alternet--2020-12-05--The key to the Senate majority could come down to overlooked voters in Georgia

Immediately after Joe Biden 's surprise victory in Georgia , analysts parsing voter turnout patterns concluded that many of the state 's conservatives and independents have had enough of President Trump .
Many pundits affirmed that conclusion by noting that Sen. David Perdue , the Republican incumbent , had won more votes than the president in Atlanta 's tonier suburbs , a weather vane for the GOP .
But civil rights groups based elsewhere in Georgia and their out-of-state allies saw a different pattern when studying 2020 's voter turnout .
Whether looking at Atlanta , which also contains lower-income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counties where towns look little changed from the mid-20th century , they saw that voters in many communities of color did not turn out in the volumes they had expected .
`` There were really scary numbers in Atlanta , '' said Andrea Miller , whose Virginia-based nonprofit , Center for Common Ground , focuses on empowering underrepresented voters across the South .
Through Election Day , its volunteers sent 875,000 postcards to Georgians and followed up with phone calls and texts .
`` Look at DeKalb County , '' she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Five million Georgians voted in the presidential election , a million more than the 2018 governor 's race , and a reflection of a state whose politics and demographics are changing and sparking participation across the political spectrum .
Against this backdrop , Georgia 's voters of color could play a crucial role in upcoming U.S. Senate runoffs on January 5 , contests that could change national politics .
If Georgia 's incumbent Republican senators , David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , are defeated by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ return to Democrats .
That shift , should it occur , would allow President-elect Joe Biden to govern without gridlock and possibly enact broad reforms .
There has not been an election of greater national significance in Georgia in years .
The political parties , candidates and political activists across America know this .
Whether Georgia 's communities of color have reason to believe that this election or their votes will matter , perhaps in numbers to tip the outcome , is another question .
Georgia runoffs are among the state 's lowest-turnout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flowing into the state for the runoffs is buying ads targeting voters in the biggest cities and suburbs .
But Miller and like-minded civil rights organizers with visibly active operations across Georgia—such as Black Voters Matter , the Georgia Coalition for the People 's Agenda , the NAACP and the New Georgia Project—say that voters of color , particularly in smaller cities and rural areas , wo n't be moved by political advertising .
But they could turn out in unexpected numbers if asked by trusted friends , family and clergy .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Miller , in a mid-November interview .
`` We have already postcarded all 2.7 million community of color voters in Georgia to let them know that this runoff is coming up . ''
`` We 've been out registering people , '' Ray McClendon , a lead organizer with Atlanta 's NAACP , said the first week of December .
The chapter has been coordinating with other NAACP chapters and business and community groups in 19 counties where 77 percent of the state 's Black voters live .
`` We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election and this past weekend . ''
The NAACP hopes that it can prompt 25 percent of registered voters in its targeted counties to vote in the runoffs , said Richard Rose , the Atlanta NAACP president .
`` We want to get about 500,000 Black voters back to the polls… Part of our job is education .
Putting forth the issues , to say , 'Hey , these are the issues that should concern you .
And you need to vote to express your interest . '
'' But it will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate runoffs , Rose said .
The national stakes matter less than issues that touch daily lives , he said , such as the possibility for better health care options , a COVID-19 stimulus check or a small business loan .
There 's also a runoff for a seat on the Public Service Commission , which regulates utility costs , which has never been held by a Black person or a woman .
`` Health care , fair wages , justice , '' Rose said .
`` You 've got to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold on to… So our door hanger deals with those issues .
The flip side talks about [ the voting ] process . ''
Still , many voters of color have taken notice that Georgia has become a national battleground after Biden narrowly beat Trump , meaning their votes have greater weight .
And Rev .
Warnock is an African American pastor who led the Atlanta church where Rev .
Martin Luther King Jr. once preached .
`` We have to continue to demonstrate the message , '' Rose said .
`` Remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Black community is the reaction to the generations of oppression , where Black voters did n't matter—really did n't matter . ''
Georgia has many voting rights groups , including some with national reputations such as Stacey Abrams ' Fair Fight Action and the New Georgia Project .
Abrams ' efforts have been praised for their outreach to voters—especially younger people in Atlanta as part of her unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial bid .
But as the fights over Georgia 's 2020 presidential results continued after Election Day , only a few groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to voters for the runoffs .
One group was the Center for Common Ground .
By Thanksgiving , it had booked 15 billboards across Georgia , had 40,000 volunteers from across the country write postcards to millions of Georgians and was buying cell phone numbers for use in get-out-the-vote phone and text banks to be staffed by local Georgians .
A partner of the center , Vote Equality , sent an eye-grabbing purple Winnebago RV—labeled `` The Notorious RVG '' above the front window , which stands for Ruthless Vote-Getter—to the small city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vote Equality promotes passage of the Equal Rights Amendment granting full rights to women .
Its role is complementing regional organizers for Black Voters Matter , a Georgia-based group with regional offices .
One of its colorful `` We Got the Power '' vans and local volunteers were registering voters before a December 7 deadline .
Crucially , Black Voters Matter 's organizers were poised to listen to people 's concerns and to start a conversation that subtly reminded them that their issues were on the runoff ballot .
As the NAACP 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first week of December about the coalition 's efforts , `` You have to have a relational strategy ; broad broadcast advertising for political ads does not work .
You have to have a grassroots , on-the-ground , relational campaign . ''
One such campaign could be seen on a Saturday morning before Thanksgiving in Hawkinsville , a town about a half-hour drive from Warner Robins .
`` Hey !
How y'all doing ?
How are you ? ''
said Fenika Miller , Black Voters Matter 's organizer for middle Georgia .
Miller—no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people who came by to see what was going on at a table on which a banner read , `` BLACK VOTERS MATTER '' and `` IT 'S ABOUT US . ''
Pulaski County , where Hawkinsville is located , has equal numbers of white and non-white voters , but more white people voted this fall .
Besides paper forms and electronic tablets to register voters , update registration information or request an absentee ballot , Miller 's table had bags , T-shirts and sweatshirts to give away—all with Black Voters Matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free , once people were registered and said they would plan to vote—and promised to tell their friends and family to do the same .
`` Visibility is everything , '' Fenika Miller said .
`` That 's why we do what we do .
That 's why we have these vans .
That 's why they [ Vote Equality ] have the [ purple ] RV .
Because this year has been different .
We have n't been able to engage people in the same way due to COVID .
It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not forgotten about their community , has not forgotten about their issues , has not forgotten that they matter , and they have power . ''
Seen from out of state , Georgia has joined the ranks of states where elections of national consequence can be determined by small voting blocs that lean left or right .
But seen locally , such as in Warner Robins , a city that anchors Houston County , where 30,000 registered voters skipped the November election and where Fenika Miller grew up and is based , communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ momentum has been slowly building .
Houston County is one of the many counties in Georgia where civil rights groups hope to turn out voters who are not on the national political radar .
Its population is 160,000 and it calls itself `` Georgia 's Most Progressive County . ''
It was little more than cotton fields and two-lane roads before the Robins Air Force Base was built in the early 1940s .
Warner Robins , its commercial center , is next to the base and is touted locally as `` The International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a four-lane boulevard with a medical center , small businesses , restaurants , chain stores and city offices near the base .
There are few vacancies or boarded-up buildings .
But behind the boulevard are pockets of poverty .
Inside old subdivisions of small homes are families in which people often have several jobs to make ends meet , said Fenika Miller .
The public schools are good , but they lack funds to ensure that every child has a computer , which is crucial for remote learning during the pandemic .
Meanwhile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to the city 's small businesses .
These tensions , which are not unique , shape daily life and are baselines for Miller 's organizing to uplift local communities of color .
The local power structure has produced some of Georgia 's most notable white politicians .
Former Sen. Sam Nunn , a Democrat , is from here .
So is Sen. Perdue , whose first cousin , Sonny Perdue , is a former Republican governor of Georgia who switched parties from Democrat—at a time when many establishment Democrats became Republicans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , from school boards to city hall to state legislators , still are held by white men .
But that pattern was being challenged , Fenika Miller said .
This is partly because organizers like Miller and groups like Black Voters Matter have become steady presences to empower their community .
In 2020 , a full slate of candidates , many of them people of color and women , ran for local office , she said .
While they lost , some , such as in the district attorney race , came close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that her community 's voters were paying attention .
In the run-up to the 2020 general election , Black Voters Matter was the only group `` with boots on the ground '' in middle Georgia , she said .
Voters took notice and were surprised by some of the election 's results .
`` We worked really hard , but we were surprised , as was the rest of the country and the state , when our vote-by-mail applications came in , '' Miller said , referring to the volume of voters who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` In Houston County , Biden won our vote by mail .
We gave him the first bump in the state .
People said , 'Oh my goodness . '
First , people did n't know there were that many [ absentee ballots ] out there .
And then they saw Biden win a traditionally red county , the home of [ former ] Gov .
Sonny Perdue . ''
Organizers like Fenika Miller hope that voters in Georgia 's communities of color can feel they are building momentum that translates into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter registration deadline for the runoff nears and early voting starts a week later , Republicans have dominated the airwaves with negative ads that acknowledge that new political currents are challenging the GOP .
The TV ads are `` dog whistles , '' Miller said , meaning they have implicit race-based messages that do n't need any explanation , such as claiming that Rev .
Warnock was dangerous because , among other things , he stood by Rev .
Jeremiah Wright , an outspoken pastor whom President Obama knew but distanced himself from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good '' and `` bad '' Black people was not new in Georgia , Miller said , but it also was not on the minds of the would-be voters she was reaching out to .
`` My job is to make sure that our community understands fact-based issues around how we can build power , why we need to engage in the process , and what 's at stake , '' Fenika Miller said .
`` How we frame that , and help our communities to understand that , and show up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they show up for all of us , is going to be completely important . ''
Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth , a project of the Independent Media Institute .
He has reported for National Public Radio , Marketplace , and Christian Science Monitor Radio , as well as a wide range of progressive publications including Salon , AlterNet , the American Prospect , and many others .
This article was produced by Voting Booth , a project of the Independent Media Institute .

