bonginoreport--2020-05-25--Primary Care Practices Are Being Pushed to the Brink

Dr. Rafael Guillen spends a lot of time on the phone these days .
His practice in the Bronx closed its doors in mid-March to protect staff and patients as the coronavirus pandemic escalated in New York City .
He calls patients with the virus morning and night to monitor their condition , about 60 people so far .
Guillen 's small internal medicine practice has struggled not only to keep up with the virus , but also to make ends meet financially .
Many primary-care practices were already operating on tight budgets , and the pandemic now threatens to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely .
Guillen said revenue at his practice is down about 50 % from March through May compared with last year as his patient volume has fallen during the pandemic .
Many people are simply avoiding the doctor because they fear catching Covid-19 if they need treatment at a hospital , Guillen said .
Insurers in the U.S. primarily pay physician practices by office visit — fewer appointments means dwindling revenue .
His transition to telemedicine has n't been able to make up for the shortfall .
If a swath of primary-care physicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be left poorly equipped to contain a second coronavirus outbreak that could come in the fall , which would coincide with flu season .
Shrinking and disappearing doctors ' offices could lead to future epidemics as sick patients go untreated and children do not receive important vaccines .
Guillen warns of a looming mental health crisis as isolated patients express feelings of helplessness , anxiety and despair .
And as millions of Americans have lost their jobs due to the pandemic , many no longer have health insurance .
Guillen is seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their insurance , but he said others are simply avoiding the doctor right now .
In New York , many are likely eligible for coverage through Medicaid but it 's not automatic — you have to apply .
`` I 'm not going to stop seeing a patient because they do n't have insurance , '' Guillen said , but the cost weighs on his practice .
`` Before the pandemic we were in trouble , and what this pandemic has exposed is everything that was deficient , '' he said .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their main point of entry to the health-care system .
In 2016 , primary-care doctors fielded more than 480 million patient visits , or 54 % of all visits to doctors ' offices in the country , according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Primary care includes pediatricians , who treat children ; internal medicine doctors , who treat adults ; family physicians , who cover all age ranges ; and gynecologists , who specialize in women 's reproductive health .
Though primary-care doctors play a huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive a small portion of the overall spending .
From 2002 to 2016 , primary-care physicians received less than 7 % of health-care expenditures in the U.S. , according to one recent study in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine .
Guillen said that his overhead costs have continued to increase at his practice over the years , but his revenue was n't keeping pace even before the pandemic .
`` The cost of living has increased tremendously , but our profit has remained the same , '' Guillen said .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are so many things to pay for and all of that has increased except your revenue .
I 'm not interested in money , but the bottom line is , to keep my office open , I need money . ''
The federal government created a $ 175 billion relief fund to support health-care providers facing financial strain due to the pandemic , and $ 30 billion was automatically sent to providers based on 2019 Medicare payments .
However , Guillen 's practice received just $ 397 because he does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a database of recipients maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services .
Much of the relief money went to larger hospital networks .
No dedicated funding has been set aside for primary-care physicians , many of whom work in small practices in underserved areas .
The Bronx , where Guillen practices medicine with a staff of just three , is one of the hardest-hit boroughs in New York City , which itself has the highest coronavirus caseload of any city in the U.S. More than 44,000 people have tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 3,492 people have died , according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene .
The Bronx has the highest rate of positive tests in the city at 34 % nearly double the city average , according to antibody tests conducted by Northwell Health .
Guillen said there are hot spots in the Bronx where transmission of the virus is increasing even as much of New York City has passed the peak of infection .
Many residents in the Bronx , particularly people of color , lacked insurance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care before the pandemic , Guillen said .
The borough has the highest rate of poverty in the city and the worst health outcomes in New York state , with high rates of so-called morbidities that make patients more likely to die from the virus , including asthma and diabetes .
With little in the way of direct federal support , doctors like Guillen are applying for small business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program , which means they 're competing with other businesses — from restaurants to independent contractors to publicly traded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was approved and he got funded earlier this month , but he said the loan is only enough to cover costs for about four weeks .
The financial outlook at his practice remains `` dicey , '' Guillen said , because even when his doors reopen , patient volume will remain lower than normal as he implements social distancing measures in his waiting room .
It 's not just doctors ' offices in New York , the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the U.S. , that are experiencing financial hardship .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about their financial future over the next four weeks , and 42 % have either laid off or furloughed staff , according to a survey of 2,700 practices across the U.S. by the nonprofit Primary Care Collaborative and Larry A .
Green Center .
In addition , 13 % predict closure within the next month .
Dr. Conrad L. Flick said the independent clinic where he practices medicine in Raleigh , North Carolina , saw a sudden 70 % drop in patient volume from one week to another in late March as people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sheltered in place .
His clinic , Family Medical Associates of Raleigh , is a small practice with five physicians and five nurse practitioners on staff .
`` We 're a small business and our profit margin is 3 % or 4 % , '' Flick said .
`` It does not take a lot of business sense to know when the volume of patients is down 70 % , you 're in trouble . ''
Even with fewer patients , Family Medical Associates had to rapidly adapt to protect its staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in .
They converted part of the building that had been used as a weight loss clinic into a dedicated area for examining patients who were displaying Covid-19 symptoms .
The clinic also installed plexiglass screens in the check-in and check-out areas .
But as demand for testing soared , the practice decided it was safer to see potential coronavirus patients in their cars in the parking lot .
The staff 's personal protective equipment — N95 masks and gowns , in particular — started to run low .
And in a matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nasal swab tests from LabCorp was on the verge of running out .
They decided to reserve what was left to test staff members in case they show symptoms .
A handful of Flick 's patients have tested positive for the coronavirus , and two were so sick they had to stay in the hospital for several days for monitoring , he said .
Fortunately , they did not need to be placed on ventilators .
The practice is now referring most patients with symptoms to larger testing centers affiliated with hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medical Associates has sought to compensate for the drop in office visits by rapidly transitioning to telemedicine , but patient volume is still down overall by more than 25 % .
Flick and two physicians who own the practice took 45 % pay cuts while the practice 's other two doctors took 25 % pay cuts .
The mortgage has been delayed three months , and the practice came close to laying off a significant number of staff until it got a small business loan through the second round of the Paycheck Protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only buy Family Medical Associates about six weeks of solvency if patient volume drops to its worst low of the crisis again .
Many physicians are concerned about a second coronavirus outbreak in the fall or winter , renewed stay-at-home orders and further financial pressure .
Unlike Guillen 's practice in the Bronx , Flick has more Medicare patients and received about $ 31,000 from the federal government 's relief fund .
That , too , is helping his practice ride out the crisis as they search for ways to adapt to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the practice is tracking how patient volume and revenue are shifting .
`` We are likely going to have to dramatically change our business model , '' Flick said , `` because I do n't think number of patients we used to see will come through our doors soon . ''
'Telehealth is not going to be enough' As the pandemic transforms primary care , there 's concern that future public health crises are looming .
Many patients with chronic illnesses are sheltering in place , and treating them through telemedicine can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from several conditions , said Dr. Robert Phillips of the American Board of Family Medicine .
`` Those folks are going to come out of hiding sick and needing help , and telehealth is not going to be enough , '' Phillips said , `` and if their practice is gone , we 're going to see a lot more people die — not of Covid but of the effects of this . ''
It 's not only hard to treat patients with chronic illnesses through telemedicine , but from a revenue perspective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much as office visits .
Medicare has agreed to cover telemedicine generally at the same level as office visits for the duration of the national emergency , but it 's unclear if those changes will become permanent .
Commercial insurers and state-based Medicaid have a range of different policies on the issue .
Patients with chronic conditions that ca n't be addressed through telemedicine are often forgoing treatment because they fear catching the virus while visiting their health-care provider .
Phillips recently urged an 82-year-old patient with a severe thyroid problem to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused .
`` They 're terrified , '' he said .
Phillips practices medicine at a clinic in northern Virginia that 's part of a group called Fairfax Family Practice Centers , which has 12 primary-care offices and 500 employees .
The pandemic drove patient volume down 50 % , which resulted in a 60 % drop in revenue .
In response , the group furloughed 50 people and reduced hours for most other staff by up to 50 % while maintaining their benefits .
Physicians have taken 40 % pay cuts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cuts .
Fairfax Family Practice Centers received about $ 600,000 from the federal government 's relief fund .
Crystal Mayers , senior practice administrator , said the money is `` extremely helpful '' but it 's still only enough to cover one round of payroll for staff at each practice .
The Fairfax group is now entering its 10th week of furloughs and pay cuts .
Vaccines also can not be administered through telemedicine , and there 's growing concern about outbreaks of infectious diseases other than the coronavirus .
In hard-hit New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administered to children has dropped 63 % compared with a year ago .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned of possible measles outbreaks after finding that vaccination coverage decreased 70 % in Michigan compared with last year .
`` Primary care in general is in a really precarious state , and I 'm concerned a lot of practices are n't going to make it to the other side , '' said Dr. Christoph Diasio , vice president of the North Carolina Pediatric Society .
`` I 'm worried what that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines for children happens in independent practices . ''
Diasio 's practice , an hour south of Raleigh , cut staff hours after patient volume dropped more than 50 % .
He said applying for a Paycheck Protection loan was chaotic , but the office ultimately got funded .
Diasio 's practice did not receive money from the federal relief fund because , as a pediatrician , he does n't see Medicare patients .
A third of primary care providers reported receiving a PPP loan while a fifth received support from the federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survey from the Larry A .
Green Center .
Guillen , the doctor in the Bronx , expressed frustration with telemedicine .
Not everyone has access to the best technology , and he says it 's more time consuming to take notes as a patient describes symptoms over the phone than examining them face to face .
Isolated and anxious patients often just want to share their feelings about what 's happening with the pandemic rather than talk about the main reason they 're on the phone with the doctor , Guillen said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physicians will be doing is mental health post-Covid , '' he said .
There are growing calls for direct federal intervention that prioritizes primary care , as doctors ' offices are forced to make tough choices to make ends meet financially in the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century .
The American College of Physicians , which represents internal medicine doctors in the U.S. , is calling for the Trump administration and Congress to provide dedicated financial support to struggling primary-care practices , similar to the $ 10 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health and Human Services .
Phillips estimates it would cost less than $ 30 billion to shore up the entire primary-care system in the U.S. through the end of the year .
His research will soon be published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs .
The price tag would be lower if the government takes a targeted approach that helps practices in rural areas or underserved communities , he said .
`` It 's a lot of money , but in terms of the total recovery packages it 's relatively small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of failing to provide direct assistance could prove costlier in the long run .
Rebecca Etz , a health policy expert and co-director of the Larry A .
Green Center , warns that `` primary care really could collapse '' as the pandemic puts pressure on a system that was already suffering from decades of under-investment .
Flick , the doctor in Raleigh , hopes the crisis will give Americans a new appreciation for their family physician .
`` My hope is that this pandemic will show America what the problem is with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reinvest in primary care because they need independent primary care as the first line of defense , '' Flick said .
Guillen , for his part , plans to reopen his practice in the Bronx on Thursday using CDC guidelines , but there are a lot of unknowns .
He is concerned about running out of personal protective equipment , which is expensive , and he 's not sure whether he can get tests in his office or not .
The finances , in many respects , are the least of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I can make enough money just to keep it open that 's fine with me because I 'm a doctor from the heart , '' he said .

