CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Chicago: DoorDash, Grubhub mislead restaurants, customers


BY KATHLEEN FOODY ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUGUST 27, 2021 

CHICAGO

Chicago officials on Friday accused DoorDash and Grubhub of harming the city's restaurants and their customers by charging high fees and through other deceptive practices when delivery and takeout business became essential to the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city officials believe their lawsuits against the delivery companies are the most sweeping of their kind brought by a city.

“It is deeply concerning and unfortunate that these companies broke the law during these incredibly difficult times, using unfair and deceptive tactics to take advantage of restaurants and consumers who were struggling to stay afloat," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement.

Representatives for the two companies called the lawsuits filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court “baseless.”

Delivery companies have been the target of legal authorities in other cities and states before, but those efforts have targeted specific policies compared to Chicago's attack on numerous elements of the companies' operations.

San Francisco's district attorney has accused delivery companies of violating California law by classifying drivers as contractors. And Washington, D.C., reached a settlement with DoorDash in 2019 after alleging the company misled customers about how much drivers received in tips.

The Massachusetts attorney general’s office in July filed a lawsuit accusing Grubhub of charging restaurants illegally high fees during the pandemic. The state had capped fees for much of 2020.

According to the Chicago lawsuits, both companies advertise delivery services for restaurants without their agreement, hurting the businesses’ reputation when customers are unhappy about the cost or service.

City investigators also found that both companies charge higher prices for items than restaurants set on their own menus and charge more in total fees than initially disclosed to customers.

Taylor Bennett, a spokesman for DoorDash, called the suit “baseless.”

“DoorDash has stood with the City of Chicago throughout the pandemic, waiving fees for restaurants, providing $500,000 in direct grants, creating strong earning opportunities, and delivering food and other necessities to communities in need," Bennett said. "This lawsuit will cost taxpayers and deliver nothing.”

Grant Klinzman, a spokesman for Grubhub, said the company was disappointed by Lightfoot's decision to file the suit.

“Every single allegation is categorically wrong and we will aggressively defend our business practices,” he said. "We look forward to responding in court and are confident we will prevail.”

The lawsuits don't specify a total financial penalty they're seeking. The city is asking for a fine for each violation of the city's code and an order that would stop them from violating it.

Music industry weighs vaccine mandates, but politics collide
By KRISTIN M. HALL

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This combination of photos shows signage for Stubb's BBQ and Amphitheater appears outside the establishment in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 21, 2021, left, and a sign requesting customers wear masks is displayed near the entrance. The music industry is moving toward vaccine mandates for concertgoers, but local and state laws have created murky legal waters for COVID-19 rules in venues. Texas state law says businesses can’t require customers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The coronavirus vaccine gave the live entertainment industry hope for a rebound in 2021. Now, as COVID-19 cases surge and hospital beds fill up, it feels like March 2020 all over again.

Tom DeGeorge runs the popular Crowbar club in Tampa, Florida, that once hosted about 300 concerts a year, mostly touring bands. He managed to stay afloat and reopen last fall, hosting about six shows a month. But with cases surging in Florida, show cancellations have racked up and attendance has plummeted.

“The amount of people that are coming out right now is I’d say about 25, 30 percent of what it should be,” said DeGeorge. “I have a feeling that I’m probably going to lose the majority of my fall and winter calendar, but I’m basically already mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

In hope of salvaging and surviving another devastating year, the industry is moving rapidly toward vaccine mandates for concertgoers, event staff and crew. In some instances, fans are being asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative test — such as for Harry Styles’ upcoming fall U.S. tour.

But the politicization of the pandemic and vaccines have dealt venues like DeGeorge’s another heavy blow. Across the country, there are a myriad of state and local rules that regulate when and where mask mandates and vaccine requirements can be enforced.

A pedestrian walks by Crowbar, a live music venue in Ybor City's historical district, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

In Florida and Texas, for instance, governors have issued bans on vaccine passports, which in some cases apply to private businesses. Some governors’ executive orders are being challenged — either in court or by businesses experimenting with how far they can go.

