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On Nov. 2, 2010, Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., was hours away from the end of his political career. He didnt know it for sure yet he was clinging to a slim hope he might survive but he could feel that the political tides, turning in North Dakota for decades, might finally drag him under. Before results came in, he wrote a concession speech.

That night, Pomeroy sat with his staff in a Fargo hotel room and watched television reporters count the votes. Western North Dakota, as theyd expected, was looking red. But Cass County trickled in with less support than hed like. Grand Forks and Barnes were looking anemic, too.

Pomeroy, after 18 years in Congress, had seen enough. He practiced the speech hed written a few times; he wanted, he said in a July interview, to make sure he didnt choke up. Then he went downstairs and delivered it.

Just a short walk away, at another Fargo hotel, Rick Bergs night was going well. The former state House majority leader and now a GOP congressman-elect was crowing about the sudden, seismic shift in North Dakota and national politics that was sweeping him into office.

Two years ago, people wanted change, Berg told the crowd. But what they wanted was for Washington to change.

They got their wish. Pomeroys departure meant that, for the first time in three decades, the states lone congressman wouldnt be a Democrat. And across the country, the Tea Party revolution was sweeping Democrats away. The GOP would pick up 63 U.S. House seats the biggest power shift in congressional midterm elections in generations.

Its hard to pick a date that the Democratic-NPLs golden years ended. One answer might be in the early 1990s, when the governorship slipped away. In an interview, former Sen. Byron Dorgan called Ed Schafers 1992 win a watershed: It meant that the GOP could suddenly control the flow of political appointees and build a political bench ensuring theyd have better candidates in elections to come.

Another moment might be as late as 2018, when Sen. Heidi Heitkamp lost to then-GOP Rep. Kevin Cramer, surrendering the partys last statewide office. But by then, the state had become so red that it became hard to imagine when there might be another statewide Democrat again.

This is the fifth and final installment in a series produced by Forum News Service and the North Dakota Newspaper Association Education Foundation, exploring North Dakotas political history. The series has charted the course nearly from statehood, beginning with the rise of the Nonpartisan League a prairie political rebellion built on farmers grievances through the Depression years, the New Deal, the Cold War arrival of Air Force bases and the discovery of the states vast oil reserves.

Each of those has had a profound effect on state politics. Pomeroy, looking back on his career, sees his own undoing in the political fight over the Affordable Care Act the health care law that the 2010 election was nominally about but knows there was more on the ballot.

Nothing stays the same, and so North Dakotas economy changes, Pomeroy said like farms getting bigger, smaller towns withering and the arrival of an oil industry reshaping state politics. The knockout round came in 2010, but the GOP had been punching stronger for years.

Thats also true of state demographics, which Pomeroy points out are tending more and more into an overlap with the core Republican base: whiter than the rest of the country with fewer college graduates but more modest incomes and oftentimes at church on Sundays.

I think the Republican Party is going to be in pretty good shape for a pretty good while given its alignment with that demographic base, Pomeroy said.

From Cass County to Bismarck

But while it might be hard to pinpoint where the Democratic-NPLs golden age ended, its a lot easier to pick when it started. Probably the best answer is the election of Gov. Bill Guy in 1960 just a few years after the Democratic Party and the long-time populist Nonpartisan League merged.

Guy came to power after an early career as a Cass County farmer. He was a school board member, then he was a failed legislative candidate multiple times, in fact before a steep and sudden rise to high office. He was elected to the state House in 1958; he became governor in 1960 when he won just a little less than 50% of the vote, beating out his GOP rival by a little less than 5 points.

And as governor, he was recognized as a modernizer. An obituary from 2013 quotes an effusive bunch of colleagues, including Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who called him a man who brought us into the 20th Century. Guy helped build the deep Democratic bench that would rule the state for years, too appointing Dorgan, the future senator, as Tax Commissioner. Democrats success would continue for years, through two more Democratic governors.

I have no idea why he selected a 26-year-old to run a state agency, Dorgan said. I remember him very well, and I spent time with him in the car driving to events, other events in the state. I sat in his cabinet meetings. He was just very very smart, and very interested in a wide-ranging set of issues, including water policy. People knew that he was a very active, very interesting man who was going to do things that could make a difference and be positive for North Dakotans.

