thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--Texas Judge Set To Order State To Allow Voting By Mail

A Texas judge said he was “ inclined ” to agree that the state should be required to allow voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic as an alternative to voting in person .
Travis County District Judge Tim Sulak on Wednesday appeared to accept a Texas Democratic Party lawyer ’ s argument that voters faced two bad choices ― disenfranchisement or disease ― unless they are allowed to submit mail-in ballots in upcoming elections .
The judge didn ’ t immediately issue a final ruling .
Texas has sharp restrictions on who is eligible to vote by mail , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ age 65 , people who are incarcerated but not yet convicted , residents who are outside the country , or those who are sick or disabled .
At the same time , the state has issued a statewide stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus .
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises Americans to avoid large gatherings , and several states have postponed elections .
Texas Democrats filed a lawsuit last month seeking to clarify state elections law .
The party ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in court Wednesday that the state legislature did not write the vote-by-mail restrictions with the expectation they would force voters to face dire risks in a public health crisis .
“ It can not be the situation ― and is not the fact ― that the Texas legislature provided a situation that in a pandemic circumstance the right to vote is in conflict with public health , ” Dunn said .
State Attorney General Ken Paxton said the law ’ s provision allowing mail voting for those with a disability was not meant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a pandemic .
“ Mail ballots based on disability are specifically reserved for those who are physically ill and can not vote in-person as a result , ” Paxton said in a statement .
“ Fear of contracting COVID-19 does not amount to a sickness or physical condition as required by the Legislature ” “ The right to vote is central to our democracy , ” Hinojosa said in a statement .
“ In Wisconsin , we saw the debacle that ensues when voters are prevented from mailing their ballots during a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin ’ s April 7 election .
Wisconsin Republicans pushed for the in-person election to be held in spite of the pandemic , forcing people into long lines and large groups .
“ Voters should not have to choose between their lives or their right to vote , ” Hinojosa said .
Sulak ’ s ruling is “ almost certain ” to be appealed by the state , according to The Texas Tribune .

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A Texas judge said he was “inclined” to agree that the state should be required to allow voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic as an alternative to voting in person.
Travis County District Judge Tim Sulak on Wednesday appeared to accept a Texas Democratic Party lawyer’s argument that voters faced two bad choices ― disenfranchisement or disease ― unless they are allowed to submit mail-in ballots in upcoming elections. The judge didn’t immediately issue a final ruling.
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Texas has sharp restrictions on who is eligible to vote by mail, allowing mail-in ballots only for people over age 65, people who are incarcerated but not yet convicted, residents who are outside the country, or those who are sick or disabled.
At the same time, the state has issued a statewide stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises Americans to avoid large gatherings, and several states have postponed elections.
Texas Democrats filed a lawsuit last month seeking to clarify state elections law. The party’s lawyer, Chad Dunn, argued in court Wednesday that the state legislature did not write the vote-by-mail restrictions with the expectation they would force voters to face dire risks in a public health crisis.
“It cannot be the situation ― and is not the fact ― that the Texas legislature provided a situation that in a pandemic circumstance the right to vote is in conflict with public health,” Dunn said.
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State Attorney General Ken Paxton said the law’s provision allowing mail voting for those with a disability was not meant for voters who want to avoid traveling into a pandemic.
“Mail ballots based on disability are specifically reserved for those who are physically ill and cannot vote in-person as a result,” Paxton said in a statement. “Fear of contracting COVID-19 does not amount to a sickness or physical condition as required by the Legislature”
Allowing mail-in voting is a victory “for all Texans,” state Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said after the judge’s comments.
“The right to vote is central to our democracy,” Hinojosa said in a statement.
“In Wisconsin, we saw the debacle that ensues when voters are prevented from mailing their ballots during a pandemic,” Hinojosa added, referencing Wisconsin’s April 7 election. Wisconsin Republicans pushed for the in-person election to be held in spite of the pandemic, forcing people into long lines and large groups.
“Voters should not have to choose between their lives or their right to vote,” Hinojosa said.
Sulak’s ruling is “almost certain” to be appealed by the state, according to The Texas Tribune.
Voters crowd a polling station in Houston on Super Tuesday last month. MARK FELIX via Getty Images


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--Tribes Aren't Getting COVID-19 Aid Because Federal Agencies Are Flailing

Andrew Hay / Reuters Relief workers pose at a farm used as a base for aid to Navajo families quarantined in their homes due to COVID-19 in Hogback , Shiprock , New Mexico , on April 7 .
The Treasury Department , for one , is tasked with distributing $ 8 billion to tribal governments to help them stabilize economically amid the pandemic .
But none of that aid has moved , as the agency , which doesn ’ t otherwise interact with tribes , is bogged down in consultations with tribes in order to come up with a formula @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statutory deadline of April 24 to get all the money out the door .
“ We ’ ve run into some serious problems , ” Sen. Tom Udall ( D-N.M. ) , the vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee , said in a recent interview .
“ Treasury is not familiar with tribes .
They don ’ t know how to interact in the appropriate way with tribes and they ’ re just not getting the job done.
” Meanwhile , the Small Business Administration has been overseeing $ 350 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses .
But tribal businesses have been at a huge disadvantage all along because the SBA decided that some casinos ― the financial lifeblood of many tribal governments ― wouldn ’ t be eligible for relief .
Specifically , the agency relied on an existing regulation that prohibits small businesses from getting federal aid if they get one-third of their revenue from gaming activities .
When tribes protested and members of Congress told the agency they never intended for that regulation to be applied for emergency relief , the SBA issued new guidance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tribal casinos qualifying for aid .
And now the funds are all gone anyway .
Tribal governments are struggling with these bureaucratic roadblocks at a time when their gaming operations have been shuttered for weeks , affecting 246 tribal nations that own 500 gaming facilities .
An April 7 analysis by Meister Economic Consulting concluded that these casino closures have already resulted in 296,000 people losing their jobs , $ 1.5 billion in lost economic activity for tribal governments and $ 332 million in lost wages .
The first two bills required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disease Control and Prevention for aid that should have been directly routed to tribal governments .
Because of the added layer of bureaucracy , tribes still have to fill out multiple rounds of applications to access their money to fight the spread of COVID-19 .
It is adding weeks to the process of tribes getting help .
In the latest bill , the $ 2 trillion stimulus package , the White House initially tried to cut tribes out altogether .
Senate Democrats , led by Udall , fought until literally hours before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 10 billion in aid .
Of that , $ 8 billion is for the tribal fund being overseen by the Treasury Department and $ 2 billion is in additional appropriations for federal agencies that serve Native communities , like the Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs .
Never mind that the National Congress of American Indians , the largest organization representing the interests of tribal governments , told Congress in mid-March that tribes would need at least $ 20 billion in direct relief for economic stability ― more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communities are among the most vulnerable to a rapid and devastating spread of the coronavirus .
Native populations have some of the highest rates of health conditions like diabetes , heart disease and asthma , all of which leave them more susceptible to the coronavirus .
Tribal communities are often in remote parts of the country , where it ’ s tough to quickly disseminate resources , and where families live in small homes shared with elderly family members particularly at risk of getting COVID-19 .
And the Indian Health Service , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Native Americans , is already notoriously and chronically underfunded .
There are already unsettling numbers coming out of the Navajo Nation , the largest reservation in the country with a population of more than 350,000 .
It reported Monday that it has more confirmed cases of COVID-19 per capita than almost every U.S. state , behind only New York and New Jersey .
Its number of cases surged 367 % in two weeks , jumping from 174 on March 31 to 813 on April 14 .
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once again has ignored ” Indigenous people by failing to deliver resources to fight the coronavirus .
The tribe has all but given up on getting federal help anytime soon .
Nez said the tribe is spending $ 4 million of its own funds to try to deal with the emergency and keeping the receipts to send to the federal government later .
Part of Navajo Nation is in Udall ’ s state .
The reservation is “ a burning hot spot in the country ” for COVID-19 , he said , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are getting hit , too .
One tribe , the Zia Pueblo , only has about 1,000 members and as of last week had about 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
That ’ s a much higher confirmation rate per capita than the 1 or 2 people per 1,000 people found in nearly all other states .