Dr Greg Gulbransen performs a medical checkup on a 72-year-old man with Leukemia who is presumed to have the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) while at his pediatric practice in Oyster Bay, New York, U.S., April 13, 2020. Lucas Jackson | Reuters
Dr. Rafael Guillen spends a lot of time on the phone these days. His practice in the Bronx closed its doors in mid-March to protect staff and patients as the coronavirus pandemic escalated in New York City. He calls patients with the virus morning and night to monitor their condition, about 60 people so far.
Guillen's small internal medicine practice has struggled not only to keep up with the virus, but also to make ends meet financially. Many primary-care practices were already operating on tight budgets, and the pandemic now threatens to push some of them out of business entirely. Guillen said revenue at his practice is down about 50% from March through May compared with last year as his patient volume has fallen during the pandemic. Many people are simply avoiding the doctor because they fear catching Covid-19 if they need treatment at a hospital, Guillen said. Insurers in the U.S. primarily pay physician practices by office visit — fewer appointments means dwindling revenue. His transition to telemedicine hasn't been able to make up for the shortfall. If a swath of primary-care physicians close their doors for good, communities would be left poorly equipped to contain a second coronavirus outbreak that could come in the fall, which would coincide with flu season. Shrinking and disappearing doctors' offices could lead to future epidemics as sick patients go untreated and children do not receive important vaccines. Guillen warns of a looming mental health crisis as isolated patients express feelings of helplessness, anxiety and despair. And as millions of Americans have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, many no longer have health insurance. Guillen is seeing a number of patients who have lost their insurance, but he said others are simply avoiding the doctor right now. In New York, many are likely eligible for coverage through Medicaid but it's not automatic — you have to apply. "I'm not going to stop seeing a patient because they don't have insurance," Guillen said, but the cost weighs on his practice. "Before the pandemic we were in trouble, and what this pandemic has exposed is everything that was deficient," he said.
'Small practices barely make it'
For many Americans, the family doctor is their main point of entry to the health-care system. In 2016, primary-care doctors fielded more than 480 million patient visits, or 54% of all visits to doctors' offices in the country, according to a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Primary care includes pediatricians, who treat children; internal medicine doctors, who treat adults; family physicians, who cover all age ranges; and gynecologists, who specialize in women's reproductive health.
Though primary-care doctors play a huge role in the overall system, they receive a small portion of the overall spending. From 2002 to 2016, primary-care physicians received less than 7% of health-care expenditures in the U.S., according to one recent study in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Guillen said that his overhead costs have continued to increase at his practice over the years, but his revenue wasn't keeping pace even before the pandemic. "The cost of living has increased tremendously, but our profit has remained the same," Guillen said. "There are small practices that barely make it. There are so many things to pay for and all of that has increased except your revenue. I'm not interested in money, but the bottom line is, to keep my office open, I need money."
Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards
The federal government created a $175 billion relief fund to support health-care providers facing financial strain due to the pandemic, and $30 billion was automatically sent to providers based on 2019 Medicare payments. However, Guillen's practice received just $397 because he doesn't have many Medicare patients, according to a database of recipients maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services. Much of the relief money went to larger hospital networks. No dedicated funding has been set aside for primary-care physicians, many of whom work in small practices in underserved areas. The Bronx, where Guillen practices medicine with a staff of just three, is one of the hardest-hit boroughs in New York City, which itself has the highest coronavirus caseload of any city in the U.S. More than 44,000 people have tested positive for the virus in the Bronx and at least 3,492 people have died, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The Bronx has the highest rate of positive tests in the city at 34% nearly double the city average, according to antibody tests conducted by Northwell Health. Guillen said there are hot spots in the Bronx where transmission of the virus is increasing even as much of New York City has passed the peak of infection. Many residents in the Bronx, particularly people of color, lacked insurance and did not have adequate access to health care before the pandemic, Guillen said. The borough has the highest rate of poverty in the city and the worst health outcomes in New York state, with high rates of so-called morbidities that make patients more likely to die from the virus, including asthma and diabetes. With little in the way of direct federal support, doctors like Guillen are applying for small business loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, which means they're competing with other businesses — from restaurants to independent contractors to publicly traded companies for money. Guillen's application was approved and he got funded earlier this month, but he said the loan is only enough to cover costs for about four weeks.
The financial outlook at his practice remains "dicey," Guillen said, because even when his doors reopen, patient volume will remain lower than normal as he implements social distancing measures in his waiting room.
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'Dramatically change our business model'
It's not just doctors' offices in New York, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in the U.S., that are experiencing financial hardship. Some 51% of primary-care providers are uncertain about their financial future over the next four weeks, and 42% have either laid off or furloughed staff, according to a survey of 2,700 practices across the U.S. by the nonprofit Primary Care Collaborative and Larry A. Green Center. In addition, 13% predict closure within the next month.
Dr. Conrad L. Flick said the independent clinic where he practices medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina, saw a sudden 70% drop in patient volume from one week to another in late March as people grew fearful of going to the doctor and sheltered in place. His clinic, Family Medical Associates of Raleigh, is a small practice with five physicians and five nurse practitioners on staff. "We're a small business and our profit margin is 3% or 4%," Flick said. "It does not take a lot of business sense to know when the volume of patients is down 70%, you're in trouble."
Even with fewer patients, Family Medical Associates had to rapidly adapt to protect its staff and the people who were still coming in. They converted part of the building that had been used as a weight loss clinic into a dedicated area for examining patients who were displaying Covid-19 symptoms. The clinic also installed plexiglass screens in the check-in and check-out areas. But as demand for testing soared, the practice decided it was safer to see potential coronavirus patients in their cars in the parking lot. The staff's personal protective equipment — N95 masks and gowns, in particular — started to run low. And in a matter of days, the practice's inventory of nasal swab tests from LabCorp was on the verge of running out. They decided to reserve what was left to test staff members in case they show symptoms.
Dr. Conrad Flick and nurse practitioner Ryan Johnston at Family Medical Associates in Raleigh, North Carolina. Independent primary-care clinics have been hit hard by the pandemic. Source: Family Medical Associates
A handful of Flick's patients have tested positive for the coronavirus, and two were so sick they had to stay in the hospital for several days for monitoring, he said. Fortunately, they did not need to be placed on ventilators. The practice is now referring most patients with symptoms to larger testing centers affiliated with hospitals. In difficult financial straits, Family Medical Associates has sought to compensate for the drop in office visits by rapidly transitioning to telemedicine, but patient volume is still down overall by more than 25%. Flick and two physicians who own the practice took 45% pay cuts while the practice's other two doctors took 25% pay cuts. The mortgage has been delayed three months, and the practice came close to laying off a significant number of staff until it got a small business loan through the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program. Flick said the loan would only buy Family Medical Associates about six weeks of solvency if patient volume drops to its worst low of the crisis again. Many physicians are concerned about a second coronavirus outbreak in the fall or winter, renewed stay-at-home orders and further financial pressure. Unlike Guillen's practice in the Bronx, Flick has more Medicare patients and received about $31,000 from the federal government's relief fund. That, too, is helping his practice ride out the crisis as they search for ways to adapt to an uncertain post-pandemic reality. For now, the practice is tracking how patient volume and revenue are shifting. "We are likely going to have to dramatically change our business model," Flick said, "because I don't think number of patients we used to see will come through our doors soon."
watch now
'Telehealth is not going to be enough'
As the pandemic transforms primary care, there's concern that future public health crises are looming. Many patients with chronic illnesses are sheltering in place, and treating them through telemedicine can be difficult, particularly when they are suffering from several conditions, said Dr. Robert Phillips of the American Board of Family Medicine.
"Those folks are going to come out of hiding sick and needing help, and telehealth is not going to be enough," Phillips said, "and if their practice is gone, we're going to see a lot more people die — not of Covid but of the effects of this." It's not only hard to treat patients with chronic illnesses through telemedicine, but from a revenue perspective, it traditionally doesn't pay as much as office visits. Medicare has agreed to cover telemedicine generally at the same level as office visits for the duration of the national emergency, but it's unclear if those changes will become permanent. Commercial insurers and state-based Medicaid have a range of different policies on the issue. Patients with chronic conditions that can't be addressed through telemedicine are often forgoing treatment because they fear catching the virus while visiting their health-care provider. Phillips recently urged an 82-year-old patient with a severe thyroid problem to go to the hospital, but the patient refused. "They're terrified," he said. Phillips practices medicine at a clinic in northern Virginia that's part of a group called Fairfax Family Practice Centers, which has 12 primary-care offices and 500 employees. The pandemic drove patient volume down 50%, which resulted in a 60% drop in revenue. In response, the group furloughed 50 people and reduced hours for most other staff by up to 50% while maintaining their benefits. Physicians have taken 40% pay cuts and nurse practitioners have taken 20% pay cuts. Fairfax Family Practice Centers received about $600,000 from the federal government's relief fund. Crystal Mayers, senior practice administrator, said the money is "extremely helpful" but it's still only enough to cover one round of payroll for staff at each practice. The Fairfax group is now entering its 10th week of furloughs and pay cuts.
Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards
Vaccines also cannot be administered through telemedicine, and there's growing concern about outbreaks of infectious diseases other than the coronavirus. In hard-hit New York City, the number of vaccines administered to children has dropped 63% compared with a year ago. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned of possible measles outbreaks after finding that vaccination coverage decreased 70% in Michigan compared with last year. "Primary care in general is in a really precarious state, and I'm concerned a lot of practices aren't going to make it to the other side," said Dr. Christoph Diasio, vice president of the North Carolina Pediatric Society. "I'm worried what that means for children because the bulk of vaccines for children happens in independent practices." Diasio's practice, an hour south of Raleigh, cut staff hours after patient volume dropped more than 50%. He said applying for a Paycheck Protection loan was chaotic, but the office ultimately got funded. Diasio's practice did not receive money from the federal relief fund because, as a pediatrician, he doesn't see Medicare patients. A third of primary care providers reported receiving a PPP loan while a fifth received support from the federal relief fund, according to the recent survey from the Larry A. Green Center. Guillen, the doctor in the Bronx, expressed frustration with telemedicine. Not everyone has access to the best technology, and he says it's more time consuming to take notes as a patient describes symptoms over the phone than examining them face to face. Isolated and anxious patients often just want to share their feelings about what's happening with the pandemic rather than talk about the main reason they're on the phone with the doctor, Guillen said. "The most important thing that physicians will be doing is mental health post-Covid," he said.
watch now
'Primary care really could collapse'