“What we’ve seen really in Austin is people with a lack of clear direction trying to explore and understand what can be done,” said Cody Cowan, executive director of Red River Cultural District in Austin, Texas, home to 15 music venues. “I think certainly the sentiment is, by both the venues and the musicians, that everyone wants public health in place, even if the state has decided to not put orders in place around public health.”

He said Austin venues are trying out various vaccine and testing requirements — but that comes with significant risk. Texas state law says businesses can’t require customers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which regulates liquor licenses, has notified some restaurants and music venues that their requirements were not in compliance. For most music venues, alcohol sales are a majority of their revenue, and Cowan says that indicates the state is willing to penalize venues for violations of COVID-19 rules.

“You may have your license suspended, revoked or taken away permanently if you choose to attempt to enforce public health,” Cowan said. “That’s the sort of fear we’re living under constantly.”

A sign showing a drawing of Willie Nelson requesting masks be worn is posted near the entrance to 3TEN in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Adjoining venues ACL Live and 3TEN will comply with requests by performers to require fans to show negative test results and masks are required, according to Colleen Fischer, general manager and director of booking for both venues. If a fan won’t provide test results, they will also accept proof of vaccination.

Florida’s DeGeorge said he’s been spit on by a patron and others have tried to physically fight him over requirements to wear masks. He feels that anger stems from political messaging about masks and other virus protection policies.

But he worries more that as vaccine mandates become industry standards in other places, touring artists won’t bother coming to Florida.

“Touring bands, the best of the best, are not going to come down here if they don’t feel like they can be safe and we can’t offer to them the same assurances that they have in other states,” DeGeorge said.

The push for vaccine requirements for concerts is not only coming from the biggest promoters like Live Nation and AEG Live, but also artists themselves. The Foo Fighters, Phish, Maroon 5, The Killers and Dead & Company have all publicly said they’ll require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for fans.

Singer Jennifer Nettles, who performs solo and as a part of the country duo Sugarland, said she looks at it from a business perspective when she considers the health of the people who work for her as well as the fans.

“We can’t force anyone to get a vaccine,” Nettles said. “But we do have the right to say, ‘OK, if you don’t have it, then you can’t come because that is dangerous.’ It’s not a character judgment that’s being made. It’s a matter of fact.”

And Nettles is equally frustrated that political division and misinformation is dominating the conversation among fans and sometimes artists.

Jennifer Nettles. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

“Especially if you look at country music, wowza, when you consider that demographic and the political lines that are drawn, I feel like it makes it extremely difficult,” Nettles said.

Other artists have staunchly come out against vaccine mandates for concerts, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison. Country singer Travis Tritt said in a statement that vaccine policies at concerts are discriminatory.

“I have always been a huge defender of basic human rights and liberty for all,” Tritt said. “No government, employer, or private entity should ever be allowed to infringe on those rights and liberties. I’m also very much against discrimination of any kind. All forms of discrimination need to be called out and condemned in the strongest terms possible.”

The differences in these policies as well as changing conditions in state COVID rates has made booking national tours in 2021 fraught with difficulty and last-minute changes, said Paul Lohr, president of New Frontier Touring, a booking agency that represents about 80 artists, including The Avett Brothers and Rodney Crowell.

“Because of the variances state by state, it can all of a sudden leave a tour looking like Swiss cheese,” said Lohr. “If you start taking out — and every tour is different — a quarter, a third or half of your dates, that’s the margin of profit on a tour right there. And it just torpedoes the whole thing.”

At Nashville’s famed rock club Exit/In, owner Chris Cobb said that they had to turn away about 10% of attendees the first time they instituted a vaccine requirement for a show. He says some of those turned away weren’t aware of the just-enacted policy.

“We have to carry the burden of figuring out how to implement it,” said Cobb. “And it’s extremely helpful when artists are not only supportive but vocally supportive.”

A sign showing blues singer Lavelle White requesting masks be worn is displayed near the entrance to Antone's Nightclub in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

While the top-tier bands can afford to cancel based on COVID safety concerns, many small and local musicians don’t have many financial options. Roots musician Hilary Perkins saw that the pandemic was creating inequality and systematic problems for musicians who need regular gigs.

