csmonitor--2020-03-27--Points of Progress: Reparations for Guam islanders, and more

The Tesuque Pueblo tribe of New Mexico has repurposed a 75,000-square-foot casino into the first movie studio owned by a Native American tribe in the history of Hollywood .
New Mexico has seen an exponential spike in filming to the point that Netflix has made Albuquerque its U.S. production hub .
The Pueblo of Tesuque Development Corp. has invested $ 50 million in building out the new facility .
The opening of the Camel Rock Studios will provide economic opportunities for the community , increase Native American representation in the film industry , and potentially establish internships and mentorships for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Variety ) No new cases of cholera have been confirmed in more than 12 months in Haiti , indicating the decadelong epidemic appears to be over .
The progress is credited to the fearless and formidable work of the Haitian health workers .
Infecting 10 % of the total population and killing 10,000 people , the cholera outbreak challenged a health care system dilapidated in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquakes .
Although the early cases can be traced back to a United Nations base in Haiti that was flowing human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the innovative efforts of the Haitian rapid response teams and health workers – not international organizations – that stabilized the outbreak .
Experts say two more years must pass in order to definitively declare Haiti cholera-free .
( The Guardian ) One of five national pension funds in Sweden has committed to divesting all holdings in fossil fuel companies .
As concerns over global climate change intensify , more Western funds are withdrawing from industries and companies responsible for emissions of carbon dioxide .
At the close of 2019 , pension fund AP1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( $ 436 million ) in fossil fuel companies .
But the company announced it has already sold the larger part of these holdings , and plans to reach a “ carbon-neutral portfolio ” by 2050 .
AP1 joins a strategic shift among global money managers to comply with the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change .
( Reuters ) At the Tokyo Olympics , women are projected to make up almost half the field for the first time , the International Olympic Committee announced .
The percentage of female athletes now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to nearly 49 % – from 34 % in 1996 .
In an effort to push for equal gender representation , the IOC also announced balanced gender representation across all 206 teams and that it will change its rules to allow one male and one female athlete to jointly carry their nation ’ s flag during the opening ceremony .
For now this has to wait .
On March 24 , the IOC postponed the 2020 Olympics to a date no later than summer 2021 , due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gender parity by the 2024 Olympics in Paris .
( Reuters ) After decades of lobbying for reparations , more than 3,000 native islanders on Guam are expecting to receive overdue compensation from the U.S. government .
U.S. forces heavily bombed Guam to recapture it from the Japanese during World War II .
Recipients of the reparations report mixed feelings as they remember family and friends who were among the 1,100 islanders estimated to have died during Japan ’ s nearly three-year occupation of the U.S. territory .
The newly opened war claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political efforts by Guam ’ s nonvoting U.S. House delegates to persuade Congress to approve the reparations .
( The Associated Press ) After its digging probe was stuck on the surface of Mars for over a year , NASA scientists finally figured out a way to get it back to work .
It turns out the machine just needed a friendly whack from its own shovel .
InSight has the task of mining the red planet ’ s soil to track temperature variations .
But a few months after the probe landed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem : The soil was too thick .
With no one around to give it a shove , scientists had to improvise .
Using a small shovel-like scoop on the end of InSight ’ s robotic arm , they commanded InSight to give itself a gentle nudge .
Early data suggest it seems to have worked , but scientists are awaiting more data before they breathe a sigh of relief .
( Popular Science )

1. United States
The Tesuque Pueblo tribe of New Mexico has repurposed a 75,000-square-foot casino into the first movie studio owned by a Native American tribe in the history of Hollywood. New Mexico has seen an exponential spike in filming to the point that Netflix has made Albuquerque its U.S. production hub. The Pueblo of Tesuque Development Corp. has invested $50 million in building out the new facility. The opening of the Camel Rock Studios will provide economic opportunities for the community, increase Native American representation in the film industry, and potentially establish internships and mentorships for the next generation of Native American filmmakers. (Variety)
Courtesy of Camel Rock Studios/Business Wire View caption Hide caption The new Camel Rock Studios is a repurposed casino owned by the Tesuque Pueblo tribe of New Mexico. It is the first movie studio owned and operated by a Native American tribe.
2. Haiti
Why We Wrote This This is more than feel-good news: It's where the world is making concrete progress. A roundup of positive stories to inspire you.
No new cases of cholera have been confirmed in more than 12 months in Haiti, indicating the decadelong epidemic appears to be over. The progress is credited to the fearless and formidable work of the Haitian health workers. Infecting 10% of the total population and killing 10,000 people, the cholera outbreak challenged a health care system dilapidated in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquakes. Although the early cases can be traced back to a United Nations base in Haiti that was flowing human waste into a river, it was the innovative efforts of the Haitian rapid response teams and health workers – not international organizations – that stabilized the outbreak. Experts say two more years must pass in order to definitively declare Haiti cholera-free. (The Guardian)
3. Sweden
One of five national pension funds in Sweden has committed to divesting all holdings in fossil fuel companies. As concerns over global climate change intensify, more Western funds are withdrawing from industries and companies responsible for emissions of carbon dioxide. At the close of 2019, pension fund AP1 held assets worth 4.5 billion Swedish crowns ($436 million) in fossil fuel companies. But the company announced it has already sold the larger part of these holdings, and plans to reach a “carbon-neutral portfolio” by 2050. AP1 joins a strategic shift among global money managers to comply with the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change. (Reuters)
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
4. Japan
At the Tokyo Olympics, women are projected to make up almost half the field for the first time, the International Olympic Committee announced. The percentage of female athletes now competing in 2021 is expected to rise to nearly 49% – from 34% in 1996. In an effort to push for equal gender representation, the IOC also announced balanced gender representation across all 206 teams and that it will change its rules to allow one male and one female athlete to jointly carry their nation’s flag during the opening ceremony. For now this has to wait. On March 24, the IOC postponed the 2020 Olympics to a date no later than summer 2021, due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The organization aims to reach full gender parity by the 2024 Olympics in Paris. (Reuters)
Kirby Lee/USA Today/File View caption Hide caption American long-distance runner Aliphine Tuliamuk won the U.S. Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials in Atlanta in February.
5. Guam
After decades of lobbying for reparations, more than 3,000 native islanders on Guam are expecting to receive overdue compensation from the U.S. government. U.S. forces heavily bombed Guam to recapture it from the Japanese during World War II. Recipients of the reparations report mixed feelings as they remember family and friends who were among the 1,100 islanders estimated to have died during Japan’s nearly three-year occupation of the U.S. territory. The newly opened war claims office is the culmination of years of political efforts by Guam’s nonvoting U.S. House delegates to persuade Congress to approve the reparations. (The Associated Press)
Mars
After its digging probe was stuck on the surface of Mars for over a year, NASA scientists finally figured out a way to get it back to work. It turns out the machine just needed a friendly whack from its own shovel. InSight has the task of mining the red planet’s soil to track temperature variations. But a few months after the probe landed in November 2018 it ran into a problem: The soil was too thick. With no one around to give it a shove, scientists had to improvise. Using a small shovel-like scoop on the end of InSight’s robotic arm, they commanded InSight to give itself a gentle nudge. Early data suggest it seems to have worked, but scientists are awaiting more data before they breathe a sigh of relief. (Popular Science)