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WASHINGTON ― Weeks after Congress passed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, Native American tribes still aren’t getting badly needed aid because the federal agencies in charge of distributing emergency relief to tribal governments don’t know how to work with them and aren’t listening to what they actually need, a key U.S. senator charged.
The Treasury Department, for one, is tasked with distributing $8 billion to tribal governments to help them stabilize economically amid the pandemic. But none of that aid has moved, as the agency, which doesn’t otherwise interact with tribes, is bogged down in consultations with tribes in order to come up with a formula for distributing the funds. Treasury has a statutory deadline of April 24 to get all the money out the door.
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“We’ve run into some serious problems,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), the vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, said in a recent interview. “Treasury is not familiar with tribes. They don’t know how to interact in the appropriate way with tribes and they’re just not getting the job done.”
Meanwhile, the Small Business Administration has been overseeing $350 billion in emergency payroll relief to small businesses. But tribal businesses have been at a huge disadvantage all along because the SBA decided that some casinos ― the financial lifeblood of many tribal governments ― wouldn’t be eligible for relief. Specifically, the agency relied on an existing regulation that prohibits small businesses from getting federal aid if they get one-third of their revenue from gaming activities.
Relief workers pose at a farm used as a base for aid to Navajo families quarantined in their homes due to COVID-19 in Hogback, Shiprock, New Mexico, on April 7. Andrew Hay / Reuters
When tribes protested and members of Congress told the agency they never intended for that regulation to be applied for emergency relief, the SBA issued new guidance this week that changed nothing in terms of tribal casinos qualifying for aid. And now the funds are all gone anyway.
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The stimulus bill made it “very clear” that any tribal business would be eligible for payroll relief, Udall emphasized. “The SBA did not see it that way or didn’t know enough about Indian affairs, public policy or Indian law, and relied on a regulation that simply didn’t fit.”
“It has very real consequences,” he added.
The Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration did not return requests for comment.
“Treasury is not familiar with tribes. They don't know how to interact in the appropriate way with tribes and they're just not getting the job done.” - Sen. Tom Udall
Tribal governments are struggling with these bureaucratic roadblocks at a time when their gaming operations have been shuttered for weeks, affecting 246 tribal nations that own 500 gaming facilities. An April 7 analysis by Meister Economic Consulting concluded that these casino closures have already resulted in 296,000 people losing their jobs, $1.5 billion in lost economic activity for tribal governments and $332 million in lost wages.
At least federal agencies have been consistent? Tribes have been forced to jump through hoops to get aid from all three of the emergency coronavirus bills passed by Congress.
The first two bills required tribes to go through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for aid that should have been directly routed to tribal governments. Because of the added layer of bureaucracy, tribes still have to fill out multiple rounds of applications to access their money to fight the spread of COVID-19. It is adding weeks to the process of tribes getting help.
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“I’m hearing from tribes I’m on the phone with that they can’t fill all these things out fast enough and they need the money now,” said Udall. “That’s the crux of the problem. That’s the red tape.”
In the latest bill, the $2 trillion stimulus package, the White House initially tried to cut tribes out altogether. Senate Democrats, led by Udall, fought until literally hours before the bill was voted on to get tribes about $10 billion in aid. Of that, $8 billion is for the tribal fund being overseen by the Treasury Department and $2 billion is in additional appropriations for federal agencies that serve Native communities, like the Indian Health Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
It’s a historic amount of direct aid for tribes in an emergency spending bill. But it’s a drop in the bucket when you consider what they are up against with COVID-19.
Never mind that the National Congress of American Indians, the largest organization representing the interests of tribal governments, told Congress in mid-March that tribes would need at least $20 billion in direct relief for economic stability ― more than double what they got. Tribal communities are among the most vulnerable to a rapid and devastating spread of the coronavirus.
Native populations have some of the highest rates of health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and asthma, all of which leave them more susceptible to the coronavirus. Tribal communities are often in remote parts of the country, where it’s tough to quickly disseminate resources, and where families live in small homes shared with elderly family members particularly at risk of getting COVID-19. And the Indian Health Service, which provides health care to nearly 3 million Native Americans, is already notoriously and chronically underfunded.
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Put those pieces together and it’s not hard to imagine how quickly this could become a disaster.
“It is a perfect storm,” said Udall.
Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) has been urging the Treasury Department to hurry up and get badly needed COVID-19 relief to tribal governments. Alex Edelman via Getty Images
There are already unsettling numbers coming out of the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the country with a population of more than 350,000. It reported Monday that it has more confirmed cases of COVID-19 per capita than almost every U.S. state, behind only New York and New Jersey. Its number of cases surged 367% in two weeks, jumping from 174 on March 31 to 813 on April 14.
Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said earlier this month that the U.S. government “once again has ignored” Indigenous people by failing to deliver resources to fight the coronavirus. The tribe has all but given up on getting federal help anytime soon. Nez said the tribe is spending $4 million of its own funds to try to deal with the emergency and keeping the receipts to send to the federal government later.
Part of Navajo Nation is in Udall’s state. The reservation is “a burning hot spot in the country” for COVID-19, he said, but noted that smaller tribes in his state are getting hit, too. One tribe, the Zia Pueblo, only has about 1,000 members and as of last week had about 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19. That’s a much higher confirmation rate per capita than the 1 or 2 people per 1,000 people found in nearly all other states.
For the moment, the most important thing the federal government can do to support tribes is pick up the pace in distributing tribal stabilization funds, said Udall. Not that tribes are surprised that it’s been such a challenging process.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Dr. Anthony Fauci Shuts Down Laura Ingraham’s ‘Misleading’ Coronavirus Claim

Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , batted down claims comparing the novel coronavirus to HIV made on Fox News by host Laura Ingraham , saying diseases like COVID-19 are “ entirely different ” and making such connections was a “ little bit misleading.
” Ingraham asked Fauci — one of the leaders of the White House task force on the pandemic — about the timeline for a coronavirus vaccine during her show on Thursday , saying other diseases , such as SARS and HIV , didn ’ t have vaccines either , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump is pushing for parts of the country to reopen , but medical experts have warned doing so too early could kickstart the spread of the disease once again after many states have urged residents to stay at home and practice social distancing .
“ The idea that we are definitely going to have a vaccine , we didn ’ t really approach much else in the same way as we are pegging going back to normal with a vaccine .
Did we ?
” Ingraham asked .
INGRAHAM : We do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HIV .
Life went on , right ?
FAUCI : HIV/AIDS is very different .
We have effective treatments .
And SARS went away .
So your comparison is misleading .
I : But coronavirus could disappear too .
F : These kind of viruses do n't just disappear .
pic.twitter.com/YptrqViRQx — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) April 17 , 2020 Fauci , who has worked on responses on epidemics for several presidents , took umbrage with the comparison , telling the host the coronavirus was a different beast entirely and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmission .
“ We don ’ t have a vaccine for HIV/AIDS , but we have spectacularly effective treatment , ” he said .
“ People who invariably would have died years ago right now are leading essentially normal lives .
SARS is a different story .
SARS disappeared.
” He went on to say that the world was working on a SARS vaccine before the disease stopped spreading but noted it ultimately infected about 8,100 people , far less than the new coronavirus .
More than 662,000 people in the U.S. have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 33,000 have died of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the virus .
“ I think it ’ s a little bit misleading maybe to compare what we are going through now with HIV or SARS , ” he added , “ they ’ re really different.
” Ingraham continued to press Fauci about SARS , asking if that disease disappeared , “ this could as well , correct ?
” “ You know , anything could , Laura , but I have to tell you the degree of efficiency of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything that I ’ ve seen , ” he said .
“ It ’ s an extraordinarily efficient virus in transmitting from one person to another .
”

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, batted down claims comparing the novel coronavirus to HIV made on Fox News by host Laura Ingraham, saying diseases like COVID-19 are “entirely different” and making such connections was a “little bit misleading.”
Ingraham asked Fauci — one of the leaders of the White House task force on the pandemic — about the timeline for a coronavirus vaccine during her show on Thursday, saying other diseases, such as SARS and HIV, didn’t have vaccines either, but “life did go on.” President Donald Trump is pushing for parts of the country to reopen, but medical experts have warned doing so too early could kickstart the spread of the disease once again after many states have urged residents to stay at home and practice social distancing.
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“The idea that we are definitely going to have a vaccine, we didn’t really approach much else in the same way as we are pegging going back to normal with a vaccine. Did we?” Ingraham asked.
INGRAHAM: We don't have a vaccine for SARS or HIV. Life went on, right?
FAUCI: HIV/AIDS is very different. We have effective treatments. And SARS went away. So your comparison is misleading.
I: But coronavirus could disappear too.
F: These kind of viruses don't just disappear. pic.twitter.com/YptrqViRQx — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 17, 2020
Fauci, who has worked on responses on epidemics for several presidents, took umbrage with the comparison, telling the host the coronavirus was a different beast entirely and was “unprecedented” in its rate of transmission.
“We don’t have a vaccine for HIV/AIDS, but we have spectacularly effective treatment,” he said. “People who invariably would have died years ago right now are leading essentially normal lives. SARS is a different story. SARS disappeared.”
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He went on to say that the world was working on a SARS vaccine before the disease stopped spreading but noted it ultimately infected about 8,100 people, far less than the new coronavirus. More than 662,000 people in the U.S. have been infected with the new coronavirus and more than 33,000 have died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
“I think it’s a little bit misleading maybe to compare what we are going through now with HIV or SARS,” he added, “they’re really different.”
Ingraham continued to press Fauci about SARS, asking if that disease disappeared, “this could as well, correct?”
“You know, anything could, Laura, but I have to tell you the degree of efficiency of transmissibility of this is really unprecedented in anything that I’ve seen,” he said. “It’s an extraordinarily efficient virus in transmitting from one person to another.”
“Those kind of viruses don’t just disappear.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Dr. Phil Claims Shutdowns Deadlier Than Coronavirus In Wild Fox News Appearance

TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw appeared on Fox News on Thursday evening to slam the shutdowns intended to stop the spread of coronavirus .
McGraw , a psychologist , talked about the mental health toll on people living in isolation and said the lockdowns would “ create more destruction and actually more death across time than the actual virus will itself.
” Then , he compared the toll of the virus to other causes of death .
“ Forty-five thousand people a year die from automobile accidents , 480,000 from cigarettes , 360,000 a year from swimming pools , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t shut the country down for that .
But yet we ’ re doing it for this ?
” Some of McGraw ’ s numbers were off .
According to the CDC , there are about 3,500 fatal unintentional drownings per year in the United States ; another 32,000 are killed in motor vehicle accidents .
But lockdowns make people lonely , McGraw said , and loneliness will increase the risk of stroke , coronary artery disease and dementia .
“ It ’ s not just that it ’ s psychological , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he claimed , adding : “ We think we ’ re protecting people ’ s lives by keeping them locked up .
You keep them locked up long enough , there ’ s a paradoxical effect , you actually destroy more lives than you do by letting them go out and protect themselves and opt into their lives to fight for what they believe in.
” At the time of this writing , COVID-19 has sickened more than 663,000 people and killed more than 30,000 in the United States alone , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week beginning April 6 , COVID-19 was America ’ s number two cause of death , behind heart disease and ahead of cancer , per The Washington Post .
McGraw also took questions from viewers via Twitter , then attacked the stay-home orders again .
“ This will end soon , ” he predicted .
“ We probably shouldn ’ t have ever started this , but just realize there ’ s a light at the end of the tunnel.
” McGraw spoke earlier this month to Deadline about the crisis and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If someone turns out to be a hero in a crisis , they were a hero waiting for a crisis , ” he said .
“ If they turn out to be a real jerk , they were a jerk waiting for a stage .
”

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TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw appeared on Fox News on Thursday evening to slam the shutdowns intended to stop the spread of coronavirus.
McGraw, a psychologist, talked about the mental health toll on people living in isolation and said the lockdowns would “create more destruction and actually more death across time than the actual virus will itself.” Then, he compared the toll of the virus to other causes of death.
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“Forty-five thousand people a year die from automobile accidents, 480,000 from cigarettes, 360,000 a year from swimming pools,” McGraw said, “but we don’t shut the country down for that. But yet we’re doing it for this?”
Some of McGraw’s numbers were off. According to the CDC, there are about 3,500 fatal unintentional drownings per year in the United States; another 32,000 are killed in motor vehicle accidents.
Swimming deaths and traffic fatalities are also not contagious.
But lockdowns make people lonely, McGraw said, and loneliness will increase the risk of stroke, coronary artery disease and dementia.
“It’s not just that it’s psychological, their bodies actually start breaking down,” he claimed, adding:
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“We think we’re protecting people’s lives by keeping them locked up. You keep them locked up long enough, there’s a paradoxical effect, you actually destroy more lives than you do by letting them go out and protect themselves and opt into their lives to fight for what they believe in.”
At the time of this writing, COVID-19 has sickened more than 663,000 people and killed more than 30,000 in the United States alone, with both numbers still rising. For the week beginning April 6, COVID-19 was America’s number two cause of death, behind heart disease and ahead of cancer, per The Washington Post.
McGraw also took questions from viewers via Twitter, then attacked the stay-home orders again.
“This will end soon,” he predicted. “We probably shouldn’t have ever started this, but just realize there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”
McGraw spoke earlier this month to Deadline about the crisis and how people are responding to it.
“If someone turns out to be a hero in a crisis, they were a hero waiting for a crisis,” he said. “If they turn out to be a real jerk, they were a jerk waiting for a stage.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Jerry Falwell Jr. Leaves Ominous Midnight Warning On Reporter's Voicemail

Jerry Falwell Jr. , a leading evangelical Christian voice and close confidante of President Donald Trump , called a New York Times reporter around midnight and left an ominous voicemail .
“ You ’ re in some serious trouble , ” he said , per The New York Times .
The newspaper reported Falwell also accused reporters of traveling to the university ’ s Lynchburg , Virginia , campus from New York and putting students at risk of coronavirus infection .
The Times said they did not .
Falwell has been attacking the media , including the Times , following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen Liberty University last month during the ongoing pandemic .
The Times said he threatened to sue the newspaper .
He also had his campus police issue arrest warrants for two journalists ― reporter Alec MacGillis of ProPublica and Times freelance photographer Julia Rendleman ― charging them with trespassing .
Falwell , who is president of the university , is currently the subject of a class-action lawsuit accusing him of putting students at risk by partially reopening amid the pandemic .
Lynchburg Mayor Treney Tweedy described the decision to allow students back on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Earlier this week , Liberty announced that two employees had tested positive , two were awaiting results and seven others had been asked to self-quarantine based on symptoms , according to the News & Advance , a newspaper in Lynchburg .

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Jerry Falwell Jr., a leading evangelical Christian voice and close confidante of President Donald Trump, called a New York Times reporter around midnight and left an ominous voicemail.
“You’re in some serious trouble,” he said, per The New York Times.
The newspaper reported Falwell also accused reporters of traveling to the university’s Lynchburg, Virginia, campus from New York and putting students at risk of coronavirus infection. The Times said they did not.
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Falwell has been attacking the media, including the Times, following reports critical of his decision to partially reopen Liberty University last month during the ongoing pandemic. The Times said he threatened to sue the newspaper. He also had his campus police issue arrest warrants for two journalists ― reporter Alec MacGillis of ProPublica and Times freelance photographer Julia Rendleman ― charging them with trespassing.
Falwell, who is president of the university, is currently the subject of a class-action lawsuit accusing him of putting students at risk by partially reopening amid the pandemic. Lynchburg Mayor Treney Tweedy described the decision to allow students back on campus after spring break as “reckless.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Donald Trump's Campaign Team Ripped Over Racist Anti-Joe Biden Ad

It 's April and they 're going full racial incitement already .
They know this shit does n't really work @ @ @ @ @ VA gov race in '17 ( D won by 9+ ) , in '18 midterms @ @ @ @ @ by 8.6+ ) and even KY and LA govs this year .
I sense a @ @ @ @ @ .
https : //t.co/4atnQpYYgs

It's April and they're going full racial incitement already.
They know this shit doesn't really work. They tried it in VA gov race in '17 (D won by 9+), in '18 midterms (House Ds won nationwide by 8.6+) and even KY and LA govs this year.
I sense a bit of panic in Trumpworld. https://t.co/4atnQpYYgs


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--We’re Going Backwards With Coronavirus Response, Obama 'Ebola Czar' Warns

Ronald Klain , who headed the Obama administration ’ s response to the Ebola epidemic , warned that President Donald Trump ’ s White House risks making the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. even worse with its ongoing lack of testing .
Klain , dubbed the Ebola czar after former President Barack Obama tasked him with leading the U.S. response to the Ebola epidemic , told MSNBC ’ s Nicole Wallace on Thursday that increased testing was crucial to slowing the spread of the contagion that has killed more than 34,000 people nationwide .
But “ as a matter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not going to ever get there because we ’ re going backwards , ” Klain said .
“ We ’ re going to test fewer people in America this week than we did last week.
” “ We ’ re not on a path to solve this problem , we ’ re on a path to make this problem worse , ” Klain added .
“ That ’ s because the president doesn ’ t want to take leadership of these tests , he said that the tests are up to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have “ the power , the ability to direct the manufacturers to make the different components ” of the “ complicated ” testing kits , urging Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to step up efforts or see a “ continued miasma on testing that is not going to get better.
” '' We 're not on a path to solve this problem , we 're on a path to make this problem worse .
That 's because the president does n't want to take leadership of these tests , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the states '' - @ RonaldKlain w/ @ NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/ts9X7rr35T — Deadline White House ( @ DeadlineWH ) April 16 , 2020

