Ohio knows it's a good year to vote out Donald Trump.
A poster's comment:
Did anyone watch any of last night's convention? What a giant load of horse manure. It was a grand parade of hate ignorance ridiculous lies and moronic ludicrous accusations.
Just watching was sure to make the audience dumber.
The socialist fear-mongering MS13, blacks taking over your rich white suburb with free housing, communists taking your many assaults weapons? Children unsafe in schools, cities burning and police being all fired?
This kind of hateful ignorant propaganda is unworthy of the united states of America. This was a shout out to Nazi Germany and prejudice. A fearfest of the rich and powerful and greedy!
Joseph Goebbels would have been proud.
I can only pray that by now that the reasonably intelligent among us outweigh the knuckle-dragging ignorant hate mongers that are buying this crap!
Trump? Don Jr.? McConnell? and half of the keynote speakers should be taken out and tarred and feathered and banned from civilized society.
Javier Alvarez donates his plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas on July 6, 2020, after his grandmother died from the coronavirus. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
At a news conference Sunday announcing the emergency approval of blood plasma for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, President Donald Trump and two of his top health officials cited the same statistic: that the treatment had reduced deaths by 35%.
Trump called it a “tremendous” number. His health and human services secretary, Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical executive, said, “I don’t want you to gloss over this number.” And Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said 35 out of 100 COVID-19 patients “would have been saved because of the administration of plasma.”
But scientists were taken aback by the way the administration framed this data, which appeared to have been calculated based on a small subgroup of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a Mayo Clinic study: those who were under 80 years old, not on ventilators and received plasma known to contain high levels of virus-fighting antibodies within three days of diagnosis.
What’s more, many experts — including a scientist who worked on the Mayo Clinic study — were bewildered about where the statistic came from. The number was not mentioned in the official authorization letter issued by the agency, nor was it in a 17-page memo written by FDA scientists. It was not in an analysis conducted by the Mayo Clinic that has been frequently cited by the administration.
“For the first time ever, I feel like official people in communications and people at the FDA grossly misrepresented data about a therapy,” said Dr. Walid Gellad, who leads the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing at the University of Pittsburgh.
It is especially worrisome, he said, given concerns over how Trump has appeared to politicize the process of approving treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus. Over the next couple of months, as data emerges from vaccine clinical trials, the safety of potentially millions of people will rely on the scientific judgment of the FDA. “That’s a problem if they’re starting to exaggerate data,” Gellad said. “That’s the big problem.”
When asked where the 35% figure came from, an agency spokeswoman initially directed a reporter to a graph of survival statistics buried in the Trump administration’s application for emergency authorization. The chart, analyzing the same tiny subset of Mayo Clinic study patients, did not include numerical figures, but it appeared to indicate a 30-day survival probability of about 63% in patients who received plasma with a low level of antibodies, compared with about 76% in those who received a high level of antibodies.
On Monday, Dr. Peter Marks, the director of FDA’s center for biologics, evaluation and research, said that the agency reviewed published studies of plasma and conducted its own analysis of data from the Mayo Clinic’s program of hospitalized patients who received plasma. Although the size of the benefit varied, he said in a statement, “there appears to be roughly a 35% relative improvement in the survival rates of patients” who received the plasma with higher versus lower levels of antibodies.
He added: “Given the safety profile observed, the totality of evidence regarding potential efficacy more than adequately met the ‘may be effective’ standard for granting an Emergency Use Authorization.”
Convalescent plasma, the pale yellow liquid left over after blood is stripped of its red and white cells, has been the subject of months of enthusiasm from scientists, celebrities and Trump, part of the administration’s push for coronavirus treatments as a stopgap while pharmaceutical companies race to complete dozens of clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines.
Although there have been some positive signs that it can reduce deaths in COVID-19 patients, no randomized trials have shown that it works. A popular access program set up this spring by the FDA and run by the Mayo Clinic has provided the treatment to more than 70,000 people, but it has also, some researchers said, hindered enrollment in the more rigorous randomized trials that could definitively prove whether it works. The emergency authorization released Sunday broadens that access.