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Israel Rejects Partnership With China Following Pressure From U.S.

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Israel has selected local company IDE Technologies, rather than a Chinese firm, to construct the world’s largest desalination plant, the government announced Tuesday. The decision avoids another undesirable showdown with the Trump administration over Chinese participation in major infrastructure projects.
Three groups bid to build Sorek 2, a private-public partnership (PPP) that will be the world’s largest reverse-osmosis seawater desalination plant when completed in 2023. Among them was Israeli Hutchison Company, an affiliate of Hong Kong-based Hutchison Company.
The US has asked its allies, including Israel, in recent weeks to sever ties with China – Israel’s third-largest trading partner – in areas with security risks, a US official with knowledge of talks on the matter said last week.
In the same vein, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman chose Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel as the first minister in the new government with whom he held a meeting, along with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Zvi Hauser, the other member of the Derech Eretz faction.
Sources in Derech Eretz confirmed that the matter of 5G and Chinese technological investments in Israel came up in the meeting. Friedman invited Hendel to Washington to meet with government officials in his field and deepen cooperation between the countries on communication technologies.
The US has argued that Chinese companies will use their involvement in building 5G networks for espionage or possibly sabotage of communications infrastructure. Earlier this year, US Attorney-General William Barr said Chinese dominance in this sphere would be a “monumental danger” because of its use for spying, adding that America’s “economic future is at stake.”
Regarding Sorek 2, the Trump administration specifically flagged Hutchison’s possible involvement in the construction of the desalination plant, which will be in Kibbutz Palmahim and cost more than NIS 5 billion. In addition to being an important infrastructure project for Israel, the plant is near the Sorek Nuclear Center and the Palmahim airbase.
US concern about Chinese companies’ involvement in major infrastructure projects in Israel in recent years is partly due to the ability of Chinese operatives to gather intelligence while working on them, as well as the massive economic, social and environmental losses, and even casualties, which could be inflicted if that infrastructure is damaged.
The official statement from the Finance, Energy and Water Resources ministries does not mention Hutchison or China. It simply states that Kadima-headquartered IDE Technologies, which partnered with Bank Leumi, submitted the winning PPP bid, promising desalinated water at the cost of approximately NIS 1.45 per cubic meter, about 65 agorot cheaper than existing desalination solutions in Israel today.
The reduced cost is expected to save households a total of NIS 3.3b. ($940m.) during the lifetime of the plant, which is expected to produce 200 million cu.m. of potable water per year, increasing the country’s annual desalinated-water production by 35% to 785 million cu.m., approximately 85% of Israel’s household and municipal water needs.
The project will be financed by an international consortium, including Bank Leumi, German state-owned KfW and a €150m. ($165m.) loan from the European Investment Bank.
IDE Technologies, a subsidiary of Alpha Water Partnership, was formerly the sole owner of the Sorek A facility. It sold its shares in February 2019 to bid for the latest desalination project.
In mid-2019, a committee headed by Energy Ministry director-general Udi Adiri discovered “systematic and continuous deviations” in the concentration of chloride in water produced by the facility over a period of more than two years.
“About two years ago, I passed a revolutionary government program to deal with future periods of drought, during which I decided to double desalination targets by 2030,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said. “The desalination plant being initiated today, which will be the largest of its kind worldwide, is the result of the implementation of this program, and together with the desalination facility in the Western Galilee... the state of the Israeli water market and its readiness for the future are excellent.”


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Twitter Removes Reporters’ “Verified” Status for Reporting on Obamagate

Twitter appears to have removed its blue “ verified ” checkmark from a number of users on the platform over the past few days , a purge that included Rudy Takala , a journalist for Mediaite who reported on former President Obama ’ s abuse of government surveillance powers .
Takala reported that Twitter removed his “ verified status ” an hour after he tweeted out his column about the Obama spying allegations .
“ I tweeted this column about the Obama administration spying on journalists at 5:47 Thursday , ” said Takala .
“ Around an hour later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mediaite column was a report on recent statements made by investigative journalist Sharyl Atkisson .
Atkisson , formerly of CBS , alleges that her computer was spied upon by the Obama justice department in 2013 and 2014 .
She has been fighting a long-running legal battle with the Justice Department over the allegations , and recently moved to reopen the recently-dismissed case after a whistleblower provided new information , implicating Rod Rosenstein .
It seems that other users on Twitter have also been deverified in recent days .
Podcast host Josh Lekach reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after posting an interview with Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer , who is running in the GOP primary for FL-21 .
Loomer has filed lawsuits against Twitter as well as other major tech companies over politically biased censorship .
“ I interviewed Laura Loomer yesterday , and today my Twitter verification badge is gone , ” said Lekach .
Conservative app developer Doriano Carta , previously a writer for Mashable and GigaOm , reported that his verified badge had also disappeared .
It is unclear how many others have been deverified , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any public statements on the matter , and has yet to respond to Breitbart News ’ request for comment .
Are you an insider at Google , Reddit , Facebook , Twitter , or any other tech company who wants to confidentially reveal wrongdoing or political bias at your company ?
Reach out to Allum Bokhari at his secure email address allumbokhari @ protonmail.com .
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News .

