The Serious Side - part 8

Very scary Trump stuff in Portland......

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/18/portland-federal-agents-protests-trump-mayor

Portland mayor demands Trump remove federal agents from city

• People detained far from property agents were sent to protect
  
• Trump looking for a confrontation, says governor
  

Associated Press in Portland, Oregon
Sat 18 Jul 2020 14.56 EDTFirst published on Sat 18
Militarized federal agents deployed by Donald Trump to Portland, Oregon, fired tear gas against protesters again late on Friday night, even as the city’s mayor demanded the agents be removed and the state’s attorney general vowed to seek a restraining order against them.

 Camouflaged federal agents have descended on Portland. Trump's DHS is out of control

[size=16]Trevor Timm


 
Read more


Federal agents, some wearing camouflage and some wearing dark Department of Homeland Security uniforms, used tear gas at least twice to break up crowds, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Portland mayor Ted Wheeler earlier demanded the agents be removed, after some detained people far from the federal property they were sent to protect.
“Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city,” Wheeler told the president at a news conference on Friday.
The Democratic governor, Kate Brown, said Trump was looking for a confrontation in the hopes of winning political points elsewhere, and for a distraction from the coronavirus pandemic, which is causing rising numbers of infections in Oregon and across the nation.
Brown’s spokesman, Charles Boyle, said arresting people without probable cause was “extraordinarily concerning and a violation of their civil liberties and constitutional rights”.
The Oregon attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, said she would file a lawsuit in federal court against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection, and Federal Protection Service, alleging they have violated the civil rights of Oregonians by detaining them without probable cause. She will also seek a temporary restraining order against them.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon said the federal agents appear to be violating people’s rights, which “should concern everyone in the United States”.
“Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street we call it kidnapping,“ said Jann Carson, ACLU interim executive director. “The actions of the militarized federal officers are flat-out unconstitutional and will not go unanswered.”
Federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes related to the protests, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported on Thursday. Some have been detained by the federal courthouse, the scene of protests. Others were grabbed blocks away.



Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Portland mayor demands Trump remove federal agents from]Twitter[/url][url=http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?description=Portland mayor demands Trump remove federal agents from]Pinterest[/url]
 Federal officers use teargas and other crowd dispersal munitions on protesters in Portland, Oregon, on 17 July. Photograph: Mason Trinca/Getty Images
The protests following the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis have often devolved into violent clashes between smaller groups and the police. Tensions have escalated since an officer with the US Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at a protester’s head, critically injuring him.
“This is part of the core media strategy out of Trump’s White House: to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data,” Wheeler said. “And it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials.”
One video showed two people in helmets and green camouflage with “police” patches grabbing a person on the sidewalk, handcuffing them and taking them into an unmarked vehicle.
“Who are you?” someone asks the pair, who do not respond. At least some of the federal officers belong to the DHS.
Customs and Border Protection said in a statement its agents had information indicating the person in the video was suspected of assaulting federal agents or destroying federal property.
“Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob moved towards their location. For everyone’s safety, CBP agents quickly moved the suspect to a safer location,” the agency said.
However, the video shows no mob.
In another case, Mark Pettibone, 29, said a minivan rolled up to him around 2am on Wednesday and four or five people got out “looking like they were deployed to a Middle Eastern war”.
Pettibone told the Associated Press he got to his knees as the group approached. They dragged him into the van without identifying themselves or responding to his questions and pulled his beanie over his eyes so he couldn’t see, he said.
“I figured I was just going to disappear for an indefinite amount of time,” Pettibone said, adding that he was put into a cell and officers dumped the contents of his backpack, with one remarking: “Oh, this is a bunch of nothing.”
After he asked for a lawyer, Pettibone was allowed to leave.
“Authoritarian governments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protesters,” the Democratic US senator Jeff Merkley said in a tweet.
US attorney Billy Williams in Portland said on Friday he has requested the Department of Homeland Security’s office of the inspector general to investigate the actions of DHS personnel.
In a letter, Oregon’s two senators and two of its House members demanded that the US attorney general, William Barr, and the acting homeland security secretary, Chad Wolf, immediately withdraw “these federal paramilitary forces from our state”.
The members of Congress said they would be asking the DHS inspector general and the US Department of Justice to investigate.
“It’s painfully clear this administration is focused purely on escalating violence without answering my repeated requests for why this expeditionary force is in Portland and under what constitutional authority,” Senator Ron Wyden said.
On Thursday night, federal officers deployed tear gas and fired non-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters. Wolf visited Portland on Thursday and called the demonstrators, who are protesting racism and police brutality, “violent anarchists”.
He blamed state and city authorities for not putting an end to the protests. But Portland police said on Friday they wound up arresting 20 people overnight.
At least two protests occurred Thursday night, one near the federal courthouse and the other by a police station in another part of the city. Police told protesters to leave that site after announcing they heard chanting about burning down the building. Protester Paul Frazier said the chant was “much more rhetorical than an actual statement”.
Portland police chief Chuck Lovell told reporters his officers are in contact with the federal agents, but that neither controls the others’ actions.
“We do communicate with federal officers for the purpose of situational awareness and deconfliction,“ Lovell said. “We’re operating in a very, very close proximity to one another.”[/size]

https://people.com/politics/trump-refuses-to-say-accept-2020-election-results/

[size=48]President Donald Trump Refuses to Say If He'll Accept 2020 Election Results: 'I Have to See'
Recent national polls for the 2020 presidential election show President Donald Trump lagging behind presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden
By Eric Todisco 
July 19, 2020 05:15 PM[/size]


FB[url=https://www.twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=President Donald Trump Refuses to Say If He%27ll Accept 2020 Election Results%3A %27I Have to See%27 https://people.com/politics/trump-refuses-to-say-accept-2020-election-results/%3futm_source=twitter.com%26utm_medium=social%26utm_campaign=social-share-article]Tweet[/url]
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In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, President Donald Trump declined to say if he would accept the results of the 2020 presidential election in November.
During Sunday's interview, Trump, 74, was asked by Wallace, 72, if he is a "gracious loser," to which the incumbent president said that he's "not a good loser."
"I don't like to lose," Trump said. "I don't lose too often."
When Wallace pressed him again on the question, Trump responded, "You don't know until you see, it depends. I think mail-in voting is gonna rig the election, I really do."

Then, Wallace asked the president if he would accept the results of the Nov. 3 election, when he is set to face off against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
"I have to see," Trump said. "Hilary Clinton asked me the same thing. And you know what, she's the one that never accepted. She never accepted her loss. And she looks like a fool."
When Trump was once again asked if he would accept the results or not, he reiterated to Wallace, "I have to see."
"No, I'm not going to just say 'yes.' I’m not going to say 'no,' " Trump said. "And I didn't last time either."
RELATED: Donald Trump Says Joe Biden Is 'Going to Be Your President' Because 'Some People Don't Love Me, Maybe'

[size]
Earlier in the interview, Trump was asked by Wallace about Fox News' latest national poll, which shows Biden, 77, leading by 8 percent. However, Trump downplayed the numbers as "fake polls."
“First of all, I’m not losing because those are fake polls,” he said. “They were fake in 2016 and now they’re even more fake."
Last month, Trump's disapproval hit a high, according to a poll from NPR, PBS NewsHour and Marist that showed his approval at 40 percent overall and a 58 percent disapproval rating.
The poll also found that 49 percent of voters "strongly disapprove" of the "job Trump is doing."
RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump's Niece Set to Publish 'Harrowing and Salacious' Tell-All After Leaking Family Taxes: Report



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In the past few months, Trump has been particularly criticized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In his interview with Wallace, Trump said that the United States' record-high coronavirus cases are due to the country's available testing.
"No country has ever done what we’ve done in terms of testing. We are the envy of the world,” Trump said. “You look at other countries, they don’t even do tests. They do tests if somebody walks into the hospital.”
Trump has even previously gone on record to say that the pandemic is "fading away," even without a vaccine — despite positive cases of the virus continuing to rise across the country.[/size]

It's a great shame he didn't realise that the 'elephant' test on Chris Wallace was the test for

dementia - he said he found it difficult

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/09/how-trumps-business-empire-is-cashing-in-on-the-2020-campaign

and anyone seen this from some Republicans


https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=gzHE_SY334o&feature=emb_logo

PAN - The money issue isn't new. He's been using his office to make money from day one. Congress just hasn't got the balls to call him on it. What's really galling, and what the article didn't mention, is that the Secret Service protection details have to pay to stay wherever he goes - even if it's one of his hotels or MarALago. Our tax dollars at work fattening his wallet!

The Lincoln Project has been putting out brilliant ads for weeks, if not months. I guess this is the latest. There's also "Republican Voters Against Trump" and "The Meidas Touch" - all anti-Trump ad makers. I've only seen the ads on line, though, not on tv. NY is already pretty much anti-drumpf, so I guess they're not needed here.

https://people.com/politics/missouri-gov-says-students-who-may-contract-covid-19-at-school/

[size=48]Missouri Gov. Says Students Who May Contract Coronavirus at School Are 'Going to Get Over It'
“These kids have got to get back to school,” Gov. Mike Parson said during an interview last week
By Sean Neumann 
July 21, 2020 02:29 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fmissouri-gov-says-students-who-may-contract-covid-19-at-school%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200722%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F07%2F21%2Fshutterstock_editorial_10689122g-2000.jpg&description=Missouri Gov. Says Students Who May Contract Coronavirus at School Are %27Going to Get Over It%27][/url]

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson
 
JEFF ROBERSON/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson insisted last week that students who may contract the novel coronavirus upon returning to school this fall are "going to get over it."
“These kids have got to get back to school,” Parson, a Republican, said during a Friday interview with local radio station KFTK. “They’re at the lowest risk possible. And if they do get [coronavirus disease] COVID-19, which they will — and they will when they go to school — they’re not going to the hospitals. They’re not going to have to sit in doctor’s offices. They’re going to go home and they’re going to get over it.”
“We gotta move on,” Parson, 64, also said about COVID-19 during the interview. “We can’t just let this thing stop us in our tracks.”
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has reported that kids 17 or younger make up about 6 percent of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases — though that age range also makes up only about 0.2 percent (or 228 children) of all deaths, according to the Associated Press.

But local Missouri officials pushed back on Parson's suggestion that kids will "get over it," saying their concerns go beyond students who may become infected.
Dr. Alex Garza, the incident commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch he's not just worried about students, but employees and volunteers who work at the schools.
"We worry about those in school who are not children — teachers, support staff and volunteers," Garza said. "Many of those people will have a much more serious response to the virus and that is what we want to avoid. These children could also come home and spread the virus to others in their household who could also be at a greater risk of a serious outcome.”
RELATED: Former Political Star Andrew Gillum Opens Up About Addiction, Rehab After Hotel Incident


Nicole Galloway, the state's auditor who is running against Parson for governor, said his comments displayed "stunning ignorance."

