September 3, 2020

S T U DE N T RU N N E WS SI NC E 1926

THURSDAY • SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

Brother Jed’s preaching leads to student outrage MAXWELL MAYLEBEN EDITOR IN CHIEF Students were met with provocative words and sentiments from a group of Christian evangelists on the campus mall Wednesday afternoon.

Hours of shouting and arguing ensued between angry students and the group of evangelists. Some students even brought various noisemakers such as kazoos and cowbells to drown out the preachers.

Equipped with signs with various messages such as “Make America Straight Again” and “Ask me why you deserve hell”, the evangelist group, identified as Campus Ministry USA, is led by Brother Jed Smock.

Smock, a 77-year-old man, wearing an all-white suit and a large white hat, has been a frequent visitor of MNSU, visiting at least once a year since the 1980s, garnering a crowd every time.

Based out of Indiana, Smock and his wife Sister Cindy travel across the country to

JENNA PETERSON NEWS EDITOR

Evangelist Brother Jed Smock engages in a discussion about religion with MNSU students in front of Armstrong Hall on campus Sept. 2, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)

various college campuses to preach to students.

“We are here today to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Smock. “We are calling students to repent, to turn away from all sin and fol-

low Jesus.”

Several students were offended by various remarks made by Smock and his followers.

Riley Carlson, a student at MNSU, talked to Sister Cindy

at length during their time on campus.

“She said that women are

PREACH page 3

Mass COVID-19 testing on campus due to rising cases MAXWELL MAYLEBEN EDITOR IN CHIEF In response to rising COVID-19 case numbers in the region, Minnesota State University, Mankato and the Minnesota Department Health launched a free COVID-19 testing event this week that drew hundreds of people including students, faculty and Mankato community members.

The testing started Wednesday at noon until 7 p.m., and is scheduled at the same times for Thursday, Sept. 3.

When arriving at the Myers Field House, patrons were separated into two lines: those who have made an appointment, and those who needed to register. For those with appointments, the line lead straight to testing.

Inside, people were split into four lanes to ensure social distancing. At the beginning of each lane was a table where individuals’ registrations were

IN THIS ISSUE:

Hungry?

You’ve got options

Stacy Leesch gets tested for COVID-19 at the free testing event held in the Myers Field House Sept. 2, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)

reviewed before they were sent on to the testing area.

“It’s not the “brainscrape”,” said Nick Kimball,

Letter: On Brother Jed

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4

the spokesperson for the State Emergency Operation Center, in reference to the notoriously uncomfortable COVID-19

Opinion: Plant Parenthood?

COVID page 3

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5

Being a college student in this day and age can be difficult, and not knowing where your next meal is coming from should not be a problem for students have to face.

With the help of multiple resources on campus, food insecurity does not have to be an issue.

Karen Anderson, Community Engagement Assistant Director at Minnesota State University, Mankato helps numerous organizations ensure students know about resources with cheap — and sometimes even free — meals.

She specifically works with Campus Kitchen, which began at MNSU in 2005. Their goal is to allow a safe space for people within the community to grab food without the fear of being judged and to reduce food waste throughout Mankato.

Campus Kitchen Campus Kitchen volunteers drive around to local restaurants and campus dining halls to pick up prepared but not served, leftover food which is then repackaged for meals.

Because so many carbbased items are picked up, the kitchen sometimes purchases beans and vegetables to create a balanced meal.

Another important aspect of Campus Kitchen is volunteering.

“We want students to become engaged citizens,” said Anderson.

It’s very easy to become a volunteer; all you have to do is sign up on the Engage page and be willing to spend time packaging meals and other volunteer activities.

Campus Kitchen has its bi-yearly farmer’s market event coming up at Crossroads Campus Ministry. This fall, the tentative date for the market is Sept. 14. In spring, it is held in the CSU, making

FOOD page 3

NBA bubble

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2 • MSU Reporter

News

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Kennedy loss in Massachusetts may mark end of ‘Camelot’ era BOSTON (AP) — After the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy famously compared his 1,000-day presidency to “Camelot,” a popular Broadway musical about the legend of King Arthur — crafting a wistful shorthand for the Kennedy tenure, and by extension the entire Kennedy dynasty.

Now, 60 years after JFK’s election as president, some are wondering if the days of “Camelot” are over after U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy lll’s failed attempt to oust incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey in Tuesday’s state Democratic primary.

The loss marks the first time a member of the political dynasty has come up short in a race for Congress in Massachusetts.

The 39-year-old Kennedy, even as he conceded the election, seemed to leave open the possibility of a future chapter in his family’s long political saga.