There are dozens of ways to explain the partys success and its eventual unraveling, which is precisely what makes it so hard to map out. While its true that North Dakota changed with farms getting bigger and oil money and Air Force bases reshaping the state the rest of the world was changing, too.

Sen. Cramer, the man who finally defeated the last Democratic incumbent in 2018, puts Democrats failures in less flattering terms. In his retelling, the party couldnt read the economic tea leaves, and crucially lost rural areas as farms got bigger by backing the wrong farm policies.

(But its clearly a cultural matter, too, as the Democratic Party becomes more diverse and urban and the GOP remains largely white and increasingly rural. Cramer, for example, pokes fun at Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Bookers veganism as not relatable)

The rise of conservative media has helped shift the loyalties of small-town America, and political alignment is now as much urban-rural as have vs. have-not. Politics are more combative, especially after the 1990s House speakership of Newt Gingrich. And the racial demographics of the U.S. are shifting quickly, heightening some white voters deep-seated racist anxieties.

But theres something almost cyclical to it though, too. Mark Jendrysik, a UND political scientist, points out that, on a long enough time scale, stretching back beyond the Democrats golden years, the state is reverting to a deeply Republican past.

You could argue whats happened in the last decade, 20 years, is a reassertion of the pattern of North Dakota politics, where the Republicans are dominant, and whatever other party exists is marginal at best, Jendrysik said. And the North Dakota Democrats of today are marginal at best, he said, without the on-the-ground organization or the high-profile leaders they need to be effective at the state level.

Which is unfortunate, he said, Because thats what keeps the majority party on its toes.

For now, the Democratic-NPL is wandering in the wilderness, its statewide candidates typically doomed to landslide losses. But Kylie Oversen, the party chairwoman, sees brighter days ahead.

We dont take for granted that winning back the governors seat, as Democrats, is probably the most important thing we could do to take back power. But, on the other hand, there is also real power in the Legislature, she said. ... Maybe we wont be in the majority in the next two or three cycles. But we can get back to a little more balance. We picked up seats in 2018. Im confident well pick up seats in 2020.

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We The People: Earl Pomeroy and the Dem-NPL golden years - The Bowman Extra

Attorneys for the Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) and the Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) allege Theresa Camoriano, the leader of a tax-recall petition, and president of the Louisville Tea Party, altered thousands of signatures to help the petition pass muster with the Jefferson County Clerks office.

The evidence shows Ms. Camoriano and her daughters changed thousands of handwritten and electronic petition signatures, sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot, JCTA attorney David Tachau told the court during a virtual trial Tuesday.

The JCTA and the JCBE filed suit in August challenging the validity of Camorianos recall petition, which put a 9.5% property tax increase before voters on the November ballot. The school board and the teachers union allege the Jefferson County Clerks office incorrectly certified thousands of signatures, including duplicate signatures, and signatures with incorrect addresses and birthdays. The tax levy question is already on the ballot because the challenge came too close to the printing deadline to make any changes. The courts decision will determine whether votes cast on the issue will count.

On Tuesday, attorneys for the JCTA presented new evidence showing Camoriano and her daughters used a Republican Party database to fill out missing birth dates and addresses for voters whose names had been entered on the petition electronically, bringing into question how many of the signatures are valid. In a deposition with attorneys, Camoriano said she did not keep track of which entries she altered or added to.

In one case, records show when a man listed a Bullitt County address on a handwritten sheet, Camoriano added a second Jefferson County address, as well as a second, different birthday.

Dana Howard, an attorney for the petitioners, said Camoriano and her daughters only reformatted and corrected minor typos signers made when they entered their information through the electronic petition Camoriano circulated.

In this first-time-ever-in-Kentucky electronic online petition, people made errors, Howard told the court. They made formatting errors, they put birth dates in the wrong place. They squished numbers and letters together. They made mistakes in the address.

Camoriano was just cleaning those errors up, Howard said.

Howard said Camoriano added a handful of signatures from people who requested in writing that she add them to the petition. She also said Camoriano also threw out more than 5,000 signatures before she submitted the petition to the county clerks office.

