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kaypeace21 · 3 years

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Rebel Robin podcast (ep 3 &4 analysis)

For those who haven’t read them yet. Here’s the analysis for podcast ep 1&2. Analysis of Rebel Robin book-here. And eastereggs from rebel robin novel- here.

So the main things I noticed in ep 3 was how Robin spying was shown as a huge NEGATIVE-and Mr Hauser got upset over her doing so. Robin listens to mr. Hauser’s phone call (like Karen with Mike in s3/ us gov spying on calls in s1) & on a different occasion Robin also eavesdrops on a private convo he is having with someone else in his classroom ( like El spying on Mike talking to Lucas in s3). And when he finds out about this he tells her how wrong it was to spy on other people like that. In the past, I also talked about how the theme of spying is shown for many other st characters ( in the show) and how it isn’t romanticized like people think it is- here .

Anyways , Ep 3 ends with a call from a h*mophobic teen( Dash) telling Robin to “stay away” from Mr. Hauser cause he’s “dangerous”. Why he thinks he’s dangerous is solely for the fact he’s gay.I think this theme may come into play in s4 Hawkins (in relation to the satanic panic). In ep 4 Robin jokes to (gay) Mr. Hauser : “ So what are you into... satanism?” (Sadly most queer people have been told over and over we’re going to hell for being gay/lgbt+. it’s sadly an almost universal experience.) For those unaware- the ‘satanic panic’ was a right wing christian movement in the 80′s that WRONGLY associated certain things with supposed satanism. Just some of the many things they demonized : rock music , stephen king , wearing black, horror/fantasy media, and of course queer people and d&d (hellfire club - the name is a a xmen ref but in the show it’s probably an inside joke about the satanic panic and people being scared of d&d). We see foreshadowing of the satanic panic hinted in s3 (in relation to d&d)- on tv the narrator asks if “satanism” (pans to d&d set) is to blame for the odd occurrances in Hawkins. And given how the s4 el-trailer had the clock say 3:00am for the “witching hour” also called “the devil’s hour” since it’s supposed to be a subversion of jesus dy*ing at 3:00 pm. And the possibility s4 may take place around Easter. I think we’ll see that religious (Christian) extre*sm causes many people in Hawkins to interpret the supernatural as ‘satanic’. And no , I’m obviously not talking poorly about all religious/christian people).

After this Mr. Hauser jokes how Hawkins is like “lord of the flies” and how he “worries” what would happen if teens were left to their own devices-like in the book. The themes in the book mostly focus on the dangers of ‘mob mentality’ and how human beings can become v*olent and turn on each other- if the safety of civilization disappears...

This I believe is foreshadowing - i mentioned in a post a while back (here). How movies on the s4 list had the theme of : a supernatural event indirectly causing towns people to act irrationally and turn on eachother v*olently. Despite literal monsters attacking them from outside (they chose to turn on eachother instead). In the end some townspeople become the real monsters via mob mentality/v*oence/false witch hunts (the mist, the birds, etc). In ‘the birds’ (while people are hidding in a store)- they wrongly blame certain characters for the supernatural chaos. Similarly, in ‘the mist’ (crowd of townspeople are trapped in a store) and some start interpreting the monsters as being sent as punishment by god- some town’s people start quoting the bible and saying the only way to stop the punishment is to start “sacrificing the s*nners and nonbelievers”. BIG YIKES.ST references mapple street (where the wheelers and sinclairs live). It’s based on the twilight zone ep of the same name “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” .The ‘monsters’ of that episode -were the townspeople turning on eachother because they incorrectly think their own neighbors are part of an invading supernatural army. The enemy was actually the paranoia/mob mentality-not the supernatural force they feared. And yes i do think this concept is linked with 80s satanic panic and will cause some town division/obstacles for our heroes to deal with . **I also think the s4 bts of the Hawkins blood clinic-may be used to show h*mophobia (linked to satanic panic) in the town. Like in one s4 movie “paradise lost”the punk rock boys who were into black clothes, rock music , horror/stephen king books- were accused by the town’s people of being gay AND have demonic powers that are k*lling fellow town’s people.

Mr Hauser says he thinks steve Harrington is Ralph from lord of the flies. And Robin disagrees saying he’s Jack. Personally- since this was when Robin didn’t know/hated Steve. I think Mr hauser is right that Steve is Ralph (one of the oldest boys) who’s “commitment to civilization and morality is strong”. But Jack (perhaps the popular s4 kid Jake?) and his savage crew take control of the group and start trying to attack Ralph and his friends (steve’s crew- over satanic panic?). How this begins is -

Jack, torments Ralph and others. And some kids begin to develop savage personalities, after someone claims to have seen a Beast (demongorgan?) in the woods. This creates fear among the boys, which allows Jack to access more power.Ralph gets into an argument with Jack, who splits from the tribe. Many of the other boys follow Jack, who uses fear to manipulate the boys into leaving Ralph. And Jack’s crew begin attacking Ralph and his friends.

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Ok, next topic of ep 4- the sentimental part of my brain got emotional when hearing how upset Robin was. And than Mr Hauser-telling her she’s wrong and she’s not “broken” or “rotten” and “nothing about her needs to be fixed’” (got me right in the feels) . As a queer person- I feel like every lgbt+ kid/teen needs to hear what Mr. Hauser said to Robin.

However, the analytical part of my brain -did notice some easterggs/ series parallels.

The convo starts with them talking about music Mr hauser likes (such as Bowie). And transitions to Mr Haauser asking about things she likes, whether she’s being bullied, and he later tells her “ DON’T let other people’s small mindedness make you fell bad about yourself. you don’t need to change yourself-no matter what anyone else says” . And Mr Hauser than says him calling her the “weirdest girl in Hawkins” was a compliment (not an insult-like she initially assumed).

This is remarkably similar to certain scenes in s1/2. In s1, Jonathan mentions musicians he likes such as Bowie, asks Will about what he likes, and tells Will “don't like things cause people tell you you’re supposed to-especially not him (their dad who called him h*mophobic names)” . In s2, Jonathan tries to cheer Will up after asking if he's being being bullied. And calls Will “a freak” (and says it’s a good thing) and he should be content with being a “freak “ and compares Will to Bowie ( who was openly queer since the 70s) .

In ep 4, Robin also mentions how sad she is that her parents won’t let her ride her bike anymore cause their paranoid about her safety (like what happened to Will in s2).

Robin (before Mr. Hauser comforts her) says she feels like she has a “rot” inside her . This is a s2 eastergg that could be linked to either Will or El. Will says his now-memories are “growing”, spreading”, and killing.” Later Kali says the emotional pain caused by her father caused a “wound” to “spread”. Later allusion-Brenner tells El she has a “terrible wound “ (“a rot”) that Will “grow, spread, and kill.”

The reason Robin rants about feeling like she has a “rot” inside her is because she’s being bullied, and lost all her Hawkins friends and says “maybe I’m broken maybe there is just something about me that drives people away? I’m the only common denominator-there’s something wrong with me! There’s something inside of me that’s just rotten and there’s nothing i can do to fix it”. Which 1)-poor Robin. 2) I feel like could easily be How Will feels in s4(who will be the same age as Robin is here in the podcast)- his dad abandoned him, all his hawkins friends are gone , the st s4 movies have h*mophobic bullying in them (and he was bullied in the past). In a interview Noah said Will in s4 “doesn’t really get along with people-it’s just him and Mike.” I think it fits more so with Will than El . But they may feel similar: it’s implied in s4 audition tapes she’ll be bullied too, she moved away from her friends, and her father (Hopper) fake “passed away.” It could easily be how both Will and El feel in s4- that there is something “broken”/ “rotten” about them . In fact, in the rebel Robin novel there is even a character named Sheena. Sheena reminds me a bit of a mix between Will and el . She is very quiet, queercoded, and is often bullied. And she finds mean notes and other things stuffed in her locker- placed there by bullies. A bit like how Will found the zombie-boy note in his locker. A teacher doesn’t stop her bullying just blames her and says “ This wouldn’t happen if you made it just a smidgen easier for PEOPLE to understand you.”(sort of reminding me of that Noah quote about s4 Will not getting along with most people/Jonathan saying not to change himself cause “people” say to). But sheena can be another name for Jane (there was also a 80s show character named Sheena who was psychic) so ...maybe foreshadowing of el/jane being bullied in highschool? Along with Will?

*It’s not a eastergg/parallel...just speculation. Unlike the rebel robin book... in the podcast (in multiple episodes) almost every time she opens up to Mr Hauser about her problems she says it’s ok for him to do the same and she’ll be supportive and listen. However, Mr Hauser (so far) always rejects her offer-much to her hurt/frustration. In ep 4, she asks if he has someone his “own age” he can talk to about his problems-which he says he does. Now... since in ep 4 Mr hauser is paralleled to Jonathan maybe Jonathan will have someone his own age to talk to about his problems (maybe his new friend Argyle?) We see similar to Mr Hauser giving advice/pep talks to (gay) Robin. Jonathan is always giving advice/peptalks to our (gay-coded) Will. But so far- Jonathan has no one he really emotionally leaned on in the same way (Will does with Jonathan). I also wonder if Will in s4 starts gets tired of how he always confides in Jonathan (but Jonathan never does the same with Will in return)? Like Robin with Mr. Hauser?

#robin buckley #steve harrington #will byers #el hopper #jonathan byers #stranger things #stranger things theory

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newagesispage · 4 years

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JUNE 2020

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FX and Ryan Murphy will bring us season 10 of American Horror Story next year. The cast includes Mac Culkin, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan peters, Billie Lourd, Lily Rabe and Finn Wittrock. There will also be a spinoff called, wait for it, American Horror Stories. Woo Hoo!!

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Reno 911 is back

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I happen to have a clementine in my butt. –Jimmy Kimmel

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NASA got their dragon launch. It is unfortunate that they had to compete with the current cycle.

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Sam Springsteen (son of Patti and Bruce) has been sworn in as a Jersey City firefighter.

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Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood is great. I don’t know how to feel about the fast and the loose and the nice made up endings like Once upon a time in Hollywood. Will this be a trend??** Another great one on Netflix is, Have a good trip.

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Are there biopics in the works for Michael and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, the Bee Gees and Bowie?? That is the word.

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Days alert: Look for Lani to become pregnant. Eli and Justin are both thinking marriage. Claire is back which will bring Shawn and Belle back. Gabi may be kidnapped. Word is that July will have a wedding every week that will lead to a funeral. Allie Horton is all grown up and heading back with a secret. Will she be like Mom, Sami?? Brady thinks that ruining Titan will get back at Victor. Sonny and Will may get a chance at another child. Eve may be back later in the summer. And, C’mon Xander, do something wonderful to get your woman back. Lucas may be on the way back and Orpheus is leaving. ** Judi Evans (Adrienne) had a serious horseback riding accident on May 16. She had broken ribs, a collapsed lung and 2 chipped vertebrae. The good news was in the hospital they discovered a blood clot so the whole thing saved her life.

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Morton Buildings is being sued by 2 women for harassment and discrimination. One incident claims an employee said, “God created women by lining up all the men and castrating the stupid ones.” Another lawsuit was filed in 2009.**Thanks for the tip, Di.

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If you expect elementary school children to endure the trauma of active shooter drills for your freedoms, you can wear a mask to Costco. –Sara Elizabeth Dill

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House republicans have sued Pelosi to block proxy voting.

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Seth Rogan, Steve Carell and Ben Schwartz are donating funds to bailout Minneapolis protestors after the death of George Floyd.** The country has been turned upside down as another cop kills another black man. No need to rehash, we have all seen it. I wonder if those four horrible cops are proud of what they have done to their city. Could we finally have a tipping point in this time when racism is spotlighted with our racist President? After many incidents in just the past couple of weeks and everyone on edge with coronavirus, it has boiled over. Scary Clown threatens to start shooting as Minneapolis burns down. Burn down a police station, get a cop arrested (finally)? Seems worth it to me. The way the killer looked into the camera as if he was just so proud is gonna stick with us as it should. ** A CNN crew were arrested live on the air but released later after Jeff Zucker spoke to Gov. Walz.** Liberate Minnesota was the Trump tweet, well, they are working on it.** I am hearing people saying in all sincerity lately that it is time for the humans to go, we are ruining each other and the planet.

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If you have not seen the Killer Mike speech from Atlanta, you need to check it out.** Netflix, Hulu and Paramount are taking a stand and showing support for the Black lives matter movement.

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John Cusack put out video of police coming at him with batons and pepper sprayed him as he protested in Chicago. More than 1000 were arrested and it continues.** In Flint, Sheriff Chris Swanson and other police put down helmets and joined the protestors. Police in Schenectady took a knee and joined the march. The behavior is spreading and look what a difference it makes, could they be starting to get it?

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Never thought I’d say this but in light of everything that is happening, the DNC made a big mistake in not backing Berne Sanders. –Pete Buttigieg ** Ok, first, of course he is right but you helped set this all in motion. It is a bit late for that …or is it? Biden is not the OFFICIAL nom, the deal is not done yet. Will Bernie jump back in the race?? Perhaps we will soon see BERNE FOR PRESIDENT again.

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American carnage was a self -fulfilling prophecy, alas. –Susan Glasser

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Scary Clown 45 has designated Antifa a terrorist organization. ** There is no legal authority for designating a domestic group, any such designation would raise significant concerns. –ACLU

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In any season, police violence is an injustice, but its harm is elevated amidst the remarkable stress people are facing amidst covid-19. Even now, there is evidence of excessive police initiated force and unwarranted shootings of civilians, some of which have been fatal. –American Medical Association.

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Washington Week had a great discussion about how all the ills in US history have played out in 2020. Impeachment, pandemic, depression and civil unrest are all here at once.

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Word is that Trevor Noah has been proven much more popular than the other late night hosts since they have been at home.

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I predict the picture of the upside down flag with the backdrop of the burning liquor store will be the lasting image of the Trump Presidency.

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This is the Presidency George Wallace never had. –Max Boot

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Spanish flu, Polio, Aids, Covid-19: Why don’t people get any smarter? The masses (and sometimes those in charge) can get it wrong over and over again. From Dr.? Phil and Dr Oz and their cavalier attitude toward death to Rosie wanting her son to take a leave of absence from the grocery store, we just do not learn. Even before that, I can’t forget the woman who wanted to change her vote after she found out Buttigieg was married to a man. Is she even a dem? Do your research people! Respect others, people!! Have compassion, stop being so selfish and use your brains!!** Puerto Rico was a pre curser to the pandemic response.

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Amy Cooper Chris Cooper? WTF? Another liberal who is not really liberal.

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Crime in general is down and police shootings are up. And yes, now the opportunists are out of control and anger is boiling over but protests against police brutality causing police brutality is WRONG!

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Check out the book, What makes a marriage last, from Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue.

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Ben Taub, Barry Blitt and Colson Whitehead have won the Pulitzer Prize.

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Word is that Nick Cage will play Joe Exotic of Tiger King fame. Of course he will.

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I refuse to wear a mask because God did not have us born with one.- Nino Vitali** How many people have you heard say, “The President isn’t wearing a mask, so I don’t have to.”

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It looks like Apple will partner with Paramount for Scorsese’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.

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Oh my: Scary Clown is having a twitter feud with twitter! He has to, of course, lash out and now signs an executive order targeting social media. He is going on about section 230 which gives immunity to social media companies against being sued over content. It could curb liability protection. Experts say it will only encourage lawsuits because he does not want to be edited.

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If Native American tribes were counted as states, the five most infected states in the US would all be native tribes. –Nicholas Kristof

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Did ya see that Jeff Epstein doc from James Patterson. It is lays blame in all directions. Why does it seem like all these old guys on there with all that money have such yellow teeth?

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Lindsey Graham is urging Federal judges in their mid to late 60’s to step down so they can fill the spots with republicans.

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Richard McGuire tried to live at Disney World in a zoological park that was closed down.

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Caterpillar, Levi, Black and Decker and others have cut jobs but gave millions to shareholders.

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Axl Rose and Steve Mnuchin had a twitter feud.

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China announced plans to introduce a National Security law in Hong Kong. The law enables mainland Chinese National security agencies to operate in the city for the first time. Using a rarely used constitutional method, they bypassed Hong Kong legislature. Since the former British colony became a semi-autonomous region of China more than 20 years ago, they have manages its own affairs. The law will affect media, education, politics and international business. Many acts will now be criminalized. Hong Kong is party to international treaties guaranteeing civil liberties that China is not. The U.S. is urging Bejing to reconsider. Pro- democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong were tear gassed as they yelled, “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”

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The Michael Flynn charges were dropped.

