#since the start of the pandemic to the election in nov feels not real

[curioscurio]

Wild that i will soon be 23 when it feels like the past year of my life was completely not real

#i measure my life in odd parts like #since the start of the pandemic to the election in nov feels not real? #drawing a blank lmfao #fron there to the jan 5 coup was just christmas and slight relief #then post coup to getting a car just constant depression and anxiety #and then the past few months of new job have been a buzzing slow build of that depression again but also feeling useful #and now post job job like the past month has been a weird on and off of im finally happy again and excited for life and exhausted #sorry just venting??? #ahhh #cw unreality #cw unreality mention

[popolitiko]

Rep. Deb Haaland, one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, on the East Front of the Capitol on January 4, 2019.

The case for a Native American secretary of the interior

Indigenous leaders are calling for Biden to name Deb Haaland to head the department. She would be the first-ever Native American Cabinet member.

By Rachel Ramirez Nov 18, 2020

President-elect Joe Biden already made history by selecting Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian American woman to be elected vice president of the United States. He is also building a transition team that’s shaping up to be majority women and people of color. Now, tribal leaders and environmental activists are urging Biden to break barriers further by appointing the first Indigenous person to serve in a presidential Cabinet position.

A key role they have their eyes on is the secretary of the interior. Last week, more than 120 elected tribal leaders and organization officials sent a letter to Biden, asking the president-elect to select Rep. Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo member in New Mexico, to serve in the Cabinet as interior secretary. The Department of the Interior, organizers pointed out, would be best filled by an Indigenous member, considering it addresses most matters related to tribal land and Indigenous affairs, including education. Haaland told Vox and other media outlets she would gladly accept the offer if Biden decides to appoint her.

“There’s no doubt it would be historic,” Haaland told Vox. “It would be symbolic, and it would be profound, especially when we think about how the federal government essentially threw out their federal Indian policies throughout the centuries and tried to exterminate Native Americans across the country.”

The Department of the Interior oversees 500 million acres of surface land — one fifth of the land in the United States — as well as 1.7 billion acres off the nation’s shores. The agency also manages the Bureau of Indian Education, which has been left underfunded, as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which oversees roughly 55 million acres of tribal land held in trust by the federal government for Native Americans.

The department, in addition, manages the country’s natural resources, a critical role that the Trump administration has undermined. In fact, the Trump administration is currently rushing to secure oil drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — which would impact Alaska’s native tribes who have spiritual ties to the animals that roam the refuge — before Biden can stop it. Trump’s Department of the Interior, currently headed by former oil lobbyist David Bernhardt, expects a lease sale by January, around the time of Biden’s presidential inauguration.

Unlike previous secretaries who tend to adhere to the needs of Big Oil, Haaland would apply her lived experience as an Indigenous person to the role of protecting public and tribal lands, according to Nick Tilsen, a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation in South Dakota and CEO of NDN Collective, an organization dedicated to building Indigenous power.

“Corporations have a stranglehold of influencing the interior department for generations, which is why they have so much power,” he said. “So someone like Deb Haaland would be the right person to stand up to these corporations and make sure that the Department of the Interior stands up for the Indigenous people, the environment, and lands.”

A Native American interior secretary would have “a fundamental respect for public lands”

Aside from overseeing all public lands, the Department of the Interior is responsible for honoring the federal government’s commitments to tribal nations — yet it has repeatedly failed to do so over the years. Several tribal nations have recently sued the Trump administration for numerous violations of the law in the permitting process of building the Keystone XL pipeline that would cross Indigenous lands in South Dakota, Oklahoma, and a few other states. Trump decided to push forward with the development, which is still being legally challenged.

This type of land exploitation and negligence isn’t new. Indigenous groups have been attacked and forcibly removed by the federal government for centuries — from the Indian Removal Act of 1830 to the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 — and until 1948 were even denied the right to vote. The long history of abuse and erasure has sparked ongoing movements from Indigenous communities, some of which have garnered more attention in recent years, like the Standing Rock protests. This election, Indigenous voters came out in droves — many, activists say, to take a stand against the Trump administration, which not only proposed to slash funding for tribal education but neglected Indigenous groups during the pandemic. In the end, Indigenous turnout was key in helping Biden and Harris win battleground states such as Arizona and Wisconsin.

“We’re heading to a time in this country where reparations are real,” Tilsen said. “What reparations look like for Indigenous people is having Indian lands back to Indian hands, and that’s starting with public lands. When we say land back, it means fundamentally undoing the things that have been done to Indian people, so appointing an Indigenous person as interior secretary is a really huge step in the right direction of getting the country’s relationship right with Indigenous people.”

Having a Native American as secretary of the interior could also affect climate and environmental policies. Elizabeth Kronk Warner, dean and professor at the University of Utah’s law school and a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan, said that having someone who’s familiar with Indian country working in Biden’s Cabinet would be a win-win since Indigenous people have access to “a wealth of renewable energy,” which the president-elect has expressed interest in. Throughout his campaign, Biden called for a just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy — which includes solar panels and wind turbines that would be less polluting than oil and gas — in concert with the growing demand for climate action.

Appointing a Cabinet member, Kronk Warner added, who has knowledge of where tribes are located, what their capacity is, as well as the challenges in terms of developing renewable resources is something that could be helpful with the Biden-Harris administration’s vision of equity and a just transition to renewable energy.

“The Department of the Interior plays an important role in outreach to Indian country, so having somebody who is Indigenous and has experience with Indian country and tribes would be very helpful in terms of that outreach and ensuring that the federal government trust duties to tribes and individual Indians are met,” she said. “If an Indigenous person takes up that role, you’re going to have a fundamental respect for public lands.”

Indigenous leaders call for Rep. Deb Haaland to be appointed

Rep. Haaland knows that her name has been floated as a potential appointee for interior secretary. But while she would be happy to take the job, she is in no rush to hear Biden announce his pick.

“As soon as it was clear that Biden would be our president-elect, I was really happy — especially that he wasn’t even in for 24 hours before he got his pandemic task force together,” Haaland told Vox. “The pandemic is his priority and it needs to be that way. It will just depend on when he feels like it’s under control that we move on to the next change.”

In 2018, Haaland made history as one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, along with Rep. Sharice Davids, a citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Kansas. Rep. Haaland is also the vice chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources and the chair of the subcommittee on national parks, forests, and public lands, and sits on the subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States. A bulk of her job is centered around listening to testimonies from community members, many of whom she said have expressed concerns regarding the Trump administration’s moves to destroy sacred sites, the environment, and public lands.

“It’s disheartening. I’ve been on the front lines, really,” Haaland said. “This administration has essentially destroyed and gutted the department and policies. President-elect Biden’s commitment to fighting climate change and protecting our environment is the most progressive we’ve ever seen, and it will fix that.”

The appointment of an Indigenous person as secretary of the interior also aligns with the Biden-Harris plan for tribal nations, a comprehensive outline released in October of their priorities in strengthening tribal nations and addressing key issues such as health care disparities faced by Indigenous communities during the pandemic. And since no Native American has served in any Cabinet position ever in US history, tribal leaders say that the move will be monumental.

“As we think about repairing this country’s relationship with Indigenous people, [Haaland’s nomination would] be historic because the interior has traditionally been about exploiting Indigenous people and our lands,” Tilsen said. “But it’s important that she embraces those of us who are in this movement and use us to build power and shift policies.”

No matter what happens, Haaland said, she just wants whoever leads the Department of the Interior to ensure that the federal government is meeting the needs of Native Americans.

“I trust President-elect Biden will bring tribal leaders to have a seat at the table,” she said. “That’s really half the battle: We have to get back to a place where tribes do have a voice.”

https://www.vox.com/21572229/native-american-secretary-interior-biden-cabinet

#Rep. Deb Haaland

[newstfionline]

Saturday, March 20, 2021

More than 40% of people reported depression and anxiety symptoms since start of pandemic, survey finds (Yahoo News) When COVID-19 was first reported in the United States, many were optimistic that it would come and go quickly enough. But after a few weeks, reality set in and took a toll, not only on our physical selves but on our collective mental health as well. Over the past year, a lot of people have struggled with feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression and despair due to the global pandemic. Many have lost loved ones, missed funerals and births and other milestones, and dealt with emotions that some may not have even experienced before. What has been the overall mental health impact on our nation’s people in the past year? According to a recent survey by Yahoo/YouGov, 35 percent of adults in the U.S. report that their mental health has worsened since the start of the pandemic. And an even larger percentage (44 percent) report an increase in depression in the past year, with 48 percent stating that their anxiety symptoms also increased. “The mental health impacts of COVID-19 are just beginning to be understood fully,” says Catherine Burns, a Vermont-based psychologist and clinical supervisor for COVID Support Vermont. “As time passes, we are developing a clearer picture that increasingly highlights experiences of stress, anxiety and depression across the globe.”

Polluted waters around the world (Reuters) About 4 billion people experience severe water shortages for at least one month a year and around 1.6 billion people—almost a quarter of the world’s population—have problems accessing a clean, safe water supply, according to the United Nations. While the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals call for water and sanitation for all by 2030, the world body says water scarcity is increasing and more than half the world’s population will be living in water-stressed regions by 2050. In the run-up to the UN’s World Water Day on March 22, Reuters photographers used drones to capture dramatic pictures and video of polluted waterways around the world. In one image, a discarded sofa lies beached in the Tiete river, in Brazil’s biggest city Sao Paulo, into which hundreds of tonnes of untreated sewage and waste are tipped each day. Others show domestic waste clogging the Citarum river in Bandung, Indonesia, and sewage flowing into the Euphrates in Najaf, Iraq.

Gunmen kill 13 police in daytime ambush in central Mexico (Reuters) Gunmen killed at least 13 Mexican police in an ambush a short distance outside the capital on Thursday, local authorities said, in one of the worst mass slayings of security forces to rock the country in recent years. Photos of the grisly scene circulated on social media showing a bullet-riddled police car and an unmarked truck, along with officers’ bodies scattered out along the street or still inside the car. The convoy of security personnel was attacked in broad daylight by suspected gang members in the Llano Grande area in the municipality of Coatepec Harinas as it patrolled the area, said Rodrigo Martinez-Celis, security minister for the State of Mexico. The area is southwest of Mexico City and about 40 miles (64 km) south of the city of Toluca, the capital of the populous State of Mexico, which surrounds much of the capital.

British Airways considers selling its headquarters after homeworking switch (Reuters) British Airways said it was considering selling its headquarters building because of a switch to homeworking during the pandemic means it may no longer need so much office space. The shift to homeworking over the last year has already prompted some of Britain’s biggest companies to make changes to their office footprints. Banking giant Lloyds said it would cut office space by 20% within three years, with HSBC aiming for a 40% reduction.

Locked-down Spaniards seethe with envy as Germans flock to Mallorca (Reuters) Tens of thousands of Germans are planning last-minute Easter getaways to Spain’s sun-kissed islands, leaving many Spaniards, who are not allowed to do the same because of a travel ban, upset. “It makes absolutely no sense that in Spain we can’t move between regions but any foreigner can come in ... and spread infection,” said Emilio Rivas, 23, who lives in Madrid. The young tax assessor wanted to get out of town for the holidays but must instead stay home because Spain banned travel between regions over Easter to avoid a repeat of a spike in contagion seen after an easing in restrictions over Christmas. But tourists from European countries with higher infection rates like France or Germany can fly in for a holiday as long as they have a negative covid test result—something even top health official Fernando Simon described as “incongruous.”

Paris goes into lockdown as COVID-19 variant rampages (Reuters) France imposed a month-long lockdown on Paris and parts of the north after a faltering vaccine rollout and spread of highly contagious coronavirus variants forced President Emmanuel Macron to shift course. Since late January, when he defied the calls of scientists and some in his government to lock the country down, Macron has said he would do whatever it took to keep the euro zone’s second largest economy as open as possible. However, this week he ran out of options just as France and other European countries briefly suspended use of the AstraZenca vaccine. His prime minister, Jean Castex, said France was in the grip of a third wave, with the virulent variant first detected in Britain now accounting for some 75% of cases. Intensive care wards are under severe strain, notably in Paris where the incidence rate surpasses 400 infections in every 100,000 inhabitants.

US-Russia ties nosedive after Biden-Putin tit-for-tat (AP) U.S.-Russia ties nosedived on Thursday after Russian leader Vladimir Putin shot back at President Joe Biden’s description of him as a killer. In taking a tough stance on Russia, Biden has said the days of the U.S. “rolling over” to Putin are done. Also Wednesday, U.S. intelligence released a report finding that Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump’s re-election bid. Later that day, Putin recalled his ambassador to the U.S. and on Thursday he pointed at the U.S. history of slavery and slaughtering Native Americans and the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II. Responding to that, the White House said Biden would continue to look to work with Putin on areas of mutual concern but stressed that he was “not going to hold back” when he has concerns about Putin’s actions. Putin had been asked about Biden’s comment during a video call marking the anniversary of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, and he responded along the lines of “it-takes-one-to-know-one,” saying his counterpart’s words reflected the United States’ own problems. At the same time, he offered to have a phone call with Biden to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Myanmar security forces kill eight as Indonesia calls for end to violence (Reuters) Myanmar security forces shot dead eight opponents of a Feb. 1 coup on Friday, a funeral services provider said, as Indonesia sought an end to the violence and urged that democracy be restored, in an unusually blunt call from a neighbour. Ousted lawmakers explored whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) can investigate crimes against humanity since the coup, while authorities arrested two more journalists, including a BBC reporter, media said.

Lebanese are gripped by worry as economic meltdown speeds up (AP) Shops closing, companies going bankrupt and pharmacies with shelves emptying—in Lebanon these days, fistfights erupt in supermarkets as shoppers scramble to get to subsidized powdered milk, rice and cooking oil. Like almost every other Lebanese, Nisrine Taha’s life has been turned upside down in the past year under the weight of the country’s crushing economic crisis. Anxiety for the future is eating at her. Five months ago, she was laid off from her job at the real estate company where she had worked for years. Her daughter, who is 21, cannot find work, forcing the family to rely on her husband’s monthly salary which has lost 90% of its value because of the collapse of the national currency. The family hasn’t been able to pay rent for seven months, and Taha worries their landlord’s patience won’t last forever. As the price of meat and chicken soared beyond their means, they changed their diet. Taha’s family is among hundreds of thousands of lower income and middle class Lebanese who have been plunged into sudden poverty by the crisis that started in late 2019—a culmination of decades of corruption by a greedy political class that pillaged nearly every sector of the economy. More than half the population now lives in poverty, according to the World Bank, while an intractable political crisis heralds further collapse.

Fear and Hostility Simmer as Ethiopia’s Military Keeps Hold on Tigray (NYT) When Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, began a sweeping military operation in the restive region of Tigray on Nov. 4, he cast his goal in narrow terms: to capture the leadership of the region’s ruling party. The party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, had brazenly defied his authority for months, and then attacked a federal military base. But four months on, the operation has degenerated into a bitter civil conflict marked by accounts of egregious rights violations—massacres, sexual violence, ethnic cleansing, and fears that starvation is being used a war tactic—that have set off alarm across the world. In Mekelle, the region’s biggest city, many Tigrayans say they feel that they, not their leaders, are the true targets of Mr. Abiy’s military campaign. Hospitals are filled with casualties from the fighting that rages in the countryside, many of them terrified civilians arriving with grievous wounds. Schools house some of the 71,000 people who fled to the city, often bringing accounts of horrific abuses at the hands of pro-government forces. A palpable current of fear and resentment courses through the streets, where hostilities between residents and patrolling government soldiers often erupt into violence.

Goldman Sachs analysts say they work 95-hour weeks and endure ‘inhumane’ treatment (CNN Business) A workplace survey from a group of junior analysts at Goldman Sachs is about to make you feel a lot better about your job. About a dozen first-year analysts say they are working more than 95 hours a week on average, sleeping just five hours a night and enduring workplace abuse. The majority of them say their mental health has deteriorated significantly since they started working at the investment bank. “There was a point where I was not eating, showering or doing anything else other than working from morning until after midnight,” one analyst says in the report. The survey comes from a self-selected group of 13 first-year analysts who presented their findings to management in February, a spokesperson for the bank said. Few people entering the cutthroat world of Wall Street banking would expect a tidy nine-to-five. But the analysts in the survey are essentially pleading with their employer to cap their weekly work hours at 80.

#headlines #news

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/invincibility-punctured-by-infection-how-the-coronavirusspread-in-trumps-white-house-the-washington-post/

Invincibility punctured by infection: How the coronavirus spread in Trump’s White House - The Washington Post

Spirits were high. Finally, Trump was steering the national discussion away from the coronavirus pandemic — which had already killed more than 200,000 people in the United States and was still raging — to more favorable terrain, a possible conservative realignment of the Supreme Court.

Attendees were so confident that the contagion would not invade their seemingly safe space at the White House that, according to Jenkins, after guests tested negative that day they were instructed they no longer needed to cover their faces. The no-mask mantra applied indoors as well. Cabinet members, senators, Barrett family members and others mixed unencumbered at tightly packed, indoor receptions in the White House’s Diplomatic Room and Cabinet Room.

Five days later, that feeling of invincibility was cruelly punctured. On Thursday, counselor to the president Hope Hicks, who reported feeling symptoms during a trip with the president to Minnesota on Wednesday, tested positive for the virus. Early Friday morning, Trump announced that he and the first lady also had tested positive and had begun isolating inside the White House residence.

On Friday, Lee, Conway and Jenkins announced that they, too, had tested positive, as did Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who was at the ceremony, and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who had recently spent time with the president, including at an indoor fundraiser last week. At least three journalists who had been at White House events in the past week also reported testing positive on Friday. And White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said he was bracing for additional infections among administration officials.

By Friday afternoon, Trump’s condition had worsened, officials said, though they maintained he was “in good spirits.” The president had a low-grade fever, a cough and nasal congestion, among other symptoms, according to two people familiar with his condition who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss a sensitive matter.

Trump was transported about 6:16 p.m. Friday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for further treatment out of what the White House described as an abundance of caution.

As Trump’s condition deteriorated during the day Friday, the president and his team ultimately made the decision to send him to Walter Reed preemptively — and, from a public relations perspective, when he was still able to walk to Marine One on his own, according to one outside adviser in frequent contact with White House officials. They feared the possibility of a further decline, and what that might mean, both for the president’s health and his political optics.

The White House outbreak thrust Washington into a state of heightened alarm Friday, with uncertainty one month before the election about the health of the president, whose age of 74, as well as additional co-morbidities — obesity, high cholesterol and slightly elevated blood pressure — increase his risks of a negative outcome.

Though White House officials have begun contact tracing to try to identify the origin of the outbreak, it is not publicly known whether the Rose Garden announcement of Barrett’s nomination was a superspreader event.

Still, the jarring contrast between the carefree, cavalier attitude toward the virus on display in the Rose Garden last Saturday and the pernicious awakening that occurred Thursday night resembles a Shakespearean tragedy.

The White House’s handling of the period between the first known symptoms — those of Hicks on Wednesday — and the president’s infection, which was confirmed about 1 a.m. Friday, is what experts considered a case study in irresponsibility and mismanagement.

Administration officials at first were not transparent with the public, and have not been forthcoming with detailed information about Trump’s condition since. Meadows told reporters Friday morning only that Trump was experiencing “mild symptoms” and would not elaborate on what those symptoms were.

“I’m not going to get into any particular treatment that he may or may not have,” Meadows said.

On Friday afternoon, the White House distributed a memorandum by White House physician Sean Conley describing Trump as “fatigued but in good spirits.” Though Conley listed the drugs he had administered, he provided to the public no measurements of the president’s condition, nor did he nor any other knowledgeable source submit to questions from journalists.

‘Losing their minds’

Inside the West Wing’s narrow corridors, where staffers for months have worked in proximity largely without masks, what had long been an atmosphere of invincibility turned into one of apprehension and panic. “People are losing their minds,” said the outside adviser.

First, aides fretted about their own risks of exposure. If the president got infected, so might they.

Then they considered the political implications, coming so close to the Nov. 3 election. “We don’t want to be talking about coronavirus and now we’re talking about coronavirus,” the outside adviser said. “The hit writes itself: He can’t protect the country. He couldn’t even protect himself.”

Then they considered the reality that the president could actually get very sick. Trump was unusually quiet Friday, not appearing before cameras nor even calling into Fox News Channel by phone, as he does from time to time.

Vice President Pence, whose doctor said he tested negative for the virus Friday morning, worked from his residence at the Naval Observatory for the day. But other White House officials did not take the same precautions.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the president’s daughter and son-in-law who both are senior advisers and have interacted with Trump and Hicks this week, tested negative on Friday, said White House spokeswoman Carolina Hurley. But she declined to answer questions about whether the two planned to self-isolate, and Kushner was seen at work in the White House on Friday.

Meadows, who also has had regular interaction with Trump and Hicks, did not wear a mask when he briefed reporters outdoors on Friday morning. Asked why, the chief of staff responded defensively, “I’ve obviously been tested. We’re hopefully more than six feet away.”

It was unclear where or how Trump contracted the virus, but his travel schedule has been robust all week. He visited five states between Sunday and Monday and interacted with hundreds of individuals.

The first sign of symptoms inside the presidential bubble came on Trump’s trip Wednesday to Minnesota, where he attended a campaign fundraiser in Shorewood and an evening rally in Duluth.

Hicks, who spends more time with the president than most staffers, tested negative for the coronavirus on Wednesday morning, but started to feel ill during the Minnesota trip. She self-isolated aboard Air Force One for the flight home that night, although some other aides on the trip were unaware she had done so. Hicks took another test Thursday morning, and the results came back positive.

Meanwhile, Trump’s voice sounded raspy at times during his rally performance in Duluth, and he delivered a shorter speech than is typical, clocking in at 46 minutes compared to other recent rally speeches that have stretched well past an hour.

On Thursday, Hicks’s diagnosis was kept secret from the public and even from some of her own colleagues. Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not know Hicks had the virus when she briefed reporters about 11 a.m., but learned midafternoon, as the president was preparing to depart for another campaign fundraiser, this one at his private golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

By then, word about Hicks’s condition had begun spreading among Trump aides. Some staffers suddenly started wearing masks, a sign that something was amiss. A few senior aides were pulled from the Bedminster trip, including McEnany, who had been around Hicks extensively that week and was replaced by one of her deputies, Judd Deere.

Other aides on the trip were Johnny McEntee, Tony Ornato and Brian Jack. None wore a mask on Air Force One, but they did aboard Marine One, considering the helicopter has far tighter quarters than the airplane.

“Trump thought he could go to the fundraiser and keep it secret that Hicks  had it,” Republican donor Dan Eberhart said.

Trump’s decision to proceed with the fundraiser after the known infection of Hicks, someone with whom he had extended recent close contact, went against the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health authorities.

“They knew she was positive and they still let Marine One take off with the president. Why didn’t they ground him? That was the break in protocol,” said Kavita Patel, a practicing physician and former health adviser in the Obama White House. “The CDC’s protocol clearly states that as soon as anybody, i.e. Hope Hicks, was confirmed positive, anybody she came into close contact with for at least 48 hours prior should have at least isolated.”

In Bedminster, Trump held a roundtable fundraiser indoors where donors were sitting around the table with him. Masks were not worn in the room. The president then went outdoors to address a larger group, and some of those attendees wore masks, people present said.

Many of the attendees were elderly, a mix of real estate figures and Trump friends, including Keith Frankel, a vitamins executive who had worked with Trump on hydroxychloroquine, an ­anti-malarial drug Trump had falsely touted as a coronavirus cure.

“It was mostly the same stuff you hear him say on TV,” Frankel said of the president’s remarks, describing them in an interview late Thursday before Trump had tested positive.

En route back to the White House, Trump acknowledged Hicks’s diagnosis to his traveling team and said he was going to be tested, people with knowledge of his comments said.

News of Hicks’s infection came late in the evening — not in a public release by the White House, but rather from a Bloomberg News report, which White House officials quickly confirmed. About 10 p.m., Trump called into his friend Sean Hannity’s show on Fox for a pre-scheduled interview, where the host asked him about Hicks contracting the virus. Trump said he had taken a test and was awaiting his results.

“You know, it’s very hard,” the president said, his voice again sounding raspy. “When you’re with soldiers, when you’re with airmen, when you’re with Marines, and I’m with — and the police officers. I’m with them so much. And when they come over here, it’s very hard to say, ‘Stay back, stay back.’ It’s a tough kind of a situation. It’s a terrible thing. So, I just went for a test, and we will see what happens. I mean, who knows?”

In another breach of standard protocol for controlling the spread of the virus, not everyone who had come into contact with the president was immediately notified by the White House’s contact tracers. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who had been helping Trump with debate preparation earlier this week, said Friday afternoon that he had not been contacted. In addition, at least one journalist who tested positive after traveling with the president this week also had not heard from the White House as of Friday afternoon.

‘No one was distanced’

As White House officials worked to trace the origin of the outbreak, they became concerned about a series of events Saturday: Barrett’s Rose Garden announcement and the private indoor receptions surrounding it.

A feeling of invincibility from the virus was pervasive. Guests were administered rapid coronavirus tests upon arrival and waited in a room wearing masks, according to Jenkins, the Notre Dame president. Then, he wrote in a statement Friday, “we were notified that we had all tested negative and were told that it was safe to remove our masks.”

Once escorted outside, guests mingled in the Rose Garden shaking hands and hugging, then took seats positioned closely together. Jenkins said he regretted “my mistake” of not wearing a mask and shaking hands at the event.

