alternet--2020-12-09--'Atrocious': Trump White House proposes COVID relief plan with $0 weekly unemployment boost

The Trump White House late Tuesday tossed into the middle of ongoing coronavirus relief negotiations a $ 916 billion proposal that includes one-time $ 600 stimulus payments in the place of a weekly boost to federal unemployment benefits , a trade-off that Democratic lawmakers and economic analysts immediately rejected as unconscionable .
Offered as Democratic and Republican negotiators are racing to strike a relief deal before year 's end , the White House plan would provide $ 40 billion for an extension of federal unemployment programs set to expire on December 26—but no increase in weekly benefits , despite the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration 's unemployment insurance plan , put forth by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin , falls well short of a bipartisan framework that calls for $ 180 billion in funding to boost unemployment benefits by $ 300 per week through March .
`` The president 's proposal starts by cutting the unemployment insurance proposal being discussed by bipartisan members of the House and Senate from $ 180 billion to $ 40 billion , '' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
As a substitute for the lack of a weekly unemployment boost , the White House proposed a round of direct stimulus payments amounting to $ 600 per adult and $ 600 per child .
By contrast , the $ 2.2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March sent one-time payments of $ 1,200 per adult and $ 500 per child to most U.S. households , on top of a $ 600-per-week unemployment supplement that proved remarkably successful until Republicans allowed it to lapse at the end of July .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who needed it , '' Rep. Don Beyer ( D-Va. ) said of the CARES Act .
`` The Republicans would send one $ 600 check and that 's it .
This is atrocious . ''
Andrew Stettner , a senior fellow at The Century Foundation , noted that `` unemployed workers are going thousands in dollars in debt on paltry benefits . ''
`` Stimulus checks are not a substitute , '' said Stettner , a sentiment echoed by other analysts .
With hiring slowing sharply as coronavirus infections rise nationwide , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a weekly unemployment boost would heighten the misery already being felt by tens of millions of people across the U.S .
According to recent data , around 20 million Americans are currently receiving some form of unemployment insurance , 26 million are struggling to afford enough food , and 40 million could face eviction in the near future .
`` The expiration of vital pandemic unemployment insurance ( UI ) benefits on December 26 will leave 12 million workers without a safety net , and over four million others will have already exhausted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elise Gould , senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute , wrote in a blog post last week .
`` This spells trouble not only for workers and their families who are desperately trying to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table—especially with the eviction moratorium also set to expire on December 31—but also for the recovery itself . ''
In addition to being dramatically less ambitious than the CARES Act , the White House 's new proposal and the bipartisan plan embraced as a starting point by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the kind of bold stimulus that experts say is needed to prevent a prolonged recession and ensure a just recovery .
A paper ( pdf ) authored by economists Dr. Mark Paul and Dr. Adam Hersh and released Tuesday by the Groundwork Collaborative estimates that `` Congress needs to provide economic relief of between $ 3-4.5 trillion in the short-term in order to get American families and businesses working at their full potential . ''
`` This would include continuing to expand eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits , renewing the $ 600 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to offset budgetary pressures on state , local , and tribal governments , renewal and better management of the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses , and resources to expand Covid testing and tracing and health insurance subsidies , among other measures , '' the economists wrote .
`` The longer Congress waits to act , '' they warned , `` the more permanent damage will be done to American families and the overall economy , and the harder it will be for the U.S. economy to regain prosperity . ''

The Trump White House late Tuesday tossed into the middle of ongoing coronavirus relief negotiations a $916 billion proposal that includes one-time $600 stimulus payments in the place of a weekly boost to federal unemployment benefits, a trade-off that Democratic lawmakers and economic analysts immediately rejected as unconscionable.
Offered as Democratic and Republican negotiators are racing to strike a relief deal before year's end, the White House plan would provide $40 billion for an extension of federal unemployment programs set to expire on December 26—but no increase in weekly benefits, despite the dire state of the economy.
The Trump administration's unemployment insurance plan, put forth by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, falls well short of a bipartisan framework that calls for $180 billion in funding to boost unemployment benefits by $300 per week through March.
"The president's proposal starts by cutting the unemployment insurance proposal being discussed by bipartisan members of the House and Senate from $180 billion to $40 billion," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement. "That is unacceptable."
As a substitute for the lack of a weekly unemployment boost, the White House proposed a round of direct stimulus payments amounting to $600 per adult and $600 per child.
By contrast, the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March sent one-time payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child to most U.S. households, on top of a $600-per-week unemployment supplement that proved remarkably successful until Republicans allowed it to lapse at the end of July.
"We gave the biggest help to those who needed it," Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said of the CARES Act. "The Republicans would send one $600 check and that's it. This is atrocious."
Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, noted that "unemployed workers are going thousands in dollars in debt on paltry benefits."
"Stimulus checks are not a substitute," said Stettner, a sentiment echoed by other analysts.
With hiring slowing sharply as coronavirus infections rise nationwide, economists have warned that failure to approve a weekly unemployment boost would heighten the misery already being felt by tens of millions of people across the U.S. According to recent data, around 20 million Americans are currently receiving some form of unemployment insurance, 26 million are struggling to afford enough food, and 40 million could face eviction in the near future.
"The expiration of vital pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on December 26 will leave 12 million workers without a safety net, and over four million others will have already exhausted their benefits by this cutoff," Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, wrote in a blog post last week. "This spells trouble not only for workers and their families who are desperately trying to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table—especially with the eviction moratorium also set to expire on December 31—but also for the recovery itself."
In addition to being dramatically less ambitious than the CARES Act, the White House's new proposal and the bipartisan plan embraced as a starting point by Democratic leaders are both a far cry from the kind of bold stimulus that experts say is needed to prevent a prolonged recession and ensure a just recovery.
A paper (pdf) authored by economists Dr. Mark Paul and Dr. Adam Hersh and released Tuesday by the Groundwork Collaborative estimates that "Congress needs to provide economic relief of between $3-4.5 trillion in the short-term in order to get American families and businesses working at their full potential."
"This would include continuing to expand eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, renewing the $600 weekly supplemental benefits, providing fiscal aid to offset budgetary pressures on state, local, and tribal governments, renewal and better management of the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, and resources to expand Covid testing and tracing and health insurance subsidies, among other measures," the economists wrote.
"The longer Congress waits to act," they warned, "the more permanent damage will be done to American families and the overall economy, and the harder it will be for the U.S. economy to regain prosperity."


alternet--2020-12-09--'Just a bad idea': Campaign warns of threat to 'society and consumers' from Amazon doorbell cameras

A coalition of more than 15 consumer protection , civil liberties , and civil rights groups on Tuesday launched a new campaign urging technology review websites to rescind or suspend their recommendations of Amazon Ring doorbell cameras , a product that critics say is detrimental to the well-being of families , communities , and democracy .
The `` Rescind Ring '' effort seeks to persuade product reviewers to `` consider the overall impact of a product on society at large in addition to the value to consumers in their assessment , '' organizers explained in a statement .
`` Ignoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not make your review 'neutral , ' it makes it reckless and incomplete , '' said Evan Greer , deputy director of Fight for the Future , which is leading the push , alongside the Action Center on Race and the Economy , Demand Progress , and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project , among others .
The groups plan to mobilize thousands of supporters to pressure CNET , Consumer Reports , Digital Trends , Gizmodo , TechRadar , and Tom 's Guide—websites targeted for their `` best in category Ring recommendations made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rescind their endorsement and update relevant guides before the holidays . ''
The campaign also targets Wirecutter , which `` suspended their Ring review last December but is in the process of reviewing the camera for a possible reversal of suspension . ''
Because `` we know these recommendations play a critical role in purchasing decisions people make during the holidays , '' Greer said , `` it 's important reviewers uphold their commitment to consumers and the trust the public puts in their endorsements by withdrawing or suspending their Ring recommendation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommend , for example , stalkerware apps used by abusers to track their spouses .
They should n't recommend harmful products like Ring , either , '' Greer added .
According to the progressive organizations behind the campaign , `` Amazon Ring cameras threaten both society and consumers . ''
Campaigners say the cameras have poor security features , leaving consumers vulnerable to hacks and leaks .
In addition , Amazon last month recalled 350,000 Ring doorbells after some of the surveillance devices caught fire , which watchdogs called `` the latest example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and being reckless with security and safety , in order to flood our communities with cameras . ''
`` Beyond the obvious privacy issues , Ring has a terrible track record when it comes to security even for the users who buy them , '' noted Fight for the Future 's chief technical officer , Ken Mickles .
`` High-profile incidents where Ring cameras were hacked and used to spy on children forced the company to make some improvements , but from a technical perspective it 's just a bad idea to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of constantly watching and listening , '' Mickles continued .
`` I 'd never trust one of these devices on my front door or around my kids . ''
Moreover , the groups argue that partnerships between Amazon and police departments nationwide `` challenge fundamental basic liberties , violate sacred privacy rights , and—along with the Neighbors App—foster racial profiling and increased criminalization of Black and brown people . ''
`` Amazon Ring cameras are dangerous , not just for the people who buy them , but for their neighbors , their communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said Greer .
`` Amazon 's monopoly power and aggressive pursuit of surveillance partnerships with police set them apart from their competitors . ''
Collaboration between the tech giant and law enforcement agencies can exacerbate `` racist targeting , '' the campaign said , which `` is especially worrisome when coupled with the fact that '' over a third of all police killings in the U.S. since 2015 can be attributed to about half of the roughly 1,400 police departments partnered with Amazon .
`` Tech blogs ca n't say 'Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ratings to products that exacerbate racism , '' Greer noted .
She alluded to a case this summer in which `` a man was killed by sheriffs in a Ring-related incident '' and asked , `` How many people have to be jailed or killed before tech reviewers realize Ring is not safe for anyone ? ''
`` Review sites , '' Mickles concluded , `` are putting their credibility at risk by continuing to recommend these products . ''