csmonitor--2020-03-23--Why for pandemic parents, the bathroom is the only escape

While I hide out in the bathroom typing , I know that in many ways parents of older children have it harder .
How to explain the unfathomable state of the world ?
Are we creating a whole generation of germ freaks ?
All I can do is have faith life will return to normal someday – and that we ’ ll still like each other in the end .
Thank goodness for the endless supply of internet memes , most of which involve some version of child confinement while parents work .
See , it ’ s not enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entertain and educate our little demons during this trying time , but we also have to keep our jobs .
I love my children .
Of course I do .
But ever since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that school was canceled and we would be allowed outside only for groceries or medical visits , I have been filled with a terror I have never known .
What the heck am I going to do with my kids for the next however-many days ?
It ’ s the fourth day of lockdown and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me up at 6:20 a.m. Next , my 18-month-old coughs herself awake .
It ’ s 6:20 in the morning .
The fourth full day under lockdown .
While some Parisians will be enjoying a leisurely lie-in – working from home or on paid leave – I am awakened by my 3-year-old daughter , whose calls increase in intensity .
Minutes later , my 18-month old starts coughing herself awake .
I ’ m not so much worried she has the coronavirus ( although who knows ) as I am annoyed .
Once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12-15 hours to spend with my kids .
I love my children .
Of course I do .
But ever since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that schools in France would be closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic , and then – days later – that we would be allowed out of our homes only for groceries or medical visits , I have been filled with a terror I have never known .
What the heck am I going to do with my kids for the next 14 to however-many days ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I aim to get our girls out of our small two-bedroom apartment by 9 a.m. – school day or not – lest they start climbing the walls/tearing up the place .
Now , it would seem , that is all there is to do .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , we ’ ve removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .
Luckily , parents in France can look to the experience of those in Asia who ’ ve already suffered through months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take advice from Spaniards and Italians who are living on a surreal future plane , days or weeks ahead in their lives in confinement : Keep a schedule .
Create quiet time .
Get some fresh air every day .
The first few days chez moi were filled with New Year ’ s resolution-like euphoria .
I unearthed a giant piece of cardboard from the back of the closet and created a daily “ learning board , ” ready to embark on my new career as homeschool teacher .
There were stickers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and letters , and I printed a stack of toddler activity sheets to boot .
It was all going to be okay .
By day three , the stickers were still in the same place on the learning board as the day before and papers were strewn across the living room .
The girls were still in their pajamas at 10 a.m. And were those animal stickers lining the toilet seat ?
I can see that my twice-a-week iPad limit is going out the window .
My 3-year-old is already asking for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am too exhausted to say no .
Thank goodness for the endless supply of internet memes , which range from the silly to the downright dire .
Most involve some version of child imprisonment while parents work , be it strapping them down in front of the TV or quite literally locking them in a cage .
You see , it ’ s not enough that we have to find ways to entertain and educate our little demons during this trying time , but we also have to find a way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bathroom is the last bastion of privacy ( when the kids are not trying to beat down the door ) , I expect that I , like many French parents , will be using this tiny haven to answer work emails , make calls , and write – or at least respond in peace to the scores of WhatsApp messages from other parents in lockdown misery that flood my phone .
These days , WhatsApp and FaceTime are not just diversions ; they ’ re life savers , especially for families with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone chats among friends and loved ones , they offer no solution for tweens with serious energy to burn .
In France at least , we ’ re allowed short periods of outdoor exercise every day .
Spaniards can take their dogs for a walk , but not their children .
“ It ’ s really complicated , ” says Ruth de Andres , my partner ’ s cousin and mother of an 8-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy in León , Spain .
“ What do you do with all this energy ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a certain point , she gets bored .
Then she ’ ll play her viola but after 10 minutes she gets tired .
It ’ s been very hard … I ’ m exhausted.
” But parents with older children have to do more than just keep them physically under control ; they also have to make sure their brains don ’ t turn to mush .
In France , the government has promised to provide online classes , but the platforms crashed the first day .
Many high school seniors are stressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end-of-year exams in subjects like math and biology when they barely understand them in the classroom .
For children with illiterate parents , the challenges are compounded .
In a way , I have it easy .
My girls risk losing a bit of French while they ’ re stuck at home with two nonnative speakers , but I ’ m not worried about them falling behind in reading or math , as I would if they were older .
And even if entertaining two toddlers is truly energy-sucking and testing the little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t compare to the emotional challenges of parenting older children in lockdown .
My girls simply think they ’ re on extended vacation and are thrilled they get to spend 24/7 with Mom and Dad .
And even though some of our best efforts – like removing the pacifier or getting my older daughter to fall asleep on her own – are likely to fall by the wayside as our notions of routine get scrambled , I know they ’ ll be OK .
I don ’ t have to explain that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t see their grandparents or friends , or need to answer existential questions about the unfathomable state of the world .
My daughter ’ s “ Why ” game is even starting to seem pretty OK right about now – except when she asks why half the people in the street are wearing surgical masks .
If what has happened in Asia is any indication , we could be in this situation for a while .
All I can do is have faith that one day things will return to normal .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch the doorknobs of our apartment complex , hug their friends with wild abandon , or even grab other kids ’ toys in the neighborhood sandbox – without me scrambling for the hand sanitizer .
I hope we ’ ll all look back on this strange time in humanity ’ s history and realize it brought us closer – communities and families .
I know I ’ m lucky that I actually like my family .
Many kids in Europe ’ s lockdown will face abuse , hunger , or mental health issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , during these tough weeks ahead , that we have to be kind to one another in order to survive .
In the meantime , though , thank goodness for Peppa Pig .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

While I hide out in the bathroom typing, I know that in many ways parents of older children have it harder. How to explain the unfathomable state of the world? Are we creating a whole generation of germ freaks? All I can do is have faith life will return to normal someday – and that we’ll still like each other in the end.
Thank goodness for the endless supply of internet memes, most of which involve some version of child confinement while parents work. See, it’s not enough that we have to find ways to entertain and educate our little demons during this trying time, but we also have to keep our jobs.
I love my children. Of course I do. But ever since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that school was canceled and we would be allowed outside only for groceries or medical visits, I have been filled with a terror I have never known. What the heck am I going to do with my kids for the next however-many days?
The coronavirus is a global pandemic, but it is also a family-level challenge in countries under lockdown. Here’s how one young mother in Paris is trying to cope.
It’s the fourth day of lockdown and my 3-year-old daughter has once again woken me up at 6:20 a.m. Next, my 18-month-old coughs herself awake.
It’s 6:20 in the morning. The fourth full day under lockdown. While some Parisians will be enjoying a leisurely lie-in – working from home or on paid leave – I am awakened by my 3-year-old daughter, whose calls increase in intensity.
“Mama! Mama! Pee-pee! Colette!”
Minutes later, my 18-month old starts coughing herself awake. I’m not so much worried she has the coronavirus (although who knows) as I am annoyed. Once again, I have approximately the next 12-15 hours to spend with my kids.
Why We Wrote This The coronavirus is a global pandemic, but it is also a family-level challenge in countries under lockdown. Here’s how one young mother in Paris is trying to cope.
I love my children. Of course I do. But ever since French President Emmanuel Macron announced that schools in France would be closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, and then – days later – that we would be allowed out of our homes only for groceries or medical visits, I have been filled with a terror I have never known. What the heck am I going to do with my kids for the next 14 to however-many days?
Under normal circumstances, my partner and I aim to get our girls out of our small two-bedroom apartment by 9 a.m. – school day or not – lest they start climbing the walls/tearing up the place. Now, it would seem, that is all there is to do.
Editor’s note: As a public service, we’ve removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.
Luckily, parents in France can look to the experience of those in Asia who’ve already suffered through months of lockdown to guide us, or take advice from Spaniards and Italians who are living on a surreal future plane, days or weeks ahead in their lives in confinement: Keep a schedule. Create quiet time. Get some fresh air every day.
The first few days chez moi were filled with New Year’s resolution-like euphoria. I unearthed a giant piece of cardboard from the back of the closet and created a daily “learning board,” ready to embark on my new career as homeschool teacher. There were stickers for each day of the week, numbers, and letters, and I printed a stack of toddler activity sheets to boot. It was all going to be okay.
Colette Davidson View caption Hide caption The writer's kids work on a sign that reads “everything is fine” while living under mandatory home confinement due to COVID-19 in Paris.
By day three, the stickers were still in the same place on the learning board as the day before and papers were strewn across the living room. The girls were still in their pajamas at 10 a.m. And were those animal stickers lining the toilet seat?
I can see that my twice-a-week iPad limit is going out the window. My 3-year-old is already asking for Peppa Pig every night before dinner and I am too exhausted to say no.
Thank goodness for the endless supply of internet memes, which range from the silly to the downright dire. Most involve some version of child imprisonment while parents work, be it strapping them down in front of the TV or quite literally locking them in a cage.
You see, it’s not enough that we have to find ways to entertain and educate our little demons during this trying time, but we also have to find a way to keep our jobs.
Seeing as how the bathroom is the last bastion of privacy (when the kids are not trying to beat down the door), I expect that I, like many French parents, will be using this tiny haven to answer work emails, make calls, and write – or at least respond in peace to the scores of WhatsApp messages from other parents in lockdown misery that flood my phone.
These days, WhatsApp and FaceTime are not just diversions; they’re life savers, especially for families with older kids. But apart from group phone chats among friends and loved ones, they offer no solution for tweens with serious energy to burn. In France at least, we’re allowed short periods of outdoor exercise every day. Spaniards can take their dogs for a walk, but not their children.
“It’s really complicated,” says Ruth de Andres, my partner’s cousin and mother of an 8-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy in León, Spain. “What do you do with all this energy? My daughter loves to dance but after a certain point, she gets bored. Then she’ll play her viola but after 10 minutes she gets tired. It’s been very hard … I’m exhausted.”
But parents with older children have to do more than just keep them physically under control; they also have to make sure their brains don’t turn to mush.
In France, the government has promised to provide online classes, but the platforms crashed the first day. Many high school seniors are stressing about how they’ll pass the end-of-year exams in subjects like math and biology when they barely understand them in the classroom. For children with illiterate parents, the challenges are compounded.
In a way, I have it easy. My girls risk losing a bit of French while they’re stuck at home with two nonnative speakers, but I’m not worried about them falling behind in reading or math, as I would if they were older.
And even if entertaining two toddlers is truly energy-sucking and testing the little patience I possess, it doesn’t compare to the emotional challenges of parenting older children in lockdown. My girls simply think they’re on extended vacation and are thrilled they get to spend 24/7 with Mom and Dad.
And even though some of our best efforts – like removing the pacifier or getting my older daughter to fall asleep on her own – are likely to fall by the wayside as our notions of routine get scrambled, I know they’ll be OK.
I don’t have to explain that a deadly virus is the reason they can’t see their grandparents or friends, or need to answer existential questions about the unfathomable state of the world. My daughter’s “Why” game is even starting to seem pretty OK right about now – except when she asks why half the people in the street are wearing surgical masks.
If what has happened in Asia is any indication, we could be in this situation for a while. All I can do is have faith that one day things will return to normal. That my girls will be able to touch the doorknobs of our apartment complex, hug their friends with wild abandon, or even grab other kids’ toys in the neighborhood sandbox – without me scrambling for the hand sanitizer.
I hope we’ll all look back on this strange time in humanity’s history and realize it brought us closer – communities and families. I know I’m lucky that I actually like my family. Many kids in Europe’s lockdown will face abuse, hunger, or mental health issues. It’s a good reminder, during these tough weeks ahead, that we have to be kind to one another in order to survive.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
In the meantime, though, thank goodness for Peppa Pig.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-03-23--A new ethos for capitalism? ‘Do the right thing.’