The mixing continued at indoor receptions to celebrate Barrett, which two White House officials said Friday have caused deep concern within the president’s circle. They were attended by Cabinet members, senators, Barrett’s family, family members of the late Justice Antonin Scalia and other guests, including Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

“They were all mingling without masks and in close quarters,” one of the officials said. “No one was distanced.”

Rochelle Walensky, chief of the division of infectious disease at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said a negative test is hardly a guarantee of immunity.

“People believe that if their test is negative, then they should be fine and the truth is that means you’re fine today,” Walensky said. “It doesn’t even mean you’re fine tonight, as the Thursday testing demonstrated.”

On the Friday night before the Barrett announcement, Trump attended an indoor fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, along with McDaniel, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, lobbyist Brian Ballard and a coterie of Trump aides and allies.

McDaniel, who then spent two days with the president before beginning to show symptoms earlier this week, tested positive for the virus on Wednesday. She told the president about her infection on Friday morning, although she had notified some White House officials before then, according to two people familiar with the situation. She attempted to reach Trump sooner but did not get through to him and spoke instead with a White House doctor.

Trump’s non-socially distanced interactions continued throughout the week. After the Barrett announcement, Trump traveled to Middletown, Pa., to hold an evening campaign rally. On Sunday, he played golf at his private club in Northern Virginia, held a news conference at the White House and hosted a reception for Gold Star parents. On Monday, Trump spoke in the Rose Garden to update the nation on the coronavirus.

All the while, Trump held debate preparation meetings with Christie, Hicks, Conway, personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani and a handful of other advisers. Neither Trump nor Hicks showed symptoms or wore a mask, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

“He was totally like himself,” Conway said. 

Trump traveled Tuesday afternoon to Cleveland for his first debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden. The candidates’ podiums stood 12 feet 8 inches apart, roughly double the recommended social distancing space of six feet, according to Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., co-chair of the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

Fahrenkopf said the commission adopted changes to the routine because of the pandemic, including killing the typical meet-and-greet backstage. Everybody in the debate hall — other than Trump, Biden and moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News — was required to test negative for the virus and to wear a mask.

“The first family came in wearing masks, but they took them off,” Fahrenkopf said. “The rules said you had to wear a mask.”

Trump’s schedule continued apace Wednesday and Thursday. When he spoke about the virus in the Rose Garden on Monday afternoon, the president all but declared victory over the virus.

“Tremendous progress is being made,” he said. “I say, and I’ll say it all the time: We’re rounding the corner. And, very importantly, vaccines are coming, but we’re rounding the corner regardless.”

He could not have known then what was yet to come.

Amy Gardner contributed to this report.

#coronavirus #infection #invincibility #punctured #spread #trump #white #Politics

[coronavirusremediationservices]

With no end to the pandemic in sight, coronavirus fatigue grips America

Gabe Rice began sheltering in his suburban Phoenix home with his wife and three youngest children in March. They worked remotely, learned remotely and put social events on hold to hunker down alongside much of the country.

It was challenging and frustrating, but, Rice initially assumed, temporary. It seemed like a plausible plan to help the nation get the pandemic under control within a couple of months.

But Arizona’s economic reopening in May, urged by Gov. Doug Ducey (R), was soon followed by a spike in coronavirus infections in June, which became a terrible surge in hospitalizations and deaths by July.

Then came August, and the devastating realization for many Americans that the pandemic, which has killed at least 159,000 people across the country and sickened more than five million, is far from over.

“It’s difficult when you think you have a light at the other end of the tunnel to look forward to, and then all of a sudden you realize it’s a train,” said Rice, 44, a program coordinator at Arizona State University.

An exhausted, exasperated nation is suffering from the effects of a pandemic that has upended society on a scale and duration without parallel in living memory.

The Rice family and millions of other Americans are wrestling with difficult questions about how to juggle school, pay their bills and look after their mental and physical health.

Parents lie awake, their minds racing with thoughts of how to balance work with their newfound role as home-schoolers. Frontline health workers are bone tired, their nerves frayed by endless shifts and constant encounters with the virus and its victims. Senior citizens have grown weary of isolation. Unemployed workers fret over jobs lost, benefits that are running out, rent payments that are overdue. Minority communities continue to shoulder the disproportionate burden of the contagion’s impact, which in recent weeks has killed an average of about 1,000 people a day.

Buck Horton reopened his club, Wo-de’s Chill Spot, in Harvey, La., only to be forced into a second closure —  by the fire marshal’s office, which cited violations of Louisiana’s coronavirus restrictions. Buck Horton reopened his club, Wo-de’s Chill Spot, in Harvey, La., only to be forced into a second closure — by the fire marshal’s office, which cited violations of Louisiana’s coronavirus restrictions. (Emily Kask for The Washington Post) The metaphor of a marathon doesn’t capture the wearisome, confounding, terrifying and yet somehow dull and drab nature of this ordeal for many Americans, who have watched leaders fumble the pandemic response from the start. Marathons have a defined conclusion, but 2020 feels like an endless slog — uphill, in mud.

Recent opinion polls hint at the deepening despair. A Gallup survey in mid-July showed 73 percent of adults viewed the pandemic as growing worse — the highest level of pessimism recorded since Gallup began tracking that assessment in early April. Another Gallup Poll, published Aug. 4, found only 13 percent of adults are satisfied with the way things are going overall in the country, the lowest in nine years.

A July Kaiser Family Foundation poll echoed that, finding that a majority of adults think the worst is yet to come. Fifty-three percent said the crisis has harmed their mental health.

In a podcast released Thursday, former first lady Michelle Obama directly addressed the mental toll, saying she has struggled with the quarantines, the government’s response to the pandemic and the persistent reminders of systemic racism that have led to nationwide protests.

“I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression,” she said.

Historians say that not even the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 675,000 people in the United States, had the same kind of all-encompassing economic, social and cultural impact.

“One of the biggest differences between this virus and [the 1918] influenza is the duration,” said John Barry, author of “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History.”

With coronavirus, he said, the incubation period is longer, patients with symptoms tend to be sick longer, and many take longer to recover. Barry said leaders did not make sufficiently clear early on the simple epidemiological truth that this would be a painfully drawn-out event.

“Part of the frustration and disappointment and depression, frankly, is because of the expectation that we’d be through this by now,” he said.

President Trump repeatedly promised a quick resolution. He conjured the image of church pews packed by Easter. The White House recommended 15 days of restrictions. That was then extended by 30 days, to the end of April. On Thursday, Trump said a vaccine could be ready by Election Day, Nov. 3 — a date well in advance of what his administration’s own experts think is likely.

But the virus has repeatedly shown that it has its own timetable. The first wave of shutdowns helped reverse the frightening trend lines of March and early April but came nowhere close to crushing the opportunistic pathogen. And now the season of the pandemic is indisputably the year of the pandemic.

“This will be a long, long haul unless virtually everybody — or a very, very high percentage of the population, including the young people — take very seriously the kind of prevention principles that we’ve been talking about,” Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview.

“It is within our power and within our will to really get it down to a level that’s low enough that we can do many of the things that would get our economy going again,” he added. “There will be a long slog if everybody doesn’t pitch in.”

Not everyone is experiencing the same level of stress, and everyone’s pandemic struggles differ. Any “essential” worker exposed to high-risk conditions day after day has more urgent concerns than someone merely stuck at home and missing out on summer barbecues.

In Cadiz, Ky., Stephanie Grant has endured one of the most trying years of her life. The 42-year-old lost her job at the end of April. For more than two months, as she waited for unemployment benefits to kick in, she fell behind on her car payment, utilities, insurance and rent for the apartment she shares with her two teenage daughters.

She drained most of her savings trying to remain afloat. She applied for jobs at gas stations and dollar stores. She pursued becoming a coronavirus contract tracer, but that also didn’t come through.

“I could not get a job anywhere,” she said. “I want to get back out there and work.”

As her stress and her bills mounted, Grant turned to a Kentucky nonprofit focused on housing and homelessness. The group helped her catch up on her rent, and the arrival of her unemployment payments in late July have allowed her to catch her breath. For now.

“Right now, I’m wary. It seems like we are falling apart. The stress, the tensions, everything that’s going on. … People are scared,” she said.

And many people are bored, eager to socialize. In Harvey, La., Marlon “Buck” Horton operates a popular bar, Wo-de’s Chill Spot. But Horton’s bar permit was suspended in late July after complaints about what the state fire marshal described as “a large, non-socially distanced crowd.”

Horton, 39, denied the fire marshal’s report that he served alcohol indoors. He said people simply eager to grab a beer crowded outside, and a passerby posted a video of the gathering on Facebook, leading to the crackdown.

“We’re stuck. We don’t have assistance, and we still have landlords,” Horton said last week. At a hearing soon after, the suspension was lifted when he agreed to pay a fine and abide by the state’s coronavirus rules.

Although some states battered by the virus have made progress against it in recent weeks, it has infiltrated small towns with little previous exposure.

In Mississippi, George County is among eight counties that have been told to delay school reopenings for grades seven to 12 until Aug. 17 because of high rates of virus transmission. Superintendent of Education Wade Whitney realized how serious the pandemic had become locally when a co-worker in an adjacent office became severely ill and was hospitalized for five days.

“When that person catches it, it kind of hits you right between the eyes,” Whitney said. “Small-town George County is not immune.”

That co-worker was Matt Caldwell, the director of operations for the school district and the former head football coach at the high school. Caldwell, a big man who played offensive line for the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the early 1990s, had assumed it would be no big deal if he was infected.

“Boy, was I wrong,” he said. “I definitely underestimated it. I tell everybody I talk to it’s a real thing. Those people who think its just a hoax and all that — I know this, I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anybody.”

Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, has become an oft-quoted expert during the coronavirus pandemic. But she’s also a mother who is dismayed that her son Miles, 7, who should be entering second grade in a Maryland public school, will start the year with online-only instruction.

“I’m absolutely devastated. It’s not learning,” Nuzzo said.

The Washington Nationals host the New York Mets on Aug. 4 in an otherwise empty Nationals Park. The Washington Nationals host the New York Mets on Aug. 4 in an otherwise empty Nationals Park. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) This is not just back-to-school season, it’s also the time when many counties and states hold their annual fairs. Those are being canceled right and left. Professional sports is now back on air, but in most cases without fans in the stadiums and arenas. Major League Baseball is trying to keep its revived season intact after several outbreaks of infection.

And there are the ordinary cancellations so many people have endured — birthdays not celebrated, weddings and funerals carried out over Zoom, trips not taken, loved ones not visited.

Joseph and Kelli Crawford of Gilbert, Ariz., had planned to travel to London in April for their 10th anniversary and for her sister’s 30th birthday. Everything was booked: Flights, lodging, tickets to concerts and plays.

They rescheduled for March 2021. But now they worry that even that might be optimistic.

“I’m crossing my fingers. But I’m also not going to be packing my bags,” said Kelli, 33.

A flight attendant, she also agreed to an 18-month voluntary separation from her work. She’ll keep her health insurance and part of her salary.

But she won’t be bored. All four of the Crawfords’ children, ages 4, 5, 10 and 13, are home. The three oldest have begun remote classes. Their 4-year-old daughter has been aching to start preschool since she saw her older brother do so last year. But there is no virtual preschool, so that plan is on hold.

“It’s one thing for the adults to be lonely,” Kelli said. “But these poor kids, I get so heartbroken about the loneliness they’re experiencing.”

There are glimmers of hope for those staggered by this dire moment: The vaccine development for the novel coronavirus appears to be moving at unprecedented speed. There are promising therapeutics that may lower the mortality rate of those who become severely ill.

The pandemic will someday come to an end, experts promise, because all pandemics have. And though SARS-CoV-2 is a slippery and unpredictable virus, it has not proved as deadly as the 1918 influenza virus that swept across much of the planet.

“In 1918, practically every city in the country ran out of coffins,” Barry said. Victims commonly died at home. “All these things led to much greater fear, which meant that people were also more willing to put up with anything that might help.”

Howard Markel, a medical historian at the University of Michigan, said that though similarities exist between today’s outbreak and the influenza pandemic a century ago, American society was different at that time.

Americans had experienced epidemics of cholera, diphtheria and other diseases in the not-so-distant past. They were accustomed to children dying of smallpox, whooping cough and other diseases.

Rep. T.S. McMillan, a Democrat from Charleston, S.C., with two flappers, dances the Charleston in Washington in the 1920s. Rep. T.S. McMillan, a Democrat from Charleston, S.C., with two flappers, dances the Charleston in Washington in the 1920s. (Library of Congress) Unlike today, most Americans also had little confidence that a magic bullet would end the suffering and exasperation. “Another expectation of our era is the expectation that science will come up with a fix quickly,” Markel said. “None of us have the patience for lengthy processes. We live in an instant society.”

Still, Markel said, despite the seemingly endless nature of the current situation, history offers reasons for optimism. When the pandemic of 1918-1919 was over, for instance, people rebounded quickly.

“They went out and started dancing the Charleston, buying raccoon coats and buying stocks and bonds,” he said. “It went from zero to 60 in no time flat.”

This crisis, too, will pass.

“No question, epidemic fatigue or pandemic fatigue is real. We are experiencing it,” Markel said. “But throughout human history, there have been terrible pandemics and contagious threats. Every civilization, every nation, has come through to the other side. And we will, too.”

[patriotsnet]

How Many Registered Republicans In Washington State

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-registered-republicans-in-washington-state/

How Many Registered Republicans In Washington State

More To The Story In Maine 2020

LATE BALLOTS in Washington State Trend Republican 2020

The coronavirus pandemic and its devastating economic fallout are two major issues that have an impact on the election. NBC News is tracking and updating daily the number of coronavirus related deaths in each state and U.S. territory, as well as the jobless claims as reported weekly by the Department of Labor that counts how many people have filed for unemployment benefits.

Moderates Seeking A Home

Outside the formal party organization, some ordinary Republican voters who dont feel any allegiance to Trump found themselves without a real political home for the past few years. Among that group, Herrera Beutlers stance on impeachment was admirable, and potentially an invitation back to the fold.

A Vancouver man who asked to remain anonymous to avoid what he called the wackadoodles had been voting Republican for his entire adult life. That changed in 2016.

Free trade, open economic policy, small government, none of that is the Republican party anymore, he said. If they stay on the path theyre on, I dont see myself going back.

He also voted against Herrera Beutler for the first time last year because he was fed up with the party as a whole, he said. He might go back to supporting the congresswoman in the future after her impeachment vote.

He doesnt consider himself a Republican anymore, but hes not a Democrat or a third party voter either.

a mix-and-match independent. Im going to look more at character and moderate policy perspectives than I will at rhetoric or extremism on either side, he said.

While the national trends would indicate that there are more voters experiencing the same kind of drift away from their voting history, theres not a very reliable way to track how many of those people are in Southwest Washington.

Most Democratic And Republicancounties In Alabama

Which Alabama counties have the most Democrats and which has the most Republicans?

It turns out even the Reddest of Red states has a drop of Blue.

24/7 Wall Street;recently used voting data and a review of current and historical representation in Congress to determine the political leanings counties across the country. That index was then used to determine the most Democratic and most Republican counties in each state.

Alabama is a solid Republican state but the analysis found pockets of Democratic support. For example, in 2012, 61 percent of Alabama voters opted for Republican candidate Mitt Romney, one of the highest shares the losing candidate received from any state. In Greene County, however, 85 percent of the voters cast their ballot for President Obama. Whats more, Greene County helped send a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in each of the last five Congressional elections.

Thats enough to make Greene County the most Democratic county in Alabama.

And what about the most Republican County? There is a lot of competition for that title but the recognition goes to Blount county, according to;24/7 Wall Street. In 2012, more than 86 percent of voters cast their ballot for GOP nominee Romney, the highest share of any county in Alabama. Also, county residents are represented in the House by the 4th and 6th Congressional Districts, both of which are held by Republicans.

Welcome to Tuesdays Wake Up Call. Lets see whats going on:

Recommended Reading: Who Is Right Republicans Or Democrats

The Washington State Republican Party Is Thriving

Published by Kyle Fischer on September 17, 2019September 17, 2019

From Bellingham to Clarkston, Republicans in Washington State are not only making a difference but providing a voice that is often ignored by Seattle liberals hellbent on out of touch ideological policies that dont work.

Republican and conservative non-partisan elected officials are presenting fresh ideas and implementing innovative solutions to the most pressing issues in our communities, issues that are largely ignored by the one-party rule of Democrats in Olympia and Seattle.

Lets start with homelessness and mental health.; Seattle spends tens of millions to address homelessness and crime but continues to top the charts for worst in the nation in both categories.; Meanwhile communities like Marysville are taking a new approach by pairing much-needed behavioral health services with a no-tolerance policy on criminal activity.

Pierce County, the second largest county in the state, is led by Republican County Executive, Bruce Dammeier. Under his leadership, homelessness in the county has dropped 9% in the last year due to his prioritizing of increased behavioral health services and strict enforcement of laws.

And finally, taxes.; Washingtonians have repeatedly insisted that they do not want new taxes, yet Democrats never tire of finding new ways to make Washingtonians pay including seeking an energy tax, a capital gains tax, a jobs tax, and more all in just the last year.

Democrats Have 12 Million More Registered Voters Than Republicans

UVA Center for Politics Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball posted the latest numbers of registered Democrats, Republicans and Independents in the 31 states that require party registration to vote. Democrats and their friends in the media have been great at getting people to register as Democrats .

Democrats lead the GOP by 12 million registered voters in states that are key in the mid-terms.

Its not good news for the GOP in the mid-terms. Important states now have more registered Democrats than Republicans, and in many, its by a significant amount.

Democrats now account for 40% of the registered voters in those states, Republicans are only 29% and Independents account for 28 percent. Its shocking when one considers they are successfully running on high taxes and spending, a loss of freedoms, Stormy Daniels, and open borders.

There arent many states that are solid red and many are close to becoming blue.

It gives Democrats a decided advantage.

VENEZEULA, HERE WE COME

Its concerning when you consider states like North Carolina and Colorado now have more Democrats than Republicans and others like Arizona are close. We can thank the invasion of leftists coming in from foreign nations for some of this. Certainly, it is what changed California. Foreigners loyal to their native lands are deciding our policies.

THE CHART

You May Like: Kaine Lapel Pin

How Many Registered Voters In Washington State 2021

Voter Turnout. Last updated on 2/03/2021 3:28 PM. Voters can register and update their address through 8pm on Election Day. Therefore, the total number of registered voters may change daily 2020 Report of Elections in WashingtonState. 2019 Report of Elections in WashingtonState. 2018 Report of Elections in WashingtonState. 2017 Report of Elections in WashingtonState. 2016 Report of Elections in WashingtonState. Voter Registration Data & Tables Age Demographics (by gender, Congressional, and Legislative District Early voting in Washington. In Washington, all registered voters are automatically mailed a ballot. They can also vote early in-person. In 2016, 98% of the total votes were cast early Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced Tuesday that 4,116,894 voters, or 84.14% of Washington’s 4,892,871 registered voters, filled out their ballots for the Nov. 3 election. The 84.14% turnout.

Washington Voters Cast Record Numbers Of Ballots In 2020

BUSINESS SERVICES 450 N. 4th Street Boise, ID 83702 P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0080 334-2301 [email protected

S ome 3.5 million more people are registered to vote in the U.S. than are alive among America’s adult citizens. Such staggering inaccuracy is an engraved invitation to voter fraud. The Election.

Voters who are not registered must complete and submit a paper registration form. A fully online voter registration system is expected in 2020. Idaho: Online voter registration, enacted in 2016, went live on December 6, 2017. Florida: Online voter registration, enacted in 2015, went live on October 1, 2017

Number of New applications approved by week, broken down by county . New Voter Apps Party shows a count of new voter applications by county and Democratic, Republican and Other. All by Age contains the count of ALL voters by county and the age groups requested

According to the D.C. Board of Elections, 438,373 of the District’s more than 670,000 inhabitants were registered to vote as of Jan. 31 this year. Of registered voters, three.

<p>Either start with the example below, or design your own scenario. Youâ ve just seen what happens when voter margin and turnout change for, How turnout and swing voters could get Trump or Biden to 270, Trumpâ s 2016 victory was largely driven by White voters. Washingtonstate scores highest Primary election turnout since 1964, Washingtonstate ballot drop box. When it comes to the lowest.

Recommended Reading: Who Lies More Democrats Or Republicans

Which Administration Should Have Been The One To End The Us Presence In Afghanistan

There are more than 10 professors affiliated with the Democratic Party for every faculty member who is a registered Republican, according to a new study.

Mitchell Langbert, an associate professor of business management at Brooklyn College, reviewed the party affiliations of 8,688 tenure-track, Ph.D.-holding professors at 51 of the top 60 liberal arts colleges listed in U.S. News and World Reports 2017 rankings.

Nearly 60 percent of all faculty members were registered as either a Republican or a Democrat, and of that sample, there were 10.4 times as many Democrats as Republicans.

TOP STORIESTexas Supreme Court rules AWOL Democrats may be arrested

The political registration of full-time, Ph.D.-holding professors in top-tier liberal arts colleges is overwhelmingly Democratic, Mr. Langbert wrote in an article published by the National Association of Scholars. Indeed, faculty political affiliations at 39 percent of the colleges in my sample are Republican free having zero Republicans.

There are several shortcomings associated with political uniformity in higher education, Mr. Langbert continued, including biased research and diminished academic credibility.

Studies show that academic psychologists are more likely to study the attitudes and behaviors of conservatives than liberals. They are also more likely to view conservative beliefs as deviant.

There are a few colleges that stood out in Mr. Langberts sample.

Key Point From This Article

In Battleground States, Newly Registered Democrats Are Outnumbering Newly Registered Republicans

Altogether, there are 31 states with party registration; in the others, such as Virginia, voters register without reference to party. In 19 states and the District, there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 12 states, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats. In aggregate, 40% of all voters in party registration states are Democrats, 29% are Republicans, and 28% are independents. Nationally, the Democratic advantage in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Read Also: When Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Colors

In 2021 Republicans Will Have Full Control Of The Legislative And Executive Branch In 23 States

Democrats and independents grow more diverse since 2008. According to gallup.com about 42% of voters claim to be independents. There is a big difference between a state, for example with 7000 registered greens, which had a net increase of plus 200 where 201 new voters registered in to the greens and only 1 left, compared to a situation in the same state where 5000 voters newly registered green but at the same time 4800 left the party. Currently, republicans have 51 seats, and democrats have 47 with two races still undecided. San francisco 62.61% modoc 54.46% santa clara 29.92% Their partisan affiliation was roughly split between three groups: How the county has changed since this time last year: Democrats will have full control of the legislative and executive branch in 15 states. There are roughly 55 million registered republicans. There are 517,562 registered democrats this year in allegheny county, compared to 520,135 in 2016. The counties with the 10 highest percentages of democratic party, republican party, and no party preference registered voters are: According to data from ballot access news, independents make up 29.09 percent of registered voters, while republicans make up 28.87 percent and democrats make up 39.66 percent. In 12 states, there are more registered republicans than democrats.

Video: Voting And Registration

The totals on this page represent counts of registered voters as of the date shown. Actual numbers continue to change daily as county auditors update voter records. Voter Registration by County since 2000 Spreadsheet Voter Registration by Precinct Split Spreadsheet (May 1, 2021 Millions of Americans miss the opportunity to vote because they don’t know how to register or they miss their state’s deadline to register. What we’re doing. As the nation’s largest and longest-standing grassroots voter registration organization, our volunteers register hundreds of thousands of voters and host community voter registration.

Washington With college campuses closed, festivals and concerts canceled, and motor vehicle offices shuttered, the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted not only the normal way of life for millions of Americans, but the traditional means of voter registration during an election year that could attract record turnout. Now, civic groups devoted to signing up new Maine Enacts Online Voter Registration Law. July 26, 2021. WASHINGTON, D.C. Democrats in Maine have enacted a new law that will allow residents to register to vote online for the first time in 2023. The change was proposed by Democrats in the state legislature, where they hold a majority, and signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills last week

You May Like: Which Party Controlled The Senate Before The Elections

Number Of Registered Voters By State 2021

Voter registration is the requirement that a person eligible to vote registers on an electoral roll before that person is entitled or permitted to vote. Voter registration may be automatic or may require each eligible person to submit an application. Registration varies between jurisdictions.

Almost 92 million eligible Americans did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. Voter registration and participation are crucial for the nations democracy to function properly and for the US government to provide fair representation.

Low voter registration numbers and low voter turnout can be the result of several factors. To increase voter registration and participation, barriers to registering to vote, and barriers to voting must be eliminated, such as additional restrictions on identification forms and reforms to ensure all eligible ballots will be securely counted. Additionally, those alienated from the democratic process or discouraged from voting must feel that their voice is heard by their leaders and encouraged to participate in elections.

Some pro-voter policies that have shown to increase voter registration and participation are:

Automatic voter registration.

Pierce County Elections Pierce County Wa

Registered voters in California make up 51.90% of its total population. Hawaii has the lowest percentage of 49.50%. Maine has the highest percentage of registered voters of 77.10% registered voters. Only nine states the District of Columbia have percentages of registered voters of 70% or higher. Here are the 10 states with the highest.

Washington. 3,545,000 people have voted so far. 4,630,000 were registered to vote as of Sept. 1. Voter registration data for 2020 includes only active registered voters in states that report.

Exit Full Screen. OLYMPIA Washington state saw its highest primary turnout in more than five decades, with 55% of the state’s 4.6 million voters returning ballots for last week’s election.

