Yellowjackets Looking for Constant Progress on the Field – Zip06.com

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Although the East Haven boys soccer team only won one game last year, Head Coach Mike Papantonio started to see the Yellowjackets improve on the field as the season unfolded. As East Haven looks toward a new season, Coach Papantonio is hoping that his returning athletes learned from a lot from last years leaders and will continue to progress on the pitch.

The Easties featured eight seniors on their roster in 2019, including captains Telmo Romero, Diego Ortiz, and Alejandro Sanchez. Papantonio said that all three captains provided an example of what this years team should be striving for.

We had a strong trio of senior captains last year. I asked a significant amount from those kids, and they delivered. They showed up every day and they worked, said Papantonio. For the kids that are coming back this year, they watched that happen. They struggled throughout, and everyone who played last year wants to return this year. It just speaks to the leadership and the groundwork that those guys laid. Those guys set the bar high, and this team will have to work hard to meet it.

Papantonio has yet to name captains for this year as he awaits more information about the potential of a fall season. However, when it comes to leaders, East Havens coach is expecting a big year both on and off the field from senior defender Matthew Torres and senior goalie Asa Myers. Papantonio said that Myers is a player who the Yellowjackets are going to lean on, and added that Torres has been crucial in terms of communicating with the team and setting up practices.

The Yellowjackets senior class also features midfielder Junnyor Torres, midfielder/defender Gianmarco Presiado, and defender/forward Leandro Soto-Molina. Victor Calvillo, who plays forward; and Lewis Agudelo, a center back, are also seniors on the team.

East Havens junior class includes Thanh Ngo and Brayan Crespo, who both play forward and midfielder; along with midfielders Erick Caguana, Merab Nabi, Ethar Al-hawari, Kevin Phan, and Frank Annunziato; and defender Victor Rolon.

Sophomore Christofher Torres will also be returning to the pitch this fall. Torres started every varsity game as a freshman for Coach Papantonios squad.

Were moving in the right direction. Looking at win and loss records are not the correct way to evaluate our performance. The way we ended the season kind of on an uptick, I think we will carry some of that momentum into this year, Papantonio said. Everything that Im hearing from the kids is all positive. They want to get back and have another crack at it. Weve got a really good group.

East Haven began its conditioning program two weeks ago. Every player gets his temperature checked before each practice and must adhere to social distancing guidelines, wearing masks when not in action.

The Yellowjackets have been doing a lot of running and focusing on getting stronger during their conditioning sessions. Whether it be one-mile runs or full-field sprints, Coach Papantonio wants to make sure that his players are ready to deal with the rigors of a soccer season and have enough fuel in the tank to last through an 80-minute game.

The goal is to be able to play the full 80 minutes game in and game out, said Papantonio. Maintaining that level of pressure and intensity for 80 minutes is really my goal. To do that, were going to need numbers, and were going to need to be physically and mentally tough, which is the biggest hurdle.

Coach Papantonio remains hopeful that the Easties will get a chance to take the field and see the dividends of all the hard work they did throughout the offseason. Papantonio wants his players to keep working hard to develop their own culture and build a winning program at East Haven.

Theres a handful of games where Im not expecting to just be competitive. Im expecting to come away with a result, Papantonio said. I want to be in a position where, in the last 20 minutes of the game, were playing for a result, not for pride anymore.

2020 East Haven Boys Soccer Schedule

Thursday, Sept. 10: at Branford at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 15: at Notre Dame-West Haven at 3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 22: vs. Cheshire at 4 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 24: at Lyman Hall at 3:45 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Guilford at 10 a.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 30: vs. North Haven at 6 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 5: vs. Branford at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 7: vs. North Branford at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9: vs. Notre Dame-West Haven at 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 17: at Cheshire at 6 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 19: vs. Lyman Hall at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 21: at Guilford at 3:45 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 24: at North Haven at 5 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 26: at Career-Hillhouse at 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 28: vs. Platt Tech at 6 p.m.

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Yellowjackets Looking for Constant Progress on the Field - Zip06.com

Steve Stephens: Home continues to be work in progress and thats OK – The Columbus Dispatch

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I started building my house almost 30 years ago and have now come to grips with the fact that it will never be finished.

I was personally involved with the project well before construction began.

The moment I first saw the view from the bluff above the Little Darby Creek, where my future house would grow, I had an epiphany like Brigham Young first espying the future site of Salt Lake City (with fewer religious implications): This is the place.

I labored on the work from the beginning, eventually bidding adieu to my contractors after a couple of years, planning to tie up the loose ends on my own. Im still tying.

Little projects that could be put off, were, to be eventually, more or less, tackled and finished more or less. So there was never a day when I was handed the keys and presented, Bob Vila ex machina, with a finished product.

Until relatively recently, I never thought of my house as anything but new. I remember the day just a few years ago that a salesman called seeking to sell me replacement windows.

"But my house still isnt even finished!" I exclaimed.

It was, at the time, more than two decades old.

Im still swimming toward the finish line, but the current against me grows swifter even as I do not.

Although ideas are always being added to my to-do list, now Im prioritizing repairs over those new projects that have been put off, some for nearly 30 years.

Appliances have come and gone and come and gone again.

The HVAC has chugged along like a champ, needing, like me, only occasional minor repair. But I have to imagine that it, like me, is feeling slightly less peppy than in 1992.

And thoughts of my deep-well pump going kaput no longer haunt only my dreams, but now my budgeting, too.

Im even planning can it be possible? to replace, in the next year or so, that new, 28-year-old roof that I helped put on. (This time, I will not be going up there myself.)

Ive found, however, that renovation can be almost as satisfying as addition.

My wife and I recently remodeled our kitchen, a rewarding project. And since were planning to keep the place until were carted out horizontally, we dont have to worry about the tastes of potential buyers. If we want to place decorative terracotta medallions salvaged from the frieze of an old school in the wall above the refrigerator, we can do it. (And we did.)

As time moves on, of course, the temporal imperatives of some projects grow. If Im going to remodel my teenagers bathroom which is now twice their age I need to tackle the project very soon if I want them to enjoy the results as anything but returning visitors, and if I want them to help with the heavy lifting.

Truth be told, I also have furtive thoughts that some day one of my offspring will want to take over the house, the dream thats been growing for nearly 30 years now on the little bluff over the Little Darby.

I have the to-do list ready.

Steve Stephens is the Dispatch home reporter. Email him at sstephens@dispatch.com or follow him on Twitter @SteveStephens.

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Steve Stephens: Home continues to be work in progress and thats OK - The Columbus Dispatch

Pence to tout incredible progress on a coronavirus vaccine next week in Florida – Tampa Bay Times

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Vice President Mike Pence is headed to Miami Monday to promote the Trump administrations progress on efforts to bring a coronavirus vaccine to market.

Pences office announced Thursday that he is scheduled to visit the University of Miami next week to mark the beginning of Phase III trials for a coronavirus vaccine.

The university announced this month that it was looking for volunteers to participate in a study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases COVID-19 Prevention Network in which 1,000 people will be injected with a potential vaccine by Moderna.

The trial, which is expected to begin next week, is part of a 30,000-person study.

During his visit, Pence, the head of the White Houses coronavirus task force, will participate in a roundtable with university leaders and researchers on the incredible progress of a coronavirus vaccine, Pences office announced in a press release. Pence will speak to the press before returning to Washington.

Pences visit is the latest symptom of the increased attention by the White House to the outbreak in Miami, where positive cases and hospitalizations have surged in recent weeks.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams visited Miami Thursday and held a press conference at the Camillus House homeless shelter. The previous day, task force response coordinator Deborah Birx warned on a private call that Miami was among 11 cities that should take aggressive steps to slow the spread of the virus.

Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this report.

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Pence to tout incredible progress on a coronavirus vaccine next week in Florida - Tampa Bay Times

Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority opens new executive hangars – Progress Index

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Contributed Report

SundayJul26,2020at1:15PM

DINWIDDIE The Dinwiddie County Airport and Industrial Authority, located in North Dinwiddie held a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month for four brand-new executive hangars.

The new executive hangars are located on the front row near the terminal building with access to the taxiway and runway. Each 60 ft. x 60 ft. hangar includes a private bathroom, large electric doors, LED lighting, and night exterior lighting, making them ideal for single and multi-aircraft fleets.

Richard Taylor, chairman of the Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority stated, "These new executive hangars will have a positive impact on economic development in Dinwiddie County, and the region, with a unique offering of corporate hangar space to existing businesses and prospective businesses considering the region."

Dr. Mark Moore is a member of the Board of Supervisors as well as the Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority. Regarding the project he shared, "The Dinwiddie Airport is a strong economic development asset. We believe the addition of these executive hangars will be an attractive option for corporate jets. This investment will allow us to meet the growing needs of the corporate community in Dinwiddie County and our region."

Airport Manager, Jeremy Pultz, stated "This project is just one of many great things that are happening at the Dinwiddie County Airport. We have assembled a new operational team, added new executive hangars and are adopting a new approach to doing business." Pultz added, "We are grateful for the assistance of the Virginia Department of Aviation and Dinwiddie County for helping take the Dinwiddie County Airport to the next level."

For additional information on the Dinwiddie Airport, visit http://www.ptbairport.com.

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Dinwiddie Airport and Industrial Authority opens new executive hangars - Progress Index

Oregon Shows Progress in Tackling Unemployment Numbers – Governing

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(TNS) The Oregon Employment Department missed its goal for the third straight week in processing thousands of unpaid benefits claims for self-employed workers who are out of a job during the pandemic.