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Ronald Klain, who headed the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola epidemic, warned that President Donald Trump’s White House risks making the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. even worse with its ongoing lack of testing.
Klain, dubbed the Ebola czar after former President Barack Obama tasked him with leading the U.S. response to the Ebola epidemic, told MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace on Thursday that increased testing was crucial to slowing the spread of the contagion that has killed more than 34,000 people nationwide.
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But “as a matter of math, our progress towards the goal is not going to ever get there because we’re going backwards,” Klain said. “We’re going to test fewer people in America this week than we did last week.”
“We’re not on a path to solve this problem, we’re on a path to make this problem worse,” Klain added. “That’s because the president doesn’t want to take leadership of these tests, he said that the tests are up to the states.”
Klain noted that governors did not have “the power, the ability to direct the manufacturers to make the different components” of the “complicated” testing kits, urging Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to step up efforts or see a “continued miasma on testing that is not going to get better.”
Check out the clip here:
"We're not on a path to solve this problem, we're on a path to make this problem worse. That's because the president doesn't want to take leadership of these tests, he said that the tests are up to the states" - @RonaldKlain w/ @NicolleDWallace pic.twitter.com/ts9X7rr35T — Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) April 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--AP: Ex-Trump Attorney Michael Cohen To Be Released Early From Prison Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — President Donald Trump ’ s former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement amid the coronavirus pandemic , a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press .
Cohen is currently locked up at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges , including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress .
He will remain under quarantine for 14 days before he is released .
Federal statistics show 14 inmates and seven staff members at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After he is released , Cohen will serve the remainder of his sentence at home , according to the person , who could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity .
Cohen ’ s release comes as prison advocates and congressional leaders have been pressing the Justice Department for weeks to release at-risk inmates ahead of a potential outbreak , arguing that the public health guidance to stay 6 feet ( 1.8 meters ) away from other people is nearly impossible behind bars .
Attorney General @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this month to increase the use of home confinement and expedite the release of eligible high-risk inmates , beginning at three prisons identified as coronavirus hot spots .
Otisville is not one of those facilities .
As of Thursday , 473 federal inmates and 279 Bureau of Prisons staff members had tested positive for coronavirus at facilities across the U.S. Eighteen inmates have died since late March .
Many federal inmates have been seeking home confinement as the number of coronavirus cases grows in the federal prison system , but advocates have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too slowly to release inmates .
The Bureau of Prisons said it had moved more than 1,000 inmates to home confinement since March 26 , when Barr first issued a directive to increase its use in late March .
The agency said it is a “ tremendous logistical lift that was accomplished through the marshaling of all of BOP ’ s resources.
” A federal judge had denied Cohen ’ s attempt for an early release to home confinement after serving 10 months in prison and said in a ruling earlier this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another effort to inject himself into the news cycle.
” But the Bureau of Prisons can take action to move him to home confinement without a judicial order .
Other high-profile inmates have also been released as the number of coronavirus cases soars .
Last week , a judge ordered Michael Avenatti — the attorney who rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Trump — to be temporarily freed from a federal jail in New York City and stay at a friend ’ s house in Los Angeles .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk of getting the coronavirus because he had a recent bout with pneumonia and his cellmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan was removed due to flu-like symptoms .
Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos , 72 , who was also serving a sentence at Otisville , is also expected to be released soon from prison to home confinement after testing positive for the coronavirus , prosecutors told a judge Wednesday .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen will be released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence in home confinement amid the coronavirus pandemic, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
Cohen is currently locked up at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. He will remain under quarantine for 14 days before he is released. Federal statistics show 14 inmates and seven staff members at the prison have tested positive for coronavirus.
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After he is released, Cohen will serve the remainder of his sentence at home, according to the person, who could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Michael Cohen will remain under quarantine for 14 days before he is released. Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Cohen’s release comes as prison advocates and congressional leaders have been pressing the Justice Department for weeks to release at-risk inmates ahead of a potential outbreak, arguing that the public health guidance to stay 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from other people is nearly impossible behind bars.
Attorney General William Barr ordered the Bureau of Prisons earlier this month to increase the use of home confinement and expedite the release of eligible high-risk inmates, beginning at three prisons identified as coronavirus hot spots. Otisville is not one of those facilities.
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As of Thursday, 473 federal inmates and 279 Bureau of Prisons staff members had tested positive for coronavirus at facilities across the U.S. Eighteen inmates have died since late March.
Many federal inmates have been seeking home confinement as the number of coronavirus cases grows in the federal prison system, but advocates have accused the Bureau of Prisons of moving too slowly to release inmates. The Bureau of Prisons said it had moved more than 1,000 inmates to home confinement since March 26, when Barr first issued a directive to increase its use in late March. The agency said it is a “tremendous logistical lift that was accomplished through the marshaling of all of BOP’s resources.”
A federal judge had denied Cohen’s attempt for an early release to home confinement after serving 10 months in prison and said in a ruling earlier this month that it “appears to be just another effort to inject himself into the news cycle.” But the Bureau of Prisons can take action to move him to home confinement without a judicial order.
Cohen began serving his sentence last May and was scheduled to be released from prison in November 2021.
Other high-profile inmates have also been released as the number of coronavirus cases soars. Last week, a judge ordered Michael Avenatti — the attorney who rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Trump — to be temporarily freed from a federal jail in New York City and stay at a friend’s house in Los Angeles. Avenatti had said he was at high risk of getting the coronavirus because he had a recent bout with pneumonia and his cellmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan was removed due to flu-like symptoms.
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Former New York state Senate leader Dean Skelos, 72, who was also serving a sentence at Otisville, is also expected to be released soon from prison to home confinement after testing positive for the coronavirus, prosecutors told a judge Wednesday.
CNN first reported Cohen was being released to home confinement.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to comment.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Twitter Critics Bake Steven Mnuchin Over His Let Them Eat Cake Attitude On Coronavirus Aid

Critics on Twitter went bonkers Thursday over a clip of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicating he believes many unemployed Americans could get through the next 10 weeks on $ 1,200 — or $ 120 a week .
He referred to the money late last month on “ Face the Nation ” as “ bridge liquidity.
” His very technical term effectively dodged mentioning things like rent or mortgage , utilities , car payments , tuition ... or food .
To be fair , he wasn ’ t talking only about the $ 1,200 federal government relief checks being sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis .
Mnuchin discussed the checks on top of unemployment benefits enhanced by an additional $ 600-a-week federal subsidy for four months for workers — and money to businesses to keep workers employed .
But many Americans now unemployed aren ’ t eligible for unemployment benefits or are facing weeks of delays as systems are overwhelmed by claims .
That leaves the federal checks .
And with 59 % of Americans working paycheck to paycheck — or who are among the long-term unemployed — $ 120 a week won ’ t go far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used an “ Arrested Development ” quip to whack the multimillionaire ’ s cluelessness about what it takes the average American to get by .
Rep. Rashida Tlaib ( D-Mich. ) snapped back on Twitter : “ Nope we can ’ t Mnuchin , ” referring to his notion of “ bridge liquidity ” for non-millionaires .
“ This administration is so disconnected with the hardships of my neighbors and people around the country , ” added Tlaib , who supports recurring payments to Americans .
Nope we ca n't Mnuchin.
# MintTheCoin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of $ 2k/month on debit cards .
Mnuchin and this Administration is so disconnected with the hardships of my neighbors and people around the country .
https : //t.co/x81ZiKSdTk — Rashida Tlaib ( @ RashidaTlaib ) April 16 , 2020 I would love to know the hourly lifestyle cost of Steve Mnuchin ’ s life , he who is worth circa $ 400 million and whose DC home is $ 12.6 million .
My guess is it ’ s more than $ 1,200 an hour .
https : //t.co/XG70D3FYuq — Garrett M. Graff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 Let 's play The Hunger Games .
Mnuchin and all the rest of the politicals have to survive on $ 1200 for 10 weeks .
Shelter , food , clothing ... basic survival .
We 'll film it all .
Vote on when we want a spontaneous disaster to happen along the way ... no mask , gloves or ppe provided .
— lindan johnson ( @ lindanjohnson1 ) April 16 , 2020

Critics on Twitter went bonkers Thursday over a clip of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin indicating he believes many unemployed Americans could get through the next 10 weeks on $1,200 — or $120 a week.
He referred to the money late last month on “Face the Nation” as “bridge liquidity.” His very technical term effectively dodged mentioning things like rent or mortgage, utilities, car payments, tuition ... or food.
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To be fair, he wasn’t talking only about the $1,200 federal government relief checks being sent to American workers to help amid the COVID-19 crisis. Mnuchin discussed the checks on top of unemployment benefits enhanced by an additional $600-a-week federal subsidy for four months for workers — and money to businesses to keep workers employed.
But many Americans now unemployed aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits or are facing weeks of delays as systems are overwhelmed by claims. That leaves the federal checks. And with 59% of Americans working paycheck to paycheck — or who are among the long-term unemployed — $120 a week won’t go far.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) used an “Arrested Development” quip to whack the multimillionaire’s cluelessness about what it takes the average American to get by.
“It’s your monthly rent, Michael. What could it cost? $10?” https://t.co/Bc0wdzVk0J — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 16, 2020
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) snapped back on Twitter: “Nope we can’t Mnuchin,” referring to his notion of “bridge liquidity” for non-millionaires. “This administration is so disconnected with the hardships of my neighbors and people around the country,” added Tlaib, who supports recurring payments to Americans.
Nope we can't Mnuchin.#MintTheCoin already and let's get recurring payments of $2k/month on debit cards. Mnuchin and this Administration is so disconnected with the hardships of my neighbors and people around the country. https://t.co/x81ZiKSdTk — Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) April 16, 2020
Former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson dissed Mnuchin as Marie Antoinette resurrected as a man.
Marie Antoinette came back as a man. https://t.co/OreuxK6zPV — Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) April 16, 2020
“Let them eat stimulus checks.” — Brandon Scott Wolf [indie darling/celeb stand in] (@BrandonEsWolf) April 16, 2020
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I would love to know the hourly lifestyle cost of Steve Mnuchin’s life, he who is worth circa $400 million and whose DC home is $12.6 million. My guess is it’s more than $1,200 an hour. https://t.co/XG70D3FYuq — Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg) April 16, 2020
I'd absolutely watch a TV show where Steve Mnuchin and his wife were forced to survive on $1,200 for 10 weeks. https://t.co/3GaDj2zaTp — batkaren (@batkaren) April 16, 2020
Let's play The Hunger Games. Mnuchin and all the rest of the politicals have to survive on $1200 for 10 weeks. Shelter, food, clothing... basic survival. We'll film it all. Vote on when we want a spontaneous disaster to happen along the way... no mask, gloves or ppe provided. — lindan johnson (@lindanjohnson1) April 16, 2020
Several posts retweeted a meme of Mnuchin as Cruella DeVille of “101 Dalmatians.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--The Paycheck Protection Program Hasn't Served Restaurants Well