"This virus doesn’t stop with our children, Governor Parson," Galloway wrote in a statement online. "The teachers, bus drivers, janitors, food service workers, parents, grandparents, and neighbors who our children see every day are susceptible to this virus too. We need a plan that keeps all Missouri families safe."
When and how to safely resume in-person schooling has become a crucial question in responding to the pandemic, which cut short classes for all ages starting in March. President Donald Trump and his administration have strongly urged institutions to reopen in the fall, despite the virus and what many say is a lack of a clear strategy about how to return to the classroom.
RELATED: Cognitive Exam President Trump 'Aced' Is 'Not the Hardest,' Chris Wallace Tells Him
There’s still uncertainty surrounding the respiratory illness and how it spreads. Dr. Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician at the Indiana University School of Medicine, told NPR on Monday that kids don't "seem to be super spreaders," but because schools closed down in March that fact is still an unknown for health officials.
However, a large study of nearly 65,000 people in South Korea found that children ages 10-19 can spread the virus as much as adults.
"Schools will now be the experiment," Carroll said. "We're going to see a bunch of schools open with varying levels of control, and then we will see what happens."
Trump, 74, told Fox News on Sunday that "schools have to open," before repeating recent threats to withhold federal funding to schools who don't.
"Young people have to go to school, and there’s problems when you don’t go to school, too," the president said. "And there’s going to be a funding problem because we’re not going to fund — when they don’t open their schools. We’re not going to fund them. We’re not going to give them money if they’re not going to school. If they don’t open."

Wouldn't it be lovely if the only people affected by drumpf's policies were his brain dead supporters? I hope they carry him out of the White House kicking and screaming and take him straight to jail,

https://people.com/politics/trump-face-masks-have-impact-pandemic-will-get-worse-before-gets-better/

[size=48]Trump Admits Face Masks 'Have an Impact' and Says Pandemic 'Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better'
After months of downplaying the virus, the president gave a sober warning to Americans about the deadly pandemic on Tuesday
By Sean Neumann 
July 21, 2020 08:47 PM[/size]



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Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on Tuesday.
 
JIM WATSON/AFP VIA GETTY
Donald Trump changed his tone while talking about coronavirus on Tuesday in his first COVID-19 briefing since April.
After months of downplaying the virus, the president gave a sober warning to Americans about the deadly pandemic.
“It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better," Trump, 74, said. "[That's] something I don't like saying about things, but that's the way it is. That's what we have."
At the time of Trump's press conference Tuesday, the New York Times database reported at least 141,400 people in the U.S. had died from the virus, while at least 3,875,700 confirmed cases had been identified since February.
RELATED: Kamala, Warren & More: The Notable Names Joe Biden Has Considered to Be His Running Mate


Trump said at one point Tuesday, “I think we’re all responsible,” when asked if he would take responsibility for what his administration's critics have called a slow and skeptical handling of the pandemic.

Trump mostly read from notes at his podium and took a handful of questions from reporters before ending the press conference, which lasted about half an hour. (Trump's previous coronavirus press conferences sometimes lasted more than two hours.)
The president's prior press conferences throughout the pandemic often featured Trump arguing with reporters and suggesting false remedies for the virus.
On Tuesday, Trump appeared to come around on a number of virus-related issues.
Trump encouraged others to wear face masks and called them "a good thing”— reflecting a stark change from the position he's taken previously.
RELATED: President Donald Trump Tweets That Masks Are 'Patriotic' — Then Skips Wearing One at Event


Trump previously voiced skepticism about masks, mocked Joe Biden for wearing one in public, and said he wouldn't wear one despite the Centers for Disease Control recommending doing so can help slow the spread of the COVID-19 illness.

In contrast to those displays, Trump pulled a mask out of his pocket at one point Tuesday and told reporters he now carries one with him.
He also advised others to jump on board with the CDC recommendation.
“Get a mask,” Trump said. “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They will have an effect and we need everything we can get."

We all know he is saying this because he is being blamed for all the deaths. And of course it is election time.

Keeping a mask in your pocket, or hanging around your neck or wrist is as useless as not having one at all. He's still sending out the wrong message.

Just the fact that he waited this long to acknowledge that masks are necessary and that "we're all responsible" is reason enough not to vote for him. I wonder who finally got through to him? Too bad he doesn't understand why the things he's saying are true. He just knows he has to say them to get votes.

Lizzy, he is saying or rather reading his speech because his people showed him the numbers in polls also I'm guessing the Republican's against Trump site. Not to mention all the other articles blaming him for the death's . I'm sure they think
this will win him points , it won't with the intelligent voters who know this is all his fault. 
'
Do you think this will change is fanatics mind about masks?

It might change a few minds about masks if they see him wearing one. It might also make some supporters change their minds about voting for him. If wearing a mask was the right thing all along, why did it take him until now to say so? And why is he saying it now?

Maybe they'll realize he's playing politics with their lives.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2020/07/21/how-donald-trump-moved-millions-from-his-campaign-donors-to-his-private-business/#7f202bd1735c

Why am I not surprised?

Pleased to see Nancy Pelosi is now describing Covid19 as the Trump virus.............

The RNC and other campaign organizations aren't alone in funneling money into drumpf's coffers. Our taxes are being wasted on secret service protection details for him and his spawn. They don't stay in his properties for free.

https://people.com/human-interest/police-break-up-600-person-block-party-in-florida-as-coronavirus-cases-surge/

[size=48]Police Break Up 600-Person Block Party in Florida as Coronavirus Cases Surge
None of the 600 attendees were arrested, though several people were given parking citations
By Rachel DeSantis 
July 22, 2020 12:11 PM[/size]



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Lake Okeechobee, Florida
 
GETTY
A massive block party in Florida was broken up by law enforcement this weekend as attendees failed to wear masks or social distance, according to authorities and reports, even as cases in the state continue to surge.
Around 600 people attended the Saturday night gathering in Pahokee along Lake Okeechobee, prompting several calls reporting “disturbances and noise” to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The number of partygoers was reportedly so large, responding deputies had to call for assistance, which they received in the form of several patrol cars, dog units and a helicopter.
None of the attendees were arrested, and the crowd was dispersed “without incident,” but several people received parking citations, the Post reported. A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the account to PEOPLE, but said a report had not yet been completed.

RELATED VIDEO: Is It Safe to Go to the Gym During the Coronavirus Pandemic? Here’s Everything You Need to Know





Large gatherings in Palm Beach County are currently limited to just 10 people, according to the Post.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that large, in-person gatherings where people are unable to remain six feet apart are highest-risk activities.
The number of coronavirus cases in Florida has soared in recent weeks, and the number of new cases per day has hovered around 10,000 daily since July 2, according to The New York Times.
RELATED: Fla. Teachers Union Sues Governor: 'We Don't Want to Be the Petri Dish' for Reopening Schools
In Palm Beach County, there have been 26,949 total cases — 4,672 of which have come from the last seven days alone, according to the Times.

Saturday’s party prompted Verdenia Baker, the county’s chief administrator, to mull a possible curfew.
“I don’t foresee having to implement a curfew, but I will if I have to,” she told the Post.
A spokeswoman for Baker did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told the Post that his office will focus on “target-specific” crackdowns on large gatherings, and will also consider a curfew if that is not effective.
RELATED: High-Risk Florida Teen Dies of Coronavirus After Going to 100-Person Church Party
“If you come across [a large gathering], you’ve got to break it up. If they don’t, we’ll do what we’ve got to do,” he said, though he acknowledged crackdowns would prove difficult and hard to enforce. “We’re trying to work with the organizers [of the gatherings], and we’re trying to work with the cities… I don’t want to get into physical confrontations over people not wearing masks. At the same time, we need to shut these things down.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been at least 369,826 cases and 5,205 attributed to coronavirus in Florida, according to the Times.

Maybe the police could get the names and addresses of as many people at the event as possible before letting them leave and then mail them fines - say $500 apiece? Maybe that would make them think twice next time - although it is Florida, so probably not. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!

Or fine the organisers a much bigger sum?

This is interesting...

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-ad-police-officer-attacked-2014-ukraine-protests-2020-7?utmSource=twitter&utmContent=referral&utmTerm=topbar&referrer=twitter&r=US&IR=T

Love how a comment with the ad links it to their "pro-life" agenda. And how many of his supporters will care that it's a lie? How many will think that it's Portland or NY even though it's summer and 90 some degrees out and the people in the photo are wearing winter coats?

They'll just cover their butts by saying "it's just an example" of the chaos we could have if we let people protest. DHS has crossed the line too many times. They're making the country less secure, not more, and it's time for them to go.

https://people.com/politics/barron-trump-wont-be-going-back-to-school-this-fall/

[size=48]Barron Trump Is Not Going Back to School Like Normal This Fall Despite Trump's Push to Reopen
Barron's private school told parents it was planning to conduct online classes or go to a hybrid model, where students come to campus in shifts and some can be remote, because of novel coronavirus concerns
July 24, 2020 12:30 PM[/size]



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Barron Trump (left) and President Donald Trump
Despite President Donald Trump's push to have schools reopen their classrooms in the fall, his son Barron Trump won't be sitting in class full-time anytime soon.
The private St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland — which the 14-year-old began attending after moving to Washington, D.C. — announced this week that while a final decision has yet to be made, it is planning not to fully reopen its campus in the fall because of novel coronavirus concerns.
The school shut down and switched to online learning in the spring.
In a letter to parents this week, St. Andrew's said it is preparing either to continue with online classes or to implement a hybrid plan for the next school year, which would use both e-learning and in-person classes by allowing groups of its students to return to campus in cycles, along with social distancing.

"We are hopeful that public health conditions will support our implementation of the hybrid model in the fall," the school's letter says.
The school also told parents that it is "continuing to pay close attention to current guidance from state and county health officials, as well as the CDC, as the health status of our region evolves."
RELATED: Betsy DeVos & Trump Under Fire by Democrats for Approach to Reopening Schools During Coronavirus


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that kids 17 or younger make up about 6 percent of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases — though that age range also makes up only about 0.2 percent (or 228 children) of all deaths, according to the Associated Press.