NEARLY 24,000 REGISTERED VOTERS IN WASHINGTON CO. Washington County has its highest number of registered voters in the last 30 years ahead of November’s general election. Monday was the final day to register to vote for the election, and according to County Clerk Beth Rothermel, the county had 23,993 registered voters as of the deadline

Judicial Watch, a right wing legal activist organization, claimed to have discovered in an October 2020 study that 353 U.S. counties had 1.8 million more registered voters than eligible voting.

Recommended Reading: How Many Republicans Voted

Map 1 And Table : Party Registration Totals By State July 2018

Democrats no longer control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or for that matter most of the governorships or state legislatures. But they still maintain a toehold in the political process with their edge in the realm of voter registration. At least that is the case in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by political party. As of this month, 13 of these states boast a Democratic plurality in registered voters, compared to eight states where there is a Republican plurality. In the other 10 states, there are more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans, with Democrats out-registering the Republicans in six of these states and the GOP with more voters than the Democrats in the other four. They are indicated in the chart as I or I. Nationally, four out of every 10 registered voters in party registration states are Democrats, with slightly less than three out of every 10 registered as Republicans or independents. Overall, the current Democratic advantage over Republicans in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Recent party registration numbers used here are from state election websites and are based on totals compiled in early July 2018. Registration data are as of the following months: October 2016 ; February 2017 ; November 2017 ; January 2018 ; March 2018 ; April 2018 ; May 2018 ; June 2018 ; and July 2018 .

The Claim: There Are Just 133 Million Registered Voters In The Us

Despite losing dozens of lawsuits and the Electoral Collegeâs certification of Bidenâs win, President Donald Trumpâs campaign and others continue to promote falsehoods about the credibility and security of the election.

A Dec. 21 , which pulled a screenshot of a Twitter post, claimed Biden somehow received 22 million phantom votes. The post has over 1,200 shares, as of Dec. 30.

âSimple math: Trump got 74 million votes and there are only 133 million registered voters in the USA,â the claims. âEven if everyone whoâs registered actually voted, there would only be 59 million votes left for Biden. So how the hell did Biden get 81 million votes? 22 million extra?â

The Facebook user who made that particular post has not returned a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Another made the same claim without pulling a screenshot from Twitter. USA TODAY has also reached out to this user for comment.

And the Twitter account MSM Fact Checking posted a similar claim on Dec. 18, from which many viral Facebook posts stem.

And then, âJust for complete transparency, even at 65% turnout the total would be just over 138,000,000 voters resulting in over 155,000,000 votes. However you look at it, it doesnât add up.â

You May Like: What Is Difference Between Democrats And Republicans

[covid19updater]

COVID19 Updates: 12/30/2020

China:  Study: Number of infections in Wuhan was ten times higher According to a Chinese study, the number of corona infections when the pandemic broke out in Wuhan was possibly ten times as high as previously stated. According to the study by the Chinese Center for Disease Control (CDC), around 4.43 percent of Wuhan's eleven million residents had developed antibodies against the novel coronavirus by April. According to the study, this corresponds to around 480,000 corona infections in the metropolis by April. That is almost ten times as many as the approximately 50,000 cases officially named so far.

Switzerland:  SWISS CANTON SAYS IS AWARE OF A PERSON WHO RECEIVED A COVID-19 SHOT AND LATER DIED, SAYS HAS REFERRED MATTER TO SWISS DRUGS REGULATOR SWISSMEDIC. LINK

Tennessee:  Ambulances left waiting hours to drop off patients at Memphis hospitals, firefighters’ union says LINK

Arkansas:  Marion, Arkansas police chief dies after COVID-19 battle LINK

UK:  Hundreds more people dying at home than normal, latest ONS coronavirus report shows LINK

RUMINT (UK):  I’m told a major London hospital has told its senior medical staff to brace themselves for the peak in admissions which they believe still won’t come for another fortnight.  I’m also told that in one London hospital, psychiatric nurses and other mental health staff have been redeployed to provide support to staff on ICU. One staff member tells me: “Nurses are walking off the wards in tears, some have resigned. They are dealing with PTSD... .from the multiple traumatic deaths they are witnessing and then having to go back for more. We need everyone to be more cautious. People need to avoid mixing and stay at home. We can’t take much more of this. From an anaesthetist at a London hospital: At various points over the Xmas wkend every CPAP machine (assists breathing, often used to see if patient can cope without intubation, sedation and ventilation) was in use across entire trust. This is a very bad situation to be in. ITU is being covered partly by nurses who are NOT trained in ITU nursing. In some instances paediatric nurses. Many of these people are doing a great job under almost impossible circumstances. But they are not trained for this. The wards are completely overloaded with covid patients. Every night was worse, every night trying to work out how many we could take to to ITU and who would have to cope on the ward for longer. Morale is very low. We all feel the government is continually since April about 2-4 weeks behind what is obvious on the ground. Anaesthesia and intensive care doctors are getting desperate text messages to help with hospitals that are at the epicentre - East London.” To add some empirical context to these experiences consider a few things 1) NHS had been increasingly struggling in winter before 2) A&E wait times have been getting worse for yrs 3) staff shortages were a problem per-pandemic- eg we went into this with 40,000 nursing vacancies. This is why the Nightingales aren’t being used. Because there just aren’t enough staff to fill them. In the spring we rode it out because a) it was spring and b) staff were fresher. 9 months on they are physically and mentally spent and it’s winter. They’re pushing water uphill. The fact that winter would be so bad for the NHS was predictable and predicted. It’s why people like Andrew Heyward said in Nov that Xmas relaxation would add fuel to the fire. It’s also why some public health experts said that early December return to the tiers was a mistake. I’ve seen a lot of you say that you want to see all this on TV. Believe me, so would I. I’m trying to negotiate access to hospitals but securing it isn’t easy. Rest assured, am doing my best. In meantime am technically still on holiday so returning to that for a few days to gear up for what is going to be a v important few months ahead. NHS staff please do keep getting in touch via DM to tell me what’s happening in your hospital. As ever, always in confidence. Do not listen to idiots who say this is all fake or exaggerated. There is a real crisis going in some of our hospitals right now.

Louisiana:  Asked if Congressman-Elect Letlow had any underlying conditions that would have made his death more likely, Dr. G.E. Ghali said: "None. All COVID related."

US:  U.S HITS NEW DAILY HIGH WITH 3,725 VIRUS DEATHS

Texas:  NEW: At least three shipments of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Texas with signs that the shots had strayed from their required temperature range, prompting a delay in other deliveries

California:  LA doctor identifies case of coronavirus-related psychosis in patient LINK

COLORADO: HAS 24 ADDITIONAL SUSPICIOUS CASES OF COVID UK VARIANT

US:  CDC says new Covid strain in U.S. could further stress 'already heavily burdened' hospitals

California:  As COVID slams LA’s hospitals, patients are “piled in administrative hallways, stuffed in the corners, hanging over chairs,” said one healthcare worker. “It was like practicing Civil War medicine. It was the worst shift of my life.”

South Africa: December 30 Confirmed cases: 1,039,161 (+17,710 in 24 hrs) Deaths: 28,033 (+465 in 24 hrs)

US:  Dawn Wells, ‘Gilligan’s Island’s’ Mary Ann, Dies of COVID at 82 LINK

OHIO: TO NO LONGER ORDER QUARANTINE FOR COVID-EXPOSED STUDENTS

China:  BREAKING - China's President Xi Jinping ordered tight controls on coronavirus research hampering experts from identifying the origins of #COVID19, the AP has found.

Georgia: COVID-19, 12/30 Along with cases, growing hospitalizations and positivity approaching 20% are bad signs. Deaths starting to manifest. Cases: 654,743, +9,450 Deaths: 10,846, +67 Current Hospitalizations: 4,560, +123 PCR Positive %: 19.9%

California:  *NEWSOM SAYS U.K. VIRUS STRAIN FOUND IN CALIFORNIA: NBC REPORTER

World:  Exactly 1 year ago today: An 'urgent notice' from the Wuhan Health Commission is shared on social media, reporting cases of unidentified pneumonia in connection with a seafood market. It was the first word about the COVID-19 outbreak.

California:  Several #frontlineworkers at @LLUMedCenter test positive for #COVID19 even after receiving the first round of the @pfizer shot. #NBCLA

Germany:  #BREAKING Germany faces 'difficult times' with virus in 2021: Merkel

US:  New US cases raise fears UK Covid variant is already widespread LINK

UK:  London doctor is 'taken aback' by number of young people with NO PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS now suffering in hospitals with Covid LINK

RUMINT (UK):  Big shift in the UK government tonight. Schools could be shut for six months as new varient begins its agressive assault on young and healthy people. Army is to begin helping police in London with law enforcement. Hospitals are now overwhelmed and they are keeping the numbers quiet.

UK:  NHS hospital staff illness or absence up to three times usual level LINK

France:  France to deploy 100,000-strong force to police New Year’s Eve - as it happened LINK

US:  COVID update: Nearly 3,900 new deaths - New cases: 224,638 - Positivity rate: 14.4% (-1.3) - In hospital: 125,220 (+534) - In ICU: 23,069 (+231) - New deaths: 3,884 - Vaccinated: 2.6M (+461,982)

Washington:  Coronavirus infects nearly 150 Costco employees at Washington state store, location to remain open LINK

UK:  Birmingham hospital issues alert as it cannot maintain safe nurse staffing levels in intensive care LINK

Germany: COVID update: More than 1,000 new deaths for second day in a row - @risklayer - New cases: 28,130 - Positivity rate: 13.1% - In hospital: 27,846 (-49) - In ICU: 5,631 (-14) - New deaths: 1,052

Colorado:  BREAKING: Advocate Aurora now says an employee at its Grafton hospital intentionally removed the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from a refrigerator resulting in nearly 500 doses having to be thrown away

Texas: The Dallas Area’s Two Largest Airports Have Been Temporarily Closed To All Flights, At Least In Part Due To COVID-19’s Spread Among Air Control Staff. LINK

Florida:  Nikki Fried to Gov. DeSantis: Mobilize the Florida National Guard to distribute COVID-19 vaccines LINK

World:  New Covid variant linked to higher viral load in respiratory samples LINK

Argentina:  Argentina begins COVID vaccine campaign with Russian shots LINK

Thailand:  Thailand becomes first country to ban eating and drinking on domestic flights due to COVID-19 LINK

[architectnews]

RIBA News & Events 2020, London, UK

RIBA Events 2020, Architecture Gallery London, UK Buildings, British Architects News

RIBA News & Events 2020

Royal Institute of British Architects Exhibition + Talks + Events in London, England, UK

RIBA UK News

17 Dec 2020

RIBA Future Trends – COVID-19 restrictions impact practice confidence and workload

Thursday 17 December 2020 – In November 2020, the RIBA Future Workload Index returned a balance figure of 0, meaning as many practices expect workload to increase as those who expect it to decrease. It’s the lowest figure since June and a fall from last months’ +9.

Confidence about future work strengthened among large and medium-sized practices (to +25), whilst smaller practices have returned negative predictions for the first time since June at -5.

Private housing continues to be the only sector within which workloads are expected to rise over the coming months, posting a balance figure of +12 in November (equal to October). The nascent recovery we have seen in the commercial sector over the last three months to October has come to an end, falling from -12 in October to -19 in November. The community sector posted a balance figure of -13, down slightly from -11 the previous month. The public sector again slipped back marginally this month, from a balance of -6, in October to -7 in November.

Concerns about future practice viability are growing. Nine per cent of practices expect falling profits to threaten practice viability, a three per cent increase on last month’s figure of 6%.  In London, that figure now stands at 15%.

London remains the least positive region across a range of key indicators: future work predictions, future staffing levels, assessment of future practice viability and personal underemployment. The balance figure for London has been negative since March. November saw pessimism grow further, with London returning a balance figure of -7, down from -1 the previous month.

The Midlands & East Anglia have slipped further into negative territory too this month, dropping 15 points to -22 in November. The South of England remains positive about future work, posting a balance of +9.

Wales & the West retains its position as the most positive area, with a balance figure of +15, although this is down from last month’s figure of +25. The region has been in positive territory for six months. The North of England continues to be positive about future workloads, posing a balance figure of +7 in November.

In terms of staffing:

Remaining the same as last month, the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index returned a figure of +1 in November.

The anticipated demand for temporary staff has slipped back, with the Temporary Staffing Index falling to -1 in November, after posting a +4 balance figure in October.

81% of practices overall expect permanent staffing levels to remain consistent (the same figure as October).

7% expect to see a decrease in the number of permanent staff over the next three months (down from 9% in October).

8% expect permanent staffing levels to increase (down from 10% in October)

Medium sized practices are those most likely to need more permanent staff.

In London, the balance figure for permanent staff is -7 (up from -8 in October), with 7% of practices expecting to be employing fewer staff in the next three months (although less than the 15% of practices in October).

There is some marked regional variation – in the Midlands & East Anglia are anticipating a falling number of permanent staff, whilst demand for architects outside those regions is set to grow

Personal underemployment rose slightly, up from 20% in October to 22% in November.  That figure is within the range of levels we were seeing immediately before the pandemic.

Staffing is at 95% of what it was 12 months ago (down from 97% last month).  Workloads are at 86% of those in November 2019. Overall, 4% have been made redundant since the start of the pandemic (up from 3% in November), though 13% are working fewer hours (down from 19% in November).

RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said:

“Our November Future trends survey results come after another month of fast-paced change in the UK – first a second lockdown and then the confirmation of effective vaccines, giving hopes that an endgame to the pandemic might unfold.  However, as we move through December and into January, the RIBA anticipates that Brexit will have a long-term material and potentially highly damaging effect on the architects’ market, particularly if no deal is reached.

Overall, the future workload index has edged back down to zero, though there continues to be a mixed picture for architects depending on their region and sector. Pessimism has increased in London where practices are more concerned about future viability, profitability and workload than anywhere else in the country.

For projects outside the housing sector, there are reports of clients facing challenges in securing financing, and so delays in project progression. Increasing Covid-19 restrictions have made on-site working either significantly more difficult or not possible and there are also early indications of challenges in getting materials on-site.

We continue to be on hand, providing support and resources to our members as they navigate these challenging times.”

2 Dec 2020

RIBA announces winners of 2020 President’s Medals

RIBA President’s Medals Student Awards 2020

1 Dec 2020

RIBA Business Benchmarking 2020 report notes a challenging market for architects

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (1 December) published its annual summary of business trends in the architecture and construction sectors. The RIBA’s annual Business Benchmarking report tracks the turnover and salaries of UK architects’ and global growth areas for the export of UK architecture expertise.

This year’s report assesses the 12 months until 1 May 2020, therefore reflecting just the initial few months of the Covid 19 pandemic.

The 2020 RIBA Business Benchmarking survey indicates an increasingly challenging market for architects. Though practice revenue fell by just 1%, 2020 is the first year that revenue has fallen since the survey started in 2012, though UK architectural expertise remains in strong demand overseas.

Key trends revealed in the 2020 RIBA Business Benchmarking report include:

• The architects’ profession is contributing £3.6 billion to the UK economy • RIBA chartered practices have maintained their success in overseas markets – collectively generating £624m of practice revenue from outside the UK (compared to £625 in 2019). Whilst the EU is important (accounting for 18% of overseas practice revenue), Asia, the Middle East and North America are each a larger market than the EU. • London is generating an increasing share of the profession’s revenue. This year, £2 out of every £3 of revenue earned by the whole profession comes from practices located in the capital: 67% vs 62% last year. • Larger practices (with 50 or more staff) account for well over half (58%) of all Chartered Practices’ revenue, including 90% of all overseas revenue • Total revenue has held fairly steady in 2020, falling by 1%, after an uninterrupted seven-year run of rapidly rising revenues (in 2019 revenues were up by 13% compared with 2018).

Staffing levels fell by 5%. Staff numbers had increased rapidly year on year since 2013, including an 8% increase in 2019. The 2020 results follow a period of phenomenal growth in which RIBA Chartered Practices saw their revenue more than double between 2012 and 2019, with strong year on year growth and growth in exports.

The period of the results was one with several uncertainties: the risk of a no deal Brexit; paralysis within the houses of parliament; an election and the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, making it a more difficult year for architects’ than the previous seven.

Alan Vallance, Chief Executive of RIBA: “This has been a challenging year for UK businesses and we will feel the impact of the global pandemic on our economy and profession for some time to come. That said, this survey shows the resilience of architects and the significant contribution they continue to make with RIBA Chartered Practices contributing £3.6bn to the UK economy.

The international demand for UK architectural expertise remains strong, with architecture one of the UK’s strong exporting creative industries, generating £624 million of revenue from overseas.

These results reveal the early impact of the global pandemic on the architecture business. Through ongoing research and consultation we are actively monitoring trends and opportunities on behalf of our members as they navigate the forthcoming months and years. Architects are well equipped to add real value mid and post-pandemic, as we reimagine the built environment and the future of the workplace and homes.

We will continue to offer high quality support to our members and enabling them to thrive wherever they live or work.”

Read the Executive Summary of the 2020 RIBA Business Benchmarking report

25 Nov 2020

RIBA responds to Chancellor’s Spending Review

25 November 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today responded to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s 2020 Spending Review.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“Today’s economic and employment forecasts make for stark reading. Medium-term support for individuals and businesses struggling with the impact of the pandemic and a long-term investment plan to keep the country building are essential. The government’s financial support packages have been, and continue to be, critical for our sector.

It’s therefore reassuring to see the Chancellor allocate significant sums of money to continue provisions.

The National Infrastructure Strategy must also be welcomed as a long-overdue framework that should kick-start the development of sustainable transport links across the UK.

While the Chancellor’s comments on increasing ‘pride’ within neighbourhoods and the allocation of £7.1bn to roll out a national home building plan might show some commitment to tackle our housing crisis, the funding fundamentally falls short of what’s required. Local Authorities need adequate money and resource so they can deliver the council houses we need, and those currently facing huge fees for the remediation of flammable cladding need more than the £1bn already pledged.

Finally, wherever the government spends money over the coming year, we urge the Treasury to undertake Post Occupancy Evaluation to ensure maximum value for money. To make the most of government funds and reach net zero by 2025, the government must understand how new buildings and infrastructure actually perform.”

18 Nov 2020

RIBA responds to PM’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution

Wednesday 18th November 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has responded to the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution for 250,000 jobs.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“It’s positive to see the PM recognise the need to tackle the UK’s housing emissions crisis.

That said, we need a long-term plan – a National Retrofit Strategy – that includes fresh thinking such as a new stamp duty policy to encourage homeowners to invest in sustainability.

When it comes to energy efficiency, our homes are fundamentally below the mark, and this will only be made more obvious by the changes in working habits brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Read the latest report – ‘Greener Homes’ – that calls for a National Retrofit Strategy and new sliding scale for stamp duty.

17 Nov 2020

RIBA and ARB issue call to architects to prepare for end of EU Exit transition

Tuesday 17 November 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) are calling on architects to prepare for the end of the UK-EU transition period.

On 1 January 2021 a raft of critical rules – covering key areas such as the recognition of professional qualifications, immigration and importing construction materials – will change.

The EU is the second largest market for the export of UK architectural services worldwide;1 in 5 architects practising in the UK originally qualified in the EU; and 60% of the construction materials used on UK projects are imported from Europe. New rules will therefore have a huge impact on the entire sector.

While negotiations for an official trade agreement are ongoing, many details about the future UK-EU relationship have been confirmed. The RIBA and ARB therefore urge architects to understand the impact of the transition and take action to prepare themselves.

Take a look at ARB’s dedicated EU Exit webpage and the RIBA’s Brexit hub, which includes a checklist of essential actions.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said:

“The profession is currently facing unprecedented challenges – responding to the global pandemic and economic slump – and on top of this, we’re also hurtling towards the 31 December.

While preparing for Brexit might not seem like a priority, especially without clarity on trade deal arrangements, it’s essential that businesses and individuals familiarise themselves with the changes that will affect the way UK architecture operates.

From registering professional qualifications, to getting to grips with new custom declaration rules – individuals and businesses must take action to ensure they can practice successfully under new conditions.”

Alan Kershaw, ARB’s Acting Chair, said:

“We are following matters closely and have a schedule of work in place to facilitate any change in regulation that may result following the end of the transition period. We will provide guidance to architects to support them through any subsequent change. In the meantime, we urge those looking to register in the EU before 31 December to contact us as soon as possible so for tailored advice on the steps you will need to take.”

12 Nov 2020

Staffing levels continue positive trend – RIBA Future Trends October 2020

Thursday 12 November 2020 – In October, prior to the announcement of a second lockdown in England, the RIBA Future Workload Index held steady, again returning a balance figure of +9. Practices are expecting workloads to increase in the coming three months. 30%of practices expect an increase in workload, 21% expect a decrease whilst 49% expect them to remain the same.

Confidence has been slowly growing among practices of all sizes, with medium and large practices returning positive balances and a notable increase in positivity compared with September. Reports of personal underemployment are decreasing, and workload levels continue to be on the up. The outlook for future staffing levels is also improving. Workloads now stand at 90% of what they were a year ago.

This improving picture is a result of a strengthening private housing market and optimism about future work for practices outside the capital.

London remains the least positive region, with concerns about future profitability: 12 % of London practices expect falling profits to threaten practice viability, compared to the national average of 6%.

However, workload confidence is markedly increasing in the South and London: the South of England has posted a balance figure of +16, up from -2 in September. London only just remains in the negative about future work, this month posting a balance figure of -1 – the eighth successive negative figure from the capital, but the highest balance figure since March 2020.

Wales and the West remains the most positive area, with a balance figure of +25, although this is down from September’s high of +40. The North of England remains positive and consistent, posting a workload balance figure of +19. The Midlands & East Anglia have slipped back into negative territory, dropping 17 points to post a balance figure of -7 this month.

Among the four different work sectors, private housing continued to be the only area anticipating growth – returning a balance figure of +12, softening slightly from last month’s figure of +17. The commercial sector continues its slow recovery, rising 3 points to -12 and the community sector rose 5 points to -11, up from -16. The public sector rose by one point to -4.

In terms of staffing:

• Returning to positive territory for the first time since February, the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index rose four points to reach a balance figure of +1 in October. • The anticipated demand for temporary staff is also on the up. The temporary staffing index also went into positive territory, with a balance figure of +4 (up from 0 in September and -2 in August) • 81% of practices overall expect permanent staffing levels to remain consistent (an increase of 5% from September) • 9% expect to see a decrease in the number of permanent staff over the next three months (down from 15% in September). • 10% expect permanent staffing levels to increase (up from 8% in September) • Medium sized practices are those most likely to need more permanent staff. • In London, the balance figure for permanent staff is -8 (up from -19 in September), with 15% of practices expecting to be employing fewer staff in the next three months (although that’s less than the 22% of practices in September). • In Wales and all other UK regions, permanent staffing levels are expected to increase. • Personal underemployment is also falling; at 20% (down from 25% in September) it is at the levels we were seeing immediately before the pandemic hit. • The number of staff on furlough has also decreased; 6% this month compared to 9% in September, and 22% in May. • Staffing levels are 97% of what they were 12 months’ ago (up from 94% last month). Overall, 3% have been made redundant since the start of the pandemic, though 19% are working fewer hours.

RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said:

“These results are showing a slow but steady positive increase in terms of workload and staffing. There is, however, much regional variation and London practices have more concern about future profitability and workload than elsewhere in the country.

The next few months will be critical for UK architects. How the government negotiates Brexit, how the pandemic is managed, and how government spending promises are realised will all directly affect architects’ workload. The extension of the furlough scheme into 2021 has stayed the potential budget crisis of increased salary cost without any commensurate increase in revenue.

The commentary received in October suggests a rise in enquires and commissions, particularly for smaller residential projects. Others describe particular difficulties with work in the hospitality sector, in particular, stalling.

There remain significant concerns about the course of the pandemic and the lack of clarity on Brexit. We continue to be on hand, providing support and resources to our members as they navigate these challenging times.”

5 Nov 2020

RIBA + The Modern House announce ‘Making Plans’ talks

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is pleased to announce ‘Making Plans’ – a new season of talks in partnership with The Modern House. The series explores how domestic architectural plans give form to hidden economic, gender, class and cultural power relations.

Co-programmed with architect Charles Holland, each week an architect is asked to select a plan and explain its importance to them and to architectural culture. In November and December, the talks will feature Charles Holland in conversation with Ahmed Belkhodja, FALA Atelier; Professor Lesley Lokko; and Sumayya Vally, Counterspace.

Plans are the basic currency of architecture. They define buildings technically but can also be beautiful as abstract compositions. They describe physical relationships and reveal insights into culture, economics, gender, class, and power. This short series of talks will explore the plan and its relationship to these issues.

See our architecture events page for listings.

4 Nov 2020

RIBA responds to proposed changes to the Architects Act

The RIBA has responded to the launch of the government consultation on proposed amendments to the regulation of architects through the Architects Act 1997.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“This milestone consultation outlines significant changes that seek to enhance the competence of UK architects and create a unified process for the recognition of architects’ qualifications internationally. It’s therefore vital that our whole profession responds, from architects within mainstream practice, to those within client bodies, contactors, future architects and their educators.

There’s no doubt that the requirements of our profession need to reflect the challenges facing our industry and society, from climate change to building safety, as the RIBA’s own new education and professional development framework – The Way Ahead – makes clear.

But there are other dimensions to the building safety and climate emergency challenges that face the profession; not least the need for less ambiguous and more ambitious buildings regulations and reform of our deeply flawed construction industry procurement processes, in which the golden thread of architects’ “deep generalist” expertise and knowledge of the project is often broken, with clients cherry picking advice, and with true value for money, user experience and environmental performance compromised.

As a result of this consultation we need practical measures and a properly funded education system that will support current and future chartered architects to have the expertise to support government and clients deliver their commitments and aspirations, while acknowledging the real challenges and opportunities faced by the construction industry.

