alternet--2020-12-30--New executive order denounced as a 'last-ditch effort' in the war on public education

Public education champions are denouncing President Donald Trump 's new executive order that enables states to use funds from a federal block grant program to provide vouchers to qualifying households to offset some of the costs of private school tuition , homeschooling , or other educational expenses during the coronavirus pandemic , even as critics say the move is more of a symbolic endorsement of school privatization than a serious attempt to subsidize in-person learning .
Trump 's executive order , which he signed on Monday , empowers the secretary of health and human services to `` allow funds available @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be used by grantees and eligible entities to provide emergency learning scholarships to disadvantaged families for use by any child without access to in-person learning . ''
As Politico reported Monday night , Trump 's move comes after school choice provisions sought by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republican lawmakers were excluded from the coronavirus relief bill the president signed on Sunday .
The White House spun the executive order as an attempt to provide more flexibility to parents amid what Trump called `` the public education system 's failure to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mention , however , that his administration has failed to create the conditions for a safe reopening of public schools .
Rather than attacking public schools while pushing for privatized alternatives—as critics say the Trump administration has done—President-elect Joe Biden `` has vowed to reopen most schools in the first 100 days of his administration by providing more funding for school districts to implement coronavirus safety measures , such as better ventilation and more socially distanced classrooms , '' Politico reported .
`` His team is also weighing a multibillion dollar plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff at least once a week . ''
In a blog post Tuesday , education scholar and public schools advocate Diane Ravitch cautioned that Trump 's executive order reeks of elites using a crisis to advance an unpopular right-wing agenda , a phenomenon that journalist Naomi Klein has dubbed `` disaster capitalism . ''
Trump 's executive order declares that `` the emergency conditions created by Covid-19 make it vital to use federal funds for vouchers , '' Ravitch wrote , adding that DeVos `` will use her last days in office to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vouchers for private and religious schools . ''
Education Week reporter Andrew Ujifusa , however , said Monday that he would `` pump the brakes before assuming this executive order delivers a major ( or any ) K-12 choice boost . ''
As Ujifusa put it , `` The Trump administration tried but failed to get a school choice expansion into the Covid relief package . ''
Noting that he is unsure whether `` Trump can do this through an executive order '' because the Community Services Block Grant program `` does n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ujifusa called the president 's move a `` last-ditch gesture . ''
Ujifusa 's assessment of Trump 's executive order , which the reporter considers largely toothless , was shared by Derek Black , an education and constitutional law professor at the University of South Carolina .
Black , who specializes in educational equity and school funding for disadvantaged students , said Monday that Trump 's effort to divert `` block grant money for private school vouchers '' is an `` apparent last-ditch effort to claim victory in DeVos ' war on public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's executive order was Randi Weingarten , president of the American Federation of Teachers ( AFT ) , who observed Monday that the measure is `` only for private schools . ''
Pointing out that `` 90 % of parents send their kids to public schools , '' Weingarten posed a series of critical questions : `` Why does the Republican Party only want to help parents who send kids to private schools ?
Why not help with this kind of community grant for all parents ?
Why not open up more funding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when federal funds in the Community Services Block Grant program , which has an annual budget of roughly $ 700 million , were aimed at combating poverty , Trump was opposed to assisting low-income Americans , opting instead for massive cuts to discretionary spending .
Now , less than a month before leaving office , the president wants to use public money `` to help kids get to private school , '' Weingarten said .
`` Why not just help any poor kids use [ subsidies ] for connectivity [ and ] for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that federal block grants could be used to supplement the funding allocated to public schools in the coronavirus aid package .
`` Trump fought against funding for public education for months , then does this as he begrudgingly signs [ the ] Covid relief bill , '' Weingarten concluded .
Calling Trump 's move the `` last gasp [ of the ] privatization agenda '' pushed by the president and DeVos , Leonie Haimson—executive director of Class Size Matters and board member of the Network for Public Education—said Tuesday that the executive order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month by Biden .