There is nothing in the deposition testimony that evidences any type of bad intent, malintent, deliberate, misleading or any of the other words that plaintiffs have used to describe Ms. Camoriano or the petition committee, Howard said.

Arguments will continue Wednesday. The court has not yet heard evidence from petitioners attorneys.

According to witness testimony, the petition originated out of discussions at a board meeting of the Louisville Tea Party. Camoriano does not live in the Jefferson County Public School district. She lives in Anchorage Independent School District, which has a higher tax rate than JCPS. Camoriano said she spearheaded the effort against the tax increase, and pushed it forward.

Another Louisville Tea Party board member, Michael Schneider, undertook creating the website and electronic petition. Schneider told attorneys he added security features to protect the website from hackers. However, he did not add controls that would prevent users from signing more than once, nor did he add a CAPTCHA feature, to prevent signing by bots.

Schneider said he considered adding CAPTCHA, but that he worried it would limit access for the elderly and people with disabilities, who can struggle to pass the CAPTCHA tests.

Signers were asked to submit their name, address and birthday, which the Jefferson County Clerks office uses to compare against voter rolls to determine whether the signer is registered in the school district.

Lawyers for JCTA presented a spreadsheet showing a number of entries Schneider agreed were suspicious. Five names were added within five minutes, all having addresses on the same block, and no birthdays.

If I knew my neighbors name, address and date of birth, and I elected to sign that person up, would anything that the committee had done, in terms of security, catch that or prevent me from doing that? JCBE attorney Tyson Gorman asked Schneider.

I dont see how. I dont know, Schneider responded.

Schneider said each day he would download the list of signers in a spreadsheet and send it to Camoriano and her daughters, who he said would evaluate the details of each signature.

In deposition, Camoriano told attorneys she used a Republican Party database of voters to verify a person or fill in a blank when she had trouble with a certain part of it.

Camoriano said the database allowed her to search people by name, birthday or address, and that she used it to correct misspellings in addresses, or sometimes fill in missing birthdays.

I didnt invent people. I didnt create people. But I could use that to help me match to people that were already signed on the petition, she said.

Camoriano said she did not always reach out individually to contact people to let them know she was changing the record. However she did send out at least two mass emails alerting signers data that was missing.

Lawyers for the JCTA also allege that Camoriano intentionally made it difficult for the Jefferson County Clerks office to comb through and verify the signatures by providing paper copies of the signatures, and refusing to provide searchable electronic records.

In verifying records, the clerks office accepted thousands of duplicate signatures. Jefferson County Elections Center Co-Director Maryellen Allen said employees could only catch duplicates if they were on the same page of the paper copies they were provided.

Emails show Frank Friday, the government affairs executive at the Jefferson County Clerks office, asked Camoriano for the electronic records, but she never provided them.

We didnt have it in one nice clean document to give to him, Camoriano said, adding that she was afraid that if we submitted anything, in addition to what we already submitted, that that would create an opportunity for a challenge, she said, that maybe we added things or changed things or something, and I didnt want to I didnt want to introduce anything new that could create a challenge to the petition.

Camoriano said Friday told her he understood. According to their depositions, Friday and Camoriano live in the same neighborhood, and Friday said the two see each other regularly at Republican political functions.

Schneider said he had the original electronic records on his computer, but never knew about Fridays request.

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Teachers Union Says Leader of Tax-Recall Effort Altered Thousands Of Petition Signatures - 89.3 WFPL News Louisville

Five dozen bright-eyed Democrats rode an electoral wave into the House nearly two years ago on a promise to shake up Congress and enact ambitious social reform on healthcare, climate policy and immigration. They were younger, more female, less wealthy and less white than any previous freshman class.

And although these first-term representatives were noticeably more outspoken and defiant than their predecessors culminating in President Trumps impeachment they face reelection with no major legislative achievement to their credit. The 116th Congress is on pace to enact the fewest number of laws in recent history.

Our mark is more institutional than it is legislative, said Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), one of seven Democrats from California elected in 2018. She said the impact of the 2018 class had yet to be fully seen. Changing the institution to make it work better will ultimately produce better legislation.

Though some freshman lawmakers succeeded in pushing through narrow bills that helped their constituents, several acknowledged their frustration at the lack of any major legislative wins.