“Women are particularly concerned, and people of color are particularly concerned,” said Perkins, who performs as Nell Robinson.

When she couldn’t find any industry wide standards on what musicians and artists could ask for in their contracts, her organization, Whippoorwill Arts, developed a set of health and safety guidelines for musicians to ask venues and promoters to adopt.

“You have a right to ask for what you need, you have a right to say what you require, what you prefer and what you can negotiate,” said Perkins.

Nettles has been sharing on social media the data on unvaccinated people filling up the small local hospital in her hometown in Georgia.

“This isn’t an artist making a power play,” Nettles said. “People are dying. There is a way to keep people from dying.”

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Follow Kristin M. Hall at https://twitter.com/kmhall

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Whippoorwill Arts.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR BILLIONAIRES

Lanai rental housing project gets green light

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — A county affordable housing committee voted to recommend approval of a rental project on Lanai, where no new affordable homes have been built in 30 years.

The Hokuao 201H Housing Project, which was proposed by billionaire Larry Ellison’s company Pulama Lanai, includes the development of 150 two-bedroom rental homes on former pineapple fields. About half of the units will be market-rate priced. The project will be developed under the state’s fast-track approval process for affordable housing.

The Maui County Council’s Affordable Housing Committee voted 8-0 to recommend giving the project the green light after multiple meetings packed with public testimony and hours of discussion over concern about the project’s number of market-rate homes, The Maui News reported Friday.

Council Chairwoman Alice Lee said the project is “desperately needed.”

Pulama Lanai had sought an exemption for sidewalks in the future subdivision, saying including them would cost about $2 million. Sharon Thom, senior vice president of development and construction for Pulama Lanai, said the sidewalks would change the “look and feel” of Lanai City.

Committee Chairman Gabe Johnson argued to include sidewalks, saying the county needs to advocate for pedestrian safety and accessibility.

“I really think sidewalks and walkable towns are a very important part of our community,” he said.

Preliminary plans include sidewalks.

The project also includes a 1-acre park, a 1,500-square-foot community center and 60 parking stalls.

Ten of the units must be reserved for teachers in grades pre-K through 12 residing on Lanai, according to a condition initiated by Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura.

The Hokuao project will be financed by Lanai Island Holdings, another entity owned by Ellison, who acquired 98% of Lanai in 2012.

Line 3 protesters removed from Minnesota Capitol lawn
35 minutes ago

Minnesota State Troopers face off with environmental activists, who identify as water protectors, at the Minnesota State Capitol after activists opposing the Line 3 oil pipeline occupied the site overnight in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota troopers on Friday removed some demonstrators protesting Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement pipeline project on the lawn of the state Capitol.

Videos posted on social media showed troopers carrying protesters onto a bus as dozens of law enforcement officers surrounded a small remnant of the 1,000 or more protesters who had gathered for a major rally calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to pull permits and shut down the replacement pipeline project. Officers announced over a loudspeaker that the protesters’ permit had expired Thursday night and refusal to leave would result in arrests.

Indigenous and environmental activists who oppose the pipeline argue the project violates Native American treaty rights and will aggravate climate change and risk spills that would contaminate areas where Indigenous people hunt, fish and gather wild rice.

Line 3 starts in Alberta and clips a corner of North Dakota before crossing northern Minnesota en route to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wisconsin. The 337-mile (542.35-kilometer) segment in Minnesota is the last phase in replacing the deteriorating pipeline that was built in the 1960s. Construction began in December.

Minnesota State Troopers remove and arrest an activist, who identifies as a water protector, from the site of a protest opposing the Enbridge Line 3 oil pipeline at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Line 3 starts in Alberta and clips a corner of North Dakota before crossing northern Minnesota en route to Enbridge’s terminal in Superior, Wis. (Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Activtsts, who identify as water protectors, stand outside of an area controlled by Minnesota State Troopers as they remove other activists occupying the site at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. Activists had assembled at tipi and made a ceremonial fire at the site in days prior. (Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Environmental group outbids rancher for Idaho grazing lease

By KEITH RIDLER

This June 1, 2012, file photo shows the Sawtooth National Recreation Area near Stanley, Idaho. An environmental group that wants to end public-land grazing has outbid a rancher in central Idaho for a grazing lease on state land that includes habitat for bull trout and steelhead. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP, File)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An environmental group that wants to end public-land grazing has outbid a rancher in central Idaho for a grazing lease on state land that includes habitat for bull trout and steelhead.