A coalition of more than 15 consumer protection, civil liberties, and civil rights groups on Tuesday launched a new campaign urging technology review websites to rescind or suspend their recommendations of Amazon Ring doorbell cameras, a product that critics say is detrimental to the well-being of families, communities, and democracy.
The "Rescind Ring" effort seeks to persuade product reviewers to "consider the overall impact of a product on society at large in addition to the value to consumers in their assessment," organizers explained in a statement.
"Ignoring the broader societal impact of a product does not make your review 'neutral,' it makes it reckless and incomplete," said Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, which is leading the push, alongside the Action Center on Race and the Economy, Demand Progress, and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, among others.
The groups plan to mobilize thousands of supporters to pressure CNET, Consumer Reports, Digital Trends, Gizmodo, TechRadar, and Tom's Guide—websites targeted for their "best in category Ring recommendations made in the past year"—to "rescind their endorsement and update relevant guides before the holidays." The campaign also targets Wirecutter, which "suspended their Ring review last December but is in the process of reviewing the camera for a possible reversal of suspension."
Because "we know these recommendations play a critical role in purchasing decisions people make during the holidays," Greer said, "it's important reviewers uphold their commitment to consumers and the trust the public puts in their endorsements by withdrawing or suspending their Ring recommendation."
"Product review sites would not recommend, for example, stalkerware apps used by abusers to track their spouses. They shouldn't recommend harmful products like Ring, either," Greer added.
According to the progressive organizations behind the campaign, "Amazon Ring cameras threaten both society and consumers."
Campaigners say the cameras have poor security features, leaving consumers vulnerable to hacks and leaks. In addition, Amazon last month recalled 350,000 Ring doorbells after some of the surveillance devices caught fire, which watchdogs called "the latest example of the tech giant moving too quickly, and being reckless with security and safety, in order to flood our communities with cameras."
"Beyond the obvious privacy issues, Ring has a terrible track record when it comes to security even for the users who buy them," noted Fight for the Future's chief technical officer, Ken Mickles.
"High-profile incidents where Ring cameras were hacked and used to spy on children forced the company to make some improvements, but from a technical perspective it's just a bad idea to fill your home with internet-connected devices capable of constantly watching and listening," Mickles continued. "I'd never trust one of these devices on my front door or around my kids."
Moreover, the groups argue that partnerships between Amazon and police departments nationwide "challenge fundamental basic liberties, violate sacred privacy rights, and—along with the Neighbors App—foster racial profiling and increased criminalization of Black and brown people."
"Amazon Ring cameras are dangerous, not just for the people who buy them, but for their neighbors, their communities, and society as a whole," said Greer. "Amazon's monopoly power and aggressive pursuit of surveillance partnerships with police set them apart from their competitors."
Collaboration between the tech giant and law enforcement agencies can exacerbate "racist targeting," the campaign said, which "is especially worrisome when coupled with the fact that" over a third of all police killings in the U.S. since 2015 can be attributed to about half of the roughly 1,400 police departments partnered with Amazon.
"Tech blogs can't say 'Black Lives Matter' and then give five star ratings to products that exacerbate racism," Greer noted.
She alluded to a case this summer in which "a man was killed by sheriffs in a Ring-related incident" and asked, "How many people have to be jailed or killed before tech reviewers realize Ring is not safe for anyone?"
"Review sites," Mickles concluded, "are putting their credibility at risk by continuing to recommend these products."


alternet--2020-12-09--Watch: Lou Dobbs meltdown at Stephen Miller highlights cracks in GOP

The last time Lou Dobbs was considered respectable was probably sometime around the mid 1950s when he was sitting on Buffalo Bob Smith 's lap and entertaining children .
Since then , the witch that turned him into a real boy also stole his soul and damned him to spouting out fascistic cold war era paranoia and racism for the rest of his life .
Dobbs has been consistent in his unhinged support of Donald Trump .
He has promoted the general anti-Semitic global conspiracy theories that Trump and his QAnonian base follow .
Dobbs has even called right-wing warmonger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operative .
That 's some next level bananas cuckoo .
So it has been no surprise that Dobbs has been carrying the dirty Trump water of logic-free , evidence absent , election fraud allegations since Nov. 3 .
While Dobbs , like the rest of Fox News , has always traded in misinformation , race-baiting , deceit , fear and paranoia , calls to overthrow our democratic processes is a truly new depth of fascism .
And if you are going to make a full-throated call for fascism and the overthrow of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your show than the most dangerous white supremacist mediocrity behind Donald Trump , Stephen Miller ?
On Monday night , as we near the official deadlines of certification and finalization of election results , Dobbs had Miller on to freak out about the need to have the Supreme Court , like a kangaroo tribunal court , overturn the results of the 2020 election and anoint Donald Trump king of the universe .
Miller attempted , in his smarmy-eyed way , to call for state legislatures to overturn the election .
However , Dobbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of how to logically sell his fascism , was preoccupied with the nakedly ambitious Sen. Ted Cruz 's offering to argue in front of the Supreme Court to overturn the election .
Miller is not a particularly creative person .
He has the capacity to hold about two things in his head at any given time , one of which is a rudimentary racism , and the other is a high-school level of contrarian drivel .
This means that when Miller has to appear in public he must really focus on his talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put together real thoughts , his weak intellect will let him down .
This means that when Lou Dobbs begins freaking out in the clip below , trying it seems to form a union between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump , Miller is unable to sufficiently pivot to acknowledge it enough—outside of his talking points .
This leads to Lou Dobbs becoming paranoid and emotional ( these emotional men , amiright ? )
, and sort of accuse Miller of dodging the question .
The question for Dobbs seems to be at once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of questions , summarized in a refrain of `` What is wrong with the Republican Party ?
and `` Where are the Republicans ? ''
Which Dobbs says over and over again .
But Dobbs also seems to want Miller to accept Ted Cruz 's offer ( ? )
to argue a nonexistent case in front of a Supreme Court that is not supposed to be involved constitutionally in our elections .
Dobbs finishes his scattered vitriolic rhetorical confusion , by saying that the Republican Party is `` watching its blood drain into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Is that statement out of context ?
Not really .
Dobbs is n't making much sense .
To illustrate just how out of control this outburst is , Stephen Miller of all people , has to in his most sociopathic way , tell Dobbs that he and Dobbs `` have the same mind . ''
Miller 's hope is to get things back on track , and that track is to continue to promote the Trump coup d'etat with a nod to continuing to make money off of it after they leave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belief that he follows : that he , Ted Cruz , should be president .
no matter what the cost .
His hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty is legendary at this point .
Any move he makes is predicated on whether or not he believes it will help him achieve that goal .
If you told Ted Cruz that throwing his family off of a cliff would insure his ascension to the White House he would ask which cliff .