I look forward to engaging with our members, the ARB and MHCLG over the coming weeks.”

2 Nov 2020 RIBA responds to new national lockdown restrictions

The RIBA has responded to the government’s new national lockdown restrictions from 5 November – 2 December 2020.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said: “As England prepares for another country-wide lockdown, the RIBA will continue to engage with the government to ensure it supports and protects the interests of architects and the wider construction industry.

This includes working closely with fellow built environment professionals and members of the BEIS Professional and Business Services Council to make sure the furlough scheme provides sufficient relief for practices suffering from workload losses.

While we welcome the extension of that scheme for a further month, we remain concerned about the lack of uprated support for self-employed workers and are calling for greater flexibility on existing tax bill repayments.

To help shape our conversations with policy makers, please take 10 minutes to RIBA’s latest short survey so we can understand exactly the impact on you and your business.”

29 Oct 2020 2021 RIBA Honorary Fellowships 2021 RIBA Honorary Fellowships

20 October 2020 RIBA COVID-19 Student Survey

58% of students struggling with mental health and almost half concerned about job prospects – RIBA COVID-19 Student Survey.

Tuesday 20th of October 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today published findings of its COVID-19 student survey, focusing on how architecture students have been affected by the pandemic.

Headline findings from the survey, which was completed by 398 architecture students, revealed:

• Students are under significant stress: 58% of respondents told us that their mental health had deteriorated because of the COVID-19 crisis and 39% said that their physical health had deteriorated. 45% were feeling isolated and 39% were not keeping in touch with their peer group.

• Job roles have been directly impacted by the pandemic: 10% of students had a job offer at a practice but it was withdrawn, 9% have lost a part-time role and 5% no longer wish to become an architect.

• Students are concerned about their future career: 48% worry about being able to get a job as an architect when they complete their studies.

• Online teaching and learning is not a replacement for in-person learning: 83% stated that online teaching and learning is suitable for only some parts of the curriculum and 81% would be put off applying to a course that’s entirely online. However, 58% feel it is good preparation for the digital future.

• Home working doesn’t suit everyone: 25% say that where they live is not adequate for them to work in and 25% say their equipment is not adequate for the work they need to do.

• Money is a concern: 41% don’t feel they have the money they need to get by and the same amount are worried about their family’s finances. RIBA Director of Education, David Gloster, said: “The education and training of aspiring architects is crucial to the future of architecture in the UK and around the world. However, the findings of our latest COVID-19 survey paint a concerning picture for architecture students – and those who teach them – demonstrating how much the pandemic has impacted those hoping to enter the profession.

It is particularly worrying to see the impact COVID-19 has had on the mental and physical health of students, and we encourage those struggling to seek help as needed. At this challenging time, students need our support more than ever.

While it has been encouraging to see recent government plans to make architecture apprenticeships more accessible, we will continue to call for a re-evaluation of the education process, to make architecture more inclusive post-pandemic.”

RIBA student members with any concerns are encouraged to email [email protected].

The RIBA COVID-19 Student Survey was conducted from July to August 2020 and is part of a series of RIBA surveys into how our members have been affected by COVID-19.

15 October 2020 RIBA calls on architects to pledge support for equity and inclusion

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today launched the RIBA Inclusion Charter and calls on architects and practices to sign-up and pledge their support for equity and inclusion.

The RIBA Inclusion Charter sets out five actions to drive cultural change in our workplaces and industry.

By signing the RIBA Inclusion Charter, individuals and practices:

ACKNOWLEDGE the urgent need for inclusion in the architecture profession and wider construction industry.

COMMIT to setting inclusion targets and an EDI action plan for their practice.

COMMIT to developing their workplace culture, talent pipeline and ways of working to support inclusion.

COMMIT to publicly reporting on progress of their EDI plan – transparency and accountability are vital to drive cultural change.

COMMIT to embedding inclusive design in all projects, and contributing to the development of inclusive environments.

The RIBA Inclusion Charter enables signatories to build on the requirements of the RIBA Codes of Conduct and Practice. For example, RIBA Chartered Practices must already have an EDI policy (the policy guide is currently being updated).

Charter signatories will be supported by the RIBA’s expanded EDI team and have access to best practice guidance on topics including recruiting diverse talent, inclusion data monitoring and establishing employee resource groups.

The RIBA has also today published Inclusion Footprints, a series of basic steps everyone can take – regardless of where they are in their career journey – to help drive change.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“We must pull together as employees, employers and business leaders to share best practice and put an end to any discrimination. The RIBA Inclusion Charter gives architects and practices an opportunity to further their commitment to an inclusive profession, and share their experiences and expertise with others. I commend the founding signatories of the RIBA Inclusion Charter for making themselves accountable for change, and urge every architect and practice – regardless of scale, work or location – to step-up and sign-up to join our new community of equity champions.”

Founding signatory, Kirsten Lees, Grimshaw, said:

“At Grimshaw, as architects and designers we recognise that the strength of our work is due to the quality of our people. We know how important it is that we recruit and retain the widest possible mix of voices and experiences that reflect the diversity of our society and the communities that use and experience our designs. Our 2016 diversity plan has been successful in implementing meaningful change within the practice and as a founding signatory on the RIBA Inclusion Charter we pledge to continue to build on this and support the wider industry to address existing challenges and inequalities.”

9 Oct 2020

RIBA reduces 2021 subscription fee

Friday 9 October 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today announced membership subscription rates for 2021. Following a price freeze for 2020 subscriptions, all UK, Joint Members with our partners in the Home Nations, RIAS and RSUA, and international architects will be able to benefit from chartered membership in 2021, at a reduced rate.

In 2021, the annual fee for the most common form of membership – a UK based Chartered Member who has been qualified for over five years – will decrease by over 8% to £399.

In addition to reduced rates for chartered members, the RIBA continues to offer significant benefits to members and concessions and support for those facing financial hardship, on lower incomes, or retired architects. Free membership will also continue to be offered to Part 1 and Part 2 students at RIBA validated schools of architecture, anywhere in the world, and those on their year out between Part 1 and Part 2.

The RIBA’s subscription fee reduction is part of a package of support to help members navigate through and beyond the current turbulent period, and includes the recently published RIBA Recovery Roadmap.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“Increasing support for architects and offering value for money is an essential combination for these challenging times. As well as being the voice, network and champion of architects in the UK and across the globe, the RIBA helps members and their practices survive and thrive. From supporting the education of future architects and providing critical CPD content, to hosting inspiring events and celebrating excellence, guiding clients and matching them with Chartered Practices, to working with and challenging government to influence legislation and standards, the RIBA works hard to be essential for all architects.”

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said:

“Not only is RIBA membership a global mark of quality and assurance that sets an individual above their non-RIBA counterparts, it also provides access to resources and support that ensure architects stay at the top of their game. With ongoing volatility, architects need their Institute more than ever, and I am pleased that in 2021 we will be even greater value.”

Find out more about the changes here.

8 Oct 2020

Pandemic Drives Demand For UK Home Transformations

Batelease Farm by New British Design, RIBA South West Award winner 2019: image courtesy of architects

8th October 2020 – New research commissioned by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) reveals the significant impact of the coronavirus pandemic on how people want to live and work at home.

UK homeowners are increasingly demanding environmentally efficient properties that better support their new ways of living, as well as their mental health, happiness and family cohesion.

The RIBA’s research exclusively reveals that the majority of homeowners (70% of survey respondents) believe the design of their home has affected their mental wellbeing during the pandemic.

Spending more time in their home has made people more stressed (11%), anxious (10%) and depressed (10%); they’ve found it harder to relax (9%) and it’s negatively impacted their productivity (6%).

The RIBA’s research sought to understand the mental and physical benefits of living in a better-designed home. The findings highlight that 23% believe a better-designed home will increase their happiness; they’d be able to relax more (31%) and sleep better (17%).

Insights also revealed that with working from home now the ‘new normal’ for many, 15% want to improve the design of their home to help them be more productive. And with families spending more time together at home, more than one in 10 (11%) believe making changes to the design of their home would help them to live more harmoniously with others in the house.

Environmental Psychologist and Lecturer at University of Surrey, Eleanor Ratcliffe comments: “For many of us our home is our favourite place and an important part of our identity. Over recent months our homes have had to become the workplace, school, and gym, and yet still be a place to relax and recover from all the everyday stresses and strains – impacting entire households. The RIBA’s research demonstrates that many people realise that their home in its current form does not cater for all these different uses and users. A home design that reflects who you are – your values, needs, and interests – can make people feel good about themselves. A home that meets one’s needs because it is appropriately designed can also make people feel more in control, and that is especially relevant when life feels uncertain.”

Eight out of 10 respondents (79%) identified one or more of the changes that they’d now like to make to the design of their home after lockdown, these include:

• Nearly a quarter of homeowners (23%) would reconfigure their existing spaces. A fifth want to create more space by extending their home. • Nearly one in 10 (9%) would change their open-plan design in favour of creating separate rooms. In contrast, 14% would like to make their home more open plan. • 40% want more environmental-design features, including improving the amount of natural daylight, improving the energy-efficiency of their home and improved sound-proofing between spaces. • 8% would like more flexible living eg rooms that can easily be divided. • 17% would create an office space to support working from home. • 7% want to be able to accommodate an extended family including parents, grandparents and grown-up children. • 12% need more personal space. The survey also sought to understand the homeowners existing perceptions of architects and what they would prioritise when choosing an architect to work with. • Membership of a professional organisation is singled out by the greatest number of homeowners (61%) as an important factor in selecting an architect. • Almost 50% think evidence that architects can add value to homes is important, much more so than the cost of their service, which was voted more critical by only 15%. • One of the best ways for an architect to provide evidence is with good references: 48% of people thought this was the most important factor. With 43% stating that evidence of an architects’ ability to listen and meet their individual needs was crucial in their selection of an architect. • Many want their architect to demonstrate their commitment to the environment – 27% want evidence that an architect will make their home more environmentally sustainable and 31% want to see the architect’s commitment to combatting climate change

RIBA President Alan Jones said: “It’s clear that amongst its many other impacts, COVID-19 will affect how and where we choose to live and work for years to come. For many of us, our homes are our sanctuaries, and now our workplaces too. This new RIBA research clearly shows that, having spent much more time at home, many people realise they must adapt and improve their living spaces. The findings provide an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of good spatial, functional and sustainable design and its direct impact on our physical and mental wellbeing – all part of the value brought to a home and its owner by engaging a RIBA Chartered Architect.”

1 Oct 2020

RIBA welcomes government move to ensure Permitted Development housing meets space standards

The RIBA has responded to the government’s move to ensure all new homes delivered through Permitted Development meet Nationally Described Space Standards.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said: “I’m delighted and relieved that housing delivered through Permitted Development will now have to meet the National Described Space Standard, following significant campaigning by the RIBA and others.

The Government has done the right thing by closing this dangerous loophole and ensuring new Permitted Development housing across England will have adequate space and light – standards that should be a given.

I look forward to engaging with the government over the coming weeks as they consult on wider planning reforms. We must use this opportunity to ensure all new housing is safe, sustainable and fit for future generations.” 29 Sep 2020

RIBA responds to expansion of post-18 education and training

Tuesday 29 September 2020 – The RIBA has responded to the Prime Minister’s major expansion of post-18 education and training to level up and prepare workers for post-COVID economy.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“Architecture apprenticeships are central to creating a socially inclusive profession, so I welcome plans to make them more accessible and provide additional funding to SMEs. Aspiring architects and smaller practices need more support than ever during this economically uncertain time, and entry level apprenticeships need to be funded at more appropriate level to make them attractive and workable.

We also need the government to focus on making architecture accessible beyond the current pandemic, and commence the promised comprehensive review of routes to registration. Until we see a serious re-evaluation of the seven-year training process – one of the most significant barriers to becoming an architect – our profession will not realise the diverse skills and talent we need, nor reflect the society we serve.”

25 Sep 2020

RIBA responds to Winter Economy Plan

The RIBA has responded to UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement today on the Winter Economy Plan to protect jobs and support businesses.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“The impact of the pandemic brings the need for a carefully considered and well-designed built environment into even sharper focus. A resilient architects’ profession is crucial to deliver solutions on our zero carbon commitments, housing quality and affordability, and public safety and wellbeing.

As uncertainty continues, we are pleased that the UK Chancellor has recognised that businesses and the self-employed will need ongoing support, to succeed in the long-term. It is encouraging to see the new Job Support Scheme is available to all employees including those on part time hours – something we have been calling for. The flexibility and extension of Government loans is also welcomed, with architects having benefitted from these schemes over the last six months.

It is critical that there are continued discussions around the detail of these schemes, to ensure the right measures are in place to best help businesses during this challenging period.”

24 Sep 2020

Architects’ confidence in the balance – RIBA Future Trends August 2020

Thursday 24 September 2020 – In August 2020 the RIBA Future Workload Index remained positive at +7, with 31% of practices expecting a workload increase, 24% expecting a decrease, and 44% expecting workloads to remain the same over the next three months.

Regionally, the North of England returned to pre-Covid levels of confidence with a score of +25; Wales and the West remained at +30, and the South of England at +10. London and the Midlands & East Anglia meanwhile provided some cause for concern, both returning figures of -9.

Small practices (1 – 10 staff) remained the most optimistic group, posting a workload figure of +8, while large and medium-sized practices (11 – 50 and 51+ staff) were less confident, returning an average zero balance figure, compared to +13 in July 2020.

Among the four different work sectors, private housing continued to be the only area anticipating growth – returning a balance figure of +17 – while the commercial sector fell five points to -20, the community sector sat at -11, and the public sector fell slightly to -5.

In terms of staffing:

Almost one in five practices (19%) expect to see a decrease in the number of permanent staff over the next three months.

74% expect permanent staffing levels to remain consistent.

8% expect permanent staffing levels to increase.

Permanent positions are most vulnerable in London, with almost a quarter of practices expecting to have fewer permanent staff in the next three months, and only 5% expecting to have more.

32% report personal underemployment.

65% expect profits to fall over the next twelve months, and 7% expect that fall to threaten practice viability.

14% of London practices questioned their long-term viability.

The average percentage of furloughed staff fell from 20% to 10%.

20% of staff are working fewer hours than they were pre-Covid, with those in London most likely to be working fewer hours.

Across England, an average of 2% of have been made redundant; in London, that figure rises to 3%.

RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said:

“These August results mark a moment in time and sentiment before this week’s announcements, which are likely to make the operating environment for architects more volatile.

Anticipated workload growth has been driven by relative optimism about private housing, and primarily by architects outside London. Private domestic work, commissioned in response to the virus, seems to have become the lifeblood of many small practices, with many homeowners turning to architects to design spaces that support current ways of living.

Nevertheless, significant challenges remain for practices who rely on the commercial sector, with many clients cautious to commit to future projects. Reports of slowed planning applications, increased material cost, and restricted flow of finance as institutions wait for greater certainty before investing are also significant.

Over the past three months the confidence and sentiment of practices has swung like never before, and we can expect further fluctuation as we move into the final quarter of 2020.

RIBA members will continue to receive dedicated support and assurance that their concerns are being raised across government, at the highest level.”

25 Aug 2020 RIBA opens nominations for 2020 Annie Spink Award

Tuesday 25th of August 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is welcoming nominations for the 2020 Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education.

The biennial award celebrates an individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to architectural education over a significant period:

2020 Annie Spink Award

18 Aug 2020 RIBA responds to A-level results U-turn

Tuesday 18th of August 2020 – The RIBA has today responded to the latest Government announcement that students in England will now receive teacher assessed grades for GCSE and A level results.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“We welcome the news that the Government is taking action to address the legitimate concerns of pupils, parents and schools around the standardisation of A-level results.

Whilst the latest announcements will be positive for some hoping to enter the architects’ profession, the chaos of the last week has already unfairly impacted many students including those who have missed out on a place on their preferred course.

We are in contact with SCHOSA, which represents UK schools of architecture, to understand what actions will be taken on the ground. We will be urging UK schools of architecture to honour all contractual conditional offers based on teacher assessed grades, where appropriate. We encourage them to consider whether more places will be made available for 2020/21, where possible, now that the student number cap has been lifted.

We remain concerned for those with BTEC qualifications – clarity is urgently needed.”

13 August 2020 RIBA Future Trends July 2020 Thursday 13th of August 2020 – Workload predictions positive for the first time in four months.

After four months in negative territory, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index rose to +3 in July, from –17 in June. Nearly a third (31%) of practices anticipate a workload increase, 42% expect workload to remain the same and 28% expect a decrease.

In July the Staffing Index also rose by 5 points, with 75% of practices saying they expect the level of permanent staff to remain the same over the next three months and 8% (rising from 4%) anticipating the need to employ more permanent staff. Despite this, 17% still expect their staffing levels to decrease over the next three months.

All sectors returned slightly more positive balance figures. The private housing sector rose significantly to +17 (from -3 in June), the commercial sector rose to -15 (from -32), the community sector to -14 (from -19) and the public sector to -4 (from -12).

While there was increased optimism about workloads over the next three months, 62% of respondents still expect profits to fall over the next year and within that, 7% consider that their practice is unlikely to remain viable.

The findings from this month’s survey also show: • 20% of architectural staff have been furloughed • 1% of architectural staff have been made redundant • 1% have been released from a ‘zero hours’, temporary or fixed-term contracts • 18% of staff are working fewer hours (and they are most likely to work for smaller practices) • 26% of projects are still on hold since March • 22% of projects which remain active are at stages 5 or 6 of the RIBA Plan of Work

RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said: “While July’s findings might show the first glimpse of positivity we’ve seen for a while – with practices seeing a specific increase in private residential enquiries as home working continues – architects still face a particularly challenging market. For some, their current workloads mainly consist of pre-pandemic commissions and the source of future work is uncertain. As the UK enters its first recession in 11 years, we can expect further caution from clients to commit to new projects, and confidence in future workloads may be affected.

It remains our fundamental priority to support our members through this difficult time with resources and economic intelligence to help overcome immediate hurdles and build future resilience.” Members with concerns or queries are encouraged to email [email protected].

11 August 2020 Simon Allford elected RIBA President (2021-23)

Simon Allford: photo © Tom Mesquitta

11th of August 2020 – Simon Allford has been elected the next President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Simon will take over the two-year presidential term from Alan Jones next year (1 September 2021); from 1 September 2020 he will officially become RIBA President Elect.

The role of RIBA President was established in 1835 and is the highest elected position in UK architecture. The President Chairs RIBA Council, which acts as the representative body for the membership.

Simon is a founding director of AHMM (where he leads a design studio of 200 architects), a frequent writer, critic and advisor; a visiting professor at Harvard; a previous chairman of the Architecture Foundation; and currently a trustee of the London School of Architecture and the Chickenshed Theatres Trust.

Speaking today, Simon Allford, said: “It is a privilege to have been elected and I look forward to working with members, Council, Board and staff to create a leaner, more open, productive, engaged and reinvigorated RIBA.

We need an institute of ideas with architecture front and centre, hosting debates, lectures and exhibitions reflecting changing cultural and practice contexts. We need an institute that celebrates and promotes members’ work at home and worldwide. We need an institute that is a practice friend, enabling members to share ideas about best ways of working, using today’s technology to help advance architecture for the benefit of society – our Charter obligation.

I am committed to the ‘House of Architecture @ RIBA’, an online and physical entity capable of forming alliances with clients, consultants and contractors to influence government over procurement and education, while also helping us to address global climate change and architecture’s pivotal role in a post-pandemic world.”

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said: “Congratulations to Simon. The next few years will be crucial for our planet and profession as we navigate through health, environmental and economic crises – so Simon has a significant role to play in ensuring all architects receive the strong support and inspiring leadership they need to survive and thrive. I look forward to counting on Simon’s support over the next year before I hand over to them in 2021.”

The RIBA has also today announced the results of the RIBA Council Elections 2020. All RIBA Council appointments announced today will commence on 1 September 2020.

Simon Allford architect: photograph © Tom Mesquitta

Council Members were elected using the Single Transferable Vote. The candidates who reached the required quota and were therefore elected are:

National Seats

• Simone de Gale • Jennifer Dixon

International Seats

• Ken Wai (Asia and Australasia) • Catherine Davis (The Americas)

Regional Seats – London • David Adjei • Sarah Akigbogun • Angela Dapper • Femi Oresanya • Jack Pringle • Anna Webster

Regional Seats – South East • Duncan Baker-Brown • Danka Stefan

There was one candidate for the role of RSAW Presidency, therefore Gavin Traylor is elected unopposed. Gavin will take up his term as President Elect on 1 September 2020 and become President from September 2021 for a two-year term. The following members will take uncontested seats as Council Members:

• Alice Asafu-Adjaye (The Middle East and Africa) • Tim Clark (Europe excluding UK) • Graham Devine (South West) • Roger Shrimplin (East) • Yuli Cadney-Toh (Wessex) • Philip Twiss (West Midlands)

The overall Presidential election turnout was 13.2%; Simon Alford was elected at 4th stage with 58.9% of the votes. 17.2% of Chartered Members voted, 6.66% of newly enfranchised Student, Associate and Affiliate members voted.

Biography:

Simon Allford is a leading architect and co-founder of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.

Working from AHMM’s Clerkenwell base, Simon leads a studio with offices in London, Bristol and the US, working internationally on a wide range of award-winning projects. In each case, the quest is to find a way of unlocking the potential for the extraordinary in everyday buildings. Key recent examples include the University of Amsterdam; Google and DeepMind’s HQ offices in London, Berlin and Canada; and The White Collar Factory, Hawley Wharf and Post Building in London.

Currently Simon is leading a series of large-scale urban research and design projects in London, the UK, Europe, India and the US. Each explores potential new ways to live, work and play in a variety of combinations. The studio also engages clients in the exploration of ways to achieve low-carbon architecture and outcomes that avoid rigid assumptions about the way a building needs to look or operate.

Simon recently retired as Chair of the Architecture Foundation. He is a former trustee of the Architectural Association Foundation; Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of The Architectural Association; RIBA Vice-president for Education; member of the RIBA Awards Group and a chair of design deview at CABE. Simon is a frequent judge of major awards and competitions, a writer, critic and advisor. He studied at Sheffield University, then the Bartlett school at University College London. He has taught and examined at schools around the world and is a visiting professor at the Bartlett and at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

Simon’s long-term commitment to an open and accessible profession has informed his engagement in numerous initiatives at AHMM, including his founding membership of the practice’s Employee Ownership Trust Board, and his current role as a trustee of the London School of Architecture and Chickenshed Theatres Trust.

4 August 2020 RIBA responds to new Green Homes Grant scheme

Tuesday 4th of August 2020 – The RIBA has today responded to further details announced by government on the Green Homes Grant scheme.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“It is great to see more details on the Green Homes Grant scheme to support households to become more energy efficient and reduce energy bills.

We have long called for use of a TrustMark to ensure homeowners are using accredited tradespeople and simple energy advice service for homeowners so I’m pleased to see these proposals taken forward. But it’s very disappointing that there is no requirement to compare energy pre and post retrofit to help ensure value for money and energy savings.

It is clear the government needs to urgently set out a ‘National Retrofit strategy’, with adequate funding to retrofit the homes which require upgrading and help meet our net zero targets.”

16 July 2020 RIBA Future Trends June 2020

Thursday 16th of July 2020 – Mixed views about future workload indicate a profession in flux.

Architects’ views on future workloads have improved significantly since the lockdown low in April, but the profession remains pessimistic.

The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index moved towards positive territory, climbing to –17 in June, from -49 in May, and the unprecedented low of -82 in April. The latest survey results show 40% of architects expect work to decrease over the next three months and nearly a quarter (23%) expect an increase (up from 13% in May).

The Staffing Index improved by 9 points in June; 77% of practices expect the level of permanent staff to remain the same over the next three months, 18% expect a decrease (from 26% in May) and 4% anticipate more permanent staff.

There was an increase in prospects across all sectors; the private housing sector returned a figure of -3 (from -40 in May), the commercial sector was at -32 (from -41), the community sector was at -19 (from -33) and the public sector returned a figure of -12 (from -27). Despite pockets of shared optimism, current workloads remain at significantly reduced level – down 28% compared to June 2019. 70% of respondents expect profits to fall over the next 12 months and within that, 7% consider that their practice is unlikely to remain viable.

The findings from this month’s survey also show:

• 19% of architectural staff have been furloughed – a reduction on last month’s figure of 22% • 1% of architectural staff have been made redundant; 1% have been released from a ‘zero hours’, temporary or fixed-term contract. • 32% of projects had been put on hold since the start of March. • 22% of projects which remain active are at stages 5 or 6 of the RIBA Plan of Work. • Among small practices (1 – 10 staff) there were a higher percentage of practices working fewer hours (20%).

RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said: “Economic uncertainty remains, with many architects expressing concerns about future workloads and significant challenges ahead. The global pandemic, coupled with the risks of a no-deal Brexit, continues to impact our sector.

However, in June we saw an increase in some architects’ confidence and the early signs of returning workloads. More sites are beginning to reopen and practices, particularly those in the residential sector, reported a sharp rise in new enquires. Design work is being carried out, despite the challenges that come with home working.

The RIBA will continue to advocate on behalf of the profession and provide support to members and practices, to help guide them through this challenging time and build resilience for the future.”

Members with concerns or queries are encouraged to email [email protected].

14 July 2020 Network Rail Re-imagining Stations Competition

Network Rail and RIBA Competitions launch an international competition to shape the future of Britain’s railway stations:

Network Rail Re-imagining Stations Competition

9 July 2020 Post-pandemic buildings and cities – RIBA reveals longlist for Rethink:2025 international design competition: RIBA Rethink 2025 Design Competition longlist

8 July 2020 RIBA reacts to Chancellor’s ‘Plan for Jobs’

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“The RIBA has long advocated for a ‘green’ post-COVID recovery, so I welcome the Chancellor’s efforts to put sustainability front and centre of today’s announcements.

