President Trump won in 2016 by the narrowest of margins in (Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania), against a candidate with rotten personal ratings in an election influenced by Russia and by an . It was the quintessential black swan event — an aberration possible only in unique circumstances.That explanation sounded reasonable after , and would look even more credible should former vice president Joe Biden and the Democrats sweep to victory in nine days. Depending on the magnitude of the Democrats’ victory, the viability of a party infiltrated by rabid white supremacists and self-pitying...…President Trump won in 2016 by the narrowest of margins in (Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania), against a candidate with rotten personal ratings in an election influenced by Russia and by an . It was the quintessential black swan event — an aberration possible only in unique circumstances.That explanation sounded reasonable after , and would look even more credible should former vice president Joe Biden and the Democrats sweep to victory in nine days. Depending on the magnitude of the Democrats’ victory, the viability of a party infiltrated by rabid white supremacists and self-pitying...WW…

A psychiatrist examining what’s happened to America’s soul chooses for his book cover the iconic image from “Planet of the Apes” — a charred, half-buried wreck of the Statue of Liberty.A minister who believes America is God’s chosen nation decides that a Joe Biden victory would mean doom, a crushing of the nation’s essence.And a filmmaker whose work has celebrated the raucous mess of American politics concludes that the reelection of President Trump would be “the end of democracy.”One week before Americans choose their path forward, the quadrennial crossroads reeks of despair. In almost...…A psychiatrist examining what’s happened to America’s soul chooses for his book cover the iconic image from “Planet of the Apes” — a charred, half-buried wreck of the Statue of Liberty.A minister who believes America is God’s chosen nation decides that a Joe Biden victory would mean doom, a crushing of the nation’s essence.And a filmmaker whose work has celebrated the raucous mess of American politics concludes that the reelection of President Trump would be “the end of democracy.”One week before Americans choose their path forward, the quadrennial crossroads reeks of despair. In almost...WW…

Ten months into the pandemic, the promise of a rapid and inexpensive at-home test for the virus remains unfulfilled as companies struggle to overcome final regulatory hurdles.The technology for such tests exists, and early versions are being used in nursing homes and schools. But companies racing to bring the tests to the wider U.S. market must make them more accurate and easier to use before they can meet federal guidelines that would allow sales directly to consumers.Although no single test will end the pandemic in the United States, experts say the ability for people to take a test at...…Ten months into the pandemic, the promise of a rapid and inexpensive at-home test for the virus remains unfulfilled as companies struggle to overcome final regulatory hurdles.The technology for such tests exists, and early versions are being used in nursing homes and schools. But companies racing to bring the tests to the wider U.S. market must make them more accurate and easier to use before they can meet federal guidelines that would allow sales directly to consumers.Although no single test will end the pandemic in the United States, experts say the ability for people to take a test at...WW…

National Mary Jo Copeland, on choosing decency over anxiety and fear MINNEAPOLIS — OCTOBER 19, 2020 — A portrait of Mary Jo Copeland in the food pantry at Sharing & Caring Hands in Minneapolis, on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Copeland is the founder and director of Sharing and Caring Hands, a food kitchen and charity in Minneapolis. (Photo by Jenn Ackerman /for The Washington Post) By There’s always a line. The line gets longer. I wake up at 4 in the morning to start helping these families, but this pandemic never rests. I’ve been doing this work for 40 years, and I’ve never seen pain like there...…National Mary Jo Copeland, on choosing decency over anxiety and fear MINNEAPOLIS — OCTOBER 19, 2020 — A portrait of Mary Jo Copeland in the food pantry at Sharing & Caring Hands in Minneapolis, on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Copeland is the founder and director of Sharing and Caring Hands, a food kitchen and charity in Minneapolis. (Photo by Jenn Ackerman /for The Washington Post) By There’s always a line. The line gets longer. I wake up at 4 in the morning to start helping these families, but this pandemic never rests. I’ve been doing this work for 40 years, and I’ve never seen pain like there...WW…

I’m old enough to remember when the Republican Party was known as the “party of ideas.” That was in the 1980s. Since then it has become the party of pseudo-scandals.The change occurred, as the Princeton historian Julian Zelizer documents in his book “,” because of the efforts of Newt Gingrich, then a Republican backbencher, to bring down House Speaker Jim Wright in the late 1980s. Casting about for dirt he could use, Gingrich focused attention on the fact that the speaker had published a book that was bought in bulk by lobbyists. While the book deal looked bad, it was not against the law or...…I’m old enough to remember when the Republican Party was known as the “party of ideas.” That was in the 1980s. Since then it has become the party of pseudo-scandals.The change occurred, as the Princeton historian Julian Zelizer documents in his book “,” because of the efforts of Newt Gingrich, then a Republican backbencher, to bring down House Speaker Jim Wright in the late 1980s. Casting about for dirt he could use, Gingrich focused attention on the fact that the speaker had published a book that was bought in bulk by lobbyists. While the book deal looked bad, it was not against the law or...WW…