The last time Lou Dobbs was considered respectable was probably sometime around the mid 1950s when he was sitting on Buffalo Bob Smith's lap and entertaining children. Since then, the witch that turned him into a real boy also stole his soul and damned him to spouting out fascistic cold war era paranoia and racism for the rest of his life. Dobbs has been consistent in his unhinged support of Donald Trump. He has promoted the general anti-Semitic global conspiracy theories that Trump and his QAnonian base follow. Dobbs has even called right-wing warmonger John Bolton a "deep state" operative. That's some next level bananas cuckoo.
So it has been no surprise that Dobbs has been carrying the dirty Trump water of logic-free, evidence absent, election fraud allegations since Nov. 3. While Dobbs, like the rest of Fox News, has always traded in misinformation, race-baiting, deceit, fear and paranoia, calls to overthrow our democratic processes is a truly new depth of fascism. And if you are going to make a full-throated call for fascism and the overthrow of the government, who better to have on your show than the most dangerous white supremacist mediocrity behind Donald Trump, Stephen Miller?
On Monday night, as we near the official deadlines of certification and finalization of election results, Dobbs had Miller on to freak out about the need to have the Supreme Court, like a kangaroo tribunal court, overturn the results of the 2020 election and anoint Donald Trump king of the universe. Miller attempted, in his smarmy-eyed way, to call for state legislatures to overturn the election. However, Dobbs, who seems to have lost track of how to logically sell his fascism, was preoccupied with the nakedly ambitious Sen. Ted Cruz's offering to argue in front of the Supreme Court to overturn the election.
Miller is not a particularly creative person. He has the capacity to hold about two things in his head at any given time, one of which is a rudimentary racism, and the other is a high-school level of contrarian drivel. This means that when Miller has to appear in public he must really focus on his talking points because any time he attempts to put together real thoughts, his weak intellect will let him down. This means that when Lou Dobbs begins freaking out in the clip below, trying it seems to form a union between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, Miller is unable to sufficiently pivot to acknowledge it enough—outside of his talking points.
This leads to Lou Dobbs becoming paranoid and emotional (these emotional men, amiright?), and sort of accuse Miller of dodging the question. The question for Dobbs seems to be at once not a question, and a bunch of questions, summarized in a refrain of "What is wrong with the Republican Party? and "Where are the Republicans?" Which Dobbs says over and over again. But Dobbs also seems to want Miller to accept Ted Cruz's offer (?) to argue a nonexistent case in front of a Supreme Court that is not supposed to be involved constitutionally in our elections.
Dobbs finishes his scattered vitriolic rhetorical confusion, by saying that the Republican Party is "watching its blood drain into the streets because they're gutless." Is that statement out of context? Not really. Dobbs isn't making much sense. To illustrate just how out of control this outburst is, Stephen Miller of all people, has to in his most sociopathic way, tell Dobbs that he and Dobbs "have the same mind." Miller's hope is to get things back on track, and that track is to continue to promote the Trump coup d'etat with a nod to continuing to make money off of it after they leave the office.
Ted Cruz has one belief that he follows: that he, Ted Cruz, should be president. no matter what the cost. His hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty is legendary at this point. Any move he makes is predicated on whether or not he believes it will help him achieve that goal. If you told Ted Cruz that throwing his family off of a cliff would insure his ascension to the White House he would ask which cliff.


alternet--2020-12-09--Civil rights groups sound the alarm over new voter suppression attempts in Georgia runoff

Officials in Goergia 's third most populous county came under fire from civil rights advocates Monday after announcing they would slash the number of early voting sites for the state 's two critical U.S. Senate runoff elections by more than half .
Half a dozen groups including the Georgia NAACP , the ACLU of Georgia , and the Southern Poverty Law Center sent a letter ( pdf ) to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and Board of Elections and Registration urging them not to cut back on early voting sites .
The officials plan on closing six of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claiming they do not have the resources to keep all of them open .
`` While these closures are likely to adversely affect many Cobb County voters , we are especially concerned that these closures will be harmful to Cobb County 's Black and Latinx voters because many of the locations are in Black and Latinx communities , '' the letter states .
According to ( pdf ) the Center for New Data , of the 10 Georgia polling locations with the highest estimated portion of voters spending longer than 30 minutes on-site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some 760,000 people live in the county , which lies just northwest of Atlanta .
Its population is nearly 29 % Black and over 13 % Latinx and , although long a Republican stronghold , has become more liberal in recent years .
While Republican nominee Mitt Romney trounced former President Barack Obama by over 12 percentage points in the 2012 presidential election , Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton edged out President Donald Trump by two points in 2016 and President-elect Joe Biden easily defeated Trump by 14 points in 2020 , largely on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latinx voters who rights advocates warn would likely be adversely affected by the closure of polling sites during the coronavirus pandemic .
Covid-19 , `` which is ravaging the nation , has had extremely harsh effects in Black and Latinx communities and makes in-person voting on Election Day an untenable option for many voters , '' the groups ' letter asserts .
`` Moreover , due to widespread concerns with the reliability of the United States Postal Service , many voters are not comfortable requesting or casting absentee ballots by mail , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the record turnout during the advance voting period for the 2020 general election , advance voting is the only acceptable option for safe and secure voting for many voters . ''
Under Georgia law , if a Senate candidate does not receive at least 50 % of the vote in a general election , the two top-finishing candidates must face each other in a runoff .
On January 5 , there will be two such elections , with Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff facing Sen. David Perdue in one and Rev .
Raphael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other .
On November 3 , Perdue won 49.7 % to Ossoff 's 47.9 % , while Warnock led Loeffler by a wider margin of 32.9 % to 29.5 % , with the GOP vote being split between Loeffler and Doug Collins , who received 20.0 % of the vote .
If both Ossoff and Warnock emerge victorious , Democrats will gain control of the Senate , as incoming Vice President Kamala Harris will cast the tie-breaking vote .
If either GOP incumbent wins , Republicans will remain in control of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a constant thorn in the side of President Joe Biden and his agenda .

Officials in Goergia's third most populous county came under fire from civil rights advocates Monday after announcing they would slash the number of early voting sites for the state's two critical U.S. Senate runoff elections by more than half.
Half a dozen groups including the Georgia NAACP, the ACLU of Georgia, and the Southern Poverty Law Center sent a letter (pdf) to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and Board of Elections and Registration urging them not to cut back on early voting sites. The officials plan on closing six of the county's 11 advance polling locations, claiming they do not have the resources to keep all of them open.
"While these closures are likely to adversely affect many Cobb County voters, we are especially concerned that these closures will be harmful to Cobb County's Black and Latinx voters because many of the locations are in Black and Latinx communities," the letter states.
According to (pdf) the Center for New Data, of the 10 Georgia polling locations with the highest estimated portion of voters spending longer than 30 minutes on-site, five are slated for closure.
Some 760,000 people live in the county, which lies just northwest of Atlanta. Its population is nearly 29% Black and over 13% Latinx and, although long a Republican stronghold, has become more liberal in recent years.
While Republican nominee Mitt Romney trounced former President Barack Obama by over 12 percentage points in the 2012 presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton edged out President Donald Trump by two points in 2016 and President-elect Joe Biden easily defeated Trump by 14 points in 2020, largely on the strength of the very Black and Latinx voters who rights advocates warn would likely be adversely affected by the closure of polling sites during the coronavirus pandemic.
Covid-19, "which is ravaging the nation, has had extremely harsh effects in Black and Latinx communities and makes in-person voting on Election Day an untenable option for many voters," the groups' letter asserts.
"Moreover, due to widespread concerns with the reliability of the United States Postal Service, many voters are not comfortable requesting or casting absentee ballots by mail," the letter states. "As demonstrated by the record turnout during the advance voting period for the 2020 general election, advance voting is the only acceptable option for safe and secure voting for many voters."
Under Georgia law, if a Senate candidate does not receive at least 50% of the vote in a general election, the two top-finishing candidates must face each other in a runoff. On January 5, there will be two such elections, with Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff facing Sen. David Perdue in one and Rev. Raphael Warnock taking on Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the other.
On November 3, Perdue won 49.7% to Ossoff's 47.9%, while Warnock led Loeffler by a wider margin of 32.9% to 29.5%, with the GOP vote being split between Loeffler and Doug Collins, who received 20.0% of the vote.
If both Ossoff and Warnock emerge victorious, Democrats will gain control of the Senate, as incoming Vice President Kamala Harris will cast the tie-breaking vote. If either GOP incumbent wins, Republicans will remain in control of the Senate, posing what is likely to be a constant thorn in the side of President Joe Biden and his agenda.
Early voting for the Georgia Senate runoffs begins December 14.


alternet--2020-12-09--This is the disturbing reality that Trump's failing coup has exposed