The £2bn Green Homes Grant will help some households become more energy efficient and reduce energy bills, but this must be the start, not the end, of an ambitious strategy to create a sustainable built environment. We urgently need a thorough ‘National Retrofit Strategy’ to fund the upgrading of homes.

To create safe and sustainable housing, the use of Permitted Development Rights must be scrapped, and all building owners and users must begin to measure and understand how well or badly their buildings actually perform through Post Occupancy Evaluation.

Given current levels of economic uncertainty, architecture practices will need more than the new Job Retention Bonus scheme to help them survive over the coming months. We know from past recessions that demand does not return across the whole economy at the same time – support packages for business must continue to reflect this.”

Read the RIBA’s response to yesterday’s UK government funding announcement of £3bn to make homes and public buildings more energy efficient here.

7 July 2020 RIBA responds to Government funding announcement

Wednesday 7th of July 2020 – RIBA responds to Government funding announcement of £3bn to make homes and public buildings more energy efficient.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said:

“It’s good to see the government bring forward a significant proportion of the £9.2bn pledged for energy efficiency and acknowledge the benefits this will bring to the economy and people’s health.

But this is just the beginning. We will continue to emphasise to policymakers the leading role chartered architects have in designing, coordinating and delivering a sustainable built environment.

We will also lobby for energy efficiency funding for the private rented sector, which includes much of the UK’s most energy inefficient housing stock. We look forward to seeing the details in the Chancellor’s update tomorrow.”

1 July 2020 RIBA President-Elect and Council Candidates

The RIBA has announced the five candidates standing for election as RIBA President-Elect, alongside nominations for seats on RIBA Council.

Following comprehensive modernisation of the RIBA’s governance structures, and in recognition of their vital contribution to the future of the RIBA and the architecture profession, RIBA student members are eligible to vote in elections for the RIBA President for the first time.

The RIBA President and RIBA Council members are elected representatives from the RIBA’s membership. RIBA Council, chaired by the President, acts as the representative body for the membership. It meets four times each year and is responsible for collecting insight from the membership and the profession, to guide the strategic direction of the organisation. RIBA Council oversees the RIBA’s new Board of Trustees, the majority of whom are Council members, including the RIBA President.

The candidates standing for RIBA President-Elect are:

• Simon Allford • Jude Barber • Nick Moss • Valeria Passetti • Sumita Singha

The candidates standing for National and Regional Council seats can be found here.

Digital voting for all seats opens on 14 July at 9am and closes on 4 August at 5pm. Results will be announced on 11 August.

Two digital hustings will take place on:

• 7 July (6-7pm) – open to all RIBA members and chaired by RIBA President Alan Jones. • 9 July (12.30-1.30pm) – open to RIBA Student and Associate members and chaired by former RIBA Council VP Student/Associate Albena Atanassova.

Successful RIBA Council candidates will commence their three-year term on 1 September 2020. The RIBA President Elect’s term begins on 1 September 2020, with their two-year term as RIBA President commencing on 1 September 2021.

30 June 2020 RIBA responds to Prime Minister’s ‘Project Speed’ announcement

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said: “I welcome the recognition for ‘urgent action’ from the Prime Minister and hope the announcements today are the first of many needed to address the shortcomings of the UK’s physical and social infrastructure.

However, I am extremely concerned by the proposal to enable even more commercial buildings to change to residential use without the need for a planning application. The Government’s own advisory panel referred to the homes created by this policy as “slums”. It is hard to reconcile the commitment to quality with expanding a policy that has delivered low-quality, unsustainable and over-crowded homes across England.

I urge the Prime Minister not to waste this opportunity and to re-build a more sustainable and resilient economy, ensuring that quality and safety remain at the heart of investment.”

18 June 2020 RIBA publishes COVID-19 recovery guidance

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today published guidance to help practices steer their route to recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and build future resilience.

The RIBA Recovery Roadmap is divided into three phases: Response, Recovery and Resilience. Each phase considers a series of actions that practices can take to respond to challenges across different areas of their business throughout this crisis and beyond. These range from stabilising finances and supporting staff wellbeing in the immediate term to planning to reopen the office and winning new work in the coming weeks.

The topics covered in each phase respond directly to concerns raised by RIBA members from all practice sizes across the UK.

RIBA President, Alan Jones, said: “Despite the economic uncertainty, practices must take proactive steps now to help alleviate challenges ahead.

Drawing on insights from experts and practitioners, this guidance has been created exclusively for members to guide key business decisions and adapt their strategies to be in the best position for the months ahead.

As we enter this recovery phase, it remains our priority to provide our members and practices with the support they need.”

11 June 2020 Future workloads remain uncertain – RIBA Future Trends May 2020

Thursday 11th of June 2020 – After dropping to an historic low of -82 in April, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index rose to -49 this month. And while 62% of architects expect their workload to decrease in the next three months, 13% now anticipate an increase, up from just 2% in April.

The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index also increased marginally by seven points, with 70% of practices saying they expect the level of permanent staff to remain the same over the next three months, 26% saying they expect levels to decrease and 3% saying they expect to increase.

The findings from this month’s survey also show: • Current workloads remain at significantly reduced levels – down 33% compared to May 2019. • 73% of respondents expect profits to fall over the next 12 months – within that, 8% consider that their practice is unlikely to remain viable. • 22% of architectural staff have been furloughed – an increase of 8% from April. • 1% of architectural staff have been made redundant; 1% have been released from a ‘zero hours’, temporary or fixed-term contract. • 38% of projects had been put on hold since the start of March. • 23% of projects which remain active are at stages 5 or 6 of the RIBA Plan of Work.

RIBA Executive Director Professional Services, Adrian Dobson, said: “The current pandemic and economic uncertainty are clearly continuing to impact both architects’ current workloads and their confidence about the future, with the majority expecting their workloads to decrease in coming months.

But while many participants continued to point to the serious recession ahead, some also began to reference glimmers of hope in the form of new enquiries and new commissions.

In these uncertain times, we are on hand, and will continue to support members and practices by helping them map routes to recovery and build resilience for future challenges.”

Members with concerns or queries are encouraged to email [email protected].

26 May 2020 Mental health concern grows – RIBA COVID-19 survey findings

Tuesday 26th May 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has published the findings from its second COVID-19 survey of architects, revealing the impact of the pandemic on the profession.

Findings indicate the main concerns for people, practices and projects:

People

Mental health decline– 40% said their mental health had been affected (a significant increase from 23% in April); 20% felt isolated.

Working location– 74% said they were working entirely from home, a further 10% said they were working mostly from home.

Working from home difficulties– almost a quarter (24%) are caring for others and 13% said they have inadequate equipment.

Reduced income – 56% have reduced personal and/or household income.

Working patterns have changed – 15% said they had been furloughed and 27% said they were working reduced hours. 37% reported finding ‘new and better ways of working’.

Practices 

Economic impact – 58% reported fewer new business enquiries, 53% reported a decreased workload and 57% said they were experiencing a cashflow reduction.

Projects

Site closures– 60% said at least one of their project sites had closed.

Widespread project delays – 90% reported project delays, citing parties including clients, contractors, planning officers and building control officers.

Clients responsible for most project cancellations– 48% of decisions to cancel projects were made by the client.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said:

“Our latest survey findings show the continuing impact of the pandemic on the business of architecture and the wellbeing of architects.

We are particularly concerned to see a significant decline in mental health, with most having to deal with reduced incomes and many also juggling caring responsibilities with home-working.  As lockdown restrictions ease, construction sites re-open and we establish new ways of working, we must prioritise our health and wellbeing – and those of our employees and colleagues – and seek support should we need to. Practice leaders can help by promoting a healthy work-life balance.

We are here to help members navigate through and beyond this crisis. We are producing regular guidance in response to the profession’s key concerns and lobbying the Government to support the sector both financially and as a key client.”

Members with any concerns are encouraged to email [email protected] for information and support.

An executive summary of the survey findings can be found here.

21 May 2020 RIBA calls for ‘decade of action’ with new report 

Thursday 21st of May 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today published a new report revealing architects’ views on the climate emergency and showcasing exemplar applications of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

‘A Decade of Action: RIBA Members and the Sustainable Development Goals’ reveals the profession’s strong commitment to sustainable development and climate action, but also highlights that more progress needs to be made by architects, clients and the UK Government to raise the bar.

In a detailed member survey:

66% of participants said their organisation is committed to addressing the climate emergency.

Project Cost Constraints (79%) and Client Requirements (70%) were cited as the biggest barriers to building sustainably.

82% said their organisation believes the UK Government must legislate for higher standards.

70% said their organisation would welcome the Building Regulations mandating ‘zero carbon’ by 2030.

The second part of the RIBA report showcases best practice examples of how the UN Sustainable Development Goals can be embedded in projects, practices and schools of architecture.

It highlights schools which reference and discuss the SDGs, projects which apply and further the SDGs, and practices which base their entire business strategies on them – from business operations, to supply chains, to practice structure and projects themselves.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said:

“The findings of our survey – and best practice examples that follow – show that RIBA members are committed to transforming the built environment, but also that there’s progress yet to be made.

Architects, clients and policy makers understand the need for change, but even more collaboration is required to turn this ambition into action.

While the RIBA continues to lobby the UK Government to adapt the Building Regulations to meet the scale of our environmental challenge, architects are uniquely placed to lead the green recovery of the built environment post-pandemic. This means applying the Sustainable Development Goals consistently, and encouraging clients to do the same.

It’s time to kick-start a decade of action, sign-up to the 2030 Climate Challenge, and make sure we’re building a future that will last.”

The RIBA’s Sustainable Outcomes Guide aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and outlines eight clear, measurable goals for projects of all scales, underpinned by specific design principles to achieve them.

14 May 2020 Workload expectations hit historic low – RIBA Future Trends April 2020

The latest RIBA Future Trends survey results show the worsening impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the architecture and construction industries.

During April 2020, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index dropped to an historic low, with a balance figure of -82 (from -11 in March). Architects’ workloads are 33% less than they were twelve months ago.

84% per cent of architects expect their workload to fall in the next three months with balance figures ranging from -80 for small practices to -100 for large practices.

All work sectors and all regions also showed a significant drop in confidence. The private housing sector fell furthest from -7 to -72; the commercial sector fell from -5 to -60 and the community sector fell from -8 to -50.

The Staffing Index also saw the largest monthly drop on record from 0 to -30 with 31% of practices (saying they expected to employ fewer full-time staff in the next three months. 68% said they expect staffing levels to stay the same.

Survey results also indicate:

39% of projects have been put on hold since the 1st March.

Of the projects that remain active, 21% are at stages 5 or 6 of the RIBA Plan of Work – so vulnerable to site restrictions.

14% of practice architectural staff have been furloughed.

29% of small practice staff (1 – 10 staff) are working fewer hours.

RIBA Executive Director Professional Services, Adrian Dobson, said:

“This is a crisis is like no other. While a reduction in architects’ confidence has previously been an early indicator of a contraction in the construction sector – because design work comes first – this time, work on site was immediately disrupted.

Workload recovery will depend on the speed and nature of our move out of lockdown, and on how much architectural and construction capacity has been preserved.

As the sector adapts to new ways of working, the RIBA will lobby for continued protection of jobs and businesses and push the Government to invest in the housing and public sector projects the country desperately needs. This also means harnessing the expertise of architects who have the skills to re-mobilise communities and enable safe returns to workplaces and school.

We will continue to advocate on behalf of the profession and ensure members have the guidance and information they need to navigate the coming weeks and months.”

Members with any concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak are encouraged to email [email protected].

11 May 2020 RIBA responds to Government’s coronavirus recovery strategy

The RIBA has responded to the Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “The recovery from COVID-19 will clearly not happen overnight. It will take time for architects to adapt to new ways of working and during this time the Government must continue to protect jobs and businesses.

Until the Government publishes specific guidance on how to safely re-open and operate workplaces, businesses cannot make tangible plans or provide their employees with the reassurance they need.

The Government must also help the sector build resilience against future challenges and invest in public sector projects the country desperately needs. It’s time to harness the expertise of architects who have the skills and expertise to re-mobilise communities and enable safe returns to work and school.”

23 Apr 2020 RIBA opens £30K funding scheme for architecture students

Thursday 23rd of April 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has opened funding applications for five RIBA Wren Insurance Association Scholarships.

The annual scholarships are open to current students enrolled in the first year of their RIBA Part 2 course. A total of £30,000 will be available, with each recipient receiving £6,000 and the opportunity to be mentored by an architect member of the Wren Insurance Association throughout their second year.

The scheme, which was set up in 2013, has supported 35 recipients to date. The deadline for applications is Tuesday 26 May 2020.

RIBA Director of Education David Gloster said: “We are very grateful to the Wren Insurance Association for their continued generosity over the years and especially at this extremely challenging time. Many students are struggling with the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, and scholarships such as this are vital tools to support, reward and retain talent in our profession.”

Applicants can find more information about last year’s award winners and how to apply for this year’s awards here.

17 Apr 2020 Workload confidence plummets – RIBA Future Trends March 2020

The impact of the coronavirus crisis on architects is starkly illustrated by the March 2020 RIBA Future Trends survey results. As the approaching disruption to the profession became clearer, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index dropped an unprecedented 33 points to –11, the steepest fall in confidence on record.

Large architecture practices returned a balance figure of –20 (down from +60), medium practices were at –8 (down from +67) and small practices fell 28 points, to -10.

This sharp drop in confidence was recorded in most of the UK. London fell to -19 (from +23); the Midlands & East Anglia fell to -21 (from +29); the South of England went to -7 (from +6); and Wales and the West recorded the largest fall to -9 (from +43). The North of England was the only region that remained in positive territory, at +14.

All sectors fell into negative territory with the private housing sector being the most affected, dropping 21 points to -7. The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index also fell to 0 (from +8).

RIBA Executive Director Professional Services, Adrian Dobson, said: “Whilst concerns about the potential impacts of the coronavirus crisis had been building for many weeks, March was an obvious turning point. Many practices reported a sudden loss of revenue as the UK went into lockdown, construction sites began to close and new enquiries dropped off. New work was becoming sparse, advice to business from Government was sporadic and uncertainty grew. The profession is clearly bracing itself for the coming weeks and months.

As well as preparing for a potentially rough ride in the short term, architects need to plan for the future and be ready to respond when business picks up. The RIBA has developed our COVID-19 hub with a suite of information and guidance to best support all our members: on financial help, protecting staff, mental health and how practices can prepare themselves for the future.

We are in daily contact with the Government, advocating on behalf of architects to provide businesses with the security they need. We will continue to work hard on behalf of our members and encourage anyone with concerns or suggestions to contact us.”

6 Apr 2020 RIBA COVID-19 survey findings

45% report drop in personal income and almost a quarter struggling with mental health – RIBA COVID-19 survey findings.

The RIBA has today (Monday 6 April) published the findings from its COVID-19 survey of the profession.

Headline findings from the survey, which was completed by 1001 architects (83% RIBA members), revealed:

The business of architecture is under stress:

59% of respondents reported a decreased workload and 58% reported a decrease in new business enquires. This has led to a reduction in cash flow, with 57% of respondents already experiencing less money coming through.

A radical shift in normal working patterns:

81% of respondents are working entirely at home and around 70% of students reported that their campus had closed.

Significant project disruption:

79% reported project delays, 61% reported site closures, and over a third (37%) reported projects being cancelled. Only 5% of respondents reported no disruption.

Architects are under personal stress:

A third of respondents reported a drop in household income and 45% reported a drop in personal income. Almost a third also reported they had self-isolated with nearly a quarter (23%) reporting deterioration in mental health and 21% commenting they ‘felt isolated’.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said:

“The findings of this survey show how that COVID-19 is having a severe impact on architects, professionally and personally. For many architects, their work is more than a way to earn a living, and to see decades of hard work threatened by circumstances none of us can have foreseen is a disaster.

The RIBA remains committed to responding to the needs of its members, and will carry on providing the information, guidance and support they need so that architects can weather this storm.

We will continue to lobby the Government to protect the income of all affected architects, expand support schemes to cover directors’ dividends and shift economic policies to provide businesses with the security they need.

During this extremely unsettling time, I call on employers to prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of their staff. This means enabling them to work from home flexibly where possible, and taking advantage of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme. The RIBA is currently asking the Government to give grants or expand capital allowances so that companies can purchase or rent computer equipment to make it easier for employees to work productively and collaboratively at home.

Above all else, we must all prioritise our own physical and mental health, and seek support if needed.

The RIBA will continue to guide and support the profession as we navigate through the coming weeks and months.”

An executive summary of the survey’s findings can be found here:

RIBA COVID-19 survey of the profession

26 Mar 2020 RIBA responds to Government’s new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme

Thursday 26 March 2020 – The RIBA has responded to the Government’s new scheme to support the UK’s self-employed affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “This scheme should provide long-overdue relief to self-employed people across the UK, but many will be seriously concerned about how they will manage their finances until the fund becomes available.

There are also a number of unanswered questions around the eligibility of those with newer businesses and some types of self-employment. We will be pushing the Treasury for clarity.

Almost a quarter of our Chartered Practices (sole practitioners) should be eligible to apply, but most need funds to tide them over now, not in two months’ time.

The challenge facing the Treasury is unenviably complex, but it needs to introduce some sort of interim financial support as a matter of urgency.”

20 Mar 2020 UK Government to ‘stand behind workers’ – RIBA responds

Friday 20th of March 2020 – The RIBA has responded to the Government’s latest financial measures including paying wages for workers facing job losses and deferring the next quarter of VAT payments.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “We are encouraged by the financial measures announced this evening and hope they will provide much needed support for practices to retain staff and manage cash flow. The RIBA is engaging with the Government on a daily basis and this latest package of support reflects proposals we put to the Chancellor earlier this week. We will continue to ensure the concerns of our members are heard, understood and acted upon.”

RIBA responds to Government’s latest package of financial support for businesses

Tuesday 17th of March 2020 – The RIBA has responded to the Government’s latest financial measures to shore up the economy against the coronavirus impact.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “We welcome the Government’s ‘unprecedented package’ of financial support during these unpredictable times, especially the extension of businesses eligible for loans. But more will be needed to support SMEs – most architecture practices – who are already feeling the pain of this pandemic. The Government must ease the cash squeeze faced by many practices and their clients, and provide clarity on how it will keep the planning system operating and construction sites open so that projects can progress.

We are writing to the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Housing to outline the specific support required for architects. The RIBA will do whatever is required to ensure Government provides the support our members need.”

12 Mar 2020 RIBA responds to Government’s proposed changes to the planning system

The RIBA has responded to ‘Planning for the Future’ – the Government’s policy paper which sets out post-Budget plans for housing and planning.

RIBA Executive Director Professional Services, Adrian Dobson, said:

The latest changes to the planning system contain a number of significant proposals. We are pleased with the pledges to review current house building processes, connect the development of housing and infrastructure more effectively and make land ownership more transparent.

However, there is a fundamental contradiction between the Government’s professed commitment to quality and its plans to further expand permitted development. Current rules allow developers to create housing which fails to meet even the most basic spatial, quality and environmental standards. Rather than driving a ‘green housing revolution’, the Government’s plans to allow the demolition and replacement of industrial and commercial property with housing under permitted development would make it easier to build the slums of the future.”

11 Mar 2020 RIBA reveals designers of 2020 summer installation

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today (Wednesday 11 March 2020) announced Charles Holland Architects, together with multi-disciplinary artist Di Mainstone, as the designers of the summer installation at RIBA’s landmark HQ building in central London.

Responding to the theme of ‘Power’, the installation will be on show from 28 May to 12 September 2020.

Part architecture, part experience, this collaboration will combine an architectural installation with a multi-sensory performative element. Through theatrical devices, playful soundscapes and sculptural objects, it considers the power relations unspoken within the architectural plan. The arrangement of space – the architectural plan – informs how we move though buildings, what rooms we are allowed into and what we do in them. Transforming the layout of the gallery space, visitors are invited to explore how forms of power are expressed and performed in architecture.

The proposal was chosen, following an open call, by the a curatorial panel consisting of: Marie Bak Mortensen, Head of Exhibitions, RIBA; Margaret Cubbage, Curator Exhibitions, RIBA; Owen Hatherley, writer and critic; Luke Casper Pearson, Lecturer at Bartlett School of Architecture and part of selected practice You+Pea for the 2019 installation; and Catherine Yass, artist.

RIBA Head of Exhibitions & Interpretation, Marie Bak Mortensen, said: “The curatorial panel was overwhelmed with the ambition and breadth of the submissions to this year’s Architecture Open and it was far from an easy task to narrow down 67 entries to one. Combining the skills of an architect with those of a multi-disciplinary artist will bring new tactile experiences to the RIBA Architecture Gallery, while highlighting the intangible power of one of the fundamentals of architecture: the plan. We look forward to revealing this experiential installation in summer 2020 and inviting visitors to explore how architectural drawings prescribe and define our spaces.”

The installation will be on display alongside a programme of talks and events during the London Festival of Architecture (LFA).

For more details: https://ift.tt/31iUOgs

RIBA responds to 2020 Budget

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “Given ongoing concerns about the impact of coronavirus, and the predominance of SMEs in our industry, it is positive to see specific support in the Budget outlined for smaller businesses and employers.

The significant spending on affordable, safe homes and infrastructure announced today is welcome, though arguably a decade overdue. To meet ambitious housing targets, we need to work on building high-quality, safe and sustainable homes.

We will continue to urge the Government to spend public money wisely, and ensure that every penny delivers real long-term value for communities as well as our economy. Social value must be at the heart of all procurement processes and spending plans.”

UK’s approach to trade negotiations with the US – RIBA responds

Monday 2 March 2020 – The RIBA has today responded to the UK Government’s policy paper setting out aims for trade negotiations with the United States.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said:

“Today’s announcement that the UK will be seeking a Free Trade Agreement with the US that includes the recognition of professional qualifications is a promising development for architects.

The RIBA has been calling on the Government to secure a transatlantic trade deal that supports architecture – as one of the UK’s world-leading services – through fair access to the US market and increased opportunities for professionals to operate overseas. We will continue to make this case as talks commence.”

American Embassy Building London – former US Embassy in Mayfair: photo © Adrian Welch

27 Feb 2020 EU and UK Trade Negotiating Strategies Response

‘A step in the right direction’ – RIBA responds to EU and UK trade negotiating strategies

Thursday 27 February 2020 – The RIBA has responded to the UK Government’s ‘Future Relationship with the EU’ and the European Union’s ‘Council decision authorising the opening of negotiations’.

RIBA CEO, Alan Vallance, said: “It is positive to see the European Union and UK Government’s negotiating strategies align regarding the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications (MRPQ) – both agreeing this must be part of our future trade deal. This deal will affect goods, such as construction materials, and services, such as architecture. But most importantly, it will affect people across Europe, who rely on the architecture sector to design high-quality, safe and sustainable buildings.”

27 Feb 2020 RIBA publishes comprehensive new Plan of Work

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today published the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 – the definiteive guide for the design and construction of buildings.

For the first time, the RIBA Plan of Work includes a Sustainability Project Strategy which provides actions and tasks aligned with the RIBA Sustainable Outcomes Guide for each project stage. These range from appointing a sustainability champion to carrying out Post Occupancy Evaluation.

The updated document responds to detailed feedback from the construction industry. New additions include a section comparing the Plan of Work to international equivalents and nine Project Strategies including Fire Safety and Inclusive Design.

RIBA President, Professor Alan M Jones, said: “The RIBA Plan of Work continues to be an extremely relevant and highly effective tool for the construction industry. This new version reflects the huge environmental and societal challenges we face – as a planet and an industry. As chartered architects, we have a responsibility to ensure the delivery of high-quality, safe and sustainable environments; and the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 is our essential, definiteive guide for doing so.”

The RIBA Plan of Work 2020 and RIBA Sustainable Outcomes Guide have been developed to support the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, an initiative to encourage RIBA Chartered Practices to achieve net zero whole life carbon for all new and retrofitted buildings by 2030.

21 Jan 2020 RIBA responds to CPRE report on new housing design

Tuesday 21 January 2020 – “As RIBA architects highlight daily and this report emphasises, the design quality of new housing developments is simply not good enough. This is a problem for people who need new homes now. The solutions available to government are clear: increased resourcing, better design skills within local authorities, and a clear planning framework that upholds standards.

It is also vital that permitted development rules, which allow developers to sidestep basic safety and sustainability standards are scrapped. Without these changes, the country will continue to store up further issues for the future.”

Alan M Jones, RIBA President

16 Jan 2020

RIBA News 2020 – architects workload trends

The impact of Brexit uncertainty on construction – RIBA reveals 2019 trends

Thursday 16 January 2020 – The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has today published its monthly summary of business intelligence, alongside a commentary on the stand-out trends reported by architects throughout 2019.

In 2019, Brexit uncertainty had a significant impact on the architecture profession and the wider construction industry.

Monthly workload predictions were extremely volatile. In the second half of the year, as the prospect of a no-deal Brexit grew closer, the Index fell; from a 2019 high of +9 in June, to a negative figure for three of the final four months of the year. In October when crashing out of the EU looked like a real possibility, the Index stood at -10, the lowest balance score since 2011. Architects consistently described heightened client caution: with a reduction in project enquiries; projects being put on hold or failing to move past early design stages; and downward pressure on fees.