Western Watersheds Project’s bid of $8,200 last week won the 20-year grazing lease on 620 acres (250 hectares) in central Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley in Custer County.

The group and the Idaho Cattle Association say it’s possible other state grazing leases could be sought by other environmental groups.

Bidding on the lease for the allotment that is bordered on the west side by Idaho State Highway 75 started at $250 at the auction held by the Idaho Department of Lands in Jerome. Western Watersheds will also have to pay an annual $800 fee based on the number of sheep or cattle authorized for the allotment.

“That’s still a screaming deal,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, noting that private-land grazing fees are about three times that much. “Certainly, at those prices, the parcel is a lot more valuable for conservation than it is for grazing livestock.”

Molvar said the group will not graze livestock but instead convert the grazing lease into a conservation lease and allow the area to be used by wildlife, notably a herd of 50 pronghorn that frequent the area. Elk and bighorn sheep are also in the region.

He also said sections of two streams running through the parcel, Fourth of July Creek and Champion Creek, will be protected. The new lease takes effect on Jan. 1.

The current leaseholder, Michael Henslee of Plateau Farms, didn’t return a call from The Associated Press on Friday. Plateau Farms has both sheep and cattle, grazing in locations from southern to central Idaho.

Cameron Mulrony, executive vice president of the Idaho Cattle Association, said the auction result was disappointing.

“It’s a big concern when we start taking productive ground that is properly managed and properly grazed and decide we’re going to convert it,” he said.

He said ranchers are themselves conservation-minded in keeping lands healthy while also preventing overgrowth that could result in wildfires.

The leased area allows grazing amounting to 112 AUMs, or animal unit months. One AUM is the amount of forage necessary to feed one cow, or one cow with a calf less than six months of age, or one bull for one month. Five sheep or five ewes with lambs are considered one AUM.

Mulroney said the $8,200 upfront cost for the lease would have likely made it difficult to profit on the land with grazing.

The Idaho Department of Lands manages more than 1,100 grazing leases on 2,700 square miles (7,000 square kilometers) that are mostly in the southern two-thirds of the state.

The Idaho Land Board, comprised of the governor and four other statewide elected officials, directs the Department of Lands and is constitutionally required to maximize long-term profit. In all, the board manages about 3,900 square miles (10 million square kilometers) that generate money mainly for public schools.

The Land Board is open for business on those lands. It does have some discretion, but is typically required to take the best deal.

“In this case, the conservation lease was the use that won the auction and made the most money for the Public School Beneficiary,” Sharla Arledge, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Lands, said in a statement.

In the 1990s, Western Watersheds Project, then known as Idaho Watersheds Project, won a grazing lease at an auction but was denied the lease by the Land Board, which awarded the new lease instead to the rancher who had the previous lease.

The group sued and prevailed when the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the Land Board didn’t have that discretion. That court decision made possible the new lease in the Sawtooth Valley.

Molvar said it was an expensive way to achieve conservation and not applicable to all public lands, but worth it in an area rich with wildlife and that’s also a tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

“The Sawtooth Valley is one of the crown jewels of Idaho that is really valuable for wildlife and for fisheries,” he said.

PRIVATE EDU U$A
Virtual schools saw little disruption, got equal virus aid
By COLLIN BINKLEY and CAMILLE FASSETT

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IT Support Specialist Joe Coladonato, left, and Tech Support Specialist Jaquan Robinson, right, work at Agora Cyber Charter School, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in King of Prussia, Pa. At Agora, officials said they have no plans to use the full $38 million the school was awarded and are exploring whether it’s possible to return unused money.

 (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)


BOSTON (AP) — While many schools scrambled to shift to online classes last year, the nation’s virtual charter schools faced little disruption. For them, online learning was already the norm. Most have few physical classrooms, or none at all.