Immediately after Joe Biden's surprise victory in Georgia, analysts parsing voter turnout patterns concluded that many of the state's conservatives and independents have had enough of President Trump. Many pundits affirmed that conclusion by noting that Sen. David Perdue, the Republican incumbent, had won more votes than the president in Atlanta's tonier suburbs, a weather vane for the GOP.
But civil rights groups based elsewhere in Georgia and their out-of-state allies saw a different pattern when studying 2020's voter turnout. Whether looking at Atlanta, which also contains lower-income areas, or across Georgia's 159 counties where towns look little changed from the mid-20th century, they saw that voters in many communities of color did not turn out in the volumes they had expected.
"There were really scary numbers in Atlanta," said Andrea Miller, whose Virginia-based nonprofit, Center for Common Ground, focuses on empowering underrepresented voters across the South. Through Election Day, its volunteers sent 875,000 postcards to Georgians and followed up with phone calls and texts. "Look at DeKalb County," she said. "173,000 voters did not show up."
Five million Georgians voted in the presidential election, a million more than the 2018 governor's race, and a reflection of a state whose politics and demographics are changing and sparking participation across the political spectrum. Against this backdrop, Georgia's voters of color could play a crucial role in upcoming U.S. Senate runoffs on January 5, contests that could change national politics.
If Georgia's incumbent Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, are defeated by Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Senate majority would return to Democrats. That shift, should it occur, would allow President-elect Joe Biden to govern without gridlock and possibly enact broad reforms.
There has not been an election of greater national significance in Georgia in years. The political parties, candidates and political activists across America know this. Whether Georgia's communities of color have reason to believe that this election or their votes will matter, perhaps in numbers to tip the outcome, is another question. Georgia runoffs are among the state's lowest-turnout elections.
Much of the political money flowing into the state for the runoffs is buying ads targeting voters in the biggest cities and suburbs. But Miller and like-minded civil rights organizers with visibly active operations across Georgia—such as Black Voters Matter, the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda, the NAACP and the New Georgia Project—say that voters of color, particularly in smaller cities and rural areas, won't be moved by political advertising. But they could turn out in unexpected numbers if asked by trusted friends, family and clergy.
"They are not on anybody's lists," said Miller, in a mid-November interview. "We have already postcarded all 2.7 million community of color voters in Georgia to let them know that this runoff is coming up."
"We've been out registering people," Ray McClendon, a lead organizer with Atlanta's NAACP, said the first week of December. The chapter has been coordinating with other NAACP chapters and business and community groups in 19 counties where 77 percent of the state's Black voters live. "We registered 300,000 people between the November 3 election and this past weekend."
The NAACP hopes that it can prompt 25 percent of registered voters in its targeted counties to vote in the runoffs, said Richard Rose, the Atlanta NAACP president. "We want to get about 500,000 Black voters back to the polls… Part of our job is education. Putting forth the issues, to say, 'Hey, these are the issues that should concern you. And you need to vote to express your interest.'"
But it will be hard to motivate people to vote in the Senate runoffs, Rose said. The national stakes matter less than issues that touch daily lives, he said, such as the possibility for better health care options, a COVID-19 stimulus check or a small business loan. There's also a runoff for a seat on the Public Service Commission, which regulates utility costs, which has never been held by a Black person or a woman.
"Health care, fair wages, justice," Rose said. "You've got to have a list that people can grab and hold on to… So our door hanger deals with those issues. The flip side talks about [the voting] process."
Still, many voters of color have taken notice that Georgia has become a national battleground after Biden narrowly beat Trump, meaning their votes have greater weight. And Rev. Warnock is an African American pastor who led the Atlanta church where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
"We have to continue to demonstrate the message," Rose said. "Remember, a big problem of voter turnout in the Black community is the reaction to the generations of oppression, where Black voters didn't matter—really didn't matter."
'Demonstrate the Message'
Georgia has many voting rights groups, including some with national reputations such as Stacey Abrams' Fair Fight Action and the New Georgia Project. Abrams' efforts have been praised for their outreach to voters—especially younger people in Atlanta as part of her unsuccessful 2018 gubernatorial bid. But as the fights over Georgia's 2020 presidential results continued after Election Day, only a few groups could be seen in mid-November reaching out to voters for the runoffs.
One group was the Center for Common Ground. By Thanksgiving, it had booked 15 billboards across Georgia, had 40,000 volunteers from across the country write postcards to millions of Georgians and was buying cell phone numbers for use in get-out-the-vote phone and text banks to be staffed by local Georgians.
A partner of the center, Vote Equality, sent an eye-grabbing purple Winnebago RV—labeled "The Notorious RVG" above the front window, which stands for Ruthless Vote-Getter—to the small city of Warner Robins in middle Georgia. Vote Equality promotes passage of the Equal Rights Amendment granting full rights to women. Its role is complementing regional organizers for Black Voters Matter, a Georgia-based group with regional offices. One of its colorful "We Got the Power" vans and local volunteers were registering voters before a December 7 deadline.
Crucially, Black Voters Matter's organizers were poised to listen to people's concerns and to start a conversation that subtly reminded them that their issues were on the runoff ballot. As the NAACP's Rose said on a Zoom call the first week of December about the coalition's efforts, "You have to have a relational strategy; broad broadcast advertising for political ads does not work. You have to have a grassroots, on-the-ground, relational campaign."
One such campaign could be seen on a Saturday morning before Thanksgiving in Hawkinsville, a town about a half-hour drive from Warner Robins.
"Hey! How y'all doing? How are you?" said Fenika Miller, Black Voters Matter's organizer for middle Georgia. Miller—no relation to Andrea Miller—was greeting a trickle of people who came by to see what was going on at a table on which a banner read, "BLACK VOTERS MATTER" and "IT'S ABOUT US." Pulaski County, where Hawkinsville is located, has equal numbers of white and non-white voters, but more white people voted this fall.
Besides paper forms and electronic tablets to register voters, update registration information or request an absentee ballot, Miller's table had bags, T-shirts and sweatshirts to give away—all with Black Voters Matter in big letters. The items were free, once people were registered and said they would plan to vote—and promised to tell their friends and family to do the same.
"Visibility is everything," Fenika Miller said. "That's why we do what we do. That's why we have these vans. That's why they [Vote Equality] have the [purple] RV. Because this year has been different. We haven't been able to engage people in the same way due to COVID. It's also about people seeing that someone has not forgotten about their community, has not forgotten about their issues, has not forgotten that they matter, and they have power."
Not Quite Swing Counties
Seen from out of state, Georgia has joined the ranks of states where elections of national consequence can be determined by small voting blocs that lean left or right. But seen locally, such as in Warner Robins, a city that anchors Houston County, where 30,000 registered voters skipped the November election and where Fenika Miller grew up and is based, communities of color still lack political representation—although their momentum has been slowly building.
Houston County is one of the many counties in Georgia where civil rights groups hope to turn out voters who are not on the national political radar. Its population is 160,000 and it calls itself "Georgia's Most Progressive County." It was little more than cotton fields and two-lane roads before the Robins Air Force Base was built in the early 1940s. Warner Robins, its commercial center, is next to the base and is touted locally as "The International City." The main street is a four-lane boulevard with a medical center, small businesses, restaurants, chain stores and city offices near the base. There are few vacancies or boarded-up buildings.
But behind the boulevard are pockets of poverty. Inside old subdivisions of small homes are families in which people often have several jobs to make ends meet, said Fenika Miller. The public schools are good, but they lack funds to ensure that every child has a computer, which is crucial for remote learning during the pandemic. Meanwhile, federal pandemic relief has not trickled down to the city's small businesses. These tensions, which are not unique, shape daily life and are baselines for Miller's organizing to uplift local communities of color.
The local power structure has produced some of Georgia's most notable white politicians. Former Sen. Sam Nunn, a Democrat, is from here. So is Sen. Perdue, whose first cousin, Sonny Perdue, is a former Republican governor of Georgia who switched parties from Democrat—at a time when many establishment Democrats became Republicans. Regardless of party, most local officials, from school boards to city hall to state legislators, still are held by white men. But that pattern was being challenged, Fenika Miller said. This is partly because organizers like Miller and groups like Black Voters Matter have become steady presences to empower their community.
In 2020, a full slate of candidates, many of them people of color and women, ran for local office, she said. While they lost, some, such as in the district attorney race, came close to winning. That was a sign that her community's voters were paying attention. In the run-up to the 2020 general election, Black Voters Matter was the only group "with boots on the ground" in middle Georgia, she said.
Voters took notice and were surprised by some of the election's results.
"We worked really hard, but we were surprised, as was the rest of the country and the state, when our vote-by-mail applications came in," Miller said, referring to the volume of voters who applied for an absentee ballot this fall. "In Houston County, Biden won our vote by mail. We gave him the first bump in the state. People said, 'Oh my goodness.' First, people didn't know there were that many [absentee ballots] out there. And then they saw Biden win a traditionally red county, the home of [former] Gov. Sonny Perdue."
Organizers like Fenika Miller hope that voters in Georgia's communities of color can feel they are building momentum that translates into political power. As a December 7 voter registration deadline for the runoff nears and early voting starts a week later, Republicans have dominated the airwaves with negative ads that acknowledge that new political currents are challenging the GOP.
The TV ads are "dog whistles," Miller said, meaning they have implicit race-based messages that don't need any explanation, such as claiming that Rev. Warnock was dangerous because, among other things, he stood by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an outspoken pastor whom President Obama knew but distanced himself from in 2008. Drawing lines between "good" and "bad" Black people was not new in Georgia, Miller said, but it also was not on the minds of the would-be voters she was reaching out to.
"My job is to make sure that our community understands fact-based issues around how we can build power, why we need to engage in the process, and what's at stake," Fenika Miller said. "How we frame that, and help our communities to understand that, and show up for them, while, in turn, they show up for all of us, is going to be completely important."
Steven Rosenfeld is the editor and chief correspondent of Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has reported for National Public Radio, Marketplace, and Christian Science Monitor Radio, as well as a wide range of progressive publications including Salon, AlterNet, the American Prospect, and many others.
This article was produced by Voting Booth, a project of the Independent Media Institute.