Twitter appears to have removed its blue “verified” checkmark from a number of users on the platform over the past few days, a purge that included Rudy Takala, a journalist for Mediaite who reported on former President Obama’s abuse of government surveillance powers.
Takala reported that Twitter removed his “verified status” an hour after he tweeted out his column about the Obama spying allegations.
“I tweeted this column about the Obama administration spying on journalists at 5:47 Thursday,” said Takala. “Around an hour later, my verification badge magically disappeared.”
The Mediaite column was a report on recent statements made by investigative journalist Sharyl Atkisson. Atkisson, formerly of CBS, alleges that her computer was spied upon by the Obama justice department in 2013 and 2014. She has been fighting a long-running legal battle with the Justice Department over the allegations, and recently moved to reopen the recently-dismissed case after a whistleblower provided new information, implicating Rod Rosenstein.
It seems that other users on Twitter have also been deverified in recent days. Podcast host Josh Lekach reported that he lost his verified badge shortly after posting an interview with Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer, who is running in the GOP primary for FL-21.
Loomer has filed lawsuits against Twitter as well as other major tech companies over politically biased censorship.
“I interviewed Laura Loomer yesterday, and today my Twitter verification badge is gone,” said Lekach.
I interviewed Laura Loomer yesterday, and today my Twitter verification badge is gone. — 🌴 Josh Lekach 🌴 (@joshlecash) May 23, 2020
Listen to my podcast episode with Laura on my Patreon for free, and please subscribe. https://t.co/7tXmZ35tbC — 🌴 Josh Lekach 🌴 (@joshlecash) May 23, 2020
Conservative app developer Doriano Carta, previously a writer for Mashable and GigaOm, reported that his verified badge had also disappeared.
It is unclear how many others have been deverified, or why. Twitter has yet to release any public statements on the matter, and has yet to respond to Breitbart News’ request for comment.
Are you an insider at Google, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or any other tech company who wants to confidentially reveal wrongdoing or political bias at your company? Reach out to Allum Bokhari at his secure email address allumbokhari@protonmail.com.
Allum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News.


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Ilhan Omar Says She Believes Tara Reade’s Allegations (but Will Vote for Biden Anyway)

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar says she believes the sexual assault allegations make against her party ’ s presidential nominee , Joe Biden , by a former Biden Senate staffer and suggests that she wouldn ’ t have made him the top Democratic candidate .
The former staffer , Tara Reade , alleged in March that Biden sexually assaulted her in a Capitol Hill corridor in 1993 .
“ I do believe Reade , ” Omar told the British Sunday Times .
“ Justice can be delayed but should never be denied.
” Omar , a Minnesota congresswoman , has since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most outspoken anti-establishment House Democrats , along with such fellow “ Squad ” members as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
They each supported fellow progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders over Biden in their 2020 race to win the Democratic nomination .
Omar replied when asked by the Sunday Times whether Biden should be the nominee : `` If considerations were something I had influence over , just candidly here , we 'd probably have a different candidate . ''
After the story was published Sunday , Omar suggested her quotes were taken out of context @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Biden , over President Trump .
The Biden campaign immediately denied the Reade allegation , but Biden did not directly address it until a few weeks ago .
The so-called “ liberal media ” was also slow to address the issue , sparking criticism about a double standard in the # Metoo Movement when perhaps a favorite is accused .
However , the story now has broad national attention , most recently with Reade ’ s academic records being called into question and her attorney having resigned from the case late last @ @

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar says she believes the sexual assault allegations make against her party’s presidential nominee, Joe Biden, by a former Biden Senate staffer and suggests that she wouldn’t have made him the top Democratic candidate.
The former staffer, Tara Reade, alleged in March that Biden sexually assaulted her in a Capitol Hill corridor in 1993.
“I do believe Reade,” Omar told the British Sunday Times. “Justice can be delayed but should never be denied.”
Omar, a Minnesota congresswoman, has since being elected in 2018 been among the most outspoken anti-establishment House Democrats, along with such fellow “Squad” members as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They each supported fellow progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders over Biden in their 2020 race to win the Democratic nomination.
Omar replied when asked by the Sunday Times whether Biden should be the nominee: "If considerations were something I had influence over, just candidly here, we'd probably have a different candidate."
After the story was published Sunday, Omar suggested her quotes were taken out of context but nevertheless said she’ll vote for Biden, over President Trump.
The Biden campaign immediately denied the Reade allegation, but Biden did not directly address it until a few weeks ago. The so-called “liberal media” was also slow to address the issue, sparking criticism about a double standard in the #Metoo Movement when perhaps a favorite is accused.
However, the story now has broad national attention, most recently with Reade’s academic records being called into question and her attorney having resigned from the case late last week.


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Chinese Embassy in France Tweets Image Portraying U.S. and Israel as the Grim Reaper

The Chinese embassy in France on Sunday tweeted , and then quickly deleted , an anti-Semitic image portraying the United States and Israel as the grim reaper knocking on Hong Kong 's door .
The image , which has been circulating online among anti-Semites for some time , depicts the United States as the grim reaper holding a scythe with Israel 's flag .
Countries such as Syria , Venezuela , Libya , and Iraq are portrayed as places where America and Israel have caused death and destruction .
The picture reads , `` Who 's next ? ''
in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a door with Hong Kong written on it .
China has been ramping up its anti-U.S. rhetoric as it cracks down on democratic protesters in Hong Kong .
A new national security law forwarded by Beijing would significantly expand the country 's spy apparatus and specifically target protesters who have taken to the streets .
China 's embassy in France released a statement on its website claiming its Twitter feed was hacked .
The country said it is a victim of `` fake news . ''
The statement did not identify anyone or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet .
The distribution of anti-Semitic images , like those posted by China 's embassy , runs afoul of French laws .
`` The Chinese Embassy in France has found that yesterday , someone used the Embassy 's official Twitter account to post a picture captioned ‘ Qui est le prochain ? '
[ who is next ? ]
, '' read the Chinese-language statement .
`` We hereby solemnly declare : That picture violates French law and we strongly condemn such activity that damages the reputation of the Chinese embassy , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our embassy 's duty is to comprehensively , accurately , and objectively introduce China and promote friendship between the China and France . ''
Emily Bruyere , a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies , told the Washington Free Beacon that China 's anti-Semitic rhetoric has become increasingly frequent .
`` The fake news story , that the tweet was an accident , obscures the real , non-accidental sentiment that it conveyed — a militancy quickly deleted in cases like this ; widespread in discourse in China , '' Bruyere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begins to get at this .
One beat farther , it ’ s not unusual for Chinese sources to talk about the US-China contest as a zero-sum battle .
So while this may have been an accident , we should also be awake to an increasingly aggressive rhetoric in China and the sentiment it reflects . ''
An email to the Chinese embassy seeking further comment was not immediately returned .

The Chinese embassy in France on Sunday tweeted, and then quickly deleted, an anti-Semitic image portraying the United States and Israel as the grim reaper knocking on Hong Kong's door.
The image, which has been circulating online among anti-Semites for some time, depicts the United States as the grim reaper holding a scythe with Israel's flag. Countries such as Syria, Venezuela, Libya, and Iraq are portrayed as places where America and Israel have caused death and destruction. The picture reads, "Who's next?" in French, with the grim reaper approaching a door with Hong Kong written on it.
China has been ramping up its anti-U.S. rhetoric as it cracks down on democratic protesters in Hong Kong. A new national security law forwarded by Beijing would significantly expand the country's spy apparatus and specifically target protesters who have taken to the streets.
China's embassy in France released a statement on its website claiming its Twitter feed was hacked. The country said it is a victim of "fake news." The statement did not identify anyone or group the country suspects of posting the tweet.
The distribution of anti-Semitic images, like those posted by China's embassy, runs afoul of French laws.
"The Chinese Embassy in France has found that yesterday, someone used the Embassy's official Twitter account to post a picture captioned 'Qui est le prochain?' [who is next?]," read the Chinese-language statement.
"We hereby solemnly declare: That picture violates French law and we strongly condemn such activity that damages the reputation of the Chinese embassy," according to the Chinese embassy. "Our embassy's duty is to comprehensively, accurately, and objectively introduce China and promote friendship between the China and France."
Emily Bruyere, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Free Beacon that China's anti-Semitic rhetoric has become increasingly frequent.
"The fake news story, that the tweet was an accident, obscures the real, non-accidental sentiment that it conveyed — a militancy quickly deleted in cases like this; widespread in discourse in China," Bruyere said. "The wolf warrior conversation begins to get at this. One beat farther, it’s not unusual for Chinese sources to talk about the US-China contest as a zero-sum battle. So while this may have been an accident, we should also be awake to an increasingly aggressive rhetoric in China and the sentiment it reflects."
An email to the Chinese embassy seeking further comment was not immediately returned.


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Following Italy, Spain Begins Welcoming Back Tourists

As the summer months approach , Spain is welcoming back its tourists after months of battling the coronavirus pandemic .
After becoming one of Europe ’ s focal points of the outbreak , Spain has been gradually reopening its businesses , and is encouraging its foreign tourists to return to the country in July , when the country will no longer require overseas visitors to self-quarantine for two weeks upon entry , according to Reuters .
“ The worst is behind us , ” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya tweeted with emojis of a bikini , sunglasses and a suitcase @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destination in the world , drawing nearly 80 million people a year with its tourism industry .
Beginning July 1 , tourists can resume their vacations in the country as quarantines have also been lifted .
“ In July we will gradually open Spain to international tourists , lift the quarantine , ensure the highest standards of health safety .
We look forward 2 welcoming you !
” Laya ’ s tweet continues .
Spain ’ s tourism industry took a significant hit when the country imposed its lockdown as the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has received $ 6.4 billion in state-backed credit , according to data from state credit agency ICO , Reuters reported .
The tourism industry accounts for over 12 % of the country ’ s gross domestic product and an even larger share of jobs .
Spain is among the European countries that have gradually reopened businesses .
Nearly 40 % of the country ’ s restaurants , bars and museums were given the greenlight to reopen as of May 11 .
Beaches in parts of the country were also allowed to reopen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country were also eased as the country ’ s coronavirus deaths dropped to a seven-week low .
( RELATED : Spain Reopens Cafes As Coronavirus Deaths Drop To Seven-Week Low ) The pandemic caused 28,752 deaths and 235,772 cases within the Spain , but fatalities have continued to drop to fewer than 100 for the last week , according to Reuters .
Italy , which was Europe ’ s epicenter of the outbreak , reopened restaurants , salons , and shops May 18 .
People were seen returning to the nation ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fewer than 100 deaths due to the virus in a 24 hour period , officials announced May 19 .
Austria and Greece have also reopened businesses .