And the beleaguered departments phone lines suffered fresh outages Tuesday and Wednesday, making it impossible for callers to reach the state to resolve problems with their claims.

Still, there are signs of progress that suggest Oregon is beginning to get a handle on the huge volume of unpaid jobless claims that left tens of thousands of unemployed workers going without income through the heart of the pandemic.

The department has now paid $3.2 billion in benefits since Oregon began its shutdown in March. This time last month there were 70,000 self-employed workers waiting for aid under the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that Congress established in March. Many of those had been waiting for several months for their checks.

The department has whittled that backlog down to 44,000 unprocessed claims, moving more slowly than anticipated. The trajectory for clearing those claims is accelerating, though, and interim director David Gerstenfeld said Wednesday he is increasingly optimistic of working through those 70,000 claims by the Aug. 8 target date he set in June.

Were turning the corner, Gerstenfeld said on his weekly media call Wednesday.

The department has been aided in part by a $240,000,Google-based technology upgrade implemented last Fridayto automate some parts of the claims processing for self-employed workers.

In at least a few cases, the new system appears to have interrupted benefits payments people had been receiving. But Gerstenfeld said its been a huge net positive overall, with automation freeing up his staff to begin working unprocessed claims and accelerate payments.

State lawmakersapproved $500 relief paymentslast week for as many as 70,000 Oregonians who have been waiting the longest for their unemployment benefits. State administrators said at the time it could take several weeks to begin payments, but the Legislatures Democratic leadership indicated Wednesday they have made good progress and hope to launch the program by the end of July.

As Oregon makes advances in other areas, though, the employment department is encountering new problems.

For example, the department has whittled the number of regular, unprocessed jobless claims down from more than 100,000 last spring to just 2,600 now.

Processed claims arent always paid, though. Some need an additional review called adjudication. Gerstenfeld said the typical waiting period for adjudicated claims has grown from 10 weeks to as many as 14 weeks meaning many people with legitimate claims must wait months to see their benefits.

Every Oregon claim is still subject to a one-week period when benefits arent paid, even though Congress funded a waiver of the so-called waiting week in March. The states antiquated computers havent been able to accommodate the change.

The employment department says it will begin attempting to address the waiting week issue in August, but has cautioned it may not be able to implement the waiver by a federal deadline at the end of the year. That would leave hundreds of millions of dollars in federal benefits for Oregonians permanently unpaid, unless the state can secure additional latitude from the feds.

Additionally, this weeks phone outages exacerbated one of the departments thorniest issues.

The department relies primarily on phone calls to resolve questions about unpaid claims and the phones lines have been jammed since March due to the huge volume of new jobless claims and the states byzantine system for processing them.

Also Wednesday, Gerstenfeld disclosed that three more employment department workers have tested positive for the coronavirus. That brings the total number of infections among its staff to 16.

The outbreaks have slowed claims processing, at least modestly, andprompted the closure of the departments Gresham facility earlier this month. Gerstenfeld said that office will reopen Friday, and said the departmentnow requires its staff to wear masksin most situations.

Weve been urging these measures for some time and theyre now mandatory, Gerstenfeld said.

2020 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.)Distributed byTribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Oregon Shows Progress in Tackling Unemployment Numbers - Governing

Forward progress stopped on Topsy Fire | NevadaAppeal.com – Nevada Appeal

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As of 6 p.m. forward progress on a 25-30-acre fire burning between homes and watershed on Topsy Lane.

Set by lightning around 4 p.m. the fire resulted in Topsy Lane east of Highway 395 being closed.

Firefighters say two outbuildings have been lost with damage to one home.

Smoke reduced visibility on Highway 395 for the evening commute.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Air support has been called into help a fast moving brush fire south of Carson City near Topsy Lane.

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East Fork Fire and Carson City Fire Department were called Thursday afternoon about 4:05 p.m. The fire was reported to be ready to jump Topsy Lane at 4:20 p.m. moving away from structures.

Multiple fire engines and brush units are responding , structures are currently threatened.

Traffic is backed up due to construction and fire equipment attempting to access the fire.

At 3:36 p.m., Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near Gardnerville.

This storm was nearly stationary, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy rain with water covering usually dry stream beds and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with this storm.

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Forward progress stopped on Topsy Fire | NevadaAppeal.com - Nevada Appeal

The Halted Progress of Criminal-Justice Reform – The New Yorker

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The cause of criminal-justice reform has been, in recent years, a welcome exception to the extreme polarization that has afflicted so much of our politics. Since 2008, the prison population has dropped in most parts of the country, in both red states and blue. Its gone down sixteen per cent in Louisiana and twenty-two per cent in South Carolina, which is roughly similar to reductions in more liberal places, such as California (twenty-six per cent) and New York (twenty-one per cent). The fight against mass incarceration even engendered a brief moment of bipartisanship in Washington, in 2018, when Congress overwhelmingly passed, and President Trump signed, the First Step Act, which made modest improvements in federal sentencing practices.

But this progress, at least at the federal level, has come to a halt. In the weeks since protests erupted around the nation following the murder of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, on May 25th, the President has returned to the law and order bluster that characterized his 2016 campaign. More to the point, the Justice Department, under Attorney General William Barr, has engaged in precisely the kinds of excesses that the reform movement has endeavored to correct. Most of the protests were peaceful, of course, but there was some violence and destruction of property. These sorts of crimes have traditionally belonged in the bailiwick of state prosecutors, who handle most violent crime in the United States. Yet Barrs prosecutors have stepped in and charged at least seventy people with crimes in connection with the protests. In Mobile, Alabama, a protester allegedly used a bat to break a window of a police cruiser. Such an act is a paradigmatic state crimean assaultbut federal prosecutors contrived to bring a case for civil disorder, drawing on a rarely used federal law. Bringing the case in federal court allows Barr to posture against the protesters and, even more important, to make them eligible for longer prison sentences, as is usually the case in federal prosecutions.

The most egregious example of this kind of federal excess is taking place in New York, where prosecutors in Brooklyn may be on the verge of responding to a crime with an injustice. On May 29th, two well-regarded lawyers, Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman, participated in protests in Fort Greene. According to the complaint filed in federal court, just after midnight, Rahman stepped out of a minivan driven by Mattis and flung a Molotov cocktail through a broken window of an unoccupied police car. (In another part of Brooklyn, Samantha Shader, a twenty-seven-year-old woman from upstate New York, was charged in a separate Molotov-cocktail attack on a police van; neither attack caused any injuries.)

The two lawyers are both in their early thirties. Mattis is a graduate of Princeton and of New York Universitys law school, and he worked until recently at a well-known corporate law firm in Manhattan. He is active in community affairs in Brooklyn, and is responsible for the care of several young family members. Rahman, a graduate of Fordham Universitys college and law school, worked at Bronx Legal Services. Neither had a criminal record. (Shader did have a record of various arrests in different parts of the country.) Mattis and Rahman have pleaded not guilty, but the case against them appears strong. According to prosecutors, there is video evidence of Rahman throwing the improvised bomb, and police found the ingredients to make Molotov cocktails in Mattiss van.

In bringing the case against them, though, the Justice Department has engaged in grotesque overreach. If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Mattis and Rahman face a minimum of forty-five years and a maximum of life in prison. (If they were prosecuted in state court, as they should be, they would likely face five years or less.) The case demonstrates the perversity of mandatory-minimum sentences, which remain common in federal court, despite the changes wrought by the First Step Act. The problems with mandatory minimums only begin with the simple fact that they keep people in prison for too many years. They also concentrate power in the hands of prosecutors and remove discretion from judges, who usually have a broader perspective on the appropriate levels of punishment. Moreover, mandatory minimums warp the entire judicial system, by putting unbearable pressure on defendants (and their lawyers) to enter guilty pleas and avoid the risk posed by a trial. (Prosecutors often waive the minimums if defendants offer to plead guilty.)

The case of Mattis and Rahman illustrates this point clearly. Faced with the certainty of decades of prison time if convicted by a jury, what defendant wouldnt try to cut a deal for a lesser sentence? In federal court today, a remarkable ninety-seven per cent of defendants plead guilty rather than go to trial. But a system in which practically no one goes to trial gives government prosecutors far too much power. Judges and juries are supposed to operate as a check on prosecutors, and they cant do that job if nearly every defendant pleads guilty. Too often, prosecutors, like those in the case of Mattis and Rahman, use indictments to extort guilty pleas rather than to achieve justice.

This is, in many respects, a hopeful moment for progress in the criminal-justice system. District attorneys in cities like Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and San Francisco are pulling back from the mindless pursuit of more convictions and longer sentences. Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn District Attorney, is also a reformer, which may be a reason that Barrs minions snatched the Molotov-cocktail cases away from him. The Attorney General has expressed nothing but contempt for more civilized approaches to law enforcement. In a speech in February, he attacked the new generation of prosecutors, asserting, These D.A.s think they are helping people, but they end up hurting them. These policies actually lead to greater criminality. This, to put it charitably, is unproven. Reformers have been winning elections around the country not because their constituents want greater criminality but because they recognize that we have incarcerated too many people (and particularly too many people of color) for too long.

As usual, Barr is channelling his boss, who has responded to the George Floyd protests with ugly spasms of race-baiting and bigotry. But, as bad as Trumps invective is on Twitter and elsewhere, Barrs actions are worse, because individuals and communities will be paying the costs for years, or decades, to come.