alternet--2020-12-05--Dr. Fauci's big gamble paid off

Dr. Fauci's big gamble paid off

After a career of being largely unknown to the vast majority of Americans , Dr. Anthony Fauci , who has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 , has become a celebrity during the pandemic .
With Donald Trump both unwilling to take a responsible leadership role and frankly incapable of it , Fauci filled in the void .
Despite working full days directly on the pandemic , he also did countless TV interviews and appeared at multiple congressional hearings , all to educate the public about the coronavirus and encourage steps to limit its spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Dr. Fauci has learned this lesson more than anyone .
For his efforts , he has spent months being terrorized by Trump , who is childishly jealous of the positive attention Fauci gets , and is incapable of understanding why people might like the kindly old medical expert more than they like the raving sociopath in the Oval Office .
To add insult to injury , Fauci has also been called upon to resign his position .
Not by Trump 's loyal supporters who want to believe that COVID-19 is somehow a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for Trump to fire him ) but by people who do take the virus seriously .
For months , Fauci has heard repeated calls to walk away from his job , in protest of Trump 's malicious and incompetent handling of the pandemic .
But Fauci 's strategy of hanging in and meeting Trump 's vitriol with bland responses , while it may not have been dramatically satisfying , turned out to be successful : Not only is President-elect Joe Biden planning to keep Fauci on in his current role , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease expert as his chief medical adviser .
This is n't just good news for Dr. Fauci — arguably , it 's not even good news for him personally , since his life is about to get much harder — but it 's good news for the nation .
Public health officials will soon face not just the biggest logistical problem of their careers , but quite possibly the knottiest problem likely ever faced by the public health infrastructure : How to distribute vaccines to nearly 330 million Americans efficiently and effectively .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this .
He probably knows more than any single person in the country about the shape and size and challenges of this disease .
His experience will be invaluable , if there 's any hope of bringing an end to the COVID-19 pandemic anytime soon .
On and off throughout the pandemic , in response to Trump 's various efforts to make things worse , there have been a chorus of voices demanding that Dr. Fauci stand up to Trump by resigning .
Describing both Fauci and his colleague Dr. Deborah Birx , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote this : `` But surely late at night , they must have moments of moral doubt , looking hard into the mirror and asking themselves whether they 've made the right decision to stick by President Trump 's side . ''
In July , a White House memo was leaked detailing efforts by administration officials to discredit Fauci .
Trump did little to disguise his hatred of the nation 's leading infectious-disease expert , both because of petty personal jealousy and because he resented Fauci for insisting the virus was a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Trump 's desire to pretend it was no big deal and likely to `` disappear '' any day now .
In response , NYU professor of medical ethics Arthur Caplan escalated his calls on Fauci to resign , claiming , `` Anyone who cares about facts , truth and public health ought quit this vacuous coverup . ''
In response to the same incident , Joel Mathias of The Week wrote , `` Quitting would allow Fauci to speak to the public more freely about the ongoing health crisis than he can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refusal to resign was heightened by his tendency to make bland and genial public comments about Trump , clearly as a way to soothe the notoriously thin-skinned president 's ego .
When a Trump campaign ad falsely implied that Fauci had offered lavish praise for Trump 's handling of the pandemic , his critics took this as further proof that the doctor had failed by not resigning in protest months earlier .
For journalists , of course , it made some sense to focus on Fauci 's public presence and how it had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mercurial and intensely envious creature in the White House .
Politics and communications are what journalists do , and it was frustrating to see Fauci refuse to do more to undermine Trump .
But communications is only part of Fauci 's job , and probably not the most important part .
He certainly makes a lot of media appearances , but his principal task is to run a major federal agency dedicated to fighting infectious disease .
Under Fauci , the NIAID has been heavily involved with the research side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine and outline treatment strategies for COVID-19 patients .
Fauci clearly believes that communicating with the public is important , but it 's not all he does .
He evidently decided that to abandon all his other duties to become a full-time communicator and Trump critic , while it would have pleased a lot of pundits , was not the best use of his time .
Now the doctor 's bet has paid off , and he will play a crucial role in distributing the vaccine and conquering the pandemic , under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owe him a debt of gratitude for that .
More broadly , the case of Dr. Fauci illustrates the damage done not just by Trump , but by decades of Republican attacks on the very concept of government .
One of its worst effects has been the partisan politicization of federal bureaucracies that otherwise would have been perceived as above the fray .
Now even liberal commentators — who , in theory , value attributes like competence and experience — get caught up in seeing federal officials like Fauci primarily through a political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their job , such as managing large agencies and executing public policy , that exist outside the world of cable-news mudslinging .
One of the biggest jobs the Biden administration will face is that of restoring the massive federal bureaucracy to its real job , which is to serve the public , rather than serving a deranged president 's ego or the anti-government ideology of the right .
A big part of that will be allowing people like Dr. Fauci to return to doing what they do best , instead of asking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perhaps the biggest gift that Joe Biden can give Tony Fauci — and by extension , the rest of us who need his expertise — is to let him focus on his actual job , which is to protect the American public from dangerous disease .