The coronavirus – and efforts to slow its spread – will likely give this movement a huge boost .
The value of mutual social obligations and shared responsibilities will be plain to see in everyone ’ s daily lives .
Could that spell the end of capitalism as we know it – the neoliberal version – and usher in a kinder , gentler model ?
Now , more and more firms are saying it is time to put their purpose ahead of their profits , and to judge them also by their impact on their employees , customers , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environment .
That has provoked mutinies : Donald Trump ’ s election , the United Kingdom ’ s exit from the European Union , riots in Chile and Lebanon .
And it has provoked a rethink in the business world where , for the last half-century , the only metric for success has been the price of a company ’ s stock .
Capitalism .
It has spread to nearly every corner of the globe and no other economic system has been so effective at generating wealth .
But today it is broken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rising prosperity for all and rewarding a small minority with disproportionate riches .
Verneuil-sur-Seine is not the sort of place you expect to find a revolution going on .
It ’ s a sleepy , nondescript suburb outside Paris , its streets hushed on a recent midweek morning .
But in a cramped office in a converted apartment , an ebullient American mother of five and her French husband , a former auto executive , are busy reinventing capitalism .
Putting purpose before profits and ethics above everything , they are building a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to bring all our personal values into the company , ” says Elizabeth Soubelet , a trained midwife .
“ Basic humanist values like respect for people and the planet.
” Ms. Soubelet and her husband Nicolas make Squiz , re-useable pouches for toddlers to suck applesauce from , which help parents cut down on plastic packaging waste .
Theirs is a tiny company with ten employees ( we ’ ll come back to them later ) , but they are by no means alone .
Even titans of finance are on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sweeps through businesses on both sides of the Atlantic , prompting CEOs to shift out of greed and into good .
And the global coronavirus pandemic has added compelling force to this movement .
Suddenly , firms are expected to display compassion and promote the common interest ; the way in which stressed companies treat their workers has become a loud and pressing public concern ; in the United States , paid sick leave has become a political issue .
Battered by the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath , tainted by yawning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused tightly on the bottom line , “ capitalism has been derailed , ” says Paul Collier , an Oxford University economist and recent author of a surprise best-seller “ The Future of Capitalism.
” “ That is stirring new anxieties ... and mutinies ” from Lebanon to Chile and from Brexit to President Donald Trump ’ s election , Professor Collier argues .
“ Potentially , capitalism is a wonderful system , ” he adds .
“ But it doesn ’ t run on autopilot .
It needs rules.
” After decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from business schools to boardrooms , “ there ’ s a sea change going on.
” When the global businessman ’ s bible , the Financial Times , launches a campaign entitled “ Capitalism : Time for a Reset ” as it did last September , you know something is afoot .
In the developed countries where capitalism first flowered , but shifted away from its social obligations , its credibility today is badly tarnished .
A worldwide poll earlier this year found that 56 % of respondents thought the system was doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the pro-free market think tank Legatum surveyed British public opinion in 2017 , it found the notion of capitalism most often associated with greed , selfishness , and corruption – “ the kind of ‘ brand personality ’ one would expect from an organization in acute reputational crisis , ” its report pointed out .
The current model of unfettered neoliberalism is not keeping capitalism 's promise of rising prosperity for all .
From San Francisco to Stockholm , well-educated people living in a metropolis have done well from globalization and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have seen far fewer benefits .
Labor ’ s slice of the global income pie has fallen from 54 % to 39 % since 1970 , while the share going to wealthier individuals who own capital ( such as stocks ) has risen correspondingly .
In the U.S. , labor productivity has gone up by nearly 70 % since 1979 , but wages have risen by less than 12 % .
Executive pay , meanwhile , has reached astronomical levels .
In 2018 , the 100 best paid U.S. CEOs earned 254 times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ employees , according to SEC filings .
Income inequalities “ are going very fast in the wrong direction , ” acknowledges Angel Gurria , the Mexican head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , the free market ’ s Paris-based think tank .
“ You can understand why everybody is so angry.
” Behind the figures is the way capitalism has been practiced for the past half-century , since the free market economist Milton Friedman wrote in a celebrated New York Times article that “ there is one and only one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its profits.
” That dictum has dominated business thinking ever since , and it has made “ shareholder value ” the sole metric by which to judge a company ’ s success .
CEOs have been obliged – by their boards and their investors – to prioritize quarterly earnings performance over all other criteria .
It wasn ’ t always like this ; Henry Ford was keen on reminding people that “ a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
” But in the 1980s that mindset was swept aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hanging outside the trading room of Bear Sterns : “ Let ’ s make nothing but money.
” It did n't help in the long run ; Bear Sterns was the first bank to go under in the 2008 financial crisis .
Back in 1943 , Johnson & Johnson published its business credo , stressing the firm ’ s responsibility to customers , employees and suppliers , and to local communities and the environment , before its duty to stockholders .
That approach was not common then , but it is stirring now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders carve out a new role for their companies .
Last August 181 U.S. corporate members of the Business Roundtable , including the bosses of Apple , Walmart and PepsiCo , signed a pledge proclaiming their “ fundamental commitment to of our stakeholders ” and renouncing the doctrine of shareholder primacy .
And now the coronavirus pandemic has prompted people to scrutinize such companies ’ behavior , and hold them to higher standards .
Whole Foods , part of the Amazon empire , ran into a storm of public criticism recently when CEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their paid time-off hours to colleagues facing medical emergencies .
This appeared to put some of the burden on Whole Foods ’ staff , rather than the company .
Whole Foods and other firms have revised their paid time off policies to help employees cope with the pandemic .
“ It ’ s these notions of purpose , trustworthiness , values , and culture that underpin a reconceptualization of business for the 21st century , ” said Colin Mayer , the former dean of Oxford University ’ s Saïd Business School , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that look like in real life ?
For Elizabeth Soubelet , it all began with shame .
She was buying applesauce in 64-pouch family packs , she recalls , “ and my kids were finishing them in like 14 seconds flat ” and then throwing the aluminum-lined plastic containers away .
“ I grew up in America in the '70s and '80s , in the heyday of trash , ” she says .
“ I thought this was one thing that I could do better.
” She looked online , and found that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That was no good ; she didn ’ t like the idea of buying something that might be made in an exploitative sweatshop with poor environmental controls 5,000 miles away .
Bad for the planet .
So she decided to make her own , and with her businessman husband set about creating a company with a simple mission : to help people reduce waste by using the company ’ s reusable pouches , playfully decorated with cuddly exotic animals .
But Squiz also has a broader vision of its purpose , Nicolas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an organization that cares for people generally – our customers , our employees , our suppliers and the environment.
” So as to keep the company ’ s carbon footprint light , and to fulfill a social purpose , Squiz entrusts its packing and dispatch to a local nonprofit employing intellectually disabled people .
Last year that meant some time-consuming and costly mix-ups , but Squiz sales administrator Virginie Bartoli , who spent weeks at the packing center sorting things out , discovered a silver lining .
“ I didn ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realized when I was working there that everyone has the right to work , ” says Ms. Bartoli .
“ This job I do has made me more human , in some ways.
” Squiz insists that all its products ’ components should be made and assembled in Europe , to European labor standards .
“ We take a stand , ” says Sophie Amman , head of marketing and engagement .
European workers are expensive , she knows , “ but for us the bottom line is not the top priority.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the environment , the employee perks , the insistence that all materials be recyclable , do to the bottom line ?
Just how much does it raise the cost per unit ?
“ That ’ s a question that drives me crazy , ” Elizabeth splutters .
“ What would you call the base cost ?
The China price ?
You can only tell the ‘ real ’ price when you add in the damage to peoples ’ health and to the planet.
” Squiz has settled on a price of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used at least 50 times .
Sales have risen 40 % year on year as the company ’ s reputation for fairness has spread .
That reputation has been cemented by Squiz ’ certification as a “ B Corporation ” ( the B stands for benefit ) by an independent agency that has validated the company ’ s performance as a sustainable and ethical enterprise .
The 3,000-plus B Corps around the world , which include Ben and Jerry ’ s and the outdoor-gear manufacturer Patagonia , are legally obliged to consider the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , customers , suppliers , community and environment .
They see themselves as the vanguard of “ business as a force for good , ” a better way of running capitalism that benefits a range of stakeholders , not just shareholders .
And there is no more vocal champion of “ doing well by doing good ” than Paul Polman .
Mr. Polman , an energetic and talkative Dutchman , climbed the corporate ladder at Procter & Gamble for 27 years .
But he made his name as the boss of a rival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anglo-Dutch firm that owns brands worldwide such as Hellmann ’ s , Dove , and Lipton tea .
It was there , until he left his job last year , that he pioneered the stakeholder model of multinational capitalism .
At first , he angered investors when he took over in 2009 by refusing to offer the traditional quarterly profit forecasts on which financial analysts rely , and insisting on taking a longer-term view of his company ’ s performance .
Unilever shares fell 10 % .
Then Mr. Polman alarmed them even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something he called the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan , which involved all sorts of projects that seemed harebrained at the time .
He pledged Unilever would buy all of its agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources by 2020 .
( In fact , it has managed to hit 70 % . )
He announced ambitious personal hygiene targets in developing countries , launching hand-washing programs for kids and building 30 million toilets .
That built the trust that is especially critical to consumer product companies , but which can decide the fate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this year found that ethical issues such as integrity are three times more important to people than competence when it comes to trusting a company .
For Unilever , all this paid off .
The company yielded 290 % shareholder return over Mr. Polman ’ s decade at the helm , he says proudly .
“ The development agenda is a business agenda , ” he insists .
“ It doesn ’ t have to be a tradeoff.
” The financial markets are still somewhat hesitant , he says , “ but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BlackRock , the largest asset management company in the world , handling $ 7 trillion , is a case in point .
In his 2019 annual letter to the heads of the companies that BlackRock invests in , CEO Larry Fink urged them to identify and express their companies ’ purpose .
This year he announced that BlackRock ’ s actively managed funds will no longer invest in companies that derive more than 25 % of their revenue from thermal coal .
“ We ’ ll walk away from businesses whose purpose we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or will ensure that the company will be around for a long time , ” explains BlackRock spokesman Ryan O ’ Keeffe .
In the same vein , the head of the world ’ s largest asset owner , the Japanese government ’ s pension investment fund , warned in an open letter earlier this month that “ companies that seek to maximize corporate revenue without considering their impacts on other stakeholders ... are not attractive investment targets for us.
” Such pronouncements have drawn accusations of “ purpose washing ” ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change in behavior by any of the companies that signed on last year to the Business Roundtable ’ s declaration of commitment to “ all of our stakeholders.
” “ That was just a statement , ” says Andrew Winston , who advises businesses on sustainability .
“ It didn ’ t actually commit the companies to much of anything and it remains to be seen how they apply it .
But it was symbolically important and it has started a debate.
” Now they must put their money where their mouth is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t think they should be afraid to forge a new path for capitalism .
The figures seem to back him up : In the current stock market rout , ESG funds ( focusing on environmental , social , and governance investing ) have outperformed their peers .
“ Ten years ago , I did what I did as an act of faith , ” Mr. Polman says .
“ But now there are quite a lot of hard facts showing that purpose-driven , long-term , multi-stakeholder firms which respect people and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Companies that do all this will be ready for the future .
The rest will turn out to be dinosaurs .
”