Statisticians and scientists said that Hahn, in saying at the news conference that 35 out of 100 sick COVID-19 patients would have been saved by receiving plasma, appeared to have overstated the benefits.
Dr. Robert Califf, who was FDA commissioner under President Barack Obama, said on Twitter on Sunday that Hahn should correct his statement.
The publicly released data from the Mayo Clinic shows that, among the larger group of more than 35,000 patients, when plasma was given within three day of diagnosis, the death rate was about 22%, compared with 27% when it was given four or more days after diagnosis.
Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, and a longtime expert in clinical trials, said that convalescent plasma has not yet shown the benefit that Hahn described — and that he should issue a correction.
“He needs to come out with that, and until he does, he has no credibility as an FDA commissioner,” Topol said.
On Monday night, after this article was published, Hahn tweeted about the scientific response to his remarks, saying the “criticism is entirely justified.” He clarified that his earlier statements suggested an absolute reduction in risk, instead of the relative risk of a certain group of patients compared with another.
On Sunday night, an agency spokeswoman had posted a chart on Twitter claiming that plasma “has shown to be beneficial” for 35% of patients — neglecting to mention that the figure was based on a subset of a subset of the data.
In an interview Monday, one of the Mayo Clinic study’s main authors, Dr. Arturo Casadevall of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said he was also stumped. “Do I know where the 35% comes from?” he said. “No.”
Casadevall said that the FDA had conducted its own analyses of the data, and that the paper he and his colleagues posted this month to a so-called preprint server — before it has been peer reviewed by a medical journal — contained only a portion of the total available data.
Casadevall said focusing on the 35% number distracted from the broader takeaway: that convalescent plasma shows promise, at a time when doctors have few other options. “I think that I would not focus so much on that — people can say things in many different ways, but I think that one has to look at the data,” he said. “I think the important thing is that all the indicators show a reduction in mortality.”
Emily R. Smith, an epidemiologist at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington, D.C., agreed that the issue was a distraction, but for a different reason.
“We’re trying to track down numbers and preprints and Twitter slides, and that’s a big distraction from the bigger issue of — do we think there’s good evidence to suggest this is safe and effective?” she said.
She and others, including the FDA in the emergency authorization itself, have said that existing data — from the Mayo Clinic and other nonrandomized studies — cannot replace rigorous trials that will more definitively indicate whether and in what groups of patients the treatment is effective. On Monday, the chief scientist for the World Health Organization, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, said at a news conference in Geneva that only a few of these convalescent plasma trials had reported findings, and that the trials had been relatively small. “The results in some cases point to some benefit but have not been conclusive,” she said. “At the moment it’s still very low-quality evidence.”
The rabbi who is neighbor to Mark and Patricia McCloskey speaks out: ‘They are bullies’
The rabbi who is neighbors to Mark and Patricia McCloskey speaks out: ‘They are bullies’
When Rabbi Susan Talve heard that Patricia and Mark McCloskey would be among the speakers addressing the Republican National Convention, she decided she could no longer stay quiet.
“It’s so upsetting that they have a national audience,” Talve said. “It’s upsetting we make heroes out of people who hate.”
The McCloskeys are Talve’s neighbors. Their property’s northern wall abuts the property of St. Louis’ Jewish Central Reform Congregation, where Talve is the rabbi.
In 2013, the synagogue placed beehives along the wall to produce honey for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. One morning they found the hives destroyed and all the bees dead. Mark McCloskey had taken an ax or sledgehammer to them.
His issue? The fence between them sat six inches inside the McCloskey’s property line. The hives were his to wreck.
“He could have picked up the phone and said, ‘Hey, those beehives are on my property,’ and we would have happily moved them,” said Talve.
She said children at the synagogue wept when they heard the news of the hives. The synagogue maintains raised bed gardens on its property that supply some 2,000 pounds of fresh produce to a local food pantry, as well as pear, fig and apple trees.
“We were going to have our own apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah!” she said.
She said the McCloskeys didn’t contact the temple at all before lashing out.