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Holyoke soldier’s home in Massachusetts lost 70 souls to Coronavirus. AP photographer David Goldman got a projector and cast big pictures the vets onto the homes of loved ones. Each one had a story including one vet who was sent to Nuremberg to guard Nazis. He claimed to have filled Hermann Goring’s glass with toilet water.

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The swimming Dinosaur, Spinosaurus has been getting a lot of attention. The Sahara desert which was once massive rivers kept the first intact aquatic dinosaur. With a snout, teeth and jaw like a croc, it is so far the only known kind of dinosaur that lived in the water. The 50 foot long bizarre fin-like tail is like a giant paddle. Paleontologists encourage others to have a look at other fossils to see if there are more.

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Octavia Spencer is said to have been telling everyone she is a year younger than she is. She is turning 50.

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The $69 million ventilator scam. Really? The White House heard from a guy who told them he could supply the product so the WH told NY to order them and stood behind the guy but it was a scam. Scary Clown sure loves his shady people, intentional or not.** A Florida woman, Rebecca Jones claims that she was asked to fudge the numbers to make reopening look better. ** Georgia moved their dates around on a graph to make their cases seem flattened. ** For 17 months, Florida investigated voter fraud for Trump and Gov. Scott. They found NOTHING!!

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Amazon stock price is up 25% yet they have become notorious for the terrible way they treat their workers. Bezos is set to become a trillionaire.

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We have to remember that order comes from chaos. True enhancements can come from large scale crisis. What will we learn from this one? This is a warning!!** Universal health care? No more buffets? ** Prices will probably go up everywhere what with the closings and all the extra cleaning. I hope this means that hotel bedspreads will be cleaned after every stay. It looks like there may be no cocktails or food on planes.

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Take a virtual tour of the statue of liberty. All the fun without all the swaying.

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Local PBS stations are making it easier to learn. Students will be able to put on a channel for lessons that does not need cable or internet. Woo Hoo!!

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Insiders say that Trump threatened to sue his campaign manager because he did not agree with his assessment and the poll numbers in a 2 day rant.** Just one more example of Scary Clown double talk. Then: Less testing, less positives. Now: So much testing is a badge of honor.**Doctors without Borders are now here, not the third world countries that they usually help, it is US.

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Haven’t we had enough of powerful men being accused? A female Dem candidate would have been nice and Bernie did not seem to have any baggage that way either.

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Will the Senate see fit to ok some more stimulus $? 4 trillion to prop up Wall Street seems per the usual. Enough for them, let’s take care of those small businesses and those really in need.

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Thao and the get down stay down is one of the best in this internet entertainment era.

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Check out Stars in the House with Tony Shalhoub and others.

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The Detectorists on Acorn TV is a great little show!!

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Happy Day! There is a new season of At Home with Amy Sedaris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It looks like Pier 1 will permanently close as well as JC Penney, J Crew, Sears and Neiman Marcus.

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Check out the wonderful, This is about Humanity!!

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Have U seen the trailer for The King of Staten Island?? OMG Pete Davidson, Steve Buschemi and Marisa Tomei , just to name a few!! I can’t fucking wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Bill Maher looked really high on his 5-22-20 show. This working from home makes him much more mellow!!

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3 Russian doctors treating coronavirus have fallen out of windows in about a weeks time.** Russia boasts that it has more ventilators per capita than the U.S. After they made fun of us, on May 22, the first shipment of U.S. ventilators headed to Russia. They are a gift from Trump and the U.S. taxpayers. –Julia Davis

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State Department Inspector General Steve Linick is out. Was he investigating Pompeo? Trump never knows anything about any of it. Why are all the protectors of the rule of law thrown out? ** Was Pompeo throwing lavish foreign policy dinners with Reba, Dale Jr. and the owners of that horrid chicken sandwich place? ** The clean water rule has been suspended which cuts protections for most of the country’s wetlands.

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The market facilitation program has been helping small farmers over the last few years in a $28 billion bailout. Trump’s sanctions brought this on and the corona virus has made it worse. Mostly the money has helped bankers and bigger farms. Much like the stimulus $ that was earmarked for small business, there are loopholes that screw up the ‘rules.’ The cap is not being followed like they may say because the $ is going to “investors” in the farm and often not the actual farmer who works on a smaller scale. A small farm run by family members may not get the bailout. It seems to be more important to get a good lawyer who can manipulate the paperwork. Sad that taxpayer $ is used this way.

*****

Just in time, the Space Force flag and plans for the super duper missile have been unveiled. WTF??

*****

Paula Poundstone is a woman I knew I liked. She was recently talking about not liking couches. I thought I was the only one, People are always telling me how much they love their couches and I don’t get it.

*****

Jeff Gibbs and Michael Moore are upset after Youtube pulled their doc, Planet of the Humans. After 8.3 million views, there was a copyright claim by Toby Smith of about 4 seconds of footage. Now , this is not the first time that Moore has had problems with content in one of his movies. Many have claimed there is a lot of fiction in this latest venture. I think I would just remove the possible copyright infringement and move on. It can now be seen on Vimeo.

A Florida law that restricts felon voting is found unconstitutional by a federal judge.** The RNC filed a lawsuit against California to stop mailing ballots to registered voters.

*****

R.I.P. Little Richard, Roy Horn, Jerry Stiller, Sam Lloyd, Ann Sullivan, Mike Cogswell, Michael Keenan, Shirley Knight, Irrfan Khan, Hana Kimura, Forrest Compton, Jimmy Cobb, George Floyd, Ken Osmomd, all the corona victims, Lynn Shelton, Richard Herd, Larry Kramer, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Anthony James, Fred Willard and Carolyn Busch.

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justanothercinemaniac · 6 years

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #242 - Paul (2011)

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) The prologue for this movie is particularly strong. For one thing, the name of the dog, “Paul,” stands out. It’s hard to watch this movie without knowing the title. And it shows that the film isn’t just making fun of sci-fi but playing in the genre. There’s a nice sense of atmosphere to the short prologue and it poses many interesting questions. Namely: what the hell just crashed on earth?

2) I appreciate how earnest Simon Pegg and Nick Frost come across as nerds in the movie. So often people who are enthusiastic about pop culture are portrayed as the joke, their existence is a joke. But with Graeme and Clive yes they can be funny but the joke isn’t the simple idea of, “Look at how funny the nerds are!”

3) Another line of humor I appreciate in the film is that while Graeme and Clive are often mistaken to be a couple, they’re never really uncomfortable with people thinking they’re gay unless they are in a situation with some homophobic assholes. And in that case the discomfort isn’t the threat to their masculinity but the threat to their safety. It’s a nice distinction from how these types of storylines typically go.

4) Look, do I even need to talk about the on screen chemistry between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost? They have proved it countless times across film and television. They’re a legendary on screen duo. Abbott & Costello, Fred & Ginger, Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor, now Simon Pegg & Nick Frost. They’re great together always, even when the films may be a little less than stellar they are not. And Paul is no exception. Their chemistry is on point, they’re as strong alone as they are together, it just works. We spend enough time with their characters before Paul shows up that we clearly understand the relationship, something which is not only the result of strong writing but strong acting as well.

5) The waitress played by Jane Lynch is wonderfully supportive of the duo’s nerdy nature. She doesn’t make fun of them for their interests, she doesn’t see it as odd. She encourages it! And even when the two jackasses show up she’s supportive and only suggests they leave because she knows the bearded truckers could start trouble. I really like that.

6) Seth Rogen as Paul.

Being the titular character of a movie carries a to of weight with it. You have to be the most memorable part of the movie. Think of Beetlejuice, for example. That’s a lot to live up to. Our intro to Paul shows off much of his character and his down to earth nature (no pun intended). We get introduced to his crude and profane language, his sense of humor, and even a little bit of his heart. It is the latter of these things which helps make Paul a character and not just a gag. You understand his intentions, what he wants, what motivates him, and you can relate. It’s a bit of E.T., actually. He just wants to go home. We get to especially see this when interacting with Blythe Danner’s character later in the film, how vulnerable he allows himself to be and how he grows to care about the safety of others.

Seth Rogen nails it as the character. Rogen is no stranger to voice over work and sometimes I honestly forget I’m listening to him. This isn’t because he does anything particularly tricky to disguise his voice, but just because it fits all the above mentioned characteristics of the alien so well. It just works and I think the film is better for Rogen’s casting.

7) Jason Bateman as Agent Zoyle is a fun addition to the movie. Bateman plays the character as reserved and intensely focused, a straight man to some of his more chaotic counterparts. That’s where most of the humor comes from and Bateman’s precision with the role only benefits it.

8) Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader have a fun chemistry in this film and add a nice amount of life to the movie. They have fun with their characters and each other making it all the more fun to watch.

9) This film is just dripping with references to great sci-fi films, some subtle and some not so subtle.

Paul [asking for food at a gas station]: “Hey! Reese’s Pieces!”

10) Chekov’s dead bird.

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

Paul showcasing his ability to heal things, even partially, sets up an important alien power of his that also leads to a great gag with his little snack.

11) The film does well with giving each character their own personality and arc. Bill Hader’s character specifically gets a well written storyline of drive and upward mobility. Not everyone would think to give him that storyline.

12) I like Paul’s planet.

Paul: “Everyone’s bi on my planet.”

13) I’m a sucker for these kinds of jokes. Specifically, how Paul was SUCH an influence on pop culture. That the stereotypical alien look came from his face so people wouldn’t freak out so much when they saw him, that he talked to Steven Spielberg (who does a voice over cameo as himself) about E.T., or that, “Agent Mulder was my idea!” I dig it.

14) Kristen Wiig as Ruth.

Wiig is charming and sweet in her portrayal of Ruth. She’s a nice addition to the film and is able to hold her own against the chemistry between Pegg and Frost. She doesn’t feel out of place or tacked on, even getting a really great arc of her own (scientific?) awakening. I appreciate that.

15) On a more personal note, I disagree with the idea that there has to be this complete divide between religion and science as the film largely presents it. You’re either one or the other which to me doesn’t make a ton of sense. Not to get too into my own personal beliefs but I believe in the idea of a creator behind the universe but that doesn’t undermine things like evolution or the big bang or anything else. But I think I’m getting off track.

16) There are some surprisingly strong action scenes in the movie. Often comedy that fall into a subgenre like sci-fi or fantasy rely heavily more on the comedy then set pieces. There’s nothing wrong with that if pulled off well, I just always forget that Paul has a number of well paced chase and action sequences too.

17) I like that the film takes time to develop the relationships with Clive and Paul as well as Graeme and Ruth. They fell organic, natural, and they’re not static either they grow and change. I like it.

18) It took me a while to understand this joke because I didn’t know what Mac & Me was.

Clive: Ever since I saw Mac and Me, I've dreamed about meeting you!

For those who don’t know, Mac and Me is basically an ET rip-off that is often listed as one of the worst films ever made that some see more as a commercial for McDonald’s and Coca Cola than a film.

Also that thing is creepy as hell.

19) Ruth trying out profanity throughout the course of the movie is fun to watch and actually, now that I think about it, mirrors my own attempts with cursing as a kid.

youtube

20) At its core, Paul is a fun road trip movie. It’s about going somewhere but it’s also about the journey. The trouble you face on the road and the friends you have to see you through it. It just also involves aliens and the government.

21) The country bar version of “Cantina Band” is nice.

22) I think the bar scene works because it’s basically the eye of the shitstorm. Everything the group has been running from - the truckers, Ruth’s dad, the government - all converges upon them at the same time. It makes for a fun and ripe conflict that’s interesting to see the characters deal with.

23) Is this some sort of crack about Bob Dylan’s current music not “measuring up” to his early stuff or whatever?

Paul [about his drugs]: It's pretty strong shit. I get it from the military. I think this is the stuff that killed Dylan. Graeme: Bob Dylan’s not dead. Paul: Isn’t he?

24) Random Keith Nash is random but nice.

25) Blythe Danner as Tara is a nice late addition to the film. Danner puts a lot of heart and soul into what is essentially a tragic character. A space alien landed on her dog, was taken away by the government, and she was dubbed a freak by society only for telling the truth, something which required years of therapy. But Tara’s no push over. Danner is able to make her strong, tough, and pretty funny when the opportunity arises.

26) The whole scene where the group has to escape the feds at the farm is the film’s best action sequence. It is incredibly well choreographed, tightly paced, and there is a wonderful escalation of insanity and action as the scene progresses. I really like it.

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27) This film is Wilhelm Scream certified.

28) The movie is basically a big love letter to sci-fi movies created by the likes of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The previous mention of Reese’s Pieces, the fact that the mountain from Close Encounters of the Third Kind is where Paul goes to phone home, and the line from Jason Bateman, “Boring conversation anyway,” mirroring Harrison Ford’s line from the original Star Wars. It shows not only just how much those kinds of films meant to the filmmakers but also how important it is they express that love in cinema. I think honesty admiration always leads to great filmmaking.

29) Sigoruney Weaver’s role as The Big Guy is basically a glorified cameo but I love it. Her casting is pitch perfect. As soon as she actually shows up you know shit just got real. Why? Because it’s Sigourney Weaver! It’s Ellen Ripley for crying out love. She just commands the scene and the fact that the oft mentioned “big gun” from earlier in the film is literally just a big ass gun is great.

30) The twist that Zoyle is actually on Paul’s side totally surprised me the first time I saw the film but it adds a lot of rewatch value. It totally makes sense in a second viewing and helps deepen his character from more than just a standard gov antagonist.

31)

Zoyle: “Call me Lorenzo.” Clive & Graeme: “Lorenzo Zoyle?”

I did not understand this reference at all when I first saw the movie. I had to google it extensively. Apparently it’s a reference to the 1992 George Miller directed film Lorenzo’s Oil that’s a family drama about a sick kid and has nothing to do with sci-fi. So after I learned what the reference was I googled some more to figure out why it was a joke in the movie. Apparently it was Nick Frost’s idea.

“It’s just one of those things that I kind of like doing, that thing that you take one letter from the surname and add it to the forename and it becomes something completely different. It’s possible someone could be called Lorenzo Zoil.” (source)

32) Graeme’s “death” actually packed a punch with me watching this. You kind of figure he’ll survive, I mean we’ve seen Paul use his healing ability before, but still I think that it does pull at your heart strings speaks to how well the film does in making you care about these characters and their relationships.

33) THE SHIP FUCKING LANDS ON SIGOURNEY WEAVER AND THAT’S HOW SHE DIES! YES! I LOVE IT!

34) I really like the in-credits epilogue. Like, the ship taking off slowly is a good final gag and leads to the emotional finale of the film. But the in-credits epilogue ties up some loose narrative strings and feels a bit more finite than just everyone standing in the now empty field. I dig it.

Paul is a lot of fun. It’s not really the same level of genre comedy as the Cornetto Trilogy per say, but why even make that comparison? I only mention that because I heard someone at work saying this movie sucked because it wasn’t Hot Fuzz and I was like, “That’s your criteria?” It is a charming, earnest, fun, well acted, and enthusiastic comedy. It’s a good time with lots of great gags and character moments. I like it and hopefully you will too.

#Paul #Simon Pegg #Nick Frost #Kristen Wiig #Paul 2011 #Jason Bateman #Sigourney Weaver #Joe Lo Truglio #Bill Hader #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Blythe Danner #The More You Know #Movie #Film

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Which Democratic Candidate Would Republicans Vote For

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/which-democratic-candidate-would-republicans-vote-for/

Which Democratic Candidate Would Republicans Vote For

How Are Primary Elections Conducted In California

Why lifelong Republican voted for a Democratic candidate in GA

All candidates for voter-nominated offices are listed on one ballot and only the top two vote-getters in the primary election regardless of party preference move on to the general election. Write-in candidates for voter-nominated offices can only run in the primary election. A write-in candidate will only move on to the general election if the candidate is one of the top two vote-getters in the primary election.

Prior to the Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act, the top vote-getter from each qualified political party, as well as any write-in candidate who received a certain percentage of votes, moved on to the general election.

The Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act does not apply to candidates running for U.S. President, county central committee, or local office.

Why You Need To Vote In The Primary Elections

True or false. You only need to vote in the November presidential election and not the primary elections.