However, it remains unclear how easily children may spread the virus to other groups.
Oval Office officials, led by Trump, have strongly pushed for schools to reopen in the fall — even threatening to pull federal funding.
But critics say that his administration has not provided a clear roadmap for how schools can navigate the tricky balance of public health and the positives of in-person class. The CDC's guidance on reopening was also revised after criticism from Trump.
The president told reporters Wednesday that he would be "comfortable" with sending Barron and his grandchildren back to school, while the COVID-19 respiratory illness continues to impact the United States and the world.
"I would like to see the schools open, 100 percent," the president, 74, said. "And we’ll do it safely. We’ll do it carefully.”

On Thursday, however, he softened that stance and agreed that schools in areas with spiking coronavirus may need to delay their in-person classes — but he reiterated that "every district should be actively making preparations to reopen," or they should not receive billions in coronavirus aid from the federal government.


RELATED: Missouri Gov. Says Students Who May Contract Coronavirus at School Are 'Going to Get Over It'
The debate over when and how to send students back to school has turned partisan in recent weeks, as the Trump administration underlined its desire to see kids back in classrooms despite what experts have said are the health risks involved for students, teachers and other staff.
"There is going to be the exception to the rule, but the rule should be that kids go back to school this fall," Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told CNN this month.
In response, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Presley, a Democrat, told DeVos:  "I wouldn’t trust you to care for a house plant let alone my child."
Many schools are still announcing their reopening plans as the fall semester approaches. In its letter this week, Barron's school says it will make a final decision about its reopening method sometime during the week of Aug. 10.
According to one roundup, nine of the country's 15 largest school districts have said they will be remote-only when the school year begins.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8557379/Trump-claims-GOP-chairman-agreed-NOT-remove-Confederate-names-bases.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

[size=34]Donald Trump claims Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has agreed NOT to remove Confederate names from bases - even though both houses of Congress have passed the measure with a veto-proof majority[/size]

• President Trump sent out a tweet Friday claiming Sen. Jim Inhofe had promised to scrap a provision that renames military bases named for Confederates
  
  
• Inhofe 'WILL NOT be changing the names of our great Military Bases and Forts,' Trump tweeted 
  
  
• Inhofe's spokesperson did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment as it's unclear how he would remove the provision 
  
  
• On Thursday, the $740.5 Defense bill passed the Senate and also the House by veto-proof majorities 
  
  
• Inhofe a conferee in the Conference Committee could try to pull out the provision then, but it's unlikely he'd be successful 
  
  
• The president has resisted the move every step of the way and previously pledged to veto the bill, which includes pay increases for U.S. troops  
  
  

By NIKKI SCHWAB, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:32 EDT, 24 July 2020 | UPDATED: 13:10 EDT, 24 July 2020

     




President Donald Trump sent out a confusing tweet Friday claiming Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Jim Inhofe had promised to scrap a provision renaming military bases still named for Confederates - despite the bill being passed overwhelmingly by both houses. 
'I spoke to the highly respected (Chairman) Senator Jim Inhofe, who has informed me that he WILL NOT be changing the names of our great Military Bases and Forts, places from which we won two World Wars (and mores!),' Trump wrote. 'Like me, Jim is not a believer in "Cancel Culture."' 
On Thursday, the Republican-led Senate passed the $740.5 billion defense spending bill that includes an amendment proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, to rename the remaining 10 bases currently named after Confederate fighters. 


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President Donald Trump continued his push to keep military bases named for Confederate figures, tweeting Friday that he had spoken to the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee who had said he 'WILL NOT be changing the names' 


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President Trump sent out a confusing tweet Friday suggesting that Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman had vowed to stop a provision in the newly passed Defense bill that renames bases named for Confederate Civil War fighters 


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Sen. Jim Inhofe is a conferee in the Conference Committee for the Defense bill and could try to strip the provision out that way, but it would be a tall order after the legislation was passed in both houses with veto-proof majorities 


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Fort Bragg is named after Braxton Bragg, a Southern general described as 'the most hated man of the Confederacy.' Historians have said that Bragg 'did as much as any Confederate general to lose the war' because of his string of military losses


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President Trump made a veto threat on June 30. The president has decided to stake out 'heritage' positions in the culture war as part of his re-election strategy


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Virginia's Fort Lee is named after one of the best known figures of the Civil War era, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, who President Abraham Lincoln asked to lead the Union Army and defected to lead the southern troops instead 
The Senate bill had strong bipartisan support and passed 86-14.   

The bill's companion in the House also passed and includes a provision to rename bases like North Carolina's Fort Bragg, but gives the Defense Department a deadline of a year, instead of the three-year period outlined in the Senate amendment.  
The provision to rename the bases could be pulled out in Conference Committee and Inhofe is one of the conferees, but with the measure's broad bipartisan support that's unlikely. 
A spokesperson for Inhofe did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment. The White House also didn't respond to a request for comment on what Inhofe promised the president.
Trump first dramatically came out against the renaming of military bases that are named for Confederate figures on June 10, tweeting out a statement and then having White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany hand it out to reporters and read it aloud. 


'These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,' Trump tweeted.  'The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars.' 
'Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations,' Trump said.  
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy had told Politico he was 'open' to renaming the 10 bases named for Confederate figures. Defense Secretary Mark Esper also supported the conversation. 
The Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who was killed by a white police officer, and the subsequent 'Black Lives Matter' protests, motivated McCarthy's change of heart, one Army official told Politico.  
The events 'made us start looking at ourselves and the things that we do and how that is communicated to the force as well as the American people,' the source said.     
Confederate statues, among other things, have been targeted for removal because the south seceded from the United States to keep black Americans enslaved.  
But Trump has shown no evolution on the issue and instead staked his re-election prospects of taking that side on the culture war. 
Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the amendment during a closed-door session on June 11 and with the help of some of her Republican colleagues it passed. 
The vote was done by voice, so there was no record of which senators voted for it. 
Trump caught wind of the move, but only after it had happened.  
'Seriously failed presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth "Pocahontas" Warren, just introduced an Amendment on the renaming of many of our legendary Military Bases from which we trained to WIN two World Wars,' Trump wrote. 'Hopefully our great Republican Senators won’t fall for this!' 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, taunted Trump about his threat. 
'I dare President Trump to veto the bill over Confederate base naming. It's in the bill. It has bipartisan support. It will stay in the bill,' Schumer said. 
As the bill worked its way from committee to the full Senate, Trump vowed to veto the legislation late last month. 
'I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth "Pocahontas" Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!' Trump tweeted on June 30.      
The bill passed in both houses with a veto-proof majority.     

[size=34]THE 10 BASES NAMED FOR CONFEDERATE GENERALS[/size]

Camp Beauregard, Louisiana
National Guard training facility. Initially named Camp Stafford. Renamed for Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard in 1917
Beauregard was West Point superintendent when his native Louisiana seceded in 1861 but quit to join the rebels, firing the first shots at Fort Sumter and commanding them at Shiloh. He advised surrender in 1865. Unusually advocated integration in later life.
Fort Benning, Alabama/Georgia 

'Home of the Infantry.' Named in 1917 for plantation owner Henry L. Benning, who argued for secession from 1849, and railed against 'black governors, black legislatures, black juries, black everything.' No military experience but rose to general and was one of the last to surrender at the ceremony at Appomattox Court House.
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Home of Special Operations Command. Named for General Braxton Bragg when it opened in 1918
Slaveowner former U.S. Army officer who joined the Confederates and rose to general but oversaw a string of defeats, culminating in Chattanooga when he resigned. Widely disliked by his men for his quick temper and obsession with discipline; historians have said his losses were a key part in Grant's victory. 
 Fort Gordon, Georgia
Base for Army Signal Corps and Cyber Corps. Named for Major General John Brown Gordon when it opened in 1917
Despite no military training Gordon rose to major general, on the back of personal courage and tactical ability. Led the last charge of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. Generally - but not definitively - acknowledged as the KKK's leader in Georgia, then anti-Reconstruction governor and senator. Died in 1904 hailed as 'the living embodiment of the Confederacy.'
Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia
Training and maneuver center. Named for General A.P. Hill when it opened in 1940
Hill was a career Army officer who quit just before Virginia seceded and immediately joined its forces. Distinguished brigade and division commander but blamed as Third  Corps commander for part of the Gettysburg defeat and lead the rebel retreat. Killed in action a week before the Confederate surrender, after saying he did not want to outlive the Confederacy.
Fort Hood, Texas
Headquarters of III Corps. Named on opening in 1942 for General John Bell Hood
Kentucky native Hood resigned his Army commission and volunteered for the Confederates in Texas, quickly becoming brigadier-general but failed as an army commander and was relieved of command after defeat at Nashville. 

Fort Lee, Virginia
Headquarters of Combined Arms Support Command. Named on opening as a camp in 1917 for General Robert E. Lee
Slaveowner Lee, the Army's most brilliant officer, turned down a Union command to join the rebels despite opposing secession. He had victories in the Seven Days Battles and the second Bull Run, but led the rebels to the pivotal defeat at Gettysburg. Held off Grant from complete victory then personally surrendered at Appomattox as General in Chief. After the war backed the end of slavery but said black people 'lack intelligence.'
Fort Pickett, Virginia  
National Guard training site. Named for Major General George Pickett on opening in 1941
Pickett, raised on a plantation, resigned his Army commission a month after joining the Confederacy. Best known for the bloodbath of Pickett's Charge which led to defeat at Gettysburg, he also ordered 22 Union soldiers executed after defeat at New Bern, North Carolina. Fled to Canada for a year after Confederate defeat fearing he would be prosecuted for the crime. His wife's hagiography of him was a key part of the 'Lost Cause' movement of the 1890s onward - which itself led to the bases' Confederate names.
Fort Polk, Louisiana 
Home of the Joint Readiness Training Center. Named on opening in 1941 for General (and bishop) Leonidas Polk
Polk quit a brief Army career to become an Episcopal priest but was estimated to have as many as 400 slaves in the 1850s. So keen on secession that he set up a Confederate church, his brief military experience earned him commission as major-general. Led troops at a series of defeats including Shiloh and was regarded as a poor tactician disliked by those he led. Killed by shellfire at Atlanta after being spotted personally by Sherman.
Fort Rucker, Alabama 
Home to Army Aviation Center of Excellence. Renamed from Ozark Triangular Division Camp in 1942 for Brigadier General Edmund Rucker
Rucker volunteered as a private and rose quickly, playing a key role at the Confederate victory at Chickamauga but was captured and freed in a prisoner swap organized by Nathan Bedford Forrest. Was with Forrest when Union prisoners were systematically massacred at Pillow Hill, and worked with him after surrender, when Forrest established the KKK.

I have never seen a sadder looking child than Barron Trump. I don't think I've ever seen a picture off him smiling. He always looks completely miserable.

Here you go Lizzy there are a couple not many . I think this was at the inauguration.