I have already cast my vote in the 2020 election, and I don’t mind telling you I voted for Joe Biden — in part because of his positions on issues and in part based on my assessment of President Trump’s performance over the past nearly four years.But a third factor influenced my vote as well — Biden’s conduct and character that I witnessed personally while working at the White House with him during the first years of the Obama administration. When you work behind the scenes with a political figure, you see what’s real and what’s for show. Most voters have never seen how Biden governs. I...…I have already cast my vote in the 2020 election, and I don’t mind telling you I voted for Joe Biden — in part because of his positions on issues and in part based on my assessment of President Trump’s performance over the past nearly four years.But a third factor influenced my vote as well — Biden’s conduct and character that I witnessed personally while working at the White House with him during the first years of the Obama administration. When you work behind the scenes with a political figure, you see what’s real and what’s for show. Most voters have never seen how Biden governs. I...WW…

The start of President Trump’s rally was still hours away when it became clear that his campaign would not keep its promise.In the days leading up to the Sept. 30 event in Duluth, Minn., local officials had privately pressed the campaign to abide by state public health guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the novel , documents show. In response, the campaign signed an agreement pledging to follow those rules, limiting attendance to 250 people.On the day of the rally, however, Trump supporters flooded onto the tarmac at Duluth International Airport. They stood shoulder to shoulder, many...…The start of President Trump’s rally was still hours away when it became clear that his campaign would not keep its promise.In the days leading up to the Sept. 30 event in Duluth, Minn., local officials had privately pressed the campaign to abide by state public health guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the novel , documents show. In response, the campaign signed an agreement pledging to follow those rules, limiting attendance to 250 people.On the day of the rally, however, Trump supporters flooded onto the tarmac at Duluth International Airport. They stood shoulder to shoulder, many...WW…

When he heard a fellow Democrat was working against his bill to change Virginia’s sentencing laws, state Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey of Richmond sent a text message invoking his high school wrestling career.Morrissey told Michael Mullin, a prosecutor from Hampton, Va., and chairman of a powerful House panel on criminal justice, that in 1974 he had won a state wrestling championship with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, participating against the advice of his physician father.“You have badly underestimated me,” he concluded in the text last week. “Good luck in your primary.” In fact, he...…When he heard a fellow Democrat was working against his bill to change Virginia’s sentencing laws, state Sen. Joseph D. Morrissey of Richmond sent a text message invoking his high school wrestling career.Morrissey told Michael Mullin, a prosecutor from Hampton, Va., and chairman of a powerful House panel on criminal justice, that in 1974 he had won a state wrestling championship with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, participating against the advice of his physician father.“You have badly underestimated me,” he concluded in the text last week. “Good luck in your primary.” In fact, he...WW…

The Trump administration has been pressuring health experts at the to endorse the use of border hotels to hold migrant children before deporting them, a practice the government halted last month under court order, according to federal health officials.Career CDC officials have declined to sign off on a declaration requested by the Department of Health and Human Services affirming that the use of hotels to detain migrant children is the best way to protect them from the spread of the novel , according to one HHS official who has seen the declaration.HHS has the responsibility for overseeing...…The Trump administration has been pressuring health experts at the to endorse the use of border hotels to hold migrant children before deporting them, a practice the government halted last month under court order, according to federal health officials.Career CDC officials have declined to sign off on a declaration requested by the Department of Health and Human Services affirming that the use of hotels to detain migrant children is the best way to protect them from the spread of the novel , according to one HHS official who has seen the declaration.HHS has the responsibility for overseeing...WW…

Eleven days before the 2020 election, the Dow Jones industrial average, the venerable index of U.S. stock market performance, . This number looms large in the argument for reelecting President Trump. In the final debate of the election season, challenger Joe Biden directly addressed the Trump market: “The idea that the stock market is booming is his only measure of what’s happening.” And Trump was happy to agree “401(k)s are through the roof.”But as a closing argument for reelection, the Trump market is a rather limp balloon. Yes, stocks are up during the Trump years — by about . By the...…Eleven days before the 2020 election, the Dow Jones industrial average, the venerable index of U.S. stock market performance, . This number looms large in the argument for reelecting President Trump. In the final debate of the election season, challenger Joe Biden directly addressed the Trump market: “The idea that the stock market is booming is his only measure of what’s happening.” And Trump was happy to agree “401(k)s are through the roof.”But as a closing argument for reelection, the Trump market is a rather limp balloon. Yes, stocks are up during the Trump years — by about . By the...WW…