Donald Trump is still trying to steal the election from Joe Biden , and while he is still going to fail , the terrifying reality is that a few cracks in the wall protecting democracy have started to appear .
While many pundits continue to minimize this entire situation , sneering at people who use phrases like `` attempted coup , '' the grim reality of our current moment is that Trump got far closer to succeeding than many people would like to admit .
He 's only stopped now by the fact that too many people voted against him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Every indication suggests that if it were up to Republicans , who still hold a disproportionate amount of power , Trump might very well have been illegally installed for a second term in office .
The Washington Post reported that Trump reached out to Bryan Cutler , speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives , on Monday in an effort to get Cutler to invalidate the state 's presidential election results , citing `` all these issues in Philadelphia . ''
This is the third Republican state leader Trump has reached out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also contacted Georgia 's Gov .
Brian Kemp and brought Michigan legislators to the White House — and the third strikeout .
In fact , it 's arguably the fourth .
Trump also called Arizona 's Gov .
Doug Ducey .
Ducey claimed the president was n't trying to pressure him — but c'mon , Trump 's `` information gathering '' is just more Trumpian code for his pressure campaign .
So why is n't Trump getting what he asked for ?
Much of the coverage of the recalcitrant Republican leaders portrays these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or at least people who have had enough of Trump 's corruption and are drawing a line .
It 's evident that what 's holding Republicans back is not honor or decency , but a lack of options .
There simply are n't legal processes to pull off what Trump wants , no matter what Newsmax or OANN might say , and state leaders know it .
They are saying no to Trump not because they want to , but because , legally , they have to .
Witness , for instance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the New York Times about the discussion with Trump : `` Cutler made it very clear what power the legislature has and does not have . ''
Missing , of course , is any mention of the importance of democracy or a robust defense of the right of Pennsylvanians to vote .
Cutler sympathizes with Trump 's desire to overturn a free and fair election , which is why he signed a letter to the state 's congressional delegation asking them to object to the state 's electoral votes .
He just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election results .
Georgia 's Kemp issued a similar response , noting how much effort he 's put into `` auditing '' the vote , but underlining that he 's hamstrung from doing any more .
Again , this is not a high-minded defense of the right of Georgians to have their votes counted .
On the contrary , Kemp has a long history of being an eager vote suppressor , and that 's likely why he 's governor today .
He 's just hit the limit of his powers to deprive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Georgia secretary of state , Brad Raffensperger , has received widespread praise for his `` courage '' in standing up to Trump 's coup effort .
This is further nonsense .
While Raffensperger has been more outspoken in defense of the election results than other Trump-toadying politicians , he too is acting more out of legal necessity than a desire to defend democracy .
Raffensperger has a long history of supporting voter suppression .
Indeed , he 's exploiting the current situation by conflating Trump 's attacks on the election with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stacey Abrams to ensure free and fair elections , on the grounds that both are losers who are critical of Georgia 's election process .
Of course , the two could n't be more different , starting with the fact that Abrams is telling the truth about voter suppression and Trump is lying about voter fraud .
But the larger point here is that Raffensperger 's instinct is to use Trump 's coup as leverage to strip away more voting rights .
Raffensperger is no hero .
He 's just legally constricted from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump 's coup .
Indeed , there was surprising enthusiasm for Trump 's efforts in the days after the election from state-level Republicans , which is why 10 Republican state attorneys general filed an amicus brief on Nov. 10 demanding that the Supreme Court gut a Pennsylvania law giving mail-in ballots mailed by Election Day up to three days to arrive .
What 's happened since then , however , is mounting evidence that Democratic voters , egged on by the party 's calls to vote early , outwitted Republican efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For instance , only 10,000 votes arrived in that three-day post-election window in Pennsylvania , so even if Trump 's lawsuit had been successful , it would n't have changed the results of the election in that state .
Even in the face of all this , some state-level Republicans are still looking for any angle they can find to overturn the election .
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding that the Supreme Court prevent state delegations from Georgia , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from voting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four states have been subject to accusations from Trump that the votes from large , racially diverse cities are specifically illegitimate .
On the federal level , the same dynamic is in play .
The Washington Post surveyed 249 Republicans in Congress about Trump 's attempts to steal the election , and the numbers are disheartening , to say the least .
Only 27 GOP congressional members openly opposed the coup by acknowledging that Biden had won the presidential election .
Two members said publicly they believed Trump had won , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Congress — would n't answer the question either way .
Saying nothing is tacit support .
These members would be perfectly willing to go along with Trump stealing the election if he could pull it off .
They just are n't getting on board publicly because they know it wo n't work .
Even if some congressional Republicans object to the state electors — and every sign shows that a handful will — Democrats control the House , so nothing will likely come of it .
But this silence speaks volumes about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coup if they had any confidence it would work .
Of course , not all of them are silent .
A group of House Republicans , led by Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mo Brooks of Alabama , are publicly calling on Trump to continue fighting even after the Electoral College legally certifies the election for Biden next week .
There has been no rebuke from the Republican leadership to these extremists , not even from leaders who hail from the states where Trump is trying to have legal votes thrown out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state and federal level , is clear : They wish they could help Trump overturn the election , but they just do n't see a path forward .
They were prepared to abuse their power as far as they could to help him , and have hit the wall Unfortunately for Trump , time has run out .
Tuesday is the deadline for states to certify their results , and next Monday the Electoral College will finally make Biden 's win official .
The results are clear , not because Republican leaders have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up in large enough numbers to render all these shenanigans effectively moot .
Trump will leave office on Jan. 20 , and the only people who deserve credit for that are Democratic voters and organizers , who made sure Biden 's win was big enough that it could n't be stolen away .

Donald Trump is still trying to steal the election from Joe Biden, and while he is still going to fail, the terrifying reality is that a few cracks in the wall protecting democracy have started to appear.
While many pundits continue to minimize this entire situation, sneering at people who use phrases like "attempted coup," the grim reality of our current moment is that Trump got far closer to succeeding than many people would like to admit. He's only stopped now by the fact that too many people voted against him in so many different parts of America. Every indication suggests that if it were up to Republicans, who still hold a disproportionate amount of power, Trump might very well have been illegally installed for a second term in office.
The Washington Post reported that Trump reached out to Bryan Cutler, speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, on Monday in an effort to get Cutler to invalidate the state's presidential election results, citing "all these issues in Philadelphia." This is the third Republican state leader Trump has reached out to with this request — he's also contacted Georgia's Gov. Brian Kemp and brought Michigan legislators to the White House — and the third strikeout.
In fact, it's arguably the fourth. Trump also called Arizona's Gov. Doug Ducey. Ducey claimed the president wasn't trying to pressure him — but c'mon, Trump's "information gathering" is just more Trumpian code for his pressure campaign.
So why isn't Trump getting what he asked for? Much of the coverage of the recalcitrant Republican leaders portrays these officials as brave defenders of democracy, or at least people who have had enough of Trump's corruption and are drawing a line.
That's nonsense.
It's evident that what's holding Republicans back is not honor or decency, but a lack of options. There simply aren't legal processes to pull off what Trump wants, no matter what Newsmax or OANN might say, and state leaders know it. They are saying no to Trump not because they want to, but because, legally, they have to. Witness, for instance, what the Pennsylvania House speaker's spokesperson told the New York Times about the discussion with Trump: "Cutler made it very clear what power the legislature has and does not have."
Missing, of course, is any mention of the importance of democracy or a robust defense of the right of Pennsylvanians to vote. Cutler sympathizes with Trump's desire to overturn a free and fair election, which is why he signed a letter to the state's congressional delegation asking them to object to the state's electoral votes. He just doesn't have the power to vacate the election results.
Georgia's Kemp issued a similar response, noting how much effort he's put into "auditing" the vote, but underlining that he's hamstrung from doing any more. Again, this is not a high-minded defense of the right of Georgians to have their votes counted. On the contrary, Kemp has a long history of being an eager vote suppressor, and that's likely why he's governor today. He's just hit the limit of his powers to deprive voters of their right to be heard. The Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, has received widespread praise for his "courage" in standing up to Trump's coup effort. This is further nonsense. While Raffensperger has been more outspoken in defense of the election results than other Trump-toadying politicians, he too is acting more out of legal necessity than a desire to defend democracy.
Raffensperger has a long history of supporting voter suppression. Indeed, he's exploiting the current situation by conflating Trump's attacks on the election with the fight by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to ensure free and fair elections, on the grounds that both are losers who are critical of Georgia's election process. Of course, the two couldn't be more different, starting with the fact that Abrams is telling the truth about voter suppression and Trump is lying about voter fraud. But the larger point here is that Raffensperger's instinct is to use Trump's coup as leverage to strip away more voting rights.
Raffensperger is no hero. He's just legally constricted from being a villain in the particular case of Trump's coup.
Indeed, there was surprising enthusiasm for Trump's efforts in the days after the election from state-level Republicans, which is why 10 Republican state attorneys general filed an amicus brief on Nov. 10 demanding that the Supreme Court gut a Pennsylvania law giving mail-in ballots mailed by Election Day up to three days to arrive. What's happened since then, however, is mounting evidence that Democratic voters, egged on by the party's calls to vote early, outwitted Republican efforts to steal the election through such legal maneuvers. For instance, only 10,000 votes arrived in that three-day post-election window in Pennsylvania, so even if Trump's lawsuit had been successful, it wouldn't have changed the results of the election in that state.
Even in the face of all this, some state-level Republicans are still looking for any angle they can find to overturn the election. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday demanding that the Supreme Court prevent state delegations from Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from voting in the Electoral College. Notably, all four states have been subject to accusations from Trump that the votes from large, racially diverse cities are specifically illegitimate.
On the federal level, the same dynamic is in play.
The Washington Post surveyed 249 Republicans in Congress about Trump's attempts to steal the election, and the numbers are disheartening, to say the least. Only 27 GOP congressional members openly opposed the coup by acknowledging that Biden had won the presidential election. Two members said publicly they believed Trump had won, and the rest — 220 duly elected Republican members of Congress — wouldn't answer the question either way.
Saying nothing is tacit support. These members would be perfectly willing to go along with Trump stealing the election if he could pull it off. They just aren't getting on board publicly because they know it won't work. Even if some congressional Republicans object to the state electors — and every sign shows that a handful will — Democrats control the House, so nothing will likely come of it. But this silence speaks volumes about who would happily collaborate with Trump's coup if they had any confidence it would work.
Of course, not all of them are silent. A group of House Republicans, led by Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mo Brooks of Alabama, are publicly calling on Trump to continue fighting even after the Electoral College legally certifies the election for Biden next week. There has been no rebuke from the Republican leadership to these extremists, not even from leaders who hail from the states where Trump is trying to have legal votes thrown out. The Republican stance, on both the state and federal level, is clear: They wish they could help Trump overturn the election, but they just don't see a path forward. They were prepared to abuse their power as far as they could to help him, and have hit the wall
Unfortunately for Trump, time has run out. Tuesday is the deadline for states to certify their results, and next Monday the Electoral College will finally make Biden's win official. The results are clear, not because Republican leaders have any integrity, but because voters showed up in large enough numbers to render all these shenanigans effectively moot. Trump will leave office on Jan. 20, and the only people who deserve credit for that are Democratic voters and organizers, who made sure Biden's win was big enough that it couldn't be stolen away.


