, and the First Clash Over the New Deal, to talk about the comparisons between Trump and Hoover.
(The conversation has been edited for clarity.)
Hoover has sort of become this archetype or a symbol for failed presidents. And I wanted to ask you how did that happen? How did Hoover become the Hoover that we think of when we hear his name now?
Eric Rauchway: Well, of course, we generally date the beginning of the Great Depression from around sometime in the autumn of 1929 or the late summer of 1929. And that’s just a few months into Hoover’s term in the presidency. And then it lasts throughout the rest of his presidency. Everything he did was inadequate to the task of turning things around. In fact, the official business cycle dates say that things turn around right when Roosevelt came into office in March of 1933. So, generally speaking, Hoover had a very long time to try to do things, and he didn’t do things.
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Now, we could go on from there to say, well, maybe there wasn’t much that could be done ― and possibly that’s true. You can say several things in mitigation of Hoover’s record. Certainly, the U.S. government had never faced a crisis like this before. Certainly, the federal budget wasn’t anything like what it is now. Certainly, the federal government had never before taken over state and local functions in the way that proved to be necessary. Still, I think the most charitable thing you could say about Hoover, therefore, is that he lacked imagination. And that’s too charitable, to be honest with you, because of course people told him he needed to do these things increasingly through the course of his presidency. Increasingly not even just what we might call bleeding heart liberals, but people who are of Hoover’s own social circle or people whom he appointed to advise him on these tasks, and he refused to do them.
President Donald Trump spent weeks downplaying and discounting the potential severity of the coronavirus pandemic. ASSOCIATED PRESS
That’s where we really get into the current situation, or a comparison to the current situation. You have a president who is willfully refusing to exercise power that people tell him he has and that he ought to exercise. In the case of President Trump, that he has the power to authorize the manufacture for the federal government of the appropriate goods ― in this case, it will be medical equipment. And he’s declined repeatedly to do that while also saying he isn’t declining it. But that’s a whole other thing.
Hoover was in a very similar situation in two respects, I think. First of all, in terms of federal aid to the unemployed. And I suppose that has a parallel to the current moment, too. Hoover adamantly refused to authorize anything like adequate federal aid to the unemployed. And what little public works he did sign onto he did very reluctantly. He thought that such actions would lead, ultimately, as he wrote, to socialism and collectivism, which of course he was against.
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You know, this is not just saying, “Oh well, it’s traditionally the states’ job and the states can take care of it.” It’s saying that even if the states can’t take care of it, I don’t think the federal government should do it for ideological reasons. And you can find the same thing in the case of the bank panic ― or the last of the series of bank panics ― that occurred during Hoover’s presidency. There’s the big one that began just before the November ’32 election and lasted to the end of Hoover’s presidency (in early March of 1933, when inaugurations then occurred).
During this time, repeatedly ― people who were, again, not lefties, people who were high up in the Federal Reserve told Hoover that a) he had the authority to close the banks, and b) he ought to exercise his power over and over and over again during the waning months of his presidency. And he adamantly refused to do so. He said, it’s my job to keep the banks open. So, again, this is sort of him feeling like he didn’t have the authority to do something. He was told repeatedly that he did, even though he sort of fished for people to tell them he didn’t. And he just didn’t want to do it. And he didn’t do it.
Even in the late part of February ― this is the last time the president was inaugurated in March. So there was a long time after the election of ’32 before Roosevelt became president. But in the middle or near the end of February, Roosevelt’s people told Hoover’s people that the first thing Roosevelt was going to do upon coming into office was to close the banks. And so Hoover knew it was going to happen. You know, he might as well have done it, but he refused to do it.
You mentioned that a lot of Hoover’s failures stemmed from his ideological predilections. What exactly was he ideologically opposed to and how did that hamper his response?
He regarded government intervention in the economy, at least in these ways, as a step on the road to socialism, or as he would have said, collectivism. But he meant basically the same thing. And he would go on to say that the things that Roosevelt did put the United States on the road to Moscow. So, he felt that anything resembling what we come to call the New Deal was essentially a step toward communism. He was ― I guess you’d call that the modern version of American conservatism is what you’d call that, right? Very resistant to the idea that government ought to intervene with aid to the unemployed or to check in any way capitalism. Unless, of course, it was aiding capitalism in the way that capitalists wanted to be aided is what he was saying.
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When Hoover was elected he was seen as a successful manager of large projects, having overseen post-World War I relief efforts. He had a different image than Donald Trump
Well, look, Hoover was a vastly more successful businessman than Donald Trump. That is absolutely true. And, he had entered public service, if not quite government, as a genuine do-gooder in terms of organizing the Belgian relief efforts during World War I and entering the Woodrow Wilson administration as the food administrator in terms of rationing. And by all accounts, he did that certainly competently.
I think, though, there are signs of the later Hoover (before he became president). He really felt that the thing to do was to manipulate public discourse. He said, “The world lives by phrases.” He was really fascinated with what became the modern art of public relations. And so that really shows up in his 1927-28 stint as the flood relief coordinator during the Mississippi River flood for the Coolidge administration.
He was very keen that there’d be films of him walking around the flood zone and lots of reports about him doing great stuff, even though he really didn’t do that much. You know, he rounded up money to be spent on reconstruction that was never spent and he was conspicuously not particularly good for Black residents of the region, which is something that the NAACP held against him for a long time.