Instead, McCloskey left a note threatening to sue the synagogue for damages if the shattered hives were not removed at once.
“Civility,” Talve said. “I’m willing to speak out now because there’s such a lack of civility that’s happening, and I don’t feel like I can be a part of that, and silence is complicity.”
Talve paused.
“They are bullies,” she said. “The fact that they’re speaking at the convention is a win for bullies.”
Judging by their remarks at the Republican National Convention Monday night, the McCloskeys clearly don’t see it that way. They are the victims of a Democratic-run city that lets lawbreakers run rampant.
“What you saw happen to us could just as easily happen to you who are watching from quiet neighborhoods around our country,” Patricia McCloskey said to the convention.
“It seems the Democrats view the job of the government as protecting criminals from honest citizens,” said her husband.
When reporter Jeremy Kohler broke the storyof the McCloskey’s anti-beehive rampage in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Talve confirmed what happened but otherwise refrained from speaking out against the couple.
Image by Jewish Central Reform Con...
Mark McCloskey left this note after he destroyed bee hives owned by neighboring Jewish Central Reform Congregation
“At the time, we decided not to, because it was on their property,” she said. “They’re both attorneys. They’ve caused a lot of trouble for people. The advice that we got was, let it go. We live next door to these people that have guns and we have children. But every once in a while you have to speak up and say enough.”
The McCloskeys made national headlines by waving guns at Black Lives Protesters who neared their mansion on tony Portland Place on the evening of June 28.
But by then they already had a long and well-documented history of litigation, threats and neighborhood feuds.
They were locked in litigation to make their neighborhood association enforce a rule against unmarried couples residing there. Talve said they only cared because a gay couple had moved into the exclusive neighborhood.
“Certain people on Portland Place, for political reasons, wanted to make it a gay issue,” Mark McCloskey told The Post-Dispatch.
But Talve doesn’t buy it.
“Any chance they have to sow division they’ll take it,” she said.
She said the couple’s actions during the evening of the Black Lives Matter march are a case in point.
The protesters were peaceful, Talve said.
She said she knew this because many members of her synagogue marched with them, and she works closely with many of the local BLM activists.
In 2017 Talve’s synagogue opened its doors to provide refuge for protesters when a march against police violence itself turned violent.
At the time, a trending Twitter hashtag called on the police to #GasTheSynagogue.
Talve is certain such stances did not make her congregation popular with the McCloskeys or the well-armed people in the area who support them. During the June 28 march, she said BLM members stationed themselves in the parking lot to protect the synagogue from possible attack from militia-like groups.
Instead of the McCloskeys, Talve said the real hero in the June 28 confrontations is St. Louis circuit attorney Kimberly Gardner, who filed charges against the couple for unlawful use of weapons and pointing firearms at protesters, which is a class E felony.
“The protestors were not charged with a crime,” Mark McCloskey said at the convention, “but she charged us with felonies for daring to defend our home.”
President Donald Trump has also publicly criticized Gardner for prosecuting the McCloskeys.
“These are the values that this administration has been putting forward, values that sow hate among people,” said Talve. “They stand for a kind of white supremacist system. Our resistance is to love each other.”
CAMPAIGN TENSIONS BOIL OVER ONLINE — With a week to go until voting day, tensions between the Kennedy and Markey campaigns boiled over yesterday. After a Senate primary season that was shifted online due to coronavirus, a feud between the campaign managers about the behavior of their supporters played out via email and Twitter.
Kennedy campaign manager Nick Clemons penned a letter to Markey campaign manager John Walsh, calling on his candidate to issue a statement denouncing online attacks against Kennedy, his family and his supporters. Clemons attached dozens of Twitter screenshots, which included allusions to Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President John F. Kennedy. And he copied members of the press on the email, which featured the subject line "I hope we can agree we're better than this."
"We understand it is not anyone paid by the Markey campaign making these threats — but it is the direct result of the toxic online ecosystem your campaign has allowed (at best) and encouraged (at worst.)" Clemons wrote, adding that the campaign is often in contact with Capitol Police to flag death threats. "At the end of the day, the buck stops with the candidate and his or her campaign."