The coronavirus – and efforts to slow its spread – will likely give this movement a huge boost. The value of mutual social obligations and shared responsibilities will be plain to see in everyone’s daily lives. Could that spell the end of capitalism as we know it – the neoliberal version – and usher in a kinder, gentler model?
Now, more and more firms are saying it is time to put their purpose ahead of their profits, and to judge them also by their impact on their employees, customers, and local communities, as well as the environment.
Capitalism has lost credibility among wide swaths of society. But a new breed of entrepreneur is confronting that moral crisis and putting purpose – human, social, and environmental – ahead of profits. They could be blazing a more sustainable economic trail. Part 4 of our series, Navigating Uncertainty .
That has provoked mutinies: Donald Trump’s election, the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, riots in Chile and Lebanon. And it has provoked a rethink in the business world where, for the last half-century, the only metric for success has been the price of a company’s stock.
Capitalism. It has spread to nearly every corner of the globe and no other economic system has been so effective at generating wealth. But today it is broken, failing to keep its promise of rising prosperity for all and rewarding a small minority with disproportionate riches.
Verneuil-sur-Seine is not the sort of place you expect to find a revolution going on.
It’s a sleepy, nondescript suburb outside Paris, its streets hushed on a recent midweek morning. But in a cramped office in a converted apartment, an ebullient American mother of five and her French husband, a former auto executive, are busy reinventing capitalism.
Putting purpose before profits and ethics above everything, they are building a new sort of business. “We wanted to bring all our personal values into the company,” says Elizabeth Soubelet, a trained midwife. “Basic humanist values like respect for people and the planet.”
Why We Wrote This Capitalism has lost credibility among wide swaths of society. But a new breed of entrepreneur is confronting that moral crisis and putting purpose – human, social, and environmental – ahead of profits. They could be blazing a more sustainable economic trail. Part 4 of our series, Navigating Uncertainty.
Ms. Soubelet and her husband Nicolas make Squiz, re-useable pouches for toddlers to suck applesauce from, which help parents cut down on plastic packaging waste. Theirs is a tiny company with ten employees (we’ll come back to them later), but they are by no means alone. Even titans of finance are on the same track as a new mood sweeps through businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, prompting CEOs to shift out of greed and into good.
And the global coronavirus pandemic has added compelling force to this movement. Suddenly, firms are expected to display compassion and promote the common interest; the way in which stressed companies treat their workers has become a loud and pressing public concern; in the United States, paid sick leave has become a political issue.
Battered by the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, tainted by yawning disparities in income and opportunity, and focused tightly on the bottom line, “capitalism has been derailed,” says Paul Collier, an Oxford University economist and recent author of a surprise best-seller “The Future of Capitalism.”
“That is stirring new anxieties ... and mutinies” from Lebanon to Chile and from Brexit to President Donald Trump’s election, Professor Collier argues. “Potentially, capitalism is a wonderful system,” he adds. “But it doesn’t run on autopilot. It needs rules.”
After decades of laissez faire, he says, from business schools to boardrooms, “there’s a sea change going on.”
Peter Ford/The Christian Science Monitor View caption Hide caption Two staff members work at Squiz's office, a converted apartment, in Verneuil-sur-Seine, France, on Feb. 20, 2020. Sales of the company's reusable food pouches have risen 40% as Squiz's reputation for fairness has spread.
Time for a reset?
When the global businessman’s bible, the Financial Times, launches a campaign entitled “Capitalism: Time for a Reset” as it did last September, you know something is afoot.
In the developed countries where capitalism first flowered, but shifted away from its social obligations, its credibility today is badly tarnished. A worldwide poll earlier this year found that 56% of respondents thought the system was doing “more harm than good.”
And when the pro-free market think tank Legatum surveyed British public opinion in 2017, it found the notion of capitalism most often associated with greed, selfishness, and corruption – “the kind of ‘brand personality’ one would expect from an organization in acute reputational crisis,” its report pointed out.
The current model of unfettered neoliberalism is not keeping capitalism's promise of rising prosperity for all. From San Francisco to Stockholm, well-educated people living in a metropolis have done well from globalization and the prevailing ethos of individualism; less-educated provincials have seen far fewer benefits.
Labor’s slice of the global income pie has fallen from 54% to 39% since 1970, while the share going to wealthier individuals who own capital (such as stocks) has risen correspondingly. In the U.S., labor productivity has gone up by nearly 70% since 1979, but wages have risen by less than 12%.
Executive pay, meanwhile, has reached astronomical levels. In 2018, the 100 best paid U.S. CEOs earned 254 times the median pay of their companies’ employees, according to SEC filings.
Income inequalities “are going very fast in the wrong direction,” acknowledges Angel Gurria, the Mexican head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the free market’s Paris-based think tank. “You can understand why everybody is so angry.”
SOURCE: Oxfam | Jacob Turcotte/Staff
Behind the figures is the way capitalism has been practiced for the past half-century, since the free market economist Milton Friedman wrote in a celebrated New York Times article that “there is one and only one social responsibility of business ... to increase its profits.”
That dictum has dominated business thinking ever since, and it has made “shareholder value” the sole metric by which to judge a company’s success. CEOs have been obliged – by their boards and their investors – to prioritize quarterly earnings performance over all other criteria.
It wasn’t always like this; Henry Ford was keen on reminding people that “a business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” But in the 1980s that mindset was swept aside by the outlook expressed in a sign hanging outside the trading room of Bear Sterns: “Let’s make nothing but money.”
It didn't help in the long run; Bear Sterns was the first bank to go under in the 2008 financial crisis.
Back in 1943, Johnson & Johnson published its business credo, stressing the firm’s responsibility to customers, employees and suppliers, and to local communities and the environment, before its duty to stockholders.
That approach was not common then, but it is stirring now in more and more boardrooms as business leaders carve out a new role for their companies. Last August 181 U.S. corporate members of the Business Roundtable, including the bosses of Apple, Walmart and PepsiCo, signed a pledge proclaiming their “fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders” and renouncing the doctrine of shareholder primacy.
And now the coronavirus pandemic has prompted people to scrutinize such companies’ behavior, and hold them to higher standards. Whole Foods, part of the Amazon empire, ran into a storm of public criticism recently when CEO John Mackey suggested that employees could donate their paid time-off hours to colleagues facing medical emergencies. This appeared to put some of the burden on Whole Foods’ staff, rather than the company.
Whole Foods and other firms have revised their paid time off policies to help employees cope with the pandemic.
“It’s these notions of purpose, trustworthiness, values, and culture that underpin a reconceptualization of business for the 21st century,” said Colin Mayer, the former dean of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, at a recent seminar.
But what does that look like in real life?
Considering every angle
Peter Ford/The Christian Science Monitor View caption Hide caption Clément Huet, who works at a center for people with intellectual disabilities, packs Squiz pouches prior to distribution on Feb. 20, 2020. Providing work for such centers is part of Squiz's social responsibility, say the company's owners. Squiz is in the vanguard of a swelling movement among businesses to put purpose ahead of profit.
For Elizabeth Soubelet, it all began with shame. She was buying applesauce in 64-pouch family packs, she recalls, “and my kids were finishing them in like 14 seconds flat” and then throwing the aluminum-lined plastic containers away.
“I grew up in America in the '70s and '80s, in the heyday of trash,” she says. “I thought this was one thing that I could do better.”
She looked online, and found that all the reusable pouches came from China. That was no good; she didn’t like the idea of buying something that might be made in an exploitative sweatshop with poor environmental controls 5,000 miles away. Bad for the planet.
So she decided to make her own, and with her businessman husband set about creating a company with a simple mission: to help people reduce waste by using the company’s reusable pouches, playfully decorated with cuddly exotic animals.
But Squiz also has a broader vision of its purpose, Nicolas explains. “We want to build an organization that cares for people generally – our customers, our employees, our suppliers and the environment.”
That isn’t always easy.
So as to keep the company’s carbon footprint light, and to fulfill a social purpose, Squiz entrusts its packing and dispatch to a local nonprofit employing intellectually disabled people. Last year that meant some time-consuming and costly mix-ups, but Squiz sales administrator Virginie Bartoli, who spent weeks at the packing center sorting things out, discovered a silver lining.
“I didn’t know much about handicapped people, but I realized when I was working there that everyone has the right to work,” says Ms. Bartoli. “This job I do has made me more human, in some ways.”
Squiz insists that all its products’ components should be made and assembled in Europe, to European labor standards. “We take a stand,” says Sophie Amman, head of marketing and engagement. European workers are expensive, she knows, “but for us the bottom line is not the top priority.”
Still, what does all the care for the environment, the employee perks, the insistence that all materials be recyclable, do to the bottom line? Just how much does it raise the cost per unit?
“That’s a question that drives me crazy,” Elizabeth splutters. “What would you call the base cost? The China price? You can only tell the ‘real’ price when you add in the damage to peoples’ health and to the planet.”
Squiz has settled on a price of $5.50 for a pouch designed to be used at least 50 times. Sales have risen 40% year on year as the company’s reputation for fairness has spread.
That reputation has been cemented by Squiz’ certification as a “B Corporation” (the B stands for benefit) by an independent agency that has validated the company’s performance as a sustainable and ethical enterprise.
The 3,000-plus B Corps around the world, which include Ben and Jerry’s and the outdoor-gear manufacturer Patagonia, are legally obliged to consider the impact of corporate decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community and environment. They see themselves as the vanguard of “business as a force for good,” a better way of running capitalism that benefits a range of stakeholders, not just shareholders.
And there is no more vocal champion of “doing well by doing good” than Paul Polman.
Making capitalism sustainable
Mr. Polman, an energetic and talkative Dutchman, climbed the corporate ladder at Procter & Gamble for 27 years. But he made his name as the boss of a rival consumer goods giant, Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch firm that owns brands worldwide such as Hellmann’s, Dove, and Lipton tea.
It was there, until he left his job last year, that he pioneered the stakeholder model of multinational capitalism.
At first, he angered investors when he took over in 2009 by refusing to offer the traditional quarterly profit forecasts on which financial analysts rely, and insisting on taking a longer-term view of his company’s performance. Unilever shares fell 10%.
Then Mr. Polman alarmed them even more by devoting money and attention to something he called the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, which involved all sorts of projects that seemed harebrained at the time.
He pledged Unilever would buy all of its agricultural raw materials from sustainable sources by 2020. (In fact, it has managed to hit 70%.) He announced ambitious personal hygiene targets in developing countries, launching hand-washing programs for kids and building 30 million toilets.
“Each Unilever brand had a social mission and a purpose,” Polman recalls.
Kevin Wolf/AP/File View caption Hide caption Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, has been in the forefront of moves to give business a moral purpose. Its Sustainable Living Plan, launched nine years ago, requires company executives to look beyond profit, says former Unilever CEO Paul Polman, who came up with the idea.
That built the trust that is especially critical to consumer product companies, but which can decide the fate of any company. And a global study earlier this year found that ethical issues such as integrity are three times more important to people than competence when it comes to trusting a company.
For Unilever, all this paid off. The company yielded 290% shareholder return over Mr. Polman’s decade at the helm, he says proudly. “The development agenda is a business agenda,” he insists. “It doesn’t have to be a tradeoff.”
The financial markets are still somewhat hesitant, he says, “but investors are starting to wake up.”
BlackRock, the largest asset management company in the world, handling $7 trillion, is a case in point.
In his 2019 annual letter to the heads of the companies that BlackRock invests in, CEO Larry Fink urged them to identify and express their companies’ purpose. This year he announced that BlackRock’s actively managed funds will no longer invest in companies that derive more than 25% of their revenue from thermal coal.
“We’ll walk away from businesses whose purpose we don’t believe is particularly compelling or will ensure that the company will be around for a long time,” explains BlackRock spokesman Ryan O’Keeffe.
In the same vein, the head of the world’s largest asset owner, the Japanese government’s pension investment fund, warned in an open letter earlier this month that “companies that seek to maximize corporate revenue without considering their impacts on other stakeholders ... are not attractive investment targets for us.”
Such pronouncements have drawn accusations of “purpose washing”; and activists are still waiting to see any change in behavior by any of the companies that signed on last year to the Business Roundtable’s declaration of commitment to “all of our stakeholders.”
“That was just a statement,” says Andrew Winston, who advises businesses on sustainability. “It didn’t actually commit the companies to much of anything and it remains to be seen how they apply it. But it was symbolically important and it has started a debate.”
Now they must put their money where their mouth is, says Mr. Polman. And he doesn’t think they should be afraid to forge a new path for capitalism. The figures seem to back him up: In the current stock market rout, ESG funds (focusing on environmental, social, and governance investing) have outperformed their peers.
“Ten years ago, I did what I did as an act of faith,” Mr. Polman says. “But now there are quite a lot of hard facts showing that purpose-driven, long-term, multi-stakeholder firms which respect people and the planet see better business performance.
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“Companies that do all this will be ready for the future. The rest will turn out to be dinosaurs.”
Read the entire Navigating Uncertainty series.