After a career of being largely unknown to the vast majority of Americans, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, has become a celebrity during the pandemic. With Donald Trump both unwilling to take a responsible leadership role and frankly incapable of it, Fauci filled in the void. Despite working full days directly on the pandemic, he also did countless TV interviews and appeared at multiple congressional hearings, all to educate the public about the coronavirus and encourage steps to limit its spread.
No good deed goes unpunished, and Dr. Fauci has learned this lesson more than anyone. For his efforts, he has spent months being terrorized by Trump, who is childishly jealous of the positive attention Fauci gets, and is incapable of understanding why people might like the kindly old medical expert more than they like the raving sociopath in the Oval Office.
To add insult to injury, Fauci has also been called upon to resign his position. Not by Trump's loyal supporters who want to believe that COVID-19 is somehow a "hoax" (although they certainly called for Trump to fire him) but by people who do take the virus seriously. For months, Fauci has heard repeated calls to walk away from his job, in protest of Trump's malicious and incompetent handling of the pandemic.
But Fauci's strategy of hanging in and meeting Trump's vitriol with bland responses, while it may not have been dramatically satisfying, turned out to be successful: Not only is President-elect Joe Biden planning to keep Fauci on in his current role, the incoming president is also designating the famous disease expert as his chief medical adviser.
This isn't just good news for Dr. Fauci — arguably, it's not even good news for him personally, since his life is about to get much harder — but it's good news for the nation.
Public health officials will soon face not just the biggest logistical problem of their careers, but quite possibly the knottiest problem likely ever faced by the public health infrastructure: How to distribute vaccines to nearly 330 million Americans efficiently and effectively.
We're going to need Fauci for this. He probably knows more than any single person in the country about the shape and size and challenges of this disease. His experience will be invaluable, if there's any hope of bringing an end to the COVID-19 pandemic anytime soon.
On and off throughout the pandemic, in response to Trump's various efforts to make things worse, there have been a chorus of voices demanding that Dr. Fauci stand up to Trump by resigning.
Describing both Fauci and his colleague Dr. Deborah Birx, Nicholas Goldberg of the Los Angeles Times wrote this: "But surely late at night, they must have moments of moral doubt, looking hard into the mirror and asking themselves whether they've made the right decision to stick by President Trump's side."
In July, a White House memo was leaked detailing efforts by administration officials to discredit Fauci. Trump did little to disguise his hatred of the nation's leading infectious-disease expert, both because of petty personal jealousy and because he resented Fauci for insisting the virus was a real and serious threat, which ran contrary to Trump's desire to pretend it was no big deal and likely to "disappear" any day now.
In response, NYU professor of medical ethics Arthur Caplan escalated his calls on Fauci to resign, claiming, "Anyone who cares about facts, truth and public health ought quit this vacuous coverup."
In response to the same incident, Joel Mathias of The Week wrote, "Quitting would allow Fauci to speak to the public more freely about the ongoing health crisis than he can now."
Annoyance at Fauci's refusal to resign was heightened by his tendency to make bland and genial public comments about Trump, clearly as a way to soothe the notoriously thin-skinned president's ego. When a Trump campaign ad falsely implied that Fauci had offered lavish praise for Trump's handling of the pandemic, his critics took this as further proof that the doctor had failed by not resigning in protest months earlier.
For journalists, of course, it made some sense to focus on Fauci's public presence and how it had been hamstrung by having to tiptoe around the mercurial and intensely envious creature in the White House. Politics and communications are what journalists do, and it was frustrating to see Fauci refuse to do more to undermine Trump.
But communications is only part of Fauci's job, and probably not the most important part. He certainly makes a lot of media appearances, but his principal task is to run a major federal agency dedicated to fighting infectious disease. Under Fauci, the NIAID has been heavily involved with the research side of the pandemic, helping develop clinical trials for the vaccine and outline treatment strategies for COVID-19 patients. Fauci clearly believes that communicating with the public is important, but it's not all he does. He evidently decided that to abandon all his other duties to become a full-time communicator and Trump critic, while it would have pleased a lot of pundits, was not the best use of his time.
Now the doctor's bet has paid off, and he will play a crucial role in distributing the vaccine and conquering the pandemic, under a sane presidential administration. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for that.
More broadly, the case of Dr. Fauci illustrates the damage done not just by Trump, but by decades of Republican attacks on the very concept of government. One of its worst effects has been the partisan politicization of federal bureaucracies that otherwise would have been perceived as above the fray. Now even liberal commentators — who, in theory, value attributes like competence and experience — get caught up in seeing federal officials like Fauci primarily through a political lens, and underrate the important aspects of their job, such as managing large agencies and executing public policy, that exist outside the world of cable-news mudslinging.
One of the biggest jobs the Biden administration will face is that of restoring the massive federal bureaucracy to its real job, which is to serve the public, rather than serving a deranged president's ego or the anti-government ideology of the right. A big part of that will be allowing people like Dr. Fauci to return to doing what they do best, instead of asking them to represent a political agenda. Perhaps the biggest gift that Joe Biden can give Tony Fauci — and by extension, the rest of us who need his expertise — is to let him focus on his actual job, which is to protect the American public from dangerous disease.


alternet--2020-12-04--The United Nations just held a historic vote on marijuana

In a historic vote on December 2 , the 53 member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs ( CND ) voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the United Nations ' drug classification system during a meeting in Vienna .
The CND is a United Nations body charged with supervising the application of the international drug control treaties that form the legal backbone for global drug prohibition .
According to a press release issued by the nonprofit For Alternative Approaches to Addiction ( FAAAT ) Think and Do Tank , `` The vote followed an independent scientific assessment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading experts , convened by WHO in 2017-2018 . ''
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) is charged under the UN drug conventions with assessing the harms and benefits of substances and making scheduling recommendations .
In January 2019 , the WHO 's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence formally recommended that cannabis be removed from Schedule IV and that CBD cannabis preparations containing less than 0.2 percent THC , such as tinctures and extracts , be removed from the schedules altogether .
Some organizations like the Transnational Institute ( TNI ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Global Drug Policy Observatory gave WHO 's recommendations mixed reviews .
According to a policy briefing issued by these organizations in March 2019 , there is a `` very questionable rationale for keeping cannabis in Schedule I . ''
These organizations , however , also applauded WHO 's `` obvious recommendations deserving support . ''
The removal of cannabis from Schedule IV , in particular , would signify the UN 's recognition that cannabis really does have therapeutic uses .
As explained in an October briefing paper by the International Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up till now , was `` included in the most restrictive sections—Schedule I and IV… '' under the international drug treaties .
The paper further explains that Schedule I includes `` [ s ] ubstances that are highly addictive and liable to abuse or easily convertible into those ( e.g .
opium , heroin , cocaine , coca leaf ) , '' while Schedule IV includes Schedule I drugs with `` 'particularly dangerous properties ' and little or no therapeutic value ( e.g .
heroin , carfentanil ) . ''
The vote on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means the global anti-drug bureaucracy now recognizes the therapeutic value of cannabis and no longer considers it `` particularly liable to abuse and to produce ill-effects , '' like other substances that are included in both the schedules .
With medical marijuana legal in several countries in one form or another , the ever-increasing mountain of evidence supporting the therapeutic uses of cannabis , not to mention outright legalization in 15 American states , Canada and Uruguay—with Mexico about to come on board—this decision by the CND is long past due , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the UN closes a 60-year denial of what has been documented being among the most ancient medicinal plant [ s ] humankind domesticated , '' said independent researcher Kenzi Riboulet-Zemouli , who has monitored the CND process for years , in a press release issued by FAAAT .
It will be 60 years in March 2021 since cannabis was placed in Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs without ever having been subject to any scientific assessment .
`` As a medical patient myself I know how necessary this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help reduce the suffering of millions of people and how it adds a much needed pain treatment with promise in mitigating reliance on opiates at a key moment in history , '' said the FAAAT press release , quoting Michael Krawitz , executive director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access ( USA ) , one of the global civil society groups that have been pushing for reform in the UN .
While the CND accepted the WHO 's recommendation to remove cannabis from Schedule IV , it failed to advance some other recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CBD .
That means CBD remains unscheduled , outside treaty controls , and is liable to national bans .
The failure to adopt more progressive WHO recommendations was `` disappointing and represents a lost opportunity to make the treaty best fit to purpose , '' the press release further stated .
But this is the United Nations , and change comes at a glacial pace and even then , only incrementally .
Still , this vote is a long-overdue step in the right direction .
Phillip Smith is a writing fellow and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a project of the Independent Media Institute .
He has been a drug policy journalist for the past two decades .
He is the longtime author of the Drug War Chronicle , the online publication of the non-profit StopTheDrugWar.org , and has been the editor of AlterNet 's Drug Reporter since 2015 .
He was awarded the Drug Policy Alliance 's Edwin M. Brecher Award for Excellence in Media in 2013 .
This article was produced by Drug Reporter , a project of the Independent Media Institute .

In a historic vote on December 2, the 53 member states of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the United Nations' drug classification system during a meeting in Vienna. The CND is a United Nations body charged with supervising the application of the international drug control treaties that form the legal backbone for global drug prohibition.
According to a press release issued by the nonprofit For Alternative Approaches to Addiction (FAAAT) Think and Do Tank, "The vote followed an independent scientific assessment undertaken by some of our world's leading experts, convened by WHO in 2017-2018." The World Health Organization (WHO) is charged under the UN drug conventions with assessing the harms and benefits of substances and making scheduling recommendations. In January 2019, the WHO's Expert Committee on Drug Dependence formally recommended that cannabis be removed from Schedule IV and that CBD cannabis preparations containing less than 0.2 percent THC, such as tinctures and extracts, be removed from the schedules altogether.
Some organizations like the Transnational Institute (TNI), the Washington Office on Latin America, and the Global Drug Policy Observatory gave WHO's recommendations mixed reviews. According to a policy briefing issued by these organizations in March 2019, there is a "very questionable rationale for keeping cannabis in Schedule I." These organizations, however, also applauded WHO's "obvious recommendations deserving support." The removal of cannabis from Schedule IV, in particular, would signify the UN's recognition that cannabis really does have therapeutic uses.
As explained in an October briefing paper by the International Drug Policy Consortium and TNI, cannabis, up till now, was "included in the most restrictive sections—Schedule I and IV…" under the international drug treaties. The paper further explains that Schedule I includes "[s]ubstances that are highly addictive and liable to abuse or easily convertible into those (e.g. opium, heroin, cocaine, coca leaf)," while Schedule IV includes Schedule I drugs with "'particularly dangerous properties' and little or no therapeutic value (e.g. heroin, carfentanil)."
The vote on December 2 removing cannabis from Schedule IV means the global anti-drug bureaucracy now recognizes the therapeutic value of cannabis and no longer considers it "particularly liable to abuse and to produce ill-effects," like other substances that are included in both the schedules.
With medical marijuana legal in several countries in one form or another, the ever-increasing mountain of evidence supporting the therapeutic uses of cannabis, not to mention outright legalization in 15 American states, Canada and Uruguay—with Mexico about to come on board—this decision by the CND is long past due, but nonetheless welcome.
"With this decision, the UN closes a 60-year denial of what has been documented being among the most ancient medicinal plant[s] humankind domesticated," said independent researcher Kenzi Riboulet-Zemouli, who has monitored the CND process for years, in a press release issued by FAAAT.
It will be 60 years in March 2021 since cannabis was placed in Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs without ever having been subject to any scientific assessment.
"As a medical patient myself I know how necessary this change in international law is, to help reduce the suffering of millions of people and how it adds a much needed pain treatment with promise in mitigating reliance on opiates at a key moment in history," said the FAAAT press release, quoting Michael Krawitz, executive director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access (USA), one of the global civil society groups that have been pushing for reform in the UN.
While the CND accepted the WHO's recommendation to remove cannabis from Schedule IV, it failed to advance some other recommendations, including rejecting a recommendation on medical CBD. That means CBD remains unscheduled, outside treaty controls, and is liable to national bans. The failure to adopt more progressive WHO recommendations was "disappointing and represents a lost opportunity to make the treaty best fit to purpose," the press release further stated.
But this is the United Nations, and change comes at a glacial pace and even then, only incrementally. Still, this vote is a long-overdue step in the right direction.
Phillip Smith is a writing fellow and the editor and chief correspondent of Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. He has been a drug policy journalist for the past two decades. He is the longtime author of the Drug War Chronicle, the online publication of the non-profit StopTheDrugWar.org, and has been the editor of AlterNet's Drug Reporter since 2015. He was awarded the Drug Policy Alliance's Edwin M. Brecher Award for Excellence in Media in 2013.
This article was produced by Drug Reporter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.