“No matter the results tonight, I would do this again with all of you again in a heartbeat,” Kennedy told supporters. “We may have lost the final vote count tonight, but we built a coalition that will endure because this coalition, our coalition, is the future of a Democratic Party.”

In reality, a successful revival for Kennedy is going to be tough given the state’s changing political landscape, said Jeffrey Berry, a professor of American politics and political behavior at Tufts Univer-

U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III speaks outside his campaign headquarters in Watertown, Mass., after conceding defeat to incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

sity.

“It’s going to be difficult for him to come back and do elected politics here in Massachusetts because the Democratic side is very crowded with a lot of very capable people,” Berry said, pointing to potential rivals including U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

Berry said Kennedy was in a difficult position because it was hard for him to run to the left of Markey, given New York U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement of Markey.

Kennedy instead won the endorsement of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“That left him as the establishment candidate, which was not a good position to be in,” Berry said.

The Kennedy legacy hung

over the race, especially in the closing weeks, when Kennedy more explicitly invoked his pedigree including JFK; former U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, his grandfather; and former U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who held a Senate seat in Massachusetts for nearly half a century until his death in 2009.

Kennedy’s father, Joe Kennedy ll, also held a Massachusetts seat in Congress from 1987 to 1999.

For his part, the 74-yearold Markey was able to flip the Kennedy script, highlighting his blue-collar roots growing up as the son of a driver for the Hood Milk Co. in working-class Malden, a Boston suburb.

In one campaign ad, Mar-

key also offered an updated take on a famous JFK quote, saying: “We asked what we could do for our country. We went out, we did it. With all due respect, it’s time to start asking what your country can do for you.”

One loss doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the Kennedy mystique, said Erin O’Brien, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.

“Is ‘Camelot’ over? No,” she said.

O’Brien pointed out that early on, polls were giving Kennedy the edge, in large part because of the political cachet of his last name.

But as the race wore on, Kennedy struggled to answer the fundamental question of why he was running — a

question that helped trip up Edward Kennedy’s 1980 campaign for president, which was also against an incumbent, Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

“He was trying to make a change argument, but became a corporate moderate, and Ed Markey became the second coming of Bernie Sanders,” O’Brien said. “He became the embodiment of privilege or inherited wealth, and those are two things that Democrats are not looking for in elected officials.”

In the end, she said, Kennedy couldn’t reveal his real reason for challenging Markey — to avoid a crowded Democratic field in a future race for an open Senate seat that could include popular Democrats like Pressley, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and Attorney General Maura Healey.

CORRECTION An article published in Tuesday’s edition of The Reporter contained incorrect information regarding the DUI arrest of an MSNU student. According to police reports, Brayden Thomas’ vehicle struck a guardrail, which resulted in a second vehicle crashing into Thomas’ vehicle. Thomas was cited for DUI, careless driving, and operating a vehicle without headlights.

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Thursday, September 3, 2020

News

FOOD

MSU Reporter • 3

PREACH

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Karen Anderson packs food in the Campus Cupboard Sept. 2, 2020 at the Crossroads Campus Ministry in Mankato, Minn. (Prasad Pol/ MSU Reporter)

it easy for students to access.

At the event, students will receive a bag of free produce in order to eat balanced meals and live a healthier lifestyle.

The bags also include flyers for other organizations that provide food, and information about volunteering as well.

“We encourage the students to think critically about food sources,” said Anderson.

If students need a meal throughout the week, they can pick one up at Campus Kitchen. Their Facebook page has more information including service hours.

Swipe Out Hunger Another operation taking place on campus is Swipe Out Hunger. This is looked at as a short-term fix, where campus food service provider Sodexo will donate two meals for every full meal plan purchased.

Although the numbers aren’t complete yet, Student Senate Speaker Kara Svercl predicts there will be between 4,0005,000 meals donated.

Students can apply for this

program by visiting Sodexo’s website and filling out a form.

There will be no financial questions asked while filling out the form.

“If you need the food we want to make sure you have it,” Svercl ensured.

Once approved, meals will go directly to your card and you can swipe it as normal.

When talking about food insecurity as a whole, Svercl expressed concern with how society perceives it.

“Food insecurity among college students is really normalized,” said Svercl. “We take this expectation of college students only eating ramen noodles because it’s the only thing they can afford, and we don’t want this to be normal.”

Campus Cupboard In order to tackle food insecurity, there is a plan in progress.

While there is the Campus Cupboard available for students, this service is off-campus at Crossroads Campus

COVID

Continued from page 1 test. “It’s about an inch inside your nose in both nostrils.”

The scheduling of appointments allows for a quick flow in and out of people. “It’s averaging four and a half minutes on site” said Kimball.