Public education champions are denouncing President Donald Trump's new executive order that enables states to use funds from a federal block grant program to provide vouchers to qualifying households to offset some of the costs of private school tuition, homeschooling, or other educational expenses during the coronavirus pandemic, even as critics say the move is more of a symbolic endorsement of school privatization than a serious attempt to subsidize in-person learning.
Trump's executive order, which he signed on Monday, empowers the secretary of health and human services to "allow funds available through the Community Services Block Grant program to be used by grantees and eligible entities to provide emergency learning scholarships to disadvantaged families for use by any child without access to in-person learning."
As Politicoreported Monday night, Trump's move comes after school choice provisions sought by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republican lawmakers were excluded from the coronavirus relief bill the president signed on Sunday.
The White House spun the executive order as an attempt to provide more flexibility to parents amid what Trump called "the public education system's failure to provide in-person learning options." Trump neglected to mention, however, that his administration has failed to create the conditions for a safe reopening of public schools.
Rather than attacking public schools while pushing for privatized alternatives—as critics say the Trump administration has done—President-elect Joe Biden "has vowed to reopen most schools in the first 100 days of his administration by providing more funding for school districts to implement coronavirus safety measures, such as better ventilation and more socially distanced classrooms," Politico reported. "His team is also weighing a multibillion dollar plan to test students, teachers, and staff at least once a week."
In a blog post Tuesday, education scholar and public schools advocate Diane Ravitch cautioned that Trump's executive order reeks of elites using a crisis to advance an unpopular right-wing agenda, a phenomenon that journalist Naomi Klein has dubbed "disaster capitalism."
Trump's executive order declares that "the emergency conditions created by Covid-19 make it vital to use federal funds for vouchers," Ravitch wrote, adding that DeVos "will use her last days in office to throw money out the door to fund vouchers for private and religious schools."
Education Week reporter Andrew Ujifusa, however, said Monday that he would "pump the brakes before assuming this executive order delivers a major (or any) K-12 choice boost." As Ujifusa put it, "The Trump administration tried but failed to get a school choice expansion into the Covid relief package."
Noting that he is unsure whether "Trump can do this through an executive order" because the Community Services Block Grant program "doesn't provide direct grants to individuals," Ujifusa called the president's move a "last-ditch gesture."
Ujifusa's assessment of Trump's executive order, which the reporter considers largely toothless, was shared by Derek Black, an education and constitutional law professor at the University of South Carolina.
Black, who specializes in educational equity and school funding for disadvantaged students, said Monday that Trump's effort to divert "block grant money for private school vouchers" is an "apparent last-ditch effort to claim victory in DeVos' war on public education."
Another critic of Trump's executive order was Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), who observed Monday that the measure is "only for private schools." Pointing out that "90% of parents send their kids to public schools," Weingarten posed a series of critical questions: "Why does the Republican Party only want to help parents who send kids to private schools? Why not help with this kind of community grant for all parents? Why not open up more funding for them?"
Weingarten noted that when federal funds in the Community Services Block Grant program, which has an annual budget of roughly $700 million, were aimed at combating poverty, Trump was opposed to assisting low-income Americans, opting instead for massive cuts to discretionary spending.
Now, less than a month before leaving office, the president wants to use public money "to help kids get to private school," Weingarten said. "Why not just help any poor kids use [subsidies] for connectivity [and] for tutoring?" she asked, suggesting that federal block grants could be used to supplement the funding allocated to public schools in the coronavirus aid package.
"Trump fought against funding for public education for months, then does this as he begrudgingly signs [the] Covid relief bill," Weingarten concluded.
Calling Trump's move the "last gasp [of the] privatization agenda" pushed by the president and DeVos, Leonie Haimson—executive director of Class Size Matters and board member of the Network for Public Education—said Tuesday that the executive order "could be immediately reversed" next month by Biden.