Results speak for themselves, and its pretty clear there hasnt been enough progress on these issues, said Rep. Josh Harder (D-Turlock), another first-term Democrat from California. Obviously its hard when you control one half of one branch of government.

At the same time, however, these new lawmakers helped reshape and redefine the traditional role of a first-term House member. They have generally been more active on social media and more engaged with their constituents than their elder statesmen. Several quickly established national profiles by speaking out on issues at hearings and in public or pushed narrow bills that helped their constituents.

Though theyve largely eschewed corporate PAC money, several became mammoth fundraisers by focusing on small-dollar donors. And when the pandemic hit, they led the calls for Zoom hearings and remote voting. Harder hosted a drive-through town hall.

C-SPAN has never been more popular, quipped Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), who was elected by her colleagues to act as co-president of the 2018 freshman class.

First-term House members also point to their defense of the Affordable Care Act and efforts to hold Trump accountable asimportant parts of their legacy.

The 2018 Democratic takeover of the House ended GOP efforts to repeal the 2010 healthcare law, although it is under threat of elimination in a lawsuit set to be taken up by the Supreme Court in November.

Late last year, the House impeached the president for soliciting Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election and for obstructing Congress investigation.

But outside of legislation to address the COVID-19 pandemic and keep the government funded, this Congress has enacted 175 bills so far, according to GovTrack.

That figure will certainly rise by the end of 2020, but there is little chance the 116th Congress will surpass the 284 bills passed during the 112th Congress that ended in 2012 the last record low in recent history when tea party conservatives and other Republicans controlled the House during the Obama administration.

They struck me as freshman lawmakers learning the ropes, said Joshua Huder, a senior fellow at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University. I didnt see a revolution or unique freshman-class fingerprints on congressional operation.

Though stymied by the GOP-led Senate from realizing major reforms, House Democrats on their own approved several largely symbolic bills to address prescription drug prices, immigration, climate change, gun policy, LGBTQ equality and voting rights.

There was no real negotiation between Republicans and Democrats Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have an almost nonexistent relationship except in the most dire situations, such as funding the government and enacting coronavirus relief measures. Even those have been exceedingly difficult.

There would be compromise if we agreed on the goals, said Rep. TJ Cox (D-Fresno). We dont agree on the goals.

Voters appear to be unconcerned about the lack of major legislative wins by the new House Democratic majority.

Polls show that even many of the freshman who were elected in Republican-leaning districts and were once thought to be vulnerable are expected to win reelection. Democrats could even expand their majority in the House.

Of the seven Democrats from California elected for the first time in 2018, only three Cox, Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Yorba Linda) and Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Laguna Beach) are facing hotly competitive races. (One of the seven, Rep. Katie Hill of Santa Clarita, left office in 2019 amid allegations that she had a relationship with a congressional staffer. Republican Rep. Mike Garcia was elected to the seat.)

If Democrats take control of the White House and Senate this fall, the next two years will be the real test of House Democrats effectiveness in enacting legislation and their political longevity, particularly after two years dominated by a historic government shutdown, impeachment, a pandemic and a national reckoning on race.

Democrats will be eager to quickly capitalize on their majority to move on major legislation. But the political fissures that emerged this year between the moderate and progressive ends of the House Democratic caucus are likely to grow when legislation becomes more realistic. Many of the major policy bills the House passed this year such as those addressing gun control, immigration and prescription drug reform were messaging bills because the House knew the GOP-controlled Senate would never take them up.

Its easier to vote along party lines if its not going anywhere, Rouda said, adding he might have voted differently on some of them had they had a chance of becoming law.

Several first-year lawmakers took an outsize public role over the last two years, becoming some of the most well-known members of Congress outside of leadership.

Four young female members of color Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley and Ilhan Omar became known as the Squad. They drew rebukes from Trump and were among the freshmen most willing to buck Democratic leadership in public votes or private meetings.

Another group of lawmakers with national security experience, including Cisneros, wrote a Washington Post op-ed article detailing why the House should impeach the president, a pivotal moment in the Democrats decision to go forward with impeachment.

Porter, with her now-trademark whiteboard, became known as one of the most successful questioners in Congress for putting corporate executives or government officials, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, Robert Redfield, through a public grilling.