FALSE!

For most American voters, the presidential primary elections matter more than the general election. Like Ive said before, if you live in a red state or a blue state, your vote in the presidential election wont make a difference. The rest of your state will overwhelming vote for a Democrat or a Republican. Your vote wont change your states outcome. .

But the primary elections are an entirely different story.

The presidential primaries determine who will represent the Republicans and the Democrats during the November election. Instead of voting between just 2 candidates, you have the choice of 3 Democrats or 12 Republicans. Unlike the general election, you actually have a chance of voting for your preferred candidate, not just the lesser of two evils.

How Do I Register To Vote

You have a few options:

If you have a New York drivers license or state ID from the Department of Motor Vehicles, you can register online using this tool from NYC Votes and TurboVote.

If you dont have a New York drivers license or state ID, the law requires that you sign a form and mail it to the Board of Elections office.

You can use this site to have the forms mailed to you, or you can and print the forms yourself to fill out and mail in. If you request to have the forms sent to you, they come with a pre-addressed envelope to return them.

You will be asked to plug in your name as it appears on your state ID. If you dont have one, thats OK. Just put how your name appears on official documents.

If you need language access or you want to help someone register to vote in another language, you can download the registration forms and FAQs in a bunch of languages here.

You can also request voter registration forms in various languages by calling 1-866-VOTENYC.

Lastly, you can pick up voter registration forms at any library branch, any post office or any city agency office.

After you fill them out, mail them to the BOEs main office:

Board of Elections

New York, NY 10004-1609

And make sure its postmarked by May 28.

Other materials needed: If you dont have a state ID, you will need to provide the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Don’t Miss: Democrats More Educated Than Republicans

Listen To The Podcast Episode

A dizzying selection of 46 candidates appear on the ballot in California’s recall election. Here’s a closer look at four of them three Republicans and one Democrat.

Aired: August 23, 2021 |

Early voting is underway in the Sept. 14 recall election that will decide whether California Gov. Gavin Newsom will be removed from office. The first question on the ballot is a simple yes or no: Should Newsom be recalled?

The second question who should replace Newsom if the recall passes has many voters scratching their heads. Forty-six candidates appear on the ballot, most of them longshots with little to no name recognition or political experience.

KPBS chose to examine the four replacement candidates who have most frequently polled near the top and have raised the most money. Here are details on those four.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder has led in most polls, likely helped by his national profile. But his right-wing politics would be a dramatic departure from the leftward trend in California.

Elder, who is Black, denies the existence of system racism. He opposes gun control, abortion rights and clings to the outdated term “illegal alien” to describe immigrants who are in the country without legal permission.

Elder also believes the minimum wage should be abolished.

Aired 8/23/21 on KPBS News

Listen to this story by Andrew Bowen.

Democratic Majority Whip Says He’s Disappointed But Not Surprised Republicans Voted To Block The Bill

Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic Majority Whip, said on CNN that he was “disappointed but not surprised” that Republicans voted to block the sweeping voting rights bill today.

“I thought perhaps some of the;Republicans would step up and;say that this national strategy;of changing state laws and;making it more difficult was;just wrong, but they didn’t.;They stood together,” he said.

Durbin went on to criticize Republicans as “the party that is supporting voter suppression.”

“I hope they understand, as we;do, that going in history as a;party that is supporting voter;suppression is not a good place.;For many decades, the Democratic;party of the early 20th century;was that party.;I’m not proud of that moment,;and I don’t make any excuses for;it.;I don’t want to be part of it in;the future, and I hope many;Republicans feel the same,” he said.

You May Like: Why Does Donald Trump Wear Red Ties

What You Need To Know

The Democrats voting and election bill failed to advance in the Senate after a procedural vote to open debate on the legislation was defeated by a tally of 50-50, falling short of the 60 votes needed to succeed.

Senate Democrats pitched the legislation as necessary to counter efforts by GOP-led legislatures to swiftly pass state laws that would impose restrictions on voting.;

All 50 Senate Republicans united in opposing the bill, having decried it as a partisan power grab and federal overreach into state voting and election systems.

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about today’s vote here.

List Of Registered 2024 Presidential Candidates

The following table lists candidates who filed with the FEC to run for president. Some applicants used pseudonyms; candidate names and party affiliations are written as they appeared on the FEC website on the date that they initially filed with the FEC.

Candidates who have filed for the 2024 presidential election Candidate

Also Check: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Democrats Are United In Support Of Cooperation With Us Allies Differ On Importance Of Us Military Superiority

Democratic registered voters overwhelmingly agree that the United States should address the interests of its allies when conducting foreign policy. This view varies little among supporters of Democratic presidential candidates.

Fully 87% of Democratic voters say the U.S. should take into the account the interests of its allies when making foreign policy decisions, even if it means making compromises with them. Few say the U.S. should follow its own national interests, even when its allies strongly disagree.

Republican and Republican-leaning voters are divided over whether the United States should follow its own national interests, even when allies disagree or address the interests of allies, even if this means compromises .

There is far less agreement among Democrats in views of whether U.S. policy should work to maintain its global military superiority. Among Democratic voters who name Warren as their first choice for the nomination, 65% say that in the future it would be acceptable if another country became as militarily powerful as the U.S.; just 31% say U.S. policies should try to maintain its position as the worlds only military superpower.

Majorities of those who support Sanders and Buttigieg also say it would be acceptable if another country became as militarily powerful as the U.S.

Republican voters, by a margin of about 4-to-1 , say U.S. policies should try to keep it that America is the only military superpower.

Recent History Isn’t As Bleak As Dems Might Think

California Primary 2020: Why independents can vote for Democrats, but not for Republicans

In 2020, national Democrats looked to Texas with hope and helped raise money for State House races they thought could be flipped to take control of the chamber in Austin. The goal was to have Democrats steering the wheel when redistricting maps were drawn in 2021.;

The Democrats didnât lose any seats, but they didnât pick up any either.;

That election came on the heels of 2018 when Texas Democrats flipped 12 seats in the State House and former congressman Beto OâRourke came within 2.5 percentage points of beating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.;

While 2020 may have been a disappointment after 2018, the Democratsâ position needs to be put into perspective, Van Meter said.

“Texas Democrats have spent the last 20 years trying to build up infrastructure in a state where everyone believes that it’s not possible to elect a Democrat,â she said.;

More and more Democratic candidates have entered local and state races in recent years after decades of election cycles when there would often be no opposition challengers to the Republican candidates.

Democratsâ momentum in 2020 continued with increased registration and voter turnout, she said.;

âIt just so happened that so did the Republicans,â Van Meter said.

The fact that Donald Trump was on the ballot proved to be a huge motivator for Republicans who previously werenât registered to get to the polls.

Read Also: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938

Democrats’ Recall Dilemma: Should They Cast A Vote For A Candidate To Replace Gavin Newsom

For many Democrats and other opponents of the recall, question No. 1 is easy. They plan to vote ‘no’.

But what about question No. 2?

That’s a dilemma for Democrats because the best-known recall candidates are Republicans like Newsom’s 2018 opponent John Cox and conservative talk radio host Larry Elder. By not voting on question No. 2, Democratic voters risk ceding the recall election to a candidate whose views they oppose.

Elder, for instance, believes that the minimum wage should be abolished and supports former President Donald Trump. Cox courted Trump’s endorsement in 2018. Former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, another well-known candidate, supported Trump’s 2020 campaign.

There are 46 candidates on the recall ballot, including nine Democrats.

The California Democratic Party is urging left-leaning voters not to select anyone on the recall ballot’s second question.

“The California Democratic Party is activating voters to vote no on the Republican Recall and leave the second question blank. It’s the only way to stop Republicans who want to take California back to some very dark days,” said party spokeswoman Shery Yang.

Former Newsom spokesman, Nathan Click, reiterated Yang’s advice for Democratic voters.

“Leave it blank. Voting no is the only way to block the Republican power grab and prevent the Republican takeover of California,” Click said.

‘No on recall, yes on Bustamante’

Bustamante told his supporters to vote “no on recall, yes on Bustamante.”

Rutherford B Hayes: Campaigns And Elections

The Campaign and Election of 1876

As the favorite son of Ohio, Rutherford B. Hayes had much in his favor. Both regular and reform Republicans liked him. He was a war hero, had supported Radical Reconstruction legislation, and championed African American suffrage. He also came from a large swing state. His reputation for integrity was excellent, and his support of bipartisan boards of state institutions endeared him to reformers. Hayes ultimately, though, realized that his simple “availability” was his greatest strength. Distasteful to no one, he was the second choice among the supporters of the other leading candidates. Nevertheless, Hayes insisted on a united Ohio delegationand at the same time did nothing to lessen his availability.;

Moreover, the 1876 Republican convention was in Cincinnati, which teemed with Hayes supporters. “Availability” did work for Hayes. James G. Blaine, the frontrunner and the favorite of partisan Republicans, was tarnished by allegations of corruption; Oliver P. Morton, the favorite of Radicals, was in ill health; Benjamin H. Bristow, the favorite of reformers, was anathema to Grant; and Roscoe Conkling, the quintessential spoils politician, was unacceptable to reformers and to Blaine. In the end, none of these candidates could muster the votes of the majority of the convention. By the fifth ballot, Hayes had picked up votes; by the seventh, he had clinched the nomination.

The Disputed Election of 1876

Read Also: Donald Trump Saying Republicans Are Stupid

Harris: The Fight Is Not Over

Vice President Kamala Harris’ told reporters that “the fight is not over” after Republicans unanimously blocked the Democrats’ sweeping election and voting reform bill.

Harris expressed that she and President Biden intend to continue to push for voting reform, including the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which is likely to come to the Senate floor later this year.

This what Harris told reporters after leaving the Senate floor where she presided over the vote:

“I was here today because obviously this is one of the most critical issues that the United States Congress could take up, which is about the fundamental right to vote in our country. And I think it is clear, certainly, for the American people that when we’re talking about the right to vote, it is not a Republican concern or a Democratic concern. It is an American concern. This is about the American people’s right to vote unfettered. It is about their access to the right to vote in a meaningful way. Because nobody is debating, I don’t believe, whether all Americans have the right to vote. The issue is the access to the voting process. Or is that being impeded? And the bottom line is that the President and I are very clear. We support S-1. We support the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the fight is not over.”

Watch Harris’ remarks:

Cancellation Of State Caucuses Or Primaries

The Washington Examiner reported on December 19, 2018, that the South Carolina Republican Party had not ruled out forgoing a primary contest to protect Trump from any primary challengers. Party chairman Drew McKissick stated, Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, well end up doing whats in the presidents best interest. On January 24, another Washington Examiner report indicated that the Kansas Republican Party was likely to scrap its presidential caucus to save resources.

In August 2019, the Associated Press reported that the Nevada Republican Party was also contemplating canceling their caucuses, with the state party spokesman, Keith Schipper, saying it isnt about any kind of conspiracy theory about protecting the president; Hes going to be the nominee; This is about protecting resources to make sure that the president wins in Nevada and that Republicans up and down the ballot win in 2020.

Kansas, Nevada and South Carolinas state committees officially voted on September 7, 2019, to cancel their caucus and primary. The Arizona state Republican Party indicated two days later that it will not hold a primary. These four were joined by the Alaska state Republican party on September 21, when its central committee announced they would not hold a presidential primary.

Virginia Republicans decided to allocate delegates at the state convention.

You May Like: What Is Donald Trump A Republican Or Democrat

The 2024 Republican Presidential Candidate Wild Cards

The first Democratic debate back in 2019 had 20 TWENTY! candidates, so dont be surprised if the Republican field is just as large or larger. We could have some more governors or representatives run, or even other nontraditional candidates, like a Trump family member, a Fox News host or a celebrity, like Dwayne The Rock Johnson, whos said hes seriously considering a run. Stranger things have happened.

No Party Preference Voters: Pay Attention

Registered Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians and other party members, rest assured. You are guaranteed a primary ballot with all of your partys presidential contenders on it.

But voters who dont belong to a political party the fastest growing voting block in the state will have to navigate a more daunting set of obstacles to cast a presidential primary vote.

Some parties have members only policies:

The Republican Party

The Green Party

The Peace and Freedom Party

If you want to vote in one of these three primaries, youll have to join that party. You cant do it as a member of any other party, or even as a no party preference independent. No exceptions.;

The following three parties do allow political independents to cast ballots in their presidential primaries :

The Democratic Party

The Libertarian Party

The American Independent Party

But and this is an important caveat these voters do have to specifically request the ballot they want.

For those who vote in person, this is a cinch. Just go into your polling place when its time to vote and ask. But independents who vote by mail need to let your county know which ballot they want ahead of time.

Maybe you received a postcard that looks like this:

And if youve already received a ballot in the mail and were disappointed by the lack of presidential candidates, do notfill it out. You can always request a new ballot, but trying to vote twice is frowned upon .

Recommended Reading: Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Names

Counties Are Doing Things A Little Differently This Time

If you live in one of the counties highlighted below, voting might look a little different this year.

In 2016, California passed the Voter Choice Act, a law aimed at modernizing the states election system, such that:

Every registered voter gets a ballot in the mail

Voters are no longer required to go to a specific polling place, but can vote at any number of voting centers or drop-off points

Voters can cast their ballots in person beginning 11 days before, and up to and including, Election Day

In 2018, five counties rolled out the new system. This year, 10 more will join their ranks. Thats fifteen counties in all containing 49% of the state population.

This is key for no party preference voters living in these counties who may not get the ballot they want in the mail. See the previous section for details.

0 notes

lokbobpop · 3 years

Text

Exposure

verb (used with object), ex·posed, ex·pos·ing. to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc.: to expose soldiers to gunfire; to expose one's character to attack. to lay open to something specified: to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions.

c. 1300, meninge, "sense, that which is intended to be expressed," also "act of remembering" (a sense now obsolete), verbal noun from mean (v.). Sense of "significance, import" is from 1680s

Exposure ex pose sure expose sure expo sure

Writing exposure

Exposure to the sun comes up i always thought the sun was ok but its not sunette came up with get yourself checked so we did was ok but leilani to keep an eye on her leg ones but i was shocked she even mentioned how its a scam about creams being toxic but did mention to use as natural as possible. You think the sun is on your side no as there is no ozone and its giving us cancer be careful id say i love the sun and sunbathing not sure what my body thinks though hey

Reading exposure

I think of Chernobyl and being exposed to radiation i think of all the factories here in china and the chemicals i used to have really bad coughs and i have one now i reckon from the pollutions from chinas factories.

Young people being exposed to sexual things is wrong not being taught about this by anyone one of my daughters likes to dress to attract the wrong eye which makes me worry a little as i was hte same wanting this attention from men and young kids being sexualized is wrong from such and early age we need better teachers and we need to be better parents it’s programmed in us money and sex we need to know how to handle this how to get over both to live free.

To much sun and your burned all over it hurts you cant move or sleep been there many times i dotn burn so much now my body well skin has gone ot leather lol

I think about when ive been exposed to when i was very young like primary school a neighbour used to expose himself to me i was frighten a few times and later i saw a bloke streaking in the woods on the common as i walked home on the rd it looked like someone i new but I couldn’t be sure.

To get the exposure like movie stars needing as much exposure as possible so people see them so they get a name for themselves and get more movies

Who knows what we are all exposed to so much in our food and water its so contaminated. Thoughts of anger to the elite gov deep state comes up within me how i blame them how they need to be stop how life force say they have stopped them

Saying exposure

When theres to much light that gets in on your photo and it wipes your photo out light exposure over exposed to the light.

Being flashed at again ho wi feel vulnerable within this frighten

What has been exposed to us that the deep state elite and governments is so small you’d think nearly 20 years of the porthole we would have seen more more would have come out i cant do anything without it coming out so why the hell are they still getting away with what they do. It all needs to be exposed my is exposed so all needs to be expose so we can all see who everyone is what is being aloud to happen to us open the worms i say open them up in every one.

If you set a business up you need lost of exposure i you need all eyes on you.

Does this definition support me no the powers that be yet again i feel who are failing up need to be seen we all need to be seen no more getting away with hiding behind banks govs corps enough we cant hide so cant you the truth is here to see you all in your light.

Exposure ex pose sure

Exposure

To see put light on all things within me to bring out for all to be seen all to be face all to be corrected

I will live this word to support me with exposing all my points of mind constructs and personalities that do not support me.