As the summer months approach, Spain is welcoming back its tourists after months of battling the coronavirus pandemic.
After becoming one of Europe’s focal points of the outbreak, Spain has been gradually reopening its businesses, and is encouraging its foreign tourists to return to the country in July, when the country will no longer require overseas visitors to self-quarantine for two weeks upon entry, according to Reuters.
“The worst is behind us,” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya tweeted with emojis of a bikini, sunglasses and a suitcase.
The worst is behind us. In JULY we will ➡ gradually open ???????? to international tourists
➡ lift the quarantine
➡ ensure the highest standards of health safety We look forward 2 welcoming you! ????????????#safety #security #sustainability @MAECgob @mincoturgob @desdelamoncloa — Arancha González (@AranchaGlezLaya) May 25, 2020
Spain is the second most traveled-to destination in the world, drawing nearly 80 million people a year with its tourism industry. Beginning July 1, tourists can resume their vacations in the country as quarantines have also been lifted.
“In July we will gradually open Spain to international tourists, lift the quarantine, ensure the highest standards of health safety. We look forward 2 welcoming you!” Laya’s tweet continues.
Spain’s tourism industry took a significant hit when the country imposed its lockdown as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the country. The industry has received $6.4 billion in state-backed credit, according to data from state credit agency ICO, Reuters reported.
The tourism industry accounts for over 12% of the country’s gross domestic product and an even larger share of jobs.
Spain is among the European countries that have gradually reopened businesses. Nearly 40% of the country’s restaurants, bars and museums were given the greenlight to reopen as of May 11. Beaches in parts of the country were also allowed to reopen.
Restrictions on gatherings and travel within the country were also eased as the country’s coronavirus deaths dropped to a seven-week low. (RELATED: Spain Reopens Cafes As Coronavirus Deaths Drop To Seven-Week Low)
The pandemic caused 28,752 deaths and 235,772 cases within the Spain, but fatalities have continued to drop to fewer than 100 for the last week, according to Reuters.
Italy, which was Europe’s epicenter of the outbreak, reopened restaurants, salons, and shops May 18. People were seen returning to the nation’s most visited museums as officials also recorded fewer than 100 deaths due to the virus in a 24 hour period, officials announced May 19.
Austria and Greece have also reopened businesses.


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Over 1,350 Coronavirus Related Lawsuits Have Now Been Filed

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Sign up here .
At least 1,355 lawsuits related to the novel coronavirus and its impacts have been filed in the United States since the start of the pandemic , according to a law firm tracking the data .
An estimated 405 complaints have been filed in connection with prisoner and detainee conditions , while 244 were civil rights-related , 219 had to do with insurance and 125 were connected with education , according to law firm Hunton Andrews Kerth , which has published the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today was first to report on the lawsuit numbers .
Parts of the nation have been experiencing COVID-19-related shutdowns or closures for as long as two and a half months as some states begin to open up .
And aspects of local government decisions , such as those that classified businesses as being essential versus nonessential , have caused some to complain they ’ ve been stripped of their liberties .
CORONAVIRUS LAWSUIT TAKES ON MCDONALD 'S LIKE IT WAS A ROWDY BAR Some examples , as outlined by USA Today , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members – and guns , which people feel provide them safety .
In March , gun owners and related business owners in a handful of states sued to have firearms retailers deemed “ essential ” so that they would be allowed to remain open despite the shutdowns .
Plaintiffs argued gun store closures violated the Second Amendment and were therefore unconstitutional .
At the end of the month , the Trump administration ruled that gun shops are considered “ essential ” businesses that should remain open .
Similarly , churches around the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling the restrictions unconstitutional and unfair since restaurants , malls and bars were allowed limited reopening .
In-person religious services have been vectors for transmission of the virus .
TRUMP RULES CHURCHES 'ESSENTIAL , ' SAYS THEY CAN REOPEN THIS WEEKEND On Friday , President Trump said he was “ identifying houses of worship — churches , synagogues and mosques — as essential places that provide essential services.
” GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE The COVID-19 lawsuits tracker shows New York tops the list of states with the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday .
California is second , with 184 , followed by Florida , with 116 .
On the other hand , Minnesota has the least , with 24 .
The Associated Press contributed to this report .
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

Get all the latest news on coronavirus and more delivered daily to your inbox. Sign up here.
At least 1,355 lawsuits related to the novel coronavirus and its impacts have been filed in the United States since the start of the pandemic, according to a law firm tracking the data.
An estimated 405 complaints have been filed in connection with prisoner and detainee conditions, while 244 were civil rights-related, 219 had to do with insurance and 125 were connected with education, according to law firm Hunton Andrews Kerth, which has published the classification data on its website. USA Today was first to report on the lawsuit numbers.
Parts of the nation have been experiencing COVID-19-related shutdowns or closures for as long as two and a half months as some states begin to open up. And aspects of local government decisions, such as those that classified businesses as being essential versus nonessential, have caused some to complain they’ve been stripped of their liberties.
CORONAVIRUS LAWSUIT TAKES ON MCDONALD'S LIKE IT WAS A ROWDY BAR
Some examples, as outlined by USA Today, are churches – seen as providing solitude for members – and guns, which people feel provide them safety.
In March, gun owners and related business owners in a handful of states sued to have firearms retailers deemed “essential” so that they would be allowed to remain open despite the shutdowns. Plaintiffs argued gun store closures violated the Second Amendment and were therefore unconstitutional.
CAN GUN STORES OPEN DURING CORONAVIRUS?
At the end of the month, the Trump administration ruled that gun shops are considered “essential” businesses that should remain open.
Similarly, churches around the country filed legal challenges opposing virus closures, calling the restrictions unconstitutional and unfair since restaurants, malls and bars were allowed limited reopening.
In-person religious services have been vectors for transmission of the virus.
TRUMP RULES CHURCHES 'ESSENTIAL,' SAYS THEY CAN REOPEN THIS WEEKEND
On Friday, President Trump said he was “identifying houses of worship — churches, synagogues and mosques — as essential places that provide essential services.”
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The COVID-19 lawsuits tracker shows New York tops the list of states with the most suits filed, with 422 as of Saturday. California is second, with 184, followed by Florida, with 116. On the other hand, Minnesota has the least, with 24.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Michael Flynn’s Judge is Politicizing the Case – Not the Trump Administration