alternet--2020-12-04--Why Joe Biden should unilaterally forgive billions in student debt

There is an easy option available to President-elect Joe Biden to ease the economic suffering of Americans on the first day he takes office , and that is to cancel outstanding federal government student loans .
Senator Elizabeth Warren made the case during a recent Senate Banking Committee hearing , saying that , `` All on his own , President-elect Biden will have the ability to administratively cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt using the authority that Congress has already given to the Secretary of Education . ''
She added , `` This is the single most effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action . ''
She 's right .
About 45 million Americans have a whopping $ 1.6 trillion of student loan debts , and a significant number have made no progress in paying them off .
After home mortgages , student loans are the second most common debt in the United States .
There is no mystery as to why this is the case .
While the cost of higher education has risen , wages have simply not kept up , and debt has slowly ballooned .
The burden of debt repayment has held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of their parents ' homes , having children , pursuing further education , starting businesses , and more .
In other words , it has dragged down lives and the economy .
Senator Warren asked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell , `` If people who , instead of spending that money in the economy , are spending that money by sending money back to the federal government on their student loan payments .
That is a problem for the economy , is it not ? ''
Cody Hounanian , program director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me in an interview that federal government loan debts are `` around 80 percent of the federal student loan market . ''
The rest is held by private institutions .
While Biden does not have the authority on his own to address private loan debt , he could , with the stroke of a pen , cancel federal government loans .
Indeed , it may be the easiest and most effective economic stimulus plan available to him using his executive authority .
Hounanian said , `` The President of the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Donald Trump , has the authority right now to cancel student loan debt using executive action .
This is a power written into the Higher Education Act . ''
Canceling federal student loans is a racial justice issue as well .
The existing racial wealth gap is exacerbated by student debt .
One report estimated that racial inequities in student loans are even higher than expected with Black graduates owing nearly two times the amount that white graduates owe .
According to Hounanian , `` debt cancelation is a civil rights issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' During his campaign , Biden endorsed canceling $ 10,000 per person of student loan debt .
Yet , as soon as he won the election , Biden called on Congress to take up the matter .
Zack Friedman writes in an article for Forbes , `` Biden is deferring to Congress to pass relevant legislation on student loans , rather than act unilaterally as president . ''
At a time when partisan gridlock in Congress has blocked most progressive legislation from even getting a hearing , Biden 's suggestion is naïve at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the issue when he used his executive power ( for once in a positive manner ) to extend until the end of the year student loan payment relief that was included in the CARES Act .
Biden is being flanked to the left by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as well .
Schumer—not known as a champion of progressive causes—has joined forces with Senator Warren to demand that Biden cancel $ 50,000 per person of student loans through executive action .
If Biden is shy about using his executive authority in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation is in deep trouble .
`` This is an opportunity for Joe Biden to have his FDR moment , '' said Hounanian .
His organization Student Debt Crisis has been working on this issue for years and is part of a large coalition of hundreds of organizations calling on Biden to do the right thing .
A petition launched earlier this year to cancel student loans has garnered more than 1.3 million signatures .
Advocacy groups are optimistic that this may be the closest they have come in years to realizing their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And yet the voices of opposition are already pressuring Biden to do the wrong thing .
Fox Business in a laughably hypocritical piece claimed that canceling student loan debt was regressive and would disproportionately benefit wealthier Americans .
The Heritage Foundation , a right-wing think tank , in a typically patronizing tone claimed that loan forgiveness `` rewards fiscal irresponsibility , '' failing of course to apply those same standards to tax breaks for wealthy Americans or taxpayer-funded subsidies for corporations .
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called the idea of debt forgiveness an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' simultaneously refusing to see the economic benefits by her department 's policies to wealthy Americans as `` gift-giving . ''
DeVos also claimed that forgiving student loans was `` unfair '' to those who did not go to college or those who managed to pay off their loans .
In other words , all should suffer because some suffered .
This is the conservative logic gleefully invoked to preserve any unfair status quo that maintains wealth inequality .
Imagine applying that logic to , say , the 2017 tax reform bill .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax breaks that their predecessors or earlier counterparts did not obtain ?
Thankfully , most Americans do not espouse the elitist views of out-of-touch billionaires who have waged class war on the nation for decades .
A recent Pew poll found that an overwhelming majority supports federal government action to address the student debt crisis .
Biden has already made it clear that on the issue of student debt forgiveness , he falls on the side of ordinary Americans and not on the side of Fox Business or DeVos .
What he appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his goal of easing the burden of student loans .
If his presidency does not seize the moment and use its clear authority to realize his stated goals , —if he instead defers to an unrealistic legislative path—then his campaign promises will rightly be viewed as disingenuous .
As the global pandemic was unfolding in the United States , Biden rightly said , `` In this moment of crisis , we should be sending federal resources to those who need it most .
It 's not just good economics—it 's the right thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the founder , host and executive producer of `` Rising Up With Sonali , '' a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations .
This article was produced by Economy for All , a project of the Independent Media Institute .

There is an easy option available to President-elect Joe Biden to ease the economic suffering of Americans on the first day he takes office, and that is to cancel outstanding federal government student loans. Senator Elizabeth Warren made the case during a recent Senate Banking Committee hearing, saying that, "All on his own, President-elect Biden will have the ability to administratively cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt using the authority that Congress has already given to the Secretary of Education." She added, "This is the single most effective economic stimulus that is available through executive action."
She's right. About 45 million Americans have a whopping $1.6 trillion of student loan debts, and a significant number have made no progress in paying them off. After home mortgages, student loans are the second most common debt in the United States. There is no mystery as to why this is the case. While the cost of higher education has risen, wages have simply not kept up, and debt has slowly ballooned. The burden of debt repayment has held people back from buying homes, moving out of their parents' homes, having children, pursuing further education, starting businesses, and more. In other words, it has dragged down lives and the economy.
Senator Warren asked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, "If people who, instead of spending that money in the economy, are spending that money by sending money back to the federal government on their student loan payments. That is a problem for the economy, is it not?"
Cody Hounanian, program director of the group Student Debt Crisis, explained to me in an interview that federal government loan debts are "around 80 percent of the federal student loan market." The rest is held by private institutions. While Biden does not have the authority on his own to address private loan debt, he could, with the stroke of a pen, cancel federal government loans. Indeed, it may be the easiest and most effective economic stimulus plan available to him using his executive authority. Hounanian said, "The President of the United States, no matter who it is, including Donald Trump, has the authority right now to cancel student loan debt using executive action. This is a power written into the Higher Education Act."
Canceling federal student loans is a racial justice issue as well. The existing racial wealth gap is exacerbated by student debt. One report estimated that racial inequities in student loans are even higher than expected with Black graduates owing nearly two times the amount that white graduates owe. According to Hounanian, "debt cancelation is a civil rights issue. It is an important equalizer."
During his campaign, Biden endorsed canceling $10,000 per person of student loan debt. Yet, as soon as he won the election, Biden called on Congress to take up the matter. Zack Friedman writes in an article for Forbes, "Biden is deferring to Congress to pass relevant legislation on student loans, rather than act unilaterally as president."
At a time when partisan gridlock in Congress has blocked most progressive legislation from even getting a hearing, Biden's suggestion is naïve at best. Even Trump understood the seriousness of the issue when he used his executive power (for once in a positive manner) to extend until the end of the year student loan payment relief that was included in the CARES Act.
Biden is being flanked to the left by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as well. Schumer—not known as a champion of progressive causes—has joined forces with Senator Warren to demand that Biden cancel $50,000 per person of student loans through executive action. If Biden is shy about using his executive authority in the wake of the Trump presidency, the nation is in deep trouble.
"This is an opportunity for Joe Biden to have his FDR moment," said Hounanian. His organization Student Debt Crisis has been working on this issue for years and is part of a large coalition of hundreds of organizations calling on Biden to do the right thing. A petition launched earlier this year to cancel student loans has garnered more than 1.3 million signatures. Advocacy groups are optimistic that this may be the closest they have come in years to realizing their goal of eliminating student loan debt.
And yet the voices of opposition are already pressuring Biden to do the wrong thing. Fox Business in a laughably hypocritical piece claimed that canceling student loan debt was regressive and would disproportionately benefit wealthier Americans. The Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, in a typically patronizing tone claimed that loan forgiveness "rewards fiscal irresponsibility," failing of course to apply those same standards to tax breaks for wealthy Americans or taxpayer-funded subsidies for corporations. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called the idea of debt forgiveness an "insidious notion of government gift-giving," simultaneously refusing to see the economic benefits by her department's policies to wealthy Americans as "gift-giving."
DeVos also claimed that forgiving student loans was "unfair" to those who did not go to college or those who managed to pay off their loans. In other words, all should suffer because some suffered. This is the conservative logic gleefully invoked to preserve any unfair status quo that maintains wealth inequality. Imagine applying that logic to, say, the 2017 tax reform bill. Why should corporations and wealthy Americans get tax breaks that their predecessors or earlier counterparts did not obtain?
Thankfully, most Americans do not espouse the elitist views of out-of-touch billionaires who have waged class war on the nation for decades. A recent Pew poll found that an overwhelming majority supports federal government action to address the student debt crisis.
Biden has already made it clear that on the issue of student debt forgiveness, he falls on the side of ordinary Americans and not on the side of Fox Business or DeVos. What he appears unclear on is how best to achieve his goal of easing the burden of student loans. If his presidency does not seize the moment and use its clear authority to realize his stated goals,—if he instead defers to an unrealistic legislative path—then his campaign promises will rightly be viewed as disingenuous.
As the global pandemic was unfolding in the United States, Biden rightly said, "In this moment of crisis, we should be sending federal resources to those who need it most. It's not just good economics—it's the right thing to do."
Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of "Rising Up With Sonali," a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.
This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.