0 notes

orbemnews · 3 years

Link

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoes transgender athlete ban on school sports teams for girls, women Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has vetoed a proposed ban on transgender athletes from playing on school sports teams for girls and women.The bill was originally approved by the Republican-controlled House and Senate in early April.“This legislation sends a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families, including those who are transgender — who are already at a higher risk of bullying, discrimination, and suicide,” Kelly said in a news release announcing the veto.“As Kansans, we should be focused on how to include all students in extracurricular activities rather than how to exclude those who may be different than us. Kansas is an inclusive state and our laws should reflect our values. This law does not do that.”Kelly said the bill would have caused more harm than good.“This bill would also undoubtedly harm our ability to attract and retain businesses,” she said. “It would send a signal to prospective companies that Kansas is more focused on unnecessary and divisive legislation, than strategic, pro-growth lawmaking.”Kansas Republicans said Kelly’s veto was disappointing. “It’s not surprising but nonetheless disappointing that Governor Kelly opted to veto the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and capitulate to the mistruths and extreme rhetoric offered by the left,” Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and State Sen. Renee Erickson said in a statement.“The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is as simple as it sounds – it ensures fairness. It’s not about anything else other than that, and no state should allow itself to be intimidated by big corporations or the NCAA into pretending otherwise. We will continue to fight for fairness in women’s sports until this bill becomes law.”Kansas is among more than 20 states that have considered such a ban this year, pushing back against an executive order from Democratic President Joe Biden aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students. Idaho enacted such a ban last year, and Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have signed measures this year.On Wednesday, the Missouri House advanced a bill that banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams.“It’s about scoring points in the culture wars,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. “Instead of finding new ways to persecute people for being the way that God made them, why don’t we work on understanding — increasing our understanding and compassion instead?”Supporters argued that they’re trying to preserving decades of hard-won opportunities for “biological” girls and women to compete in K-12 sports and win college athletic scholarships. They suggested that failing to enact such a ban represented discrimination against girls and women.Backers of the bill were eight votes short in the House and one short in the Senate of the supermajorities they would need to override a veto.Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former college basketball point guard who led the push for the bill, said she hopes to get at least one colleague to switch to yes after Kelly vetoed the measure.“I want girls and women to have a chance at a fair and equitable playing field in sports,” she said. “This bill protects that.”With Idaho’s ban on hold because of a federal lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union has promised to file a lawsuit if Kansas enacts a law.The threat of a lawsuit — and arguments that Kansas could lose collegiate sports tournaments or business development — irritated some conservative lawmakers. They also bristled at LGBTQ-rights advocates’ predictions that enacting the ban would increase bullying of transgender students.“Saying, ‘If you don’t do what we like and do what we want or think different than us, we’re going to hurt you by not coming to your state,’ that is corporate bullying, and it’s wrong,” Erickson said. Supporters of such bans have pointed to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit. They argue that “biological boys” have innate physical advantages in girls’ and women’s sports that would ruin competition.“It’s discrimination to not pass this — it’s discrimination for women,” said Sen. Kristen O’Shea, a Topeka Republican. Sen. Mark Steffen, a Republican from south-central Kansas, told colleagues last month that the bill was based on “indisputable physiological facts” that demonstrate “the male as a genetically and time-engineered superior machine.” He said Friday that the issue also is about “the chaos that’s permeating our country.”Supporters generally have been unable to cite local examples of problems. The association overseeing extracurricular activities in Kansas K-12 schools says it has been notified of only five active transgender athletes, and there is no known case of a transgender athlete having won a Kansas championship.The debate in the Senate became emotional and heated. Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat, began to cry as she said the proposed ban “hurts vulnerable children.” Sen. Ethan Corson, another Kansas City-area Democrat, found himself accused of ageism after he suggested the bill’s support resulted from many senators being 60 or older and fearing what’s “different than the way we grew up.”In the House, freshman Democratic Rep. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, the state’s first transgender lawmaker, saw the bill as an effort to prevent trans students from being fully part of society. “Trans girls are girls,” she told colleagues. “Trans women are women.”The Associated Press contributed to this article. TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Thursday she has vetoed a proposed ban on transgender athletes from playing on school sports teams for girls and women. The bill was originally approved by the Republican-controlled House and Senate in early April. “This legislation sends a devastating message that Kansas is not welcoming to all children and their families, including those who are transgender — who are already at a higher risk of bullying, discrimination, and suicide,” Kelly said in a news release announcing the veto. “As Kansans, we should be focused on how to include all students in extracurricular activities rather than how to exclude those who may be different than us. Kansas is an inclusive state and our laws should reflect our values. This law does not do that.” Kelly said the bill would have caused more harm than good. “This bill would also undoubtedly harm our ability to attract and retain businesses,” she said. “It would send a signal to prospective companies that Kansas is more focused on unnecessary and divisive legislation, than strategic, pro-growth lawmaking.” Kansas Republicans said Kelly’s veto was disappointing. “It’s not surprising but nonetheless disappointing that Governor Kelly opted to veto the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act and capitulate to the mistruths and extreme rhetoric offered by the left,” Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and State Sen. Renee Erickson said in a statement. “The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act is as simple as it sounds – it ensures fairness. It’s not about anything else other than that, and no state should allow itself to be intimidated by big corporations or the NCAA into pretending otherwise. We will continue to fight for fairness in women’s sports until this bill becomes law.” Kansas is among more than 20 states that have considered such a ban this year, pushing back against an executive order from Democratic President Joe Biden aimed at preventing discrimination against transgender students. Idaho enacted such a ban last year, and Republican governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee have signed measures this year. On Wednesday, the Missouri House advanced a bill that banned transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams. “It’s about scoring points in the culture wars,” said Democratic state Rep. Boog Highberger, of Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas. “Instead of finding new ways to persecute people for being the way that God made them, why don’t we work on understanding — increasing our understanding and compassion instead?” Supporters argued that they’re trying to preserving decades of hard-won opportunities for “biological” girls and women to compete in K-12 sports and win college athletic scholarships. They suggested that failing to enact such a ban represented discrimination against girls and women. Backers of the bill were eight votes short in the House and one short in the Senate of the supermajorities they would need to override a veto. Erickson, a Wichita Republican and former college basketball point guard who led the push for the bill, said she hopes to get at least one colleague to switch to yes after Kelly vetoed the measure. “I want girls and women to have a chance at a fair and equitable playing field in sports,” she said. “This bill protects that.” With Idaho’s ban on hold because of a federal lawsuit, the American Civil Liberties Union has promised to file a lawsuit if Kansas enacts a law. The threat of a lawsuit — and arguments that Kansas could lose collegiate sports tournaments or business development — irritated some conservative lawmakers. They also bristled at LGBTQ-rights advocates’ predictions that enacting the ban would increase bullying of transgender students. “Saying, ‘If you don’t do what we like and do what we want or think different than us, we’re going to hurt you by not coming to your state,’ that is corporate bullying, and it’s wrong,” Erickson said. Supporters of such bans have pointed to the 15 championships won between 2017 and 2019 by two transgender high school runners in Connecticut, which prompted a federal lawsuit. They argue that “biological boys” have innate physical advantages in girls’ and women’s sports that would ruin competition. “It’s discrimination to not pass this — it’s discrimination for women,” said Sen. Kristen O’Shea, a Topeka Republican. Sen. Mark Steffen, a Republican from south-central Kansas, told colleagues last month that the bill was based on “indisputable physiological facts” that demonstrate “the male as a genetically and time-engineered superior machine.” He said Friday that the issue also is about “the chaos that’s permeating our country.” Supporters generally have been unable to cite local examples of problems. The association overseeing extracurricular activities in Kansas K-12 schools says it has been notified of only five active transgender athletes, and there is no known case of a transgender athlete having won a Kansas championship. The debate in the Senate became emotional and heated. Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat, began to cry as she said the proposed ban “hurts vulnerable children.” Sen. Ethan Corson, another Kansas City-area Democrat, found himself accused of ageism after he suggested the bill’s support resulted from many senators being 60 or older and fearing what’s “different than the way we grew up.” In the House, freshman Democratic Rep. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, the state’s first transgender lawmaker, saw the bill as an effort to prevent trans students from being fully part of society. “Trans girls are girls,” she told colleagues. “Trans women are women.” The Associated Press contributed to this article. Source link Orbem News #Athlete #ban #girls #Gov #Kansas #KansasLegislature #Kelly #Laura #LGBTQ #school #SenateMajorityLeaderGeneSuellentrop #sports #teams #Topeka #Transgender #transgenderathletes #vetoes #Women

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conniejoworld · 3 years

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PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION | GEORGIA Trump on call: Find me votes Recording reveals effort to pressure state’s top election official to change outcome By AMY GARDNER The Washington Post WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act. The Washington Post obtained a recording of the conversation in which Trump alternately berated Raffensperger, tried to flatter him, begged him to act and threatened him with vague criminal consequences if the secretary of state refused to pursue Trump’s false claims, at one point warning that Raffensperger was taking “a big risk.” Throughout the call, Raffensperger and his office’s general counsel rejected Trump’s assertions, explaining that the president is relying on debunked conspiracy theories and that President-elect Joe Biden’s 11,779-vote victory in Georgia was fair and accurate. Trump dismissed their arguments. “The people of Georgia are angry, the people in the country are angry,” he said. “And there’s nothing wrong with saying, you know, that you’ve recalculated.” Raffensperger responded: “Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.” At another point, Trump said: “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.” He later added: “So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.” ‘There’s no way I lost’ The rambling — and at times incoherent — conversation offered a glimpse of how consumed the president remains about his loss and how he still believes he can reverse the results in enough battleground states to remain in office. “There’s no way I lost Georgia,” Trump said, a phrase he repeated again and again on the call. “There’s no way. We won by hundreds of thousands of votes.” Several of his allies were on the line as he spoke, including White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell, a prominent GOP attorney whose involvement with Trump’s efforts had not been previously known. In a statement, Mitchell said Raffensperger’s office “has made many statements over the past two months that are simply not correct and everyone involved with the efforts on behalf of the President’s election challenge has said the same thing: Show us your records on which you rely to make these statements that our numbers are wrong.” The White House, the Trump campaign and Meadows did not respond to a request for comment. Raffensperger’s office declined to comment. Trump tweets about call On Sunday, Trump tweeted that he had spoken to Raffensperger, saying the secretary of state was “unwilling, or unable, to answer questions such as the ‘ballots under table’ scam, ballot destruction, out of state ‘voters,’ dead voters, and more. He has no clue!” Raffensperger responded with his own tweet: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true.” The details of the call drew demands from congressional Democrats for criminal investigations. Biden’s top campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, said the recording “captures the whole, disgraceful story about Donald Trump’s assault on American democracy.” Republicans, however, were largely silent. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, when asked about the call while campaigning in Georgia on Sunday for the two GOP senators who face a run-off Tuesday, dodged the question. Trump’s pressure campaign on Raffensperger is the latest example of his attempt to subvert the outcome of the election through outreach to state Republican officials. He previously invited Michigan Republican state leaders to the White House, pressured Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state’s electors, and asked the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to help reverse his loss in that state. Congressional challenges His call to Raffensperger came as scores of Republicans have pledged to challenge the Electoral College’s vote for Biden when Congress convenes on Wednesday. Republicans do not have the votes to successfully thwart Biden’s victory, but Trump has urged supporters to travel to Washington to protest the outcome, and state and federal officials are already bracing for clashes outside the Capitol. During their conversation, Trump issued a vague threat to both Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state’s general counsel, suggesting that if they don’t find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County have been illegally destroyed to block investigators — an allegation for which there is no evidence — they would be subject to criminal liability. “That’s a criminal offense,” he said. “And you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer.” Trump also told Raffensperger that failure to act by Tuesday would jeopardize the political fortunes of David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Georgia’s two Republican senators whose fate in that day’s runoff elections will determine control of the U.S. Senate. Trump said he plans to talk about the alleged fraud on Monday, when he is scheduled to lead an election eve rally in Dalton, Ga. — a message that could further muddle the efforts of Republicans to draw out their voters. “You have a big election coming up and because of what you’ve done to the president — you know, the people of Georgia know that this was a scam,” Trump said. “Because of what you’ve done to the president, a lot of people aren’t going out to vote, and a lot of Republicans are going to vote negative, because they hate what you did to the president. OK? They hate it. And they’re going to vote. And you would be respected, really respected, if this can be straightened out before the election.” ‘Tripping the emergency meter’ Trump’s conversation with Raffensperger put him in legally questionable territory, legal experts said. By exhorting the secretary of state to “find” votes and to deploy investigators who “want to find answers,” Trump appears to be encouraging him to doctor the election outcome in Georgia, which could violate both state and federal laws. Trump’s apparent threat of criminal consequences if Raffensperger does not act could be seen as an attempt at extortion and a suggestion that he might deploy the Justice Department to launch an investigation, they said. “The president is either knowingly attempting to coerce state officials into corrupting the integrity of the election or is so deluded that he believes what he’s saying,” said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University, who noted that Trump’s actions may have violated several federal statutes. But Pildes said Trump’s clearer transgression is a moral one, and he emphasized that focusing on whether he committed a crime could deflect attention from the “simple, stark, horrific fact that we have a president trying to use the powers of his office to pressure state officials into committing election fraud to keep him in office.” Edward Foley, a law professor at Ohio State University, said that the legal questions are murky and that it could be difficult to prove Trump knew he was encouraging illegal behavior. But Foley also emphasized that the call was “inappropriate and contemptible” and should prompt outrage. “He was already tripping the emergency meter,” Foley said. “So we were at 12 on a scale of 1 to 10, and now we’re at 15.” ‘What’s wrong with you?’ In the end, Trump asked Germany to sit down with one of his attorneys to go over the allegations. Germany agreed. Yet Trump also recognized that he was failing to persuade Raffensperger or Germany of anything, saying toward the end, “I know this phone call is going nowhere.” “Why don’t you want to find this, Ryan?” he asked of Germany. “What’s wrong with you? I heard your lawyer is very difficult, actually, but I’m sure you’re a good lawyer. You have a nice last name.” But he continued to make his case in repetitive fashion, until finally, after roughly an hour, Raffensperger put an end to the conversation: “Thank you, President Trump, for your time.” There is no role for the military in changing the election results, all of the living former defense secretaries said in an extraordinary rebuke to President Donald Trump and other Republicans who are backing unfounded claims of widespread fraud at the ballot box. THEIR WARNING: “Our elections have occurred. Recounts and audits have been conducted,” the former defense secretaries wrote Sunday evening in an opinion piece that they co-authored and published in The Washington Post . “Appropriate challenges have been addressed by the courts. Governors have certified the results. And the electoral college has voted. The time for questioning the results has passed; the time for the formal counting of the electoral college votes, as prescribed in the Constitution and statute, has arrived.” THE AUTHORS: The former Pentagon chiefs included in the piece were Trump’s two former defense secretaries, Jim Mattis and Mark Esper, as well as each living Senate-confirmed Pentagon chief dating back to former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush. The Washington Post

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beinglibertarian · 6 years

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Misconceptions About Allowing Teachers to Carry

Individuals and media outlets across the United States are talking about firearms, firearm control, mass shootings, and violence. The debate was given fuel after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which stripped away the lives of 17 innocent teachers and students.

People are empathetic, emotional, and angry. It is natural whenever any tragic event happens that people want to talk and mobilize. Everyone is looking for solutions.

One of these solutions is allowing teachers to carry firearms to protect students. Congressman Thomas Massie, a representative of Kentucky, took to Twitter to announce his proposal to repeal the “Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990.”

Butler County, Ohio, Sheriff, Richard K. Jones, is among the many who support allowing teachers to be armed. “I am going to offer free concealed and Carry class free 2 teachers in butler county. Limited number. Details coming soon online. Also training on school shootings,” Sheriff Jones posted on Twitter. “Our teachers start training Monday in firearms ccw. While our gov[ernment] still debates what 2 do we will have trained over 100 school personnel by Saturday,” Sheriff Jones also tweeted.

These solutions don’t come without controversy and backlash. A lot of people support the proposal to arm teachers. A lot of people take issue with the proposal to arm teachers. There is no doubt that there are genuine concerns and questions many parents and school staff have.

There are many sides of skepticism to this proposal. Some libertarians are against the proposal because it will arm hundreds, if not thousands, of government employees. The strongest opposition to arming the teachers comes from the left though. Many can agree that we should seriously consider whether or not we want to arm teachers.