csmonitor--2020-03-23--Self-isolation as a gift, not a grind

Self-isolation as a gift, not a grind

As it leads the global battle against the coronavirus , the World Health Organization has advised people to manage their mental well-being as much as their physical health .
The advice is especially true for the hundreds of millions of people who have self-isolated during the pandemic .
WHO suggests engaging in healthy activities to relax , eating well , and keeping regular sleep routines .
Yet WHO also knows such advice may not be enough for those people hunkered down at home with feelings of fear , loneliness , and sadness .
The agency also recommends people be empathetic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information about the crisis , and find safe ways to help others in isolation .
“ Assisting others in their time of need can benefit the person receiving support as well as the helper , ” the agency stated .
In other words , one ’ s home is now both a sanctuary from the virus and a place to rethink the principles that ought to govern home life .
Are we seeking out truthful sources of news ?
How can we better calm a friend with loving assurance ?
What new ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the still silence of self-isolation ?
For many , the pandemic is reshuffling the notion of home as a sanctuary , or a sheltering space that allows one to anchor one ’ s thoughts and values .
People are redefining their cords of attachment in new ways .
Instead of going to religious services in person , they are worshipping online .
Instead of going to parties , weddings , sporting events , or even funerals , they are holding digital gatherings .
Adjusting to a new life of quarantine can have its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be overwhelming , but it doesn ’ t need to be , ” wrote the leaders of the United Methodist Church in Simsbury , Connecticut , in a message to congregants .
“ This can be a time where we can deepen our prayer life , increase our meditation time and work to expand the peace of God around us as those near and dear grapple with heightened anxiety.
” WHO ’ s call for people to maintain their mental well-being is meant as a challenge .
In the sanctuary of one ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways of thinking about relationships , skills , and interests must be rethought .
The isolation can be a gift , not a grind , especially as a new inner life leads to bettering oneself as well as the lives of others .