Thanks. It just struck me who he reminds me of - Steve Minuchin! He's so pale and thin, as if he never goes outside or does anything physical. I wonder if he has any friends or anything like a normal life. I still think he's a sad kid - even if he did smile once!

Well, I can tell you that when he was younger Melania talked about them getting manicures and pedicures together.
I think it must be hard to be the son of a Liar and cheat, he has a  computer I doubt he hasn't seen the things said about his father. A lot of teens think their parent's are stupid but the whole world knows his father is stupid and a lot worse.

https://people.com/health/14-members-of-same-family-test-positive-for-coronavirus-one-dies/

[size=48]14 Members of the Same Family Test Positive for Coronavirus in Texas with 1 Dying from the Disease
Tony Green said in a recent interview that he feels "hopelessness" as a result of his family members' diagnoses
By Ashley Boucher 
July 27, 2020 07:04 PM[/size]




Tony Green
 
INSIDE EDITION
Fourteen members of the same family in Texas have reportedly tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and one has died.
Dallas resident Tony Green, 43, who tested positive for the contagious respiratory virus and has since recovered, appeared on Inside Edition last week, sharing his emotions about how his family has been impacted by COVID-19.
"Hurt, pain, hopelessness," he said. "We're praying."
In an interview with NBC News, Green said that he and his partner of nine years hosted their parents for a small gathering on June 13. Nobody wore a mask at the event, and the following day Green fell ill.
Two days later, Green said that his parents and his partner were also sick.


RELATED: 20 Teens Test Positive for Coronavirus After House Party in New Jersey
"We just felt the worst was behind the country because everything was easy, things were reopening and none of us were experiencing any symptoms," he told NBC News.
Green's partner's parents became ill in June, too, after they traveled from Dallas to Austin for another family gathering to celebrate a birth. Following that get-together, even more family members fell ill with the virus. The ages of the family members who tested positive were not reported, and it was not clear whether they had any underlying health conditions.
His partner's grandmother ended up contracting COVID-19 as well and died on July 2 in the hospital room right next to her sons, NBC News reported.
Now that so many close to him have contracted COVID-19, Green told NBC News that he regrets holding a get-together for his and his partners' parents.
RELATED: 26-Day-Old Baby Tested Positive for Coronavirus in Autopsy After Her Death

"I cannot help but feel responsible for convincing our families it was safe to have a get-together," he said. "There's a lot of things that I would have done differently."
Green told NBC News that 12 of the 14 family members have either recovered or are currently recovering, the outlet reported.
Texas had more than 4,000 positive cases on Monday alone, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. There have been at least 385,923 cases reported in the state, and 5,713 deaths related to the virus. Nationwide, there have been more than 4.2 million positive cases.

https://people.com/human-interest/florida-man-got-4m-covid-19-relief-funds-buys-lamborghini-officials/

[size=48]29-Year-Old Fla. Man Who Got $4M in COVID-19 Relief Funds Buys $318K Lamborghini: Officials
David T. Hines allegedly lied about his monthly payroll expenses on his PPP loan applications, and spent the relief money he received on a luxury car and high-end hotels
By Rachel DeSantis 
July 28, 2020 02:40 PM



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fhuman-interest%2Fflorida-man-got-4m-covid-19-relief-funds-buys-lamborghini-officials%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200728%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F07%2F28%2Fdavid-t-hines.jpg&description=29-Year-Old Fla. Man Who Got %244M in COVID-19 Relief Funds Buys %24318K Lamborghini%3A Officials][/url]

David T. Hines
 
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION DEPARTMENT
A Florida business owner was arrested and charged with bank fraud, among other things, after he inflated his business costs to receive more money in coronavirus relief loans, then blew the cash on things like luxury hotels and a $318,497 Lamborghini sports car, officials said.
David T. Hines, 29, was charged with bank fraud, engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds and making a false statement to a lending institution, according to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Hines was one of many business owners to seek financial help amid the coronavirus shutdown by applying for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, which required businesses to submit an application with information such as monthly payroll expenses and number of employees.

But instead of using the money to help keep his four businesses afloat, he “immediately diverted loan proceeds to unauthorized uses,” the affidavit said.
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Hines initially sought $13.5 million in PPP funds, which he claimed was to pay approximately 70 employees, according to the affidavit, which was written by U.S. Postal Inspector Bryan Masmela.
“Those purported employees either did not exist or earned a fraction of what Hines claimed in his PPP applications,” Masmela wrote, adding that Hines’ monthly expenses only averaged around $200,000, and not $4 million, as he had claimed.
Three of Hines’ seven loan applications were approved, and he received $3,984,557 million in PPP loans in May, officials said.
That money immediately went to things like dating websites, luxury jewelry and clothes and stays at popular Miami Beach resorts, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta's Arkansas Mo Charged with Bank Fraud After Obtaining $2 Million COVID-19 Loan
Hines allegedly dropped $4,662 at Saks Fifth Avenue, $8,530 at Graff Diamonds, and had a $4,089 stay at the Fontainebleau, among other expenses.
He also spent $318,497 on a Lamborghini Huracan Evo on May 18, which he registered jointly in his name and in the name of Unified Relocation Solutions (URS), his self-described moving company, officials said.
The Miami Herald reported that the car has since been impounded following a July 11 hit-and-run accident, and will be seized by prosecutors.
URS is one of four of Hines’ business; according to the affidavit, none have a working website, and the only recorded activity of the businesses anywhere on the internet comes from negative Better Business Bureau reviews for two of them.
RELATED: Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran Gets Back $388K Stolen in Phishing Scam: 'I'm Thrilled!'
“Based on customer comments, it appears that Promaster [Movers] and [We-Pack Moving] acted as brokers for moving services,” the affidavit said. “Virtually all of the reviews include complaints related to bait-and-switch practices and other deceitful activities.”
The bank accounts for Hines’ companies were closed on June 24, and he still had $3.46 million left, according to the affidavit.
Hines — whom PEOPLE could not reach for comment — could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all charges, The New York Times reported.
His attorney Chad Piotrowski — who declined to comment to PEOPLE — told the Times that Hines was “a legitimate business owner who, like millions of Americans, suffered financially during the pandemic” and “is anxious to tell his side of the story when the time comes.”
Following his arrest, Hines was granted a $100,000 bond and will be allowed to stay at his mother's home with a GPS monitor attached to his body, the Herald reported.

https://people.com/politics/trump-wonders-why-approval-rating-is-not-high-as-dr-fauci/

[size=48]Trump Wonders Why His Approval Rating Isn't as High as Dr. Fauci's: 'It Can Only Be My Personality'
Trump said approval of his administration's handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic should be "very high"
By Ashley Boucher 
July 28, 2020 11:27 PM


[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-wonders-why-approval-rating-is-not-high-as-dr-fauci%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200729%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F05%2F14%2Ffauci-3.jpg&description=Trump Wonders Why His Approval Rating Isn%27t as High as Dr. Fauci%27s%3A %27It Can Only Be My Personality%27][/url]

Dr. Anthony Fauci (left) and President Donald Trump
 
ALEX WONG/GETTY; DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES/POOL/GETTY
Donald Trump jokingly expressed confusion that his approval rating isn't as high as Dr. Anthony Fauci's when it comes to the handling of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Speaking to reporters during his press briefing Tuesday, Trump, 74, said that while he's glad Fauci, 79, is accepted by the public, he finds it "interesting" that the country's approval of his handling of the pandemic doesn't match that of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director.
"I get along with him very well and I agree with a lot of what he's said," Trump told reporters.
"It's interesting: he's got a very good approval rating. And I like that, it's good," Trump said, pointing out that Fauci is "working for this administration."
"He's working with us," Trump said. "We could have gotten other people. We could have gotten somebody else. It didn't have to be Dr. Fauci. He's working with our administration. And for the most part we've done what he and others, and Dr. Birx and others, who are terrific, recommended."

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RELATED: President Trump's National Security Adviser Tests Positive for COVID-19 but 'Has Mild Symptoms'
Trump sarcastically added that his own rating should be higher — and blamed his low rating on his own personality.
"And he's got this high approval rating. So, why don't I have a high approval rating with respect — and the administration — with respect to the virus? We should have it very high, because what we've done in terms of — we're just reading off about the masks and the gowns and the ventilators. Numbers that nobody's seen. And testing at 55 million tests," he said.


Trump called the disparity in approval of his administration and Fauci "curious."
"So it sort of is curious. A man works for us, with us, very closely, Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx also, highly thought of, and yet — they're highly thought of, but nobody likes me. It can only be my personality, that's all."
According to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released earlier this month, 67 percent of Americans disapprove of the way Trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic.


RELATED: Barron Trump's School Not Resuming Classes Like Normal This Fall Despite Trump's Push to Reopen
A Quinnipac poll showed earlier this month that 65 percent of Americans had faith in Fauci, though 52 percent of Republicans expressed distrust in the physician, according to a report from The New York Times.
Trump's comments Tuesday came in response to a reporter's question about a tweet he sent out on Monday that called Fauci a "fraud" that was later removed, according to CNN.
Fauci appeared on Good Morning America Tuesday and said that he does not read Trump's tweets and "will continue to do my job no matter what comes out."
"Because I think it's very important. We are in the middle of a crisis with regard to an epidemic, a pandemic. This is what I do. This is what I've been trained for my entire professional life and I'll continue to do it," Fauci said, per CNN. "I have not been misleading the American public under any circumstances."

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[size=36]POPULAR IN POLITICS[/size]

https://people.com/health/school-closings-likely-reduced-coronavirus-cases-1-million-saved-40000-lives/

[size=48]School Closings in March Likely Prevented 1 Million Coronavirus Cases and Saved 40,000 Lives
The study authors noted, however, that these numbers are based on classes without masks or social distancing, which is expected if schools reopen
By Julie Mazziotta 
July 30, 2020 02:13 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fhealth%2Fschool-closings-likely-reduced-coronavirus-cases-1-million-saved-40000-lives%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200730%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F07%2F13%2Fschools-virtual.jpg&description=School Closings in March Likely Prevented 1 Million Coronavirus Cases and Saved 40%2C000 Lives][/url]

GETTY
Closing schools across most of the U.S. in March, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, likely reduced infections by 1 million and saved more than 40,000 people from dying due to the virus, a new study found.
Early in the pandemic, when it was unknown if children could contract or spread COVID-19, school officials hesitated to close schools out of concern that they would miss out on valuable learning time and parents would be unable to care for them at home. But by closing schools, administrators significantly helped to lower the death rate and case totals, the researchers, from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati and the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings Network in Ohio, found.
The researchers compared the real number of cases and deaths from the first six weeks of school closures to a computer model of the estimated infection spread if nothing in the U.S. had shutdown. From there, they calculated how long it would take for the virus to transmit in schools and lead to hospitalizations and deaths.
They found that closing schools “may have been associated with approximately 1.37 million fewer cases of Covid-19 over a 26-day period and 40,600 fewer deaths over a 16-day period.” Areas that closed schools early, even if there was a low rate of infection, saw a faster decline in likely cases compared to places that waited to stop classes and had a higher infection rate, according to the study, published in the journal JAMA on Wednesday.