Those condemning the DOJ ’ s decision to drop the charges against Michael Flynn ignore the growing evidence of misconduct by both the FBI and the federal prosecutors .
Not quite two weeks ago , Judge Emmet Sullivan threw open the doors of his federal courtroom to the swamp when he invited third parties to pontificate on the propriety of the Department of Justice ’ s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Michael Flynn .
The next day Sullivan went further : He appointed a former federal judge , John Gleeson , as an amicus curiae , or friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government ’ s motion to dismiss should be denied .
Judge Sullivan ’ s selection of Gleeson as amicus curiae gave away the game .
The same day Sullivan named Gleeson as amicus curiae , an op-ed by Gleeson and two cohorts ran in the Washington Post declaring the government ’ s decision to dismiss the charge against Flynn “ reeks of improper political influence.
” The Washington Post cloaked Gleeson and his co-authors , David O ’ Neil and Marshall Miller , with an aura of impartiality and authority by highlighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice : “ John Gleeson served as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of New York and chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office in that district .
David O ’ Neil served as the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department ’ s Criminal Division and assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York .
Marshall Miller served as the highest-ranking career official in the Criminal Division and as chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , do not tell the whole story .
After stepping down from the federal bench , Gleeson joined the law firm of Debevoise , which as Attorney Ron Coleman noted , represented the “ Resistance heroine Sally Yates.
” Recall that Yates created political hay when , while serving as acting attorney general , she refused to defend President Trump ’ s travel ban and directed her subordinates to do likewise , forcing Trump to fire her .
( Courts later upheld the travel ban ) .
Yates ’ insubordination drew the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ served as Special Counsel ’ s Robert Mueller ’ s “ pit bull.
” “ I am so proud .
And in awe .
Thank you so much .
All my deepest respects , ” Weissmann emailed Yates after learning of her political play .
Weissmann ’ s applauding of Yates ’ political grandstanding was the least of his anti-Trump bias .
As I noted previously , “ We also have Weissmann ’ s financial support of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton through thousands in campaign contributions .
The Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s 2016 election night party in New York City , further raising the specter of an anti-Trump bias at play.
” Since the special counsel ’ s office closed last year , Weissmann hasn ’ t even tried to mask his bias , signing on to serve as a “ legal analyst ” for NBC and MSNBC to assist the left in pushing the Ukraine impeachment hoax .
Then came news last week that Weissmann will headline a “ fireside chat ” fundraiser for Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden .
Weissmann ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden campaign leads one to wonder what he may be doing behind the scenes to support the Democratic challenger .
Might he be suggesting angles or otherwise assisting Gleeson ?
After all , as the Twitter sleuth Techno_Fog pointed out , Gleeson and Weissmann once worked together .
Actually , they did more than merely work together : together they took on the Gambino crime family .
Thomas Gambino ’ s challenge to his criminal conviction revealed this .
In his appeal , Gambino sought a new trial based on the government ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an FBI special agent during questioning of a witness .
As the opinion noted , “ also present at that interview were Assistant United States Attorneys John Gleeson and Andrew Weissmann.
” ( The Gambino court held the government in that case had not wrongly withheld the notes . )
Notwithstanding the many connections between Gleeson and members of the Resistance , and the obvious bias of Weissmann and other former special counsel team members , such as Lisa Page and Peter Strzok , the left and Never Trump right are portraying Mueller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the apolitical arbiters of justice and Sullivan and his hand-selected amicus as defenders of the rule of law .
Attorney General William Barr , to them , is but a political pawn who can not be trusted to oversee the Flynn case .
Yet this thesis ignores the reality that Barr brought in two outside U.S. attorneys to oversee the investigation of the Russia-related targeting of the Trump campaign and administration : Missouri-based U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen and Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham .
While Mueller stacked his team with political hacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suit , there is no similar stench surrounding Jensen or Durham ’ s staffing decisions .
In fact , it was Jensen , not Barr , who initially concluded that the prosecution of Flynn was unwarranted and recommended the criminal charge be dismissed .
Those condemning the DOJ ’ s decision to drop the charge against Flynn likewise ignore the growing evidence of misconduct by both the FBI and the federal prosecutors who handled the Flynn case .
In its motion to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn , the government highlighted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the text messages that revealed that FBI management intercepted the closing memorandum in the Flynn case , holding open the investigation to provide a pretext to question Flynn on January 24 , 2017 , about his conversations with the Russian ambassador .
The government also detailed in its motion to dismiss changes made to the FBI ’ s 302 interview form that , when read in light of the corresponding text messages , establish that FBI attorney Page wordsmithed FBI agent Joe Pientka ’ s interview summary , with Strzok ’ s help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had made false statements to the FBI—the crime for which he was later charged .
And then there are the handwritten notes of now-retired FBI Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Bill Priestap , questioning the department ’ s goal in interviewing Flynn : “ What is our goal ?
Truth/Admission or to get him to lie , so we can prosecute him or get him fired ?
” Rather than express outrage over this government misconduct , the left and Never Trump right decided to spin the DOJ ’ s decision to dismiss the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a tainted attorney general .
One would think , however , that last week ’ s announcement by FBI Director Christopher Wray that the bureau will undertake an “ after-action review ” of the Flynn case should squelch that storyline .
After all , to date , Wray has avoided the press ’ guilt-by-association smear other members of the Trump team have been subjected to .
So the director ’ s decision to evaluate the FBI ’ s role in the Flynn case and assess whether any “ current employees engaged in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It won ’ t , though .
Just as corporate media ignored Weissmann , Page , and Strzok ’ s clear political bias , they will continue to ignore the growing evidence of misconduct and the near-daily revelations of impropriety coming from the Jensen and Durham investigations , as well as from newly declassified material .
Rather than come to terms with the fact that it was President Obama and his team who weaponized the DOJ , Judge Sullivan , by welcoming third-party briefing in the Flynn case , gifted the Resistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theories under the guise of law and order .
Already the anti-Trump Protect Democracy Project has submitted an amicus curiae brief to Judge Sullivan .
That brief rehashes many of the political talking points left-leaning pundits and politicians have been peddling since Trump took office , then argues that in seeking to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn , Trump and Barr have “ flouted ” the principle that the DOJ ’ s investigatory and prosecutorial powers should “ be exercised free from partisan consideration.
” The irony couldn ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the glow of Orange Man Bad reached the retired general ’ s orbit .
But , according to Protect Democracy , it is the Trump administration ’ s DOJ that is playing politics with prosecutions !
Then there ’ s Protect Democracy ’ s ridiculous casting of itself as “ a bipartisan group of former federal prosecutors and former high-ranking supervisory officials in the Department of Justice , ” including “ nonpartisan career ” employees and political appointees of both parties .
The facts tell a different story , as I previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ bipartisan ” group of former prosecutors also leans heavily left , and any “ bipartisanship ” comes from extreme Resistance members claiming Republican status .
In any event , why should Judge Sullivan consider the opinion of some 1,100 former federal prosecutors significant ?
The size of the contingency says nothing of the merits of the DOJ ’ s action , and if size mattered , the total number of signatories is but a sliver of the total number of DOJ attorneys now retired or working elsewhere .
The former prosecutors also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case and their status provides them no claim to moral authority .
In fact , to the contrary , the history of some of the former federal prosecutors—which includes a felony conviction for stealing more than $ 600,000 from a client ’ s investment account for one signatory and being suspended from the bar with a pattern of misconduct for another—suggests their views should hold no weight .
Some Great Judges You Have There The chutzpah award , however , must go to signatory Shira Scheindlin , who identified herself in the Protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. attorney .
Later in her career , Scheindlin served as a federal judge in New York , where among her more infamous rulings was her decision to toss the conviction of Judith Clark .
Clark was a member of the Weather Underground who had been convicted of three counts of murder in the second degree for driving a getaway car following the group ’ s robbery of an armored truck .
In that case , Scheindlin ruled that the government had violated Clark ’ s Sixth Amendment right to counsel , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ absent ” herself from the courtroom as a form of political protest .
The Second Circuit promptly reversed Scheindlin ’ s ruling and rejected Clark ’ s challenge to her conviction .
The idea that Judge Sullivan should take guidance from Scheindlin is laughable .
But what isn ’ t funny is that Sullivan invited the politicizing of the legal process .
Not President Trump .
Not William Barr .
Judge Sullivan .
While that process has already begun , the D.C .
Circuit Court of Appeals may abruptly halt the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Flynn ’ s request that the appellate court order Sullivan to dismiss the criminal charge against him .
The D.C .
Circuit gave Sullivan until June 1 to respond .
In yet another irony , over the weekend news broke that Sullivan had hired Washington D.C. attorney Beth Wilkinson to represent him before the D.C .
Circuit .
While the optics of a federal judge hiring an attorney proved jarring to some , it is entirely appropriate for an attorney to represent a judge in a mandamus petition .
But , still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilkinson—the lawyer who represented Hillary Clinton during the FBI ’ s investigation into her mishandling of classified information on her homebrew server—solidifies the image of the long-time federal judge standing ensconced in the swamp .