There are a lot of members of the freshman class that dont hold anything back, Cisneros said.

But while much of the public attention focused on the progressive newcomers, behind the scenes Pelosi and Democratic leaders worked to protect the more moderate freshmen, who corralled dissatisfaction with Trump in the midterm to wrest away formerly GOP districts. These more politically vulnerable members had perhaps even more of an influence on the direction of House Democrats in the last two years.

Although progressives were eager to move articles of impeachment sooner, Pelosi didnt move forward until the more moderate Democrats were on board. The House hasnt had a floor vote on the Green New Deal or Medicare for all measures that progressives want to advance but that would put moderate Democrats in a tough squeeze.

Many of the moderates, dubbed front-liners, were set up by Democratic leadership to succeed by putting them on high-profile committees or having them chair subcommittees.

Several front-line freshman members got at least one minor bill signed into law an important accomplishment to tout at home.

Rep. Mike Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano), chairman of a subcommittee on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, has focused away from the high-profile fights and drilled down instead on bipartisan bills to reform veteran housing vouchers and training programs.

If you just kind of look at the national narrative of what happens here, he said, I wouldnt blame you for thinking that were not getting much done and that the whole place is overrun by gridlock.

Harder spent months on a bill to help California eradicate nutria beaver-like, semiaquatic rodents that destroy wetlands and can damage water infrastructure, as they did in the Central Valley. The bill is now waiting for Trump to sign it into law.

Said Harder: You really can do a lot of good, if you focus on issues that are important but no one else is leading the charge on.

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The 2018 House class began with high hopes. Did it deliver? - Los Angeles Times

There is a deadly and silent menace lurking in Orange County, threatening to upend all of the womens lives and end the world as we know it today. No, its not a novel coronavirus. It is a ghost of a Real Housewife past. How is it that, after she has been fired, Tamra Barney Judge is still the one calling the shots on all the action in this franchise? How many times did her name come up this episode, and how is she still at the center of it all when shes not even on Andy Cohens holiday card list alongside every shirtless twink in New York with an Instagram account?

First Emily tells Gina she played tennis with Tamra that morning and that Tamra told her that Shannon told her that Braunwyn was talking shit about how little Ginas house is. Then we find out that Tamra told Braunwyn that Gina was making fun of a text that her husband sent her and saying he was pervy. Finally we learn that Braunwyn needs to tell everyone that she is quitting drinking because her mother called up Tamra and told her about it. You would think that info would be safe since Tamras husband Eddie no longer has to pretend hes interested in the cameras hovering over the Dodge Plymouth-sized island in their kitchen. But even though Tamra isnt on the show anymore, apparently shes still talking to everyone and spreading gossip, so Braunwyns secret isnt safe with anyone.

Tamras insistent presence is going to be a problem going forward why is she not on the show but still pulling all the strings? It makes no sense. Emily, who is totally my new favorite, says it much better than I could: Tamra got a day off from her master Lucifer and she has come to earth to let Gina know what is going on, she jokes. Tamra needs a hobby that occupies her time so shes not involved in our lives and everything that is going on. Amen to that, sister.

So lets look at the drama that Tamra hath wrought, shall we? First up is telling Gina that Braunwyn was making fun of her tiny house and telling Braunwyn that Gina was calling Sean a creep. This all comes to a head when Gina and Emily head out to what I can only assume is a late lunch, maybe an early dinner? Lets call it linner. Theyre knocking back tequila shots and margaritas and it was so nice to see the two of them back together and having fun again. This is the RHOC that I love.

I love it even more when they start just making fun of Braunwyn, the fact that she thinks shes special for having an 8,000 square foot house with a dance club in the basement. Then Sean becomes the target and they wonder, as I often do, where all this money is coming from. Seans job is about as nebulous as Donald Trumps natural hairline. He seems to be an entrepreneur in the same way that people like, uh, Russell Armstrong and Joe Giudice were before him. Does he even have a job? Then they posit that maybe hes a male escort, which is why they have that sex apartment. Sean is not an unattractive guy, but theres no way hes making 8,000-square-foot-house-and-seven-kids money selling his body. I cant believe anyone sleeping with him because of those necklaces, Gina says, literally channeling my inner monologue. You mean his immunity idol, Emily retorts. Okay, Im sorry, but Emily Simpson is a fucking genius. I have watched all 40 seasons of Survivor and I didnt even think of this. Its especially quick-cutting because not only do they look like actual hidden immunity idols on the show, but Sean also looks sort of like the Madame Tussauds wax sculpture of Jeff Probst.