As the letter circulated online, Walsh responded on Twitter,saying he was disappointed the Kennedy campaignwas ending the primary with "crocodile tears." Kennedy asked Markey toaddress the online attacks at a recent debate, and the senator called the behavior "unacceptable" but said he was not aware of some statements.
"Senator Markey has condemned all vile and hateful speech surrounding this race — and you know it," Walsh wrote online. He then referenced the pro-Kennedy labor union whichdrives a pickup truck by Markey's outdoor events, with a sign saying the senator sold out working families. "We don't whine or complain about your ridiculous campaign-supported stunts because we are focused on our campaign's positive message and supporters," Walsh added.
Bay State political watchers are split. Some sources I spoke with yesterday were frustrated that Markey wouldn't condemn the posts in a more public way, while others said the senator shouldn't have to respond to what is being said about Kennedy online. One thing everyone could agree on: Politics in Massachusetts always becomes personal, especially in the final days of a closely-contested primary.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlines a virtual rally with Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Kennedy campaigns in Boston and Brookline. Sen. Ed Markey campaigns in Melrose, Woburn and Somerville. Markey and Kennedy speak at a forum hosted by the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts. Candidates for Congress Becky Grossman, Dr. Natalia Linos and Jesse Mermell join a virtual discussion on gender bias and elections with LeanIn.
PLUG IN WITH PLAYBOOK AT THE RNC : Join POLITICO Playbook co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman for "Plug In with Playbook," our new political show popping up at the Republican National Convention each morning at 9 a.m. EDT. Cut through the noise and go behind the scenes with elected officials, political VIPs and top journalists for the latest campaign news and whispers, in-depth analysis of down-ballot races, and the latest juicy nuggets from reporters' notebooks. Aug. 25-27. Watch it live here.
THE LATEST NUMBERS
– “After a day of no new COVID data, Massachusetts reports 27 new coronavirus deaths, 571 cases as infection rate dips to 1.1%” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Due to a planned upgrade of the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system, Massachusetts did not report any new coronavirus cases and deaths on Sunday. With the upgrade complete, the state released Monday all new data reported to the Department of Public Health since Friday afternoon.”
DATELINE BEACON HILL
– “Lynn emerges as a new center of coronavirus in the state,” by Dasia Moore, Boston Globe: “As COVID-19 ravaged Massachusetts in the spring and summer, a blue-collar city north of Boston emerged as the state’s worst outbreak. Today, Chelsea continues to contend with high rates of infection. But state statistics suggest another diverse, working class city to the north has surpassed it. By some measure, the city held most tightly in the clutches of COVID-19 is now Lynn.”
– “Massachusetts unemployment checks to get $300 boost from feds amid coronavirus crisis,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts unemployment checks will soon get $300 fatter thanks to a federal grant amid the coronavirus crisis, according to the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development on Monday. The Bay State — with the country’s highest unemployment rate — has been approved for the Lost Wages Assistance Grant. This will result in Massachusetts receiving three weeks of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to pay an extra $300 per week in unemployment benefits.”
– “Galvin: Mail-in Extension Would Upset General Election Calendar,” by Chris Van Buskirk, State House News Service: “Plaintiffs raised voting rights issues Monday in calling for a 10-day extension of the period allotted for counting mail-in ballots, but the state's top elections official argued the relief sought to count primary ballots would interfere with people's rights to receive general election ballots.”
FROM THE HUB
– “After School Programs Want To Host Students During Remote Learning Days, But They Can't,” by Kathleen McNerney, WBUR: “Some after-school programs want to open their doors to students during remote learning days, but claim the state needs to give them permission and more funding. The issue is what happens to kids who don't have anywhere to go when classes are online, and may not have an adult who can stay home with them.”
THE SENATE SHOWDOWN
– “Kennedy campaign says it is facing death threats ‘on a near daily basis,’” by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: “The contentious Senate Democratic primary race took an even nastier turn Monday, with the campaign of Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III contending that Senator Edward J. Markey and his supporters had created a ‘dangerous’ atmosphere that has contributed to numerous death threats against their candidate.”