Not quite two weeks ago, Judge Emmet Sullivan threw open the doors of his federal courtroom to the swamp when he invited third parties to pontificate on the propriety of the Department of Justice’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Michael Flynn. The next day Sullivan went further: He appointed a former federal judge, John Gleeson, as an amicus curiae, or friend of the court, to argue that the government’s motion to dismiss should be denied.
Judge Sullivan’s selection of Gleeson as amicus curiae gave away the game. The same day Sullivan named Gleeson as amicus curiae, an op-ed by Gleeson and two cohorts ran in the Washington Post declaring the government’s decision to dismiss the charge against Flynn “reeks of improper political influence.”
The Washington Post cloaked Gleeson and his co-authors, David O’Neil and Marshall Miller, with an aura of impartiality and authority by highlighting their past service in the Department of Justice: “John Gleeson served as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of New York and chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in that district. David O’Neil served as the acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. Marshall Miller served as the highest-ranking career official in the Criminal Division and as chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District.”
Spritz a Swamp Creature, and There’s Still a Stench
The titles, however, do not tell the whole story. After stepping down from the federal bench, Gleeson joined the law firm of Debevoise, which as Attorney Ron Coleman noted, represented the “Resistance heroine Sally Yates.”
Recall that Yates created political hay when, while serving as acting attorney general, she refused to defend President Trump’s travel ban and directed her subordinates to do likewise, forcing Trump to fire her. (Courts later upheld the travel ban).
Yates’ insubordination drew the accolades of Andrew Weissmann, who later served as Special Counsel’s Robert Mueller’s “pit bull.” “I am so proud. And in awe. Thank you so much. All my deepest respects,” Weissmann emailed Yates after learning of her political play.
Weissmann’s applauding of Yates’ political grandstanding was the least of his anti-Trump bias. As I noted previously, “We also have Weissmann’s financial support of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton through thousands in campaign contributions. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Weissmann attended Clinton’s 2016 election night party in New York City, further raising the specter of an anti-Trump bias at play.”
Since the special counsel’s office closed last year, Weissmann hasn’t even tried to mask his bias, signing on to serve as a “legal analyst” for NBC and MSNBC to assist the left in pushing the Ukraine impeachment hoax. Then came news last week that Weissmann will headline a “fireside chat” fundraiser for Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Weissmann’s decision to raise cash for the Biden campaign leads one to wonder what he may be doing behind the scenes to support the Democratic challenger. Might he be suggesting angles or otherwise assisting Gleeson? After all, as the Twitter sleuth Techno_Fog pointed out, Gleeson and Weissmann once worked together.
Actually, they did more than merely work together: together they took on the Gambino crime family. Thomas Gambino’s challenge to his criminal conviction revealed this. In his appeal, Gambino sought a new trial based on the government’s failure to produce notes taken by an FBI special agent during questioning of a witness. As the opinion noted, “also present at that interview were Assistant United States Attorneys John Gleeson and Andrew Weissmann.” (The Gambino court held the government in that case had not wrongly withheld the notes.)
Somebody’s Biased, and It Ain’t Barr
Notwithstanding the many connections between Gleeson and members of the Resistance, and the obvious bias of Weissmann and other former special counsel team members, such as Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, the left and Never Trump right are portraying Mueller and the special counsel’s office as the apolitical arbiters of justice and Sullivan and his hand-selected amicus as defenders of the rule of law. Attorney General William Barr, to them, is but a political pawn who cannot be trusted to oversee the Flynn case.
Yet this thesis ignores the reality that Barr brought in two outside U.S. attorneys to oversee the investigation of the Russia-related targeting of the Trump campaign and administration: Missouri-based U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen and Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham. While Mueller stacked his team with political hacks, and Judge Sullivan has now followed suit, there is no similar stench surrounding Jensen or Durham’s staffing decisions. In fact, it was Jensen, not Barr, who initially concluded that the prosecution of Flynn was unwarranted and recommended the criminal charge be dismissed.
Those condemning the DOJ’s decision to drop the charge against Flynn likewise ignore the growing evidence of misconduct by both the FBI and the federal prosecutors who handled the Flynn case. In its motion to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn, the government highlighted the already-public evidence of misconduct, such as the text messages that revealed that FBI management intercepted the closing memorandum in the Flynn case, holding open the investigation to provide a pretext to question Flynn on January 24, 2017, about his conversations with the Russian ambassador.
The government also detailed in its motion to dismiss changes made to the FBI’s 302 interview form that, when read in light of the corresponding text messages, establish that FBI attorney Page wordsmithed FBI agent Joe Pientka’s interview summary, with Strzok’s help, to create the impression that Flynn had made false statements to the FBI—the crime for which he was later charged.
And then there are the handwritten notes of now-retired FBI Assistant Director of Counterintelligence Bill Priestap, questioning the department’s goal in interviewing Flynn: “What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”
FBI Review Unlikely to Change Resistant Minds
Rather than express outrage over this government misconduct, the left and Never Trump right decided to spin the DOJ’s decision to dismiss the Flynn case as politically motivated and directed by a tainted attorney general.
One would think, however, that last week’s announcement by FBI Director Christopher Wray that the bureau will undertake an “after-action review” of the Flynn case should squelch that storyline. After all, to date, Wray has avoided the press’ guilt-by-association smear other members of the Trump team have been subjected to. So the director’s decision to evaluate the FBI’s role in the Flynn case and assess whether any “current employees engaged in misconduct” should give the media pause.
It won’t, though. Just as corporate media ignored Weissmann, Page, and Strzok’s clear political bias, they will continue to ignore the growing evidence of misconduct and the near-daily revelations of impropriety coming from the Jensen and Durham investigations, as well as from newly declassified material.
Rather than come to terms with the fact that it was President Obama and his team who weaponized the DOJ, Judge Sullivan, by welcoming third-party briefing in the Flynn case, gifted the Resistance a platform to continue to push nonsensical conspiracy theories under the guise of law and order.
A Bunch of Hypocrites
Already the anti-Trump Protect Democracy Project has submitted an amicus curiae brief to Judge Sullivan. That brief rehashes many of the political talking points left-leaning pundits and politicians have been peddling since Trump took office, then argues that in seeking to dismiss the criminal charge against Flynn, Trump and Barr have “flouted” the principle that the DOJ’s investigatory and prosecutorial powers should “be exercised free from partisan consideration.”
The irony couldn’t be richer. The Obama administration targeted Flynn because the glow of Orange Man Bad reached the retired general’s orbit. But, according to Protect Democracy, it is the Trump administration’s DOJ that is playing politics with prosecutions!
Then there’s Protect Democracy’s ridiculous casting of itself as “a bipartisan group of former federal prosecutors and former high-ranking supervisory officials in the Department of Justice,” including “nonpartisan career” employees and political appointees of both parties. The facts tell a different story, as I previously reported for The Federalist:
Protect Democracy was founded in 2017 by Ian Bassin, who was the associate White House counsel for President Barack Obama from 2009-2011, and Justin Florence, who also served in the Office of the White House Counsel as a special assistant to the president and associate counsel of the president. Bassin is also the president of the liberal American Constitution Society and Florence had also served as a senior counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). Protect Democracy also boasts a Who’s Who of the Never Trump resistance as advisors, such as failed presidential candidate Evan McMullin and running mate Mindy Finn.
The self-branded “bipartisan” group of former prosecutors also leans heavily left, and any “bipartisanship” comes from extreme Resistance members claiming Republican status.
In any event, why should Judge Sullivan consider the opinion of some 1,100 former federal prosecutors significant? The size of the contingency says nothing of the merits of the DOJ’s action, and if size mattered, the total number of signatories is but a sliver of the total number of DOJ attorneys now retired or working elsewhere.
The former prosecutors also have no special knowledge of the Flynn case and their status provides them no claim to moral authority. In fact, to the contrary, the history of some of the former federal prosecutors—which includes a felony conviction for stealing more than $600,000 from a client’s investment account for one signatory and being suspended from the bar with a pattern of misconduct for another—suggests their views should hold no weight.
Some Great Judges You Have There
The chutzpah award, however, must go to signatory Shira Scheindlin, who identified herself in the Protect Democracy brief as a former first assistant U.S. attorney. Later in her career, Scheindlin served as a federal judge in New York, where among her more infamous rulings was her decision to toss the conviction of Judith Clark. Clark was a member of the Weather Underground who had been convicted of three counts of murder in the second degree for driving a getaway car following the group’s robbery of an armored truck.
In that case, Scheindlin ruled that the government had violated Clark’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel, even though Clark declined legal representation then opted to “absent” herself from the courtroom as a form of political protest. The Second Circuit promptly reversed Scheindlin’s ruling and rejected Clark’s challenge to her conviction.
The idea that Judge Sullivan should take guidance from Scheindlin is laughable. But what isn’t funny is that Sullivan invited the politicizing of the legal process. Not President Trump. Not William Barr. Judge Sullivan.
While that process has already begun, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals may abruptly halt the circus, having ordered Sullivan to respond to Flynn’s request that the appellate court order Sullivan to dismiss the criminal charge against him. The D.C. Circuit gave Sullivan until June 1 to respond.
In yet another irony, over the weekend news broke that Sullivan had hired Washington D.C. attorney Beth Wilkinson to represent him before the D.C. Circuit. While the optics of a federal judge hiring an attorney proved jarring to some, it is entirely appropriate for an attorney to represent a judge in a mandamus petition.
But, still, Judge Sullivan’s selection of Wilkinson—the lawyer who represented Hillary Clinton during the FBI’s investigation into her mishandling of classified information on her homebrew server—solidifies the image of the long-time federal judge standing ensconced in the swamp.
Margot Cleveland is The Federalist's senior legal correspondent. She is also a contributor to National Review Online, the Washington Examiner, Aleteia, and Townhall.com, and has been published in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Cleveland is a lawyer and a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, where she earned the Hoynes Prize—the law school’s highest honor. She later served for nearly 25 years as a permanent law clerk for a federal appellate judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Cleveland is a former full-time university faculty member and now teaches as an adjunct from time to time. As a stay-at-home homeschooling mom of a young son with cystic fibrosis, Cleveland frequently writes on cultural issues related to parenting and special-needs children. Cleveland is on Twitter at @ProfMJCleveland. The views expressed here are those of Cleveland in her private capacity.