But the most recent numbers suggest the food service industry is not among the top three beneficiaries of the Paycheck Protection Program , a new initiative that could turn out to be the federal government ’ s most important effort to reduce the economic damage of the coronavirus outbreak .
The construction industry , which lost 29,000 jobs in March , according to payroll data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics , received the most money ― 13.7 % of the $ 247 billion in approved loans .
The accommodation and food services industry , with 15 times as many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the pie .
On Thursday , the program reached its statutory limit of $ 350 billion in loan approvals , and the Trump administration has said it will approve no more until Congress comes up with more money .
Republicans want to add another $ 250 billion immediately ; Democrats want to make sure the funds are distributed equitably .
The program has operated on a first-come , first-served basis since it opened two weeks ago , a chaotic process that likely disadvantaged firms with weaker relationships with banks , such those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are essentially in charge of the program and some have restricted applications to current customers .
As for the economic crisis at hand , it ’ s not hard to see why restaurants have laid so many people off .
As the coronavirus spread across the country , state and local governments ordered nonessential businesses to close .
Social distancing means not sitting at a table in a room full of strangers , and if you ’ re a waiter , you can ’ t work from home .
The paycheck program offers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cover two months of payroll costs to any company with fewer than 500 workers .
If the company avoids layoffs during that time and uses 75 % of the money to cover employee pay , the loan is forgiven .
The terms of the program might be one reason more restaurants haven ’ t won loans , Kennedy said .
Restaurants know they might not even be able to open two months from now , meaning they could be at risk of having to pay back the loan if they can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nobody knows how soon state and local governments might relax their social distancing rules , the restaurant association has asked Congress to extend the program to the end of the year and let eateries use the loans within 90 days of their eventual reopening date .
Another proposed change : Let restaurants use 50 % of the loan for things other than payroll since rent can be a proportionately bigger expense .
Plenty of restaurant owners have no doubt applied for the program ― some successfully , such as the subsidiaries of giant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House ( which are indeed eligible ) .
Some smaller companies have had less luck .
Scott Cavendish , owner of a brewery in Gastonia , North Carolina , sought a loan on the program ’ s first day , and as far as he knows , his application has not been approved .
The brewery is a combination of a beer manufacturing facility and a bar that Cavendish said makes up 80 % of his company ’ s revenue — or at least it used to .
He said someone at his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem with his application as far as they knew .
“ It seems to be stuck in the funding phase , ” Cavendish said .
“ For whatever reason , the funds have not been released .
This of course means that I can ’ t bring my employees back to work as there ’ s no money to pay them with .
”

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More than 417,000 restaurant and bar workers lost their jobs in March ― the biggest job loss in any industry by a mile.
But the most recent numbers suggest the food service industry is not among the top three beneficiaries of the Paycheck Protection Program, a new initiative that could turn out to be the federal government’s most important effort to reduce the economic damage of the coronavirus outbreak.
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The Small Business Administration said this week that as of Monday, it had approved 108,179 loans to accommodation and food service firms, ranking it fourth among industries.
The construction industry, which lost 29,000 jobs in March, according to payroll data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, received the most money ― 13.7% of the $247 billion in approved loans. The accommodation and food services industry, with 15 times as many job losses, got only 9.1% of the pie.
On Thursday, the program reached its statutory limit of $350 billion in loan approvals, and the Trump administration has said it will approve no more until Congress comes up with more money. Republicans want to add another $250 billion immediately; Democrats want to make sure the funds are distributed equitably.
The program has operated on a first-come, first-served basis since it opened two weeks ago, a chaotic process that likely disadvantaged firms with weaker relationships with banks, such those that are smaller or minority-owned. Banks are essentially in charge of the program and some have restricted applications to current customers.
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Restaurants are empty on the river walk on April 1, 2020, in downtown San Antonio, Texas, amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. MARK FELIX via Getty Images
As for the economic crisis at hand, it’s not hard to see why restaurants have laid so many people off. As the coronavirus spread across the country, state and local governments ordered nonessential businesses to close. Social distancing means not sitting at a table in a room full of strangers, and if you’re a waiter, you can’t work from home.
Sean Kennedy, an executive with the National Restaurant Association lobbying group, praised Congress for quickly approving a $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill, but said restaurants deserve to be first in line for help.
“There’s no other industry that’s as socially facing as restaurants,” Kennedy said.
The paycheck program offers loans of up to $10 million to cover two months of payroll costs to any company with fewer than 500 workers. If the company avoids layoffs during that time and uses 75% of the money to cover employee pay, the loan is forgiven.
The terms of the program might be one reason more restaurants haven’t won loans, Kennedy said. Restaurants know they might not even be able to open two months from now, meaning they could be at risk of having to pay back the loan if they can’t maintain their staffing levels.
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Since nobody knows how soon state and local governments might relax their social distancing rules, the restaurant association has asked Congress to extend the program to the end of the year and let eateries use the loans within 90 days of their eventual reopening date. Another proposed change: Let restaurants use 50% of the loan for things other than payroll since rent can be a proportionately bigger expense.
Plenty of restaurant owners have no doubt applied for the program ― some successfully, such as the subsidiaries of giant franchises like Ruth’s Chris Steak House (which are indeed eligible). Some smaller companies have had less luck.
Scott Cavendish, owner of a brewery in Gastonia, North Carolina, sought a loan on the program’s first day, and as far as he knows, his application has not been approved. The brewery is a combination of a beer manufacturing facility and a bar that Cavendish said makes up 80% of his company’s revenue — or at least it used to. He said someone at his lender told him Wednesday there was no problem with his application as far as they knew.
“It seems to be stuck in the funding phase,” Cavendish said. “For whatever reason, the funds have not been released. This of course means that I can’t bring my employees back to work as there’s no money to pay them with.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--Judge Denies Roger Stone's Request For New Trial

A federal judge denied Roger Stone ’ s request for a new trial , nearly two months after the political consultant was sentenced to 40 months in prison for witness tampering and lying to Congress .
Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected Stone ’ s claim that there was misconduct and political bias on the jury he faced during trial .
Stone , a longtime ally of President Donald Trump , was sentenced in February .
Stone ’ s attorneys claimed that a juror didn ’ t disclose her alleged biased against Trump and shouldn ’ t have been allowed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defendant has not shown that the juror lied ; nor has he shown that the supposedly disqualifying evidence could not have been found through the exercise of due diligence at the time the jury was selected , ” Jackson said , according to NBC News .
Stone was an adviser on Trump ’ s 2016 campaign and remained close to it even after he left the campaign in an official capacity .
In November , Stone was found guilty of lying to Congress during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a connection to WikiLeaks , which leaked documents that hurt former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’ s presidential campaign .
Federal prosecutors also claimed that Stone tried to intimidate New York radio host Randy Credico so he wouldn ’ t cooperate with federal investigators .
Federal prosecutors originally recommended a sentence of seven to nine years in prison for Stone , based on the aggravating factors of his crime .
However , the Department of Justice walked back the recommendation and suggested a shorter one after Trump complained about Stone ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ a horrible and very unfair situation .
”