Due to the increased access to testing, the numbers of positive cases in Mankato is likely to rise in the next few days.

Kimball said that the raw numbers are just the first factor in deciding how to move forward in a community. “It’s a collaboration to understand the numbers and how to work based on those numbers,” said Kimball.

The venue was chosen by local officials and the MDH as being the most suitable to accommodate mass testing.

During the H1N1 outbreak, the Field House was used for a mass vaccination event.

“So much space allows for social distancing, no large crowds, people doing the testing are totally PPE’d up,” said Kimball regarding the safety of the event.

Several MNSU students were also at the event looking to get tested, including Jisela Gonzalez and her roommates.

“Our roommate went to a party, so we are all getting tested,” said Gonzalez.

To students looking for advice on how to stay safe while in college, Kimball said, “Wear a mask, stay socially distant and enjoy the wonderful fall weather we are coming into.”

Ministry and not available for all students. The University is working on creating a food shelf to help provide food for all students as well as a longterm solution to the problem.

only made to make children,” said Carlson, “and also that she was only allowed to speak when her husband gave her permission.”

When asked about having to give permission for his wife to speak, Smock said, “You know how women can be.”

Other students found humor in the situation, heckling the preachers, dancing in front of them, and one even showing her “OnlyFans” account.

Among those in the crowd was Olivia Hart, who after asking to share her favorite verse, recited lyrics from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s song “WAP”, an explicit song about female sexuality.

Stewart Chisham, another student sat near the evangelists with a sign that had a different message: “I’m not with them, ask me about the truth.”

Chisham, a Christian, did

not believe in what or how Smock went about preaching.

“A lot of things don’t add up. They might have a different translation of the bible,” said Chisham. “I don’t believe that God hates any individual.

I don’t think that women deserve to get raped because of the way they dress.”

Some students, such as Shawn Ikanih, believe that the evangelists are better off left alone.

“If everybody left, he would leave because he’d have no one to talk to,” said Ikanih. “As long as everyone stays here and entertains him, he’s going to stay.”

Smock wasn’t affected by the negative responses. “We are not discouraged by their reaction,” said Smock. “We are encouraged that it bothers them.”

4 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, September 3, 2020

FALL 2020 EDITOR IN CHIEF:

MAXWELL MAYLEBEN

The overdue condemnation of Brother Jed

maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu

MADISON DIEMERT

madison.diemert@mnsu.edu

To the editor: Welcome week can bring about a slew of emotions. New students feel the excitement of college, while returning students settle in for another year of academic pursuits. However, regardless of academic standing, many students share a near-universal disdain for the “preaching” of Brother Jed. The “sermons”, if they really deserve that title, often begin with an open opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, an open opposition to science, and just for kicks, call those who stick around whores and sinners.

It is the responsibility of a university who claims to care about the safety and mental health of its students to openly and vehemently stand against Brother Jeb, and to take actions which reflect these feelings. The weight of this inaction is particularly showing in this pandemic, where rather than removing an individual whose goal was to create a crowd, University Security simply instructed students to stand further apart. This response from the university is not only pathetic but showing of their desire to simply run away from conflict, even at the cost of the mental health of students.

Time after time, year after year, Minnesota State University, Mankato continues to stand by and allow these religious extremists to visit campus. Let each occurrence of this be seen through the eyes of the student body as a spineless failure of the university to

NEWS EDITOR: Jenna Peterson jenna.peterson-3@mnsu.edu SPORTS EDITOR: Mel Stramm merle.stramm@mnsu.edu A&E EDITOR: Kolby Spomer kolby.spomer@mnsu.edu WEB/PHOTO EDITOR: Mansoor Ahmad mansoor.ahmad@mnsu.edu ADVERTISING SALES: Calli Seston 507-389-5451 calli.seston@mnsu.edu Anna Lillie 507-389-1063 anna.lillie@mnsu.edu Kali Andriano-Allard 507-389-6765 kali.andriano-allard@mnsu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER: Jane Tastad 507-389-1926 jane.tastad@mnsu.edu Evangelist Brother Jed Smock poses for a portrait in front of the Armstrong Hall on campus Sept. 2, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. Smock has been visiting the MNSU campus since the 1980s to preach his beliefs to the students. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)

create the environment of inclusion that they so desperately are trying to display.

My hope throughout this writing is to encourage an open letter from the student body president condemning the practices of Brother Jed as well as a promise from the incoming University president to

commit to the refusal of granting permits for Brother Jed in upcoming years.