RELATED: Child COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalizations Spike in Florida Ahead of Mandate to Reopen Schools
The researchers cautioned, though, that the study does not show cause and effect and “these figures do not account for uncertainty in the model assumptions and the resulting estimates.”
And as school districts debate over whether to reopen in the fall, the study authors emphasized that their model is based on classrooms without any of the safety precautions recommended for reopening.
“At the time, there wasn’t any masking in schools, there wasn’t physical distancing, there wasn’t an increase in hygiene and that sort of thing,” Dr. Katherine Auger, an associate professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the lead author of the study, told The New York Times. “The findings of our studies took place before any of those measures were in.”






The Centers for Disease Control released guidelines this spring about how to reopen schools while reducing the risk of added COVID-19 spread. They advised having students wear masks and sit at desks 6 feet apart, which is not physically possible for many overcrowded schools. Other recommendations include having students alternate between online and in-person learning, as New York City schools plan to do. Some districts are also exploring outdoor learning options.
RELATED: Barron Trump's School Not Resuming Classes Like Normal This Fall Despite Trump's Push to Reopen
The CDC’s recommendations, however, went against President Donald Trump’s insistence that all schools reopen “100 percent,” or risk losing federal funding. After Trump and Vice President Mike Pence criticized the CDC’s guidelines, the public health agency changed them.
The American Association of Pediatrics supports reopening schools where possible, to continue “fundamental” learning, socializing and emotional support that children have lost since the start of the pandemic. But the group said it is “critically important” to consider the level of viral transmission in each school district before reopening, and to enact physical distancing, mask-wearing, high levels of hygiene and testing for possible COVID-19 cases to protect not just students, but teachers and parents.
Samir Shah, the director of hospital medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and one of the authors of the paper, said that while the number of lives saved based on their data is “mind-boggling,” it’s harder to calculate the loss of learning.
“We can quantify the risk of COVID. It’s much harder to quantify the risk of being absent from school for a prolonged period of time,” he told Stat. Deciding whether to reopen schools, he said, is “a real challenge, and I think that our study is one very important piece of the puzzle in how we think about this.”

https://youtu.be/wue4XyfmTPM

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8580467/Boris-Johnson-extends-face-covering-law-vows-greater-police-presence.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

[size=34]Now police will HAVE to enforce mask rules: Boris Johnson extends face covering law and vows 'greater police presence' after officers fined just 13 in two weeks despite stopping 28,964[/size]

• A mere handful of penalties handed out for breaking rules by officers in June 
  
  
• All but one fine was issued in the south-east, the other came at Liverpool Central 
  
  
• Police have been able to fine travellers not wearing a mask for almost 7 weeks
  
  
• Message still not being heard as officers stop nearly 29,000 in the last fortnight 
  
  

By TOM PYMAN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 08:25 EDT, 31 July 2020 | UPDATED: 09:11 EDT, 31 July 2020



Boris Johnson today said police would enforce the the mandatory wearing of masks in indoor areas and social distancing rules. 
The PM vowed a 'greater police presence' after it emerged officers fined just 13 people for not wearing face coverings on public transport in a two-week period last month.
He said masks musts be worn in galleries, cinemas and places of worship, as well as in shops and on trains and buses, while insisting the police will have to ensure the rules are enforced.

It comes as MailOnline reveals officers only handed out a handful of penalties to passengers not wearing masks on public transport in the two weeks after the law was changed - and just one outside the south-east.


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Boris Johnson today extended the mandatory use of masks and pledged a 'greater police presence'
Mr Johnson said today the extension of the requirement to wear a face covering 'to other indoor settings where you are likely to come into contact with people you do not normally meet' will apply from August 8.  
The PM insisted that 'most people in this country are following the rules' but he had asked Home Secretary Priti Patel to 'work with the police and others to ensure the rules which are already in place are properly enforced'.
He added: 'It means a greater police presence to ensure face coverings are being worn where this is required by law.'   
Face coverings became mandatory on trains, buses, Tubes, coaches, trams, planes and ferries on June 15, with ministers warning that police and transport staff have the power to fine rule-breakers £100, or they can throw them off the service.
However, despite well-publicised reminders and warnings that action could be taken, passengers have regularly been seen travelling without a mask over the last six-and-a-half weeks.
In the last fortnight alone, officers have had to stop nearly 29,000 people not wearing a face covering. 


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Since June, police have had the ability to fine passengers on public transport who are not wearing an appropriate face mask
British Transport Police (BTP) insisted last month it had fined people flouting the regulations, despite Transport for London saying those travelling without a mask were being given time to 'understand' the new rules.
The force, as well as train companies up and down the country, has always said issuing penalties was a 'last resort'.
Now, data obtained by MailOnline shows a mere 13 fines were issued by officers in just over two weeks from when the new rules were first introduced until the end of that month.
The first two were handed out on the Tube on June 18, at Stratford and Canada Water Underground stations. 
This was followed by action at Queens Road Peckham, Lewisham, Wimbledon Underground, Guildford, Blackheath, Woolwich Arsenal, London Victoria Underground and Camden Town Underground.


The only fine issued outside the south-east of England in that time came on June 26, when officers penalised a passenger at Liverpool Central. 
And despite the rules being in force for well over a month now, thousands still don't appear to be getting the message.
BTP officers stopped 28,964 passengers who weren't wearing a mask and thrown 1,605 people off services between July 13 and July 25.


+4


Londoners have received the majority of fines for not wearing face masks on public transport, with 12 of the 13 penalties issued in June coming in the south-east
Some arrests have also been made, though the force has not disclosed how many.
A spokesperson said: 'Our approach is to always begin by engaging with the public and explain the reasons why the protections are necessary and a lawful requirement. 
'Since face coverings became mandatory on public transport our officers have spoken with thousands of passengers, encouraging them to wear face coverings whilst travelling. 
'The overwhelming majority of people have listened, complied, and continued to play an important role in protecting other passengers and rail staff – we have seen compliance levels of around 97 per cent. 
'In those cases where people have refused to comply with the requirement, and they don't have a valid exemption or reasonable excuse, officers have taken action by refusing entry to trains, directing passengers to leave services, and as a last resort, issuing fixed penalty notices. In a few cases, arrests have been made.'  
Thousands of face masks were handed out to Tube and train passengers across England after it became compulsory to wear them on all forms of public transport to reduce coronavirus infection rates. 


+4


Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that face coverings would be mandatory last month, saying 'Why wouldn't people want to do the right thing? We are all desperate to get rid of coronavirus' 
Only children under the age of 11 and those with certain health conditions or disabilities are exempt from having to don a mask. 
Announcing the rules last month, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the 'challenges' for the network were 'increasing' as more people go back to work and schools and shops reopen. 
'We are doing what many other countries have asked transport users to do,' he said. 'The evidence is that wearing face coverings offers some, albeit limited protection.' 
Mr Shapps said while the rules would be mandatory and 'ultimately' people could be fined, he did not believe they would need much enforcement. 
'Wearing a face covering helps protect others,' he said. 'Why wouldn't people want to do the right thing? We are all desperate to get rid of coronavirus.'
Since then, masks have been made compulsory in shops - a rule Boris Johnson admitted could remain in force even until next summer.

annemarie wrote:https://youtu.be/wue4XyfmTPM

Ok, does this need to be in a new thread?  Don't we already have a news thread going?

Sorry Katie I put here because I wasn't certain where to put it .

No worries. I know as George Clooney fans, we're all likely to be pretty interested in politics, so it's difficult for me to know how much non-Clooney chatter would work for this site, without losing the Clooney-ness of it all! Will move this into the serious thread.

‘... the Clooney-ness of it all’.  What a great new phrase Katie.  

I tries me best!

https://people.com/politics/texas-woman-speaks-out-after-obit-blaming-trump-husband-coronavirus-death/

[size=48]Texas Woman Writes Viral Obit Naming President Trump for Husband's 'Needless' COVID-19 Death
“He was the love of my life for crying out loud,” Stacey Nagy tells PEOPLE. “I was pissed"
By Sean Neumann 
August 04, 2020 06:32 PM[/size]


FB[url=https://www.twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Texas Woman Writes Viral Obit Naming President Trump for Husband%27s %27Needless%27 COVID-19 Death]Tweet[/url]
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[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Ftexas-woman-speaks-out-after-obit-blaming-trump-husband-coronavirus-death%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200804%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F08%2F04%2Fdavid-nagy.jpg&description=Texas Woman Writes Viral Obit Naming President Trump for Husband%27s %27Needless%27 COVID-19 Death][/url]

David Nagy (right) with one of his grandsons
 
STACEY NAGY
Stacey Nagy says husband David Nagy's death from the coronavirus disease COVID-19 was preventable and that leading lawmakers like President Donald Trump are to blame for trying to "politicize" the pandemic.
“The whole thing is just so needless," Stacey, 72, tells PEOPLE. “It’s difficult listening to the B.S. that Trump says, watching Trump ignore the whole thing and minimize it from the beginning and do nothing about it. It’s because of his attitude that this whole coronavirus thing turned into a political thing."
Stacey says David died at 79 on July 22 — alone in a Texas intensive-care unit, with his wife and three of his five kids watching from behind a glass wall.
“He was the love of my life for crying out loud,” she says. “I was pissed."
Stacey turned her anger into words, writing her husband's obituary on July 30 for their local paper in Jefferson, Texas.

The Jefferson Jimplecute obit — which bluntly blamed Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott "and all the politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously" — soon went viral.
“Family members believe David’s death was needless,” Stacey wrote, initially believing her message might only reach a few people in Jefferson. “They blame his death and the deaths of all the other innocent people, on Trump, Abbott and all the politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were more concerned with their popularity and votes than lives."
Stacey points to the polarization over public health recommendations about wearing masks, which the president has taken contradictory stances on despite his own experts and various studies supporting the practice.
At least 157,00 people had died from the virus in the U.S. as of Tuesday, according to a New York Times tracker.
In July, Fiana Tulip similarly wrote to Gov. Abbott in an Austin American-Statesman op-ed about her mother, 64-year-old Isabelle Odette Papadimitriou, who died from COVID-19 on July 4.