– “Nancy Pelosi says Joe Kennedy endorsement is ‘consistent’ with her practice of supporting House Democrats,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “During an appearance Sunday morning on CNN, the House speaker defended her decision to endorse Rep. Joe Kennedy III’s campaign to unseat Sen. Ed Markey last week — a move which drew swift criticism from progressive groups and elected officials alleging a ‘ double standard’ given the Democratic congressional leadership’s opposition to primary challengers.”
– “Massachusetts Republican Senate candidate Kevin O’Connor discusses candidacy with the Sun,” by Stefan Geller, The Lowell Sun: “As the Massachusetts senate primary election fast approaches, many across the state have directed their focus toward the tight race between incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and his Democratic challenger Rep. Joe Kennedy III. But while Mass. voters have mainly elected Democratic candidates over the past 40 years, attorney Kevin O’Connor is hoping to upend that pattern.”
PRIMARY SOURCES
– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Ritchie Torres, Democratic Nominee for NY’s 15th Congressional District Endorses Jesse Mermell,” from the Mermell campaign: “With just one week to go until the September 1st primary, Jesse Mermell picked up a major national endorsement from Democratic Nominee for New York’s 15th Congressional District Ritchie Torres. Torres won a crowded Democratic primary in June and, if elected, would become the first openly gay Black Congressman in the country along with Mondaire Jones.”
– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Liss-Riordan supporting Morse, Goldstein and Mermell,” via former Senate candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan: "The cycle of politics in Washington is broken, and fixing that requires new leaders. That is why I am supporting three local candidates for Congress who would be powerhouse progressives that Massachusetts can be proud of: Jesse Mermell, Dr. Robbie Goldstein and Mayor Alex Morse. Jesse, Robbie and Alex give me so much hope for our future, at a time when hope can be in short supply.”
– “Experts: It’s going to be a close race in fight for Joe Kennedy’s Congress seat,” by Zane Razzaq, MetroWest Daily News: “With eight Democratic hopefuls battling to succeed Rep. Joe Kennedy in Congress, less than 20% of the vote could be enough to win. With eight Democratic hopefuls battling to succeed Rep. Joe Kennedy in Congress, less than 20% of the vote could be enough to win. In other words, the party’s nominee for the 4th Congressional District could be someone the vast majority of voters do not support.”
– “Boston Doctor Aims To Unseat Longtime Democrat Who Voted Against Obamacare,” by Tara Golshan, HuffPost: “Robbie Goldstein, a congressional candidate in Massachusetts’ 8th Congressional District, feels like he’s doing this elaborate tap dance routine and no one is paying attention. ‘We feel like we’re over here on stage left ... with great costumes, and amazing music and everyone is over on the right saying, ‘I wonder what’s happening in Massachusetts in the 8th Congressional District, we don’t hear anything or see anything,’’ Goldstein, a progressive first-time candidate running to unseat Rep. Stephen Lynch (D), a longtime moderate congressman, said in an interview with HuffPost.”
– “Baker-linked PAC backs 13 Dems, 4 Republicans in primary battles,” by Bruce Mohl and Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “A super PAC with ties to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker is pouring nearly $94,000 into 17 state primary races involving 13 Democrats and four Republicans. The Massachusetts Majority Political Action Committee is backing 11 Democratic incumbent legislators, one Republican incumbent lawmaker, three GOP candidates running for House seats, and two Democrats running for seats on the Governor’s Council.”
– “Attorney General Maura Healey Endorses Terrence Kennedy for Re-Election to the Governor’s Council,” from the Kennedy campaign: “Governor’s Councilor Terrence Kennedy is proud to announce he has received the endorsement of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey in his bid for re-election.”
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
– “‘Everything is on the table’ as MBTA eyes looming budget crunch,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “With a huge budget deficit looming next summer, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said Monday it will not rule out service cuts, fare hikes, or layoffs as it scrambles to save or raise $400 million over the next two years. Transit officials said they are not projecting riders to return at pre-pandemic levels before the summer of 2022.”