Yet when Congress sent $190 billion in pandemic aid to schools, virtual charters received just as much as any other school because the same formula applied to all schools, with more money going to those in high-poverty areas, an Associated Press investigation found.

“It’s scandalous that they’re getting that much money,” said Gordon Lafer, an economist at the University of Oregon and school board member in Eugene, Oregon. “There were all kinds of costs that were extraordinary because of COVID, but online schools didn’t have any of them.”

The infusion of federal relief has inflamed a decades-long debate about the role of the nation’s 200-plus fully virtual charter schools, which are publicly funded schools that operate independently or under the umbrella of public school districts. They generally offer classes through online learning platforms provided by private companies.

Leaders of online schools say virtual charters offer a valuable option for students who don’t do well in traditional classrooms. But critics say they drain money from other schools and often lead to poor outcomes for students.

Using data provided by state governments, The Associated Press tracked more than $550 million that went to virtual charters across the country over three rounds of pandemic relief. The analysis, which covered allocations to 76 virtual schools in 10 states, showed that some online charters received among the highest funding rates in their states, getting as much per student as some of the poorest districts.

The federal government has not released nationwide data on the money given to virtual charters. Some states, including Wisconsin and Texas, said allocations for online schools were managed by local districts and not tracked by the state.

Most of the pandemic aid was distributed using the same formula as Title I money, the largest federal funding source for public schools. But some states also used discretionary pools of federal money to send additional help to virtual charters, including in Idaho, Minnesota and Ohio.

Of the 76 virtual schools tracked by the AP, more than a third are operated by the industry’s two largest companies, Stride Inc. and Connections Academy. Others are run by different for-profit companies, while some are run by nonprofits or state or local governments.

Officials at virtual schools say the money was needed to serve a wave of students who transferred from traditional schools during the pandemic. But leaders of some traditional schools wonder why any aid went to virtual charters that were mostly conducting business as usual and did not have to worry about social distancing or sanitizing.

In Philadelphia, the Esperanza Cyber Charter School received $11,300 per student, the highest rate among virtual schools tracked by the AP. That’s compared with $12,300 in Harrisburg public schools, one of Pennsylvania’s poorest districts, and $7,500 in Pittsburgh schools.

Esperanza, operated by a local nonprofit, teaches about 800 students in Philadelphia’s Latino neighborhoods, with more than 90% coming from poverty.

When the pandemic hit last year, Esperanza never halted classes. Teachers started working from home instead of at the school’s single building, but little changed for the student experience, said Jon Marsh, the school’s CEO.

Marsh said he sees both sides of the debate over federal relief. His school’s transition to pandemic teaching was relatively smooth, he said, but there were some new costs. The federal funding helped purchase computers and monitors for teachers, for instance, and new software to help students who are learning English.

Still, Esperanza’s funding was immense for its size. It received nearly $9 million, more than the school spends in a typical year. And so far, it has spent less than half of that sum, leaving school officials wondering how to use the remaining $5 million.

“I would love to have the ability to distribute this money to families in need, but you can’t. That’s not on the list,” Marsh said.

Other states with online schools include Ohio, where virtual charters received $101 million in federal funding, and Oklahoma, where they got $82 million. Smaller amounts went to virtual schools in states including Arizona, California, Idaho and Michigan.

Pennsylvania, long a battleground in the cyber school debate, saw the largest sum, with $235 million going to 11 virtual schools. Those allotments rankled leaders of some traditional schools who said the money was desperately needed in public districts.

“It just doesn’t add up to me when you look at the intent of the legislation,” said Chris Celmer, who until recently served as acting superintendent in Harrisburg, which used its money to buy computers for students and is now improving ventilation across the district’s 12 building. “Those dollars could have been distributed across the other 500 school districts across the state of Pennsylvania.”

Commonwealth Charter Academy, the largest virtual school in Pennsylvania, saw its enrollment double last school year, to nearly 20,000 students.

Commonwealth was awarded about $4,000 per student, totaling more than $60 million. Much of the early funding was used to hire new teachers and buy laptops for students. More recent funding will be used to help students who are behind in reading, said Timothy Eller, a school spokesperson.