alternet--2020-12-09--Trump is playing his biggest supporters for suckers

It 's pretty damn obvious what 's going on with Donald Trump and the election , and it 's probably not an .
At least , that 's not necessarily Trump 's primary intention with his laughably unserious procession of 50-some failed legal challenges to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election .
Trump and his Republican enablers lost five cases on Friday alone , with more in Michigan and Georgia over the weekend .
Meanwhile , his perpetually shvitzing lead attorney , Rudy Giuliani , tested positive for COVID after appearing in court on multiple occasions without a mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Red Hats keep reacting like Lloyd Christmas in `` Dumb & Dumber . ''
Faced with one-in-a-gazillion odds of actually winning a case , their response continues to be , `` So you 're telling us there 's a chance ! ''
These suckers happen to be Trump 's target customers , especially now .
Sure , Trump wants to be president for another four years .
In fact , he 'd probably be happy to serve in the post for the rest of his miserable life .
Consequently , if there were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I suppose is always possible , he 'd absolutely bask in the results and start planning his inaugural address .
I mean , there 's a legal strategy at play here , but it 's as primitive as the velociraptors in `` Jurassic Park '' testing the paddock fences for weaknesses .
If they happen to find one , they 'll absolutely exploit it , taking the opening as far as they can .
In the worm-infested minds of Trump and his followers , any such opening could lead them to the Supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting to help .
There 's no path , other than catching an extremely lucky break — a Lloyd Christmas one-in-a-gazillion fluke .
The election ended the day the networks called it for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris .
The president-elect 's margin of victory is too formidable , and considering that even Trump 's personal fixer at the Department of Justice , Bill Barr , that his people have n't found any evidence of widespread fraud , there 's no other way for Trump .
He ca n't win .
Vote certifications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtually certain the Electoral College will cast its ceremonial ballots on schedule on Dec. 14 , all but carving Trump 's loss into stone .
Despite the nonexistent odds of victory , Trump is still , for all intents and purposes , attempting to overturn the election in one of the most staggeringly obscene and unpatriotic temper tantrums in presidential history .
Some are calling it an attempted coup d'état against the true winner of the election , and I agree .
But it 's always been more of a performative coup .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shrieking satisfaction of Trump 's tear-stained disciples , who simply ca n't understand how the most destructively incompetent president in American history lost his re-election campaign .
It turns out that the performative coup , including the bogus `` whistleblowers '' and all of Trump 's various `` lookits '' ( `` Lookit Philadelphia !
Lookit Dominion !
Lookit Detroit !
`` ) , is only half of our transactional president 's latest transaction .
He 's selling his Red Hats a stack of lies and nonsensical conspiracy theories about the election disguised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ badly deluded suckers are handing over their checking accounts to Trump 's Save America PAC in the midst of a crushing recession .
Since Election Day , around $ 207 million has been raised by Save America PAC as well as both the Trump Victory and Trump Make America Great Again committees .
According to numerous news sources , however , hardly any of that sum is being spent on `` stopping the steal . ''
As Salon 's Igor Derysh reported last week , fundraising emails from the Trump campaign `` claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Defense Fund , ' [ but ] no such account exists .
...
The fine print on the frenzied messages says the first $ 5,000 or first 75 % of every donation greater than $ 5,000 goes to Save America , a new political action committee formed by the president in mid-November .
The other 25 % goes to the Republican National Committee . ''
I wonder how many Red Hat suckers have given money to the PAC thinking it 'd be spent on Trump 's legal shenanigans .
I 'd wager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Campaign Legal Center , told CBS News that the PAC donations can be used by Trump `` to keep former campaign staff on the payroll , to fund Trump 's travel and expenses when he is campaigning for other candidates , and to help finance rallies and events ( as long as the rallies and events are pitched as supporting other candidates or political issues rather than as Trump 2024 events ) . ''
As we 've observed , Trump 's rallies for other candidates always turn out to be about him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , obviously , Trump will fudge the campaign finance reporting to minimize time spent ranting about himself .
All told , Trump 's Save America PAC is , like most PACs , nothing more than a slush fund , located in the middle of a campaign-finance gray area .
Candidates often use super-PAC money to finance lavish vacations and other personal expenses .
Given that the Trump Foundation was because the Trumps were self-dealing — using donations for personal items , including a — it 's safe to assume the Trumps will dip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … whatever the hell they want .
According to recent polling , of all Republicans believe Trump really won the election despite the math and despite vindication of the math by myriad state officials along with some Trump-appointed judges .
Seventy-four million voters chose to cast ballots for an ungainly monster whose incompetence and irresponsibility led to the latest unforgivable spike in COVID cases , while other nations like Australia are celebrating the near-total defeat of the pandemic .
( On Sunday , there were nine new cases in all of Australia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ States , there were 173,457 new cases . )
A ridiculously large percentage of those voters falsely believe Trump won , and they always will .
It 's important to emphasize that we 're talking about chronological adults who believe the screechings of the world 's most notorious con man , while also believing that literally everyone else in the country is lying to them .
Think about that .
It 's like a cancer patient who 's diagnosed by the world 's most esteemed oncologists , but instead accepts the word of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of being the real crooks .
Trump wants nothing more than to separate his fanboys from their money , and exclusively so .
`` Stopping the steal '' is merely a sales ploy .
He might as well be a fake Nigerian prince bamboozling his fans with an obvious phishing scam .
And they 're walking right into it .
These are desperately confused and easily-deceived adults whose TV messiah once tried to sell raw beef in Sharper Image mall stores .
Trump 's selling them a phony-baloney dream of a second term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or intention of fulfilling .
In exchange , they 're giving him hundreds of millions of dollars that 'll be used for everything but that dream .
Granted , we should n't get complacent until Joe Biden is administered the oath of office on Jan. 20 , but we can at least rest assured that Trump 's coup has no chance of success .
His fanboys , meanwhile , will keep shoveling cash into the gaping maw of a known scam artist .
Ultimately , I 'm fine with that .