ISTANBUL — The State Department issued an unusually about new threats to U.S. citizens in Istanbul, saying that the U.S. Mission in Turkey has received "credible reports of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings" targeting Americans and other foreign nationals.A brief statement also referred to unspecified threats against the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul and said services there and at other U.S. missions around Turkey would be suspended. It advised U.S. citizens to “exercise heightened caution in locations where Americans or foreigners may gather, including large buildings or shopping...…ISTANBUL — The State Department issued an unusually about new threats to U.S. citizens in Istanbul, saying that the U.S. Mission in Turkey has received "credible reports of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings" targeting Americans and other foreign nationals.A brief statement also referred to unspecified threats against the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul and said services there and at other U.S. missions around Turkey would be suspended. It advised U.S. citizens to “exercise heightened caution in locations where Americans or foreigners may gather, including large buildings or shopping...WW…

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin delivered a downbeat assessment Friday about his economic stimulus talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying the speaker had “dug in” and “significant differences” remain.Mnuchin’s comments at a White House event came at the end of a week Pelosi had established as an informal deadline for getting agreement on an approximately $2 trillion spending bill in order for legislation to pass before the election. There was no agreement in sight, although Pelosi insisted that she remained optimistic.“You have to be optimistic in a negotiation,” the...…Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin delivered a downbeat assessment Friday about his economic stimulus talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), saying the speaker had “dug in” and “significant differences” remain.Mnuchin’s comments at a White House event came at the end of a week Pelosi had established as an informal deadline for getting agreement on an approximately $2 trillion spending bill in order for legislation to pass before the election. There was no agreement in sight, although Pelosi insisted that she remained optimistic.“You have to be optimistic in a negotiation,” the...WW…

Please NoteThe Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. The United States hit an all-time high Friday in daily new coronavirus cases, surpassing the previous record set during a summer surge of cases across the Sun Belt.Friday’s tally — the first above 80,000 — comes as many states break their records for new infections. The average number of covid-19 hospitalizations has jumped, a trend that cannot be explained by more widespread testing, according to data tracked by The Washington Post.Fourteen states have also reported new highs in...…Please NoteThe Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. The United States hit an all-time high Friday in daily new coronavirus cases, surpassing the previous record set during a summer surge of cases across the Sun Belt.Friday’s tally — the first above 80,000 — comes as many states break their records for new infections. The average number of covid-19 hospitalizations has jumped, a trend that cannot be explained by more widespread testing, according to data tracked by The Washington Post.Fourteen states have also reported new highs in...WW…

Politics President Trump has told mistruths about the 2014 VA Choice Act more than 156 times, seeking to deny the contributions of rivals including Barack Obama and John McCain. By The first time President Trump claimed false credit for the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act — which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2014 — was on June 6, 2018. That day, as Trump signed the Mission Act, a modest update to the bipartisan VA Choice legislation, he seemed to conflate the two. The 45th President One in a series looking back at the Trump presidency. “So it’s now my great honor...…Politics President Trump has told mistruths about the 2014 VA Choice Act more than 156 times, seeking to deny the contributions of rivals including Barack Obama and John McCain. By The first time President Trump claimed false credit for the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act — which President Barack Obama signed into law in 2014 — was on June 6, 2018. That day, as Trump signed the Mission Act, a modest update to the bipartisan VA Choice legislation, he seemed to conflate the two. The 45th President One in a series looking back at the Trump presidency. “So it’s now my great honor...WW…

Vaccine experts on Thursday rigorously debated the Food and Drug Administration’s planned standards for clearing a vaccine quickly for broad use, discussing what level of evidence would be sufficient to establish safety and effectiveness.The FDA advisory committee, in an all-day virtual meeting, did not consider any specific vaccine. The session served in large part as a venue for the agency to try to the public that any vaccine will be held to a high , not the relatively low bar used this year for emergency use authorization for treatments. The FDA said that though it probably will grant...…Vaccine experts on Thursday rigorously debated the Food and Drug Administration’s planned standards for clearing a vaccine quickly for broad use, discussing what level of evidence would be sufficient to establish safety and effectiveness.The FDA advisory committee, in an all-day virtual meeting, did not consider any specific vaccine. The session served in large part as a venue for the agency to try to the public that any vaccine will be held to a high , not the relatively low bar used this year for emergency use authorization for treatments. The FDA said that though it probably will grant...WW…