The two of them get wasted enough that Gina thinks its a good idea to call Braunwyn. Its like there was a devil on one of my shoulders and an angel on the other and they said, YES, BITCH, DO IT! at the same time. Its a pretty short screaming match where Braunwyn admits to taking shots at Gina but says Gina has been saying things about her husband and she doesnt want to have this discussion over the phone. I mean, really. Does one pervy text message require an entire sit-down at a half-empty, sun-dappled restaurant that specializes in kale tacos and boba tea?

The text in question happened after Vickis tea party birthday last year when everyone went out drinking after filming wrapped. Sean texted Gina, Braunwyn is asleep but I got her to the condo first 😉 Anyway, have a good night and it was great to spend some time with you 🙂 Gina thinks that it was like him coming on to her and she told Tamra about it last year right after it happened. This means that Tamra was holding onto that ammo until she was off the show and brought it back up to rile Braunwyn. I mean, that is the mark of a true practitioner of the reality television arts and sciences. I dont think theres anything really offensive about the text, though. The worst part about it is that Sean uses a winky face emoticon followed by a smiley face emoticon in a world where emojis not only exist but are the lingua franca of texting. This, to me, proves that he is a lazy lover.

Braunwyns big problem right now is that she is trying to get sober and it is not going well. We have seen some recovery storylines on our shows before, namely Luanns court-ordered sobriety journey on Real Housewives of New York City, but a lot of that hard work happened during the off season. Here is Braunwyn two weeks into sobriety. If this season was Trainspotting, shed still be locked in a room seeing dead babies on the ceiling. Braunwyns emotional state can only be described as raw. Rawer than an unbaked cake. Rawer than Dawsons 50 Load Weekend. (If you dont get that joke, do not Google it. Its not for you.)

Honestly its a little too real for me, a little too painful to watch. When she goes out to dinner with Sean and again with Shannon, she tells them to order a drink because she doesnt want people to act differently around her. She doesnt want anything to change. I hate to break it to her, but things have to change. Thats the point of getting sober. If she just wanted things to stay the same shed be tossing back Casamigos repisado neat like its Denise Richards last night at an all-inclusive resort. Braunwyn says she just wants to feel normal again, but that is not going to happen for a long time. Take it from someone whos been there. But eventually the odd feeling gnawing away at her heart like a worm in the middle of an apple will feel normal. Then it will go away. Then it will be the best feeling she ever had, even better than the feeling of the first time she saw Sean wearing one of his signature necklaces. Even better than the warm glow of that shot going down.

Anyway, the funny thing to me is how Braunwyn wants to disseminate this information. Of course its hers to tell people when and where she wants. However, she has talked about this on camera with Emily, so its only a matter of time before its broadcast and every woman and gay with discerning taste in reality television (and their roommates and spouses) know the truth. She also told Emily, an odd choice considering the two were barely friends. While Emily promised to keep the information to herself, why burden Emily with keeping a secret before she was ready to the rest of the group about her decision to try sobriety? It seems like her mother and Tamra forced her hand and now she has to talk about it. When she picks up Shannon to go to dinner she says, I have a lot going on right now. I dont believe shes talking about the wardrobe malfunction that is her slouchy white slip dress with a leather jacket awkwardly slung over her shoulders and a pair of booties that look like something you would see in a sock fetishist movie.

She has a chat with Shannon about her situation and how shes going to lose friends because shes not drinking, because shes not fun anymore. That is both true and not true. Yes, she will lose some friends, but are those people she wants in her life anyway? And she can still be the fun one, she just has to be able to get up and dance on a table sober. Its a skill that plenty of people possess. I mean, look at Real Housewife of New Jersey Margaret Josephs. Shes sober and she threw someones husband in a pool. What Braunwyn really needs to do is stop worrying and live her life, her new sober life, and just let the chips fall where they may.