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Radio Diary: A Harvard Law Professor Explains Why Federal Officers’ Tactics In Portland Are Unlawful – WBUR

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Unidentified federal officers in Portland and soon, in Chicago and Albuquerquehave been arresting and detaining protesters in unmarked vehicles, sometimes far away from the federal buildings they're purportedly there to protect.

In one notable instance, two federal officers grabbed a man off the sidewalk and, without identifying themselves or giving a reason, put him in an unmarked van and drove off to question him.

The Department of Homeland Security claims the officers' tactics here are lawful. Harvard Law professor Andrew Manuel Crespo says they are decidedly not.

"The person in charge of this newly beefed-up, paramilitary federal police force doesn't know what an arrest is," he says of Federal Protective Services Deputy Director Chris Cline. "It means he doesn't know when they're violating the fourth amendment like they unquestionably did."

Listen to Professor Crespo explain why the officers' conduct is unconstitutional and why he finds it frightening that authorities seem to think otherwise.

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Radio Diary: A Harvard Law Professor Explains Why Federal Officers' Tactics In Portland Are Unlawful - WBUR

Two DHS Officials Apparently Just Admitted Their Troops Have Been Violating the Constitution – Law & Crime

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Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf and one of his subordinates appear to have admitted their agents have been making unconstitutional arrests of Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland during a series of public appearances.

Heres the exact comment.

Anytime that you attack a federal facility such as a courthouse in Portland that is a federal crime, Wolf told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Tuesday night. Attacking federal police officerslaw enforcement officerswhich they have done for 52 nights in a row is a federal crime. So, the Department, because we dont have that local support, that local law enforcement support, we are having to go out and proactively arrest individuals and we need to do that because we need to hold them accountable.

Anticipatory arrests, of course, are prohibited under the U.S. Constitution.

Those Fox News comments tracked with an explanation given by Deputy Director of the Federal Protective Service Richard Kris Clinewho was asked to field a question originally addressed to Wolf about infamous and widely-criticized footage of DHS agents silently abducting protesters and forcing them into unmarked vehicles.

What level of probable cause are you getting? a reporter asked on Tuesday during a press briefing. Because some people are saying that theyre being detained on the sidewalk by an agent they dont recognize and being put into an unmarked vehicle. So, what exactly, is the standard of probable cause you are getting and how is that not a violation of civil liberties?

Wolf noted that his agents were not going directly into crowds of protesters because Portland is currently a very difficult environment to work in. He also said that his agents were using probable cause, but declined to elaborate, before turning the microphone over.

So, in this instance, youre probably talking about the van, Cline said. So the CBP, the Border Patrol officersthat have been cross-designated with our authoritythe individual that they were questioning was in a crowd and in an area where an individual was aiming a laser at the eyes of officers.

That explanation immediately set off alarm bells from legal experts.

Harvard Law Professor Andrew Crespo summed up the constitutional issues with the Kline-Wolf approach.

I dont know if shining a laser at someone is a federal crime, he wrote. It doesnt matter. The police do not have probable cause to arrest you just because you are standing near someone else who may have committed a crime.

The U.S. Supreme Court, Crespo noted, weighed in on this issue in a landmark Fourth Amendment case from 1979.

In Ybarra v. Illinois, a 6-3 majority of justices concluded that a state statute allowing police to search people on the premises of a location where a valid search warrant is executed violates both the Fourth Amendments prohibition against unlawful searches and seizures as well as the 14th Amendments guarantee of Due Process.

Per that still-undisturbed decision:

[A] persons mere propinquity to others independently suspected of criminal activity does not, without more, give rise to probable cause to search that person. Where the standard is probable cause, a search or seizure of a person must be supported by probable cause particularized with respect to that person.

The Harvard Law professor explained that this standard is actually well-known in the common parlance as well: the lawand an ethical worldviewdoes not and cannot support the notion of guilty by association.

We have people in the area that observekeep track of himwhere hes going, Cline noted. We dont want to go into the crowd because then its a fight between our guys and the demonstrators, so we wait until the individual gets into a somewhat quiet area where we dont expect violence to talk to him.

According to Cline, however, other protesters appeared and the DHS troops decided to take the person of interest . Cline said they asked the protester to leave. The video appears to show that the protester was detained by two troops using force.

They did take them to an area that was safe for both the officers and the individual to do the questioning, he said. Its not a custodial arrest. We need to question this individual to find out what their role was in this laser-pointing.

Eventually, Cline said, the protester was released because [DHS] did not have what they needed.

Translation: They did not have probable cause, Crespo stated.

Crespo took issue with Klines suggestion that his agents are acting constitutionally because they are not performing custodial arrests.

The nations high court also settled the arrest issueagain in 1979.

In Dunaway v. New York the Supreme Court considered whether police violated the Fourth and 14th Amendments whenlacking probable causethey took a person into custody, transported him to a police station and detained him for interrogation. Once again, six justices found that police violated the U.S. Constitution with such actions.

Per that landmark case:

[T]he detention of petitioner was in important respects indistinguishable from a traditional arrest. Petitioner was not questioned briefly where he was found. Instead, he was taken from a neighbors home to a police car, transported to a police station, and placed in an interrogation room.

The Dunaway holdingprohibiting alleged non-custodial arrestswas unanimously reaffirmed by the court in 1984.

Crespo noted: The person in charge of this newly beefed up, paramilitary federal police force DOES NOT KNOW WHAT AN ARREST IS.

[images via screengrab/Fox News/Department of Homeland Security]

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John Krull: The innocents at home, anti-mask tales of purity – Terre Haute Tribune Star

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None dare call them hypocrites.

The conservative politicians who oppose Gov. Eric Holcombs statewide mandate that Hoosiers wear masks while in public have the purest histories and the cleanest hands one could imagine. They wouldnt dream of endangering their fellow citizens lives and creating dissension in a time of crisis out of personal pique.

No, no, no.

These guys have unblemished reputations of selfless, unimpeachable devotion to serving both the state and its citizens, uncorrupted by baser considerations or loyalties. They are above such crass motivations.

Take Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, for example.

Hill issued an opinion at the request of several conservative state lawmakers that Holcombs order exceeded his authority. The attorney general devoted at least 15 or 20 seconds of research and analysis to this carefully reasoned argument.

One would expect such diligence and creativity from a man who argued with vehemence that he should remain as attorney general even though his license to practice law had been suspended and Indiana law requires that one be an attorney in good standing to hold the office.

The demands that Hill resign his office came from every corner. The chorus calling for him to leave included most Hoosier Republican officeholders.

But Hill recognized that to honor his duty to the law he must ignore, even break, the law. To do otherwise would be to violate his oaths both as an officer of the court and as the states highest-ranking defender of the law.

So, Curtis Hill stayed fought tooth and nail, in fact, to hold onto his office in the face of unending criticism and censure from the Indiana Supreme Court because his devotion to the law knows no bounds. He knew it would be wrong to deprive Indiana of such a paragon of principled commitment to the rule of law.

No, none dare call them hypocrites.

Then theres Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour.

Lucas recently found himself on the receiving end of a spanking from his own partys leadership. He lost several key committee assignments because he had posted a racist meme on Facebook a picture of a laughing Black child in what appeared to be a diaper chortling, We gon get free money.

After his trip to the woodshed, Lucas said he was going to leave social media and try to strike a more respectful tone.

That lasted about 90 seconds.

The day after the governor announced the mask mandate, Lucas offered the following calm and reasoned post on Facebook:

Starting Monday, the governor wants to lock me in a cage for 180 days and fine me $1,000 if I dont wear a mask that has no published standards for effectiveness.

What if I dont comply, Governor Eric Holcomb?

The words sat atop a photo of a gun and a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Many people who saw the post called it a threat to the governor and thus a violation of the law. Lucas denied that.

He always does.

Thats because Lucas is like the kid in the band who just knows that everyone but him is marching out of step.

His devotion to the Constitution is depthless. Thats why he likes to berate and shout down citizens who want to exercise their First Amendment right to petition government for redress of grievances. Thats also why he tried to waive gun owners Fourth Amendment rights a few years back so he could make it possible for them to bring their guns to school.

Hes just following the wisdom of the Vietnam War general who said, In order to save the village, it was necessary to destroy the village.

Lucas knows that, to save the Constitution, sometimes one must destroy the Constitution.

No, none dare call them hypocrites.

Eric Holcombs motivations arent nearly so high-minded and complicated. Hes requiring Hoosiers to wear masks because, selfishly, he wants to see fewer of us getting sick and dying.

What a cad.

What a tyrant.

Hill, Lucas and the others who oppose the governors mandate have one other thing in common.

They all say theyre pro-life.

No, none dare call them hypocrites.

John Krull is director of Franklin Colleges Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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John Krull: The innocents at home, anti-mask tales of purity - Terre Haute Tribune Star

Protester in Portland sues Trump for ‘conspiracy to violate the U.S. Constitution’ after alleged attack by feds – Pamplin Media Group

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Jeff Paul was allegedly beaten by federal law enforcement while peacefully protesting in Portland.

A Seattle resident is suing president Donald Trump and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf for "conspiracy to violate the U.S. Constitution" after allegedly being beaten by federal law enforcement officers at a Portland protest on July 18.

The lawsuit, first reported by The Oregonian, was filed in U.S. District Court on July 21.