THE COLLAPSE of the local news industry offers manipulators a mother lode of opportunity: a populace full of questions and a gaping hole where they used to go for answers. A network of nearly 1,300 websites is the latest example of bad actors exploiting the void.The sites described in this week’s report, now in all 50 states, look like any old local news outlet, with names such as Maine Business Daily and Illinois Valley Times. Yet despite a note in most of their “about” pages promising “to provide objective, data-driven information without political bias,” they aren’t really offering...…THE COLLAPSE of the local news industry offers manipulators a mother lode of opportunity: a populace full of questions and a gaping hole where they used to go for answers. A network of nearly 1,300 websites is the latest example of bad actors exploiting the void.The sites described in this week’s report, now in all 50 states, look like any old local news outlet, with names such as Maine Business Daily and Illinois Valley Times. Yet despite a note in most of their “about” pages promising “to provide objective, data-driven information without political bias,” they aren’t really offering...WW…

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed the District about $90 million — or about $130 for each resident — for fighting the novel . Neighboring Montgomery County has gotten $20,000, or about 2 cents per resident.The rest of Maryland and, to an even greater extent, Virginia, are also lagging far behind the nation’s capital, where officials are sensitive to being shortchanged by the federal government and have aggressively pursued reimbursement.Some officials in the D.C. suburbs are quick to note that there is no deadline to apply for FEMA reimbursement for coronavirus...…The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed the District about $90 million — or about $130 for each resident — for fighting the novel . Neighboring Montgomery County has gotten $20,000, or about 2 cents per resident.The rest of Maryland and, to an even greater extent, Virginia, are also lagging far behind the nation’s capital, where officials are sensitive to being shortchanged by the federal government and have aggressively pursued reimbursement.Some officials in the D.C. suburbs are quick to note that there is no deadline to apply for FEMA reimbursement for coronavirus...WW…

Please NoteThe Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. America on Friday hit its highest daily number of cases since the pandemic began, recording at least 82,600 new infections and surpassing the previous record set during the summertime surge of cases across the Sun Belt.The put the nation on the precipice of what could be its worst stretch to date in the pandemic with some hospitals in the West and Midwest already overwhelmed and death counts beginning to rise.The current surge is considerably more widespread than the waves from and . The...…Please NoteThe Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. America on Friday hit its highest daily number of cases since the pandemic began, recording at least 82,600 new infections and surpassing the previous record set during the summertime surge of cases across the Sun Belt.The put the nation on the precipice of what could be its worst stretch to date in the pandemic with some hospitals in the West and Midwest already overwhelmed and death counts beginning to rise.The current surge is considerably more widespread than the waves from and . The...WW…

In the final weeks of the 2016 campaign, then-President Barack Obama was a ubiquitous presence stumping for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, making her case as a worthy successor but also emphasizing that his own legacy was on the ballot.Obama is back in the role of surrogate-in-chief for Joe Biden with 11 days left in the 2020 cycle, and though his message is not as pointed, the fate of the 44th president’s enduring impact on the nation is again in the balance.President Trump has systemically sought to dismantle Obama’s policies and degrade his broad popularity, repeatedly leveling...…In the final weeks of the 2016 campaign, then-President Barack Obama was a ubiquitous presence stumping for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, making her case as a worthy successor but also emphasizing that his own legacy was on the ballot.Obama is back in the role of surrogate-in-chief for Joe Biden with 11 days left in the 2020 cycle, and though his message is not as pointed, the fate of the 44th president’s enduring impact on the nation is again in the balance.President Trump has systemically sought to dismantle Obama’s policies and degrade his broad popularity, repeatedly leveling...WW…

Desktop notifications are on   | Get breaking news alerts from Turn on desktop notifications? Local Add to list On my list RICHMOND — Former vice president Joe Biden leads President Trump 52 percent to 41 percent among likely Virginia voters, according to a new — roughly double Hillary Clinton’s margin of victory in the state in 2016. Biden’s advantage cuts across most demographic groups, with regional strength in the Northern Virginia suburbs and the Richmond area. Even many of the bright spots for Trump are dimmer this time around. The president’s 10 percentage-point lead in the solidly...…Desktop notifications are on   | Get breaking news alerts from Turn on desktop notifications? Local Add to list On my list RICHMOND — Former vice president Joe Biden leads President Trump 52 percent to 41 percent among likely Virginia voters, according to a new — roughly double Hillary Clinton’s margin of victory in the state in 2016. Biden’s advantage cuts across most demographic groups, with regional strength in the Northern Virginia suburbs and the Richmond area. Even many of the bright spots for Trump are dimmer this time around. The president’s 10 percentage-point lead in the solidly...WW…