alternet--2020-12-04--Hackers are already working to sabotage US vaccine distribution operations: NYT report

As the United States struggles to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and prepare for vaccine distribution , mystery hackers are already working to thwart the process .
A new report published by the New York Times has shed light on IBM cyber security division 's investigative findings which suggest companies and government agencies that will be responsible for COVID-119 vaccine distribution are being targeted by `` unknown attackers . ''
The findings have also led to a warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security .
Nick Rossmann , head of IBM 's global threat intelligence team , explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems and what they are working to find .
Cyber attackers are `` working to get access to how the vaccine is shipped , stored , kept cold and delivered , '' said Rossmann .
`` We think whoever is behind this wanted to be able to understand the entire cold chain process . ''
However , their purpose remains unknown .
While there are concerns about the possibility of hackers could design to learn more about the transportation process in an effort to attempt to steal intellectual property , cyber security experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something more harmful .
James Lewis , who oversees the cybersecurity programs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington , discussed his concerns and suspicions as he believes hackers could be preparing for `` ransomware play . ''
`` There is no intelligence advantage in spying on a refrigerator , '' said Lewis .
`` My suspicion is that they are setting up for a ransomware play .
But we wo n't know how these stolen credentials will be used until after the vaccine distribution begins . ''
The latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans for vaccine distribution .
As of Dec. 3 , there is still no national strategy to do so .
The United States has reported over 14.1 coronavirus cases and a death toll of more than 275,000 .

As the United States struggles to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and prepare for vaccine distribution, mystery hackers are already working to thwart the process.
A new report published by the New York Times has shed light on IBM cyber security division's investigative findings which suggest companies and government agencies that will be responsible for COVID-119 vaccine distribution are being targeted by "unknown attackers." The findings have also led to a warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Nick Rossmann, head of IBM's global threat intelligence team, explained how hackers are attempting to infiltrate the systems and what they are working to find.
Cyber attackers are "working to get access to how the vaccine is shipped, stored, kept cold and delivered," said Rossmann. "We think whoever is behind this wanted to be able to understand the entire cold chain process."
However, their purpose remains unknown. While there are concerns about the possibility of hackers could design to learn more about the transportation process in an effort to attempt to steal intellectual property, cyber security experts have expressed concerns about the possibility of something more harmful.
James Lewis, who oversees the cybersecurity programs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, discussed his concerns and suspicions as he believes hackers could be preparing for "ransomware play."
"There is no intelligence advantage in spying on a refrigerator," said Lewis. "My suspicion is that they are setting up for a ransomware play. But we won't know how these stolen credentials will be used until after the vaccine distribution begins."
The latest development comes as states scramble to orchestrate plans for vaccine distribution. As of Dec. 3, there is still no national strategy to do so. The United States has reported over 14.1 coronavirus cases and a death toll of more than 275,000.


alternet--2020-12-04--CNBC's Rick Santelli loses it in fight over the benefits of COVID restrictions: ‘It’s not science!’

Andrew Ross Sorkin , co-host of CNBC 's `` Squawk Box , '' and far-right financial pundit Rick Santelli have radically different views on the coronavirus pandemic — and Santelli has , more than once , drawn criticism for attacking social distancing measures .
The two of them had another heated exchange on Friday morning , when an angry Santelli once again railed against COVID-19 restrictions .
`` You ca n't tell me that shutting down , which is the easiest answer , is necessarily the only answer , '' the 64-year-old Santelli , a former bond trader , yelled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a protective face mask in public places during the pandemic , pointing out that dining indoors in a restaurant — where customers are removing their masks in order to eat and drink — is more dangerous than wearing a mask consistently while shopping in a big box store .
`` It 's science , '' Sorkin said — to which Santelli angrily responded , `` It 's not science !
Five hundred people in a Lowe 's are n't any safer than 150 people in a restaurant that holds 600 .
I do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't believe it . ''
Sorkin , however , maintained that he was merely stating what many medical experts have said , telling Santelli , `` OK , you do n't have to believe it , but let me just say this : You 're doing a disservice to the viewer because the viewers need to understand it . ''
The `` Squawk Box '' co-host went on to tell Santelli , `` I would like to keep our viewers as healthy as humanly possible .
The idea of packing people into restaurants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are completely different things . ''
Back in March , Santelli drew criticism from medical experts when he made a `` herd immunity '' argument and claimed that infecting more people with COVID-19 would neutralize the novel coronavirus — which is the same type of argument that Dr. Scott Atlas , who recently left President Donald Trump 's coronavirus task force , has been making .
Trump himself has seemed to favor letting the virus spread widely and vehemently opposed coronavirus restrictions , such as shutting down restaurants and schools .
Santelli , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Maybe we 'd be just better off if we gave ( the virus ) to everybody , and then in a month , it would be over because the mortality rate of ( COVID-19 ) probably is n't going to be any different if we did it that way than ( in ) the long-term picture , but the difference is we 're wreaking havoc on global and domestic economies . ''
The pandemic has escalated in recent months , reaching news highs in hospitalizations , cases , and deaths from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recorded deaths from COVID in the U.S. is swiftly approaching 300,000 , and more than 100,000 people are currently hospitalized for the illness .
Daily deaths from the virus could soon reach or surpass a record 3,000 a day .
Santelli has been described as a catalyst for the Tea Party movement .
While broadcasting from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile exchange in February 2009 , he accused the federal government of `` promoting bad behavior '' and said it was time for a `` Chicago Tea Party . ''

Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-host of CNBC's "Squawk Box," and far-right financial pundit Rick Santelli have radically different views on the coronavirus pandemic — and Santelli has, more than once, drawn criticism for attacking social distancing measures. The two of them had another heated exchange on Friday morning, when an angry Santelli once again railed against COVID-19 restrictions.
"You can't tell me that shutting down, which is the easiest answer, is necessarily the only answer," the 64-year-old Santelli, a former bond trader, yelled.
Sorkin noted the benefits of wearing a protective face mask in public places during the pandemic, pointing out that dining indoors in a restaurant — where customers are removing their masks in order to eat and drink — is more dangerous than wearing a mask consistently while shopping in a big box store.
"It's science," Sorkin said — to which Santelli angrily responded, "It's not science! Five hundred people in a Lowe's aren't any safer than 150 people in a restaurant that holds 600. I don't believe it. Sorry. Don't believe it."
Sorkin, however, maintained that he was merely stating what many medical experts have said, telling Santelli, "OK, you don't have to believe it, but let me just say this: You're doing a disservice to the viewer because the viewers need to understand it."
The "Squawk Box" co-host went on to tell Santelli, "I would like to keep our viewers as healthy as humanly possible. The idea of packing people into restaurants and packing people into a Best Buy are completely different things."
Back in March, Santelli drew criticism from medical experts when he made a "herd immunity" argument and claimed that infecting more people with COVID-19 would neutralize the novel coronavirus — which is the same type of argument that Dr. Scott Atlas, who recently left President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force, has been making. Trump himself has seemed to favor letting the virus spread widely and vehemently opposed coronavirus restrictions, such as shutting down restaurants and schools.
Santelli, nine months ago, said, "Maybe we'd be just better off if we gave (the virus) to everybody, and then in a month, it would be over because the mortality rate of (COVID-19) probably isn't going to be any different if we did it that way than (in) the long-term picture, but the difference is we're wreaking havoc on global and domestic economies."
The pandemic has escalated in recent months, reaching news highs in hospitalizations, cases, and deaths from the virus this week. The total number of recorded deaths from COVID in the U.S. is swiftly approaching 300,000, and more than 100,000 people are currently hospitalized for the illness. Daily deaths from the virus could soon reach or surpass a record 3,000 a day.
Santelli has been described as a catalyst for the Tea Party movement. While broadcasting from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile exchange in February 2009, he accused the federal government of "promoting bad behavior" and said it was time for a "Chicago Tea Party."