It's pretty damn obvious what's going on with Donald Trump and the election, and it's probably not an attempted coup . At least, that's not necessarily Trump's primary intention with his laughably unserious procession of 50-some failed legal challenges to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump and his Republican enablers lost five cases on Friday alone, with more in Michigan and Georgia over the weekend. Meanwhile, his perpetually shvitzing lead attorney, Rudy Giuliani, tested positive for COVID after appearing in court on multiple occasions without a mask. And yet Trump and his gullible Red Hats keep reacting like Lloyd Christmas in "Dumb & Dumber." Faced with one-in-a-gazillion odds of actually winning a case, their response continues to be, "So you're telling us there's a chance!"
These suckers happen to be Trump's target customers, especially now.
Sure, Trump wants to be president for another four years. In fact, he'd probably be happy to serve in the post for the rest of his miserable life. Consequently, if there were to be an evidentiary breakthrough, which I suppose is always possible, he'd absolutely bask in the results and start planning his inaugural address.
I mean, there's a legal strategy at play here, but it's as primitive as the velociraptors in "Jurassic Park" testing the paddock fences for weaknesses. If they happen to find one, they'll absolutely exploit it, taking the opening as far as they can. In the worm-infested minds of Trump and his followers, any such opening could lead them to the Supreme Court, where Amy Coney Barrett is waiting to help.
There's no path, other than catching an extremely lucky break — a Lloyd Christmas one-in-a-gazillion fluke. The election ended the day the networks called it for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The president-elect's margin of victory is too formidable, and considering that even Trump's personal fixer at the Department of Justice, Bill Barr, announced that his people haven't found any evidence of widespread fraud, there's no other way for Trump. He can't win. Vote certifications continue on schedule, and it's virtually certain the Electoral College will cast its ceremonial ballots on schedule on Dec. 14, all but carving Trump's loss into stone.
Despite the nonexistent odds of victory, Trump is still, for all intents and purposes, attempting to overturn the election in one of the most staggeringly obscene and unpatriotic temper tantrums in presidential history. Some are calling it an attempted coup d'état against the true winner of the election, and I agree. But it's always been more of a performative coup. It's a circus sideshow for the shrieking satisfaction of Trump's tear-stained disciples, who simply can't understand how the most destructively incompetent president in American history lost his re-election campaign.
It turns out that the performative coup, including the bogus "whistleblowers" and all of Trump's various "lookits" ("Lookit Philadelphia! Lookit Dominion! Lookit Detroit!"), is only half of our transactional president's latest transaction. He's selling his Red Hats a stack of lies and nonsensical conspiracy theories about the election disguised as hope. In return, these badly deluded suckers are handing over their checking accounts to Trump's Save America PAC in the midst of a crushing recession.
Since Election Day, around $207 million has been raised by Save America PAC as well as both the Trump Victory and Trump Make America Great Again committees.
According to numerous news sources, however, hardly any of that sum is being spent on "stopping the steal."
As Salon's Igor Derysh reported last week, fundraising emails from the Trump campaign "claim that the money is for the 'Official Election Defense Fund,' [but] no such account exists. ... The fine print on the frenzied messages says the first $5,000 or first 75% of every donation greater than $5,000 goes to Save America, a new political action committee formed by the president in mid-November. The other 25% goes to the Republican National Committee." I wonder how many Red Hat suckers have given money to the PAC thinking it'd be spent on Trump's legal shenanigans. I'd wager most of them.
Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center, told CBS News that the PAC donations can be used by Trump "to keep former campaign staff on the payroll, to fund Trump's travel and expenses when he is campaigning for other candidates, and to help finance rallies and events (as long as the rallies and events are pitched as supporting other candidates or political issues rather than as Trump 2024 events)." As we've observed, Trump's rallies for other candidates always turn out to be about him and his roster of grievances. So, obviously, Trump will fudge the campaign finance reporting to minimize time spent ranting about himself.
All told, Trump's Save America PAC is, like most PACs, nothing more than a slush fund, located in the middle of a campaign-finance gray area. Candidates often use super-PAC money to finance lavish vacations and other personal expenses. Given that the Trump Foundation was shut down because the Trumps were self-dealing — using donations for personal items, including a painting of Trump — it's safe to assume the Trumps will dip into the PAC account to pay for … whatever the hell they want.
According to recent polling, more than half of all Republicans believe Trump really won the election despite the math and despite vindication of the math by myriad state officials along with some Trump-appointed judges. Seventy-four million voters chose to cast ballots for an ungainly monster whose incompetence and irresponsibility led to the latest unforgivable spike in COVID cases, while other nations like Australia are celebrating the near-total defeat of the pandemic. (On Sunday, there were nine new cases in all of Australia. On the same day in the United States, there were 173,457 new cases.) A ridiculously large percentage of those voters falsely believe Trump won, and they always will.
It's important to emphasize that we're talking about chronological adults who believe the screechings of the world's most notorious con man, while also believing that literally everyone else in the country is lying to them. Think about that. It's like a cancer patient who's diagnosed by the world's most esteemed oncologists, but instead accepts the word of a Reddit troll while accusing the experts of being the real crooks.
Trump wants nothing more than to separate his fanboys from their money, and exclusively so. "Stopping the steal" is merely a sales ploy. He might as well be a fake Nigerian prince bamboozling his fans with an obvious phishing scam. And they're walking right into it. These are desperately confused and easily-deceived adults whose TV messiah once tried to sell raw beef in Sharper Image mall stores. Trump's selling them a phony-baloney dream of a second term — a dream he has no possibility or intention of fulfilling. In exchange, they're giving him hundreds of millions of dollars that'll be used for everything but that dream.
Granted, we shouldn't get complacent until Joe Biden is administered the oath of office on Jan. 20, but we can at least rest assured that Trump's coup has no chance of success. His fanboys, meanwhile, will keep shoveling cash into the gaping maw of a known scam artist. Ultimately, I'm fine with that.


alternet--2020-12-08--US Supreme Court flat-out denies GOP request to block Biden's Pennsylvania win

On Tuesday , the United States Supreme Court rejected a GOP request to block Pennsylvania 's certification of President Joe Biden 's victory in the state , with not a single justice registering a dissent .
The decision reflected the absolute absurdity of the request , which had been widely panned by election law experts , and the fundamental futility of President Donald Trump 's hopes of overturning the 2020 election in the courts .
It also came on Dec. 8 , which federal law designated as `` safe harbor day , '' the point at which states can choose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be accepted by Congress .
`` The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied , '' the single-sentence order said .
Not even Justices Samuel Alito or Clarence Thomas , the most conservative and Trump-sympathetic of the court 's members , piped up in the defense of the petition .
Rick Hasen , a prominent election law scholar , noted that he had previously dismissed the request from GOP state Sen. Mike Kelly as transparently ridiculous .
He called it `` perhaps the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Supreme Court . ''
Nevertheless , the case has excited some Republicans still hoping that Trump could remain president .
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas offered to argue the issue before the court , even though that opportunity did n't present itself in this case .
Trump himself has repeatedly expressed the hope that the Supreme Court will somehow hand him victory in the 2020 election .
He even expressed this wish prior to the election , suggesting that he needed to get Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure his win .
And on Tuesday afternoon , Trump even retweeted a post suggesting that Barrett would be on his side at the Supreme Court : More studious observers of the court , however , have argued Trump had no viable path to get the justices to overturn the election .
There are other election cases that Trump allies are trying to take before the court , but few serious commentators expect them to gain any traction either .
Had the result been closer , and had disputes over the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of election law , the conservative-dominated court might have been willing to weigh in on Trump 's behalf .
But what Trump is hoping for at this point is much more than that .
He wants the court 's conservatives to throw out any fundamental principles they believe in that would get in the way of his victory .
He just wants to be declared the winner .
Doing so without any plausible justification could potentially tear the country apart .
But there 's no reason to think the justices are even interested @ @ @ @

On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court rejected a GOP request to block Pennsylvania's certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the state, with not a single justice registering a dissent.
The decision reflected the absolute absurdity of the request, which had been widely panned by election law experts, and the fundamental futility of President Donald Trump's hopes of overturning the 2020 election in the courts. It also came on Dec. 8, which federal law designated as "safe harbor day," the point at which states can choose their presidential electors and they have to be accepted by Congress.
"The application for injunctive relief presented to Justice Alito and by him referred to the Court is denied," the single-sentence order said.
Not even Justices Samuel Alito or Clarence Thomas, the most conservative and Trump-sympathetic of the court's members, piped up in the defense of the petition.
Rick Hasen, a prominent election law scholar, noted that he had previously dismissed the request from GOP state Sen. Mike Kelly as transparently ridiculous. He called it "perhaps the dumbest argument ever made in emergency petition to the Supreme Court."
Nevertheless, the case has excited some Republicans still hoping that Trump could remain president. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas offered to argue the issue before the court, even though that opportunity didn't present itself in this case.
Trump himself has repeatedly expressed the hope that the Supreme Court will somehow hand him victory in the 2020 election. He even expressed this wish prior to the election, suggesting that he needed to get Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the court so that she could be in place to ensure his win. And on Tuesday afternoon, Trump even retweeted a post suggesting that Barrett would be on his side at the Supreme Court:
More studious observers of the court, however, have argued Trump had no viable path to get the justices to overturn the election. There are other election cases that Trump allies are trying to take before the court, but few serious commentators expect them to gain any traction either. Had the result been closer, and had disputes over the vote counting rested on some more contentious issue of election law, the conservative-dominated court might have been willing to weigh in on Trump's behalf. But what Trump is hoping for at this point is much more than that. He wants the court's conservatives to throw out any fundamental principles they believe in that would get in the way of his victory. He just wants to be declared the winner. Doing so without any plausible justification could potentially tear the country apart. But there's no reason to think the justices are even interested in trying it.


alternet--2020-12-10--Eco 'sabotage': Trump EPA issues last-minute rule to make action harder for Biden