Mayor Tim Kabat was already on edge as thousands of students returned to La Crosse, Wis., to resume classes this fall at the city’s three colleges. When he saw young people packing downtown bars and restaurants in September, crowded closely and often unmasked, the longtime mayor’s worry turned to dread.Now, more than a month later, La Crosse has endured in cases — a wildfire of infection that first appeared predominantly in the student-age population, spread throughout the community and ultimately ravaged elderly residents who had previously managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic.For...…Mayor Tim Kabat was already on edge as thousands of students returned to La Crosse, Wis., to resume classes this fall at the city’s three colleges. When he saw young people packing downtown bars and restaurants in September, crowded closely and often unmasked, the longtime mayor’s worry turned to dread.Now, more than a month later, La Crosse has endured in cases — a wildfire of infection that first appeared predominantly in the student-age population, spread throughout the community and ultimately ravaged elderly residents who had previously managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic.For...WW…

It’s one of the defining phrases of the Trump era. Stephen K. Bannon, candidly reflecting in early 2018 on President Trump’s strategy for effective political communication, noted that the real opposition Trump faces is not Democrats, but the media.“And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with sh-t,” Trump’s former adviser .The phrase launched a thousand laments: Trump’s lies work! Their sheer relentlessness has mesmerized voters into distrusting all legitimate sources of authority! Trump’s reality-bending mysticism has reduced us to a nation of epistemic zombies, rendering...…It’s one of the defining phrases of the Trump era. Stephen K. Bannon, candidly reflecting in early 2018 on President Trump’s strategy for effective political communication, noted that the real opposition Trump faces is not Democrats, but the media.“And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with sh-t,” Trump’s former adviser .The phrase launched a thousand laments: Trump’s lies work! Their sheer relentlessness has mesmerized voters into distrusting all legitimate sources of authority! Trump’s reality-bending mysticism has reduced us to a nation of epistemic zombies, rendering...WW…

Please NoteThe Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. , the biotechnology firm partnering with the National Institutes of Health to develop a , announced Thursday that it has fully enrolled its trial, with 30,000 participants — more than a third of whom are .The vaccine trials have been closely watched to ensure they reflect the of the U.S. population at a minimum, and Moderna’s enrollment was slowed in September to recruit more minorities. A fifth of the participants are Hispanic and 10 percent are Black, according to data released by the...…Please NoteThe Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free. , the biotechnology firm partnering with the National Institutes of Health to develop a , announced Thursday that it has fully enrolled its trial, with 30,000 participants — more than a third of whom are .The vaccine trials have been closely watched to ensure they reflect the of the U.S. population at a minimum, and Moderna’s enrollment was slowed in September to recruit more minorities. A fifth of the participants are Hispanic and 10 percent are Black, according to data released by the...WW…

The debate commission muted his microphone. President Trump’s own advisers told him to pipe down. Heck, maybe somebody slipped some Ambien into his Diet Coke.And it worked, sort of. Trump saved most of his hectoring and his over-talking of the moderator, NBC’s Kristen Welker, for the second half of Thursday night’s final presidential debate. The more subdued Trump at least made the debate watchable, unlike the first encounter.But there was something Trump’s advisers apparently hadn’t considered when they told him, in more polite words, to “shut up, man,” as Joe Biden requested during the...…The debate commission muted his microphone. President Trump’s own advisers told him to pipe down. Heck, maybe somebody slipped some Ambien into his Diet Coke.And it worked, sort of. Trump saved most of his hectoring and his over-talking of the moderator, NBC’s Kristen Welker, for the second half of Thursday night’s final presidential debate. The more subdued Trump at least made the debate watchable, unlike the first encounter.But there was something Trump’s advisers apparently hadn’t considered when they told him, in more polite words, to “shut up, man,” as Joe Biden requested during the...WW…

Near the top of the list of ways that President Trump’s administration has deviated from established practice was his endorsement of a zero-tolerance policy for families seeking to migrate to the United States.During the second year of his term in office, families hoping to escape violence in Central America or seeking more economic opportunity began arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers to seek asylum in the United States. Immigrant advocates began to notice that children were systematically being separated from their parents and detained in different facilities. The...…Near the top of the list of ways that President Trump’s administration has deviated from established practice was his endorsement of a zero-tolerance policy for families seeking to migrate to the United States.During the second year of his term in office, families hoping to escape violence in Central America or seeking more economic opportunity began arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers to seek asylum in the United States. Immigrant advocates began to notice that children were systematically being separated from their parents and detained in different facilities. The...WW…