By no means is this letter meant to strike down any religious activity on campus, as organizations like the campus kitchen, Encounter, and Young Life bring wonderful opportunities for religious stu-

dents to be with like-minded peers. However, it is evident that the messages of Brother Jed’s “Confrontational Evangelism” stand antithetical to the values of our university, and it is long overdue for them to be removed from campus.

By Nolan Bessler

“What do you think of the evangelists on campus?”

Compiled by Julia Barton

RYAN YOUNG, FRESHMAN

ENYA SZYMANSKI, FRESHMAN

“I thought it was wack, and that was good what the students were doing.”

“I wasn’t the happiest person.”

NICK BERG, SOPHOMORE

KAYLA WEISBROD, FRESHMAN

“I think it’s unfortunate that “I thought it was disrespectful people can come here and of them to come here and force belittle others.” their opinion on everyone.”

JULIA PETROSKE, FRESHMAN “I just thought it was kinda frustrating and disrupting class.”

ADVERTISING DESIGN/ PRODUCTION MANAGER: Dana Clark 507-389-2793 dana.clark@mnsu.edu

• If you have a complaint, suggestion or would like to point out an error made in the Reporter, contact Editor in Chief Maxwell Mayleben at maxwell.mayleben@mnsu.edu.

The Reporter will correct any errors of fact or misspelled names in this space. Formal grievances against the Reporter are handled by the Newspaper Board.

• The Minnesota State University Mankato Reporter is a studentrun newspaper published twice a week, coming out on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Reporter generates 78 percent of its own income through advertising and receives approximately 22 percent from Student Activities fees. The Reporter is free to all students and faculty, but to start a subscription, please call us at 507-389-1776. Subscriptions for the academic school year are $55.00 and subscribers will receive the paper within three to five days after publishing.

• Letters exceeding 400 words may not be accepted. The Reporter reserves the right to edit letters to fit space or correct punctuation. The Reporter reserves the right to publish, or not publish, at its discretion. Letters must contain year, major or affiliation with the university, or lack thereof. All letters must contain phone numbers for verification purposes.

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE MSU REPORTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OR STUDENT BODY.

Thursday, September 3, 2020

News

MSU Reporter • 5

Opinion: Why you need plants in your life this year JENNA PETERSON NEWS EDITOR Before moving into the dorms my freshman year, my roommate and I decided we would put succulents and other dorm-friendly plants all around our room. I had never owned a plant until then, and I got them only for aesthetic reasons. I knew nothing about taking care of plants, and it showed. Out of the five succulents I bought that year, I have only one of them, and I’m pretty sure it’s dead.

So why do I still go out of my way to spend more money and buy additional plants?

To simply put it: they make me happy.

There are numerous benefits that come with plant ownership. Some plants help cleanse the air, boost your mood, improve your sleep, or even reduce your stress. Each plant has its own characteristics that make it stand out from others.

Growing plants successfully involves trial and error. I didn’t realize right away that there has to be some sort of filtration in the bottom of the pot to help the roots, and that was one of the reasons why my plants kept dying. I also tend to either over water or under water my plants, causing more problems. I even recently had an aloe plant die on me with-

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

in days of buying it because I re-potted it too early and shocked it.

Right now, I have a snake plant, a spider plant, a silver edge and a practically dead cactus.

All of these plants are very low maintenance and require water every two to three weeks. The level of sunlight will also affect a plant’s life,

and all three of mine require a moderate amount of light.

But why should you become a plant parent? As I listed some benefits earlier, taking care of a plant also teaches you how to care for things while giving very little effort. This makes people feel like something is relying on them to live, which is true. Knowing that you are needed for something to thrive

can bring a sense of happiness that many of us need during this pandemic.

To help you sort through the thousands of different types of plants, I’ll tell you the low maintenance ones. Along with a spider plant, other air-cleansing plants include English ivy, lady palm, and rubber plant.

Other easy-to-take-care-

of plants include peace lily, string-of-pearls, and zebra haworthia.

Do I think you should go out and buy a plant or two, even if you’ve never owned one before? Absolutely. And if you end up hating it, at least you wasted only a few dollars.

COVID-19 death tied to Sturgis Rally reported in Minnesota SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last month has died from COVID-19, Minnesota health officials reported on Wednesday.

It is the first reported coronavirus death that might be linked to the biker rally. At least 290 people in 12 states have tested positive for the coronavirus since attending the rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people, according to an Associated Press survey.

The 10-day rally went forward despite fears it could become a super-spread event, with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem welcoming bikers and the tourist dollars they spend.

Bikers crowded into bars and rock shows, mostly ignoring social distancing recommendations. Few wore masks.

Kris Ehresmann, infectious disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health, said health officials have also seen infections spread from people who attended Sturgis, but those infections weren’t included in the state’s count

of Sturgis-linked infections, which stood at 50 on Wednesday.