“Cyber charter school students are not second-class students,” Eller said. “Just because they attend a cyber charter doesn’t mean they should receive less funding.”

For the online schooling industry, the pandemic has delivered an unprecedented financial boost.

In April 2020, as students flocked to online charters, the financial chief for Stride Inc. told investors that COVID-19 would bring “a lasting tailwind to online education.” Virtual schools, some of which spend millions of dollars a year on advertising, promoted themselves as a better alternative to public schools that were struggling to offer online classes.

Stride’s latest financial reports showed a 48% increase in revenue since last year, with most of it coming from contracts with schools. The company did not respond to a request seeking information about its schools’ federal aid.

The cost of adding new students is typically covered by schools’ state funding, Lafer said, and virtual schools are designed to scale up services at a low cost.

“As far as I can see, the money is 100% pure profit,” said Lafer, who has researched online charter schools.

Recognizing that virtual charters have lower costs, some states routinely fund them at lower rates than traditional schools. Some states applied the same logic when they disbursed discretionary pools of pandemic aid.

In South Carolina, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster gave charter schools $9 million to offset enrollment increases. But while traditional charters received $220 per student, virtual schools were given $116 per student. Separately, McMaster wanted to use $32 million of the federal pandemic aid to provide scholarships for students to attend private schools, but the state Supreme Court blocked the plan.

Even some virtual charters are questioning whether they need their full allotments. At Agora Cyber Charter School, a Pennsylvania school affiliated with Stride, officials said they have no plans to use the full $38 million the school was awarded. Agora officials are exploring whether it’s possible to return unused money.

“We’re trying to be very deliberate to make sure that any dollar we take from this is focused on servicing students,” said Richard Jensen, the CEO. “That’s the end game for me.”

COVID-19 surge pummels Hawaii and its native population

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER

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In this Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, photo State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, at podium, speaks at a gathering of Native Hawaiian leaders urging Hawaiians to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks in Honolulu. Hawaii is experiencing a COVID-19 surge as hospitals are overflowing, vaccinations are stagnating and Hawaiians experiencing a disproportionate share of the suffering. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)


HONOLULU (AP) — Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane could barely breathe when she went to a Hawaii emergency room. Nausea made it difficult for her to stand and her body throbbed with pain.

Like many Native Hawaiians, she was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Perreira-Keawekane’s situation highlights the COVID-19 crisis that is gripping Hawaii as hospitals are overflowing with a record number of patients, vaccinations are stagnating and Hawaiians are experiencing a disproportionate share of the suffering.

Hawaii was once seen as a beacon of safety during the pandemic because of stringent travel and quarantine restrictions and overall vaccine acceptance that made it one of the most inoculated states in the country. But the highly contagious delta variant exploited weaknesses as residents let down their guard and attended family gatherings after months of restrictions and vaccine hesitancy lingered in some Hawaiian communities.

Now, the governor is urging tourists to stay away and residents to limit travel, and leaders are re-imposing caps on sizes of social gatherings. And in an effort to address vaccine hesitancy, a group of businesses and nonprofits launched a public service campaign Thursday aimed at Native Hawaiians, many of whom harbor a deep distrust of the government dating back to the U.S.-supported overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.

The campaign reminds Hawaiians that they were nearly wiped out by disease in the 1800s and that the kingdom’s rulers at the time pushed people to get vaccinated against smallpox.

About 20 Hawaiian leaders stood in rows 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart Thursday at a statue of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the kingdom’s last monarch, imploring people to wear masks and get vaccinated to ensure the survival of the Indigenous people of Hawaii.

“Not only was I afraid of the needles and just putting it off, putting it off, but I didn’t have enough information about the vaccine and that distrust was just very real,” said Perreira-Keawekane.

In this photo provided by Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane, she is seen in a selfie from her hospital bed on July 19, 2021, in Hilo, Hawaii. She tested positive for COVID-19, adding to the crisis that Hawaii is experiencing as hospitals are overflowing with a record number of patients, vaccinations are stagnating and Native Hawaiians suffering a disproportionate share of the suffering. (Kuulei Perreira-Keawekane via AP)

She now plans to get vaccinated. Still, she doesn’t consider herself pro-vaccine, or anti-vaccine.