Tulip invited the governor to her mother's funeral and told PEOPLE last month she was "calling on Gov. Abbott to do his job."
"My mother’s loss is enormous," Tulip said then. "And I know in my heart that it was preventable."
Stacey believes David — an Army veteran from Northern California — didn't need to die either.
RELATED: Hospital Worker's Daughter Urges Texas Governor to Attend Her COVID-19 Funeral: 'My Mother Mattered'


David's final days "were like a nightmare," his wife says, but she manages to laugh as she fondly remembers the life they shared before he fell ill in July.
“He was a real good person," she says. "He loved his family dearly and he showed love. He also had a strong personality. He could be bossy at times — you know, a typical man — but I loved him dearly.”
The couple met in 1999 in Nevada City, California, and “it was like love at first sight,” Stacey says.
The two were married just three weeks later and stayed together for 20 years, retiring in Texas.
RELATED: Trump Downplays COVID-19 Deaths in Viral Interview: 'It Is What It Is ... It's Under Control'
But David's health began deteriorating in March: He had a series of falls, and Stacey decided to put him in a nursing home. There, he could be monitored for his "bad heart," as well as high blood pressure and diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says can put people at a greater risk of contracting COVID-19.
“I thought that he was safe where he was," Stacey says now. "I kept telling him, ‘No Dave, you have to stay where you are because you’re safe there. You can’t afford to get this disease.’ "
Stacey visited David routinely, despite social distancing forcing a barrier between them.
“We would try to holler through the thick glass window back and forth and we would put our hands up to the window to each other and when I would leave, we would kiss the window to each other," she says. "I would bring him treats occasionally, bring him his Diet Cokes and things like that.”


David tested negative for the virus in June, but he began to feel sick in early July. He tested positive when he took another test, as did at least 16 other patients and staff members at the nursing home, Stacey says.
He was taken to Good Shepherd Medical Center in nearby Marshall, but "he just started going downhill.”
Stacey says doctors gave her husband remdesivir, plasma, steroids, placed him on a CPAP machine “on full blast” and eventually needed to put him on a respirator.
As nurses warned that David's condition was worsening, Stacey called his five kids. Three were able to make it in time to see him before his death.
A nurse cracked open the glass door to David's room open "about an inch" for Stacey to deliver a final message.
“I tried talking loudly, hoping he could hear me," she says. "I was crying and telling him to fight, that we needed him, that his dog Bobby misses him.”
RELATED: 'Visionary' John Hume, Who Helped Bring Lasting Peace to Ireland, Dies at 83
In the wake of David's death, Stacey's grief quickly turned to anger and she wrote his obit after continuing to see people around Jefferson not wearing masks at stores.
She blasted the “ignorant, self centered and selfish people” who weren't taking precautions, and she pointed to lawmakers for not setting an example and enforcing health experts' guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks.
Specifically, she named Abbott and Trump.
"I wanted these people to know who was to blame for my husband’s death," Stacey says. "I was very angry about it.”
After the obituary gained traction online, Stacey reposted it on Facebook, drawing hundreds of comments from strangers on her page. Most offered condolences and support, but some pushed back.
“It really hurt my feelings, and it got me mad," she says. "How dare they say that my husband didn’t die?"
David was loving and very private, Stacey says. “He’d probably be a little embarrassed, but I also think he’d be proud of me for not letting this go.”

In Beirut, two explosions destroyed the whole harbor area, killed lots of people and injured thousands. The authorities think that the explosions were caused by thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate which was stored there.

I wonder how Amal feels about this since she was born there and (I think) her father lives there.

Mm, I think she has referred to it a couple of times recently because she and George have

set up schools for refugees there. Wouldn't surprise me to learn that they've been there to

visit them........

I hadn't seen the counter man at my local deli for a few days so I asked his brother if he was o.k.. I was concerned that he might have gotten sick, since they deal with so many people all day and quite a few don't wear masks.

Turns out that after 3 years of planning and saving he has gone home to Yemen to see his wife and children. Because America's response to the virus is so bad he couldn't go directly to Yemen, (they wouldn't let him in) but had to go by way of Dubai and Egypt.

Apparently the virus has hit Yemen very hard - especially their food supply - and, I was told, there are 18 million people in danger of starvation there. Amazing that this isn't getting any coverage. I suppose it's because the virus has devastated so many other places as well. Sad.

Yes, Lizzy, Yemen has been at the heart of a war with many players for years - Saudi,

Russian you name it,

and has been named by the UN and UNICEF as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world  -

and many, many countries are trying to get food aid and medical supplies through airdrops

on a daily basis, including UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee. It has been

widely reported by the BBC and one of the biggest problems like all aid is the number of

people you have to pay off to make sure that the aid gets to its proper destination.


All power to your deli counter guy and good luck to him.


I cannot possibly imagine what Covid will have done on top of all this

And of course the idiot not chief says it seems to have been a bomb.

https://people.com/politics/donald-trump-covid-19-deaths-axios-interview/

[size=48]Trump Downplays COVID-19 Deaths in Viral Interview: 'It Is What It Is ... It's Under Control'
"Where it was is much higher than where it is right now," the president said in a new interview, addressing statistics that show 1,000 people in the U.S. are again dying from the novel coronavirus every day
By Adam Carlson 
Updated August 05, 2020 09:40 AM[/size]


FB[url=https://www.twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Trump Downplays COVID-19 Deaths in Viral Interview%3A %27It Is What It Is ... It%27s Under Control%27 https://people.com/politics/donald-trump-covid-19-deaths-axios-interview/%3futm_source=twitter.com%26utm_medium=social%26utm_campaign=social-share-article]Tweet[/url]
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By turns defensive, dismissive and defiant — with occasional lapses into sympathy — President Donald Trump addressed the rising coronavirus death rates in a new interview that almost immediately boomeranged back on him.
Appearing on Axios on HBO in a Monday episode, Trump argued that the "horrible plague" was "under control as much as you can control it" and suggested it was unfair to compare U.S. deaths as a percentage of the country's overall population, which shows the nation lags almost every other.
To support his point, the president provided several printed charts which he gave to Axios reporter Jonathan Swan.

"We’re lower than the world ... We’re lower than Europe," Trump insisted. ("Lower than the world? What does that mean?" Swan replied.)
Looking at the charts from the president — which showed case fatality rate, or the percentage of confirmed patients who ultimately die — Swan said those numbers did not tell the full story of the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
"You’re doing death as a proportion of cases," he said. "I’m talking about death as a proportion of population, that’s where the U.S. is really bad — much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc."
"You can’t do that," Trump told Swan, who responded, "Why can’t I do that?"
"It’s surely a relevant statistic to say if the U.S. has X population and X percentage of death of that population versus South Korea ... South Korea for example: 51 million population, 300 deaths. It’s like, it’s crazy," Swan told the president.
"You don't know that," Trump told him, but added that he "won’t get into" whether he was implying South Korea was misrepresenting its data.

[size]
Later pointing to another chart, the president said, "We’re last, meaning we’re first," to which Swan replied: "Last? I don’t know what we’re first in ... A thousand Americans are dying a day."
As of Tuesday, the U.S. has about a fourth of the world's total confirmed coronavirus cases and 22 percent of its confirmed deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins.
After cases began spiking again in America in mid-June, deaths began rising in early July, statistics show. The president's Axios interview was conducted a week ago, on July 28, when the daily death rate was approximately 1,100 people.
"Death is way down from where it was ... Where it was is much higher than where it is right now," Trump told Swan, adding, "It’s going down again."
Swan replied that in fact that rate was still rising nationally from its lowest point at the beginning of July. The peak of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. was in mid- to late-April.
Their exchange on the death rate has been seen more than 24 million times on Twitter alone, where it has fueled much criticism of Trump's response to the pandemic.
"This is..... horrifying. It’s like every awful internal meeting where nothing makes sense but.... it’s the president?" one user tweeted. Another sarcastically compared it to the HBO satire Veep. (The White House had no comment on Tuesday.)
Appearing on MSNBC on Tuesday, Swan said his "chief takeaway" from the sitdown was that the president "is not confronting reality when it comes to the virus."
Elsewhere in Trump's Axios interview, he defended his pandemic strategy by touting his partial travel bans to China and Europe, his administration's work in providing ventilators and the overall testing numbers.
"Don’t we get credit for that? And because we do more tests, we have more cases," he said, repeating a key talking point.
He argued China was ultimately to blame for the virus' spread and individual states had also failed, not his administration.
"We have done a great job," he said. "We have gotten the governors everything they needed. They didn’t do their job." (Maryland's governor, Larry Hogan, a Republican, has said he was forced to work with South Korea directly when the White House did not help provide enough testing.)
"They are dying, that’s true, and it is what it is," Trump said in his Axios interview. "But that doesn’t mean we aren’t doing everything we can. It’s under control as much as you can control it. This is a horrible plague that beset us."
"Nobody knew what this thing was all about," he said. "This has never happened before."
RELATED VIDEO: Kanye West Says He No Longer Supports Donald Trump — 'I'm Taking the Red Hat Off'



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Trump's detractors have said he has avoided a show of national mourning since the onset of the pandemic that has so far killed more than 155,000 people in the U.S. — choosing instead to publicly disagree with his health experts on wearing face coverings, the value of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and other matters. (Trump did tweet in late May after 100,000 people died of the virus in America, sending his "heartfelt sympathy & love.")
The White House has cast the president in the role of national optimist, arguing he's trying to provide hope in the face of despair.
Swan asked Trump about his "positive thinking" in the Axios interview, wondering if that strategy wasn't instead giving a "false sense of security."
Not so, said the president.
"We have 140,000 people at this moment [who have died]. This is a very, very serious situation," he said at one point in the interview. "And what you have to do is handle it the best it can be handled."
There was a role for both positivity and realism, he told Swan:
"I’ve been given a lot of credit for positive thinking. But I also think of downside, because only a fool doesn’t."[/size]

https://people.com/human-interest/florida-teacher-writes-own-obituary-protest-state-reopening-schools-coronavirus/

[size=48]Florida Teacher Writes Her Own Obituary to Protest the State Reopening Schools amid Coronavirus
"Whitney was taken from us. Yes, of course too soon, but we are the ones left with holes in our hearts, missing how big hers was," Whitney Reddick's mock obituary read
By Jason Duaine Hahn 
August 07, 2020 08:32 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fhuman-interest%2Fflorida-teacher-writes-own-obituary-protest-state-reopening-schools-coronavirus%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200808%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F02%2Fgettyimages-1139930327-2.jpg&description=Florida Teacher Writes Her Own Obituary to Protest the State Reopening Schools amid Coronavirus][/url]

GETTY
A 33-year-old teacher from Florida wrote an emotional protest to the state reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic — in the form of her own obituary.
Whitney Reddick of Jacksonville posted =AZXvxEQgjSNnoPciSR2D6-wrJ_1noRxH31xHOLWmOaIlkGwLYVKOVCiHuLI2vurrdHePntrne7rqSBqxgsOGcdoqEOZltI72lNvoiu0uQu9Qtc-TjuiQgWov_SguQgMWi1I&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R]a mock obituary to social media on Monday to express her concerns about in-person teaching resuming at the state's public schools. Reddick's post — which she planned to read at a school board meeting the following day — detailed her life as a teacher, mother and wife.
"With profound sadness, I announce the passing of Whitney Leigh Reddick," Reddick's mock obituary begins. "She left us while alone in isolation and on a ventilator at a Duval county hospital in Jacksonville, Florida."
"Whitney never took the easy path, she was assertive, strong-willed, and bossy, she loved that word because, to her, it meant female leadership," the notice continued, in part. "She invested the time and dedication in improving and honing her passions to give them a voice, to not cower because she seemed too loud, too aggressive, or uneducated. She was introspective and when an adversary arose, she listened, therefore, to become better equipped in leaving the adversary unarmed and better informed."