alternet--2020-12-04--Trump administration is leaving states scrambling in the fight against COVID

The United States is more than 9 months into the pandemic and the Trump administration has yet to incorporate a national strategy to combat the coronavirus .
Now , after months of fighting to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus with 50 different state strategies , states are scrambling yet again .
This time , there is confusion surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and how it will be distributed .
According to Politico , states are hitting roadblocks as they try to figure out who should be prioritized for the first limited number of doses of the coronavirus vaccine .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country 's 21 million frontline healthcare workers should be at the top of the prioritization list , there is little to no plan to determine which groups of Americans would follow .
The publication reports that there is no method to balance how `` high-risk groups , including the 53 million adults aged 65 or older , 87 million essential workers and more than 100 million people with medical conditions that increase their vulnerability to the virus . ''
Josh Michaud , an associate director for global health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path going forward after reviewing each state 's current distribution plan .
`` States are going to have to pick and choose who gets the first doses , '' said Michaud .
`` It 's very obvious that states are in different places when it comes to planning and identifying who those people are . ''
Moncef Slaoui , former Glaxo Smith Kline executive who now leads Operation Warp Speed , admitted that the making such decisions will be no easy feat .
`` I do n't expect the states to make uniform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Some may prefer long-term care facilities or the elderly , while others may prioritize their health care workers .
It would be wrong to immunize 18-year-olds first .
I hope no one does that .
But otherwise it 's shades of gray . ''
During a panel meeting last week , Nancy Messonnier , director of CDC 's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases , explained the process needed to plan for distribution before the vaccine is available .
`` Typically there is a window of time after ACIP recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Messonnier .
`` This time we 're talking about an almost instantaneous rollout . ''
The latest news comes as states battle upticks in coronavirus cases .
As of Thursday , Dec. 3 , there are more than 14.1 million coronavirus cases in the United States and a COVID-related death toll of more than 270,000 .

The United States is more than 9 months into the pandemic and the Trump administration has yet to incorporate a national strategy to combat the coronavirus. Now, after months of fighting to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus with 50 different state strategies, states are scrambling yet again. This time, there is confusion surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and how it will be distributed.
According to Politico, states are hitting roadblocks as they try to figure out who should be prioritized for the first limited number of doses of the coronavirus vaccine. While federal and state officials agree that the country's 21 million frontline healthcare workers should be at the top of the prioritization list, there is little to no plan to determine which groups of Americans would follow.
The publication reports that there is no method to balance how "high-risk groups, including the 53 million adults aged 65 or older, 87 million essential workers and more than 100 million people with medical conditions that increase their vulnerability to the virus."
Josh Michaud, an associate director for global health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation, expressed concern about the country's path going forward after reviewing each state's current distribution plan.
"States are going to have to pick and choose who gets the first doses," said Michaud. "It's very obvious that states are in different places when it comes to planning and identifying who those people are."
Moncef Slaoui, former Glaxo Smith Kline executive who now leads Operation Warp Speed, admitted that the making such decisions will be no easy feat.
"I don't expect the states to make uniform decisions," he told the publication. "Some may prefer long-term care facilities or the elderly, while others may prioritize their health care workers. It would be wrong to immunize 18-year-olds first. I hope no one does that. But otherwise it's shades of gray."
During a panel meeting last week, Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, explained the process needed to plan for distribution before the vaccine is available.
"Typically there is a window of time after ACIP recommendations and before the vaccine hits the shelf," said Messonnier. "This time we're talking about an almost instantaneous rollout."
The latest news comes as states battle upticks in coronavirus cases. As of Thursday, Dec. 3, there are more than 14.1 million coronavirus cases in the United States and a COVID-related death toll of more than 270,000.


alternet--2020-12-04--Trump’s Pentagon nominee promoted calls for the president to declare martial law: report

Scott O'Grady is a former fighter pilot who President Donald Trump has nominated for a senior position in the Pentagon .
And according to CNN , he is also a Trump loyalist and far-right conspiracy theorist who has been echoing Trump 's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and shared tweets calling for martial law .
Trump supporters who have posted or forwarded tweets urging the president to declare martial law include attorney Lin Wood ( who has been fighting President-elect Joe Biden 's victory in Georgia ) and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn .
According to CNN reporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steck , O'Grady `` retweeted an account that shared an article that said former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had shared a petition that called for martial law .
He then retweeted the same account which suggested that Trump should declare martial law . ''
That account said , `` I do n't know who needs to hear this , but calling for martial law is not a bad idea when there is an attempted coup against the president and this country happening right now . ''
McDermott , Kaczynski and Steck report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's tweets and media appearances and found that O'Grady shared other debunked election conspiracies and that he also degraded top military and intelligence officials .
In a radio interview , he called former President Barack Obama and military generals 'sworn socialists ' and advocated that the military justice system should bring back treason charges .
He retweeted a tweet that called former Defense Secretary James Mattis a 'traitor . '
'' On top of that , the CNN reporters note , O'Grady `` tweeted that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman , a star witness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be charged 'for insurrection because he is a biased liberal political operative ' and said , on a radio show , that it was 'disgusting ' for Vindman to testify against Trump .
He also spread a baseless claim that the whistleblower in the impeachment saga dated the daughter of House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff . ''
O'Grady has been nominated for assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs .
If he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate , he would only remain in the Pentagon until the end of Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President-elect Kamala Harris is set for January 20 .

Scott O'Grady is a former fighter pilot who President Donald Trump has nominated for a senior position in the Pentagon. And according to CNN, he is also a Trump loyalist and far-right conspiracy theorist who has been echoing Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and shared tweets calling for martial law.
Trump supporters who have posted or forwarded tweets urging the president to declare martial law include attorney Lin Wood (who has been fighting President-elect Joe Biden's victory in Georgia) and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
According to CNN reporters Nathan McDermott, Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck, O'Grady "retweeted an account that shared an article that said former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had shared a petition that called for martial law. He then retweeted the same account which suggested that Trump should declare martial law."
That account said, "I don't know who needs to hear this, but calling for martial law is not a bad idea when there is an attempted coup against the president and this country happening right now."
O'Grady has a history of sharing unhinged tweets.
McDermott, Kaczynski and Steck report, "CNN's KFile reviewed O'Grady's tweets and media appearances and found that O'Grady shared other debunked election conspiracies and that he also degraded top military and intelligence officials. In a radio interview, he called former President Barack Obama and military generals 'sworn socialists' and advocated that the military justice system should bring back treason charges. He retweeted a tweet that called former Defense Secretary James Mattis a 'traitor.'"
On top of that, the CNN reporters note, O'Grady "tweeted that Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a star witness during the Trump impeachment hearings, should be charged 'for insurrection because he is a biased liberal political operative' and said, on a radio show, that it was 'disgusting' for Vindman to testify against Trump. He also spread a baseless claim that the whistleblower in the impeachment saga dated the daughter of House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff."
O'Grady has been nominated for assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. If he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he would only remain in the Pentagon until the end of Trump's presidency. Inauguration for Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is set for January 20.


alternet--2020-12-04--Michael Cohen reveals the endgame of Trump’s post-election hysterics: 'He can't go back to real esta

Michael Cohen reveals the endgame of Trump’s post-election hysterics: 'He can't go back to real estate'