“Having to choose one or the other is the root of trauma for native people,” she said. “You can shout data at the top of your lungs, but if it has nothing to do with people we know, it’s not real.”

Overall, 62.1% of Hawaii is fully vaccinated. But Hawaiians have among the lowest rates; estimates show it’s at about 40%.

Native Hawaiians make up about 21% of the state’s population, and from the start of the pandemic until July 10, 2021, they accounted for 21% of cases as well. But from July 11, 2021, to Aug. 16, 2021, that figured increased to 28%, according to state data.

Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Jim Ireland said that on a recent morning, there were four COVID-19 patient 911 calls in a row for Nanakuli, a community that’s home to many Native Hawaiians. He noted that vaccination rates are lower on the west side of Oahu.

The thought behind the campaign focusing on increasing Hawaiian vaccination rates is that messages to the public so far haven’t been adequate, said Nāʻālehu Anthony, director of COVID Pau, a collaborative of businesses and nonprofit organizations delivering public health messages during the pandemic.

“We’re telling people to get the vaccine ’til we’re blue in the face,” Anthony said. “But that’s not necessarily all of the story as to why it’s important to get a vaccine. And part of that is the relationship to who’s asking you to do it.”

At a Monday news conference, Gov. David Ige, who is not Hawaiian, acknowledged he’s not the ideal messenger: “We do know that sometimes my making statements are not the most motivational for many others.”

Earlier in the pandemic, Native Hawaiians had among the lowest rates of infection and embraced safety measures such as trading honi, a traditional forehead-to-forehead greeting, for elbow bumps or shakas from a distance.

That changed around May during the time of year when people celebrate graduations and weddings.

The irony is not lost on some that a popular reason for Hawaii family parties today originated during a time when Hawaiians would hold big celebrations for a baby’s first birthday, which was a real feat in the face of measles until a vaccine was available.

“I do think that it’s sad and kind of a little bit ironic that luau, in a lot of cases, have become places where people get sick,” said state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole.

Andria Tupola, a Hawaiian city councilwoman who represents west Oahu, said one way government leaders are out of touch with her constituents is not respecting people who want to make their own decisions.

She recently disclosed that she wasn’t vaccinated because she had tested positive while visiting Utah, but felt healthy enough to go running every day. She has also been instrumental in organizing vaccination clinics.

The backlash she faced over her vaccination status isn’t helping convince people in her community to get vaccinated, she said.

“If you have to crucify me and make an example out of me in front of my community … if you think somehow that’s going to make people want to do it, it’s like that’s the opposite because people trust others and they respect others in our community,” she said.

Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the University of Hawaii’s medical school, said he didn’t expect some Hawaiians to shun the vaccine. “It’s very American, which is ironic — very individualistic — to behave this way,” he said.

“I think our people need to remember that a part of our culture is protecting each other over our own self-interest,” he said.

Keoni Payton, a clothing designer on the Big Island, is not vaccinated, but supports those who choose to get vaccinated. “I’m pro-choice on what you put in your body and body autonomy,” he said.

The messages about how kingdom rulers mandated the smallpox vaccine in the 1850s don’t resonate with him.

“As Hawaiians, we haven’t been treated fairly with the U.S. government,” he said. “They stole our land and now they’re stealing our bodies.”

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AP reporters Audrey McAvoy and Caleb Jones contributed to this report.

Embattled 'We Build the Wall' group admits they can't pay lawyer after raising millions: report

Tom Boggioni
August 27, 2021

Fox News screenshot/wall construction screenshot via "We Build the Wall" YouTube Video

According to a report from Fox News 8, the people behind the crowdsourced "We Build the Wall" group who claim on their website that they have pledges for $25 million to build part of Donald Trump's ill-fated border wall along the Texas border are now pleading poverty and claiming they can't pay their attorneys.

The group, whose advisory board includes former Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Kris Kobach, as well as wealthy Blackwater founder Eric Prince, has reportedly been stiffing their legal representation, leading McAllen, Texas lawyer David Oliveira to request withdrawing as one of their attorneys.

According to the report, "We Build the Wall" general counsel Kobach made the admission during a Zoom call on Thursday.