It alleges that Jeff Paul, who works in special education, attended a protest outside the Justice Center when federal officers charged without warning and "viciously beat and mutilated" Paul with a baton. According to court documents, Paul spent the night in a hospital emergency department.

The lawsuit alleges that Wolf and the federal agents who work for him violated Paul's First and Fourth Amendment rights to peacefully protest and from unlawful uses of force. It further alleges that world and federal law enforcement conspired to deprive Paul of his civil rights and failed to prevent that conspiracy.

Trump, Wolf and federal agents also allegedly threatened to violate Paul's First and Fourth Amendment rights with their "their repeated threats to deploy violence against protestors demonstrating against racial injustice generally and in Portland specifically."

The lawsuit cites statements made by Trump on Twitter, such as, "a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them."

Paul is represented pro bono by Michael Fuller, Kelly D. Jones and Jane Moisan. The lawsuit is one of many filed by the team of Portland lawyers on behalf of protesters and homeowners who have been impacted by the law enforcement tactics used at protests.

"As a lawyer, it's disgusting to see the Constitution violated for political purposes," Fuller told the Portland Tribune.

This is the first complaint they've filed against Trump. "This is a rare case where we know that the administration did in fact conspire with other agencies to break the Constitution, and we know that because he's tweeted as much," Fuller said.

Fuller said it will be an uphill battle to sue a sitting president, but Trump has made their job a little easier. "He's just made it very clear that he is employing these federal agents, he's encouraging them to use excessive force, and he's doing it for political reasons," Fuller said.

Fuller said the primary goal of the lawsuit is to get an "order prohibiting Trump from continuing to beat and abuse peaceful protesters for political purposes," as well as an unspecified amount in monetary damages for Paul.

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The Federal Coup to Overthrow the States and Nix the 10th Amendment Is Underway – River Cities Reader

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I dont need invitations by the state, state mayors, or state governors, to do our job. Were going to do that, whether they like us there or not. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolfs defense of the Trump Administrations deployment of militarized federal police to address civil unrest in the states

This is a wake-up call.

What is unfolding before our very eyes with police agencies defying local governments in order to tap into the power of federal militarized troops in order to put down domestic unrest could very quickly snowball into an act of aggression against the states, a coup by armed, militarized agents of the federal government.

At a minimum, this is an attack on theTenth Amendment, which affirms the sovereignty of the states and the citizenry, and the right of the states to stand as a bulwark againstoverreach and power grabs by the federal government.

If youre still deluding yourself into believing that this thinly-veiled exercise in martial law is anything other than an attempt to bulldoze what remains of the Constitution and reinforce the iron-fisted rule of the police state, you need to stop drinking the Kool-Aid.

This is no longer about partisan politics or civil unrest or even authoritarian impulses.

This is a turning point.

Unless we take back the reins and soon looking back on this time years from now, historians may well point to the events of 2020 as the death-blow to Americas short-lived experiment in self-government.

The governments recent actions in Portland, Oregon when unidentified federal agents (believed to be border police, ICE, and DHS agents), wearing military fatigues with patches that just say Police and sporting all kinds of weapons,descended uninvited on the city in unmarked vehicles, snatching protesters off the streets,and detaining them without formally arresting them or offering any explanation of why theyre being held is just a foretaste of whats to come.

One of those detainees was a 53-year-old disabled Navy veteran who was in downtown Portland during the protests but not a participant. Concerned about the tactics being used by government agents who had taken an oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution, Christopher David tried to speak to the secret police. Almost immediately, he wasassaulted by federal agents, beaten with batons, and pepper-sprayed.

Another peaceful protester wasreportedly shot in the head with an impact weaponby this federal goon squad.

The Trump Administration has already announced its plans todeploy these border patrol agents to other cities across the country(Chicago is supposedly next) in an apparent bid to put down civil unrest. Yet theoverriding concerns by state and local government officialsto Trumps plans suggest that weaponizing the DHS as an occupying army will only provoke more violence and unrest.

Weve been set up.

Under the guise of protecting federal properties against civil unrest, the Trump Administration has formed atask force of secret agents who look, dress, and act like military stormtroopers on a raid and have been empowered to roam cities in unmarked vehicles, snatching citizens off the streets, whether or not theyve been engaged in illegal activities.

As theGuardianreports, The incidents being described sound eerily reminiscent of the CIAs post-9/11 rendition program under George W Bush, where intelligence agents would roll up in unmarked vans in foreign countries, blindfold terrorism suspects (many of whom turned to be innocent), and kidnap them without explanation. Only instead of occurring on the streets of Italy or the Middle East, its happening in downtown Portland.

The so-called racial-justice activists who have made looting, violence, vandalism, and intimidation tactics the hallmarks of their protests have played right into the governments hands.

They have delivered all of us into the police states hands.

Theres a reason Trump has tapped the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for this dirty business: These agencies are notorious for their lawlessness, routinely sidestepping the Constitution and trampling on the rights of anyone who gets in their way, including legal citizens.

Indeed, it was only a matter of time before theseroving bands of border patrol agents began flexing their muscles far beyond the nations borders and exercising their right to disregard the Constitution at every turn.

Except these border patrol cops arent just disregarding the Constitution.

Theyretrampling all over the Constitution, especially the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits the government from carrying out egregious warrantless searches-and-seizures without probable cause.

As part of the governments so-called crackdown on illegal immigration, drugs, and trafficking, its border-patrol cops have been expanding their reach,roaming further afield,and subjecting greater numbers of Americans to warrantless searches, I.D. checkpoints, transportation checks, and even surveillance on private property far beyond the boundaries of the borderlands.

That so-called border, once a thin borderline, has become an ever-thickening band spreading deeper and deeper inside the country.

Now, with this latest salvo by the Trump administration in its so-called crackdown on rioting and civil unrest, America itself is about to become a Constitution-free zone where freedom is off-limits and government agents have all the power and we the people have none.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with its more than60,000 employees, supplemented by the National Guard and the U.S. military, is an arm of the Department of Homeland Security, a national police-force imbued with all the brutality, ineptitude, and corruption such a role implies.

As journalist Todd Miller explains:

"In these vast domains, Homeland Security authorities can instituteroving patrols with broad, extra-constitutional powers backed by national-security, immigration-enforcement, and drug-interdiction mandates. There, the Border Patrol can set up traffic checkpoints and fly surveillance-drones overhead with high-powered cameras and radar that can track your movements. Within twenty-five miles of the international boundary, CBP agents can enter a persons private property without a warrant."

Just about every nefarious deed, tactic, or thuggish policy advanced by the government today can be traced back to the DHS, its police-state mindset, and thebillions of dollars it distributesto local police agencies in the form of grants to transform them into extensions of the military.

As Miller points out, the government has turned the nations expanding border regions into a ripe place to experiment with tearing apart the Constitution, a place where not just undocumented border-crossers, but millions of borderland residents have become the targets of continual surveillance.

In much the same way that police across the country have been schooled in the art of sidestepping the Constitution, border cops have also been drilled in the art of anything goes in the name of national security.

In fact, according to FOIA documents shared withThe Intercept,border cops even have a checklist of possible behaviors that warrant overriding the Constitutionand subjecting individuals including American citizens to stops, searches, seizures, interrogations, and even arrests.

For instance, if youredriving a vehicle that to a border cop looks unusualin some way, you can be stopped. If yourpassengers look dirtyor unusual, you can be stopped. If you or yourpassengers avoid looking at a cop, you can be stopped. If you or yourpassengers look too long at a cop, you can be stopped.

If youreanywhere near a border(near being within 100 miles of a border, or in a city, or on a bus, or at an airport), you can be stopped and asked to prove youre legally allowed to be in the country. If youretraveling on a public roadthat smugglers and other criminals may have traveled, you can be stopped.

If yourenot driving in the same direction as other cars, you can be stopped. If youappear to be avoiding a police checkpoint, you can be stopped. If yourcar appears to be weighed down, you can be stopped. If yourvehicle is from out of town, wherever that might be, you can be stopped. If youredriving a make of car that criminal-types have also driven, you can be stopped.

If yourcar appears to have been altered or modified, you can be stopped. If thecargo area in your vehicle is covered, you can be stopped.

If youredriving during a time of day or night that border cops find suspicious, you can be stopped. If youredriving when border cops are changing shifts, you can be stopped. If youredriving in a motorcadeor with another vehicle, you can be stopped. If yourcar appears dusty, you can be stopped.

Ifpeople with you are trying to avoid being seen, or exhibiting unusual behavior, you can be stopped. If youslow down after seeing a cop, you can be stopped.

In Portland, which is 400 miles from the border, protesters didnt even have to be near federal buildings to be targeted. Some claimed to be targetedfor simply wearing black clothingin the area of the demonstration.

Are you starting to get the picture yet?

This was never about illegal aliens and border crossings at all. Its been a test to see how far we the people will allow the government to push the limits of the Constitution.

Weve been failing this particular testfor a long timenow.

It was 1798 when Americans, their fears stoked by rumblings of a Quasi-War with France, failed to protest theAlien and Sedition Acts, which criminalized anti-government speech, empowered the government to deport dangerous non-citizens and made it harder for immigrants to vote.

During the Civil War, Americans went along when Abraham Lincolnsuspended the writ of habeas corpus(the right to a speedy trial) and authorized government officials to spy on Americans mail.

During World War I, Americans took it in stride when President Woodrow Wilson and Congress adopted the Espionage and Sedition Acts, which made it a crime to interfere with the war effort andcriminalized any speech critical of war.