Finally, theres a little bit of tension when everyone goes to Emilys house for her daughter Annabelles birthday party. I have so many questions about this. Why does the outside of Emilys house look like a free-standing Panera Bread in a strip mall parking lot across from a Best Buy? Why did she name her daughter after a demonic doll? Why does Sean show up dressed like hes Disco Stu from The Simpsons? And why is Shannon Beador spending all of her money on some stupid business where her only employees are her new boyfriends daughter and four middle-aged white guys in starchy blue shirts and Aldo shoes that they bought in 2002 when shes probably trying to sell her products to upscale women. Maybe hire a few people in your target demographic, Shannon. Wait, thats not about Emilys party.

Yes, Braunwyn and Gina are going to talk, but not yet. Not today. Not at a kids birthday party where everyone is wearing cat ears and Gina got her face painted yet again. No one can get in a screaming match about emoticon texts with paint on their face. They decide it will all go down sometime soon, which is most likely next episode. Braunwyn can go out and get in her minivan and let Sean drive her and the kids home. She can cradle her head in her hand the whole way, she can close her eyes and count her breaths, the slow inhale and exhale. She can let the moments tug away at her, pulling each atom away from the center she knew. She can survive the car ride home. She can survive the day. She can survive.

Keep up with all the drama of your favorite shows!

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The Real Housewives of Orange County Recap: Ill Be the Judge - Vulture

Many of us were just getting the hang of pandemic-era socializing. In backyards and patios, stoops and parks, people have gathered at a distance with small numbers of friends and family for the human connections we so badly need. There was always a risk. But just when standing 6 feet apart and forgoing hugs (and cheese boards) had started to feel almost normal, things shifted again.

This time, the change of seasons threatens to upend our pandemic routines.

So many Americans, dreading the isolation that cold weather will inevitably bring, are desperately trying to soak up the waning rays of October sun with family and friends. Neighbors are suggesting meeting up at 5 p.m. to take advantage of the last hour before sunset before we fall back Nov. 1 or at midday. Apartment dwellers are steeling themselves for shorter, frostier meetings with friends on cold park benches. And with patio heaters on back order, families are laying in marshmallows, and bundles of firewood are becoming a hot gift. Everyone is thinking about ways to gather as safely as possible before cold winds blow them back inside.

Plunging temperatures arent the only reason getting together and hosting will be trickier. Coronavirus infection rates are expected to rise in the fall and winter because of people going back to indoor activities, notes Neil Sehgal, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. And youre going to see more people with COVID symptoms, even if it is just the common cold or flu.

The feared surge might already have begun. This month, more than 20 states hit a record high in their seven-day averages of case counts, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. And thats before the rise in cases expected as a result of people mingling for the holidays.

Brinda Ayer, editorial lead at Food52, who lives on the fourth floor of a Brooklyn townhouse, enjoyed picnics and bike rides with friends during the summer. At the beginning of this, we felt it was wrong to meet up with one or a few people. Now it is more socially acceptable, Ayer says.

Shes rebooting again.

Hosting is one of my favorite things to do in the winter, like having game nights, she says. That is not going to be possible now. She is trying to figure out alternatives. Meet me outside after work for a glass of ros will have to be, Can you meet me at 3 for tea?

For inspiration, we might look to Nordic countries, where the combination of colder temperatures and shorter days is part of the circle of life. In Stockholm, friends still meet often to take brisk walks in the woods in January, when the sun sets before 3 p.m. Meeting outdoors, even when its cold, is something embedded in our culture, says Lars-Erik Tindre, public diplomacy counselor at the Swedish Embassy in Washington. It comes from a very long tradition.

Outside is still safest

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that people do their socializing outside, where the risk of disease spread is far lower. Virus particles disperse more easily, experts note, and its easier to maintain social distancing. The CDC this month updated its guidance to warn of airborne virus particles that can be transmitted from more than 6 feet away but it notes that such infections usually have happened in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces.

Jennifer Kolker, a professor at Drexel Universitys Dornsife School of Public Health, says any gathering involving food or drink is better outside. Indoors and unmasked for me is the tipping point, she says. Could you have people over to watch football, masked, spaced apart, with the windows open? Maybe, but I dont know how you watch a football game without a beer.