"The essence of it is that We Build The Wall has very limited funds right now to bring the ledger up to balance or close to balance," Kobach told U.S. District Judge Randy Crane with regard to Oliveria representing them in a case filed by the " ... North American Butterfly Association against We Build The Wall and other organizations that built 3.5 miles of border wall on private land along the banks of the Rio Grande south of Mission, Texas, adjacent to the National Butterfly Center," Fox8 is reporting.

According to "We Build the Wall" website, their goal had been to build 100 miles of the wall by using private funds while claiming they have an even 500,000 donors.

With the judge granting Oliveria's request and telling Kobach he needs to find new lawyers, the former Trump adviser told the judge, "It might be expensive and few of us have the assets right now to cover a retainer. So we are willing to let counsel step aside but we would like a fairly generous bit of time to find local counsel and also perhaps have a picture of what it involves," only to have Judge Crane admonish him by stating, "This case just keeps getting delayed and delayed; 90 days seems like a long time."

"Finding a lawyer I don't think is a big problem. I think finding a lawyer who is willing to risk not getting paid is probably the issue here."

The latest legal challenge for the group comes on the heels of founder Brian Kolfage, of Miramar Beach, Florida, facing the possibility of 20 years in prison if convicted on two counts of filing a false tax return and one count of wire fraud related to the electronic filing of his 2019 state tax return, as well as an investigation alleging fraud and money laundering-related offenses by New York investigators.

You can watch a video promoting the group's efforts -- accompanied by Muse's "Uprising," which contains the chorus "We will be victorious" -- below:

Brian Kolfage We Build The Wall VICTORYyoutu.be

MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan throws Mike Pompeo's words back in his face in brutal split-screen about Taliban dealings

Brad Reed
August 26, 2021

Mike Pompeo

MSNBC's Medhi Hasan on Thursday threw former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's own words back in his face after he claimed that he always believed the Taliban were evil and untrustworthy.

In a split-screen video posted on the Twitter account of Hasan's show, Pompeo starts out by saying the he knew the Taliban were "butchers" when he negotiated with them on behalf of former President Donald Trump.

"I knew exactly who I was sitting across the table from," Pompeo said. "These are evil people."

However, the video then played a clip of Pompeo during his tenure as America's top diplomat praising the Taliban after conducting successful negotiations with them.

"We have seen the senior Taliban leadership working diligently to reduce violence," he said. "We still have confidence that the Taliban leadership is working to deliver."

Another clip shows Pompeo saying that the Taliban signed a document saying they would "break their relationship" with al-Qaeda and that "they would work alongside of us."

Watch the video below.

DIVERSITY

Harvard University elects atheist as head chaplain

Agence France-Presse
August 27, 2021

Harvard's Widener Library, pictured in 2007. (Photo: Joseph Williams/Flickr/cc)

America's prestigious Harvard University, founded by Puritan settlers almost 400 years ago, has a new chief chaplain -- and he doesn't believe in God

Greg Epstein, 44, took up the role this week, becoming the first atheist elected president of Harvard's organization of chaplains.

"I'm obliged and honored," he wrote on Twitter.

Epstein has been Harvard's humanist chaplain since 2005 and is the author of the bestselling book "Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe."

He will lead a group of more than 40 chaplains who represent some twenty different religions and beliefs including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

His appointment comes as young people in the United States increasingly identify as spiritual but without a religious affiliation.

"There is a rising group of people who no longer identify with any religious tradition but still experience a real need for conversation and support around what it means to be a good human and live an ethical life," Epstein told The New York Times.

"We don't look to a god for answers. We are each other's answers," he added.

Epstein did not immediately respond to request for comment from AFP.

A 2019 Pew Research Center study found that the United States remains a predominantly Christian country, with 43 percent identifying as Protestant and 20 percent as Catholic.

But more than a quarter of those surveyed (26 per cent) described their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or "nothing in particular," up from 17 percent in 2009.

Epstein, born into a Jewish family in New York, has also been the humanist chaplain at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), another major university in the Boston area, since 2018.

Harvard, founded in 1636 to train the Protestant clergy, is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.