By World War II, Americans were marching in lockstep with the governments expanding war powers to imprison Japanese-American citizens in detainment camps, censor mail, andlay the groundwork for the future surveillance state.

Fast-forward to theCold Wars Red Scares, the McCarthy eras hearings on un-American activities, and the governments surveillance of Civil Rights activistssuch as Martin Luther King Jr all done in the name of national security.

By the time 9/11 rolled around, all George WBush had to do was claim the country was being invaded by terrorists, and the government was givengreater powers to spy, search, detain, and arrestAmerican citizensin order to keep America safe.

The terrorist invasion never really happened, but the government kept its newly-acquired police powers made possible by the nefarious USA Patriot Act.

Barack Obama continued Bushs trend of undermining the Constitution, going so far as to givethe military the power to strip Americans of their constitutional rights, label them extremists, and detain them indefinitely without trial,all in the name ofkeeping America safe.

Despite the fact that the breadth of the militarys power to detain American citizens violates not only U.S. law and the Constitution but also international laws, the government has refused to relinquish its detention powers made possible by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Then Donald Trump took office, claiming the country was being invaded by dangerous immigrants and insisting that the only way to keep America safe was to build an expensive border wall, expand the reach of border patrol, andempower the military to assist with border control.

That so-called immigration crisis has now morphed into multiple crises (domestic extremism, the COVID-19 pandemic, race wars, civil unrest, etc.) that the government is eager to use in order to expand its powers.

Yet as weve learned the hard way, once the government acquires and uses additional powers (to spy on its citizens, to carry out surveillance, to transform its police forces into extensions of the police, to seize tax-payer funds, to wage endless wars, to censor and silence dissidents, to identify potential troublemakers, to detain citizens without due process), it does not voluntarily relinquish them.

This is the slippery slope on which weve been traveling for far too long.

As Yale historian Timothy Snyder explains, This is a classic way that violence happens in authoritarian regimes, whether its Francos Spain or whether its the Russian Empire.The people who are getting used to committing violence on the border are then brought in to commit violence against people in the interior.

Sure, its the Trump Administration calling the shotsright now, but itsgovernment agentsarmed with totalitarian powers and beholden to the bureaucratic Deep State who are carrying out these orders in defiance of the U.S. Constitution and all it represents.

Whether its Trump or Biden or someone else altogether, this year or a dozen years from now, the damage has been done: As I make clear in my bookBattlefield America: The War on the American People, we have allowed the president to acquire dictatorial powers that can be unleashed at any moment.

Theres a reason the Trump Administration isconsulting with John Yoo, the Bush-era attorney notorious for justifying waterboarding torture-tactics against detainees. Theyre not looking to understand how to follow the law and abide by the Constitution. Rather, theyre desperately seeking ways to thwart the Constitution.

As Harvard constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe recognizes, The dictatorial hunger for power is insatiable.

This is how it begins.

This is how it always begins.

Dont be fooled into thinking any of this will change when the next election rolls around.

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president ofThe Rutherford Institute.

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The Federal Coup to Overthrow the States and Nix the 10th Amendment Is Underway - River Cities Reader

LETTERS TO THE – Central Wisconsin News – Tribune Phonograph

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E DITOR Want to stop COVID-19? Start wearing a face mask

To the editor: Many people are confused about face masks because back in April the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued statements suggesting they were not needed. Both institutions have changed and now strongly recommend face masks.

There are several reasons for the change, but mostly it is because the coronavirus is constantly evolving and we are learning more about it. We now know the virus is commonly spread simply by people speaking. The virus organisms are expelled from a persons lungs when they speak and can float in the air for as much as eight hours. A face mask prevents some from being expelled and slows those that are so they do not travel as far from the speaker.

That is why social distancing is so important. You have a much greater chance of being infected by standing close to someone that is infected. If the virus cannot infect another individual, it goes through its infectious cycle and appears to die. The vast majority of scientists say if everyone would wear a face mask and use social distancing for two weeks, we could be on the way to beating COVID-19, and cautiously re-opening our businesses and our schools.

In addition to killing some of its victims, we now know COVID-19 affects other organs that can have long, life altering results. We know COVID-19 infects young children and they can pass it on to others. We know that going to parties or attending other social, religious, or governmental gatherings helps to spread COVID-19 and perpetuates the pandemic.

Its simple; you can help re-open our schools and our economy, and you might save your own or someone elses life by wearing a face mask, washing your hands and social distancing. If you do not do these things you are part of the problem.

Mary Luchterhand

Unity

Colby Fire/EMS decides to cancel Aug. 5 banquet

To the editor: You may have heard by now that the Colby Fire Ems Associations banquet has been cancelled. The banquet was going to be Aug. 5.

Due to the uncertain decisions of the Clark and Marathon health departments, we felt this was the best decision at this time. With the number of people who attend and the size of the VFW hall, we could not properly social distance.

Our members will be contacting ticket holders and the businesses that made donations already. Hold on to your tickets so we can refund your money.

If the member that sold you a ticket does not contact you within the next few weeks, please feel free to reach out to them.

We appreciate your understanding and support. We look forward to seeing you in April 2021.

Lin Mueller

Colby Fire/ EMS Association

Poor leadership produces bad results for the U.S.

To the editor: Leaders of the European Common Market and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have several things in common that leave them, and the current condition of their countries, in stark contrast to President Trump.

They have had national requirements for wearing face masks and have enforced social distancing. They instituted economic recovery plans that kept people employed and they enjoyed universal health care that paid medical bills. They have the trust and respect of a majority of their citizens while they work together to defeat a common enemy.

Finally, they invest in, believe in, and work with science.

President Trump said he believes face masks are not important and encouraged people in several states to protest social distancing. The $2 trillion U.S. Economic Recovery plan encouraged extended unemployment and Trump has consistently attempted to gut the Affordable Care Act which provides health care for millions of Americans.

Trump is a nationalist and has refused to work with other countries to defeat COVID-19, first defunding the World Health Organization and then withdrawing from it. He abolished the National Security Councils Pandemic Response Team in 2018, cut funding to the Centers for Disease Control by $690 million, and has never relied on science to help fight COVID-19.

The result of these differences and more is that Canadian and European economies are opening back up while ours is closing down. Coronavirus transmission rates in Canada and Europe are less than 20 per 100,000 while in the U.S. they are greater than 120 per 100,000!

We are still fighting over face masks, enduring an increase in daily deaths and are a nation divided with our economy in chaos with no recovery plan while much of the industrialized world is slowly moving forward. COVID-19 is out of control, our economy is a disaster, and both are due in large part to a terrible lack of leadership by President Trump.

Darlene and Dennis Bucheger Greenwood

President Trump clearly violated U.S. Constitution

To the editor: President Trumps recent actions to deploy federal agents in American cities, against American citizens, violate Article 1, Section 8 and Article 3, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States.

When those agents appeared in uniforms with no agency or personal identifi cation and apprehended a protester, shoving him into an unmarked vehicle without saying where they were taking him or why, they were in clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment states, The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated. . .

We know Trump admires the most tyrannical dictators in the world and has expressed a desire to have those same dictatorial powers. It should be frightening to anyone concerned with civil liberties, including the right to assemble, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to petition the government as is granted in the First Amendment.

Trump has declared himself to be your law and order president and thinks of himself as a war time president. He has called for the military to be deployed to dominate protesters. His acting secretary for Homeland Security said he is protecting federal property and indicated these agents will be deployed to other American cities.

Despite Congress being in session and no requests from the states, Trump feels free to violate several articles of the most sacred document this country has. Can you imagine what he will do if he is reelected? Conspiracy planners are suggesting the placement of federal troops in cities around the nation as part of Plan B in case he is not re-elected and attempts to stay in office. He is violating fundamental American laws and should be stopped. Where are our representatives in Congress? Their silence is deafening.

Richard A. Slone Neillsville

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The Majority of Americans Oppose Qualified Immunity. Where Is Congress? – Reason

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A majority of Americans now support police reform measures like chokehold bans, demilitarization of domestic law enforcement, and the prioritization of investigating violent crimes instead of misdemeanor offenses.*

But, perhaps more significantly, a Pew poll recently found two-thirds of Americans oppose qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that makes it difficult to sue police officers when they violate your rights. Until recently, discussion of qualified immunity was confined largely to legal circles and to magazines like Reason.Now, it appears the doctrineand opposition to ithave simultaneously gone mainstream.

Qualified immunity shields public officials from being held liable in federal civil suits if their misconduct did not exist near-identically in a court precedent prior to the alleged incident. Created by Harlow v. Fitzgerald (1982), the doctrine has stripped Americans of their right to sue civil servants even in the most egregious of instances.

In theory, the doctrine provides public officials with fair warning of what is and is not acceptable conduct and thereby allows them to do their jobs without fear of being sued. How does the doctrine actually work? Let's consider the case of two cops from Fresno, California, who allegedly stole $225,000 while executing a search warrant.

When deciding if the victims would be allowed to sue the officers, the judiciary condemned the stealing as indefensible but still protected the officers from any lawsuits. Although "the City Officers ought to have recognized that the alleged theft was morally wrong," wrote the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, it decided that the officers "did not have clear notice that it violated the Fourth Amendment."

Put more plainly: You and I know stealing is wrong, and the cops definitely should've known stealing is wrong. But even if they did know that, they couldn't be held liable for violating the Fourth Amendment protections against government theft because there was no specific legal precedent declaring that it is unconstitutional for cops in a situation exactly like theirs to steal from the people they are sworn to protect and serve.