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--Never Forget That This Whole Mess is Andrew Cuomo’s Fault

Andrew Cuomo may be the most popular politician in the country .
His approval ratings have hit all-time highs thanks to his Covid-19 response .
Some Democrats have discussed him as a possible replacement for Joe Biden , due to Biden ’ s perceived weakness as a nominee .
And there have even been some unfortunate tributes to Cuomo ’ s alleged sex appeal .
All of which is bizarre , because Cuomo should be one of the most loathed officials in America right now .
ProPublica recently released a report outlining catastrophic missteps by Cuomo and the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which probably resulted in many thousands of needless coronavirus cases .
ProPublica offers some appalling numbers contrasting what happened in New York with the outbreak in California .
By mid-May , New York City alone had almost 20,000 deaths , while in San Francisco there had been only 35 , and New York state as a whole suffered 10 times as many deaths as California .
Federal failures played a role , of course , but this tragedy was absolutely due , in part , to decisions by the governor .
Cuomo initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea for closing down New York City with derision ” , saying it “ was dangerous ” and “ served only to scare people ” .
He said the “ seasonal flu was a graver worry ” .
A spokesperson for Cuomo “ refused to say if the governor had ever read the state ’ s pandemic plan ” .
Later , Cuomo would blame the press , including the New York Times for failing to say “ Be careful , there ’ s a virus in China that may be in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times wrote nearly 500 stories on the virus before the state acted .
Experts told ProPublica that “ had New York imposed its extreme social distancing measures a week or two earlier , the death toll might have been cut by half or more ” .
But delay was not the only screw-up .
Elderly prisoners have died of coronavirus because New York has failed to act on their medical parole requests .
As Business Insider documented : “ Testing was slow .
Nonprofit social-service agencies that serve the most vulnerable couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts like the former CDC director Tom Frieden said ‘ so many deaths could have been prevented ’ had New York issued its stay-at-home order just ‘ days earlier ’ than it did .
On March 19 , when New York ’ s schools had already been closed , Cuomo said ‘ in many ways , the fear is more dangerous than the virus.
’ ” The governor has failed to take responsibility for the obvious failures , consistently blaming others and at one point even saying “ governors don ’ t do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governors just don ’ t read their state ’ s pandemic plans . )
But much of the press has ignored this , focusing instead on Cuomo ’ s aesthetic presentation : his poise during press conferences , his dramatic statements about “ taking responsibility ” ( even when he obviously hasn ’ t ) , and his invisible good looks .
The mask mural is yet another publicity stunt mistaken by the press as a sign of leadership .
On 29 April , Cuomo unveiled a wall of handmade cloth masks that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned citizens all over America .
He called it “ a self-portrait of America .
You know what that spells ?
It spells love.
” Since the arrangement of masks doesn ’ t form words , the mural doesn ’ t actually spell anything , but it is a perfect symbol of Cuomo ’ s leadership failures .
Handmade cloth face coverings are not as effective as N95 masks , of course , but if unsuitable for healthcare workers they would still have been perfectly appropriate to distribute to New Yorkers ( some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not wearing masks ) .
But Cuomo , rather than putting the needs of New Yorkers first , chose to tack hundreds of cloth masks on a wall as a monument to himself .
Cuomo ’ s record was shameful long before coronavirus began .
He enabled the IDC ( Independent Democratic Conference ) , a group of conservative Democratic state lawmakers , in allying with the Republican minority to block progressive legislation .
( Cuomo denies any role in the IDC , but that stretches credulity . )
Before the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down necessary hospital space in the name of “ efficiency ” despite the warnings of medical professionals .
And on 3 April , as 3,000 New Yorkers already lay dead from the virus and hospitals like Elmhurst in Queens were overwhelmed with cases , Cuomo forced through further Medicaid cuts , slashing $ 400m from hospital budgets .
As the state now staggers to its feet , Cuomo has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to “ reimagine education ” ( which almost certainly means privatization ) , and with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Naomi Klein puts it – “ permanently integrat [ e ] technology into every aspect of civic life ” .
All of this has happened without the democratic input of New Yorkers , who would likely prefer that the progressive legislators they elected could govern without interference , that their hospitals have enough money to function and that billionaires don ’ t infiltrate and control every element of civic life .
There ’ s something disturbing about Cuomo being hailed as the hero of the pandemic when he should rightly be one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he is now only able to attain praise for his actions because his earlier failures made those actions necessary .
He ’ s lauded for addressing a problem that he himself partly caused .
Of course , part of this is because Donald Trump has bungled the coronavirus response even more badly , so that Cuomo – by not being a complete buffoon – looks like a capable statesman by contrast .
But this is the problem : for too long , Democrats have measured their politicians by “ whether they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bar very low indeed , and means that Democrats end up settling for incompetent and amoral leaders who betray progressive values again and again .
• None Lyta Gold is the managing editor and amusements editor of Current Affairs .
Nathan Robinson is the editor of Current Affairs and a Guardian US columnist

Andrew Cuomo may be the most popular politician in the country. His approval ratings have hit all-time highs thanks to his Covid-19 response. Some Democrats have discussed him as a possible replacement for Joe Biden, due to Biden’s perceived weakness as a nominee. And there have even been some unfortunate tributes to Cuomo’s alleged sex appeal.
All of which is bizarre, because Cuomo should be one of the most loathed officials in America right now. ProPublica recently released a report outlining catastrophic missteps by Cuomo and the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, which probably resulted in many thousands of needless coronavirus cases. ProPublica offers some appalling numbers contrasting what happened in New York with the outbreak in California. By mid-May, New York City alone had almost 20,000 deaths, while in San Francisco there had been only 35, and New York state as a whole suffered 10 times as many deaths as California.
Federal failures played a role, of course, but this tragedy was absolutely due, in part, to decisions by the governor. Cuomo initially “reacted to De Blasio’s idea for closing down New York City with derision”, saying it “was dangerous” and “served only to scare people”. He said the “seasonal flu was a graver worry”. A spokesperson for Cuomo “refused to say if the governor had ever read the state’s pandemic plan”. Later, Cuomo would blame the press, including the New York Times for failing to say “Be careful, there’s a virus in China that may be in the United States?” even though the Times wrote nearly 500 stories on the virus before the state acted. Experts told ProPublica that “had New York imposed its extreme social distancing measures a week or two earlier, the death toll might have been cut by half or more”.
But delay was not the only screw-up. Elderly prisoners have died of coronavirus because New York has failed to act on their medical parole requests. As Business Insider documented:
“Testing was slow. Nonprofit social-service agencies that serve the most vulnerable couldn’t get answers either. And medical experts like the former CDC director Tom Frieden said ‘so many deaths could have been prevented’ had New York issued its stay-at-home order just ‘days earlier’ than it did. On March 19, when New York’s schools had already been closed, Cuomo said ‘in many ways, the fear is more dangerous than the virus.’”
The governor has failed to take responsibility for the obvious failures, consistently blaming others and at one point even saying “governors don’t do pandemics”. (Actually, some governors just don’t read their state’s pandemic plans.) But much of the press has ignored this, focusing instead on Cuomo’s aesthetic presentation: his poise during press conferences, his dramatic statements about “taking responsibility” (even when he obviously hasn’t), and his invisible good looks.
Cuomo’s record was shameful long before coronavirus began
The mask mural is yet another publicity stunt mistaken by the press as a sign of leadership. On 29 April, Cuomo unveiled a wall of handmade cloth masks that had been sent to his office by concerned citizens all over America. He called it “a self-portrait of America. You know what that spells? It spells love.” Since the arrangement of masks doesn’t form words, the mural doesn’t actually spell anything, but it is a perfect symbol of Cuomo’s leadership failures. Handmade cloth face coverings are not as effective as N95 masks, of course, but if unsuitable for healthcare workers they would still have been perfectly appropriate to distribute to New Yorkers (some of whom have been brutally arrested for not wearing masks). But Cuomo, rather than putting the needs of New Yorkers first, chose to tack hundreds of cloth masks on a wall as a monument to himself.
Cuomo’s record was shameful long before coronavirus began. He enabled the IDC (Independent Democratic Conference), a group of conservative Democratic state lawmakers, in allying with the Republican minority to block progressive legislation. (Cuomo denies any role in the IDC, but that stretches credulity.) Before the pandemic, he pushed through Medicaid cuts which shut down necessary hospital space in the name of “efficiency” despite the warnings of medical professionals. And on 3 April, as 3,000 New Yorkers already lay dead from the virus and hospitals like Elmhurst in Queens were overwhelmed with cases, Cuomo forced through further Medicaid cuts, slashing $400m from hospital budgets.
As the state now staggers to its feet, Cuomo has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to “reimagine education” (which almost certainly means privatization), and with the ex-Google chief Eric Schmidt to – as Naomi Klein puts it – “permanently integrat[e] technology into every aspect of civic life”. All of this has happened without the democratic input of New Yorkers, who would likely prefer that the progressive legislators they elected could govern without interference, that their hospitals have enough money to function and that billionaires don’t infiltrate and control every element of civic life.
There’s something disturbing about Cuomo being hailed as the hero of the pandemic when he should rightly be one of the villains. As Business Insider notes, he is now only able to attain praise for his actions because his earlier failures made those actions necessary. He’s lauded for addressing a problem that he himself partly caused. Of course, part of this is because Donald Trump has bungled the coronavirus response even more badly, so that Cuomo – by not being a complete buffoon – looks like a capable statesman by contrast. But this is the problem: for too long, Democrats have measured their politicians by “whether they are better than Republicans”. This sets the bar very low indeed, and means that Democrats end up settling for incompetent and amoral leaders who betray progressive values again and again.


bonginoreport--2020-05-26--DOJ Closes Insider Trading Probes Into Three Senators – But Not Richard Burr

The Justice Department is closing investigations into three U.S. senators for stocks trades made shortly before the coronavirus market turmoil @ @ @ @ @ related investigation into Sen. Richard Burr , according to people familiar with the matter .
@ @ @ @ @ defense attorneys for Republicans Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and James Inhofe of Oklahoma as well @ @ @ @ @ California , that they are closing investigations into their trading , the people said .

The Justice Department is closing investigations into three U.S. senators for stocks trades made shortly before the coronavirus market turmoil, but is continuing a related investigation into Sen. Richard Burr, according to people familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors on Tuesday are alerting defense attorneys for Republicans Kelly Loeffler of Georgia and James Inhofe of Oklahoma as well as Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California, that they are closing investigations into their trading, the people said.