She said people who attended the rally have reported moving between events, campgrounds and indoor and outdoor spaces.

“Pretty much everyone was in a crowded setting,” Ehresmann said.

The man who died in Minnesota was in his 60s, had underlying health conditions and was hospitalized before he died, according to Ehresmann.

The Washington Post first reported the death.

For 10 days in August, the rally creates a travel hub in western South Dakota comparable to a major U.S. city, according to an analysis of anonymous cellphone data from Camber Systems, a firm that aggregates cellphone activity for health researchers.

The research found that 61% of all counties in the U.S. have been visited by someone who attended Sturgis this summer.

Health officials in Wisconsin and New Jersey reported that one person in each of those states has been hospi-

talized with the coronavirus after attending Sturgis.

Elizabeth Goodsitt, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said some of the 23 people from Wisconsin who tested positive after the rally mentioned other places where they may have been exposed.

“We can’t say that Sturgis was or was not the cause of these cases,” Goodsitt said.

Tracking possible infections among riders who moved between bars, campgrounds and rock shows then scattered across the country is a nearly impossible task for health officials.

The South Dakota Department of Health has reported 105 confirmed new cases tied to the rally. The city of Sturgis made coronavirus tests available to residents and city employees after the rally in an attempt to uncover those who were infected but had no symptoms.

There’s been a surge in infections in South Dakota since the rally; the state ranks third in the country for new cases per capita over the past two weeks.

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News

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Video in Black man’s suffocation shows cops put hood on him AP-- A Black man who had run naked through the streets of a western New York city died of asphyxiation after a group of police officers put a hood over his head, then pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes, according to video and records released Wednesday by the man’s family.

Daniel Prude died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester. His death received no public attention until Wednesday, when his family held a news conference and released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request.

“I placed a phone call for my brother to get help. Not for my brother to get lynched,” Prude’s brother, Joe Prude, said at a news conference.

“How did you see him and not directly say, ‘The man is defenseless, buck naked on the ground. He’s cuffed up already. Come on.’ How many more brothers gotta die for society to understand that this needs to stop?”

The videos show Prude, who had taken off his clothes, complying when police ask him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his back.

Prude is agitated and shouting as he sits on the pavement in handcuffs for a few moments as a light snow falls. “Give me your gun, I need it,” he shouts.

In this image taken from police body camera video provided by Roth and Roth LLP, a Rochester police officer puts a hood over the head of Daniel Prude, on March 23, 2020, in Rochester, N.Y. (Rochester Police via Roth and Roth LLP via AP)

Then, they put a white “spit hood” over his head, a device intended to protect officers from a detainee’s saliva. At the time, New York was in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Prude demands they remove it.

Then the officers slam Prude’s head into the street.

One officer, who is white, holds his head down against the pavement with both hands, saying “calm down” and “stop spitting.” Another officer places a knee on his

back.

“Trying to kill me!” Prude says, his voice becoming muffled and anguished under the hood.

“OK, stop. I need it. I need it,” the prone man begs before his shouts turn to whimpers and grunts.

The officers appear to become concerned after he stops moving, falls silent and they notice water coming out of Prude’s mouth.

“My man. You puking?” one says.

One officer notes that he’s

been out, naked, in the street for some time. Another remarks, “He feels pretty cold.”

His head had been held down by an officer for just over two minutes, the video shows.

The officers then remove the hood and his handcuffs and medics can then be seen performing CPR before he’s loaded into an ambulance.

Spit hoods have been scrutinized as a factor in the deaths of several prisoners in the U.S. and other countries in recent years.

A medical examiner concluded that Prude’s death was a homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.”

The report lists excited delirium and acute intoxication by phencyclidine, or PCP, as contributing factors.

Prude was from Chicago and had just arrived in Rochester for a visit with his brother. He was kicked off the train before it got to Rochester, in Depew, “due to his unruly behavior,” according to an internal affairs investigator’s report.

Rochester police officers took Prude into custody for a mental health evaluation around 7 p.m. on March 22 for suicidal thoughts -- about eight hours before the encounter that led to his death. But his brother said he was only at the hospital for a few hours, according to the reports.

Police responded again after Joe Prude called 911 at about 3 a.m. to report that his brother had left his house.

The city halted its investigation into Prude’s death when state Attorney General Letitia James’ office began its own investigation in April.

Under New York law, deaths of unarmed people in police custody are often turned over to the attorney general’s office, rather than handled by local officials.

James said Wednesday that investigation is continuing.