There are plenty of examples of qualified immunity protecting awful government behavior: The sheriff's deputy who shot a 10-year-old;the cop who shot a 15-year-old; the officers who assaulted and arrested a man for standing outside of his own house; the prison guards who locked a naked inmate in cells filled with raw sewage and "massive amounts" of human feces; the cops who sicced a police dog on a surrendering suspect;the officer who body-slammed a 130-pound woman after she disobeyed his command to "get back there."

But while Americans appear to see the very obvious and well-documented issues with qualified immunity, Congressthe branch of government best positioned to abolish the practicewon't touch the topic with a 10-foot pole.

The legislative stagnation isn't for lack of trying. Rep. Justin Amash (LMich.) introduced legislation to eliminate qualified immunity. With Rep. Ayanna Pressley (DMass.) as his co-sponsor, the bill eventually picked up Republican support. Sen. Mike Braun (RInd.) followed suit and crafted his own legislation, which would grant qualified immunity only to officers whose conduct is expressly permitted by federal regulation, federal statutes, state statutes, or case lawessentially the opposite of the current approach.

President Donald Trump has dismissed these efforts to reform qualified immunity as unworthy of his consideration. He is the law-and-order president, and even though qualified immunity is an insult to both law and order, it is also an insult to police unions.

Should presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden win in November, it's not completely clear what he would do on the issue. "Vice President Biden thinks qualified immunity has gone too far and needs to be severely reined in," says Jamal Brown, National Press Secretary for the Biden campaign. "It should not protect officers who abuse their power." That statement echoes Biden's "Unity Task Force" recommendations, which were drawn up in coordination with Sen. Bernie Sanders (IVt.).

The former vice president has not offered concrete details on how his reforms will distinguish between officials who deserve protection from federal civil lawsuits, but his track record suggests he will go (almost) wherever center-leftists tell him to. In this case, everyone to the left of Trump overwhelmingly supports sunsetting the doctrine.

For now, though, it appears qualified immunity is poised to meet a rather typical fate, in that it will likely stay exactly as it is.

CORRECTION: The original version of this piece misstated the third poll's findings. A majority of Americans support prioritizing violent crimes over misdemeanor crimes, not victimless crimes.

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The Majority of Americans Oppose Qualified Immunity. Where Is Congress? - Reason

Caitlin Cherry on digital abstraction and Black femininity – Artforum

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July 20, 2020 Caitlin Cherry on digital abstraction and Black femininity

Caitlin Cherry has always been interested in the weaponized circulation of images. At the Brooklyn Museum in 2013, she mounted her paintings on wooden catapults modeled after martial designs by Leonardo, as if they were about to be fired into the air. More recently, she has produced prismatic paintings from photos of Black femmes (including models, exotic dancers, porn actresses, rappers, and influencers) culled from social media. Inspired by the promotional posts of a Brooklyn cabaret, her newest works feature its servers and dancers in suggestive poses, flattened by delirious patterns and alphanumeric codes onto canvases with widescreen dimensions. Here, the slipperiness of digital images comes up against the slickness of oil paint, which she manipulates into a kind of filter that both obscures and refracts representations of Black femininity. A virtual presentation of Cherrys new paintings and digital collages, entitled Corps Sonore, is currently viewable in the online viewing room of Los Angeless Luis De Jesus Gallery through August.

THE NEW PAINTINGS include an aurora pattern that was originally inspired by iridescence. I guess its not really a direct representation of iridescence, but more like how a 4-D rendering program registers iridescence. It looks a bit like a rainbow; it can also resemble chrome. I was interested in thinking about iridescence as something you see within the cabaret industry: Im painting exotic dancers and bartenders who wear these outfits that are made of glittering, radiant materials. (They also wear a lot of fishnets; its really evil to paint fishnets, but they echo the aurora pattern, which similarly curves around the women.) But I also was interested in the aurora as a representation of what it feels like to fetishize a screenwhen you touch a screen and the color starts separating and swirls around like colorful wood grain.

I am always trying to figure out how to reposition a viewer in relationship to the Black women that my work represents. With natural iridescence, in order to see the change of color, you have to move around, or the light has to change. I try to create a similar experience with my paintings, where theres a different experience whether youre up close or far away, almost as if Im trying to figure out a way to disperse or reorient our societys relationship to Black femininityand a very specific type of Black femininity that is both underrepresented and a part of everyday aesthetics, to the point that it is almost never associated with high culture.

The paintings also mimic moir patterns, which happen when two pattern systems cant quite register on top of each other. I take the photographs I find and digitally over- and underexpose them; painting from these edits creates a little bit of an optical illusion that interrupts the pictorial space. Im making images of women who are incredibly sexy and who work in an industry where they present their bodies to be commodified, so I always feel like I have to refuse that by obscuring or interrupting your viewing of the painting. (I tend to select heavily tattooed women to paint; the patterns end up getting confused, turning into a kind of camouflage, or another interruption.) The moir pattern also represents the simultaneous over- and underexposure of these women. Theyre systematically devalued in our society, but their aesthetics have filtered into popular beauty culture.

The new works all have this additional layer of large codes made of numbers and characters that are overlaid on top of everything else. My source materials have a lot of watermarks from photographers, but I also was thinking of captchas, which websites use to identify you as a human. In our society, Black women particularly have to authenticate themselves, to prove themselves. I want to deal with the tension between the figure of the partially human or subhumanwhich Black femininity has always had to contend withand the superhuman or posthuman, represented by the bodies of these Black women who modify themselves to participate in this industry.

These codes dont just obscure; they also foreground the value of paintings as commodities that must be protected. (Because of their source images, the paintings often show women holding expensive liquor or stacks of cash, which is another way they point to the idea of value.) With their codes, these paintings can authenticate themselves; theyre already prepared for circulation. Hopefully, Ill be able to do an installation where they can be shown not just on the walls, but on storage racks in vaults that are unlocked by their codes. I have always tried to figure out how to protect my art; I think the vaults are a little bit about me wanting to control the conditions under which my art is shown, seen, and stored.

As told to Tina Rivers Ryan

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Caitlin Cherry on digital abstraction and Black femininity - Artforum

25 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine – Bangor Daily News

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The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom.

Another 25 cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in Maine, health officials said Sunday.

Sundays count brings the total coronavirus cases reported in Maine to 3,814. Of those, 3,408 had been confirmed positive, while 406 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (2), Cumberland (8), Kennebec (1), Sagadahoc (3), Oxford (1), Franklin (1) and York (7) counties, Maine CDC data show.

The agency revised Saturdays cumulative total to 3,789, down from 3,790, meaning there was a net increase of one over the previous days report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the states cumulative total.

No new deaths were reported Sunday, leaving the statewide death toll at 119. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 381 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 14 people are currently hospitalized, with 10 in critical care and three on ventilators.

Meanwhile, three more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,284. That means there are 411 active and probable cases in the state, up from 390 on Saturday.

A majority of the cases 2,126 have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Sunday, there have been 158,251 negative test results out of 163,251 overall. Just under 3 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 2,011 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths 68 have been concentrated. It is one of four counties the others are Androscoggin, Penobscot and York, with 534, 139 and 621 cases, respectively where community transmission has been confirmed, according to the Maine CDC.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel. That second condition has not yet been satisfied in other counties.

Other cases have been reported in Aroostook (31), Franklin (46), Hancock (19), Kennebec (158), Knox (25), Lincoln (33), Oxford (49), Piscataquis (3), Sagadahoc (43), Somerset (34), Waldo (60) and Washington (7) counties. Information about where one case was reported wasnt immediately available Friday morning.

As of Sunday morning, the coronavirus has sickened 4,181,268 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 146,484 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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25 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine - Bangor Daily News

Coronavirus daily news updates, July 25: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world – Seattle Times

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Editors note:This is a live account of COVID-19 updates from Saturday, July 25 as the day unfolded. It is no longer being updated. Clickhereto see all the most recent news about the pandemic, andclick hereto find additional resources.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to cripple Americans whose families have experienced layoffs in the past several months, and a new poll shows nearly half of those families believe those jobs are lost forever. But negotiations over a new COVID-19 rescue bill were still in flux Friday after the White House floated cutting an unemployment benefits boost to as little as $100.

In King County, the top health official warned residents Friday that the current seven-day average of new coronavirus cases has reached the highest its been since the beginning of April, and urged community members to start making long-term fundamental changes.

Throughout Saturday, on this page, well be posting updates on the pandemic and its effects on the Seattle area, the Pacific Northwest and the world. Updates from Friday can be foundhere, and all our coronavirus coverage can be foundhere.

After facing intense scrutiny for planning to air a baseless conspiracy theory that infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci helped to create the coronavirus, conservative TV broadcaster Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Saturday that it will delay the segment to edit the context of the claims.

Sinclair, which has 191 stations across the country, received backlash this week after America This Week host Eric Bolling interviewed Judy Mikovits, a former medical researcher featured in the debunked Plandemic conspiracy online film.

In the Sinclair interview, Mikovits claimed that Fauci manufactured the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. A chyron during the segment reads, DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?

Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman dropped other unfounded allegations during the show, including President Donald Trump soft-pedaling relations with China because he has evidence of the countrys involvement with the inception of the virus.