Hoover was definitely not without talents. But he certainly had an overwhelming talent for trying to manage his public image. Maybe this was probably his best ability. And maybe that is kind of similar to the current president’s fascination with his ratings.
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And turning to Trump, how do you view his response in any kind of comparison to Hoover or other presidents responding to these kinds of cataclysmic events?
In September 1932 -- years into the Great Depression -- President Herbert Hoover pleaded for generous donations to charity as a key to recovery. Such efforts did little to stem the nation's growing economic problems. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Well, I think that there’s a definite and unfortunate parallel to the onset of the Depression, which is saying, “Oh, well this thing isn’t the thing. This thing that is a thing is not as bad as you think it’s going to be. This thing that is a thing that is starting to look very bad is the foreigner’s fault. And there’s nothing we can really do about it now anyway.” That is pretty much the Hoover playbook for the Great Depression. And I guess you can map that onto the current administration’s response, I imagine.
Would you say that there’s an ideological point of view here? Trump has refused to invoke the Defense Production Act, at times saying that this isn’t the federal government’s job. And then there’s the bizarre statement by Jared Kushner at Thursday’s White House briefing that the national stockpile of medical supplies is for the federal government and not the states.
Apparently they’re going to dispense it all to Guam and Puerto Rico is what that means. I have no idea. That was sarcasm ... I wasn’t offering my scholarly analysis of the situation. You know, ideology and the current president are a vexed issue ― it’s always hard to say. But I think that his personal interest seems to map onto broader ideological convictions in the modern Republican Party. That’s why he’s sustained in power, doing things that otherwise another president wouldn’t get away with. I think that’s generally true. So whether he’s personally ideological or not, in the way that Hoover clearly was, I don’t know.
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But his antipathy to expertise, which may stem from his personality, goes very nicely with the broader Republican wish to shrink the government. So, he’s gotten rid of a lot of capacity that we might have had to deal with a situation like this one. And his unwillingness to plan and to recognize the oncoming crisis may again have something to do with his personal psychology, but it certainly maps on to the broader Republican wish not to ― I mean, there was that op-ed, I think it was in the Wall Street Journal by [Steve] Forbes and a couple other guys who presumably don’t have whatever Trump’s personality is, but it did say we don’t want to pay too much to the unemployed. [Forbes, Art Laffer and Steven Moore made a joint statement opposing the expansion of unemployment insurance on March 18. Laffer and Moore made the same argument in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on March 20.]
That’s an ideological position and is going to help to account for our incapacity to deal with the current level of unemployment, I’m afraid.
You mention that Hoover sort of laid the foundation for the modern conservative movement, certainly its economic ethos. And these are people expressing that. Is there anything to say about that at this moment where maybe that is not going to be enough to meet the crisis?
Well, I think there’s something about Hoover as a bridge to the modern moment that probably tells us something about that. You know, he was defeated for the presidency in ’32 by Roosevelt and then he lived into 1964. So he had to live for the latter 32 years of his life with liberalism ascendant, even during the Eisenhower administration. I think it would be fair to say that. And although he was deeply conservative himself, he also wanted to rehabilitate himself personally. And so he did a lot to ingratiate himself publicly with liberals, to reconcile himself publicly to liberalism in a way that he wouldn’t do, let’s say if he had lived from ’64 another 32 years after that in the years when conservatism came roaring back.
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One of his real legacies, therefore, was to kind of establish himself as a moderate publicly while continuing to be vituperative in his conservatism privately and to regard the New Deal as a form of treason, to use his own words, which was a view that he said Richard Nixon had inherited from him. Barry Goldwater regarded Hoover as an inspiration. And of course, just after Hoover’s death, they really began to reshape American politics ― Goldwater and Nixon did, ultimately successfully.
The question I guess you would want to ask is, were they able to do this in part because liberalism had become so entrenched and the sort of competent government had become so entrenched that they could chip away at it for a good long time before it became a catastrophe? To paraphrase Adam Smith, maybe there’s a lot of ruin in the liberal establishment. But we may have gotten to the point where there ain’t enough of it left that we could afford that kind of thing.
What about the particular moment now where we have skyrocketing unemployment due to the pandemic. It seems that maybe these Hooverian conservative views aren’t going to meet the moment. Is this a potential turning point as 1932 was, or 1980 even, in terms of American politics?
Well, you know, I have to offer you the caveat that historians don’t do the future, we do the past. But it could well be. I mean, that’s sort of what I was kind of edging around saying, we may have reached the point where we can no longer start to shave away the old liberal establishment. We have to start rebuilding it.
I don’t know if you saw the article, I think it was in Politico (Friday), about the unemployment apparatus in Florida. Which, basically, it was designed to not pay unemployment claims ― which is fine, one of the sources said, at the times when unemployment is below 3%. Let’s bracket that, it obviously isn’t fine, but it is a catastrophe now. If it is actually revealed to be a catastrophe while people like (Sen.) Rick Scott (R) and (Gov.) Ron DeSantis (R) are in charge of the state of Florida, you may see a tipping point there. And as you know, maybe a tipping point in Florida is all it’s gonna take to tip the balance more generally with our political system that we have. But I can’t say.