In order to actually make a clear-conscious decision, we must honestly talk about the intentions and consequences of this proposal. However, there is a barrier preventing common ground to be made on the proposal. This barrier is built by strawmen, exaggerated hypotheticals, hyper-partisanship, and basic misconceptions.

As stated before, some of these questions and comments are genuine. Let’s tackle some of these misconceptions.

When people propose the idea of arming the teachers, they are not talking about visiting the local gun shop or armory and stocking the entire bed of a pickup truck with guns and handing them out to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. They are not suggesting that every teacher will have a firearm holstered to their side visible to everyone around them. No one is suggesting that the hallway custodian should sling an AR-15 on their back.

Instead, the proposal is to allow teachers who are already competent with a firearm to be able to conceal carry or keep it in a safe nearby to protect their classroom. The solution isn’t to force a mandatory training course and supply every single teacher with a pistol, but rather provide an option for teachers with a keen interest in protecting the children they are teaching.

Here is some food for thought. Teachers are already obligated to protect the students they are given oversight over. Why not allow the teacher who is competent, or wishes to be trained in compliance with federal, state, local, and school district regulations, the choice to use or acquire a tool that would help them effectively carry out their obligation to defend students? We are talking about choice. Not a mandate.

Let’s talk about the hyper-partisanship or ideologically exaggerated arguments against the proposal.

Democrat Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is against arming school teachers because, to him, it would admit that school shootings, in the United States, are a normal thing. “I am for teachers teaching,” the Oregon Democrat said Friday, Feb. 23, at a town hall meeting attended by students and the public at McNary High School in Keizer. “I am opposed to arming teachers.” “It’s almost as if these shootings in schools have been normalized,” Ron Wyden continued. “We cannot accept this. We are better than this.”

I call this a hyper-partisan exaggeration because Ron Wyden generally stands with his Democratic peers when it comes to gun control. Ron Wyden supported a ban on high-capacity magazines, he supported the ability to sue firearm manufacturers for crimes committed with firearms, and in 2010, Ron Wyden was given an “F” by the NRA.

Ron Wyden is likely to oppose a solution that would give permission or encouragement to private ownership of firearms. Let’s address his stated reasoning behind his opposition to allowing teachers to carry. He associated the proposal to allow teachers the choice to carry with admitting that school shootings are normal in the United States.

That isn’t the position held by most people who advocate for teachers being allowed to carry. As I wrote above, the proposal is to allow teachers the choice of concealing a firearm.

Democrats aren’t the only ones who oppose the idea of arming teachers. Some libertarians may ask, what about the idea of arming government employees? Isn’t that concerning? This position operates on the presumption that taxpayer money will be used to supply a firearm to every teacher. Perhaps this is the position of some people. However, that’s the wrong way to look at it, and in response, I raise this question. Should a person who works for the government be denied access to own a firearm?

I share the sentiment that smaller government is preferable. A less intrusive and less powerful government is highly preferable. I would personally like to see education privatized or handled locally. With that being said, I think my question stands.

Should we ban a United States Postal Service employee from owning a firearm? Should we ban federal judges from owning a firearm? Does your right to own a firearm end simply because you are a government employee? If not, then why should you not have the option to carry a firearm that you are legally allowed to own?

When Sheriff Richard K. Jones suggested that teachers should be armed, someone who took issue with that used a hypothetical argument in clear opposition to the suggestion.

During the active shooting, the armed guards planted at the school stayed safely outside. This revelation rightfully sparked outrage.

So, with that in mind, how are we to expect art teachers and librarians to protect students when the School Resource Officer wouldn’t enter the building and attempt to stop the shooter? Firstly, the question intentionally implies that teachers and librarians are incapable of protecting their own lives. And the question insinuates that because teachers and librarians are incapable of protecting their own lives, they shouldn’t be able to even have the option of acquiring a tool that would allow them to protect their own lives. The question implies that cops and military members are far better at protecting an individual than the individual themselves.

What about being an art teacher means that you cannot competently use a firearm to protect you and your classroom?

Secondly, the question assumes that in the event of a shooting, teachers are going to roam the halls looking for the shooter. Sure, that is a possibility, but it’s unlikely. What’s more likely is that in the event of a shooting, a lockdown would occur. Teachers would lock the doors, turn off the lights, close the blinds, and guide students to hide under their desk or away from windows.

Of course, this is all speculation, which is why we shouldn’t write legislation based on hyperbolic what ifs. How would a cop be able to tell the difference between an armed teacher and a shooter? Many school districts require teachers and school staff to wear badges or some other form of identification. They also issue passes to anyone who visits the school. Also, hopefully by the time the police show up, the situation would be defused. Furthermore, to avoid any confusion, teachers should be encouraged to protect their classroom or any area they are designated instead of roaming hallways vigilantly.

There’s an infinite amount of questions and concerns. You couldn’t accurately write out every criticism or question about this hot-button issue. It is impossible to appease every single individual across every single ideological spectrum. Those who are anti-gun and ideologically unmovable are unlikely to support proposals to arm teachers.

There will be concerns and questions that are legitimate. However, the barrier built of ideological strawmen and hyperbole won’t go away.

Lastly, the proposal isn’t to arm every single teacher across the country. The idea is to allow competently trained teachers who already privately own a firearm, or would like to own one, to have the option of bringing it to work with them to add an extra blanket of security for our children. The idea behind the proposal is to stop advertising school campuses as a “gun-free zone,” in favor of creating a layer of uncertainty to those contemplating committing a violent act on society.

* Logan Anderson is an Oregonian and free-market advocate.

The post Misconceptions About Allowing Teachers to Carry appeared first on Being Libertarian.

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livinginlandmarketing · 4 years

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With the Associated Press and other major media projecting Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris as winners of the White House, two glaring questions — just theoretical mere months ago — are now framing Southern California politics: Who would take Harris’ seat in the U.S. Senate? And who could end up with posts in a Biden administration?

Tough tasks lay ahead — and complex choices. “This will be one of the most important, most difficult and yes most costly transitions in modern American history,” Chris Korge, the Democratic National Committee’s finance chair, warned donors in a recent letter obtained by The Associated Press. “There is so much work to do.”

“There’s a lot of different dominoes that could come into play,” said Marcia Godwin, professor of Public Administration at the University of La Verne, an expert in the political appointments process.

That process will begin in Sacramento, where Gov. Gavin Newsom will be tasked with appointing someone to fill Harris’ post for the remaining two years in the U.S. Senate. A clear frontrunner for the post has not yet emerged and Newsom has not publicly tipped his cards. But myriad names — including a half-dozen familiar politicos from Southern California — already have the pundits buzzing.

Sen. Kamala Harris joined Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia for a town hall on issues facing Californians at the Long Beach Convention Center.Long Beach April 6, 2018. Photo by Brittany Murray, Press Telegram/SCNG

“The fact that we’ve not had a Latinx U.S. senator looms large,” Godwin said, noting that such a choice could make a bold statement about the state’s diversity.

Related links

Biden on cusp of presidency after gains in Georgia, Pennsylvania

What’s at stake for Karen Bass could go beyond election

Romney: Trump’s election fraud claim is wrong, ‘reckless’

Observers also think Newsom may be ready to go outside of the Bay Area talent for his pick, tapping the state’s geographical diversity.

Harris and Sen. Dianne Feinstein have deep roots in Northern California. But this year, contenders figure to include players from Los Angeles and Orange counties, where for years a pool of local leaders with contacts in D.C. and fundraising prowess have emerged.

Six names loom large locally:

Alex Padilla, the state’s secretary of state;

Xavier Becerra, the state’s attorney general;

Hilda Solis, Los Angeles County supervisor;

Karen Bass, congresswoman from L.A.;

Katie Porter, congresswoman from Orange County;

and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.

All have spent recent days in the political spotlight. All have deep connections in the region — from Padilla’s roots in the San Fernando Valley to Bass’s connection in places like Venice and Fairfax.

Garcia is a popular leader in his adopted hometown and would be a breakthrough pick — he’s young, a Latinx immigrant and openly gay.

Padilla and Becerra are regarded as thoughtful and focused, coming into public from different disciplines — Padilla’s an engineer, Becerra an attorney.

Bass, regarded as a consensus builder, made the short list of candidates considered as Biden’s running mate.

Solis has experience in Washington, having served as Secretary of Labor in President Barack Obama’s administration.

Orange County’s Porter, a freshman congresswoman who rode 2018’s blue wave into office, is a rising star who has clicked off a series of legislative successes.

Some expect Newsom will insist on making his pick a history-making blockbuster. Many are counting on a diverse choice.

“There’s an expectation, I think, for that particular role to be filled with a person of color, no matter what,” said Mark Gonzalez, Los Angeles County Democratic Party chairman.

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP, File)

Voters appear to be thinking along similar lines. The USC Schwarzenegger Institute found in a poll released this week that 76% of California voters want a senator with “a fresh and new voice in politics,” with legislative experience, but able to distinguish themselves from longtime politicians such as Feinstein.

For months, many have speculated that Newsom might be on the cusp of a “historic first” appointment. But according to the poll, 52% say that that didn’t matter, though 31% wanted Newsom to pick the state’s first Latino U.S. senator and 24% want Newsom to choose the state’s first LGBT senator.

The USC survey assessed seven likely frontrunners using a couple of different methods:

In head-to-head comparisons, pitting the seven individuals against each other in one-on-one matchups, Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, got the highest marks. Others considered included Padilla, Bass and Garcia, as well as Rep. Ro Khanna from San Francisco, State Sen. Toni Atkins from San Diego and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

Rep. Katie Porter pushes the CDC to cover coronavirus testing for uninsured Americans. (Video screen grab from @RepKatiePorter via Twitter)

People polled were also asked whether they could support each of the officials individually, without the head-to-head factor. Long Beach’s Garcia polled at the top, followed by Bass and Padilla.

Some may find themselves off Newsom’s list — but not because of perceived flaws or failures. They simply may be seen as too valuable to the party where they are currently serving, Godwin said.

For example, many Democrats say Orange County’s Porter is badly needed in the House, representing a newly blue region that has a fight on its hands to keep from returning red.

However, Porter could be poised for other posts, Godwin said. If Becerra were, say, to become a senator — Porter might be a contender for attorney general, she said.

Other names are floating in California’s political zeitgeist are possible cabinet frontrunners, including Burbank Rep. Adam Schiff and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti.

If one or both were called to join a Biden team, new scrambles to replace them could break out.

Would L.A. City Councilman Kevin de Leon run for mayor, among others, if Garcetti were called to D.C.? Garcetti, a co-chair of Biden’s campaign, once considered the White House himself. But amid a homeless crisis in the city that drew President Donald Trump’s ire, he held back.

Does Schiff — fresh off winning another term as an L.A. congressman — put off such a move to set his sights on a run to follow Feinstein as senator?

As the man who led the impeachment case against President Trump, Schiff is a hero among Democrats, and he’s among the party’s most prolific fundraisers. But he could be a polarizing force, as someone who’s none too popular with Trump boosters.

Bass is seen as a potential housing and urban development secretary. And Solis has already had a cabinet role, so she’d have a shorter learning curve.

Godwin noted that the roster of potential administration posts extends to the Inland Empire, where representatives like Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, Mark Allan Takano, D-Riverside, and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Hemet, hold varying levels of expertise and ability to work across the political aisle.

“It would be nice if one of them top positions from California was someone with real roots from the greater Los Angeles area was a local resident,” said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.

But he noted that Californians can’t be too greedy.

“It’ll be very hard to get on the phone to yell at Biden (if he fails to choose cabinet members from California) … He’ll just send us a picture of the vice president-elect,” Sherman said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti arrive for a press conference at the United Firefighters of Los Angeles Friday, January 10, 2020. The United Firefighters have a announced their support for Biden. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

“For first time since Ronald Reagan, we are sending a Californian to the White House,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn on Saturday morning, echoing the sentiments of many in the Golden State. “As our state’s junior senator, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris understands the challenges we face—whether it is the housing crisis and homelessness, or the need to expand access to mental healthcare. She is in our corner and I cannot wait to work with her and President Biden on behalf of LA County.”

Staff writer Hayley Munguia contributed to this story.

Joe Biden: Stumbles, tragedies and, now, delayed triumph

Kamala Harris’ historic vice president win creates outpouring on Twitter

Kamala Harris becomes first Black woman, South Asian elected VP

Explainer: Why AP called Pennsylvania for Biden

Joe Biden has won presidential race, AP says, as Trump continues challenges

-on November 07, 2020 at 01:24AM by Ryan Carter

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/live-covid-19-updates-the-latest-globally/

Live Covid-19 Updates: The Latest Globally

Here’s what you need to know:

Dr. Scott W. Altas, an adviser to President Trump.Credit…Erin Scott for The New York Times

As the coronavirus pandemic erupted this spring, two professors at Stanford University — Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and Dr. Scott W. Altas — bonded over a shared concern that lockdowns were creating economic and societal devastation.

Now Dr. Atlas is President Trump’s science adviser, a powerful force inside the White House. And Dr. Bhattacharya is one of three authors of the so-called Great Barrington Declaration, a scientific treatise that calls for allowing the coronavirus to spread in order to achieve “herd immunity” — the point at which enough people have been infected to stall transmission of the pathogen. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and leading experts have recently concluded, using different scientific methods, that as many as 90 percent of Americans are still vulnerable to infection.

While Dr. Atlas and administration officials have denied advocating the herd immunity approach, they have praised the ideas in the declaration. The message is aligned with Mr. Trump’s vocal opposition to lockdowns on the campaign trail, even as the country grapples with renewed surges of the virus.

The central proposition, supported by some 40,000 signatories, is that to contain the coronavirus, people “who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal” while those at high risk are protected from infection.

Under that scenario, younger Americans should return to workplaces, schools, shops and restaurants, while older Americans would remain cloistered from the virus as it spreads, recipients of such services as grocery deliveries and medical care.

It argues that eventually so many younger Americans will have been exposed, and presumably will have developed some immunity, that the virus will not be able to maintain its hold on the communities.

The manifesto does not contain details on how the strategy would work in practice, nor do its authors have expertise in implementing public health programs. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, dismissed the declaration as unscientific, dangerous and “total nonsense,” as well as unethical, particularly for multigenerational families and communities of color.

The idea has alarmed and angered other public health researchers. On Wednesday, about 80 published a manifesto of their own, the John Snow Memorandum (named after a legendary epidemiologist), saying that this approach would endanger one-third of the U.S. population who have conditions that put them at high risk from severe Covid-19, and result in perhaps a half-million deaths.

“I think it’s wrong, I think it’s unsafe, I think it invites people to act in ways that have the potential to do an enormous amount of harm,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, an infectious disease expert at Harvard University and one of the signatories to the Snow memo. “You don’t roll out disease — you roll out vaccination.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.Credit…Pool photo by Graeme Jennings

President Trump attacked Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, in a conference call on Monday with campaign aides, calling the doctor a “disaster” and saying, “People are tired of hearing Fauci and these idiots, all these idiots who got it wrong.”

He continued his criticism of Dr. Fauci, the overwhelmingly popular director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, after landing in Arizona for the first of two scheduled rallies in the state, which is experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases.

Speaking to reporters after deplaning Air Force One, Mr. Trump called Dr. Fauci “a very nice man” but complained that he “loves being on television” and has made “a lot of bad calls.” Asked why he didn’t fire Dr. Fauci, Mr. Trump said, “He’s been there for about 350 years. I don’t want to hurt him.”

Dr.Tony Fauci says we don’t allow him to do television, and yet I saw him last night on @60Minutes, and he seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late, great, Bob Hope. All I ask of Tony is that he make better decisions. He said “no masks & let China in”. Also, Bad arm!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2020

At a campaign rally on Monday in Arizona, where polls show that the president is trailing Mr. Biden, Mr. Trump also faulted the news media for excessive coverage of the coronavirus.

“They’re getting tired of the pandemic, aren’t they?” Mr. Trump said in Prescott, in central Arizona. “You turn on CNN. That’s all they cover. Covid, Covid, pandemic, Covid, Covid.”

The attack on Dr. Fauci comes as the United States has seen more coronavirus cases — over 8 million — and more deaths — nearly 220,000 — than any other nation in the world. The president’s advisers have tried to get him to lay off the infectious diseases specialist, who remains popular.

Dr. Fauci pushed back against complaints that he had flip-flopped over the use of masks, saying that admitting a mistake after examining further data shows honesty.