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A federal judge denied Roger Stone’s request for a new trial, nearly two months after the political consultant was sentenced to 40 months in prison for witness tampering and lying to Congress.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected Stone’s claim that there was misconduct and political bias on the jury he faced during trial. Stone, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, was sentenced in February.
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Stone’s attorneys claimed that a juror didn’t disclose her alleged biased against Trump and shouldn’t have been allowed to serve on the jury.
Jackson said that Stone’s attorneys failed to prove that.
“The defendant has not shown that the juror lied; nor has he shown that the supposedly disqualifying evidence could not have been found through the exercise of due diligence at the time the jury was selected,” Jackson said, according to NBC News.
Stone was an adviser on Trump’s 2016 campaign and remained close to it even after he left the campaign in an official capacity.
In November, Stone was found guilty of lying to Congress during its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The investigation showed that Stone had a connection to WikiLeaks, which leaked documents that hurt former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
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Federal prosecutors also claimed that Stone tried to intimidate New York radio host Randy Credico so he wouldn’t cooperate with federal investigators.
Federal prosecutors originally recommended a sentence of seven to nine years in prison for Stone, based on the aggravating factors of his crime.
However, the Department of Justice walked back the recommendation and suggested a shorter one after Trump complained about Stone’s trial, tweeting that it was “a horrible and very unfair situation.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--Mitt Romney Is Only GOP Senator Trump Didn't Include On Coronavirus Committee

Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) is the only Senate Republican who was not invited to be a part of President Donald Trump ’ s bipartisan group of lawmakers focusing on re-opening the U.S. economy .
Romney was also the sole Republican who voted to convict Trump during the impeachment trial earlier this year , over Trump ’ s attempts to pressure Ukraine into investigating his opponent in the 2020 election .
All other Republicans in the Senate voted to acquit Trump , and most defended Trump ’ s behavior .
The White House asked both Democrats and Republicans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group on Wednesday , the same day he announced that he had gathered a group of business leaders to serve on his “ Opening Our Country Council.
” The congressional task force is one of several groups the Trump administration created as part of its effort to revitalize the economy , even as the coronavirus pandemic continues relatively unabated .
Besides Romney ’ s 52 Republican colleagues in the Senate , it includes 32 members of the House — 22 Republicans and 10 Democrats — as well as 12 Democrats from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to impeach Trump .
Two Republican senators who faced scrutiny for selling off millions of dollars in stocks after being briefed about the coronavirus in January are also part of the group .
Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-Ga. ) , who reportedly sold up to $ 3.1 million in stock , vowed to sell off all of her individual stocks after the reports caused a backlash .
After publicly assuring Americans that the government was equipped to handle the spread of the coronavirus , Sen. Richard Burr ( R-N.C. ) sold between $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holdings in February .
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence , who is leading the White House ’ s coronavirus response , had a call with the participating members of Congress on Thursday , Politico reported .
Romney was criticized by many Republicans for voting to impeach Trump , a move seen as traitorous to the Republican party as a whole .
Before casting his impeachment vote , Romney said on the Senate floor that Trump was “ guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.
” “ What he did was ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our national security , and our fundamental values , ” he said .
Thank you , @ realDonaldTrump for appointing me to your task force on re-opening America safely in the wake of # COVID19 .
With 22 million Americans filing for unemployment , it ’ s clear we must start working to revive our economy and get the American people back to work safely .
— Senator Kelly Loeffler ( @ SenatorLoeffler ) April 16 , 2020

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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is the only Senate Republican who was not invited to be a part of President Donald Trump’s bipartisan group of lawmakers focusing on re-opening the U.S. economy.
Romney was also the sole Republican who voted to convict Trump during the impeachment trial earlier this year, over Trump’s attempts to pressure Ukraine into investigating his opponent in the 2020 election. All other Republicans in the Senate voted to acquit Trump, and most defended Trump’s behavior.
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The White House asked both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate to serve in the group on Wednesday, the same day he announced that he had gathered a group of business leaders to serve on his “Opening Our Country Council.”
The congressional task force is one of several groups the Trump administration created as part of its effort to revitalize the economy, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues relatively unabated.
Besides Romney’s 52 Republican colleagues in the Senate, it includes 32 members of the House — 22 Republicans and 10 Democrats — as well as 12 Democrats from the Senate, all of whom also voted to impeach Trump.
Two Republican senators who faced scrutiny for selling off millions of dollars in stocks after being briefed about the coronavirus in January are also part of the group.
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Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), who reportedly sold up to $3.1 million in stock, vowed to sell off all of her individual stocks after the reports caused a backlash.
After publicly assuring Americans that the government was equipped to handle the spread of the coronavirus, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) sold between $628,000 and $1.72 million worth of holdings in February.
Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the White House’s coronavirus response, had a call with the participating members of Congress on Thursday, Politico reported.
Romney was criticized by many Republicans for voting to impeach Trump, a move seen as traitorous to the Republican party as a whole.
Before casting his impeachment vote, Romney said on the Senate floor that Trump was “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.”
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“What he did was ... a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security, and our fundamental values,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Lou Dobbs Floats War With China As 'Consequences' For Coronavirus

Despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary , Fox Business host Lou Dobbs on Thursday entertained conspiracy theories about coronavirus being a “ biological weapon ” and suggested that the United States should go to war with China over the pandemic “ whether they did it intentionally or not.
” “ If we don ’ t go to war over the loss of 31,000 now , and certainly more to come , 31,000 American lives , what do we go to war over ?
” Dobbs said during an interview with former deputy national security adviser K.T .
McFarland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When do we quit sending strong letters and talking tough ?
At what point are there consequences for this kind of behavior ?
“ Because whether they did it intentionally or not , we do know this : that that virus was unleashed on the world and they lied , and that is the same as making it an intentional and conscious act of warfare , as far as I ’ m concerned.
” Lou Dobbs speculates coronavirus could be a biological weapon used by the Chinese military , adding `` If we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss of 31,000 ... American lives , what do we go to war over ? ''
pic.twitter.com/yZRUmjcTeY — Jason Campbell ( @ JasonSCampbell ) April 16 , 2020 The “ Lou Dobbs Tonight ” host and resolute President Donald Trump devotee has consistently shifted blame to China for the government ’ s lagging handling of the pandemic and has enlisted xenophobic terminology to highlight the virus ’ s origins .
He led up to his dramatic statement Thursday by riffing on the possibility of the coronavirus being a “ conscious and overt act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to release a “ biological weapon.
” For months , genomics and infectious diseases experts have refuted the possibility that COVID-19 , the disease caused by the new coronavirus , could have anything other than natural origins based on its genomic data .
On Fox News just a day earlier , anchor Bret Baier had resurfaced the theory that coronavirus started in a Chinese lab but then clarified “ there is no one who ’ s saying this was a bioweapon .
”

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Despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs on Thursday entertained conspiracy theories about coronavirus being a “biological weapon” and suggested that the United States should go to war with China over the pandemic “whether they did it intentionally or not.”
“If we don’t go to war over the loss of 31,000 now, and certainly more to come, 31,000 American lives, what do we go to war over?” Dobbs said during an interview with former deputy national security adviser K.T. McFarland on “Lou Dobbs Tonight.”
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“When do we quit sending strong letters and talking tough? At what point are there consequences for this kind of behavior?
“Because whether they did it intentionally or not, we do know this: that that virus was unleashed on the world and they lied, and that is the same as making it an intentional and conscious act of warfare, as far as I’m concerned.”
Lou Dobbs speculates coronavirus could be a biological weapon used by the Chinese military, adding "If we don't go to war over the loss of 31,000...American lives, what do we go to war over?" pic.twitter.com/yZRUmjcTeY — Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) April 16, 2020
The “Lou Dobbs Tonight” host and resolute President Donald Trump devotee has consistently shifted blame to China for the government’s lagging handling of the pandemic and has enlisted xenophobic terminology to highlight the virus’s origins. He led up to his dramatic statement Thursday by riffing on the possibility of the coronavirus being a “conscious and overt act on the part of the Chinese military” to release a “biological weapon.”
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For months, genomics and infectious diseases experts have refuted the possibility that COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, could have anything other than natural origins based on its genomic data.
On Fox News just a day earlier, anchor Bret Baier had resurfaced the theory that coronavirus started in a Chinese lab but then clarified “there is no one who’s saying this was a bioweapon.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--House Democrats Come One Step Closer To Allowing Lawmaking From Home