As it leads the global battle against the coronavirus, the World Health Organization has advised people to manage their mental well-being as much as their physical health. The advice is especially true for the hundreds of millions of people who have self-isolated during the pandemic. WHO suggests engaging in healthy activities to relax, eating well, and keeping regular sleep routines.
Yet WHO also knows such advice may not be enough for those people hunkered down at home with feelings of fear, loneliness, and sadness. The agency also recommends people be empathetic toward those with COVID-19, seek accurate information about the crisis, and find safe ways to help others in isolation.
“Assisting others in their time of need can benefit the person receiving support as well as the helper,” the agency stated.
In other words, one’s home is now both a sanctuary from the virus and a place to rethink the principles that ought to govern home life. Are we seeking out truthful sources of news? How can we better calm a friend with loving assurance? What new ways of expressing life might be possible during the still silence of self-isolation?
For many, the pandemic is reshuffling the notion of home as a sanctuary, or a sheltering space that allows one to anchor one’s thoughts and values. People are redefining their cords of attachment in new ways. Instead of going to religious services in person, they are worshipping online. Instead of going to parties, weddings, sporting events, or even funerals, they are holding digital gatherings.
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Adjusting to a new life of quarantine can have its rewards. “All of this can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be,” wrote the leaders of the United Methodist Church in Simsbury, Connecticut, in a message to congregants. “This can be a time where we can deepen our prayer life, increase our meditation time and work to expand the peace of God around us as those near and dear grapple with heightened anxiety.”
WHO’s call for people to maintain their mental well-being is meant as a challenge. In the sanctuary of one’s home, some of the old ways of thinking about relationships, skills, and interests must be rethought. The isolation can be a gift, not a grind, especially as a new inner life leads to bettering oneself as well as the lives of others.


csmonitor--2020-03-20--China offers apology as Wuhan sees second day with no new cases

China has exonerated a doctor who was officially reprimanded for warning about the coronavirus outbreak and later died of the disease , a startling admission of error by the ruling Communist Party that generally bodes no challenges to its authority .
The party 's top disciplinary body said the police force in Wuhan had revoked its admonishment of Dr. Li Wenliang that had included a threat of arrest .
It also said a `` solemn apology '' had been issued to Mr. Li 's family and that two police officers , identified only by their surnames , had been issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handling of the matter .
Chinese media reports on late Thursday said an investigation by the State Supervision Commission , China ’ s top disciplinary body , found that the reprimand was inappropriate .
It urged the police to revoke the reprimand and hold those involved accountable .
In death , Mr. Li became the face of simmering anger at the ruling Communist Party 's controls over information and complaints that officials lie about or hide disease outbreaks , industrial accidents , natural disasters , and financial frauds , while punishing whistleblowers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new cases daily at the peak of the city 's outbreak a month ago , Wuhan on Friday had its second consecutive day with no new confirmed or suspected cases .
The National Health Commission said all of the 39 new cases recorded Friday in China were brought from overseas , showing that rigid travel restrictions and social distancing requirements appear to have had their desired effect .
China has loosened some travel restrictions in Hubei , the province surrounding Wuhan , although its provincial border remains closed and Wuhan itself remains under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lift the quarantine after Wuhan goes 14 consecutive days with no new cases .
Police in December had reprimanded eight doctors including Mr. Li for warning friends on social media about the emerging threat .
China 's supreme court later criticized the police , but the ruling party continued to tighten its grip on information about the outbreak .
Mr. Li , an eye doctor , was one of several medical workers detained in early January for spreading word about the then-unknown disease .
Authorities have been accused of covering up the initial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to spread more widely .
The party has faced similar accusations of bungling or thuggish behavior following previous disasters .
They include the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , a 2005 chemical spill that disrupted water supplies to millions of people in China 's northeast , sales of tainted milk that sickened thousands of children , and the failure of private finance companies after the global economic crisis .
In each case , officials were accused of trying to conceal or delay information people said they needed to protect themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public to vent temporarily , then uses its control of media and the internet to stifle criticism .
Critics who persist can be jailed on vague charges of spreading rumors or making trouble .
The treatment of Mr. Li 's case may reflect concerns among the leadership about public anger over the failure to properly honor the sacrifices of front-line health workers while praising the party and its head , Xi Jinping , who has tightened controls on society since taking power in 2012 .
The most powerful Chinese leader since at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself the option of remaining president for life by changing the Chinese constitution in 2018 to remove a two-term limit .
In Wuhan , local leaders were accused of telling doctors in December not to publicize the spreading virus in order to avoid casting a shadow over the annual meeting of a local legislative body .
As the virus spread , doctors were ordered to delete posts on social media that appealed for donations of medical supplies .
That prompted complaints authorities were more worried about image than public safety .
Mr. Li @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus on a social media group for his former classmates .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

China has exonerated a doctor who was officially reprimanded for warning about the coronavirus outbreak and later died of the disease, a startling admission of error by the ruling Communist Party that generally bodes no challenges to its authority.
The party's top disciplinary body said the police force in Wuhan had revoked its admonishment of Dr. Li Wenliang that had included a threat of arrest.
It also said a "solemn apology" had been issued to Mr. Li's family and that two police officers, identified only by their surnames, had been issued "disciplinary punishments" for the original handling of the matter.
Chinese media reports on late Thursday said an investigation by the State Supervision Commission, China’s top disciplinary body, found that the reprimand was inappropriate. It urged the police to revoke the reprimand and hold those involved accountable.
In death, Mr. Li became the face of simmering anger at the ruling Communist Party's controls over information and complaints that officials lie about or hide disease outbreaks, industrial accidents, natural disasters, and financial frauds, while punishing whistleblowers and independent journalists.
After seeing thousands of new cases daily at the peak of the city's outbreak a month ago, Wuhan on Friday had its second consecutive day with no new confirmed or suspected cases.
The National Health Commission said all of the 39 new cases recorded Friday in China were brought from overseas, showing that rigid travel restrictions and social distancing requirements appear to have had their desired effect.
China has loosened some travel restrictions in Hubei, the province surrounding Wuhan, although its provincial border remains closed and Wuhan itself remains under lockdown. Officials say they will only lift the quarantine after Wuhan goes 14 consecutive days with no new cases.
Police in December had reprimanded eight doctors including Mr. Li for warning friends on social media about the emerging threat. China's supreme court later criticized the police, but the ruling party continued to tighten its grip on information about the outbreak.
Mr. Li, an eye doctor, was one of several medical workers detained in early January for spreading word about the then-unknown disease. Authorities have been accused of covering up the initial outbreak, endangering heath workers and allowing it to spread more widely.
The party has faced similar accusations of bungling or thuggish behavior following previous disasters. They include the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, a 2005 chemical spill that disrupted water supplies to millions of people in China's northeast, sales of tainted milk that sickened thousands of children, and the failure of private finance companies after the global economic crisis.
In each case, officials were accused of trying to conceal or delay information people said they needed to protect themselves.
The party often responds by allowing the public to vent temporarily, then uses its control of media and the internet to stifle criticism. Critics who persist can be jailed on vague charges of spreading rumors or making trouble.
The treatment of Mr. Li's case may reflect concerns among the leadership about public anger over the failure to properly honor the sacrifices of front-line health workers while praising the party and its head, Xi Jinping, who has tightened controls on society since taking power in 2012.
The most powerful Chinese leader since at least the 1980s, Mr. Xi gave himself the option of remaining president for life by changing the Chinese constitution in 2018 to remove a two-term limit.
In Wuhan, local leaders were accused of telling doctors in December not to publicize the spreading virus in order to avoid casting a shadow over the annual meeting of a local legislative body.
As the virus spread, doctors were ordered to delete posts on social media that appealed for donations of medical supplies. That prompted complaints authorities were more worried about image than public safety.
Mr. Li was detained by police after warning about the virus on a social media group for his former classmates.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-03-23--Tokyo Olympic Games lean toward rescheduling to 2021