The show was released online earlier this week before it was to be aired on local news channels. The segment was first reported by Media Matters, a left-leaning media watchdog. As of Saturday afternoon, the show was pulled from Sinclair websites.

Read the full story here.

The Washington Post

If your town is partly closed or youre wary of travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, it might feel as if your phones map app is just sitting there gathering digital dust. But even if youre not tappingApples MapsorGoogle Mapsto explore an exotic vacation spot or to belt out turn-by-turn directions on a long road trip this summer, your interactive travel aid can be useful. Here are a few things you can do.

Find whats open or closed

Major U.S. cities have been in varying stages of closure for months, and it may be hard to remember which businesses are open. While a local governments website should have general guidelines posted, both the iOS Maps app from Apple and Google Maps (forAndroidandiOS) have been updating their map labels and listings pages for specific businesses to note adjusted hours, any curbside pickup service and temporary closures.

But what if you find outdated details? In Apples Maps app, tap the name of the business on the map and, when its information page opens, scroll down and tap Report an Issue; you canreport other cartographic issues by tapping the encircled i in the top-right corner of the map itself. In Google Maps, select a business and scroll down on its information page to the Suggest an edit option.

Find restaurants

Many dining establishments have struggled during the pandemic, as some have stayed open with reduced service while others have been forced to close. Apples Maps app often notes temporary or permanent closures and operating hours on its Yelp-assisted restaurant listings pages. As part of itsCOVID-19 updates, Google now adds a line on a restaurants info page that lists the status of dine-in, takeout and delivery service.

Like Google Maps, Apples Maps includes the restaurants phone number and website for details straight from the source. Use this contact information to confirm current delivery and takeout services along with any outdoor-dining options.

Find a COVID-19 testing site

State and local health departments manage testing, but if you have coronavirussymptomsor your medical provider advises you toget tested, find a facility. Apple and Google now include the locations of COVID-19 testing sites in their maps apps using data gleaned from government agencies, public-health departments and health care institutions.

Read the full story here.

The New York Times

After a Mexican orchard worker died earlier this month from COVID 19 complications, the state Department of Labor & Industries is demanding changes in the farm labor camps of a major eastern Washington fruit grower that employed the man in Okanogan County.

The order and notice of restraint results from several site visits in an investigation of a Gebbers Farms labor camp where the worker, who died July 8, was lodged. The notice requires Gebbers to either remove bunk beds in this and other company labor camps, or comply with a state rule that requires camp workers to be in groups that live, travel and labor together.

We take this very seriously. The choice is pretty simple. Stop using bunk beds or follow all the requirements, said Tim Church, a Labor & Industries spokesman who added that the unusual action reflects the risks of the disease spreading to other workers.

Failure to comply with the order carries the risk of criminal penalties.

In a statement, the family-own companys chief executive officer, Cass Gebbers, disputed the Labor departments description of their COVID-19 protocols, which he said were reviewed by a consultant who also serves as a program officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The accusations are simply false, Gebbers said in the statement that declared workers already are properly separated into distinct groups that live and work together, although the company cannot dictate what happens during off-duty hours.

Read the full story here.

Hal Bernton

State health officials reported 1,025 new COVID-19 cases in Washington as of Friday night, but the number of deaths dropped by one, from 1,495 to 1,494, when the state removed one death from its official tally.

State Department of Health spokesman Frank Ameduri was checking with state epidemiologists about the reason for the lower number, but said that over time, some causes of death are found to be unrelated to COVID-19.

The update brings the states totals to 51,849 cases and 1,494 deaths, meaning that 2.9% of people diagnosed in Washington have died, according to the state Department of Health (DOH). The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Friday.

So far, 903.674 tests for the novel coronavirus have been conducted in the state, per DOH. Of those, 5.7% have come back positive.

In King County, the state most populous, state health officials have confirmed 14,249 diagnoses and 644 deaths in King County, accounting for a little less than half of the states COVID-19 death toll.

Nicole Brodeur

Washington'sstatewide face covering order expands Saturday to require face coverings in any indoor setting outside of people's residence and not just in public buildings.

The order expands the outdoor requirement to nonpublic settings when people can't maintain at least 6 feet of distance from nonhousehold members, including common areas in apartment buildings, condos, Greek houses and assisted living facilities.

"The current orders about face coverings are intended to increase the use of face coverings and emphasize their critical importance to our overall strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19," the state Department of Health (DOH) said in a statement released Saturday.

As many as 30 to 50% of infections occur before people have symptoms, according to DOH.

"You could be infected and not know it, but a cloth face covering greatly reduces the distance respiratory droplets travel, and that protects everyone."

The department asked people to keep staying home even if it's hard and said hanging out and socializing in close proximity to others "is one of the worst things we can do right now."

Christine Clarridge

The tallies for people hospitalized in New York with the coronavirus are continuing to drop to the lowest levels since the pandemic began, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.

There were at least 646 people hospitalized in the state on Friday, a new low since March 18 and down slightly from the previous day, the Democratic governor said in a statement. The number of reported deaths in the state rose by one, to 10.

Daily statewide statistics show New York with more than 750 newly confirmed cases, representing only about 1% of all tests performed. The true number of cases is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

New York, once a pandemic hot spot, has so far avoided a surge in new cases like those plaguing other states in the South and West. But Cuomo has repeatedly warned New Yorkers could be at risk if they abandon social distancing, face coverings and other practices adopted to stop the spread of the virus.

The Associated Press

The governor of Lombardy, Italys hardest-hit region in the pandemic, acknowledged Saturday that he is being investigated by Milan prosecutors over a lucrative contract to obtain protective medical gowns from his brother-in-laws company.

The contract for 75,000 gowns reportedly was awarded without public bidding in April, when the coronavirus outbreak was devastating Italy, Italian news reports said.

Gov. Attilio Fontana said in a Facebook post about the probe that he represents the region responsibly and was confident about the correctness of Lombardys actions.

The governor insisted that the region never paid for the gowns, which were reportedly eventually donated to Lombardy.

Fontanas wife has a minor stake in the company, according to Italian media.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

Frances coronavirus infection rate crept higher Saturday and Spain cracked down on nightlife but German authorities were confident enough to send a cruise ship out to sea with 1,200 passengers for a weekend test of how the cruise industry can begin to resume.

French health authorities said the closely watched R gauge is now up to 1.3, suggesting that infected people are contaminating 1.3 other people on average. That means the virus still has enough victims to keep on going instead of petering out.

Frances daily new infections are also rising up to 1,130 on Friday.

We have thus erased much of the progress that wed achieved in the first weeks of lockdown-easing, health authorities said, adding that the French appear to be letting down their guard during their summer vacations and those testing positive are making less of an effort to self-isolate.

In Spain, Catalonia became the latest region to crack down on nightlife, trying to tamp down on new infection clusters.

India, which has the worlds third-highest infections behind the United States and Brazil, reported its death toll rose by 740 to 30,601. It saw a surge of more than 49,000 new cases, raising its total to over 1.2 million.

South Africa, Africas hardest-hit country, reported more than 13,000 new cases, raising its total to over 408,000.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

What if these are the good old days?

Depressing as that might seem after the coronavirus pandemic has claimed well over 630,000 lives worldwide, cost tens of millions their jobs and inflicted untold misery across the planet, its entirely possible increasingly likely, some say that things will get worse before they get better.

Americans in particular have been optimists by nature for the better part of four centuries. But even here, a bleak dystopian vision is emerging in some corners. Its not pretty.

It imagines a not-too-distant future where well all look back with nostalgia at 2020 as a time when most of us had plenty of food and wine, could get many of the goods and services we needed, and could work from home at jobs that still paid us.

This could be as good as it gets, so lets take pleasure in what we have now, Katherine Tallman, the CEO of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, an indie cinema in Brookline, Massachusetts, told a recent Zoom roundtable.

The pandemic continues to buffet the planet economically, dashing hopes that the worst of the joblessness might be behind us.

For 18 consecutive weeks now, more than a million Americans have sought unemployment benefits. New infections have been surging in states like Florida and California that power the economy, threatening peoples health and livelihoods for the foreseeable future.

Thats bad. But in online forums and on social media, futurists see the potential for worse. Much worse. Their musings arent for the faint of heart.

Read the story here.

William J. Kole, The Associated Press

A skilled nursing and rehabilitation center in Puyallup is in the middle of a COVID-19 outbreak,with 61 confirmed cases. All 61 cases are still positive, company spokesperson Timothy Killian said.

Life Care Center of South Hill has reported the death of at least one client from COVID-19 as of July 21, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported.The death occurred three weeks ago.

Killian said 28 patients and 33 staff members have tested positive as of Friday at the center on 7th Street Southeast. The test results were received in the past week.

Of 31 patients, only three have not been infected with the coronavirus.

Killian said Life Care staff at the South Hill facility have worked at only the one building since early March.

Josephine Peterson, The News Tribune

By his estimation, Stephen Santa took Pennsylvanias coronavirus lockdown seriously: He pretty much went only to grocery stores and picked up takeout once a week to help Pittsburghs restaurants.

Whatever Santa and everyone else in Pittsburgh did, it seemed to work: The city racked up a fraction of the coronavirus cases during the spring shutdown, while the other side of Pennsylvania flared up into a hot spot.

With a state-mandated masking order in place, Pittsburghs gyms, salons, bars and restaurants got permission to reopen in early June, ahead of many parts of Pennsylvania, as part of the so-called green phase in Gov. Tom Wolfs three-step stoplight-colored reopening plan.