As long as the pandemic persists , making travel a health hazard , the proposed rule change would allow members of Congress to empower a fellow member to cast votes on their behalf .
The proxy member ― presumably someone with easy access to Washington ― would have to follow the written or verbal instructions of the remote member for every individual vote .
“ We should not wait for this pandemic to end to make changes to the rules that help us to do our jobs in such an unprecedented time , ” McGovern said in a statement .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s professed technological concerns about enabling digital voting from afar , the inherent limits it places on the legislative process disappoint some proponents of remote voting .
Individual members of Congress would not be able to file motions or otherwise shape legislative debates .
The need for remote members to make up their mind relatively far in advance might restrict their leverage over the process as well .
The timeline for the change also remains unclear since it requires either the physical presence of a quorum of House members to approve it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of both parties to pass it by unanimous consent , which would not require more than a handful of people to be present .
“ Considering where they ’ re at now , which is nowhere , this is at least somewhere , ” said Daniel Schuman , policy director for Demand Progress , the group that was most outspoken in favor of erecting a system for remote voting .
“ But it ’ s no way to run a Congress.
” Norm Ornstein , a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing with Schuman about the plausibility of remote legislating on Thursday .
He approved of McGovern ’ s announcement under the circumstances but said that House leadership could have devised a more comprehensive system for remote lawmaking if it had begun laying the groundwork weeks or months ago .
Schuman , Ornstein and their allies prefer creating a system in which members of Congress would be able to cast votes themselves digitally as well as participate in other legislative processes , such as committee hearings via video conference .
Almost 70 House Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through a similar process in late March , prompting a study from McGovern ’ s office that cast aspersions on direct remote voting while elevating proxy voting , the solution McGovern eventually settled on , as a more viable solution .
In an interview with The Associated Press that came out last Thursday , Pelosi again cited concerns about members ’ disparate aptitude with , and access to , the technology associated with direct remote voting .
But she implied that she wasn ’ t in a rush to implement alternative ideas either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet , and we ’ re not going to be there no matter how many letters somebody sends in , ” Pelosi told AP .
Ornstein , a center-right institutionalist , is primarily concerned with Congress ’ s ability to exercise oversight over a president he considers lawless and corrupt .
As if to validate Ornstein ’ s concerns , Trump threatened on Wednesday to invoke an obscure constitutional provision that he claimed would allow him to temporarily disband Congress to fill federal vacancies himself that normally require congressional approval .
But progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former congressional aide who runs the research program at the anti-monopoly American Economic Liberties Project , worry that the absence of a remote process already undermined the influence of populist lawmakers in both parties over the $ 2 trillion stimulus bill that the House passed unanimously in late March .
But Schumer and Pelosi negotiated the bill ’ s contours after the House , the only chamber Democrats control , had adjourned , sending members out of Washington and home to their districts .
With the pandemic escalating and without a system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not credibly threaten to pass their own bill and drag the final product in a less corporate-friendly direction .
One-quarter of the bill ’ s price tag came in the form of a $ 500 billion corporate bailout fund that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin , a former hedge fund manager , would have broad authority to distribute to massive companies .
Those firms could then leverage that money for trillions of dollars more in credit from the Federal Reserve .
Last week , though , Trump signaled that he was prepared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He fired Glenn Fine , the acting inspector general of the Pentagon and a veteran of both Democratic and Republican administrations , who was due to assume the role of inspector general for the corporate bailout fund .
Lawmakers from both parties condemned Fine ’ s firing , but they were powerless to stop it .

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House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, formally unveiled a plan on Thursday to enable House members to cast votes from afar through in-person proxies.
The plan, which has the blessing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), marks House Democrats’ first real step toward reactivating the legislative process after weeks of recess during which President Donald Trump has led the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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As long as the pandemic persists, making travel a health hazard, the proposed rule change would allow members of Congress to empower a fellow member to cast votes on their behalf. The proxy member ― presumably someone with easy access to Washington ― would have to follow the written or verbal instructions of the remote member for every individual vote.
“We should not wait for this pandemic to end to make changes to the rules that help us to do our jobs in such an unprecedented time,” McGovern said in a statement.
While the proposal addresses McGovern and Pelosi’s professed technological concerns about enabling digital voting from afar, the inherent limits it places on the legislative process disappoint some proponents of remote voting. Individual members of Congress would not be able to file motions or otherwise shape legislative debates. The need for remote members to make up their mind relatively far in advance might restrict their leverage over the process as well.
The timeline for the change also remains unclear since it requires either the physical presence of a quorum of House members to approve it by a simple majority or the agreement of both parties to pass it by unanimous consent, which would not require more than a handful of people to be present.
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“Considering where they’re at now, which is nowhere, this is at least somewhere,” said Daniel Schuman, policy director for Demand Progress, the group that was most outspoken in favor of erecting a system for remote voting. “But it’s no way to run a Congress.”
Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, participated in a mock digital hearing with Schuman about the plausibility of remote legislating on Thursday. He approved of McGovern’s announcement under the circumstances but said that House leadership could have devised a more comprehensive system for remote lawmaking if it had begun laying the groundwork weeks or months ago.
“For now, where what we are looking for is an immediate fix, I’m pleased they are taking this action,” Ornstein said.
Schuman, Ornstein and their allies prefer creating a system in which members of Congress would be able to cast votes themselves digitally as well as participate in other legislative processes, such as committee hearings via video conference. Almost 70 House Democrats signed a letter calling for remote voting through a similar process in late March, prompting a study from McGovern’s office that cast aspersions on direct remote voting while elevating proxy voting, the solution McGovern eventually settled on, as a more viable solution.
“This is a significant change in the position that she’s taking.” - Daniel Schuman, Demand Progress
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Still, the mere advancement of a leadership-sanctioned plan to effectively allow House members to cast votes without traveling to Washington represents a move away from Pelosi’s apparent dismissiveness of the idea as recently as last week.
“This is a significant change in the position that she’s taking,” Schuman said.
In an interview with The Associated Press that came out last Thursday, Pelosi again cited concerns about members’ disparate aptitude with, and access to, the technology associated with direct remote voting. But she implied that she wasn’t in a rush to implement alternative ideas either. “We aren’t there yet, and we’re not going to be there no matter how many letters somebody sends in,” Pelosi told AP.
Those advocates urging Pelosi to reconsider were motivated by a diverse set of factors.
Members of Congress on the West Coast, particularly younger members more comfortable with technology, simply wanted a say in the legislative process without having to travel to Washington.
Ornstein, a center-right institutionalist, is primarily concerned with Congress’s ability to exercise oversight over a president he considers lawless and corrupt. As if to validate Ornstein’s concerns, Trump threatened on Wednesday to invoke an obscure constitutional provision that he claimed would allow him to temporarily disband Congress to fill federal vacancies himself that normally require congressional approval.
But progressive critics like Schuman and Matt Stoller, a former congressional aide who runs the research program at the anti-monopoly American Economic Liberties Project, worry that the absence of a remote process already undermined the influence of populist lawmakers in both parties over the $2 trillion stimulus bill that the House passed unanimously in late March.
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The Trump administration crafted the bill with the GOP-controlled Senate, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Pelosi.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has signed off on a plan that would allow members of Congress to vote remotely through proxies. It's still unclear when it would take effect. ALEX EDELMAN/AFP/Getty Images
But Schumer and Pelosi negotiated the bill’s contours after the House, the only chamber Democrats control, had adjourned, sending members out of Washington and home to their districts. With the pandemic escalating and without a system of remote voting in place, Democrats could not credibly threaten to pass their own bill and drag the final product in a less corporate-friendly direction.
The legislation ended up showering a host of goodies on the rich and well-connected, even as it imposed hidden conditions on the aid it promised to ordinary families.
One-quarter of the bill’s price tag came in the form of a $500 billion corporate bailout fund that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, a former hedge fund manager, would have broad authority to distribute to massive companies. Those firms could then leverage that money for trillions of dollars more in credit from the Federal Reserve.
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Democrats were able to ensure that Trump would have to appoint an inspector general to monitor the distribution of the funds.
Last week, though, Trump signaled that he was prepared to limit any such figure’s independence. He fired Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general of the Pentagon and a veteran of both Democratic and Republican administrations, who was due to assume the role of inspector general for the corporate bailout fund. Lawmakers from both parties condemned Fine’s firing, but they were powerless to stop it.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Anderson Cooper Gives Himself A Coronavirus Lockdown Haircut And, Well...

CNN ’ s Anderson Cooper is rocking a new hairstyle amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown .
But not one he @ @ @ @ @ I took a razor and buzzed my head and I gave myself a giant bald @ @ @ @ @ ” the “ Anderson Cooper 360° ” host revealed on Thursday .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ day with , like , my hand on my head , ” admitted Cooper , @ @ @ @ @ in his stride .
“ It ’ s fine straight on , I just have @ @ @ @ @ way.
” Elsewhere on the show , Cooper lightheartedly offered his haircutting services to colleague @ @ @ @ @ been providing daily updates on his recovery from COVID-19 , the disease caused by the @ @ @ @ @ will make that popular , ” Cuomo told Cooper , joking that the self-inflicted hairstyle @ @ @ @ @ Coop.
” Check out that clip here :

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CNN’s Anderson Cooper is rocking a new hairstyle amid the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
But not one he was hoping for.
“I took a razor and buzzed my head and I gave myself a giant bald spot, over here,” the “Anderson Cooper 360°” host revealed on Thursday.
“I’ve been walking around all day with, like, my hand on my head,” admitted Cooper, who took the new do in his stride.
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“It’s fine straight on, I just have to be seen only this way.”
Check out the clip here:
Elsewhere on the show, Cooper lightheartedly offered his haircutting services to colleague Chris Cuomo, who has been providing daily updates on his recovery from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
“Now you will make that popular,” Cuomo told Cooper, joking that the self-inflicted hairstyle would be called “The Coop.”
Check out that clip here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-17--Chris Cuomo Says His One Coronavirus 'Silver Lining' Just Came Crashing Down

Chris Cuomo thought he could finally be together with his wife , Cristina , now that they both have the coronavirus infection that he ’ s been battling for more than two weeks .
But turns out , it can ’ t happen just yet .
“ We have completely different symptoms , ” the CNN host said on Thursday , adding that Cristina had lost her sense of smell and taste but did not have the fever that ’ s dogged him for some 17 days .
“ The one silver lining , I thought would be that she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ No.
” CNN ’ s Dr. Sanjay Gupta seemed puzzled , wondering why they can ’ t be in the same space given that they were both infected .
But Cuomo said it was not yet clear if he had the antibodies that will make him immune or if she could reinfect him at this stage in his own illness .
Cuomo also said he believes coronavirus has been in the U.S. since October .
Some have theorized that the virus reached the states last year , but most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who studies viruses , evolution and immunity at Seattle ’ s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center , said last week it was “ empirically not the case ” that the virus arrived last year and laid out the data in a thread on Twitter .