With President Donald Trump 's first term soon coming to an end , the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a rule that critics are calling a last-minute attempt to `` sabotage '' future efforts by President-elect Joe Biden 's incoming administration to tackle the intertwined climate and pollution crises .
Capping off nearly four years of Trump and members of his administration working to roll back over 100 environmental and public health protections in the service of corporate polluters , the new rule changes how the EPA calculates the costs and benefits of new policies on air pollution under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirements , as the Washington Post reports , `` instruct the agency to weigh all the economic costs of curbing an air pollutant but disregard many of the incidental benefits that arise , such as illnesses and deaths avoided by a potential regulation .
In other words , if reducing emissions from power plants also saves tens of thousands of lives each year by cutting soot , those 'co-benefits ' should be not be counted . ''
Former coal lobbyist and current EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the finalization during a virtual event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` thanks to President Trump 's leadership , we are ensuring that future rulemakings under the Clean Air Act are transparent , fair , and consistent with EPA governing statutes . ''
Environmental and public health advocates pushed back against Wheeler 's framing , blasting the rule as not only yet another piece of the outgoing administration 's deregulatory agenda but also a blatant attempt to hamstring Biden , who ran on a promise to deliver environmental and climate justice .
`` For four years , this administration has waged war on public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said of Trump 's first term .
`` Now , on the way out the door , this amounts to sabotaging the efforts of the incoming administration to protect Americans from dirty air . ''
`` It will literally be a breath of fresh air to soon have a president and an EPA working each day to make Americans and the planet healthier and safe , '' he added of Biden 's planned January 20 inauguration .
`` But Administrator Wheeler and President Trump are hellbent on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The rule comes in the midst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic , noted Chris Saeger , a spokesperson for Accountable.US .
Early research has tied air pollution to a heightened risk of dying from Covid-19 , which had killed over 288,700 people in the United States , according to John Hopkins University 's global tracker .
`` Donald Trump must be held accountable for selling out Americans ' air quality to big oil companies and fossil fuel lobbyists during a public health emergency , '' Saeger said .
`` To restore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise standards for the air we breath by rejecting these irresponsible policies that reward the special interests the Trump administration used to work for . ''
Emily Davis , senior attorney in the Natural Resources Defense Council 's Climate & Clean Energy Program , also called on the next administration to forge a new path on pollution policy .
`` This is an egregious 11th-hour attempt to handcuff the incoming administration and undercut the benefits of clean air—in the worst days of a global health crisis , '' she said of the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to address racial injustice and a deadly pandemic magnified by pollution , which all heavily impact Black , Latino , and low-income people . ''
`` The Biden administration should deep-six this dishonest and dangerous rule—and allow EPA to re-embrace its core mission , which is to protect public health and our environment , '' Davis added .
`` We 'll use every tool , and look forward to working with the Biden team , to ensure that healthier future for all . ''

With President Donald Trump's first term soon coming to an end, the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a rule that critics are calling a last-minute attempt to "sabotage" future efforts by President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration to tackle the intertwined climate and pollution crises.
Capping off nearly four years of Trump and members of his administration working to roll back over 100 environmental and public health protections in the service of corporate polluters, the new rule changes how the EPA calculates the costs and benefits of new policies on air pollution under the Clean Air Act.
The new requirements, as the Washington Postreports, "instruct the agency to weigh all the economic costs of curbing an air pollutant but disregard many of the incidental benefits that arise, such as illnesses and deaths avoided by a potential regulation. In other words, if reducing emissions from power plants also saves tens of thousands of lives each year by cutting soot, those 'co-benefits' should be not be counted."
Former coal lobbyist and current EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the finalization during a virtual event with the Heritage Foundation, saying, "thanks to President Trump's leadership, we are ensuring that future rulemakings under the Clean Air Act are transparent, fair, and consistent with EPA governing statutes."
Environmental and public health advocates pushed back against Wheeler's framing, blasting the rule as not only yet another piece of the outgoing administration's deregulatory agenda but also a blatant attempt to hamstring Biden, who ran on a promise to deliver environmental and climate justice.
"For four years, this administration has waged war on public health by kowtowing to polluters," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said of Trump's first term. "Now, on the way out the door, this amounts to sabotaging the efforts of the incoming administration to protect Americans from dirty air."
"It will literally be a breath of fresh air to soon have a president and an EPA working each day to make Americans and the planet healthier and safe," he added of Biden's planned January 20 inauguration. "But Administrator Wheeler and President Trump are hellbent on making that job as difficult as possible."
The rule comes in the midst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, noted Chris Saeger, a spokesperson for Accountable.US. Early research has tied air pollution to a heightened risk of dying from Covid-19, which had killed over 288,700 people in the United States, according to John Hopkins University's global tracker.
"Donald Trump must be held accountable for selling out Americans' air quality to big oil companies and fossil fuel lobbyists during a public health emergency," Saeger said. "To restore our nation, the Biden administration must raise standards for the air we breath by rejecting these irresponsible policies that reward the special interests the Trump administration used to work for."
Emily Davis, senior attorney in the Natural Resources Defense Council's Climate & Clean Energy Program, also called on the next administration to forge a new path on pollution policy.
"This is an egregious 11th-hour attempt to handcuff the incoming administration and undercut the benefits of clean air—in the worst days of a global health crisis," she said of the new rule. "Our country is struggling to address racial injustice and a deadly pandemic magnified by pollution, which all heavily impact Black, Latino, and low-income people."
"The Biden administration should deep-six this dishonest and dangerous rule—and allow EPA to re-embrace its core mission, which is to protect public health and our environment," Davis added. "We'll use every tool, and look forward to working with the Biden team, to ensure that healthier future for all."


alternet--2020-12-10--A COVID-19 nightmare scenario is coming true

Dr. Deborah Birx , President Donald Trump 's coronavirus response coordinator , warned the American people that the upcoming December surge in COVID-19 cases will be the `` worst public health event '' that the country will ever face .
That might sound a bit melodramatic — but public health experts Salon spoke with agreed with her stark assessment .
During an appearance on NBC 's `` Meet the Press '' on Sunday , Birx addressed the fact that US hospitals are struggling to keep up with the influx of patients caused by the coronavirus pandemic and anticipated that things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is not just the worst public health event .
This is the worst event that this country will face , not just from a public health side , '' Birx told NBC .
She later added , `` This fall/winter surge is combining everything that we saw in the spring with everything we saw in the summer — plus the fall surge going into a winter surge .
I think that 's why Dr. Redfield made this absolute appeal to the American people . ''
This was in reference to a comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield , who said that the upcoming months will be `` the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation . ''
The experts who talked to Salon agreed with that analysis .
`` Certainly the 1918 influenza pandemic most closely approximates the current pandemic in its mortality , infectiousness , involvement of a broad swath of American society , and coordinated public health responses , '' Dr. Deborah Doroshow , an assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Medicine at Yale University , wrote to Salon .
`` In 1918 , germ theory was really taking hold among the American public ( although it had been accepted by scientists and physicians for several decades ) and similar arguments about masking and 'freedom ' were not uncommon . ''
She added that , although the 1918 influenza pandemic is the closest equivalent to the American experience with the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 , `` other public health events have proven devastating to particular groups of Americans . ''
These included the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that decimated the population of Native American and Alaska Natives , and the systemic public health issues that stem from racism .
Experts who spoke to Salon also emphasized that the public health crisis is not some distant future event ; it is already upon us .
`` Respiratory disease always get worse in the fall and winter , '' Benjamin wrote to Salon .
`` So this natural increase plus the lack of aggressive use of masks , social distancing and closures of large events will make this outbreak worse .
Influenza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse unless people get their flu shots . ''
Sommer explained that the surge in COVID-19 cases can also be attributed to people disregarding important public health guidelines .
`` We just came off Thanksgiving when far too many people travelled and congregated , spreading this highly infectious disease ; and Christmas is coming up , when even more people who are infectious will be congregating with family and friends and spreading it further , '' Sommer wrote to Salon .
Sommer emphasized the `` exponential '' spread pattern for infectious disease .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ COVID-19 ] ) produces [ four ] cases ; the next iteration is then 16 cases , then 32 , etc . ''
Sommer also noted that winter is helpful to the virus ' need to spread , as people are `` getting closer together indoors , '' while dry air `` helps to 'preserve ' the virus in the air and surfaces longer . ''
Sommer lamented that so many Americans shirk public health advice , such as mask-wearing and avoiding congregating in groups .
`` It is a great lesson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how bizarre our 'wild west ' mentality can go against everyone 's best interest , '' Sommer added .
`` We are seeing new and ominous records being set as the [ COVID-19 ] pandemic surges throughout the US , '' Dr. Russell Medford , chairman of the Center for Global Health Innovation and Global Health Crisis Coordination Center , wrote to Salon .
`` Over 100,000 Covid-19 patients are now hospitalized in the US with over 20,000 patients in the intensive care units for the first time since the pandemic began .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hospitalizations we saw in the springtime in the northeastern states and in the summer in the Sun Belt . ''
He added , `` Today , hospital systems throughout the US are facing critical shortages not just in beds and space but , due to the incessant demand since the beginning of the pandemic , in the availability of trained healthcare workers ( nurses , technicians , doctors ) to care for these patients .
Unfortunately , over the next eight to 12 weeks , we will likely see an intensification of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an overwhelmed hospital system to the health of the individual with COVID , or with any other serious medical condition requiring hospital care , are dire , '' he emphasized .