Reddick's obituary then turned its focus on those in leadership who didn't advocate to keep schools closed in the interest of public safety.


RELATED: Remembering One of Our Own: PEOPLE's Alison Schwartz, Lost to Coronavirus at 29 
"However, even though she shouted from the rooftops, attempted to be unemotional, and educated herself in facts and science, she succumbed to the ignorance of those in power," wrote Reddick, who has a 14-month-old son.
"She returned to work, did her best to handle all the roles placed on her shoulders; educator, COVID-security guard, human shield, firefighter, social worker, nurse, and caregiver but the workload weakened her, and the virus took hold. Whitney was taken from us," she continued. "Yes, of course too soon, but we are the ones left with holes in our hearts, missing how big hers was."


A recent NPR poll found 82 percent of teachers are afraid of returning to the classroom with coronavirus cases continuing to rise around the country.  Florida, where Reddick is from, has seen more than 7,740 deaths and at least 510,381 cases since the pandemic began, according to The New York Times.
The United States has seen more than 4.9 million cases and at least 159,984 deaths from the virus as of Friday afternoon.
Florida Commissioner of the Department of Education, Richard Corcoran, issued an executive order last month requiring all schools to open for "at least" five days a week this fall. The mandate has been supported by both President Donald Trump and education secretary Betsy DeVos.
RELATED VIDEO: Family Reunites with EMS Dad as He Returns From 100 Days on Frontlines






EReddick's obituary ended by calling out Florida's governor and Jacksonville's mayor.
"Please send your condolences to Governor Ron DeSantis, Mayor Lenny Curry, and finally the Duval County School Board and Superintendent," she wrote.
According to WFLA, a lawsuit was filed against DeSantis by Florida's largest teacher union this week to give school districts the authorization to say whether schools should reopen this year.

https://people.com/travel/delta-bans-more-than-100-people-from-airline-refusing-wear-mask-during-flight/

[size=48]Delta Bans More Than 100 People from Airline for Refusing to Wear a Mask During Flight
Delta has been requiring passengers to wear face masks since May
By Gabrielle Chung 
August 07, 2020 07:02 PM[/size]



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Delta Air Lines


More than 100 people have been banned from flying with Delta after refusing to comply with the airline's mask policy amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to CEO Ed Bastian.
Bastian told CNN on Friday that the company has continued to enforce a strict mask policy aboard its planes, saying, "We've had well over 100 people that have refused to keep their mask on during the flight."
"You can't get on the plane without wearing your mask. But we do have some customers that don't want to keep their mask on during flight," he continued. "We remind them several times over the course of getting ready to take off to please keep that mask on. But if they insist upon not wearing it — we insist that they're not going to travel on Delta today."

According to a July 23 memo from Bastian obtained by PEOPLE, the airline has "already banned 120 passengers from future travel with Delta for refusing to wear masks on board."
"The infection rate among our customer-facing people is below the national average, which indicates that our levels of protection are working," he said in the memo.


RELATED: The Future of Flying? These Airlines Will Require All Passengers to Wear Face Masks on Flights
Delta has been requiring passengers to wear face masks since May.
According to the airline's website, "Delta customers and employees are required to wear a face mask, or appropriate cloth face covering over their nose and mouth throughout their travel, aligning with best practice guidelines from the CDC."
Delta previously announced that passengers who claim they are unable to wear masks due to a health condition must be medically cleared at the airport or consider another mode of transit.

Bastian told Today in July that the company implemented the procedure "because we've had some customers indicate that they have an underlying condition that makes wearing a mask dangerous for them."
"We've told them that you may not want to fly, to reconsider whether air travel is the right form of transportation," he said.
RELATED VIDEO: Is It Safe to Go to the Gym During the Coronavirus Pandemic? Here’s Everything You Need to Know




Earlier this month, a Delta flight was forced to return to its gate after two passengers refused to wear masks on board.
A spokesperson for the airline told PEOPLE in an email statement at the time that the plane "returned to the gate following two customers who were non-compliant with crew instructions," before adding that the plane departed to its destination "after a short delay."
As of Friday, there have been more than 4,907,100 COVID-19 cases in the United States and 159,900 deaths from coronavirus-related illnesses, according to a New York Times database.

https://people.com/health/ny-gov-andrew-cuomo-all-schools-authorized-reopen/

[size=48]New York Schools Across the State Have Been Authorized to Reopen, Gov. Andrew Cuomo Says
“You look at our infection rate, we probably are in the best situation in the country right now,” Andrew Cuomo said
By Maria Pasquini 
August 07, 2020 02:03 PM[/size]





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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
 
DAVID DEE DELGADO/GETTY IMAGES
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given all school districts statewide, including New York City public schools, the permission to reopen this fall.
Cuomo announced on Friday that due to the low infection rate throughout the state, all schools have been authorized to reopen — although before opening their doors for in-person learning, schools must submit plans on how to keep students and staff safe, which will have to be approved by the New York State Department of Health.
“You look at our infection rate, we probably are in the best situation in the country right now,” Cuomo told reporters on a call Friday according to CBS New York. He went on to note that the state’s infection rate as of Friday was just 1 percent.
“If anybody can open schools, we can open schools. And that’s true for every region in the state, period,” he added.

Cuomo went on to share that 127 out of the 749 school districts have yet to submit safety plans and that an additional 50 have been deemed insufficient, NBC New York reported. The Health Department has not officially approved any of the plans.


RELATED: 'Panicked' Teachers Prep Wills, Goodbye Letters Before Their Schools Reopen: 'I'm Scared as Hell'
Acknowledging the fact that many parents have had questions or expressed concern about reopening in the fall, Cuomo stressed the importance of keeping them updated and involved in safety planning.
Cuomo has urged that testing procedures and plans for contract tracing be included on school websites and has also urged schools to hold three Q&A sessions by August 21st, according to ABC New York. Additionally, he said that there needs to be at least one session where teachers will be able to ask questions of their school districts.

Besides following social distancing guidelines, students should also be required to wear face masks, which can be provided by the school if necessary.
Cuomo has also made it clear that schools will close if the infection level climbs to 9 percent, and that if a region in the state has to shut down schools, the order will apply to both public and private institutions.


Last month, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio also unveiled the city’s proposed plan, which includes a mix of in-person and remote learning and smaller class sizes. All students are required to wear PPE.
Parents are also being given the option to forego in-person learning entirely. They have until Friday to notify the Department of Education of their decision — although parents will still be able to switch to remote learning “at any point,” De Blasio said during a Friday press conference.
“Most parents by far want their kids back in school,” he added, noting that he hoped their proposed “Blended Learning” plan will only be in effect for “part of our school year.”
RELATED: Children Aged 10-19 Spread Coronavirus as Much as Adults, New Study Finds
School districts around the nation are taking a variety of approaches to reopening. The options include going fully online, bringing in students on a staggered schedule, providing a combination of remote and in-person classes and offering totally in-person classes.
President Donald Trump is a staunch proponent of reopening schools, and has even threatened to withhold funding should schools opt not to resume in-person learning.
As of Friday afternoon, the U.S. has seen more than 4.8 million coronavirus cases and 159,588 deaths, according to a New York Times database. In New York, a former epicenter of the virus, there have been at least 423,637 cases and 32,329 deaths — with just 5 new deaths being reported on Friday.

https://people.com/human-interest/panicked-teachers-preparing-wills-coronavirus-schools/

[size=48]'Panicked' Teachers Prep Wills, Goodbye Letters Before Their Schools Reopen: 'I'm Scared as Hell'
"It is unconscionable that educators and parents are being asked to plan for end-of-life decisions because our country has no plan for reopening schools and institutions of higher education safely," says NEA president Lily Eskelsen García
By Hilary Shenfeld 
July 17, 2020 05:50 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fhuman-interest%2Fpanicked-teachers-preparing-wills-coronavirus-schools%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200808%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F07%2F17%2Fteachers-2.jpg&description=%27Panicked%27 Teachers Prep Wills%2C Goodbye Letters Before Their Schools Reopen%3A %27I%27m Scared as Hell%27][/url]

TERRI CROTHERS
Many school districts have announced they won't hold in-person classes at the beginning of the school year, while others are pushing forward with plans to reopen — and educators, especially those whose underlying medical conditions put them at increased risk of dying from COVID-19, tell PEOPLE they are fearing the worst.
Terri Crothers loves her job as an art instructor, but when her middle school district said teachers must return for in-person classes next month, she was so terrified of getting sick, and maybe even dying, she immediately contacted an attorney and started writing goodbye letters to her family.
She joins a growing list of anxious school teachers who are rushing to lawyers and estate planners to draw up new wills as they face the prospect of going back to their buildings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"I'm scared as hell about going back into the classroom," Crothers, 57, of Gallipolis, Ohio, tells PEOPLE. "I'm frightened that if I catch the virus, I won't survive or I will be left with debilitating effects."
That fear drove Crothers, who suffers from diabetes, to scramble to get her affairs in order.
"I don't want to leave my family with the mess of taking care of whatever I might have left behind," she says.
In addition to legally laying out her final wishes, the divorced mom will ask her attorney to deliver letters to her 19-year-old daughter, Sydney, and her elderly parents, for whom she helps care, just in case the worst happens.
"Sydney will know that I love her and that I'm terribly sorry that I can't be there for her graduation, her wedding someday or her first child," Crothers says. "I am telling her that I fought hard to live because I couldn't stand to be without her, but my time has come and my last thoughts will be of her."