In Kenosha, Biden to test his promise to unify the nation WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Campaigning for more than a year as a calming, unifying figure, Joe Biden and his core pitch for the presidency face the most intense test yet when he travels to Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city wrenched by police and protest violence that makes it a microcosm of the nation’s election-year reckoning with systemic racism.

The 77-year-old former vice president, traveling two days after President Donald Trump visited the same city, plans to meet Thursday with family of Jacob Blake, who remains hospitalized after being shot seven times in the back by a white police officer as authorities attempted to arrest him.

Biden also plans a community discussion that he indicated would draw business figures, civic leaders and law enforcement officials.

“This is about making sure that we move forward,” Biden told reporters Wednesday. He added that he’s “not going to tell Kenosha what they have to do” but instead encourage a community “talk about

what has to be done.” Falling exactly two months before Election Day, the trip presents Biden both opportunity and risks as he tests his promise, made again and again for 16 months, that he can “unify the country” and find consensus even where it’s not readily apparent. The approach always has been an intentional contrast with Trump, a president who thrives on conflict. But the distinction has sharpened over a summer of nationwide protests — most peaceful, but some of them, as in Kenosha, turned violent and destructive. Biden is a white man propelled to the Democratic nomination by Black voters.

Since the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer, Biden has called for an overhaul of U.S. policing and embraced a national conversation on racism. The significance of the moment was a factor in Biden selecting California Sen. Kamala Harris as the first Black woman to join a major party presidential ticket. Trump, meanwhile,

has countered with sweeping condemnations of protesters, an absolute defense of law enforcement and denials that Americans with black and brown skin face barriers that whites do not — moves aimed at his overwhelmingly white political base. The president continued his “law and order” mantra during his own Kenosha trip Tuesday. He toured damaged buildings and discussed ways to quell unrest with law enforcement officials. Trump was greeted by supporters who occasionally mixed with — and yelled at — Black Lives Matter organizers.

“These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror,” Trump said.

Despite repeated questions from reporters, the president refused to address racism in the country or its police departments. Instead, he asserted anew that a Biden presidency would bring riots and destruction to American cities. That echoes Trump’s false charges that Biden backs violent protests and activists’ calls to “defund the police.”

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CDC tells states: Be ready to distribute vaccines on Nov. 1 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The federal government has told states to prepare for a coronavirus vaccine to be ready to distribute by Nov. 1.

The timeline raised concern among public health experts about an “October surprise” — a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of a presidential election, rather than science.

In a letter to governors dated Aug. 27, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said states “in the near future” will receive permit applications from McKesson Corp., which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals.

“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020,” Redfield wrote.

He wrote that any waivers will not compromise the safety or effectiveness of the vaccine. The Associated Press obtained the letter, which was first reported by McClatchy.

The CDC also sent three planning documents to some health departments that included possible timelines for when vaccines would be available. The documents are to be used to develop plans for early vaccination when the supply might be constrained, according to one of the documents, which outlined a scenario in which a vaccine could be available as soon as the end of October.

“The COVID-19 vaccine landscape is evolving and uncertain, and these scenarios may evolve as more information is available,” the document reads.

Another of the documents says that limited COVID-19 vaccine doses may be available by early November and that supply will increase substantially in 2021.

It also states that initially available vaccines will either be approved by the Food and Drug Administration or authorized by the agency under its emergency powers.

The documents encourage health officials to work out now which groups to prioritize for a vaccine, identify providers who will administer vaccine, and take other steps to prepare. The planning documents were first reported by The New York Times.

Redfield told Yahoo Finance that officials were pre-

FILE - In this Aug. 14, 2020, file photo, laboratory technicians work at the mAbxience biopharmaceutical company on an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and the laboratory AstraZeneca in Garin, Argentina. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

paring “for what I anticipate will be reality, is that there’ll be one or more vaccines available for us in November, December.”

James S. Blumenstock, a senior vice president at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said the CDC was offering “an aggressive but necessary timetable” and that public health agencies were mobilizing to prepare detailed plans.

Several public health experts pointed out that final stage trials of experimental vaccines are still recruiting, and are at best halfway through that process. The vaccines are two doses, and each is given a month apart. The experts told the AP they did not understand how there could be adequate data on whether the vaccines work and are safe before Nov. 1.

“Being ready is reasonable.

Cutting short phase 3 trials before you get the information you need isn’t,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia immunization expert who sits on the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee.

Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor University’s tropical medicine school, said he was “very concerned” about whether the FDA would use an emergency use authorization to approve a vaccine before knowing whether it works and is safe.

“It gives the appearance of a stunt rather than an expression of public health concern,″ Hotez said.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn previously said the agency wouldn’t cut corners in evaluating vaccines, though it would aim to expedite its work. He told the Financial Times this week that it might be “appropriate” to approve a

vaccine before clinical trials were complete if the benefits outweighed the risks.