The conflict began Sunday night on the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” when Dr. Fauci said it was “absolutely” no surprise that President Trump got sick with the coronavirus, given his lax attitude toward social distancing guidance.

“I was worried that he was going to get sick when I saw him in a completely precarious situation: crowded, no separation between people and almost nobody wearing a mask,” Dr. Fauci said in the CBS interview. He was referring to an event at the White House in September to announce the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court.

“When I saw that on TV, I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, nothing good can come out of that — that’s got to be a problem,’” Dr. Fauci said. “Sure enough, it turned out to be a super-spreader event.”

Numerous people who attended the event later tested positive for the coronavirus, including the president.

Dr. Fauci, who has often been at odds with the president, sharpened his stance against an ad run by Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign that appeared to show the doctor praising the president’s handling of the coronavirus. Dr. Fauci said his words were taken out of context, and that their use in the ad was inappropriate because he never endorses candidates.

“I got really ticked off,” he said.

Mr. Trump’s attacks on Dr. Fauci led Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to become the latest Republican to distance himself from the president. “Dr. Fauci is one of our country’s most distinguished public servants,” said Mr. Alexander, who is retiring this year. “He has served six presidents, starting with Ronald Reagan. If more Americans paid attention to his advice, we’d have fewer cases of Covid-19, and it would be safer to go back to school and back to work and out to eat.”

The National Academy of Medicine honored Dr. Fauci on Monday with the academy’s first Presidential Citation for Exemplary Leadership, citing his “distinguished service as a trusted adviser to six U.S. presidents during public health crises” and “steady leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Fauci said that to inspire public trust and confidence in vaccines, people needed to hear consistent messages from the government, not conflicting ones.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is advising residents against non-essential out-of-state travel.Credit…Noah K. Murray/Associated Press

Coronavirus cases in New Jersey, an early epicenter of the pandemic, are on the rise again, doubling over the last month to an average of more than 900 new positive tests a day, a worrisome reversal of fortune for a state that had driven transmission rates to some of the nation’s lowest levels.

After an outbreak several weeks ago in a heavily Orthodox Jewish town near the Jersey Shore, cases are now rising in counties across the state, driven, officials say, by indoor gatherings.

The state’s health commissioner has said there are signs of “widespread community spread” for the first time since New Jersey successfully slowed the spread of a virus that has claimed the lives of more than 16,000 residents. A small, densely packed state, New Jersey has the highest virus fatality rate in the country.

Gov. Philip D. Murphy said Monday that residents should refrain from all but necessary out-of-state travel.

“The numbers are up,” Mr. Murphy said. “They’re up — up and down the state.”

Under a quarantine policy adopted by New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, New Jersey now exceeds the threshold — an average of 10 cases for every 100,000 residents for seven days — used to determine which states should be included in the travel advisory. Thirty-eight other states are on the list.

The uptick comes as other parts of the Northeast and states across the country are confronting similar surges of infections and hospitalizations as the pandemic stretches into its eighth month, with a death toll that now exceeds 219,000, according to a New York Times database.

Mr. Murphy, who has been conservative in allowing the state to reopen, said he would consider targeted shutdowns to curb the spread, as Connecticut and New York have done, but he suggested that would not cure the problem.

Ireland will increase coronavirus restrictions in response to a new surge of infections.Credit…Paul Faith/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Countries across Europe announced new restrictions on Monday in an effort to halt a strong second wave of the virus, as the global tally of cases passed 40 million. Cases have been detected in nearly every country around the world, and at least 1.1 million people have died.

Officials are desperate to avoid a second economically damaging blanket lockdown, and are instead seeking to tighten restrictions in a more precise fashion. Here’s the latest.

Ireland will be imposing its highest level of restrictions starting on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Michael Martin announced on Monday. Nonessential businesses will be mandated to close, restaurants and pubs will be limited to takeout, and people will not be allowed to travel more than five kilometers (three miles) from their homes. Schools and construction sites will remain open, however, the public broadcaster RTE reported. The restrictions, which will remain in effect for six weeks, come after the country set new daily case records four times in the past week. “If we pull together over the next six weeks we will be able to celebrate Christmas in a meaningful way,” Mr. Martin said.

In Spain, the region of Navarre announced on Monday the country’s most drastic regional measures yet to contain the second wave. As of Thursday, Navarre will stop its residents from leaving their region except for work or emergency reasons. It will also close for 15 days its bars and restaurants, and force all shops, sports venues and other establishments to close by 9 p.m. The measures come after Navarre reported an average of 945 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days, three times the national average.

Austria, which reported 1,121 daily cases of the virus on Monday, announced new limits on the number of people who could meet privately starting Friday: six indoors and 12 outdoors. The country has reported nearly 10,000 cases in the past week, more than at any time in March, when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown. The restrictions were lifted over the summer as numbers dropped and the country sought to attract tourists, an important source of income for the alpine nation.

In Italy, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that mayors will have the power to close streets or squares where people tend to gather after 9 p.m., while restaurants, bars and pubs will be allowed to serve seated customers — up to six per table — until midnight. Drinking outside of restaurants or bars will be permitted only until 6 p.m., and gaming and betting halls will close at 9 p.m. Italy has so far fared better than its European counterparts, but infections have been rising in recent weeks, with a record 11,705 new cases reported on Sunday.

France imposed a nightly curfew in nine cities, including Paris, over the weekend, and asked people throughout the country to limit gatherings to six people to halt an alarming spike in cases. On Monday, the office of President Emmanuel Macron announced that the first lady, Brigitte Macron, was in quarantine after being exposed to someone who had tested positive. Ms. Macron has not shown any symptoms, the office said in a statement.

Slovenia’s government declared a 30-day state of emergency after cases of the virus more than doubled in the past week, Reuters reported. The government will ban movement between regions that have been most affected by the pandemic and introduce a nightly curfew beginning at 9 p.m. starting Monday, Interior Minister Ales Hojs said at a news conference. Mr. Hojs said that all public and religious events would be banned, and that the number of people allowed to gather would be reduced to six from 10. Slovenia has reported 4,845 coronavirus cases in the past week, a spike from 2,255 cases the week before.

Britain has reported an average of nearly 17,000 new cases a day over the past week, according to a New York Times database, with almost a thousand new daily cases in Wales.

Wales will enter a national lockdown starting Friday night, the country’s first minister, Mark Drakeford, announced on Monday. The “firebreak” lockdown, which will last until Nov. 9, will require residents to remain at home and force pubs, restaurants and nonessential shops to close. Mr. Drakeford said “there are no easy choices in front of us” and called the lockdown “our best chance of regaining control of the virus” and avoiding strain on the National Health Service.

About 2.3 million of the 3.1 million people in Wales were already living under local lockdowns. and the country has effectively shut its borders to travel from other parts of Britain.

And officials in Bucharest, the Romanian capital, announced that schools, theaters and indoor dining will be closed for at least two weeks, and that masks will become mandatory in all public spaces. The city reported on Sunday that the virus rate over the previous 14 days had exceeded three cases per 1,000 residents, a red line for imposing stricter rules. After keeping the virus largely in check during the initial months of the pandemic, Romania has seen cases triple over the past month. While the schools will switch to online learning, there is deep concern that many students lack tablets and other necessary materials.

A patient enrolled in Pfizer’s vaccine clinical trial at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.Credit…University of Maryland School of Medicine, via Associated Press

As the Trump administration has pressed publicly for top-speed development and approval of a coronavirus vaccine, while researchers and public health experts warned of the dangers of rushing the process, the idea of getting the vaccine as soon as it is available is losing appeal for many Americans, especially Black Americans, recent surveys show.

In a STAT-Harris poll of about 2,000 people, conducted Oct. 7-10 and published Monday, 58 percent of respondents said they would get vaccinated right away, down from 69 percent who said the same in August.

The decline was twice as steep among Black respondents: just 43 percent said in October that they would get the vaccine, down from 65 percent in August.

Rob Jekielek, managing director of The Harris Poll, which has been asking the question throughout the pandemic, said two news events appeared to have played a role in the falloff: the back-and-forth between the Food and Drug Administration and the White House over vaccine guidelines, and President Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis and treatment.

“The politicization of the process is having a huge negative effect, especially with Black Americans,” he said in an interview.

Pew Research Center polls that framed a question on the issue somewhat differently also found growing hesitation over a vaccine: About 51 percent of adult respondents said in September that they would definitely or probably get a vaccine if one were available, down from 72 percent who said the same in May. The surveys included more than 10,000 respondents and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.

“It’s pretty clear the public is concerned about the pace of the vaccine approval process and have outstanding questions about safety,” said Alec Tyson, associate director of Pew Research.

Polls conducted for CNN by the market research firm SSRS asked, “If a vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection were widely available at a low cost, would you, personally, try to get that vaccine, or not?” Sixty-six percent of respondents said yes in May; just 51 percent did in October. The polls’ margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

And in an ABC News/Ipsos poll last month, 64 percent of respondents said they would take a “safe and effective coronavirus vaccine,” down from 74 percent in May. Those polls had a margin of error of 4.9 points.

Claudia Balderas, 51, attended the first in-person Mass in almost four months at Saint Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in the Queens in early July. Catholic leaders are upset with restrictions by Gov. Cuomo again limiting attendance in areas where coronavirus is surging.Credit…Jessie Wardarski/Associated Press

Over the last two weeks, Catholic leaders in New York have voiced their deep disapproval with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo over his decision to sharply limit attendance at houses of worship in areas that are seeing a surge of new coronavirus cases.

The governor’s decision was largely aimed at trying to rein in congregants in Orthodox Jewish synagogues in New York City and in Orange and Rockland Counties, where some members have flouted social distancing and mask regulations.

But it also affected other houses of worship, including about two dozen parishes in the diocese covering Queens and Brooklyn, where Catholic officials have sued Mr. Cuomo in federal court, insisting that they have been abiding by the rules and should not be punished.

“We’ve gone above and beyond what they have recommended and mandated,” said Dennis Poust, a spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference. “So if there’s an animus, it’s coming from his end, not our end.”

Leaders of the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York have also criticized the restrictions, which have closed nonessential businesses and limited occupancy in so-called red zones to 25 percent of building capacity or a mere 10 people, whichever is lower.

“To have all of the steps we’ve taken be ignored, and to face the prospect of indefinite unreasonable restrictions placed upon our churches is just not fair!” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan wrote in a blog post last week. “Why are churches being singled out? Why especially are those houses of worship that have been exemplary, strict and successful in heeding all warnings, being shut down again?”

A public school in Brooklyn this month. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York planned to reimpose restrictions on schools in neighborhoods where coronavirus cases were on the rise.Credit…Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

For months, as New York City struggled to start part-time, in-person classes, fear grew that its 1,800 public schools would become vectors of coronavirus infection.

But nearly three weeks into the in-person school year, early data from the city’s first effort at targeted testing has shown the opposite: a surprisingly small number of positive test results.

Out of 15,111 staff members and students tested randomly by the school system in the first week of its testing regimen, the city has gotten back results for 10,676. There were only 18 positives: 13 staff members and five students.

And when officials put mobile testing units at schools near Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods that have had new outbreaks, only four positive cases turned up — out of more than 3,300 tests conducted since the last week of September.

New York City is facing fears of a second wave of the virus brought on by localized spikes in Brooklyn and Queens, which have required new shutdown restrictions that included the closure of more than 120 public schools as a precaution.

On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that city continued to see a “leveling off” in those areas and officials had seen “particular progress” in central Queens, the mayor said. But he did not provide data for those areas.

Across the city, the seven-day average positivity rate was at 1.62 percent, the mayor said. When he first announced an uptick in cases about three weeks ago, the positivity rate was 1.38 percent.

Shortly afterward on Monday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that data in different hot spot areas across the state where he had imposed restrictions by zones would continue to be reviewed, and that the state would “announce changes to the zones” on Wednesday. Zone sizes could be made larger or smaller, he said, adding that “we have total flexibility in these zones.”

Statewide, the daily positivity rate was 1.21 percent, he said, while the “red zones,” which have the most severe restrictions in place, had a positivity rate of 3.31 percent. Hospitalizations statewide, which have been steadily increasing in recent weeks, are 934.

But for now, at least, New York City’s sprawling system of public schools, the nation’s largest, is an unexpected bright spot as the city tries to recover from a pandemic that has killed more than 20,000 people and severely weakened its economy.

In September, New York became the first big urban district to reopen schools for in-person learning.

Roughly half of the city’s students have opted for hybrid learning, where they are in the building some days, but not others. The approach has enabled the city to keep class sizes small.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.Credit…Daniel Kim/The Sacramento Bee, via Associated Press

California will have its own independent panel of experts review any federally approved coronavirus vaccines before they are administered to residents, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday.

“Of course we won’t take anyone’s word for it,” he said in a news briefing. He emphasized that the “second set of eyes” on potential vaccines is part of California’s broader efforts to make sure that vaccines get equitably distributed to communities that are most vulnerable.

While Mr. Newsom acknowledged that the vaccine approval process has been politicized, he said, “It doesn’t matter who the next president is, we’re going to maintain our vigilance.”

The announcement came after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said that his state would also review vaccines approved by the federal government — although Mr. Cuomo tied the move to doubts raised when President Trump suggested that he would reject tougher F.D.A. guidelines. “Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion,” Mr. Cuomo said in late September.

On Sunday, Mr. Cuomo, as head of the bipartisan National Governors Association, posed additional questions about how the Trump administration will ensure that states are able to get and distribute vaccines.

Mr. Newsom said that his state is working with the federal government on its vaccination plans, but that experts from California’s prestigious academic and health care institutions are helping to figure out expected logistical challenges. They include where to store vaccines that must be kept cold, how to notify people about when to get their second shots and how to guarantee that rural communities have access to vaccines.

Mr. Newsom cautioned against being “overly exuberant” about the prospect of widespread vaccination; he said that won’t happen until next year. “This vaccine will move at the speed of trust,” he said.

California’s new case rates have stayed relatively low, even as the state has expanded testing and gradually lifted restrictions on businesses. Still, the governor implored residents not to let their guard down as the holidays approach.

In rural Wisconsin, many restaurants will be limited to ten indoor patrons.Credit…Bing Guan/Reuters

A judge in Wisconsin, the site of the one of the worst outbreaks of a resurgent coronavirus, has upheld an executive order by Gov. Tony Evers that limits public gatherings to 25 percent of a building or room’s capacity.

“This critically important ruling will help us prevent the spread of this virus by restoring limits on public gatherings,” said the governor’s office in a statement. “This crisis is urgent. Wisconsinites, stay home.”

The ruling means in rural Wisconsin, many restaurants, taverns, and supper clubs with no maximum capacity set by local authorities will be limited to ten patrons dining-in at a time, according to the Tavern League of Wisconsin, which requested a temporary injunction on Emergency Order #3 from the circuit court judge.

The state has reported more than 22,500 new coronavirus cases in the last week, according to a New York Times database, putting Wisconsin behind only North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana in terms of new infections per capita.

The Tavern League, which sued for relief against the executive order, represents about 5,000 small businesses, according to Scott Stenger, who heads the league’s government affairs outreach. “We don’t take suing anybody lightly, let alone the governor of our state,” Mr. Stenger said. “It’s not something we’d do before.”

Mr. Stenger said the league had not been consulted ahead of time about the emergency order, and did not have an opportunity to help craft regulations that might better help eateries and bars across the rural parts of the state stay open while still taking precautions to protect their customers.

The issue is especially acute in rural areas of Wisconsin, where there are often no set capacity limits for restaurants and taverns. By default, those businesses will be limited to ten patrons.

Without economic assistance from the state, or from Congress, Mr. Stenger said that more of his members will likely go out of business.

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, at his swearing-in as deputy prime minister in Warsaw on Oct. 6. Credit…Radek Pietruszka/EPA, via Shutterstock

Poland’s deputy prime minister and de facto leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is going into quarantine after learning that he had been in contact with someone infected with the coronavirus, a government spokesman said, adding that Mr. Kaczynski, who is 71, “feels well and will continue performing his duties from home.”

Mr. Kaczynski did not wear a mask when he handed out an award at a ceremony last week, and briefly took off his mask when he was sworn in as deputy prime minister on Oct. 6.