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
– “Dems threaten subpoenas as DeJoy pushes back against attacks,” by Kyle Cheney, POLITICO: “Democrats accused Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Monday of downplaying disruptions to mail delivery that began when he assumed his position in June, threatening to subpoena him for what they say is deliberate withholding of internal decision-making documents. ‘How can one person screw this up in just a few weeks?’ said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.).”
THE OPINION PAGES
– “Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse is committed to policing reforms,” by Springfield City Council President Justin Hurst, Boston Globe: “Over the past few months, there has been a national reckoning around issues of race and policing, with millions taking to the streets to protest the unjust treatment of Black and brown Americans by our broken criminal justice system. Now, for the first time in years, a majority of the public agrees with the need to reform policing.”
DAY IN COURT
– “Ex-City Hall health chief Felix G. Arroyo sues Marty Walsh,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Former City Hall health and human services chief Felix G. Arroyo is suing Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, saying he was wrongfully fired three years ago in the wake of sexual harassment accusations that Arroyo denies. He is alleging that the city’s probe of that matter was ‘a sham from the beginning.’”
– “Rollins withdraws motion for higher bail in case involving Bail Fund,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said on Monday that her office is withdrawing a motion seeking a steep increase in bail for a homeless defendant whose original bail was about to be paid by a nonprofit fund. The motion, which CommonWealth reported about on Sunday, sparked sharp criticism from the head of the state office overseeing legal representation for poor defendants.”
ABOVE THE FOLD
— Herald: “GENTLE GIANT," "CHECK'S IN THE MAIL,”—Globe: “Amid pomp, doubts, convention opens," "FDA plasma action may delay research, local experts warn.”
FROM THE 413
– “Springfield sticking with plan for teachers to work remotely, despite state recommendation to instruct from classroom,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “The city’s superintendent of schools said Monday that Springfield will stick with plans for teachers to stay out of their classrooms this fall despite a state recommendation for educators to provide remote instruction from their schools.”
THE LOCAL ANGLE
– “Light turnout for early voting in Bristol County cities so far,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “Voters in Bristol County seem a lot more interested in mailing back their primary ballots rather than casting them in person so far. Officials in New Bedford, Fall River and Attleboro all reported relatively light turnout over the weekend during the first two days of an early in-person voting period for the Sept. 1 primary that state lawmakers created due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
– “Worcester Board of Health meets with city’s police department to address racism, police bias,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Worcester’s Board of Health met with the Worcester Police Department leadership over Zoom on Monday to discuss a dozen recommendations put forward by health officials pertaining to racism, police bias and discrimination.”
– “5th District candidates aim to get economy back on track,” by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: “Thomas Keyes and Steven Xiarhos want the 5th Barnstable District state representative seat to remain in Republican control, but only one can be the party’s nominee. Keyes, of Sandwich, and Xiarhos, of West Barnstable, will face off in the Sept. 1 Republican primary to determine who will challenge Democrat James Dever in the Nov. 3 general election.”
– “Lawrence cracks down on 'bars masquerading as restaurants,'” by Bill Kirk, Eagle-Tribune: “Saying it is following guidance from the state, the city’s Licensing Board has begun shutting down bars ‘masquerading as restaurants’ as Gov. Charlie Baker put it during a recent press conference on the spread of COVID-19. Bar owners, meanwhile, say they were surprised by the shutdown, especially since the Licensing Board didn’t even hold a public hearing on revoking their licenses, opting to just show up instead.”
TRANSITIONS – The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School announces its new fellows, who will join the school virtually for the fall semester: Chasten Buttigieg, author and LGBTQ+ advocate; Brittany Packnett Cunningham, founder of Love & Power Works; Carol Giacomo, former member of the New York Times editorial board; Michael Nutter, former mayor of Philadelphia; Alice Stewart, Ted Cruz 2016 alum; and Jorge Vasquez Jr., project director of the Power and Democracy Program at Advancement Project.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Maria Nation.
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