The differing levels of optimism between practices in the north and south of the UK was another consistent trend. Architecture practices in London and the South of England were far less positive about their future workloads, a sentiment shared by smaller practices, wherever they were located. Larger practices, and those in the North of England, felt consistently more positive about securing long-term work.

RIBA Future Trends – December 2019 report

In December 2019, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index sat at -2 – slipping back into negative territory for the final month of the year.

Small practices (1-10 staff) were most negative about future workloads – returning a balance figure of -6 – while medium (11-50 staff) and large-sized practices (51+ staff) remained positive, returning a combined balance figure of +38.

London fell into negative territory (dropping from zero to –18) along with the Midlands & East Anglia who fell from -6 to -13. The South of England held steady at zero whereas practices in Wales and the West and the North of England remained level and positive, returning balance figures of +14.

The private housing sector saw the biggest rise to +2 following three months in negative territory (the longest run since 2009) and the community sector rose slightly to -3. The commercial and public sectors both remained negative, falling back one point each to -5 and -4.

The RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index remained steady, with a balance figure of +2 in December and the anticipated demand for temporary staff in the next three months increased to +2. 22 per cent of practices said they were personally under-employed in the last month, due to a lack of work.

RIBA Head of Economic Research and Analysis, Adrian Malleson, said: “2019 Future Trends data consistently emphasised the impact of Brexit and political uncertainty on the construction industry. Reports of postponed projects, downward pressure on professional fees and skills shortages were prevalent, alongside a reluctance from clients to invest in building projects.

Larger practices and those in the North of England tended to be more optimistic, suggesting a shift in the focus of activity away from London and the South in 2019. It was also a year which saw an increase in larger firms looking beyond the UK for work.

After an extended period of volatility, and with a new government in place and more clarity on plans to leave the EU, there are glimmers of growing confidence in the profession, with some practices starting to report an increase in enquiries. Our Chartered Practices are resilient and adaptable to challenge. We look forward to presenting their predictions over the coming months.”

14 Jan 2020

RIBA News & Events in 2020

RIBA launches open call to design experimental installation for Architecture Gallery

Deadline for entries: 13 February 2020

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is inviting architects, architecture students and creatives to design a temporary installation at the RIBA’s HQ building in central London, to coincide with the London Festival of Architecture (LFA).

Responding to the Festival’s theme of ‘Power’, the installation will be on show from 28 May through to September 2020.

The ‘Power’ theme is open to interpretation, with no prescribed brief. For example, submissions could take the form of a built installation, a set of architectural sculptures, sound pieces or a film.

Architecture Open is an annual opportunity for creatives at all stages of their careers to develop an artistic and architectural installation. The proposal can be an existing project or idea, however evidence of experimentation, thought-provoking ideas relating to the theme and imaginative thinking around audiences are encouraged. Clear consideration of material and construction methods should also be expressed, especially in relation to best practice in sustainability. Architects and architecture students are welcome to develop collaborative ideas with artists or designers.

RIBA Head of Exhibitions & Interpretation, Marie Bak Mortensen, said: “In its five-year history, the RIBA Architecture Gallery has commissioned architects and designers to present their ideas in critically acclaimed exhibitions, including Assemble, Pablo Bronstein, APPARATA, Giles Round, Sam Jacob Studio and Pezo von Ellrichshausen. The 2020 theme of Power is a pertinent and broad one which will no doubt encourage a range of responses, and I look forward to seeing the breadth and quality of the proposals submitted this year.”

The project budget is £25,000 plus a £4,000 design fee (excluding VAT).

The project is open to all RIBA Members, Chartered Practices and architecture students (for whom membership is free).

3 Jan 2020 Delivering Sustainable Housing and Communities Event

Date: Wednesday 29th January 2020

Location: Central London, England, UK

Join the Westminster insight’s Delivering Sustainable Housing and Communities Forum, which will feature key figures from government, energy and local authorities.

The forum will discuss innovative new methods in the planning, designing and building of sustainable housing stock that meets the environmental needs of future generations.

Hear from RIBA 2019 Stirling Prize Winners, Mikhail Riches Architects, who will be sharing insight into their pioneering project for Norwich City Council which delivered almost 100 highly energy-efficient homes.

Confirmed speakers:

• (Chair) Barry Goodchild, Professor of Housing and Urban Planning, Sheffield Hallam University • Lord Best, Social Housing Leader, House of Lords • James Harris MA MSC, Policy and Networks Manager, Royal Town Planning Institute • Lesley Rudd, Chief Executive, Sustainable Energy Association • Mikhail Riches Architects *RIBA 2019 Stirling Prize Winner* • Emma Fletcher, Chair, Swaffham Prior Community Land Trust • Anthony Probert, Programme Manager, Bioregional • Stewart Clements, Director, Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) • Dr Steffie Broer, Director, Bright Green Futures • Rene Sommer Lindsay, Urban Designer and Strategic Advisor, R|S|L|ENT • Simon Tilley, Director, Hockerton Housing Projects

We will also explore how innovative new materials, systems and technologies will contribute to meeting 2050 net-zero targets.

What you will learn:

• Explore regulations, planning and future funding for sustainable housing development • Discuss the role of planning and design for a resilient homes future • Deliver on carbon reduction targets for housing in line with 2050 net-zero targets • Review practical case studies which are contributing to the achievement of a more sustainable housing environment

View the full agenda https://ift.tt/3kdpTum

Secure your place https://ift.tt/3grr5s5

Forum details:

Wednesday 29th January 2020 08:30 – 13:25 Central London

Codes:

VHGV1O-1241058 for 1 delegate place (10% off) VHGVZO-1241058 for 2+ delegate places (20% off)

Codes will expire at 9pm, 9th January 2019.

RIBA News 2019

RIBA News & Events 2019

RIBA Summer Installation 2019

RIBA London Events information from RIBA

Location: 66 Portland Place, London, UK

RIBA Events Archive

RIBA Events 2018

RIBA Annie Spink Award 2018

National Museum of African American History and Culture building: photo © Darren Bradley

RIBA Exhibition on Perspective

Building Britain’s Ideal – RIBA Discussion

RIBA News in London

RIBA News & Events 2017

RIBA London Events – Archive

RIBA HQ at 66 Portland Place

RIBA Gold Medal for Architecture

Chartered Institute of Building

RIBA Awards

RIBA Stirling Prize

RIBA Honorary Fellowships

London Architecture Events

AA School Events

Bartlett School of Architecture Event

Comments / photos for the RIBA News & Events for 2020 page welcome

Website: London

The post RIBA News & Events 2020, London, UK appeared first on e-architect.

#e-architect

[ericvick]

Bitcoin is surging in 2020 and nearing its all time high — here's why

Bitcoin topped $18,600 on Friday, continuing a vertical climb that accelerated in early October. The largest digital currency by market cap is up 160% in 2020, and up 190% since March 15, following a crash in the second week of March that saw the price drop 25%.

Now it’s not far from its all-time-high of around $19,800 toward the end of December 2017.

Bitcoin (BTC) bulls are hoping this time is different. And it is, judging by the breathless media coverage and general mania: there isn’t any.

In the previous bull run, financial (and non-financial) press went into a frenzy, in many cases covering bitcoin for the first time, and the price hike became a cultural conversation around Thanksgiving dinner tables. Stories proliferated of crypto newbies buying up bitcoin on exchanges, many of whom lost their shirts when bitcoin dropped precipitously in January 2018.

This time, the coverage has been muted. Perhaps you can chalk that up to the mental toll of the pandemic or the distraction of the U.S. presidential election. (The debate feels in many ways similar to the debate around why live sports TV ratings are way down.) Or it could be a sign that the price hike is less remarkable because the public now knows about bitcoin, and it has become less of an oddity. That can be a positive indicator for its future use and mainstream acceptance.

Growing acceptance, both by consumer-facing companies and Wall Street institutions, provides much of the explanation for bitcoin’s 2020 run. Here are some of the recent news events and trends that have boosted bitcoin.

A woman stands next to a bus stop covered with Cryptocurrency electronic cash Bitcoin advertisement in Hong Kong, Sept. 24, 2020. (Photo by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Increasing institutional adoption

Over the past couple of years, a range of Wall Street investment firms and financial institutions have gravitated toward cryptocurrency—even if just dipping a toe in by putting a sliver of their assets into bitcoin or altcoins.

That rising interest helped Grayscale Investments, the largest crypto investment firm, top $10 billion in assets in the third quarter. (Grayscale is owned by Barry Silbert’s Digital Currency Group, the single largest investor in cryptocurrency startups, which owns the news site CoinDesk.) Grayscale offers publicly traded funds pegged to the prices of bitcoin, bitcoin cash, litecoin, ether, ethereum classic, XRP, Zcash, and others. In Q2 of this year, more than a dozen well-known Wall Street firms disclosed with the SEC new investments in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), including ARK Invest and Boston Private Wealth.

Story continues

Thanks to bitcoin prices, Galaxy Digital, the crypto investment firm of Mike Novogratz, saw profit of $44.3 million in Q3 2020, a huge turnaround from losses of $68.2 million in Q3 2019.

Reports of traditional finance embracing crypto have fueled more buying. “Bitcoin thrives off network value, so the more people who adopt it, the more parabolically the price rises,” Tom Lee of Fundstrat said on Yahoo Finance Live on Friday. “We’ve seen a pretty substantial increase in engagement this year, and I’ve been pretty surprised, because it is institutional.”

Even big banks have appeared to warm to bitcoin.

Goldman Sachs in August named a new head of digital assets, Matthew McDermott, and he reportedly plans to double the headcount of Goldman’s crypto team. (Back in 2018, then-CEO Lloyd Blankfein said it would be “arrogant” to dismiss bitcoin entirely, but more recently, on a call in May, Goldman analysts declared cryptocurrencies “not an asset class.”)

JPMorgan last year launched JPM Coin, an internal digital token for use by the bank’s institutional clients, which runs on the Quorum blockchain that JPM developed and is overseen by JPM’s blockchain unit Onyx. At the time of launch, Onyx CEO Umar Farooq wrote in a blog post, “We have always believed in the potential of blockchain technology, and we are supportive of cryptocurrencies as long as they are properly controlled and regulated.”

More recently, JPM began allowing customer transfers in and out of Coinbase and Gemini, two U.S. crypto exchange sites. All of this looks like JPM at the very least acknowledging the future viability of digital assets. (Jamie Dimon this week said bitcoin is still “not my cup of tea,” but he also said, “We will always support blockchain technology.”)

A man uses the Ethereum ATM in Hong Kong, Friday, May 11, 2018. Ethereum is one of the world’s popular virtual currencies. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The institutional trend started well before the pandemic made bitcoin an even more appealing asset. If you ask Grayscale managing director Michael Sonnenshein, increased regulatory attention, plus the approval of bitcoin futures contracts from places like CBE and Cboe, have all served to make Wall Street feel more comfortable about crypto. “Institutional investment, regulatory clarity, futures contracts—there’s so much that has developed and solidified around the ecosystem,” Sonnenshein told Yahoo Finance in May.

Third bitcoin ‘Halving’ happened in May

Back in May, bitcoin underwent its third “halving” (or “halvening,” as some prefer), the event that happens every four years when the reward that bitcoin “miners” receive for mining bitcoin (using expensive computers to upload bundles of bitcoin transaction records to the bitcoin blockchain) gets cut in half as a built-in mechanism to slow the creation of new bitcoins and limit bitcoin’s supply. The new mining reward is 6.25 bitcoins per block; from 2016 until 2020 it was 12.5 bitcoins.

Historically, the Halving itself does not prompt an immediate spike in the bitcoin price. After the 2012 Halving, bitcoin saw a marginal increase over a few weeks, then went on a massive ride in the next months. This year, the price increased slightly in the days after the Halving, and by two weeks later had dropped below where it was before the Halving.

But as Fundstrat’s Tom Lee points out, “History says that the year that follows the Halvenings is much more important” for price than the weeks and months that follow it. The 2020 halving is not likely the chief cause of the current price rally, but it didn’t hurt, since it’s an event that reminds investors of bitcoin’s scarcity.

Wall Street figures soften their rhetoric

Bitcoin’s price swings can be very headline-driven: sometimes a single news item about a major name praising or trashing bitcoin can move the price in the short-term. Warren Buffett (“That is not investing”), Charlie Munger (“disgusting… stupid… turds”), Jamie Dimon (“fraud… worse than tulip bulbs”), and Nouriel Roubini (“mother of all scams”) are some of the big names that have trashed bitcoin in years past.

But in May, hedge fund titan Paul Tudor Jones revealed he has put nearly 2% of his portfolio into bitcoin. He called it a “great speculation… I look at it as one tiny part of the portfolio… it may end up being the best performer of all of them.”

Paul Tudor Jones, founder and chief investment officer of Tudor Investment Corporation, speaks at the Sohn Investment Conference in New York, May 5, 2014. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

And this week, another representative of a huge Wall Street name had positive things to say about bitcoin. BlackRock’s fixed income CIO Rick Rieder, speaking on CNBC, said, “I think cryptocurrency is here to stay, and I think it is durable… I think digital currency, and the receptivity, particularly millennials’ receptivity of technology and cryptocurrency, is real, digital payment systems are real. So I think bitcoin is here to stay… Do I think it’s a durable mechanism that I think will take the place of gold, to a large extent? Yeah, I do, because it’s so much more functional than passing a bar of gold around.”

More and more, the rhetoric from Wall Street types is changing. Even if these old-school investors are not exactly pumping crypto with great fervor, more of them are acknowledging that bitcoin, which has now existed for more than 10 years, is not about to collapse.

PayPal and Square buy in

PayPal (PYPL) on Oct. 21 made major waves in the payments world when it announced it will soon allow buying, holding, and trading of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and paying with bitcoin, in its PayPal and Venmo apps. The news sent PayPal shares to an all-time-high and prompted an instant leg higher for bitcoin and some other altcoins.

Bitcoin was already on the upswing before PayPal’s announcement, but after that news the bitcoin chart line went vertical, and many attribute bitcoin’s recent price ride directly to PayPal. It is certainly a major consumer-facing name publicly showing its faith in crypto, and if the young people who use Venmo for all their peer-to-peer payments buy bitcoin once PayPal adds it (the same young people that have flocked to Robinhood to buy stocks during the pandemic), that could send the price soaring more dramatically.

Bitcoin price in 2020, through Nov. 20 at 10pm EST.

Square (SQ) is another mainstream fintech name to show love to bitcoin, stemming directly from CEO Jack Dorsey’s crypto fanaticism. In 2018, Square added the ability to buy and hold bitcoin to its Cash App, and this year the company went a step further by separately investing in $50 million worth of bitcoin as an asset for its balance sheet. Square’s bitcoin bet is paying off: its bitcoin revenue from Cash App trading was $1.63 billion in Q3, up 618% from Q3 2019, and its Q3 bitcoin profit was $32 million, up 1,500% from Q3 2019.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning Facebook’s (FB) attempt last year to launch its own cryptocurrency Libra, which, despite regulatory interference and launch delays, was seen as a major step forward for crypto since it shows that the world’s biggest social network believes in digital assets and aims to implement them on its platform.

Pandemic stimulus

One common take on bitcoin’s strong gains during the pandemic is that quantitative easing actions by the U.S. Federal Reserve and stimulus programs by governments around the world have been good for bitcoin because they underscore its scarcity. There will only ever be 21 million bitcoin created, so the supply is capped, and bitcoin has no central governing body that could step in and pump out more.

“There are so many uncertainties in this pandemic, but one thing that seems almost assured is when you print trillions of dollars more paper money, it’s going to drive up bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies,” Dan Morehead, CEO of crypto investment firm Pantera Capital, said on Yahoo Finance Live in August. “Gold’s going to go up, bitcoin’s going to go up. It is a hedge to paper currency being debased.”

Bitcoin jumped big in the days after Election Day (when a winner was still not clear) because it thrives when there is mainstream economic uncertainty—then it climbed further once it became clear Democrat Joe Biden would win, since it increased the likelihood of another imminent pandemic stimulus package. As the thinking goes, government monetary aid strengthens the appeal of bitcoin.

In 2021, a divided U.S. government, Dan Morehead wrote in a client note on Friday, “would likely result in more pressure on the Federal Reserve to expand their balance sheet. This money printing will inflate the price of things whose quantity cannot be eased—like gold, bitcoin, real assets, and even equities. It feels like bitcoin is going to melt up here.”

—

Daniel Roberts is an editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance and closely covers bitcoin and blockchain. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite.

Read more:

Why bitcoin and altcoins are hot again this summer

Square’s bitcoin bet is paying off

Jamie Dimon says bitcoin is ‘not my cup of tea’ even as JPMorgan has warmed to crypto

What you need to know about Ant Financial, potentially the largest IPO in history

Amazon tells employees to delete Tik Tok, then says email was ‘sent in error’

Why Square’s embrace of bitcoin was ‘brilliant’

Jamie Dimon has questions about Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra

Lloyd Blankfein: It would be ‘arrogant’ to dismiss bitcoin entirely

#Bitcoin #Heres #High #nearing #Surging #Time

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

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

sarah (Sarah Frostenson, politics editor): On Sunday, The Washington Post published leaked audio of an hour-long conversation President Trump had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, where he urged the Republican to “find” enough votes to overturn the result in Georgia and declare him the winner.

This story has captured headlines, as it is by far Trump’s most brazen attempt to overturn November’s results, although it is hardly his first time trying to do so. Trump has repeatedly tried to cast doubt on the election results since Biden was declared the winner on Nov. 7, citing false claims of voter fraud and launching countless futile lawsuits to try and overturn the election. And now as Congress prepares to vote on Jan. 6 to certify the election results in what should be a largely ceremonial, low-key affair, a faction of GOP senators plans to mount a protest vote, even though it is destined to fail.

There is no question that this is bad for democracy — polls have found a record number of Americans distrust the election results — but let’s talk through some of the biggest consequences of this push to delegitimize the results, in addition to whether this jeopardizes Trump’s role as the de facto party leader once he’s left the presidency.

To start, what do you view as the biggest consequence of all this?

perry (Perry Bacon Jr., senior writer): I think the biggest potential danger is that in any election where the Republicans earn fewer votes, they will make unfounded and exaggerated claims of voting irregularities and fraud and try to toss out or overturn the results. No election is conducted perfectly, but using minor problems as a pretext for invalidating the outcome is a huge problem. You can’t have a democracy if one of the main parties can’t admit defeat.

I am really worried about this in the context of these Georgia Senate runoff races. If Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock both win their races, that would give Democrats total control of Congress. So will Republicans be able to accept losing these races if they do? Or will there be an endless stream of lawsuits trying to prevent Ossoff and Warnock from being seated?

julia_azari (Julia Azari, political science professor at Marquette University and FiveThirtyEight contributor): Biggest consequence: This splits the GOP and deepens the dilemma for Republicans (and possibly Democrats) about how to deal with the other party. Namely, can they continue to thread the needle in arguing that the other party’s constitutional and political views are illegitimate, but the processes are legitimate and thus they sometimes win? Or will the other party’s victories, as Perry suggests, not be tolerated?

I don’t want to “both sides” this — obviously, the Democrats are not the ones creating the current situation, but I think this creates potential dilemmas for them, too, regarding the way they treat the idea of legitimate opposition.

sarah: What are some of the dilemmas you think Democrats face as a result of this, Julia?

julia_azari: Well, take the debate happening over how Democrats should react to this news. There’s a question of whether the House should consider impeachment, which I’m guessing they probably won’t do. On the one hand, I’m not sure impeachment would have much public support, and there’s plenty of other issues that Congress needs to work on. But on the other hand, it does sort of leave the impression that these kinds of norm violations are sort of begrudgingly tolerated.

This will linger after Trump leaves office, too, I think. You’ll have Democrats who want to move on and not ratchet up the stakes of partisan disagreement. And you’ll have others who want to seek accountability for some of the laws that they think were broken by the last administration.

sarah: That’s a really good point, Julia. One thing we saw after the 2016 election was a big drop in the share of Democrats who thought the election was fair and accurate, but it’s nowhere near as big as the drop we’ve seen among Republicans here in 2020. That’s why what you and Perry are hitting on — how the parties handle loss and what that means for voters’ trust in democracy — is the biggest consequence of all this to me.

But maybe you all disagree? Should Democrats be digging into Trump’s behavior more for the reason Julia cited — that this behavior otherwise seems begrudgingly tolerated?

julia_azari: Well, the fact that COVID-19 continues to pose a very real challenge for the country, creates a bit of a problem for Democrats, because if they look like they’re focusing too much time on investigating the Trump administration, they look like they’re ignoring the pandemic and its consequences. But if Democrats try to take this on in a less high-profile way — subpoenaing lower-level officials, etc. — then maybe they’re accused of not being transparent enough.

The impact of this norm-breaking administration isn’t just that it violates these unwritten rules, but that it behaves in ways that make the whole system of usual practices not work. That makes things extra challenging for Democrats.

perry: Questions about what the Biden Department of Justice, congressional Democrats and state attorneys generals do about Trump’s conduct are all still very much up in the air. If there was some criminal activity, he should not be above the law. Perhaps there are some congressional hearings — and maybe even charges filed by the DOJ and/or attorneys generals — involving some Trump associates and maybe Trump himself. I don’t expect Biden to talk about Trump that much, but other actors might weigh in.

sarah: What is the end game here for Trump and Republicans? Trump admitted on the call to Raffensperger that, “I know this phone call is going nowhere.” I know we can’t speak to the president’s state of mind, but what can we point to for why refusing to concede the election has become Trump’s defining stance?

julia_azari: Well, it fits in well into this idea that “grievance politics” have turned into a somewhat successful brand — especially in a place like Georgia, where a history of racist voter suppression informs the context, and where Democratic victories are especially tied to the mobilization of Black voters.

However, I don’t see how having this kind of split within congressional Republicans is helpful to the GOP in the long term.

perry: Trump has lied and cheated in a lot of different venues in his life. That is just the truth. So him insisting that he won an election that he lost is nothing new. He likes to push and push people and see if they will uphold their ethics or bend to his will. For the Republican Party, part of this is just the trajectory they were on anyway, even without Trump at the helm. When you are writing voter laws targeting Black people with “surgical precision” (North Carolina Republicans), making it harder for felons who served their time to vote (Florida Republicans) and gerrymandering in a way that almost makes a mockery of majority rule (Wisconsin Republicans), then unfounded voter fraud charges that aim to disqualify the votes of Black people in particular are just a more aggressive step in an anti-democratic direction.

But part of this is directly tied to Trump. Elected and aspiring Republican officials know he is very connected to the party base, so aligning with Trump is aligning with the party base. So that is why you see Georgia Sen. David Perdue, in light of this phone call, attacking the secretary of state for leaking it, and not Trump for what he said.

2/ “To have a state-wide elected official, regardless of party, tape unknowing – to tape without disclosing a conversation – private conversation of the President of the United States and then leaking it to the press is disgusting,” Perdue told Fox.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 4, 2021

julia_azari: I think the intersection of what Perry and I have said is this: “The future of the Republican Party is the division between those who say the quiet part out loud and those who don’t.”

One key difference is that Republicans used to win national majorities with the quiet part. That’s no longer the case. Per Rep. Thomas Massie, who along with six Republican colleagues authored a letter that pointed out the necessity of preserving ‘s comments on the Electoral College, the bullhorn can occasionally at least win a plurality. Matt Glassman, who studies Congress as a senior fellow at Georgetown University, on it:

The Senate vote on the objections will be lopsided—at a minimum 70-75 votes against, probably more like 80-85—and also starkly split the GOP caucus.

It may feel like the end, but this is really the beginning of the party fight over the meaning and future of Trumpism. https://t.co/8E9AW9GJul

— Matt Glassman (@MattGlassman312) January 4, 2021

sarah: If Glassman’s whip count is right, though, we’re still talking about a smallish wing of the GOP, right? In other words, it’s possible that the battle over Trumpism splinters the party, but that maybe the movement loses power?

Calling the integrity of the election results into question has clearly become a litmus test or demonstration of fealty for those in the GOP, but some senators like Ben Sasse and Mitt Romney are speaking out against it. Do you think it’s possible that Trump is ruining his ability to be the party’s leader post-presidency?

julia_azari: Well, our readers should stay tuned for my upcoming piece where I address that question!

But to give you a sneak peak: I think political scientists would frame this question as, “Can populism, on the right, be compatible with participation in a pluralistic, multi-ethnic democracy in which you sometimes lose even when you claim to truly represent the Constitution and the people?” The issue is that a wing of the Republican Party has skirted answering that question for decades now.

perry: Having covered the GOP in the era of Trump for the last six years, I will always bet on the more extreme wing of the party carrying the day. The fact that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not acknowledge Biden’s win until mid-December was extraordinary. If I had told anyone that in 2015, they would have thought I was crazy.

The moderate voices in the Republican Party are not well organized, not connected to the party base and have no real compelling leaders, whereas the more extreme voices in the party have Fox News, Newsmax, One America News Network, Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson and Trump. I see very little chance that the Republican Party changes its general direction, even if Trump himself recedes.

Would you bet on Sasse winning a battle over the soul of the Republican Party against anyone whose last name is Trump?

julia_azari: I would probably bet a small amount that it is possible, Perry, especially since Sasse seems like a fairly skilled politician and the Trump kids do not.

That said, I generally do not disagree, but I wonder about the sustainability of it all. I think I have some questions on what counts as “moderate” — specifically, considering the GOP, as political scientist and Bloomberg View columnist Jonathan Bernstein has been saying for quite some time, is post-policy.

perry: When I say moderate, I mean people like Romney or Sasse, who are quite conservative on policy but generally avoid white identity politics-style moves (attacking Black Lives Matter or immigration reform) and are full-throated in favor of democratic norms and values. Republicans who are moderate on policy, like Susan Collins and Larry Hogan, are basically nonexistent among top Republicans now.

sarah: That’s largely what FiveThirtyEight contributor Lee Drutman outlined in his piece on why there are so few moderate Republicans left, Perry.