President Donald Trump 's former personal attorney and fixer , Michael Cohen , has had a lot to say about the president 's response to the 2020 election results — stressing , during an interview with New York Magazine 's Jeff Wise , that Trump 's bogus claims of widespread voter fraud are a cynical way for him to get supporters to donate money to him .
And Cohen offered more insights on Trump 's post-election histrionics when he was interviewed for journalist Brian Karem 's `` Just Ask the Question '' podcast .
According to Cohen , Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there is still a lot of money to be made by firing up his MAGA supporters .
Trump 's former fixer told Karem , `` He 's very bright when it comes to figuring out angles and money .
But he knows he ca n't go back to real estate , and he knows he has to leave the White House in January .
But if he can get a large enough number of his supporters to send him money , then he 's set .
That 's what he wants .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump has raised over $ 170 million since the election for his so-called Election Defense Fund — and Keilar , on Wednesday , stressed that 75 % of those funds are being shared with his Save America PAC , which she slammed as a `` slush fund . ''
Cohen has made it abundantly clear that he voted for President-elect Joe Biden , and that he will be glad to see Trump leave the White House on January 20 .
The former Trump attorney told Karem , `` I want him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next four years .
The guy is so ignorant and arrogant .
He billed himself as a builder , and he 's done nothing .
He could n't even get an infrastructure bill passed . ''
Karem , in an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on Friday , noted that working for Trump in the past led to the three-year prison sentence that Cohen is still serving .
`` In all the talk about which Trump cronies might receive pardons in his final lame-duck weeks , there is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cohen , '' Karem explained .
`` After a dozen years as Trump 's lawyer and fixer , Cohen famously broke with his boss in 2018 .
He pleaded guilty to tax fraud , bank fraud , campaign finance violations and lying to Congress .
He was sentenced to three years in federal prison , although because of the pandemic , he was released this past May to serve out his sentence under house arrest . ''
In his Bulwark piece , Karem echoed Cohen 's observation that Trump 's post-election activities and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motivated .
`` Trump 's feverish , delusional , insane and perhaps seditious denial of his loss , coupled with his ability to twist people into a knot and partnered with idiots like ( attorney Rudy ) Giuliani and most of the White House senior staff , have produced an environment ripe for violence , '' Karem warned .
`` Trump does n't care — as long as it does n't get too violent .
He wants to protect his bottom line , but he 's never been able to contain the Frankenstein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sycophants and marginalized Americans who believe Trump has given them permission to access the very worst versions of themselves and threaten the world around them for perceived and often erroneous indiscretions . ''

President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, has had a lot to say about the president's response to the 2020 election results — stressing, during an interview with New York Magazine's Jeff Wise, that Trump's bogus claims of widespread voter fraud are a cynical way for him to get supporters to donate money to him. And Cohen offered more insights on Trump's post-election histrionics when he was interviewed for journalist Brian Karem's "Just Ask the Question" podcast.
According to Cohen, Trump has "done the math" and realizes that there is still a lot of money to be made by firing up his MAGA supporters.
Trump's former fixer told Karem, "He's very bright when it comes to figuring out angles and money. But he knows he can't go back to real estate, and he knows he has to leave the White House in January. But if he can get a large enough number of his supporters to send him money, then he's set. That's what he wants."
According to CNN's Brianna Keilar, Trump has raised over $170 million since the election for his so-called Election Defense Fund — and Keilar, on Wednesday, stressed that 75% of those funds are being shared with his Save America PAC, which she slammed as a "slush fund."
Cohen has made it abundantly clear that he voted for President-elect Joe Biden, and that he will be glad to see Trump leave the White House on January 20. The former Trump attorney told Karem, "I want him to leave and keep his mouth shut for the next four years. The guy is so ignorant and arrogant. He billed himself as a builder, and he's done nothing. He couldn't even get an infrastructure bill passed."
Karem, in an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on Friday, noted that working for Trump in the past led to the three-year prison sentence that Cohen is still serving.
"In all the talk about which Trump cronies might receive pardons in his final lame-duck weeks, there is one name that never comes up: Michael Cohen," Karem explained. "After a dozen years as Trump's lawyer and fixer, Cohen famously broke with his boss in 2018. He pleaded guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison, although because of the pandemic, he was released this past May to serve out his sentence under house arrest."
In his Bulwark piece, Karem echoed Cohen's observation that Trump's post-election activities and claims of widespread voter fraud are financially motivated.
"Trump's feverish, delusional, insane and perhaps seditious denial of his loss, coupled with his ability to twist people into a knot and partnered with idiots like (attorney Rudy) Giuliani and most of the White House senior staff, have produced an environment ripe for violence," Karem warned. "Trump doesn't care — as long as it doesn't get too violent. He wants to protect his bottom line, but he's never been able to contain the Frankenstein monster he's created: triggered racists, sycophants and marginalized Americans who believe Trump has given them permission to access the very worst versions of themselves and threaten the world around them for perceived and often erroneous indiscretions."


alternet--2020-12-04--Pfizer chair reveals tiny COVID vaccine detail that could greatly impact the course of the virus

Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla admitted that there is one aspect of the coronavirus that he is not sure the pharmaceutical company 's COVID vaccine can mitigate which raises questions about how it could impact the spread of the virus .
Clips from the upcoming Dateline prime-time special titled , `` Race for a Vaccine '' have highlighted Bourla 's remarks regarding the Pfizer vaccine 's effectiveness in mitigating the spread of the virus .
He admitted to host Lester Holt that he was `` not certain '' if the COVID vaccine would prevent the coronavirus from being transmitted .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , am I still able to transmit it to other people ? ''
`` I think this is something that needs to be examined .
We are not certain about that right now with what we know , '' Bourla responded .
Although the vaccine has shown promise with a 95 % efficacy rate , Bourla 's remarks do raise questions regarding how those immunized should move forward .
Vaccine distribution and administration is another challenge states are facing as each state attempts to develop its own distribution strategy .
According to The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered and stored in extreme sub-zero temperatures , which has heightened the demand for dry ice . ''
While federal and state officials appear to agree that the nation 's 21 million frontline healthcare workers should be among the first in line to be vaccinated , it is still unclear who will follow .
The latest updates about vaccine distribution come as the United States faces a grim uptick in coronavirus cases .
As of Friday , Dec. 4 , the United States has reported more than 14.6 million coronavirus cases , nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 150,000 cases each day .
The country 's death toll and rate also continues to rise .
More than 275,000 people in the United States have lost their lives to coronavirus .

Pfizer chairman Albert Bourla admitted that there is one aspect of the coronavirus that he is not sure the pharmaceutical company's COVID vaccine can mitigate which raises questions about how it could impact the spread of the virus.
Clips from the upcoming Dateline prime-time special titled, "Race for a Vaccine" have highlighted Bourla's remarks regarding the Pfizer vaccine's effectiveness in mitigating the spread of the virus. He admitted to host Lester Holt that he was "not certain" if the COVID vaccine would prevent the coronavirus from being transmitted.
"Even though I've had the protection, am I still able to transmit it to other people?"
"I think this is something that needs to be examined. We are not certain about that right now with what we know," Bourla responded.
Although the vaccine has shown promise with a 95% efficacy rate, Bourla's remarks do raise questions regarding how those immunized should move forward. Vaccine distribution and administration is another challenge states are facing as each state attempts to develop its own distribution strategy.
According to The Hill, the vaccine "must be delivered and stored in extreme sub-zero temperatures, which has heightened the demand for dry ice."
While federal and state officials appear to agree that the nation's 21 million frontline healthcare workers should be among the first in line to be vaccinated, it is still unclear who will follow. The latest updates about vaccine distribution come as the United States faces a grim uptick in coronavirus cases. As of Friday, Dec. 4, the United States has reported more than 14.6 million coronavirus cases, nationwide, with an average of more than 150,000 cases each day.
The country's death toll and rate also continues to rise. More than 275,000 people in the United States have lost their lives to coronavirus.


alternet--2020-12-04--Federal judge says Trump's pardon of Michael Flynn may have been ‘too broad’: report

A trial judge has raised the possibility that the federal judge overseeing the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn could find that President Trump 's pardon of Flynn may be `` too broad , '' according to The National Law Journal .
The comments `` came unexpectedly '' during a Freedom of Information Act hearing about releasing documents from special counsel Robert Mueller 's office , according to BuzzFeed reporter Jason Leopold .
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said on Friday that he does n't think U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan `` has a lot of options in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pardon was granted , `` unless he takes the position that the wording of the pardon is too broad , in that it provides protections beyond the date of the pardon . ''
`` I do n't know what impact that would have , what decision he would make , if he makes that determination that the pardon of Mr. Flynn is for a period that the law does not permit .
I do n't know if that 's correct or not , '' Walton continued .
`` Theoretically , the decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pardon seems to be very , very broad .
It could be construed , I think , as extending protections against criminal prosecutions after the date the pardon was issued . ''
`` I do n't know if Judge Sullivan will make that determination or not , '' he added .
Just after his pardon , Flynn made headlines again when he called on Trump to suspend the constitution and declare martial law for the military to run a new election .

A trial judge has raised the possibility that the federal judge overseeing the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn could find that President Trump's pardon of Flynn may be "too broad," according to The National Law Journal.
The comments "came unexpectedly" during a Freedom of Information Act hearing about releasing documents from special counsel Robert Mueller's office, according to BuzzFeed reporter Jason Leopold.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said on Friday that he doesn't think U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan "has a lot of options in reference to what he does" after the pardon was granted, "unless he takes the position that the wording of the pardon is too broad, in that it provides protections beyond the date of the pardon."
"I don't know what impact that would have, what decision he would make, if he makes that determination that the pardon of Mr. Flynn is for a period that the law does not permit. I don't know if that's correct or not," Walton continued. "Theoretically, the decision could be reached because the wording in the pardon seems to be very, very broad. It could be construed, I think, as extending protections against criminal prosecutions after the date the pardon was issued."
"I don't know if Judge Sullivan will make that determination or not," he added.
Just after his pardon, Flynn made headlines again when he called on Trump to suspend the constitution and declare martial law for the military to run a new election.