To her mom and dad, Crothers plans to write "how grateful I am for the love and life they gave me," she says. "I will ask them to be strong and be there for Sydney as long as they are able. I will tell them I will see them on the other side."
RELATED: Will Children Have to Wear Masks When They Return to School? Officials Weigh in on Fall Plans 
School districts around the nation are taking a variety of approaches to reopening. The options include going fully online, bringing in students on a staggered schedule, providing a combination of remote and in-person classes and offering totally in-person classes. Others are still undecided.
Crothers' plight is being echoed in districts determined to reopen schools as the pandemic worsens in parts of the U.S., with educators who never had a will before working to quickly obtain those papers.
"We're seeing a lot of uptick in demands for wills, powers of attorney and other healthcare directives," John Midgett, secretary of the National Association of Estate Planners, tells PEOPLE. "In case something happens, they don't want to leave more problems for their families."
A whopping 84 percent of respondents aged 18-34, and 73 percent of people aged 35-54, don't have any such legal documents, aren't even sure if they do or not, or prefer not to say, according to a Caring.com survey conducted before the pandemic. The top reason is, "I haven't gotten around to it," according to the research results.
But that appears to be changing as people absorb a bracing reality check, Midgett says.


"I felt like it was time to solidify and put it in writing, and make our wishes known," says Shawn Arthur, 36, an 8th grade math teacher in St. Louis.
The father of two young children has asthma, and the medication his wife takes for Crohn's disease impacts her immune system, he tells PEOPLE.
"We're worried about what might happen to the kids if something might happen to both of us," he says.
Midgett sees others reacting to the COVID-19 outbreak similarly.
"This is a wake-up call for many people to do what they should have done for their families," says Midgett, an attorney in Virginia Beach, Virginia, who says every adult should have a will. "This is the silver lining of the pandemic."






States vary widely in how they handle a deceased person's assets and bills in the absence of legal direction, so people without wills are taking a big risk, Midgett says.
"Would you want the state to tell you how to divide your property?" he says.
The National Education Association, the labor union that represents public school teachers, says the fact that teachers even have to contemplate such issues is distressing.
"We've heard of panicked teachers updating their wills," NEA president Lily Eskelsen García tells PEOPLE. "It is unconscionable that educators and parents are being asked to plan for end-of-life decisions because our country has no plan for reopening schools and institutions of higher education safely."
But that's just what people like Shaela Rieker are doing.
"My husband is a stay-at-home dad and I have autoimmune issues," says Rieker, 34, a 4th grade general education educator in the Wapato School District on the Yakama Nation reservation in Washington.
RELATED: Here’s How to Correctly and Safely Wear a Face Mask, Plus How to Not Fog up Your Glasses


The married mother of two boys, Holden, 8, and Will, 13, tells PEOPLE she never had a will before but is hurrying to get one made before going back to the classroom.
"I am at high risk for the more extreme effects of this virus," she says. "It would just be irresponsible for me to…not have a will and adequate life insurance to keep my family protected."
People ages 65 and older are at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus, as are people with underlying medical conditions, including heart conditions, obesity, diabetes, liver disease and chronic kidney disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Friday afternoon, the U.S. has seen more than 3.6 million coronavirus cases and 138,753 deaths, according to a New York Times database.

https://people.com/health/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-thousands-attending-masks-not-required/

[size=48]Over 250,000 Expected to Attend South Dakota Motorcycle Rally Despite Fears of Coronavirus Outbreak
Thousands have already arrived for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally despite coronavirus fears
By Maria Pasquini 
August 08, 2020 03:00 PM[/size]




Motorcyclists arrive in Sturgis, South Dakota, ahead of the start of the annual event 
MICHAEL CIAGLO/GETTY IMAGES
Although many large gatherings around the country have been pushed back amid the coronavirus pandemic out of concern for public safety, the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is continuing on schedule — despite the risk of spreading the deadly virus.
Thousands of cyclists began arriving in Sturgis, South Dakota, on Friday, many of whom were not seen wearing masks — which visitors are not being required to wear. Less than 10 people were seen wearing masks on Friday, according to the Associated Press, which had a reporter on the scene.
At the rally, a shirt was also being sold that read “Screw COVID I went to Sturgis,” the outlet reported.
A total of 250,000 visitors are expected to attend the annual 10-day event, which typically attracts crowds of 500,000, according to ABC News.
Rod Woodruff, who operates a campground and concert venue outside the city, told USA Today that despite the official estimate, many believe that this year’s festival, which is already on track to be the largest gathering in the country since the pandemic began, is “going to be bigger than ever.”




RELATED: U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Predicted to Hit 300,000 by December as Current Cases Near 5 Million
The festival is also largely being held against the wishes of the town’s residents.
In a recent city survey, over 60 percent of Sturgis residents said they would rather the rally be postponed, but the city decided to go ahead with the event — which generates millions for the town —making a number of modifications with safety in mind.
“In addition to the normal cleaning efforts, nightly sanitization of sidewalk areas will take place in the downtown area,” the city wrote in a press release, noting the continuance of the city’s Good Deeds program, which provides a free contactless delivery service for residents with pre-existing conditions or health concerns.

Additionally, the city has canceled a number of events, including parades and concerts, which they hope will reduce crowding in the city’s downtown hub. Mayor Mark Carstensen also told CNN that the city will be setting up sanitation stations and providing masks.
RELATED VIDEO: Alyssa Milano Tests Positive for COVID-19 Antibodies After 3 Negative Results: 'I Thought I Was Dying'





BORIS KODJOE REVEALS THE CAST OF 'STATION 19' RECENTLY ‘GOT A START DATE’ FOR FILMING SEASON 4
Although there have only been at least 91 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 1 death in Meade County, where Sturgis is located, cases are on the rise in South Dakota, and there are concerns about the potential impact of an influx of people, some of whom may be arriving from hot spots.
"You're just adding fuel to a fire," epidemiologist Dr. John Brownstein told ABC News. "South Dakota is already experiencing increases in transmission. COVID is not under control in South Dakota; it's just not."
Brownstein also noted that another area of concern was that infected attendees could spread the virus once arriving back home.
However, Gov. Kristi Noem has seemed unconcerned about the risk, saying that South Dakota is “in a good spot.”
"I trusted my people, they trusted me, and South Dakota is in a good spot in our fight against COVID-19,” Gov. Noem tweeted on Thursday. “The #Sturgis motorcycle rally starts this weekend, and we're excited for visitors to see what our great state has to offer!"


Visitors have also expressed nonchalance about the threat of being sickened by the virus. “I don’t know anyone who’s had it,” Bruce Labsa, 66, told The New York Times after arriving on Friday without a mask.
“I don’t want to die, but I don’t want to be cooped up all my life either,” Stephen Sample, 66, who drove from Arizona, told the Associated Press, noting that he planned on trying to avoid crowded bars.
“This is a major experiment,” Sample added. “It could be a major mistake.”

Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to make them all stay together either in Sturgis or out in the desert somewhere and see how the "experiment" ends? I wonder how many of them will be infected, or maybe already are and don't know it. Seems like a lot of them are coming from states where the virus is booming. It's stunning how many selfish, infantile people live in this country.

https://people.com/politics/robin-williams-daughter-slams-eric-trump-for-sharing-viral-video-of-her-late-father/

[size=48]Robin Williams' Daughter Zelda Slams Eric Trump for Sharing Viral Video of Her Late Father
Eric Trump shared an old stand-up video of Robin Williams poking fun at former Vice President Joe Biden during a comedy show
By Eric Todisco 
August 09, 2020 05:45 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Frobin-williams-daughter-slams-eric-trump-for-sharing-viral-video-of-her-late-father%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200810%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F08%2F09%2Fzelda-eric.jpg&description=Robin Williams%27 Daughter Zelda Slams Eric Trump for Sharing Viral Video of Her Late Father][/url]

Zelda Williams, Eric Trump
 
STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES; JIM SPELLMAN/GETTY IMAGES
Robin Williams' daughter Zelda is speaking out after video of the late comedian was shared on social media by President Donald Trump's son Eric.
On Thursday, Eric, 36, retweeted an old video of Robin, who died in 2014, mocking former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, in a clip that reads, "Robin Williams Just Savages Joe Biden."
"We still have great comedy out there, there's always rambling Joe Biden, what the f---," Robin said in the clip to a crowd during a comedy show. "Joe says s— that even people with Tourette's go, 'No. What is going on?' "
Two days after Eric shared the 2009 stand-up clip, Zelda, who is the daughter of Robin and film producer Marsha Garces Williams, fired back at the president's son on Twitter.

"While we’re ‘reminiscing’ (to further your political agenda), you should look up what he said about your Dad," she wrote on Saturday. "I did. Promise you, it’s much more ‘savage.'"
"Gentle reminder that the dead can’t vote, but the living can :hearts:," Zelda, 31, added.

RELATED: Robin Williams' Daughter Zelda Says She Takes 'Yearly Me Time to Celebrate His Birthday in Peace'
Zelda's clapback comes just two weeks after she mourned her late father's death on social media in honor of what would have been Robin's 69th birthday.
"Today would’ve been Dad’s 69th birthday, so to honor him (& that glorious number), I will be donating $69.69 to as many local homeless shelters as I can. Join me if you like, but regardless, know I am wishing you all at least one hearty, immature belly laugh on Dad today," she wrote on Twitter, later sharing screenshots of all the places she donated to.



Robin died by suicide at the age of 63 in August 2014 after suffering from Lewy Body Dementia, a type of brain disease that affected his thinking, memory and movement control. It is the second-most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.
Since her father's death, Zelda has been open on social media about her grief. In 2018, she posted a lengthy message before his birthday describing the mixed emotions she felt that day.
“It’s that time of year again. Everyone who has dealt with loss knows the pain of certain anniversaries, moments full of memory that come round like clockwork and usurp all others, no matter how hard you may try to prepare for or avoid them,” Zelda captioned a father-daughter photo.




"These weeks are the hardest for me, and thus, you’ll see me a lot less, if at all," she wrote. "For all the internet’s good intentions in expressing to me their fondness for dad, it’s very overwhelming to have strangers need me to know how much they cared for him right now. It’s harder still to be expected to reach back.
“So while I’ve got the strength, consider this my one open armed response, before I go take my yearly me time to celebrate his and my birthdays in peace," Zelda said, adding to her followers, "Thank you for loving him. Thank you for supporting him and his life’s work. Thank you for missing him. I do too."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-sTe3wPy_E&feature=youtu.be