Santa promptly went to a nearby Italian restaurant for a meal in its outdoor courtyard with a couple relatives.

When they got there, around 5 p.m. on a Tuesday, it was practically empty. When they left, it was packed inside: every table full, no masks and nobody keeping 3 feet (1 meter) apart, never mind 6 feet (2 meters) apart.

I think partly a lot of people saw the word green and it meant go and were going back how things were,' Santa said.

Barely three weeks later, officials in Allegheny County home to Pittsburgh and 1.2 million residents raised the alarm over a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The culprit? Primarily, people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who told contact tracers that they had been visiting bars and restaurants or working in them, county officials said.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

If Black, Hispanic and Native Americans are hospitalized and killed by the coronavirus at far higher rates than others, shouldnt the government count them as high risk for serious illness?

That seemingly simple question has been mulled by federal health officials for months. And so far the answer is no.

But federal public health officials have released a new strategy that vows to improve data collection and take steps to address stark inequalities in how the disease is affecting Americans.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stress that the disproportionately high impact on certain minority groups is not driven by genetics. Rather, its social conditions that make people of color more likely to be exposed to the virus and if they catch it more likely to get seriously ill.

To just name racial and ethnic groups without contextualizing what contributes to the risk has the potential to be stigmatizing and victimizing, said the CDCs Leandris Liburd, who two months ago was named chief health equity officer in the agencys coronavirus response.

Outside experts agreed that theres a lot of potential downside to labeling certain racial and ethnic groups as high risk.

You have to be very careful that you dont do it in such a way that youre defining a whole class of people as COVID carriers. said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

Read the story here.

The Associated Press

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Coronavirus daily news updates, July 25: What to know today about COVID-19 in the Seattle area, Washington state and the world - Seattle Times

Two students tested positive for coronavirus after taking the ACT at an Oklahoma high school – CNN

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The two students tested positive for the virus Sunday, just one day after taking the ACT at Edmond North High School on July 18, according to an ACT spokesperson.

"Upon learning of these positive tests, the school immediately contacted local public health officials, notified ACT, and we have informed all students and test monitors in attendance that day," Tarah DeSousa, the spokesperson, told CNN.

"As part of ACT's test center social distancing guidelines, students and monitors were asked to complete a series of COVID-19 symptom and travel screening questions, instructed to practice social distancing guidelines while on campus, and it was recommended that masks be worn by all."

Students, parents, and test administrators who were in the same testing center as the two students received emails from ACT officials alerting them that they were likely "within the area of one or both of these students for up to 15 minutes."

However, those who took the exam in the same room as the students received a different email warning them that they were probably around the students for hours.

"According to seat assignments, it's likely that you or your child were on the same floor or room as one or both of these students for up to four hours," said an ACT email obtained by CNN.

Fears over testing practices

But for one parent, a cancellation would have been a blessing in disguise.

Greta Rasmussen DeCoster's son, high-schooler Frederick DeCoster, was one of many students taking the ACT on Saturday in Wood County, Wisconsin.

While no coronavirus cases have been reported from his testing center, Frederick DeCoster is now one week into a 14-day quarantine after fearing he may have been exposed to the virus by a student who he said appeared ill. He is worried that if he was exposed, he could pass it on to family members who may be more at risk.

The 18-year-old senior was placed in a room with about 16 other students, only one who was wearing a mask, with a desk in between each of them, he said.

"The proctor waited to ask us if anyone tested positive for Covid or came in contact with someone who tested positive after we were already sitting grouped together," Frederick DeCoster told CNN.

"Almost no one was wearing a mask, even the proctor was constantly taking it off. I didn't feel safe. Then there was a kid sitting behind me sneezing, coughing hard, breathing really heavily. If you were to describe someone with coronavirus showing all the symptoms, it would be this guy. I was really worried."

Although ACT guidelines require test centers to position desks six feet apart, only test center staff are required to wear masks. Students are recommended to wear masks during testing, but not required unless there is a local mask mandate.

The DeCosters said they filed a complaint with ACT officials to bring awareness to what goes on inside testing centers, but were told the investigation would likely take five weeks -- which Greta Rasmussen DeCoster said is more than enough time "for many other students to get the virus from an ACT testing center."

"He was already angry when they started the test, but as soon as it started he realized the boy seated directly behind him was wheezing, breathing extremely loud and fast, sniffling, and repeatedly clearing his throat," she told CNN.

"As a mother I immediately thought of all the other families who attended that test center and hundreds of others around the country that day, who may not be aware that CDC guidelines were not followed at every test center, and who may be at risk or have someone in their family at risk if their child was exposed."

With states across the country bringing children back to school, Greta Rasmussen DeCoster hopes education officials learn from the ACT's issues and incorporate them in their models for how schools and universities can reopen successfully and safely,

A plea to cancel the ACT/SAT requirement

Before the coronavirus pandemic, students spent years stressing about scoring high enough on their standardized tests to get into their dream schools. Now they're still stressing, not just over scores, but also about possibly contracting a dangerous virus.

For Frederick DeCoster, who said he "blew the exam" because he could not concentrate on anything but his fear of contracting Covid and exposing his extended family members to the virus, the issue is about more than just the ACT.

"Many students don't have the chance to take off work or travel to take the ACT," he said. "I'm lucky to be able to study and then travel to retake the test, but in doing so, me and my family's health has been put at risk because they ignored all screening and mask guidelines."

Many other parents and students worry that standardized tests, including the ACT and SAT, are giving privileged students an undue advantage, especially amid the pandemic. Not everyone can afford paying for exam tutoring, taking off work to travel hours back and forth or renting a hotel for the night.

While some US colleges and universities have already suspended ACT and SAT tests as an admission requirement until 2024, many parents and students fear that not taking the test -- even if it isn't a requirement -- could hurt their chances of getting accepted into a good school.

"This has nothing to do with academics anymore," Greta Rasmussen DeCoster said. "This is a life or death situation and that's why I'm mad. They put my child's life at risk and there's really no other way to put it."

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Two students tested positive for coronavirus after taking the ACT at an Oklahoma high school - CNN

Coronavirus in Minnesota: second day of more than 800 new cases – MinnPost

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MinnPost provides updates on coronavirus in Minnesota Sunday through Friday. The information is published following a press phone call with members of the Walz administration or after the release of daily COVID-19 figures by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Here are the latest updates from July 26, 2020:

Three more Minnesotans have died of COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health said Sunday, for a total of 1,574.

Of the people whose deaths were announced Sunday, one was in their 90s, one was in their 80s and one was in their 70s. One person whose death was announced Sunday was a resident of long-term care. Of the 1,574 COVID-19 deaths reported in Minnesota, 1,205 have been among residents of long-term care.

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The current death toll only includes Minnesotans with lab-confirmed positive COVID-19 tests.

MDH also said Sunday there have been 51,153 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota. The number of confirmed cases is up 862 from Saturdays count and is based on 16,272 new tests. You can find the seven-day positive case average here.

Minnesota has reported more than 800 new cases two days in a row. On Saturday, MDH reported five additional deaths and an increase of 803 cases from Fridays count. Four of the five people whose deaths were announced Saturday were residents of long-term care. One person was in their 90s, three people were in their 80s and one person was in their 70s.

Since the start of the outbreak, 4,920 Minnesotans have been hospitalized and 273 are currently in the hospital, 115 in intensive care. You can find more information about Minnesotas current ICU usage and capacity here.

Of the 51,153 confirmed positive cases in Minnesota, 44,431 are believed to have recovered.

More information on cases can be found here.

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MDHs coronavirus website: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html

Hotline, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: 651-201-3920

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Coronavirus in Minnesota: second day of more than 800 new cases - MinnPost

Congress Was Already Broken. The Coronavirus Could Make It Worse. – The New York Times

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The pandemic alone is a call to our elected officials for the type of leadership and vision we expect at a moment of crisis, says the report, which grew out of interviews conducted by Leonard Steinhorn, a professor of communication at American University, and Mark Sobol, an author and expert on organizational development and executive leadership. But we are also facing another reckoning, one over our nations original sin and the racial inequities that have beset our country since its founding.

The study ticks through familiar themes when it comes to assessing the sorry state of Congress: the lack of any real across-the-aisle relationships, a schedule that limits opportunities for interaction, too much power concentrated in leadership, constant fund-raising demands, discouragement of bipartisanship, the negative influence of round-the-clock media, the fact that the most important election for lawmakers is often their primary, and the shutting out of minority-party voices.

It also warns that the shifts toward a more virtual Congress as a result of the pandemic, such as a new system of proxy voting in the House that allows lawmakers to cast their votes without traveling to Washington, could exacerbate the existing problems. If the idea of a remote Congress takes hold, the report suggests, it would be a serious setback to efforts to enhance bipartisan interaction.

Because of the pandemic, Congress was forced to conduct much of its business virtually, and we certainly understand why, the report said. But as much as that may have been a necessity, it should not be interpreted as a virtue.

The document says Congress needs more and not less in-person interaction among members of Congress. They need to learn more about each others districts, hold civil conversations aimed at finding common ground, build relationships of trust that can lead understanding and solutions.

In a week when Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, was verbally assaulted without provocation by Representative Ted Yoho, Republican of Florida, and fellow Republicans ganged up on Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, in a hostile confrontation, the call for civility rang especially true.

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Congress Was Already Broken. The Coronavirus Could Make It Worse. - The New York Times