The Tokyo Olympics are going to happen – but almost surely in 2021 rather than in four months as planned .
This became clear after the IOC on Sunday announced it was considering a postponement and would make a final decision within four weeks .
Major Olympic nations like Canada and Australia have added pressure by saying they will not send teams if the games are staged this year .
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach sent a letter to athletes explaining the decision , while also acknowledging the extended timeline might not be popular .
`` I know that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions open , '' he wrote .
`` I also know that this rational approach may not be in line with the emotions many of you have to go through . ''
The IOC 's move seemed inevitable for weeks with pressure mounting from all quarters – athletes , sponsors , broadcasters , and more than 200 national Olympic committees , and international sports federations .
Shortly after Mr. Bach 's statement , the Canadian Olympic Committee said it would not send athletes to the Olympics unless the games are postponed by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was advising its athletes to prepare for an Olympics in 2021 .
World Athletics President Seb Coe sent a letter to Mr. Bach saying that holding the Olympics in July `` is neither feasible nor desirable . ''
He outlined a number of reasons , including competitive fairness , the likelihood athletes would overtrain if given a compressed schedule , and the uncertainty caused by orders in many countries barring people from gyms and other workout venues .
National Olympic committees in Brazil and Slovenia had also called for postponement until 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control .
The United States governing bodies of swimming and track – two of the three top-tier Summer Games sports – had called on their national Olympic officials to push for a postponement .
Many athletes can no longer train , as training facilities , such as swimming pools , are closed .
Japan 's politicians fell in line quickly on Monday as they awakened to Mr. Bach 's move , which was announced at 3 a.m. in Tokyo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japan 's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , speaking at a parliamentary session , said a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics would be necessary if the games can not be held in a complete way because of the coronavirus pandemic .
`` If it is difficult to hold [ the Games ] in a complete way , a decision of postponement would be unavoidable , '' he said .
Mr. Abe said he hoped the IOC would announce a decision quickly , and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike echoed him .
The IOC holds most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spelled out in a Host City Contract signed in 2013 between the IOC , the Japanese Olympic Committee , and the city of Tokyo .
Japan is officially spending $ 12.6 billion to organize the Olympics , but a national audit put the figure at more than twice that much .
The bill is sure to increase with any postponement , and the vast majority of the spending is from the public treasury .
The IOC has a reserve fund of about $ 2 billion to tide itself over , and also has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mori , the president of the organizing committee , said he talked with Mr. Bach by teleconference about the delay and was joined by CEO Toshiro Muto .
`` Honestly speaking , four weeks is quite a short time to consider all the necessary elements , '' Mr. Mori said at a Monday news conference .
`` It requires a tremendous amount of time and we have to hurry to go through this . ''
Both were asked about added cost , and who would pay .
And both shied away from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calculations had to be made , and the availability of venues – presumably for next summer in the northern hemisphere – had to be examined .
A decision also has to be made about who pays for the maintenance of venues if the Olympics are postponed .
Similar questions will be asked about the massive Olympic Village , which is to house 11,000 Olympians and 4,400 Paralympians before the high-priced units around Tokyo Bay are sold off by private developers .
`` I respect Mr. Bach , '' Mr. Mori said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been always together walking side by side .
I consider Mr. Bach as my best friend . ''
The Olympic torch arrived last Friday in northern Japan from Greece .
The torch relay is set to begin on Thursday from Fukushima prefecture , the area devastated by the 2011 earthquake , tsunami , and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors .
Organizers said the relay is still on , but said plans could change very quickly .
On Sunday , thousands crowded the northern city of Sendai to view the flame , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for viewing .
Jeff Kingston , who studies Japanese politics at Temple University in Tokyo , said a postponed Olympics will be a minor worry for most people .
`` The public is expecting and supports postponement , so it wo n't be a big deal , '' Mr. Kingston said in an email to Associated Press .
`` People are way more worried about the economic consequences and their jobs and if the number of cases ramps up . ''
A recent poll by the Japanese news agency Kyodo said 69.9 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on schedule .
As of Sunday , Japan had 1,719 confirmed cases of the virus , including 712 from a cruise ship , with 43 deaths .
Former IOC marketing director Michael Payne said the delay might work to the advantage of the IOC and Japan .
`` What better platform is there going to be than the Olympic Games when the world has pulled through the virus , '' Mr. Payne told AP in an interview Sunday , just before the IOC announcement .
`` You 've got a dynamic that will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the world .
But you are going to have a tough road getting there . ''
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

The Tokyo Olympics are going to happen – but almost surely in 2021 rather than in four months as planned.
This became clear after the IOC on Sunday announced it was considering a postponement and would make a final decision within four weeks. Major Olympic nations like Canada and Australia have added pressure by saying they will not send teams if the games are staged this year.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach sent a letter to athletes explaining the decision, while also acknowledging the extended timeline might not be popular.
"I know that this unprecedented situation leaves many of your questions open," he wrote. "I also know that this rational approach may not be in line with the emotions many of you have to go through."
The IOC's move seemed inevitable for weeks with pressure mounting from all quarters – athletes, sponsors, broadcasters, and more than 200 national Olympic committees, and international sports federations.
Shortly after Mr. Bach's statement, the Canadian Olympic Committee said it would not send athletes to the Olympics unless the games are postponed by a year. Australia issued a statement saying it was advising its athletes to prepare for an Olympics in 2021.
World Athletics President Seb Coe sent a letter to Mr. Bach saying that holding the Olympics in July "is neither feasible nor desirable." He outlined a number of reasons, including competitive fairness, the likelihood athletes would overtrain if given a compressed schedule, and the uncertainty caused by orders in many countries barring people from gyms and other workout venues.
National Olympic committees in Brazil and Slovenia had also called for postponement until 2021. Norway's Olympic body said it did not want athletes going to Tokyo until the global health crisis is under control.
The United States governing bodies of swimming and track – two of the three top-tier Summer Games sports – had called on their national Olympic officials to push for a postponement. Many athletes can no longer train, as training facilities, such as swimming pools, are closed.
Japan's politicians fell in line quickly on Monday as they awakened to Mr. Bach's move, which was announced at 3 a.m. in Tokyo as most of the city slept.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking at a parliamentary session, said a postponement of the Tokyo Olympics would be necessary if the games cannot be held in a complete way because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"If it is difficult to hold [the Games] in a complete way, a decision of postponement would be unavoidable," he said.
Mr. Abe said he hoped the IOC would announce a decision quickly, and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike echoed him.
The IOC holds most of the cards in any rescheduling, spelled out in a Host City Contract signed in 2013 between the IOC, the Japanese Olympic Committee, and the city of Tokyo.
Japan is officially spending $12.6 billion to organize the Olympics, but a national audit put the figure at more than twice that much. The bill is sure to increase with any postponement, and the vast majority of the spending is from the public treasury.
The IOC has a reserve fund of about $2 billion to tide itself over, and also has insurance against postponement or cancellation.
Yoshiro Mori, the president of the organizing committee, said he talked with Mr. Bach by teleconference about the delay and was joined by CEO Toshiro Muto.
"Honestly speaking, four weeks is quite a short time to consider all the necessary elements," Mr. Mori said at a Monday news conference. "It requires a tremendous amount of time and we have to hurry to go through this."
Both were asked about added cost, and who would pay. And both shied away from a direct response.
Mr. Mori said cost calculations had to be made, and the availability of venues – presumably for next summer in the northern hemisphere – had to be examined. A decision also has to be made about who pays for the maintenance of venues if the Olympics are postponed.
Similar questions will be asked about the massive Olympic Village, which is to house 11,000 Olympians and 4,400 Paralympians before the high-priced units around Tokyo Bay are sold off by private developers.
"I respect Mr. Bach," Mr. Mori said. "And we trust Mr. Bach. We have been always together walking side by side. I consider Mr. Bach as my best friend."
The Olympic torch arrived last Friday in northern Japan from Greece. The torch relay is set to begin on Thursday from Fukushima prefecture, the area devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors. Organizers said the relay is still on, but said plans could change very quickly.
On Sunday, thousands crowded the northern city of Sendai to view the flame, which forced organizers the restrict the entry for viewing.
Jeff Kingston, who studies Japanese politics at Temple University in Tokyo, said a postponed Olympics will be a minor worry for most people.
"The public is expecting and supports postponement, so it won't be a big deal," Mr. Kingston said in an email to Associated Press. "People are way more worried about the economic consequences and their jobs and if the number of cases ramps up."
A recent poll by the Japanese news agency Kyodo said 69.9% did not expect the Olympics to open on schedule.
As of Sunday, Japan had 1,719 confirmed cases of the virus, including 712 from a cruise ship, with 43 deaths.
Former IOC marketing director Michael Payne said the delay might work to the advantage of the IOC and Japan.
"What better platform is there going to be than the Olympic Games when the world has pulled through the virus," Mr. Payne told AP in an interview Sunday, just before the IOC announcement. "You've got a dynamic that will be even more powerful for Japan and the rest of the world. But you are going to have a tough road getting there."
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This story was reported by The Associated Press.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-04-04--Trump intelligence shake up continues with watchdog’s ouster