Whos invited?

Would-be hosts should check to see how many guests are permitted per state and local regulations. But experts say room for social distancing at all times is the most important factor.

Be realistic about the risks your guests might pose, and choose to invite those you feel comfortable with: What other socializing do they do? Do they have jobs that put them at a greater risk for exposure? Its OK to ask.

We have to get better about having uncomfortable conversations, Sehgal says. And if you cant have that conversation, thats probably not the person you should be socializing with.

Keep it short

In colder weather, a gathering for hot drinks and snacks seems more doable than a linger-all-night multicourse dinner. That also minimizes the risk, Sehgal notes. The shorter duration, the better, he advises.

Manage expectations. Meeting a friend for a small sit-down in a park on a sunny Saturday morning in the winter is better than not seeing them at all, says Ayer.

Plan your setup

Lilly Jan, a lecturer of food and beverage at Cornell Universitys School of Hotel Administration, suggests taking a cue from restaurants, which have found attractive ways to cordon off seating or to mark out safe distances.

You could do chalk lines and have your kids do fun borders or use streamers to delineate spaces, she says. It could be as simple as putting a pumpkin in between spaces.

Setting places for people to eat is important, too, Jan notes. Its minimizing touchpoints. Instead of continually refilling peoples water, have a carafe for them, she says. Or when it comes to utensils, having all of it be pre-set or disposable.

Structures such as tents, gazebos and garages might offer protection from the elements as temperatures dip. But hosts should still be mindful of airflow. Still, there arent any hard and fast rules about what constitutes good ventilation, Kolker notes, only that more is better.

Shes hosting Thanksgiving for her family in the backyard. A tent she and her husband bought has removable sides, and theyre pondering the balance between air circulation and protection.

A garage might be an option, Kolker says, as long as you keep the car entrance wide open and then create cross-ventilation by opening doors and windows. The key is to have air moving, Kolker says.

When you invite friends, clearly state your bathroom policy. If you do allow friends to use your facilities, Kolker suggests a few steps to minimize risk: Allow only one person in the house at a time and ask that they wear masks.

Stay warm

Fire pits, chimineas and propane heaters can help keep the party going into the colder months, if you can snag one. Just make sure guests dont huddle as they enjoy the warmth.

You could prepare a tote bag for your family for outdoor meetups containing extra fleece jackets, scarves and throws. Disposable hand warmers could be part of your guests place settings.

We have an old saying in Sweden: There is no such thing as bad or cold weather, only bad clothing, says Tindre. They use the three-layer rule: a first layer usually of merino wool thats worn close to your body; a second layer of a fleece or a down jacket; and a thin shell protecting against wind and rain.

What to serve and how

Public health experts have come to understand that surface-touch transmission of the virus is less common than airborne. Still, they caution that lots of handwashing or sanitizing is needed. And buffets or communal bowls arent a great idea.

Keeping guests spaced at least 6 feet apart as they get their food is the trickiest part, but its the most essential, health experts say. The CDC suggests that one person serve food to avoid having multiple people touch serving utensils and to control the flow of traffic.

Jan suggests serving food from multiple tables to prevent crowding.

New York designer and lifestyle expert Robin Wilson says you can plan a gathering thats both careful and fun. If you and a small group of friends can splurge, hire a food truck to bring in everything and serve it in individual portions. You have the added benefit of no cleanup, she says.

You can even host a basic tea party, she says, with people showing up with their own mugs. The tea can be in a thermos; cookies, bars or pumpkin bread can be individually wrapped.

Its all about the planning

Stock up on essentials now. Evaluate your wardrobe as well as your kitchen arsenal, which could include insulated mugs, a thermos and crockpots.

Fires bring warmth and coziness, but safety should always be at the forefront. Locate your fire extinguisher and check the expiration date; then make sure your family knows how to use it. Also, youll need firewood tongs and skewers for roasting food.

Even the hardiest among us have their limits, though: Snow, ice and subzero temperatures may make being outdoors too miserable and maybe even unsafe. Have a plan for that, too.

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How to host friends and family safely as the weather gets colder - The Keene Sentinel