Poland largely resisted the first wave of the pandemic with an early lockdown that began in March. But after it reopened all its schools for in-person instruction in early September, case counts started climbing, and the country is now battling a major surge of infections and hospitalizations. Poland has reported 49,950 new cases in the last seven days, according to a New York Times database, and 175,766 in all, with more than 3,500 Covid-19-related deaths.

With hospital beds filling up, there is particular concern about the damage that the virus could sow in Poland, which has a relatively weak health care system and one of the lowest ratios of doctors and nurses to residents in the European Union.

To deal with the surge, the government is transforming the national stadium in Warsaw into a field hospital. The health minister, Adam Niedzielski, said on Monday that temporary Covid-19 hospitals would also be set up in other major cities, and that he was in discussions with private hospitals about making more beds available. Mr. Niedzielski warned that if the virus continued to spread at its current pace, the country could soon be facing as many as 20,000 new cases a day.

In other developments around the world:

Restrictions on nonessential travel between the United States, Canada and Mexico will be extended until Nov. 21, Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, announced on Monday. “We are working closely with Mexico & Canada to identify safe criteria to ease the restrictions in the future & support our border communities,” Mr. Wolf wrote on Twitter. In the past seven days, Canada has reported 16,284 cases, which works out to 44 per 100,000 people; Mexico, 33,724 cases, or 27 per 100,000; and the U.S., 396,305 cases, or 119 per 100,000.

Officials in Melbourne, Australia, announced some easing of one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, allowing residents to travel up to 25 kilometers from their homes and up to 10 people from two households to socialize outdoors. Dan Andrews, the premier of the state of Victoria, drew a contrast between the situation there and in Britain, where there have been fewer restrictions despite a surge in cases. “Back in August and at our peak, we reported 725 daily cases. At the same time, the U.K. recorded 891,” he said in a statement. “Today, as Victoria records two new cases, the U.K. hit 16,171. And as we continue easing our restrictions, they are being forced to increase theirs.”

Twenty-five crew members aboard a livestock carrier docked at a port in Western Australia have tested positive for the coronavirus. The ship, the Al Messilah, has 52 crew members, and the authorities warned that further positive test results were possible.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland has tested negative for coronavirus, her office said on Monday. She left a European Union summit in Brussels prematurely on Friday because she had come in contact with people who later tested positive. “The prime minister will continue her self-isolation and she will be tested again on Monday,” the office said in a statement. Ms. Marin’s voluntary quarantine will end if the second test result proves negative, her office added.

South Africa’s health minister, Dr. Zwelini Mkhize, said that he and his wife, Dr. May Mkhize, had tested positive for the coronavirus and that he was optimistic that they would “fully recover.” Dr. Mkhize was tested on Saturday after showing mild symptoms, and both he and his wife are in quarantine at home. South Africa, which has recorded at least 703,000 cases of the coronavirus, has largely reopened its economy.

— Monika Pronczuk, Yan Zhuang and Monica Mark

CVS plans to hire workers ahead of expected increases in coronavirus and flu cases this fall and winter.Credit…Brian Snyder/Reuters

CVS Health announced on Monday that it planned to hire 15,000 workers to prepare for expected increases in coronavirus and flu cases in the United States during the fall and winter months.

More than 10,000 of the new roles will be full-time and part-time licensed pharmacy technicians at CVS Pharmacy locations to help administer Covid-19 tests, process prescriptions and dispense medications.

“Additional team members typically are needed every flu season,” Lisa Bisaccia, chief human resources officer of CVS Health, said in a statement. “However, we’re estimating a much greater need for trained pharmacy technicians this year given the continued presence of Covid-19 in our communities.”

The additional hires may also help the company distribute a Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available, if federal officials permit pharmacy technicians to administer it.

In March, CVS Health announced plans to fill 50,000 jobs across the country, the “most ambitious hiring drive in the company’s history,” it said at the time. The company has more than 4,000 drive-through coronavirus testing sites across the United States.

Separately, Target said on Monday that it would pay a fourth bonus to its employees who work in stores, distribution centers and staff and employee contact centers, as the pandemic continues and the retailer’s sales have soared this year.

More than 350,000 workers will receive $200 by early November, Target said.

Sapna Maheshwari contributed reporting.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both said that operating revenue in the three months through September had fallen nearly 80 percent compared with last year.Credit…Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

More than a million people passed through airport checkpoints on Sunday, the first time the Transportation Security Administration has screened that many people since mid-March.

While that represents a symbolic milestone for the travel industry, U.S. airlines are still losing billions of dollars a month as they brace for much weaker demand for tickets this winter. The number of people screened by the T.S.A. on Sunday was down about 60 percent compared with the same day a year ago.

Last week, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both said that operating revenue in the three months through September had fallen nearly 80 percent compared with last year. That period spanned much of the summer, which is typically the busiest season for airlines. Corporate travel typically sustains them in the fall, but many large businesses have been cautious about returning to normal operations and have told their employees to work from home until next July.

The steep decline in travel has forced airlines to cut to the bone, tweaking every part of the business as they hope to capitalize on what little demand remains. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines are expected to release similarly dismal third-quarter financial results this week.

#covid #World

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dipulb3 · 4 years

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Fight over Supreme Court already shaking up Senate races

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/fight-over-supreme-court-already-shaking-up-senate-races/

Fight over Supreme Court already shaking up Senate races

Since then, almost every Republican senator running for reelection has announced their support for the process to confirm the to-be-announced nominee, shaking up the race for Senate control only six weeks out from Election Day.

The quick embrace of McConnell’s strategy could help Republicans in toss-up Senate races in purple and red states, including in North Carolina, Iowa, Georgia and Montana, although it could hurt them in others.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis has struggled to coalesce the Republican Party behind him, with polls showing Trump leading him in the state. But the battle over the Supreme Court could endear him to the President’s supporters.

“I think what it does is it helps him with the Trump voters who might not vote down ticket,” Glen Bolger, Tillis’ pollster, told Appradab. “But now suddenly see, ‘Oh, the Senate’s an important fight.'”

But Tillis may also have to satisfy those who question why his position has changed since 2016. The first question he received in the Senate debate on Tuesday was whether he flip-flopped on how to handle a Supreme Court vacancy.

In 2016, Tillis, like almost every other Republican senator, supported blocking President Barack Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, from filling the seat left by the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. But at a Fayetteville rally with President Donald Trump on Saturday, Tillis announced to cheers from the crowd that he would vote for whoever Trump picked from his list to replace the late Ginsburg.

While both nominees were chosen in the final year of a presidential term, Tillis said on Tuesday that there was a difference: Obama was a “lame duck” in 2016, while Trump, who is running for reelection, “deserves” to put forward his nominee.

Tillis then attacked his Democratic opponent Cal Cunningham on Tuesday for supporting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who the senator said would nominate “radical left, activist judges that would be wrong for this country.” Cunningham responded that Tillis wrote a “blank check to the president” in supporting a Trump pick before it was even announced, when he should have been a “check and balance.”

Republicans argue that confirming a sixth conservative justice to the court could help them in other states too, pointing to Senate GOP victories in Indiana and Missouri after confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the court in early October 2018. That year, then-Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill acknowledged the vote was “not a ‘political winner'” for her. She voted along with every other fellow Democrat against Kavanaugh, but lost by fewer than six points.

Ryan Koopmans, a former top aide to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, said the Supreme Court vacancy could help Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in her race against Democrat Theresa Greenfield, noting that Iowa has a record of supporting conservative judges. In 2010, it voted to remove three justices from the Iowa Supreme Court who ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.

“I think that this issue has the potential to start to drown out others in the coming weeks,” Koopmans said.

If Sen. Doug Jones loses in deep red Alabama, Democrats need to win four seats and the White House to take control of the chamber. Republicans are worried that the fight over Ginsburg’s successor could hurt Republicans in at least two blue states, Sen. Susan Collins in Maine and Sen. Cory Gardner in Colorado.

Gardner has said he would vote to confirm a “qualified nominee.” But Collins has said that she will oppose any pick due to its proximity to election. She said her position is “in the interest of being fair to the American people — and consistent” with what she did back in 2016.

Collins’ decision could help her regain the support of those who have appreciated her independent stances in the past, like opposing the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2017. But it will not be enough for some of her former supporters, who say that she changed during the Trump era and abhor her support of Kavanaugh.

“I have no faith in Susan to do the right thing, like I’ve counted on for so many years,” said Carroll Payne, a Democrat and former Collins supporter running for a state House seat.

Democratic Senate candidates across the country have pushed to fulfill Ginsburg’s “most fervent wish” to not be replaced until after the next presidential inauguration, when a President Joe Biden could choose Ginsburg’s replacement. They have no power to block a unified Senate Republican majority, but are warning voters that a Supreme Court with six conservative justices could dismantle the ACA and its protections for those with pre-existing conditions. The Court hears a crucial case on the law’s constitutionality a week after Election Day.

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock launched an ad on Monday saying that his Republican opponent, Sen. Steve Daines, voted to strike down the ACA, while he would protect citizens from insurance companies denying people coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee aired an ad hitting back at Bullock, saying if he’s elected, Democrats in charge of the House, Senate and White House could “change Montana overnight,” leading to “liberal judges, stricter gun laws and government-run health care.”

The Democratic party has become more energized on the Supreme Court issue during the Trump era. Many Democrats view the seat that Justice Neil Gorsuch now occupies, instead of Garland, as stolen. They say that Kavanaugh’s confirmation amid accusations of sexual assault — allegations Kavanaugh denied — delegitimized the court. And after Ginsburg’s death, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that “nothing is off the table for next year” if Republicans replace her and he becomes majority leader.

But the Democratic candidates who could give Schumer the gavel have tried to separate themselves from the party’s left wing. The campaigns for Jones, Cunningham, Jon Ossoff in Georgia and Mark Kelly in Arizona have indicated that their candidates do not support expanding the Supreme Court.

“North Carolinians are already voting and will continue to do so in the coming weeks,” said Cunningham in a statement. “They deserve that opportunity to have their voices heard, and then, it should be up to the next President and next Senate to fill the vacancy on our Court.”

Appradab’s Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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janepwilliams87 · 4 years

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Fewer banks work with cannabis biz due to COVID, feds say (Newsletter: September 8, 2020)

Kamala Harris calls out discriminatory marijuana enforcement; New congressional CBD bill; VA lawmakers vote to ban cannabis searches

Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.

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By starting a $10 per month pledge on Patreon—or about 45 cents per issue of this newsletter—you can help us rely less on ads to cover our expenses, hire more journalists and bring you even more marijuana news. https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported that fewer banks and credit unions are working with marijuana businesses—and that “government imposed quarantine restrictions” amid the coronavirus pandemic may be partly to blame. Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) cited marijuana enforcement as an example of the U.S.’s discriminatory criminal justice system in a new interview.

“It does us no good if we want to solve those disparities to pretend they don’t exist. You can look at, for example, marijuana offenses. Equal use between the white population and the black population, but black people are exponentially more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for those offenses.”

Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) filed a new bill that would force the Food and Drug Administration to allow CBD and other hemp derivatives as dietary supplements.

“I joined this bipartisan bill to provide certainty for hemp farmers that their crop may find legal uses.”

Virginia’s House and Senate both approved bills to stop police from searching people or seizing property based on the smell of marijuana alone, and cannabis expungements legislation is also advancing. / FEDERAL Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) authored an op-ed on why the next president should legalize marijuana. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) posted a Twitter thread about her marijuana legalization bill. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) tweeted, “Our country’s cannabis laws have devastated communities of color. They’re wrong, discriminatory, and out of touch. We need reform. Let’s pass the Marijuana Justice Act now.” New York Democratic congressional candidate Mondaire Jones spoke about his support for legalizing marijuana and expunging past records. California Democratic congressional candidate David Kim posted a Twitter thread about how incumbent Rep, Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) hasn’t done enough to support marijuana reform. / STATES New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and the state’s Division of Elections are being sued by an activist known as NJWeedman for leaving the name of his Legalize Marijuana Party off the ballot for his congressional race. Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor tweeted, “Right here in Pennsylvania, we should be offering high-paying cannabis-related jobs in this growing industry. Pennsylvania needs action now. Contact your state legislators and advocate for change.” A Georgia senator said the state hopes to issue license applications for medical cannabis producers by late fall. Illinois regulators are being sued by unsuccessful marijuana social equity business license applicants. Oklahoma regulators reported medical cannabis tax revenue totals for July. Michigan regulators released the names of people who will participate in a marijuana licensing stakeholder workgroup. Arizona’s Industrial Hemp Advisory Council will meet on Tuesday. — Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. —

/ LOCAL The mayor of Long Beach, California tweeted about working to unionize marijuana business workers. / INTERNATIONAL France’s interior minister justified a new fine against people who consume illegal drugs by insinuating that they are responsible for terrorism. The chairman of Ukraine’s parliament said he doesn’t support legalizing marijuana. South African lawmakers continue to debate a bill to legalize marijuana possession and home cultivation. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review of animal studies concluded that “treatment of prostate cancers in in vivo/xenograft models with various cannabinoids decreased the size of the tumor, the outcomes of which depended on the dose and length of treatment.” A study found “evidence of a protracted analgesic effect of LSD at a dose that is low enough to avoid a psychedelic experience.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance is under fire for failing to file required financial statements. / BUSINESS Curaleaf agreed to give up one of its Maryland medical cannabis processor licenses and pay a $150,000 fine after regulators determined the company exceeded the state’s licensing cap. CannaRegs, its acquirer Fyllo, and people associated with the companies are being sued by former executives for allegedly engaging in securities fraud.

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sinrau · 4 years

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In front of a brick building northwest of downtown, on a day when the nation’s gaze again fixed on this once-strong factory city, Justin Blake declared that President Trump must be defeated as he stood over the spot where a police officer shot his nephew in the back seven times.

“We don’t have any words for the orange man,” Blake said of Trump as he spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people — most of them Black — who had come for a block party complete with barbecue and bounce house. “All I ask is he keep his disrespect, his foul language far away…. Our president hasn’t been a unifier.”

Two and a half miles away, a different scene unfolded in uptown Kenosha, as the president’s supporters lined up behind barricades in anticipation of his arrival, waving American flags and hoping to catch a glimpse of his motorcade.

Sue Wells, a 57-year-old retired cleaner and factory worker, came with her daughter and her 5-year-old grandson. She signed a petition to recall the state’s Democratic governor and disparaged the racial justice movement as she stood by the historic Danish Brotherhood Lodge, which had burned to rubble during recent protests.

“If you’re so for Black Lives Matter, why are you destroying their community?” said Wells, a white Kenosha resident. The protesters, she said, don’t “understand how it is dividing us.”

Trump’s visit to Kenosha on Tuesday, where he toured downtown and met with business owners, law enforcement and elected representatives, lasted all but two hours. Yet it drew out the raw passions and divides of this town — and the nation — where debates over racism, policing and protest are colliding ahead of an election many fear will only bring more rancor.

“Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and law enforcement are oppressive or racist,” Trump said after he landed here. “They’ll throw out any word that comes to them. Actually, we should show far greater support for our law enforcement.”

Conflicting images played out across Kenosha, which like Minneapolis and Portland, Ore., before it, bore the burden of a nation’s multiplying troubles in a narrative that featured a polarizing president, parents fearful of more bloodshed and members of right-wing groups, including the Proud Boys.

Police stand near a burning Department of Corrections building during protests Aug. 24 in Kenosha, Wis.

In Blake’s neighborhood, stereos blasted the “Cupid Shuffle” as groups danced in the street, some wearing shirts that said “BLAK: Black Lives Activists of Kenosha” and others calling for justice for Blake’s nephew, Jacob, who was left paralyzed. Volunteers lined up to register voters and offered free COVID-19 testing.

A few blocks northwest, dozens in red Make America Great Again hats cheered for the president’s motorcade before he spoke with local officials at Mary D. Bradford High School. Trump did not mention the Blake name, and when a reporter asked about protesters’ concerns about racism, the president said that was “the opposite subject” of what he wanted to discuss. He wanted to talk about the violence that has struck cities and left buildings torched.

“I keep hearing about peaceful protests. I hear it about everything, and then I come into an area like this, and I see the town is burned down,” Trump said. He said protests were really “acts of domestic terror” and “anti-American riots.” While much of Kenosha is on alert with boarded-up stores visible well into the suburbs, actual damage is limited to a small stretch of its urban core.

The president said he rejected a chance to speak with Jacob Blake’s mother, Julia Jackson, after learning she wanted lawyers present.