President Donald Trump abruptly fired the inspector general of the intelligence community , sidelining an independent watchdog who played a pivotal role in his impeachment even as his White House struggles with the deepening coronavirus pandemic .
Mr. Trump informed the House and Senate intelligence committees late Friday of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson , according to letters obtained by The Associated Press .
Mr. Atkinson handled the anonymous whistleblower complaint that triggered Mr. Trump ’ s impeachment last year .
His removal is part of a larger shakeup of the intelligence community under Mr. Trump , who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats reacted swiftly , saying the firing would have a “ chilling effect ” and was “ unconscionable ” during a pandemic .
Mr. Trump said in the letter that it is “ vital ” that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general , and “ that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.
” He did not elaborate , except to say that “ it is extremely important that we promote the economy , efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and activities , ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goals .
The head of the council representing inspectors general throughout government said Mr. Atkinson was known for his “ integrity , professionalism , and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight , ” an implicit suggestion that Mr. Trump ’ s criticism stems from a sense of a loss of loyalty from an official who is supposed to be independent .
Mr. Trump said in the letter to the Senate that Mr. Atkinson would be removed from office in 30 days , the required amount of time he must wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would nominate an individual “ who has my full confidence ” at a later date .
According to two congressional officials , Mr. Atkinson has been placed on administrative leave , meaning he will not serve out the 30 days .
One of the officials said Mr. Atkinson was only informed of his removal on Friday night .
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Mr. Atkinson ’ s administrative leave has not been announced .
Mr. Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about the anonymous whistleblower complaint last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son .
That complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Mr. Trump ’ s impeachment .
Mr. Atkinson informed lawmakers of the existence of the complaint in September , saying he believed the complaint was “ urgent ” and “ credible.
” But the acting director of national intelligence at the time , Joseph Maguire , said he did not believe it met the definition of “ urgent , ” and tried to withhold it from Congress .
The complaint was eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed that Mr. Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July call to investigate the Bidens .
The House launched an inquiry in September , and three months later voted to impeach Mr. Trump .
The Republican-led Senate acquitted Mr. Trump in February .
Mr. Atkinson ’ s firing thrusts the president ’ s impeachment back into the spotlight as his administration deals with the deadly spread of the coronavirus .
As Mr. Trump was removing Mr. Atkinson , the number of U.S. deaths due to the virus topped 7,000 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ panel , Virginia Sen. Mark Warner , said it was “ unconscionable ” that Mr. Trump would fire Mr. Atkinson in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation ’ s intelligence agencies , ” Senator Warner said .
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff , of California , who led the House impeachment inquiry , said “ the president ’ s dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.
” House Speaker Nancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the firing “ threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power.
” And Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer , of New York , said Mr. Trump “ fires people for telling the truth.
” Michael Horowitz , chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and the inspector general at the Department of Justice who is well-liked by lawmakers in both parties , criticized the removal of Mr. Atkinson and defended his handling of the Ukraine case .
“ The Inspector General Community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oversight of the agencies that we oversee , ” Mr. Horowitz said in a statement .
Horowitz said that includes oversight of the $ 2 trillion law signed last week to help combat the coronavirus pandemic and boost the economy .
Mr. Trump has already tried to limit some of the oversight that Congress set up to police that money .
Tom Monheim , a career intelligence professional , will become the acting inspector general for the intelligence community , according to an intelligence official who was not authorized to discuss personnel changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mr. Monheim is currently the general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency .
Mr. Atkinson ’ s firing is part of a larger shakeup in the intelligence community .
Mr. Maguire , the former acting director of national intelligence , was also removed by Trump and replaced by a Trump loyalist , Richard Grenell .
The intelligence community has been in turmoil because of the constant turnover .
Mr. Atkinson is at least the seventh intelligence official to be fired , ousted or moved aside since last summer .
The Office of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was created to improve coordination of the nation ’ s 17 intelligence agencies after 9/11 , has been in upheaval since former Director Dan Coats , who had a fraught relationship with Mr. Trump , announced in July 2019 that he was stepping down .
Mr. Trump nominated Rep. John Ratcliffe , a Texas Republican , to replace Mr. Coats , but his selection drew sharp criticism from Democrats and a lukewarm response from some Republicans because of his lack of experience .
Mr. Trump withdrew Representative Ratcliffe ’ s name from consideration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then re-nominated him again in February .
The Senate has yet to move on the nomination .
Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act , Mr. Grenell could only serve in his post until March 11 unless the president formally nominated someone else for the job .
So by selecting Ratcliffe again , Mr. Grenell can stay for up to 210 days while Ratcliffe weaves his way through the Senate confirmation process , and for another 210 days if senators reject Ratcliffe ’ s nomination .
This story was reported by The Associated Press @

President Donald Trump abruptly fired the inspector general of the intelligence community, sidelining an independent watchdog who played a pivotal role in his impeachment even as his White House struggles with the deepening coronavirus pandemic.
Mr. Trump informed the House and Senate intelligence committees late Friday of his decision to fire Michael Atkinson, according to letters obtained by The Associated Press. Mr. Atkinson handled the anonymous whistleblower complaint that triggered Mr. Trump’s impeachment last year.
His removal is part of a larger shakeup of the intelligence community under Mr. Trump, who has always viewed intelligence professionals with skepticism. Democrats reacted swiftly, saying the firing would have a “chilling effect” and was “unconscionable” during a pandemic.
Mr. Trump said in the letter that it is “vital” that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and “that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.”
He did not elaborate, except to say that “it is extremely important that we promote the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of federal programs and activities,” and that inspectors general are critical to those goals.
The head of the council representing inspectors general throughout government said Mr. Atkinson was known for his “integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the rule of law and independent oversight,” an implicit suggestion that Mr. Trump’s criticism stems from a sense of a loss of loyalty from an official who is supposed to be independent.
Mr. Trump said in the letter to the Senate that Mr. Atkinson would be removed from office in 30 days, the required amount of time he must wait after informing Congress. He wrote that he would nominate an individual “who has my full confidence” at a later date.
According to two congressional officials, Mr. Atkinson has been placed on administrative leave, meaning he will not serve out the 30 days. One of the officials said Mr. Atkinson was only informed of his removal on Friday night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Mr. Atkinson’s administrative leave has not been announced.
Mr. Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about the anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Mr. Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son. That complaint prompted a House investigation that ultimately resulted in Mr. Trump’s impeachment.
Mr. Atkinson informed lawmakers of the existence of the complaint in September, saying he believed the complaint was “urgent” and “credible.” But the acting director of national intelligence at the time, Joseph Maguire, said he did not believe it met the definition of “urgent,” and tried to withhold it from Congress.
The complaint was eventually released after a firestorm, and it revealed that Mr. Trump had asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July call to investigate the Bidens. The House launched an inquiry in September, and three months later voted to impeach Mr. Trump. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Mr. Trump in February.
Mr. Atkinson’s firing thrusts the president’s impeachment back into the spotlight as his administration deals with the deadly spread of the coronavirus. As Mr. Trump was removing Mr. Atkinson, the number of U.S. deaths due to the virus topped 7,000.
The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said it was “unconscionable” that Mr. Trump would fire Mr. Atkinson in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We should all be deeply disturbed by ongoing attempts to politicize the nation’s intelligence agencies,” Senator Warner said.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, who led the House impeachment inquiry, said “the president’s dead of night decision puts our country and national security at even greater risk.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also of California, said the firing “threatens to have a chilling effect against all willing to speak truth to power.” And Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, said Mr. Trump “fires people for telling the truth.”
Michael Horowitz, chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency and the inspector general at the Department of Justice who is well-liked by lawmakers in both parties, criticized the removal of Mr. Atkinson and defended his handling of the Ukraine case.
“The Inspector General Community will continue to conduct aggressive, independent oversight of the agencies that we oversee,” Mr. Horowitz said in a statement.
Horowitz said that includes oversight of the $2 trillion law signed last week to help combat the coronavirus pandemic and boost the economy. Mr. Trump has already tried to limit some of the oversight that Congress set up to police that money.
Tom Monheim, a career intelligence professional, will become the acting inspector general for the intelligence community, according to an intelligence official who was not authorized to discuss personnel changes and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Mr. Monheim is currently the general counsel of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Mr. Atkinson’s firing is part of a larger shakeup in the intelligence community. Mr. Maguire, the former acting director of national intelligence, was also removed by Trump and replaced by a Trump loyalist, Richard Grenell.
The intelligence community has been in turmoil because of the constant turnover. Mr. Atkinson is at least the seventh intelligence official to be fired, ousted or moved aside since last summer.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was created to improve coordination of the nation’s 17 intelligence agencies after 9/11, has been in upheaval since former Director Dan Coats, who had a fraught relationship with Mr. Trump, announced in July 2019 that he was stepping down.
Mr. Trump nominated Rep. John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican, to replace Mr. Coats, but his selection drew sharp criticism from Democrats and a lukewarm response from some Republicans because of his lack of experience.
Mr. Trump withdrew Representative Ratcliffe’s name from consideration shortly after he was nominated, but then re-nominated him again in February. The Senate has yet to move on the nomination.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, Mr. Grenell could only serve in his post until March 11 unless the president formally nominated someone else for the job. So by selecting Ratcliffe again, Mr. Grenell can stay for up to 210 days while Ratcliffe weaves his way through the Senate confirmation process, and for another 210 days if senators reject Ratcliffe’s nomination.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.