Unlike a therapeutic that is given to sick people who may have no alternative, a vaccine is given to healthy people, “so you have a much higher burden of proof,” said Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s public health school.

“I think it’s reasonable to be communicating to hospitals and saying — at some point late in the fall or winter,” Jha said. “November feels awfully early.”

Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease expert, said he

was concerned about an “October surprise” with a vaccine being rushed through ahead of the election.

“The public health community wants a safe and effective vaccine as much as anybody could want it,” Osterholm said. “But the data have to be clear and compelling.”

He said there was a “credibility gap” between doctors and the FDA about how rigorously products are being evaluated during the pandemic.

Some state officials said Wednesday that they were working on next steps while still awaiting details from

CDC, and some sounded a cautious note.

Kris Ehresmann, Minnesota’s infectious disease director, told the AP the state would only move forward “once we know it is safe.” She said they would take their lead from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which she said “will only recommend a vaccine that has met the safety criteria.”

The Oregon Board of Pharmacy said it would expedite McKesson’s applications but wouldn’t waive requirements necessary to maintain public health and safety. Its executive director, Joe Schnabel, said in a statement that the board didn’t have enough information on how distribution would work “to speculate about whether it will be fully operational by November 1st.”

The office of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said state officials don’t know yet what is being asked of them, and will first need to do “an extensive review of the potential benefits or pitfalls of such waivers.”

New Mexico Human Service Secretary David Scrase said the state was preparing to administer coronavirus vaccines on a limited basis starting in November to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. The broad public vaccine roll-out is slated for January. He said current vaccine provider networks are robust and adequate for the COVID-19 effort.

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10 • MSU Reporter

Thursday, September 3, 2020

ART, MUSIC, FOOD, MOVIES, SPORTS, GAMING, & ALL THE REST

Pandemic sports: NBA in the Disney bubble JULIA BARTON STAFF WRITER An unorthodox season for the NBA is currently taking place in a strictly controlled area known as the Bubble.

Players are tested for the coronavirus daily and are not allowed access to the outside world as they stay semi-quarantined in hotels and the arena located in Disney World. For the first time in NBA history the playoffs start in August, and plan on going late into fall due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

In a riveting Game 6 taking place Aug. 30, Jamal Murray led his Denver Nuggets to a win, with his second 50-point game of the series. Utah Jazz guard Donavan Mitchell was visibly distraught after the loss despite also scoring 50 points for the second time in this playoff matchup.

This is the second Game 7 that happened in the first round of the playoffs in the NBA Orlando Bubble. In a close game the Denver Nuggets barely pulled ahead in the last minute beating the Jazz by

Members of the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards kneel before the start of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)

two points with an outcome of 80-78 on Tuesday. The Denver Nuggets will advance to the

next round and will face the Clippers.

Down south, the Houston

Rockets dropped a close game six to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder was led

NBA

page 11

Tenet: Christopher Nolan with another time-bending hit MAXWELL MAYLEBEN EDITOR IN CHIEF I was thrilled when I realized the first movie I would get to see in a theatre since the lockdown began was a Christopher Nolan film.

Of course he does not disappoint, giving us yet another film that leaves you wondering “How did he even think of that?”

While most directors use the frame, the editing, or the colors as the paintbrush for cinematic storytelling, Nolan decided to add a new tool to his box for “Tenet”: time.

Nolan has played with time in several of his films in the past. “Dunkirk”, a WWII movie about British soldiers escaping northern France, ran the entire runtime with multiple timelines all working to converge.

“Interstellar”, a film about space travel, uses Einstein’s theory of relativity to put the character’s in situations where time passes differently than other characters.

Both of these pales in comparison to Nolan’s newest project “Tenet”. The film’s

This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Elizabeth Debicki, left, and John David Washington in a scene from “Tenet.”

Warner Bros. says it is delaying the release of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller “Tenet” until Aug. 12. (Melinda Sue Gordon/Warner Bros.

Entertainment via AP)

incredibly complex plot is as incredibly interesting and engaging to watch as it is difficult to follow.

Speaking from only seeing

it once, I know that this film will most likely benefit from multiple viewings. So much is thrown at the viewer in rapid succession, that it feels like if

you miss one thing, you may miss out on the entire movie.

That being said, the film really demonstrates how skillful and talented Nolan is at visual

TENET page 11

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Variety

MSU Reporter • 11

Lawsuit seeks to ban Kanye West from Arizona ballot PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona resident has asked a judge to bar Kanye West from appearing on the state’s Nov. 3 ballot, accusing the hip hop artist of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate.

