“A quarter of a million Americans have died from COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The milestone reached on Wednesday follows a stunning surge in cases this fall, with the country repeatedly shattering records for daily new case numbers and several states reporting record high hospitalization rates. President Donald Trump’s unwavering insistence that the coronavirus is on its way out couldn’t be further from the truth. Less than two weeks after Trump lost his bid for a second term to President-elect Joe Biden, the U.S. surpassed 11 million cases ― about a fifth of all infections worldwide. “We’re still facing a very dark winter,” President-elect Biden warned Americans last week, predicting that the death toll will climb as people congregate indoors more and Trump finishes his final weeks in office while downplaying the severity of the disease, dismissing the need for masks and other basic safety measures, refusing to issue national guidelines, insisting that states reopen their economies, and blaming testing for the high rate of cases. The 250,000 dead-and-counting are the Trump administration’s legacy: America’s grim mortality statistics are the direct result of political decisions by the country’s leaders. Every non-political explanation has steadily fallen away as other countries proved this disease could be managed. Erin Scott / Reuters Trump has repeatedly dismissed the need for masks. Even when he was infected, he removed his mask in public. Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong, among the most densely populated places in the world, have had vanishingly small outbreaks and are now returning to their pre-coronavirus activity. Within the United States, the severe initial outbreak in New York City seemed to indicate that density was to blame, but the country’s second densest city, San Francisco, had a much smaller outbreak. Caseloads have spiked in states that are heavily suburbanized and rural, including Idaho, North Dakota and Arkansas. And while America’s status as a transportation hub did indeed result in the early arrival of the virus, other countries even closer to the genesis of the outbreak in China have fared far better. Mongolia, which shares a border with China, hadn’t reported a single COVID-19 death by November. Vietnam, China’s neighbor to the south, had recorded just over 30 fatalities. Germany, Australia and Japan also host large numbers of international travelers, and all have had far less severe outbreaks than the United States. Since the first confirmed case in late January, Trump has alternated between pretending the virus doesn’t exist, downplaying its significance and blaming others for its effects. While the country was under quarantine — an act of collective self-sacrifice unparalleled in post-World War II history — Trump did next to nothing to develop testing and contact tracing infrastructure. The incoming Biden administration has its work cut out. Trump has spent most of his final year in office discrediting public health experts, refusing to wear a mask and holding large super-spreader events at the White House. He led by example, and America followed. Biden has vowed to deploy a national mask mandate, but how effective will that be when Trump has politicized safety measures and convinced so many Americans ― including state and local leaders ― that masks aren’t important? Hope for recovery in the U.S. now almost entirely hinges on the development and deployment of a coronavirus vaccine. There’s a lot of optimism around trials showing that Pfizer’s vaccine is 90% effective, and public health experts say that some people could receive it by the end of the year. Everyone deserves accurate information about COVID-19. Support journalism without a paywall — and keep it free for everyone — by becoming a HuffPost member today. A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus Here’s the latest science on COVID antibodies. How does the coronavirus spread differently than the flu? What does the new CDC definition of a COVID-19 “close contact” mean for you? Is it safe to see grandparents for the holidays? Therapists predict how this year will shape our mental health.
Twitter Billionaire Jack Dorsey Gives U.S. Mayors $15 Million To Fund Basic Income
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["The idea of giving Americans money, with no strings attached, has been given a boost by a $15 million grant from billionaire Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, which will fund basic income projects across America. The money ...
Trump Has Raised Up To $170 Million Since Election Day: Reports
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["President Donald Trump has raised between $150 million and $170 million since Election Day amid ongoing appeals to supporters as part of his effort to undercut results of the race that saw him lose by millions of vo...
Trump Now Insists Biden Must ‘Prove’ He Won 80 Million Votes To Enter The White House
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["Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump said he was ready to step aside for President-elect Joe Biden, he has reversed his position, claiming that Biden must first “prove” he actually won the 80 million votes that sta...
Donor In Trump’s Election ‘Fraud’ Fight Sues To Snatch Back His $2.5 Million Contribution
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["A major contributor to a group backing President Donald Trump’s fight to overturn the presidential election sued to recover $2.5 million in donations after the campaign failed in several court cases and was unable t...
Charli D’Amelio Is First To Reach 100 Million TikTok Followers After Drama
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["Charli D’Amelio has another reason to dance. The 16-year-old dancer, dubbed the reigning queen of TikTok, thanked fans Sunday for pushing her past 100 million followers on the short-form video app. D’Amelio became t...
Kyle Rittenhouse Released From Custody After Posting $2 Million Bond
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["Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who shot and killed two people during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this summer has been released from jail after posting a $2 million bond. The 17-year-old was released from custod...
Biden Approaches 80 Million Votes In Historic Victory
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["President-elect Joe Biden’s winning tally is approaching a record 80 million votes as Democratic bastions continue to count ballots and the 2020 election cracks turnout records. Biden has already set a record for th...