Benjamin Crump, a family lawyer, confirmed the account. “If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake’s shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do — examine your heart,” he said.

The police shooting of Jacob Blake and subsequent shootings in which 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse now faces murder charges in the deaths of two protesters have further split this crucial swing state. Trump won by a small margin four years ago in both Kenosha County and Wisconsin. Democrats hope this year that former Vice President Joe Biden will instead make gains.

Trump is pushing a “law and order” theme and is against the Black Lives Matter movement. Biden, who has spoken to the Blake family, has blamed the president for stoking violence among far-right and militia groups that have increasingly clashed with those protesting against police brutality.

Trump said Kenosha “would have been burned to the ground by now” if not for the intervention of the National Guard, which he claimed was his doing. The Wisconsin National Guard, however, has been in the city for more than a week at the request of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, and federal law enforcement and National Guard troops from several other states joined later last week.

In a statement Tuesday, Biden called Trump’s time in Wisconsin “self-centered divisiveness accompanied by zero solutions.”

“Trump failed once again to meet the moment, refusing to utter the words that Wisconsinites and Americans across the country needed to hear today from the president: a condemnation of violence of all kinds, no matter who commits it,” a reference to Trump’s defense earlier this week of Rittenhouse, who he said was defending himself.

If plans went as some locals, including the governor, mayor and county executive had hoped, Trump would not have landed in this city of 100,000, halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. The Democratic mayor, John Antaramian, said it would “be better had [Trump] waited.” Seven of the county’s 23 supervisors, however, wrote a letter saying they wanted the president’s “leadership in this time of crisis.”

David Swartz, 56, protests President Trump’s visit to Kenosha, Wis., on Tuesday.

At the Danish Brotherhood Lodge, several members spent Tuesday combing the ruins for relics, including their 110-year-old registry. They were glad to hear the president was touring damaged areas of their historic neighborhood, which has undergone gentrification over the years and is now dotted with small businesses.

“He’s drawing attention to this area instead of sweeping it under the rug and saying ‘Oh, poor protesters,’” said Joe Vaughn, 58, a retired ironworker who serves as the lodge’s treasurer.

Among those scouring the wreckage were Bryan Bernhardt, 52, and his 27-year-old son. Bernhardt’s grandfather helped found the lodge, where he and Bernhardt’s late father later served as presidents. Bernhardt said he was glad to see Trump and the National Guard in Kenosha, but was worried violence would rise again.

“Minneapolis is still going through it, Seattle, Portland,” he said. “Everyone feels for the family. Does change need to be made? Probably. Let’s get all the facts first.”

A few streets away, David Swartz, 56, said he turned out to protest Trump’s use of his town as a campaign stop. Swartz, a union electrician laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, attended recent demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, “because nobody deserves seven bullets in the back.” But he said he has brothers in the local electricians union who support Trump.

“He’s dividing the country, dividing people, pitting them against each other,” said Swartz, wearing his IBEW Local 127 jacket as he carried his sign on a street corner.

Kenosha has been under curfew since last week because of protests and riots after police shot Blake, 29, on Aug. 23 after officers showed up to a northwestern neighborhood in response to a 911 call about a domestic dispute.

Rittenhouse, the teen from Illinois, is charged with two murders on the night of Aug. 25 near protest sites. Rittenhouse, who carried a semiautomatic rifle and said he was protecting local businesses, fled the scene — in plain sight of police — and was arrested the next day in Lake County, Ill. Like Trump, his lawyers said he acted in self-defense.

For Porche Bennett, a 31-year-old native Kenoshian who attended the block party on the street where police shot Jacob Blake, not enough is being done to bring police to justice.

“We want the officer charged and fired,” said Bennett, who is Black and co-founded the group Black Lives Activists of Kenosha that has helped organize recent protests. “We do not want violence. What we want is justice for Jacob Blake and his family.”

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) joins Justin Blake, uncle of Jacob Blake, during a community gathering at the site of Jacob’s shooting Tuesday.

As the party wound down, a few hundred protesters marched around the Kenosha County Courthouse. National Guard troops stood watch over the fenced-in site. In this open-carry state, a handful of armed protesters, both those in support of and against the president, appeared. Small groups with members of right-wing movements, including the Proud Boys, were also present.

Protest leaders urged crowds to disperse before the 7 p.m. curfew, fearing things could quickly go wrong.

“Jacob Blake’s family really doesn’t want people out,” said KeJuan Goldsmith, 19, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay sophomore from nearby Racine. “All it takes is one cop triggered.”

Times staff writer Eli Stokols in Washington contributed to this report.

Trump’s Kenosha visit exposes U.S. divides over race and policing ahead of November vote

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theliberaltony · 4 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to FiveThirtyEight’s weekly politics chat. The transcript below has been lightly edited.

sarahf (Sarah Frostenson, politics editor): The U.S. has started to open back up. Late last week, statewide orders to “stay at home” or “shelter in place” because of the new coronavirus expired in many states across the U.S., and roughly half are now partially reopened.

This has led to calls that parts of the country are reopening too soon, and is setting the stage for the coronavirus crisis to become the latest political football.

But what do we actually know about how partisanship has influenced people’s reactions to COVID-19 so far? Do Democrats and Republicans really view the coronavirus differently?

Let’s first talk about what evidence we have that Democrats and Republicans are split in how they view the coronavirus, and what the significance of that is. Then we can shift gears to talk about how politicians on both sides of the aisle are handling the pandemic and how partisanship may (or may not) be a part of the calculus for when a state decides to open back up.

OK, first up, what evidence do we have that Democrats and Republicans are split on how they view the coronavirus?

nrakich (Nathaniel Rakich, elections analyst): According to polls, Republicans are less likely to support public health measures due to the coronavirus, but they are just as likely as Democrats and independents to obey them. In other words, Republicans might grumble about some of the preventive measures more, but they’re still taking the same precautions as everyone else.

In addition, it’s wrong to say that all (or even most) Republicans oppose these measures. It’s just that they’re split on them, while Democrats are pretty much unanimously in favor of taking precautions.

For example, an April 28-May 1 poll by Navigator Research found that 32 percent of all registered voters thought we needed stricter social distancing measures, 47 percent said we’re doing the right thing right now and 19 percent said we needed to relax social distancing rules.

Among Republicans, 20 percent wanted stricter rules, 47 percent thought we’re doing the right thing and 32 percent wanted more relaxed rules — so some difference from the overall universe, but those agitating for more freedom of movement were still a minority.

As for personal behaviors, about the same number of Democrats and Republicans were doing things like avoiding social gatherings and spending almost all their time indoors — about 80 percent of each.

seth.masket (Seth Masket, political science professor at the University of Denver and FiveThirtyEight contributor): We’re seeing a pretty consistent story across a lot of different polls where there isn’t that much difference between Democrats and Republicans. However, I did want to mention a recent survey conducted by Montana State University-Bozeman and the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver, as it found that even though a majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents in Colorado support the state’s stay-at-home orders, there are fairly stark differences in enthusiasm for the orders. Seventy-four percent of Democrats say they strongly support the orders compared with 45 percent of Republicans, for instance. That said, actual opposition to the orders is negligible across parties. And this poll also found that Democrats, Republicans and independents were equally likely to be engaging in social distancing behavior.

sarahf: One thing I’ve been struck by is that while there are some partisan differences on various social distancing measures, they’re just not that big. For instance, a National Bureau Economic Research working paper found partisan differences in self-reported social distancing behaviors and attitudes, but on something like reducing contact with others, the gap between those who identified as strong Democrats and those who identified as strong Republicans wasn’t that big. It was only a few percentage points.

In other words, despite a strong partisan split around whether President Trump is doing a good job of handling the crisis (see the chart below from our tracker on COVID-19 polls), there isn’t the same kind of dividing line on the actual preventive measures people are taking.

seth.masket: I think that’s right. And it may change!

One thing that’s been striking over the past few years is how much Republicans have largely followed Trump’s lead on a number of issues where he has broken from long-standing Republican orthodoxy — whether it’s increased support for Russian President Vladimir Putin or moral leadership mattering less. But with the coronavirus we may see a limit to this elite-led partisanship when death is on the line.

nrakich: Yeah, in this era of partisanship, we’re kind of trained to home in on the partisan differences in everything. And while they do exist here, they are just not as polar opposite as we are used to seeing — e.g., on approval and disapproval of Trump.

sarahf: Perry, you’ve covered the coronavirus-closure protests but found that the push to repeal stay-at-home orders was largely out of line with rank-and-file Republicans. Is that still true? Or are we starting to see that shift?

perry (Perry Bacon Jr., senior writer): The polling hasn’t really shifted that much amid the protests — as Seth and Nathaniel have said, rank-and-file Republicans aren’t in revolt against these social distancing measures. They do tend to worry (more than Democrats), though, that these measures might go too far and hurt the economy.

nrakich: That’s true, but I’d still keep an eye out for shifts. I think the protests are less likely to move Republican opinion than are a bunch of Republican governors telling people it’s time to open up. And that has just started to happen within the past week. Plus, Republican elites may speak out even more in favor of opening up, or opening up further, in the weeks to come.

sarahf: That’s a good point, Nathaniel. Something you looked at for FiveThirtyEight, Seth, was whether a governor’s party affiliation made a difference in when he or she issued a statewide order to stay at home, but you found there really wasn’t a partisan difference. True, at the time you wrote the article last month, the eight governors who hadn’t issued such an order were all Republicans, but putting that aside, the median Democratic and Republican governor took roughly the same amount of time to act — 21 days after the first COVID-19 case was reported for Democratic governors, and 25 days for Republicans.

Is it a similar situation now, Seth, where partisanship doesn’t play as much a role in when a governor reopens a state? Or is that no longer true?

seth.masket: It seems to be different with reopening. According to The New York Times, 29 states are starting to reopen, and 22 of them have Republican governors. And of the 21 states — plus Washington, D.C. — that are keeping their stay-at-home orders in place, 18 (including D.C.) are led by Democrats.

And what I’ve found is that the party of the governor (or the state’s vote in 2016) does a much better job explaining the lifting of stay-at-home orders than either the incidence of the illness or the death count in a given state.

sarahf: Of course, there’s a lot we don’t know about the actual prevalence of the disease, given the differences in testing strategies from state to state. But that’s interesting that the death count isn’t predictive for whether a state might reopen.

perry: Are there more states with high incidence rates/high death totals opening up? Or do we see more states with lower incidence rates and death totals staying closed?

seth.masket: It’s a mixture of both. On the one hand, you have states like Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, which have current caseloads of 9,401 and 4,137 cases per million residents, respectively, and they’re loosening up stay-at-home rules. A state like Illinois, however, which has a caseload similar to Pennsylvania’s, is keeping its orders intact for now.

And on the other hand, Hawaii and Oregon have very low caseloads (fewer than 1,000 per million residents), but they’re keeping restrictions in place.

One governor I’ve followed with some curiosity is my own, Colorado’s Jared Polis, who is a fairly liberal Democrat and yet has embraced a modest reopening. I don’t claim to have a great sense of why he’s pressing this, unlike most other Democratic governors. But he’s clearly faced some pushback to stay-at-home orders.

We haven’t seen many large demonstrations against these orders, but Weld County (a large rural county stretching from Denver’s northern suburbs to the Wyoming and Nebraska borders) has strongly resisted the orders over the past few weeks and has pushed to reopen. And although Polis threatened to withhold relief funds at one point, I assume he has grown increasingly concerned that he will be unable to compel some areas of the state to comply. After all, this was the county that led a state-secession movement seven years ago.

nrakich: Right, I think a lot of people have mentally filed Colorado away as a blue state now because it has a Democratic governor and has so many college-educated white voters, but there is a healthy tradition of conservative/libertarian activism there.

Polis also wasn’t that liberal as a U.S. representative. I always thought of him as a technocrat/business-friendly Democrat, and I’m sure a lot of business associations are eager to reopen.

sarahf: Something we have to remember in this conversation, though, is that when we say “reopen,” that applies to a wide range of scenarios. In Texas, for instance, Gov. Greg Abbott is reopening the state in phases. In the first phase, only some nonessential businesses will reopen, and he’s also taken additional steps like limiting the capacity of restaurants and some businesses to 25 percent. In other words, no state that’s reopened has returned to operating as they did before the pandemic.

perry: Seth, what about the states in the South that are reopening? Are they generally doing that somewhat in proportion to deaths in their state or the number of cases?

seth.masket: Perry, within the South, there is a modest relationship there — states where the cases per million residents and deaths per million residents are higher are less likely to be reopening now. Louisiana by far has the highest caseload per capita, but it’s keeping its restrictions in place.

nrakich: Also one of the only Southern states with a Democratic governor — albeit a conservative one.

seth.masket: Virginia is another example.

sarahf: It’s interesting to me that the question of when to reopen the government has such a strong partisan undertone to it. On the one hand, the end of April/early May is when many Americans thought businesses and parts of the economy might reopen, so it’s possible that people start to answer questions on preventive measures differently — and not just for partisan reasons.

On the other hand, Trump has been pushing to reopen the economy in subtle — and not so subtle ways — and that obviously plays a role here, but there are also a lot of reasons why a governor might want to reopen the economy that isn’t strictly for partisan reasons.

So where do we think this debate over whether to open the economy heads next? Is it going to make the coronavirus an increasingly politicized issue?

seth.masket: I’m wondering which way we’ll see Republican voters moving in the next few weeks/months. What we’re seeing right now, I think, is one of the bigger elite-voter divides within a party in recent history. Trump isn’t wrong to see his political fate tied up with the fate of the economy. It’s probably why he keeps encouraging the country to reopen. And he’s made it clear he wants governors to reopen their states too. Republican governors mostly have (although Trump pushed back at Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp). Yet voters, even those supportive of Trump, are wary of jumping back into old routines.

So we might see an increase in this intra-party divide over the next few weeks, as GOP governors continue to push to reopen while disease rates ramp up in their states. As more people get sick or know people who are sick, that really undermines elites’ rhetoric that the worst is behind us, probably more than aggregate numbers do.

sarahf: I suppose that’s what makes all this so difficult — we don’t know what effect reopening parts of the economy in certain states might have. Some states might see an uptick in cases as a result, but that also might not happen, because even though parts of the economy are reopening, it doesn’t mean people will be ready to jump back into their old routines as you say, Seth. Many people will still avoid restaurants or other public spaces if they are concerned and have the ability to do so.

seth.masket: I’m not ready to go clubbing again just yet. Of course, I largely stopped in the early ’90s.

sarahf: Ha, and I think you’re not alone! No matter what Gov. Polis reopens.

But, OK, so far the most partisan aspects of the coronavirus crisis have been around how Americans approve (or disapprove) of Trump’s handling of it and how much they trust various government institutions with handling the pandemic. But where does this head next? Polls show Republicans and Democrats are largely taking preventive measures in roughly equal measures (although maybe not as enthusiastically), but does that change as states reopen? In other words, if political leaders are eager to engage in a political blame game around the virus, is the pandemic going to be increasingly politicized?

perry: The reaction to the pandemic is already very partisan because the anti-social distancing/stay-at-home orders movement is almost entirely driven by Republicans, from the protesters themselves to Attorney General William Barr and the president. (So even though most Republicans are not anti-social distancing, most prominent anti-social distancing voices are Republicans.)

The effect of that elite conservative pressure will be to make stay-at-home orders/social distancing almost impossible to sustain, because there will be lawsuits, protests, etc., no matter what the public thinks. We had relative national consensus around social distancing from the end of March until late April — but that’s over, I think. Even if we have a spike in the number of cases, Republican elites are probably going to put a lot of pressure on state governments not to reimpose these orders.

seth.masket: What we’re seeing, I’d argue, is a kind of perversion of the concept of states being the “laboratory for democracy.” In the absence of national leadership, we see state governments trying to figure out the path forward, but we don’t yet have a great sense of how they’re balancing things like the politics of it, disease rates, and other considerations, like the economy and what experts recommend.

It’ll also be hard to understand the effect that lifting some of these measures will have, as the spread of the disease will be only partially affected by these policies. States have very porous borders and integrated economies. So some states will do “well” or “poorly,” and blame and credit will be passed around — but not necessarily appropriately. Not to mention that in the past few months, Trump has moved the goal post quite a bit on how many deaths we should expect, so governors will likely follow suit, making it even harder to assess the impact.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #A FiveThirtyEight Chat

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