Given how favorable the down-ballot results were for Republicans, however, one of my takeaways from the 2020 election was that a lot of voters rejected Trump but not necessarily the Republican Party, making it a little harder for me to understand the extent to which the GOP has lost moderate voters.

At the same time, it’s hard for me to see a Romney, Hogan or Sasse winning the 2024 Republican nomination, given the current dynamics we’re seeing play out in the GOP — a largely ceremonial, non-headline grabbing vote on certifying the results of the Electoral College, for instance, has now become this big-stakes issue. That said, I’m not sure we can know at this point the success of Trumpism moving forward. I think, for instance, Democrats will face some real tests in the next four years on whether they can keep their big umbrella coalition of both moderates and very liberal voters happy, and that might create opportunities for more middle of the road or moderate Republicans.

perry: I am not confident who will win the 2024 nomination. I have no idea. I do think in the short term, though, that Trump will remain highly influential in the GOP, as will his style of politics.

I just don’t see an easy path for the Republicans to get off that ramp.

julia_azari: This is a bit of a cop-out but I’d need to think more about the costs and benefits for various Republicans. I’m gonna hold off on 2024 predictions until I get a feel for what politics in the Biden administration looks like. And per my earlier comment about how Trumpism has changed the unwritten rules for everyone, I feel a lot more uncertain about what this will look like now once Trump is gone than I have in previous administrations.

sarah: A lot probably hinges on how the Senate runoffs shake out tomorrow, and like you’ve both said, I really don’t have a sense of how “Trumpism” plays out now. It’s unclear to me, for instance, whether Trump is doing a lot of harm … or if he’s the future of conservatism in the U.S.

But at the very least, can we agree that the lasting consequence of this might be an escalation in how the parties oppose each other when an outcome is in dispute?

I’d argue we’ve seen a ramping up of this in the last decade, but it’s largely been over more procedural things, like the Senate changing rules around judicial appointments, and making it a more partisan affair. But now we have this extreme example — contesting a free and fair election. That ups the ante, no? And it seems as if partisan infighting could get much worse.

perry: I’m not sure I’d say we’ll see an escalation in how the parties oppose each other, at least not yet. I think it’s a change on the Republican side. I don’t expect Biden, for instance, to be fighting his defeat for two months if he clearly lost by a wide electoral margin (not one state by 500 votes) in 2024.

julia_azari: I agree with that, Perry. But I think it’s possible that Democrats will start to feel pressure to both uphold norms and be “reasonable” while also responding to norm violations more forcefully.

perry: I am wary of suggesting we are seeing escalation on both sides, though, as I think we are really only seeing big escalations on the GOP side. And I worry things could get worse. If Republicans controlled the House right now, I would be really worried about this election certification issue, for example.

julia_azari: For me, it comes down to a question of sustainability, and of possible splits among Democrats on this issue. But to be clear, I don’t see any of them supporting the scenario you described, Perry. But I could start to see them play a bit more “constitutional hardball.”

sarah: Yeah, I think Julia is getting at what I meant. I definitely don’t want to “both sides” this. But I do think what Julia touched on earlier, about the mechanisms for expressing legitimate opposition being brushed aside, leaves Democrats in an awkward position, as Trump’s brand of politics has challenged how the whole system works.

julia_azari: My main point here is that the parties are not self-contained, and I don’t think the Democrats have really figured out answers to some of the questions posed by Republicans’ norm-violating behavior (which again, is a situation Democrats did not create).

perry: Julia is getting at an important and complicated question here, and one we kind of saw play out around whether Democrats should add justices to the Supreme Court given Republicans’ rush to nominate Amy Coney Barrett before the election.

Biden was clearly uncomfortable with it, but the party activists really pushed him on the issue. So what does Biden/the Democrats do about what we have seen over the last two months?

Biden, in this pre-inauguration period, is basically ignoring Trump and suggesting Republicans will work with him. And I can’t tell if he is 1) pretending, 2) clueless, or 3) Republicans will actually work with him. But Biden’s theory of the case and how other Democrats approach this issue, not to mention how the two parties interact on this, will be interesting. I truly do not know the answer to this question.

sarah: Exactly. It will be interesting to see how Biden and the Democrats work to address this — or whether Trump’s brand of politics has upended everything.

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

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/covid-19-news-live-updates-the-new-york-times-20/

Covid-19 News: Live Updates - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

Most public health officials now believe it is important to keep schools operating, particularly for young students.Credit…Sarah Blesener for The New York Times

New York City is reopening some of its public schools Monday in the teeth of a worsening coronavirus outbreak.

The decision to do so reflects changing public health thinking around the importance of keeping schools operating, particularly for young students, and the real-world experience of over two months of in-person classes in the city’s school system, the nation’s largest.

Schools around the country have had to make the difficult decision of when to close and what metrics to follow, with some staying open amid local positivity rates in the teens and others using low single-digit thresholds.

Of the nation’s 75 largest public school districts, 18 have gone back to remote learning in the past month, according to data compiled by the Council of the Great City Schools and reported in The Wall Street Journal.

In California, many of the biggest school districts were already closed before new restrictions took effect on Sunday in three regions of the state. The new restrictions include stay-at-home orders, but do not require schools that had reopened to close again (an earlier version of this item incorrectly said they do). In the last week, California has reported more than 150,000 new cases, a record for all states.

Decisions to shutter schools have often been made on the local level and in inconsistent ways. Some schools have “paused” for short periods of time — as was the case in dozens of Central Texas districts or recently in Delaware, at the governor’s suggestion. Others have opted for blended learning with some days in school and some days remote.

Many have endured jarring periods of closing, opening and closing again. All of the solutions seem to be leading to burnout, instability and turmoil. New York City students, parents and teachers have felt their own whiplash, from a full shutdown before Thanksgiving to a partial reopening less than three weeks later.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has committed himself to keeping schools open, his aides say, and has started with elementary schools and those for students with severe disabilities. (About 190,000 children in the grades and schools the city is reopening this week would be eligible.)

Three of the country’s largest districts — in Birmingham, Ala., Tulsa, Okla., and Wichita, Kan. — made the opposite decision and closed over the past week. In Birmingham, the superintendent said the pandemic was “drastically impacting our community and our schools.” In Tulsa, two public school employees died recently after testing positive for the virus. And several of Wichita’s public schools had so many staff members quarantined that they could hardly cover vacancies by the time the district decided to close, the superintendent said.

The United States has diverged from other countries around the world in closing schools but leaving indoor dining and bars open. Many parents have criticized that situation, saying that risks of infection are higher in restaurants and bars and that it prioritizes the economy over education. Across Europe and Asia, students, especially very young ones, have largely continued going to school while other parts of daily life have shut down.

While Mr. de Blasio’s decision was applauded by many parents, there is no guarantee that the pattern of chaos that they have faced will abate as the fall turns to winter. New York City’s rules for handling positive cases all but guarantee frequent and sudden closures of individual classrooms and school buildings.

And it remains unclear whether the city will be able to reopen its middle and high schools to in-person learning any time soon.

One thing that could hamper the city’s efforts, officials cautioned, is a truly rampant second wave in New York.

The test positivity rate has only increased since the city closed schools and the seven-day rolling average rate exceeded 5 percent last week. Hospitalizations have quickly mounted.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, at age 76, is in the high-risk category for the virus.Credit…Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and President Trump’s personal and campaign lawyer, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Mr. Trump announced on Twitter on Sunday.

Mr. Giuliani has been admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center, according to a person who was aware of his condition but not authorized to speak publicly. Mr. Giuliani, at age 76, is in the high-risk category for the virus. Later Sunday, he wrote on Twitter: “Thank you to all my friends and followers for all the prayers and kind wishes. I’m getting great care and feeling good. Recovering quickly and keeping up with everything.”

His son, Andrew H. Giuliani, a White House adviser, said on Nov. 20 he had tested positive for the virus. He had appeared at a news conference with his father the day before.

Mr. Giuliani has been acting as the lead lawyer for Mr. Trump’s efforts to overthrow the results of the election. He has repeatedly claimed he has evidence of widespread fraud, but he has declined to submit that evidence in legal cases he has filed.

“@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!” Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. It was unclear why Mr. Trump was the one announcing it.

Mr. Giuliani recently traveled to three battleground states that Mr. Biden won to make his case. On Thursday he attended a hearing at the Georgia Capitol, where he didn’t wear a mask. He also went maskless on Wednesday at a legislative session in Michigan, where he lobbied Republicans to overturn the results of the election there and appoint a slate of electors for Trump.

“Mayor Giuliani tested negative twice immediately preceding his trip to Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia,” the Trump campaign said. “The Mayor did not experience any symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 until more than 48 hours after his return.”

However, a person in contact with the former mayor said he began feeling ill late this past week.

Mr. Giuliani has repeatedly been exposed to the virus through contact with infected people, including during Mr. Trump’s preparation for his first debate against President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. in September, just before the president tested positive.

His infection is the latest in a string of outbreaks among those in the president’s orbit. Boris Epshteyn, a member of the Trump campaign legal team, tested positive late last month. The same day, Mr. Giuliani attended a meeting of Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania about allegations of voting irregularities. One of the lawmakers at that meeting was notified shortly after, while at the White House, that he had tested positive.

Mark Meadows, the president’s chief of staff, and at least eight others in the White House and Mr. Trump’s circle, tested positive in the days before and after Election Day.

Mr. Trump was hospitalized on Oct. 2 after contracting the coronavirus. Kayleigh McEnany, the president’s press secretary, Corey Lewandowski, a campaign adviser, and Ben Carson, the housing secretary, are among those in the president’s circle who have tested positive this fall.

Mr. Giuliani appeared on Fox News earlier on Sunday. Speaking with the host Maria Bartiromo via satellite, Mr. Giuliani repeated baseless claims about fraud in Georgia and Wisconsin on “Sunday Morning Futures.” When asked if he believed Mr. Trump still had a path to victory, he said, “We do.”

Melina Delkic and Bryan Pietsch contributed reporting.

The victims of coronavirus were remembered during a Mass at at Nembro’s cemetery in November.Credit…Fabio Bucciarelli for The New York Times

Every Monday night in the northern Italian town that had perhaps the highest coronavirus death rate in all of Europe, a psychologist specializing in post-traumatic stress leads group therapy sessions in the local church.

“She has treated survivors of war,” the Rev. Matteo Cella, the parish priest of the town, Nembro, in Bergamo province, said of the psychologist. “She says the dynamic is the same.”

First the virus exploded in Bergamo. Then came the shell shock. The province that first gave the West a preview of the horrors to come now serves as a disturbing postcard from the post-traumatic aftermath.

In small towns where many know one another, there is apprehension about other people, but also survivor’s guilt, anger, second thoughts about fateful decisions and nightmares about dying wishes unfulfilled. There is a pervasive anxiety that, with the virus surging anew, Bergamo’s enormous sacrifice will soon recede into history, that its towns will be forgotten battlefields from the great first wave.

And most of all there is a collective grappling to understand how the virus has changed people. Not just their antibodies, but their selves.

Bergamo, like everywhere, now confronts a second wave of the virus. But its sacrifice has left it better prepared than most places, as the widespread infection rate of the first wave has conferred a measure of immunity for many, doctors say. And its medical staff, by now drilled in the virus’s awful protocols, are taking in patients from outside the province to alleviate the burdens on overwhelmed hospitals nearby.

But the wounds of the first wave gnaw at them from within.

Talking about these things does not come easily to people in Italy’s industrial heartland, jammed with metal-mechanic and textile factories, paper mills, billowing smokestacks and gaping warehouses. They prefer to talk about how much they work. Almost apologetically they reveal that they are hurting.

Though no corner of the city has escaped the fallout, job losses have been concentrated in mostly Black and Latino areas like West Farms in the Bronx.Credit…Amr Alfiky/The New York Times

More than one in four workers in the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx are out of work.

They were store clerks, hotel housekeepers, waitresses, cooks, for-hire drivers, security officers and maintenance workers before the coronavirus snatched away their livelihoods. Even before the outbreak, most were barely getting by on meager paychecks and scant savings.

Now their hopes for better lives are slipping away as they fall behind on rent, ration food and rack up credit card debt. Unemployment in this poor and largely Latino enclave of 19,000 was in double digits before the outbreak.

It has gotten far worse.

With an unemployment rate of 26 percent in September, West Farms has become a center of New York’s economic crisis, one of the hardest-hit urban communities in the country and emblematic of the pandemic’s uneven toll.

Though no corner of the city has escaped the fallout, the mass job losses have been concentrated in mostly Black and Latino pockets outside Manhattan that have long lagged economically behind the rest of the city. Communities like West Farms have also suffered disproportionately from the coronavirus itself, with higher rates of people becoming ill.

New York City’s economic crisis is among the worst in the nation, with unemployment at 13.2 percent in October, nearly double the national rate. But within the city, the pain varies vastly. Manhattan’s unemployment rate is 10.3 percent, but in the Bronx, the city’s poorest borough, it is 17.5 percent — the highest in the state.

In contrast, some of the city’s most affluent and largely white neighborhoods in Manhattan have fared far better. The unemployment rate on the Upper East Side was 5 percent in September, up from 1 percent in February. On the Upper West Side, it was 6 percent, up from 2 percent.

Poor workers, including many Black and Latino people, have been hurt much worse during the pandemic than by past recessions, including the 2008 financial crisis, said James Parrott, an economist with the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School.

He said the pandemic had triggered many more layoffs among lower-paid workers, while far fewer higher-paid workers — including those in finance, technology and professional services, who tend to be mostly white — have lost jobs or benefits.

Du Weimin, chairman of Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, is one of the richest men in China.Credit…Yu Ga/Visual China

As a government regulator sidled into a car, the Chinese pharmaceutical executive handed over a paper bag stuffed with cash.

The executive, Du Weimin, was eager to get his company’s vaccines approved, and he needed help. The official took the money and vowed to try his best.

Several months later, Mr. Du got the greenlight to begin clinical trials for two vaccines. They were ultimately approved, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

The government official was jailed in 2016 for taking bribes from Mr. Du and several other vaccine makers. Mr. Du was never charged.

His company, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, produces about one-quarter of the world’s supply of vaccines. And Mr. Du, who has been called the “king of vaccines,” is one of the richest men in China.

Capitalizing on that success, Mr. Du and his company are at the forefront of the race to produce a coronavirus vaccine, a national priority for China’s ruling Communist Party. Kangtai will be the exclusive manufacturer in mainland China for the vaccine made by AstraZeneca, and the companies could work together on deals for other countries. Kangtai is also in early trials for its own candidate.

As the Chinese government has pushed to develop vaccine companies of global renown, the state has fostered and protected an industry plagued by corruption and controversy.

Drug companies, eager to get their products into the hands of consumers, have used financial incentives to sway poorly compensated government workers for regulatory approvals. Hundreds of Chinese officials have been accused of taking bribes in cases involving vaccine companies.

Oversight has been weak, contributing to scandals over substandard vaccines. While the government after each incident has vowed to do more to clean up the industry, regulators have rarely provided much information about what went wrong. Companies have been allowed to continue operating.

Dr. Ray Yip, a former head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in China, said he considers Kangtai to be among the top tiers of the country’s vaccine companies, adding that he “has no problem” with the manufacturing and technology standards of most players.

“The problem for many of them is their business practice,” Dr. Yip said. “They all want to sell to the local governments, so they have to do kickbacks, they have to bribe.”

Kangtai did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

In a statement, AstraZeneca said it “conducts appropriate and thorough due diligence prior to entering an agreement with any entity.”

The lack of transparency, compounded by dubious business practices, has rattled public confidence in Chinese-made vaccines, even though they have been proved safe. Many well-off parents shun them, preferring their Western counterparts.

Christmas decorations in London last week.Credit…Andrew Testa for The New York Times

As a deadly wave of coronavirus cases extends across Europe, several countries are planning to loosen restrictions over the holidays to allow families and friends to gather.

In a four-day period beginning Dec. 23, people across Britain can form a Christmas bubble, which will allow members of up to three households to spend time together in private homes or to attend places of worship.

In Germany, officials have agreed to extend a partial lockdown to Jan. 10, but loosen restrictions from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, allowing private gatherings of as many as 10 people from any number of households. Spanish officials have decided to allow travel between regions to see relatives and close friends, but said that social gatherings around Christmas and New Year’s Day must be limited to 10 people if not from the same household.

In France, residents will be under a nationwide curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. beginning Dec. 15, when a national lockdown ends. However, the curfew will not apply from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve, officials said.

“We will be able to travel without authorization, including between regions, and spend Christmas with our families,” President Emmanuel Macron of France said.

Norway, one of the few European countries to keep a second wave at bay, currently limits private gatherings to five guests. But around the Christmas period, the country will allow residents to double their guests over any two days. However, people must continue to socially distance.

While some countries are becoming more permissive, Italy will tighten its restrictions on Christmas Day, Dec. 26 and New Year’s Day, when residents will be prohibited from leaving their hometowns. Travel will be banned between regions in Italy from Dec. 21 through Jan. 6, and an 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will be implemented.

Delicate attempts at balancing a typically social time of year and easing the burden on hospitals arrived after nearly 105,000 people died of Covid-19 in November in 31 countries monitored closely by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Health experts have cautioned that holiday travel could drive new spikes in cases.

Workers from the Bearded Fishermen charity patrolling an area known as a suicide hot spot near Gainsborough, England, last month.Credit…Andrew Testa for The New York Times

The past few weeks have been busy for the Bearded Fishermen, a mental health charity in England. With the country just emerging from a second lockdown, the group has seen a measurable uptick in calls for support and an increasing need for its crisis services as the community grapples with the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The cold and wet weather, long nights, it does affect a lot of people,” said Mick Leyland, a founder. “And being on lockdown as well, it’s even worse.” In one recent week alone, they had responded to a number of crisis calls, including some from people threatening to take their own lives.

With the pandemic devastating Britain and two national lockdowns leaving many feeling isolated, experts say there are rising concerns about the mental health and well-being of people across the country. Research has shown a rise in reports of loneliness, a particular concern for young people, difficulties for those with pre-existing mental health issues and an increase in reports of suicidal ideation.

Though there is no recorded uptick in the national suicide rate yet, the risk of suicide among middle-age men remains concerning in Britain, where for decades the group has made up the highest number of suicide deaths.

The impact of the pandemic and its knock-on effects — lockdowns, an economic downturn and social isolation — on mental health have been well documented around the world. And in Britain, which is simultaneously grappling with the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in Europe and a deep recession, health experts worry that the impact could be felt for years to come.

People in Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, on November 15.Credit…Erik Anderson/EPA, via Shutterstock

Australian states on Monday celebrated “Freedom Day,” as coronavirus restrictions eased in the lead up to Christmas and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

In New South Wales and Victoria, more people will be allowed in bars, restaurants, shops and places of worship, and dance halls will be reopened in a limited capacity.

“From Monday, life will be very different,” said Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales.

In Sydney, Australia’s most populous city, up to 50 people will be allowed on dance floors at weddings, and attendance at funerals will be unlimited. Up to 5,000 people will be permitted at seated outdoor events, and from next week, workers are being encouraged to return to the office.

In Victoria, where an outbreak in July sent the city of Melbourne into one of the world’s longest and strictest lockdowns, people can now have 30 people over at their homes and gather in groups of 100 outside. Masks, previously mandated, have to be worn only on public transport, in indoor shopping centers and crowded places.

Melbourne welcomed its first international visitors since June on Monday, when a jet carrying 253 passengers arrived from Sri Lanka. The travelers will quarantine for 14 days in hotels under strict conditions.

Last month, Victoria achieved effective elimination of the virus, and has now gone 38 days without a new case. But as people celebrated across the country, Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, warned that even with the eased restrictions, there was a need to remain vigilant.

“This thing is not done,” Mr. Andrews told reporters on Sunday. “It is not over, it can come back.”

A Michigan pastor is under fire for telling his congregation to catch the coronavirus and “get it over with.”

He made the remarks during a sermon on Nov. 15, as a sort of aside while he preached about other issues. “Several people have had Covid — none have died yet. It’s OK,” said Bart Spencer, a pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Holland, Mich., referring to some in his congregation. “Get it, get it over with, press on,” he advised.

Bart Spencer, senior pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Holland, Mich.Credit…via The Holland Sentinel

The video was shared on Facebook about two weeks later and made waves across the country as another symbol of the divide between those who want pandemic restrictions scrapped now, regardless of rising infections, and those who urge continued caution.

In comments posted underneath the video, some voiced support of the pastor and others called his sermon reckless.

Mr. Spencer’s remarks echoed a push among some conservatives for a herd immunity approach — allowing the virus to rage unchecked until so many people have antibodies to the virus that it can no longer spread readily. Some, like Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, have claimed that surviving an infection confers superior protection compared with a vaccine.

But the course of any one patient’s infection is nearly impossible to predict, and the immunity it eventually confers is believed to vary greatly.

The Lighthouse Baptist Church did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday, but Mr. Spencer told a TV station in Grand Rapids, WXMI, that he stood by his statements. “I would never tell them to go get sick, but you don’t know how you’re going to get it,” he said.

Mr. Spencer said in an interview with The Holland Sentinel that he and members of his family had contracted the virus and had recovered.

Holland, in Ottawa County, has been hit hard lately. Over the last week, the county has averaged about 86 new cases a day for every 100,000 people, well above Michigan’s average of 69, according to a New York Times database.

In all, the county has reported 15,326 coronavirus cases through Saturday, about 5.3 percent of the population. Most experts estimate that achieving herd immunity would require at least 10 times that number.

#covid #World

[expatimes]

Oracle billionaire battles COVID on island he purchased

Larry Ellison controls just about every part of Lanai, a Hawaiian island that for months was shielded from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.

As Covid-19 swept across the US mainland in the spring and summer, Lanai didn't have a single case. Its 3,000 residents avoided mass layoffs while tourism plunged, protected by the billionaire who owns 98% of the island.

Now, the gorgeous paradise, about 2,500 miles southwest of Los Angeles, is confronting a tough reality.

Ellison's two Four Seasons resorts, which employ nearly a quarter of the island's residents, laid off or furloughed almost all workers in August. Some employees returned last month for a reopening to tourists - which was then followed by a wave of virus infections. More than 100 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last two weeks of October. Four have been helicoptered off because Lanai's lone hospital isn't equipped with a critical care unit.

“They're going through what we went through in March and April,” said Michael Shea, chief medical officer of Maui Memorial Medical Center, who visited Lanai on Nov. 2 with two employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "They can see it in the news, but actually experiencing it was a little different."

The pandemic is roiling an area almost entirely reliant on Ellison, the world's 12th-richest person and a lavish spender on luxury real estate. Over the years, the Oracle Corp. co-founder has amassed multiple Malibu homes, a Southern California golf course and a handful of historic mansions in Rhode Island, not to mention several superyachts. But his 2012 purchase of Lanai stands apart because it's not just a private property or business, but home to thousands of people who have little say in many aspects of the island.

Ellison 76, owns Lanai's two hotels, a luxury wellness resort and is the main employer of almost all of the working residents. The 140-square-mile island, with only one school and no stoplights, is sustained by tourism to his swank properties. That means viral outbreaks both there and on the mainland risk longer-term economic pain for its inhabitants.

Representatives for Ellison at Oracle and Pulama Lanai, which oversees much of the island, didn't respond to several emails and phone calls requesting comment. A spokesperson for the Four Seasons Lanai declined to comment.

Quick Response

The upside to having billionaire ownership is that the response to Lanai's coronavirus outbreak has been uniform and well supplied. Ellison has donated testing supplies and invested in the hospital, while leaders at his company have directed the response in tandem with local government.

More than 4,000 tests have been conducted on the island - exceeding the number of residents - largely thanks to the kits donated by Ellison, said Maui Mayor Michael Victorino, who also oversees Lanai. He last week eased lockdown measures after new infections started to slow.

Still, residents are nervous, Shea said. While the Four Seasons is set to open again Friday to those who can produce a negative Covid test, new outbreaks are possible. If hotels close again, it's unclear if Ellison will keep employees on the payroll. Unlike in most US towns where frustrated residents can hold local officials accountable, there is little transparency about plans for the island, which is largely run by Pulama Lanai. (In Hawaiian, Pulama means to treasure or cherish.)

"The people who are laid off, they're terminated and it's harder for them to go to other jobs because there are no other jobs on the island," said Alberta de Jetley, a longtime resident who founded Lanai Today, a monthly newspaper that she sold to Pulama Lanai in 2019.

The May cover of Lanai Today gives a sense of the loyalty some locals feel toward the billionaire. The headline “A Grateful Community” is laid on top of a photo of four residents holding up a homemade sign that reads “Thank you, Mr. Ellison! ” At that point, nearly two months into the state lockdown, Ellison told the roughly 1,200 employees of his three companies there - Pulama Lanai, Sensei and Four Seasons Lanai - that he'd pay them through May. He ended up doing so through July.

Ellison has gained residents' favor by investing in the island, said Gabe Johnson, a farmer who was recently elected as Lanai's member of the Maui County Council. Prior owner David Murdock - who took control of the former pineapple plantation through his purchase of Castle & Cooke, once part of what is now Dole Food Co. - put little money into the island, Johnson said. Calls to Dole requesting comment from Murdock, who is on the board, weren't returned.

“The town would be a little bit dilapidated or things would start running down,” Johnson said. "When Ellison bought, it was kind of a nice refreshing change."