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Chris Cuomo thought he could finally be together with his wife, Cristina, now that they both have the coronavirus infection that he’s been battling for more than two weeks.
But turns out, it can’t happen just yet.
“We have completely different symptoms,” the CNN host said on Thursday, adding that Cristina had lost her sense of smell and taste but did not have the fever that’s dogged him for some 17 days.
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“The one silver lining, I thought would be that she and I can be together,” he said. “No.”
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta seemed puzzled, wondering why they can’t be in the same space given that they were both infected. But Cuomo said it was not yet clear if he had the antibodies that will make him immune or if she could reinfect him at this stage in his own illness.
Cuomo also said he believes coronavirus has been in the U.S. since October. Some have theorized that the virus reached the states last year, but most experts dispute that.
Trevor Bedford, who studies viruses, evolution and immunity at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, said last week it was “empirically not the case” that the virus arrived last year and laid out the data in a thread on Twitter.
See more of Cuomo’s CNN segment below:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-04-16--Chairman of Carnival Corporation Is On Trump's Back-To-Work Council

Trump is a close friend of Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison , whose company was a key sponsor of Trump ’ s “ Apprentice ” reality TV show .
On Tuesday , Arison was named one of the dozens of business , sports and labor leaders on Trump ’ s “ Opening the Country ” council .
Arison is an unusual choice .
Like all major cruise operators , Carnival is incorporated offshore ( in Panama ) and pays almost no federal income taxes .
Its own Security and Exchange Commission filing states that “ substantially all of [ its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income & branch profit taxes.
” Offshore incorporation also allows companies to dodge U.S. safety , health and environmental regulations .
In addition , the cruise industry largely hires foreign crews to duck U.S. pay rates and unions .
( The CEO of cruise company Royal Caribbean — which is incorporated in Liberia — is also on Trump ’ s council . )
The first coronavirus victim to die in California was a man who traveled in February on the Grand Princess , also operated by Carnival .
He was linked to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
Passengers and crew members on a subsequent Grand Princess cruise also tested positive for COVID-19 , and the ship eventually docked in March in Oakland , California .
Trump had wanted the ship to remain at sea because he didn ’ t want the American case “ numbers ” looking bad .
At the insistence of California Gov .
Gavin Newsom , all 2,400 passengers disembarking in Oakland were carefully screened in a secure area in the port so the sick could be treated .
Foreign passengers were sent home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans were quarantined at U.S. military bases .
Carnival ’ s response shouldn ’ t be condemned before “ analyzing what New York did to deal with the crisis , what the vice president ’ s task force did , what the Italians , Chinese , South Koreans , and Japanese did .
We ’ re a small part of the real story , ” he said .
But Cindy Friedman , the epidemiologist who leads the CDC ’ s cruise ship task force , told Bloomberg that several of the Carnival ships @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their voyages until well after executives knew it was risky .
The company ’ s actions created a “ huge strain ” on the country , ” she said .
“ Nobody should be going on cruise ships during this pandemic , full stop , ” Friedman added .
Most cruise lines were carved out of the U.S. business stimulus payouts — even though Trump pushed to provide them with money .
Language added at the last minute limited stimulus payments to cruise companies incorporated in the U.S. with workforces that are more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re working with them very , very strongly , ” Trump said of the cruise and airline industries at a press briefing early in March .
“ We want [ people ] to travel.
” Trump reiterated his wish to help cruise companies in late March , but admitted that it ’ s “ very tough to make a loan to a company when they ’ re based in a different country.
” Instead , a fund controlled by Trump ally Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stepped in to invest in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Saudi Arabia ’ s Public Investment Fund now owns more than 8 % of the company .
It held no stock in the firm at the start of 2020 .
Last month , Trump announced that Carnival had offered some of its ships to be turned into makeshift hospitals .
But experts said it wasn ’ t a feasible plan , with one telling The New York Times that he viewed it as a “ gimmick ” to justify economic relief .

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The chairman of Carnival Corporation, a cruise operator whose ships continued to undertake risky voyages despite serious COVID-19 outbreaks aboard, is on President Donald Trump’s back-to-work advisory council.
Trump is a close friend of Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison, whose company was a key sponsor of Trump’s “Apprentice” reality TV show. On Tuesday, Arison was named one of the dozens of business, sports and labor leaders on Trump’s “Opening the Country” council.
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Arison is an unusual choice. Like all major cruise operators, Carnival is incorporated offshore (in Panama) and pays almost no federal income taxes. Its own Security and Exchange Commission filing states that “substantially all of [its] income is exempt from US federal income & branch profit taxes.”
TRUMP'S TASK FORCE on re-opening the economy includes MICKY ARISON, chair of @CarnivalCruise, which is incorporated offshore.
CARNIVAL notes on its SEC filings that "substantially all of [its] income is exempt from US federal income & branch profit taxes" https://t.co/spetx745QF pic.twitter.com/StAE4pbVck — Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) April 15, 2020
Offshore incorporation also allows companies to dodge U.S. safety, health and environmental regulations. In addition, the cruise industry largely hires foreign crews to duck U.S. pay rates and unions. (The CEO of cruise company Royal Caribbean — which is incorporated in Liberia — is also on Trump’s council.)
Carnival has operated some of the most notoriously contagious ships during the coronavirus crisis.
In a scathing report Thursday, Bloomberg noted that nine of the company’s ships have been virus hotspots, with at least 1,500 infections and 39 deaths.
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The Carnival ship Diamond Princess, quarantined off Japan in February, had the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases at that time after China.
The first coronavirus victim to die in California was a man who traveled in February on the Grand Princess, also operated by Carnival. He was linked to the first major outbreak of the disease in the state.
Passengers and crew members on a subsequent Grand Princess cruise also tested positive for COVID-19, and the ship eventually docked in March in Oakland, California. Trump had wanted the ship to remain at sea because he didn’t want the American case “numbers” looking bad.
At the insistence of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, all 2,400 passengers disembarking in Oakland were carefully screened in a secure area in the port so the sick could be treated. Foreign passengers were sent home on chartered flights, and hundreds of Americans were quarantined at U.S. military bases.
Carnival CEO Arnold Donald told Bloomberg his company’s response to the coronavirus outbreak was reasonable because the risk was difficult to foresee. “This is a generational global event — it’s unprecedented,” he said.
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Carnival’s response shouldn’t be condemned before “analyzing what New York did to deal with the crisis, what the vice president’s task force did, what the Italians, Chinese, South Koreans, and Japanese did. We’re a small part of the real story,” he said.
But Cindy Friedman, the epidemiologist who leads the CDC’s cruise ship task force, told Bloomberg that several of the Carnival ships with sickened passengers didn’t begin their voyages until well after executives knew it was risky. The company’s actions created a “huge strain” on the country,” she said. “Nobody should be going on cruise ships during this pandemic, full stop,” Friedman added.
Most cruise lines were carved out of the U.S. business stimulus payouts — even though Trump pushed to provide them with money. Language added at the last minute limited stimulus payments to cruise companies incorporated in the U.S. with workforces that are more than 50% American.
“We’re working with them very, very strongly,” Trump said of the cruise and airline industries at a press briefing early in March. “We want [people] to travel.”
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Trump reiterated his wish to help cruise companies in late March, but admitted that it’s “very tough to make a loan to a company when they’re based in a different country.”
Instead, a fund controlled by Trump ally Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stepped in to invest in Carnival. A filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund now owns more than 8% of the company. It held no stock in the firm at the start of 2020.
Carnival has suspended its operations through June 26. But some 3,200 passengers and crew members are still at sea, Bloomberg reported.
Important update regarding all North America sailings through June 26, 2020. pic.twitter.com/Y5UUHLkVFo — Carnival Cruise Line (@CarnivalCruise) April 13, 2020
Last month, Trump announced that Carnival had offered some of its ships to be turned into makeshift hospitals. But experts said it wasn’t a feasible plan, with one telling The New York Times that he viewed it as a “gimmick” to justify economic relief.