West’s lawyer on Wednesday reported filing just under 58,000 signatures, well over the roughly 39,000 required for independent candidates to make the ballot.

Lawyers for resident Rasean Clayton said in a lawsuit filed Monday that independent presidential candidates can appear on Arizona’s ballot if they aren’t registered with a recognized political party and gather enough voter signatures to nominate them. But Clayton’s lawyers say West, who paid top dollar to dozens of workers gathering petition signatures in Arizona, isn’t qualified to be on the ballot because he’s a registered Republican.

Even if West is found to have submitted enough signatures, the lawsuit said the hip hop artist’s late-in-the-game candidacy would make no difference to his chances of winning the race.

“West will not be able to qualify for the ballot in enough states to muster enough electoral votes to prevail,” Clayton’s lawyers wrote. “West’s minimal interest in playing a spoiler candidate on Arizona’s ballot is not enough to outweigh the factors favoring emergency relief.”

Kanye West on stage during a service at Lakewood Church in Houston. A law firm with ties to prominent Democrats has filed a lawsuit attempting to keep West off presidential ballots in Virginia. Attorneys for Perkins Coie filed a lawsuit in Richmond on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, on behalf of two people who say they were tricked into signing an “Elector Oath” backing West’s candidacy. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, File)

West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah.

The rapper and music producer announced his intention to run for president on July 4.

A Maricopa County judge is scheduled to hear arguments in the legal challenge on Thursday afternoon.

Attorney Tim LaSota, who

represents West in the Arizona challenge, described the lawsuit as a “last-ditch effort on the eve of the (signature filing deadline) to deprive voters of a choice.”

LaSota brushed aside criticism that West is trying to be a spoiler aimed at hurting Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s chances in Arizona. “That’s just political hyperbole,” LaSota said. “I don’t want to

get into the politics of it. But obviously I think there is a lot to be achieved by someone else running for president.”

Clayton’s attorneys said the lawsuit must be resolved quickly because the deadline for Arizona’s ballots to be printed is on Sept. 8 and 9.

In a statement, Clayton described himself as a Navy veteran who cares about the November election.

“I filed this case because I don’t want people to get confused voting on ballots that have disqualified people listed with everyone else who followed the law,” Clayton said.

It’s unclear if Clayton has any connections to the Arizona Democratic Party, which didn’t return a call Wednesday seeking comment.

ly straining to hear what the actors were saying. The dialogue seemed to constantly get drowned out by the sound effects or the music, and in a movie where a clear understanding of the plot is neces-

sary, this definitely was a negative.

The film was a huge feat in storytelling. Nolan seemingly never fails to impress audiences with an absolutely mind boggling story. Minus a few

TENET

Continued from page 10

NBA

Continued from page 10 by 16-year NBA veteran Chris Paul. They’ve made it to an elimination game seven in the first round of the playoffs despite being given a mere .5% chance to make the playoffs by NBA analysts back in October.

If the Rockets pull off the win against the Thunder, it is predicted they would give the LA Lakers a tougher series in the second round.

“I believe that the James Harden and Russell Westbrook combo in Houston can keep up and compete better with the LeBron James-led Lakers and hopefully make a series worth watching,” said Gabe Bassett, a freshman basketball player at Bethany Lutheran college.

In the Eastern conference, the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks lost the first game of the second round to the fifth-seeded Miami Heat. The Heat, af-

ter already upsetting the higher-seeded Pacers in the first round in four games, are led by superstar Jimmy Butler and rookie Tyler Herro.

Up north, the defending NBA Champions Toronto Raptors are down 0-2 to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics came off a hot series against the Philadelphia 76ers where they won four games consecutively, pushing them onto the next round. As expected the Raptors will try to bounce back behind their strong defensive core, and compete in this series as it goes deeper into September.

Although the NBA is taking drastic protocols to keep the players and fans as safe as possible, the games are still continuing to give basketball fans entertainment and a bit of normalcy during these unprecedented times.

filmmaking. Without spoiling, the way that time is shown in this movie is absolutely stunning. The visual effects, the framing, and the action set pieces were creative beyond belief.

The acting in the movie is very well done as well. John David Washington plays confident and sure of himself while simultaneously playing it the fact that he really is just making it up as he goes along.

Robert Pattinson proved that he is back and better than ever. I really enjoyed him in Tenet. He showed that he is able to perform well in a major blockbuster action movie, something he hasn’t really done since his years playing Edward in the “Twilight” series. His performance should bring confidence in his ability to play a really good Batman.

One major complaint that I have with the movie is it’s sound mixing seemed off. Often, I would find myself real-

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