'No brainer'

Since purchasing Lanai, Ellison has remodeled the hotel and opened his wellness retreat alongside a hydroponic farming venture, Sensei Farms. He also owns the island's main grocery store, Richard's Market, as well as much of the housing stock. That means keeping Lanaians financially secure is in his best interest.

“I rent an apartment from the company, I used to work for the company, I used to shop from the company's store,” said Johnson. While his farm is one of Ellison's rare competitors, he appreciates that Sensei is providing employment outside of the tourism industry. For him and other residents, the pandemic has brought home Lanai's need to diversify its economy.

“It's kind of a no brainer,” said Butch Gima, a longtime resident and social worker on the island. "When they shut down the hotels, there was no work, no people coming in here and no people coming up to the city and patronizing the businesses."

The problem with shifting the economy is that it requires the buy-in of Lanai's billionaire owner. Gima said several years ago the island tried to create an economic charrette, or master plan, but it ultimately halted the process because Pulama Lanai didn't want to participate. He is hopeful that residents can find remote work for companies like Google or Amazon, which wouldn't necessarily require Ellison's cooperation.

“If you're going to have brick-and-mortar businesses, then yeah, Pulama will be involved because they own all 98% of the land,” Gima said. "But if you're going to do web-based, internet-based types of businesses, then you don't necessarily need brick-and-mortar establishments and you can work out of your home."

For now, Lanai is tentatively getting employees back to work. Victorino, the mayor, said he's grateful to Ellison for all he's done, including paying full wages to the Four Seasons's employees for months. Maui County has one of the country's highest unemployment rates, but Lanai has largely been shielded from that pain.

“We welcome help from the outside,” Victorino said. "They're there to make our working class better off for what we have to go through being so isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."

After the initial outbreak, Lanai has had no new coronavirus cases since Nov. 5. The island will be the test site of a new application called AlohaSafe that will alert people if someone they've been in contact with tested positive for Covid-19. If it works there, it will be launched state-wide, Victorino said.

The island was chosen as a pilot site, he said, after a request from an important entity: Pulama Lanai.

. #world Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=14422&feed_id=18589

#Coronaviruspandemic #Economy #News #ScienceandTechnology #Technology #UnitedStates #USampCanada

[patriotsnet]

Did Republicans Block Funding For Election Security

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/did-republicans-block-funding-for-election-security/

Did Republicans Block Funding For Election Security

Bill Would Have Imposed Sanctions On Russia If American Intelligence Officials Determined They Were Meddling

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

A bipartisan election security bill aimed at warning Russia not to meddle in the 2020 election has been blocked by Republicans in the Senate, the third time such a bill has been blocked this year.

The bill would have established a trip wire should US intelligence agencies determine that Russia was attempting to meddle in the election, with targeted sanctions of the country’s finance, defence and energy sectors within 30 days.

But, while the measure was the product of a bipartisan partnership of Democrat Chris Van Hollen and Republican Marco Rubio, it was ultimately killed by a single Republican senator, Idaho’s Mike Crapo.

“The mechanisms in this bill have been designed more to attack the Trump administration and Republicans than attack the Russians, and those who would attack our country and our elections,” Mr Crapo said.

Mr Crapo also argued that Mr Trump, who has been accused of having welcomed election meddling by Russians during the 2016 election, had “probably put more sanctions on the Russians than any president in our history.”

House Gop Refuses To Renew Election Security Funding As Democrats Fume Over Russian Interference

House Republicans on Thursday voted down a Democratic effort to increase election security spending, as Democrats accused the GOP of refusing to stand up to Russia over interference in U.S. elections.

In a vote along party lines, Republicans rejected Democrats’ motion for more funding, unmoved by Democrats’ vigorous pleas and chants of “USA! USA!” on the House floor.

arrow-right

The election security funding vote came amid a national controversy over Russian election interference, and it comes days after President Trump appeared to accept Russian President Vladi­mir Putin’s contention that Russia did not intervene in the 2016 presidential race — even though U.S. intelligence agencies say otherwise.

“Now is the time to double down on our efforts to prevent election hacking,” Rep. Mike Quigley declared ahead of the vote. “The American people are watching, and we must ensure that we — unlike our president — are on the right side of history at this pivotal moment in our democracy.”

Republicans dismissed the Democrats’ effort as theatrics, contending that Congress had fully funded states’ election security needs over the years and that states still have plenty of grant money left to spend from a $380 million allocation for 2018.

“Over the past decade you’ve seen billions of dollars funded, by Republicans and Democrats, in our bipartisan appropriations each year to do exactly that, secure elections here at home,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said.

Did The White House Knowingly Leave Afghanistan In Chaos If So What Are The Possible Outcomes

The reader may feel by now that they are bursting to say that all this has to do with the attitude of Trump and his supporters, namely, that they do not want to cast those resisting the insurrection as valued heroes. But it is interesting that the fights over this spending largely avoids being being bluntly cast explicitly as “for” or “against” branding the action as horrendous. That tone is there, but not just tough words. One may doubt that the issue is far from the thinking or calculations of the Congressmen thinking about the appropriation, but the exchanges are carried out in a verbal code fitting the appropriation world.

Senator Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, finally proposed a supplemental appropriation bill smaller than the Democrats in the House or Senate. It does provide money for the Capitol Police salaries. However, it allocated far less funding to the Architect of the Capitol, and none for the National Park Service. Apparently, Senate Republicans are proposing to release the funding being withheld for the Capitol Police, but only in return for dropping the projects to harden the security of the Capitol.

Senator Shelby said “We should pass now what we all agree on: the Capitol Police and National Guard are running out of money, the clock is ticking, and we need to take care of them.” He indicated that projects to defend the Capitol were in a lesser category.

Amendment Would Have Funded Cybersecurity Efforts And Replaced Outdated Election Equipment

A voter casts a ballot at a voting machine in North Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 8, 2016. Last week, 21 state attorneys general sent a letter to Congress asking for more money for the Election Assistance Commission “to support election security improvements.”

[email protected]

WASHINGTON—Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a Democratic effort to increase spending on election security measures, saying they wanted to see what states do with grants they have already been provided.

The amendment, which would have appropriated $250 million for grants to states through the federal Election Assistance Commission, garnered 50 in favor to 47 opposed, largely on party lines and shy of the 60 needed to pass. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker was the only Republican to vote in support of the amendment.

“A lot of the states want this kind of help to make sure their systems are not going to be hacked,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono “The Republicans are not standing in line to help them, which I think is a real testament to what they think about protecting our democracy.”

Opponents of the amendment said they want to see how the states spend the 2018 grant money before they appropriate more. Sending money to states “would just be another step maybe towards convincing the states that somebody besides them is going to be responsible for elections in their state,” said Sen. Roy Blunt , chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. “That shouldn’t be the case, it won’t be the case.”

How Congressional Republicans Maneuver Against Funding The Capitol Police For January 6

 A highly complex series of maneuvers is occurring in the Congress about the little-known “legislative branch appropriation” which funds operations on Capitol Hill, including the Capitol Police. The issues come from the January 6 insurrection.  Congressional Republicans are attempting to hold hostage vital funding for the Capitol Police, by resisting supplemental funds relating to that day. Congressional Democrats are trying to free up the vitally needed funds to pay the overtime for the police, as well as other funds for hardening the Capitol site against the new attacks. Right now the funding situation is perilous for the Capitol Police.

 The situation starts with the Congress passing its spending bill last year to pay for the entire Capitol complex, including the Capitol Police and a projection of their expected overtime. As it was dryly put, Congress did not budget for the January 6 insurrection. Who knew? Everything spent on dealing with that insurrection went beyond budgeted-for projections.

 As the Senate Appropriations Chair, Patrick Leahy , said Friday, July 9, “without action the Capitol Police will go without payment for the hours of overtime they have incurred, without proper equipment, and without sufficient mental health services to deal with the continued trauma from that day.” This is not off in the distance. House appropriators noted that the salaries account for the Capitol Police would be exhausted in August.

Republicans Signal They’re Willing To Pay Up To Avoid An Election Day Disaster

Facebook

Enlarge this image

Sen. Roy Blunt said he was “prepared to look at more money for the states to use for elections this year.” But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that such requests are a non-starter. Patrick Semansky/APhide caption

toggle caption

Sen. Roy Blunt said he was “prepared to look at more money for the states to use for elections this year.” But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that such requests are a non-starter.

Ever since the pandemic struck, state and local election officials across the country have made it clear: To avoid an election disaster in November, they need more money now.

Puerto Rico Bill Clears Big Hurdle But Resistance Remains Among Some Lawmakers

Still, it was difficult to find a single Democratic supporter on Monday, even among the most moderate members. That suggests the minority party is comfortable with the politics of blocking the Zika bill, particularly since the White House is threatening a veto, anyway. Sen. Joe Manchin said he is “skeptical” of the funding apparatus and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, who also runs the Democrats’ campaign arm, said he probably could not support the legislation.

“I don’t know why anyone would vote for it,” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a brief interview. “Look at what they gave us. How about the Confederate flag thing? Is that about the clincher.”

The failed vote will have special political and practical resonance in Florida, the presidential battleground state and site of a competitive Senate race this fall, as well as home to hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans. As Puerto Ricans have fled the island for the sunnier economic outlook in Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio went so far as to join Democrats pushing for $1.9 billion requested by Obama to fight the disease.

He’ll vote for the compromise Tuesday — but did not hide his irritation with the impasse.

“I wanted it to happen two months ago. I’m not pleased,” he said.

Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.

Congress Has Approved $425m For Election Security Not Enough Say Democrats

Election 2020

The money set aside for US election security represents the biggest fund to protect elections in a decade. But the $425 million approved by Congress is still not enough to satisfy critics who have been pushing for more cash and new federal election security standards.

Thanks, let’s keep going: “This is a welcome development after months of pressure, but this money is no substitute for a permanent funding mechanism for securing and maintaining elections systems, and comprehensive legislation to protect our elections, which the White House and Republican leaders in Congress have been blocking for two years now,” said Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat.

Election security defeats: Multiple election security bills have been voted down in the Republican-controlled Senate this year after being passed in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. 

The Election Security Act, for instance, would give states $1 billion in security funding and would require paper backup ballots, which experts say offer the only way votes can be credibly audited. The DETER Act would require US intelligence agencies to report on election interference after every federal election. And the SAFE Act mandated security safeguards and put more money toward upgrading election systems, including $600 million in the first year. So far Republicans in the Senate have blocked each effort, downplaying the threats and saying states should take the lead instead of the federal government.

Mcconnell Blocks 2 Bills On Election Security On Heels Of Mueller Warnings

Sen. Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of “putting their heads in the sand.”

New evidence on Russian interference in 2016 election

One day after former special counsel Robert Mueller issued a stark warning that the Russians are actively seeking to interfere once again in the U.S. elections and called for aggressive deterrence measures, Senate Democrats sought passage of multiple election security bills only to be stopped by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for a second time this week.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of “putting their heads in the sand.”

“Mueller’s testimony was a clarion call for election security,” Schumer said. “Mueller’s testimony should be a wake-up call to every American, Democrat, Republican, Liberal, Conservative, that the integrity of our elections is at stake.”

Mueller told House members Wednesday, at a high-profile hearing delving into the special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election that the Putin-led government is still at it.

“It wasn’t a single attempt. They are doing it as we sit here, and they expect to do it in the next campaign,” Mueller said Wednesday.

When asked about this warning, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, agreed but he signaled that the federal government had success in stopping foreign interference in 2018.

But the Kentucky Republican, who is running for a fifth term in 2020, has shut down nearly every effort to bring election security to the Senate floor.

But McConnell objected.

After Resisting Mcconnell And Senate Gop Back Election Security Funding

Sept. 19, 2019

WASHINGTON — Facing mounting criticism for blocking proposals to bolster election security, Senator Mitch McConnell on Thursday threw his weight behind a new infusion of $250 million to help states guard against outside interference in the 2020 voting.

Mr. McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has been under regular attack from both Democrats and a conservative group for refusing to allow the Senate to vote on various election security proposals, some of them bipartisan, despite dire warnings from the intelligence community that Russia is already trying to replicate the elaborate meddling campaign it carried out during the 2016 presidential contest.

The additional funding, Mr. McConnell said in announcing his support, “will bring our total allocation for election security — listen to this — to more than $600 million since fiscal 2018.” The money was quickly approved by the Appropriations Committee later Thursday.

Though Mr. McConnell has embraced other seemingly derogatory nicknames over the years, he was incensed at being called “Moscow Mitch” by those who claimed his opposition showed he was willing to accept foreign election interference because it had benefited his own party by helping to elect President Trump, despite the senator’s long record of taking a hard line against Russia.

Other members of the panel hailed it as a potential breakthrough that could lead to more election security measures being advanced by Congress.

Mcconnell Changes Position And Backs $250 Million For Election Security

WASHINGTON — In a surprise development, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support Thursday for additional money to bolster the country’s election system ahead of the 2020 vote, a move that counters his earlier position resisting calls for more funding.

McConnell, R-Ky., said he is co-sponsoring an amendment to an appropriations bill that would provide $250 million for election security.

“I’m proud the Financial Services & General Government bill will include a bipartisan amendment providing another $250 million for the administration and security of their elections, to help states improve their defenses and shore up their voting systems,” McConnell said. “I am proud to have helped develop this amendment and to co-sponsor it in committee.”

McConnell’s backing comes after Democrats have been putting political pressure on him and Republicans for more than a year to get behind additional provisions, including new funding, to protect against hacking and interference in the elections.

“This morning, after months and months and months of Republican resistance, and months of insistent Democratic pressure, Senate Republicans have finally agreed to support our Democratic request for additional election security funding in advance of the 2020 elections,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.

Republicans pointed to an election briefing by intelligence officials in July as the reason that more money wasn’t necessary.

Republicans Block Election Security Efforts Despite Mueller’s Warnings

Senators stand in way of multiple bills within 24 hours of former special counsel’s testimony on Russian threat

Last modified on Tue 15 Dec 2020 14.35 GMT

Senate Republicans have twice blocked legislation aimed at strengthening US election security in the 24 hours since the former special counsel Robert Mueller warned that Russian election interference was happening “as we sit here”.

Since Mueller left the witness stand on Wednesday, Republican senators have blocked a House-backed bill and a separate trio of bills meant to beef up US election security.

The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, accused Republicans of having “buried commonsense election security bills in their legislative graveyard”. He pledged to keep putting forward requests to vote on legislation, including a House-passed bill that would authorize $775m in grants over the next two years to help states secure their voting systems.

Read more

The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, however, criticized the House bill as “so partisan it received just one Republican vote over in the House”, asserting that any election security proposal must be bipartisan.

During his Wednesday testimony, Mueller, speaking of findings from his team’s investigation into Russian meddling, emphasized the issue was not limited to the 2016 election. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller said. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign.”

Senate Republicans Block Democrats’ Voting Rights Bill From Advancing

June 22, 2021 / 7:08 PM / CBS News

GOP senators block sweeping voting rights bil…02:03

Washington —Republicans on Tuesday blocked a procedural vote to advance a sweeping voting reforms bill in the Senate, sinking Democrats’ attempt to begin debate on their landmark legislation overhauling the nation’s election laws.

With a 50-50 vote, the effort, which garnered last-minute backing from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, fell far short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. All Republicans oppose the voting rights bill and voted against taking up the legislation, which is Democrats’ answer to restrictive voting measures enacted in GOP-led states following the 2020 presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is leading the Biden administration’s efforts on voting rights, presided over the vote. After the vote, she told reporters “the fight is not over.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made similar comments, saying that “this vote, I’m ashamed to say, is further evidence that voter suppression has become part of the official platform of the Republican Party.”

The Senate’s failure to advance the bill is likely to further fuel calls from progressive Democrats to do away with the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to advance most legislation. 

Ahead of the vote, Schumer reiterated the effort was to open debate on voting rights legislation, saying “protecting voting rights is worthy of debate. This is what this next vote is about.”

Gop Rep Paul Gosar Introduces Amendment To Defund The Capitol Police

Rep. Paul Gosar wants to block funding to the officers who protected the Capitol against rioters on Jan. 6.

One of the GOP lawmakers trying to downplay the violent and deadly insurrection by supporters of Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has introduced an amendment to a legislative funding bill that would defund the Capitol Police.

The amendment filed by Rep. Paul Gosar would block any funds to the Capitol Police “until security footage of the United States Capitol from January 1 through 6, 2021, is released to the public.”

Gosar’s amendment continues his protest of what his colleague Louie Gohmert the “harassment and persecution” of the insurrectionists who violently broke into the Capitol, injuring 140 law enforcement officers in the process, in an effort to block the transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to Joe Biden.

On Tuesday, Gosar and three other GOP lawmakers held a news conference at the Department of Justice to protest the “treatment” of the people arrested and charged for their actions on Jan. 6. The news conference, held by Gosar and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene , Matt Gaetz , and Gohmert , did not go well: Protesters disrupted it with whistles and chants, leading a staff member to end it early.

Gosar has also led the charge to turn Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was shot to death as she attempted to break onto the House floor on Jan. 6 while members of Congress were being evacuated, into a martyr.

TAGS

Need A Polling Place With Social Distancing 3 Nba Teams Offer Venues

Similarly, the executive director of Kentucky’s state board of elections testified that the state had already spent the majority of money Congress allocated in March just on the state’s primary in late June.

“We can’t afford not to get the money ,” said Wendy Weiser, who directs the Democracy Program at NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice. “The consequences would be so dire. It would be so devastating, not just to our election, but to America’s standing in the world overall.”

New optimism

Democrats in Congress have supported a massive influx of elections funding virtually since the onset of the pandemic to help the country adjust to voting during a national emergency. The Brennan Center estimated the total cost of such adjustments to be $4 billion, which is how much was allocated in a proposal that passed the Democratic-controlled House in May.

What’s unclear now is how much Senate Republicans are actually willing to approve as part of the next relief package that Congress is expected to begin negotiating later this month.

After the CARES Act was passed in March, “there was a time it looked like more funding would be off the table,” Weiser said.

But, she added, it’s only become more apparent since, after a number of primaries saw huge lines and bungled mail-in voting expansions, why the funding is necessary.

While President Trump has made a series of false claims in an effort to discredit voting by mail, many state and congressional Republicans support efforts to expand it.

In 2020 Some Americans Will Vote On Their Phones Is That The Future

Chris Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within DHS, said at the time of the McConnell compromise earlier this year that it was “a good start” — but he also said local and state officials need a regular flow of support, not occasional lump sums.

“The thing they want is consistency, something they can set their budget clocks to,” said Krebs. “If the federal government is going to play in this space, we have to be dependable partners.”

Why Is Voting By Mail Controversial Here’s What You Need To Know

Bailey testified Wednesday as part of an Election Assistance Commission hearing about the 2020 primaries. She said Georgia’s June 9 primary cost about 60% more than a normal election would have in her jurisdiction, because of adjustments made as a result of the pandemic.

“We had about a 35% turnout rate in our jurisdiction in this past election, and we know that in November that number will likely double,” Bailey said. “We can only expect therefore that our budget will likely double over what we spent this time, if not more.”

Clinton Trump Offer Diverging Social Security Proposals For Aarp

Health officials don’t know exactly how strong the link is between Zika and microcephaly, but studies indicate up to a 13 percent chance that a woman infected with Zika can give birth to a baby with the severe birth defect. Already, there are 265 pregnant women in the continental United States with the virus; all of them got the virus while in other countries or through sex with a man who had it.

Given those dire statistics, the lack of congressional action is alarming, said Cindy Pellegrini, a lobbyist for March of Dimes, which advocates for maternal and fetal health. She said the GOP’s bill was “doomed from the start.”

“We have a hard time imagining an issue that could be more of an emergency than an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes that destroys babies’ brains in utero,” Pellegrini said. “The package looked like it was not designed to be successful and that was deeply troubling for us.”

The impasse began in the House. Democrats held the floor for more than a day last week to advocate for more gun control legislation. Eager to end what he deemed a “publicity stunt,” House Speaker Paul Ryan moved to pass Zika legislation in the middle of the night last week and recess the House until after July 4, leaving Democrats who had withdrawn from the bicameral negotiations with a bill they say they could not support.

“It’s really bad politics for them,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the GOP’s No. 3 leader. “It’s going to be hard to defend.”

Senate Republicans Shoot Down Extra Funds For Election Security

Senate Republicans voted down a bid Wednesday to direct an extra $250 million toward election security in advance of the 2018 midterms, despite heightened warnings from intelligence officials that foreign governments will try to interfere in the contests and evidence that some lawmakers have already been targeted.

arrow-right

The 50 to 47 vote fell far short of the needed 60 votes to include the $250 million amendment, proposed by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy , in an appropriations package that the Senate was set to approve Wednesday. Only one Republican senator — Sen. Bob Corker , who frequently prioritizes deficit concerns — voted for the additional funds.

Three other Republicans did not vote: Sens. Richard Burr , who chairs the Intelligence Committee, Jeff Flake who is traveling in Africa, and John McCain , who is in Arizona receiving treatment for a serious form of brain cancer. All four of those Republicans have been critical of President Trump’s refusal to prioritize a more robust response to resist foreign government interference in future election cycles.

The Senate vote comes just one day after Facebook revealed that it had uncovered a complex disinformation operation geared toward the midterm elections, at least some of which appears to be directed by known Russian government-sponsored operatives.

Facebook says it has uncovered a coordinated disinformation operation ahead of the 2018 midterm elections

Congress To Approve $425 Million For Election Security Upgrades

Congress will approve a total of $425 million in election security funding, according to two sources familiar with the deal.

The money, which comes in the appropriations bill set to be released Monday, is a compromise: significantly higher than the $250 million Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had initially backed in September, but far below the more than $1 billion that the Democrat-controlled House had passed in HR 1 in March.

It’s the biggest influx of cash to bolster US election infrastructure since the 2016 election, which prompted a gradual national consensus that voting machines that don’t use paper ballots or receipts – and thus can’t be independently verified with an audit – are outdated. Congress also passed $380 million for election security in the appropriations bill of 2018.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner praised the existence of the funding, but echoed election security experts in arguing that states should get a promise of regular annual funding to better plan their security strategy.

“This is a welcome development after months of pressure, but this money is no substitute for a permanent funding mechanism for securing and maintaining elections systems, and comprehensive legislation to protect our elections, which the White House and Republican leaders in Congress have been blocking for two years now,” Warner told CNN.

Gop Sen Marsha Blackburn Blocks Three Election Security Bills

Fadel Allassan

Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Sen. Mark Warner to pass three election security-related bills via “unanimous consent,” calling them a “federal power grab.”

Why it matters: Just last week, the third volume of a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report found that the U.S. government was “not well-postured” to counter Russian interference in 2016. The Democratic-controlled House passed several election security bills last year, but none have been taken up by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell .

The big picture: Intelligence officials have continued to sound the alarm about the threat of foreign interference in future elections, with FBI director Christopher Wray warning last week that Russia continues to be engaged in “information warfare” ahead of the 2020 elections.

Details: Two of the bills proposed by Senate Democrats Tuesday would require campaigns to call the FBI if they’re offered help from a foreign power.

Another bill would provide funding for the Election Assistance Commission and would ban voting machines from being connected to the internet.

What they’re saying:” are attempting to bypass this body’s Rules Committee on behalf of various bills that will seize control over elections from the states and take it from the states and where do they want to put it?” Blackburn said. “They want it to rest in the hands of Washington, D.C., bureaucrats.”

Republicans Again Block Election Security Bills In The Senate

License Photo

July 25 — Despite warnings from former special counsel Robert Mueller about foreign powers intervening in U.S. elections, Republicans again blocked an election security bill from advancing.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., objected to the bill that would have required paper ballots and funding for the Election Assistance Commission. It passed the House 225-184 with one Republican voting for it.

“Clearly this request is not a serious effort to make a law,” McConnell said. “Clearly something so partisan that it only received one single solitary Republican vote in the House is not going to travel through the Senate by unanimous consent.”

McConnell added that any election security legislation must be bipartisan. He said it’s being pushed by the same Democrats who pushed the “conspiracy theory” that President Donald Trump colluded with Russian agents.

House to passes budget deal to raise spending caps, suspend debt ceiling

This comes one day after Republicans blocked a trio of bills.

One of the bills would require campaigns to report to federal authorities any attempt by a foreign entity to interfere in U.S. elections. The third would protect emails and electronic devices of senators and staffers from hackers.

Trump: Congressional leaders agree on two-year budget deal

Mueller testified before two House subcommittees Wednesday warning about the dangers of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Topics

Senate Republicans Block 5 Election Security Bills In 2 Days

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked two measures that were meant to strengthen election security. 

Democrats were trying to pass both bills using unanimous consent, meaning a single vote could shut them down. 

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was pushing a bill that would require the use of paper ballots and provide funding for the Election Assistance Commission. The bill had passed the House with only one Republican’s support. McConnell objected, calling it “partisan legislation.” He said any election security legislation brought up in the Senate must be bipartisan. 

McConnell also objected to a bill from Sen. Richard Blumenthal that would require campaigns to tell the FBI if a foreign government offered them election help.

This comes a day after former special counsel Robert Mueller testified to lawmakers that he believes Russians will meddle in the 2020 election. He even warned, “They’re doing it as we sit here.”

And on the same day as Mueller’s testimony, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith objected to three separate bills proposed by Democratic Sens. Mark Warner, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden. They were also trying to pass the bills by unanimous consent. Hyde-Smith did not explain why she objected.

Two of the bills she shut down would require campaigns to report any foreign attempts to interfere in U.S. elections; the third is meant to fight hackers.