Dr. Deborah Birx, President Donald Trump's coronavirus response coordinator, warned the American people that the upcoming December surge in COVID-19 cases will be the "worst public health event" that the country will ever face.
That might sound a bit melodramatic — but public health experts Salon spoke with agreed with her stark assessment.
During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Birx addressed the fact that US hospitals are struggling to keep up with the influx of patients caused by the coronavirus pandemic and anticipated that things are going to get worse.
"This is not just the worst public health event. This is the worst event that this country will face, not just from a public health side," Birx told NBC. She later added, "This fall/winter surge is combining everything that we saw in the spring with everything we saw in the summer — plus the fall surge going into a winter surge. I think that's why Dr. Redfield made this absolute appeal to the American people." This was in reference to a comment last week by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield, who said that the upcoming months will be "the most difficult time in the public health history of this nation."
The experts who talked to Salon agreed with that analysis.
"Certainly the 1918 influenza pandemic most closely approximates the current pandemic in its mortality, infectiousness, involvement of a broad swath of American society, and coordinated public health responses," Dr. Deborah Doroshow, an assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and adjunct assistant professor of the history of Medicine at Yale University, wrote to Salon. "In 1918, germ theory was really taking hold among the American public (although it had been accepted by scientists and physicians for several decades) and similar arguments about masking and 'freedom' were not uncommon."
She added that, although the 1918 influenza pandemic is the closest equivalent to the American experience with the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, "other public health events have proven devastating to particular groups of Americans." These included the way that smallpox and other infectious diseases that decimated the population of Native American and Alaska Natives, and the systemic public health issues that stem from racism.
Experts who spoke to Salon also emphasized that the public health crisis is not some distant future event; it is already upon us.
"Respiratory disease always get worse in the fall and winter," Benjamin wrote to Salon. "So this natural increase plus the lack of aggressive use of masks, social distancing and closures of large events will make this outbreak worse. Influenza during this time will also make it worse unless people get their flu shots."
Sommer explained that the surge in COVID-19 cases can also be attributed to people disregarding important public health guidelines.
"We just came off Thanksgiving when far too many people travelled and congregated, spreading this highly infectious disease; and Christmas is coming up, when even more people who are infectious will be congregating with family and friends and spreading it further," Sommer wrote to Salon.
Sommer emphasized the "exponential" spread pattern for infectious disease. "[One] case (for [COVID-19]) produces [four] cases; the next iteration is then 16 cases, then 32, etc."
Sommer also noted that winter is helpful to the virus' need to spread, as people are "getting closer together indoors," while dry air "helps to 'preserve' the virus in the air and surfaces longer."
Sommer lamented that so many Americans shirk public health advice, such as mask-wearing and avoiding congregating in groups. "It is a great lesson to the rest of the world at how bizarre our 'wild west' mentality can go against everyone's best interest," Sommer added.
"We are seeing new and ominous records being set as the [COVID-19] pandemic surges throughout the US," Dr. Russell Medford, chairman of the Center for Global Health Innovation and Global Health Crisis Coordination Center, wrote to Salon. "Over 100,000 Covid-19 patients are now hospitalized in the US with over 20,000 patients in the intensive care units for the first time since the pandemic began. This is nearly double the record highs in hospitalizations we saw in the springtime in the northeastern states and in the summer in the Sun Belt."
He added, "Today, hospital systems throughout the US are facing critical shortages not just in beds and space but, due to the incessant demand since the beginning of the pandemic, in the availability of trained healthcare workers (nurses, technicians, doctors) to care for these patients. Unfortunately, over the next eight to 12 weeks, we will likely see an intensification of these trends."
"The consequences of an overwhelmed hospital system to the health of the individual with COVID, or with any other serious medical condition requiring hospital care, are dire," he emphasized.


alternet--2020-12-09--The pandemic is overwhelming hospitals across the country: 'Absolutely scary'

Public health officials say there is evidence that healthcare workers are beginning to ration care for Covid-19 patients—and at least one state governor is expected to announce that care-rationing must begin to save the lives of those most likely to survive the disease—as intensive care unit beds across the country approach capacity .
The New York Times reported Wednesday that more than a third of Americans are living in areas where hospitals are running critically short on ICU beds , while one in 10 people are served by medical centers where fewer than 5 % of beds are currently available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ map , in places including Lake Havasu City , Arizona and Ogden , Utah , zero ICU beds are available .
The news comes as the Department of Health and Human Services , for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic that began in March , published detailed geographic data about Covid-10 hospitalizations .
Public health experts have for months called on the federal government to release such information , to better help officials understand where the pandemic has hit the hardest .
Last week , the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to allow hospitals to begin rationing care based on which patients have the greatest chance of survival if they receive treatment .
The Times reported that in Albuquerque , New Mexico , 116 % of ICU beds are now occupied , with healthcare workers using 32 extra hospital beds to treat severely ill Covid-19 patients .
March for Our Lives activist Yas Mendoza tweeted Tuesday that her city of Fresno , California is facing similar statistics , noting that patients who need intensive care for non-coronavirus emergencies are increasingly unable to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Jason Mitchell , chief medical officer of one of the state 's largest hospital systems called on residents to help healthcare workers avoid having to make gut-wrenching decisions about who should receive care .
`` This is an incredibly concerning time for our entire community , and especially for our clinicians and staff , '' Mitchell said Saturday .
`` We will care for our patients as safely and effectively as possible .
We urge our fellow New Mexicans to prevent further spread of Covid-19 by limiting gatherings , practicing social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible . ''
Dr. Thomas Tsai , an assistant professor of health policy at Harvard University , told the Times that there 's been evidence of other hospitals rationing care in recent weeks , by making decisions about which Covid-19 patients can be hospitalized .
The rate of overall hospitalizations has decreased over the past several weeks as ICUs have approached capacity .
`` That suggests that there 's some rationing and stricter triage criteria about who gets admitted as hospitals remain full , '' Tsai told the Times .
Meanwhile , public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Thanksgiving gatherings and travel—is likely to emerge in the coming days .
Traffic on Thanksgiving Day was down only 5 % from 2019 , indicating that many families gathered in enclosed spaces and have since been out in their communities .
On social media , Dr. Abraar Karan of Brigham and Women 's Hospital in Boston implored the public to continue following public health protocols and avoid enclosed gathering spaces like restaurants—even though they are allowed to be open in many states .
`` Is this recommendation I am making fair to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` What 's actually most unfair to them is that they are forced to remain open and send workers in high-risk settings because they are n't receiving enough [ financial ] protections in a runaway pandemic . ''

Public health officials say there is evidence that healthcare workers are beginning to ration care for Covid-19 patients—and at least one state governor is expected to announce that care-rationing must begin to save the lives of those most likely to survive the disease—as intensive care unit beds across the country approach capacity.
The New York Timesreported Wednesday that more than a third of Americans are living in areas where hospitals are running critically short on ICU beds, while one in 10 people are served by medical centers where fewer than 5% of beds are currently available.
According to the outlet's interactive map, in places including Lake Havasu City, Arizona and Ogden, Utah, zero ICU beds are available.
The news comes as the Department of Health and Human Services, for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic that began in March, published detailed geographic data about Covid-10 hospitalizations.
Public health experts have for months called on the federal government to release such information, to better help officials understand where the pandemic has hit the hardest.
Last week, the Santa Fe New Mexicanreported that Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is expected to allow hospitals to begin rationing care based on which patients have the greatest chance of survival if they receive treatment. The Times reported that in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 116% of ICU beds are now occupied, with healthcare workers using 32 extra hospital beds to treat severely ill Covid-19 patients.
March for Our Lives activist Yas Mendoza tweeted Tuesday that her city of Fresno, California is facing similar statistics, noting that patients who need intensive care for non-coronavirus emergencies are increasingly unable to use ICU beds.
In New Mexico, Dr. Jason Mitchell, chief medical officer of one of the state's largest hospital systems called on residents to help healthcare workers avoid having to make gut-wrenching decisions about who should receive care.
"This is an incredibly concerning time for our entire community, and especially for our clinicians and staff," Mitchell said Saturday. "We will care for our patients as safely and effectively as possible. We urge our fellow New Mexicans to prevent further spread of Covid-19 by limiting gatherings, practicing social distancing, masking up and staying home whenever possible."
Dr. Thomas Tsai, an assistant professor of health policy at Harvard University, told the Times that there's been evidence of other hospitals rationing care in recent weeks, by making decisions about which Covid-19 patients can be hospitalized. The rate of overall hospitalizations has decreased over the past several weeks as ICUs have approached capacity.
"That suggests that there's some rationing and stricter triage criteria about who gets admitted as hospitals remain full," Tsai told the Times.
Meanwhile, public health officials say a surge in infections—linked to Thanksgiving gatherings and travel—is likely to emerge in the coming days. Traffic on Thanksgiving Day was down only 5% from 2019, indicating that many families gathered in enclosed spaces and have since been out in their communities.
On social media, Dr. Abraar Karan of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston implored the public to continue following public health protocols and avoid enclosed gathering spaces like restaurants—even though they are allowed to be open in many states.
"Is this recommendation I am making fair to restaurants and staff?" he wrote. "What's actually most unfair to them is that they are forced to remain open and send workers in high-risk settings because they aren't receiving enough [financial] protections in a runaway pandemic."