alternet--2020-12-30--The child king spends his final days throwing an extra ton of trauma-inducing tantrums

And it came upon a midnight clear during this holiday season that after weeks and months alternating between negotiation and inertia , Congress finally reached agreement with the White House and passed a new $ 908 billion relief bill that provided a stimulus payment of $ 600 to each qualified citizen .
Or so they thought .
For lo , there rose a star in the East , albeit something more akin to a black hole sucking all the energy from the universe around it .
Ah , good evening , Mr. President .
I see you 've brought your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night when all of a sudden , Donald Trump declared that he might not sign the bill .
This after he was nowhere to be seen during the actual negotiations , leaving them in the hands of his obeisant treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin , while he , Trump , concentrated on his crazed pursuit of election vindication—vainly hoping time and again to overturn the legitimate , certified results .
In a videotaped message , a four-minute rant , Trump announced that he was opposed to the $ 600 payment and wanted Americans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right about that , $ 600 is puny recompense indeed for the tragedy of COVID and the economic devastation it has caused .
But of course , he 's the one who caused so much of our misery in the first place .
One in every thousand Americans now has succumbed to the virus .
In Los Angeles County , the current epicenter of our plague , the disease takes the life of someone every ten minutes .
And the Associated Press recently reported that 2020 will go down as the deadliest year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus but also increased deaths ( many COVID-related ) from heart and circulatory disease , diabetes , dementia , vehicle accidents and drug overdoses .
Last week , `` the CDC reported more than 81,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ending in May , making it the highest number ever recorded in a one-year period .
We have spent the last ten months dealing with the fatal consequences of this pandemic , both direct and indirect , biological and financial .
And while the arrival of at least two effective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this entire year , `` that triumph of scientific ingenuity and bureaucratic efficiency does not conceal the difficult truth , '' a crack team of Washington Post reporters write , `` that the virus has caused proportionately more infections and deaths in the United States than in most other developed nations — a result , experts say , of a dysfunctional federal response led by a president perpetually in denial . ''
So yes , a $ 2000 payment to Americans would , at the very least , be a little over three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is n't why Trump demanded it .
He was trying to burnish his populist image and keep the base happy while simultaneously creating some more of the dreadful chaos in which he flourishes .
The result of Trump 's latest impulse ?
A delay in a bit of relief for hundreds of millions of Americans , more pain , more sacrifice , more loss .
And eventually , he wound up signing the bill anyway .
( As I write , the House has voted in a separate resolution to make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is out on whether the GOP Senate will go along -- on Tuesday , Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked one attempt , there will be others . )
As we 've come to learn and loathe this last four years , during any given week , something like Trump 's truculence on the stimulus bill sadly seems business as usual .
But as his days in office dwindle down to a precious few , he spends even more time off his rocker than on it .
In addition to his endless tweeting and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his veto of the defense authorization bill ( which Congress is in the process of overriding ) , the ongoing pardons of cronies and villains while stepping up executions at Federal prisons , interfering with the presidential transition and his encouragement of right-wing protests in Washington next week ( on the day Vice President Pence is to officially announce Biden as the next president ) —while so far ignoring the Christmas Day suicide bombing in Nashville that tore apart large portions of a city block .
And all the while , he enjoys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as his vice president skis in Colorado and Steve Mnuchin whiles away the hours at his Mexican vacation home .
A pretty picture as poverty , sickness and death continue to ravage the nation to which they swore an oath .
Thank heaven , this soon will be at an end .
Good riddance to bad rubbish , as my mother used to say .
Donald Trump has betrayed the United States and the rule of law .
He is a thug , a crumb and a louse , aided and abetted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the populace who for whatever twisted reason find his hate and penchant for mayhem appealing .
Pray for peace and reconciliation but do not forget .
At The Irish Times , the great Fintan O'Toole warns , `` Stripped of direct power , [ Trump ] will face enormous legal and financial jeopardy .
He will have every reason to keep drawing on his greatest asset : his ability to unleash the demons that have always haunted the American experiment—racism , nativism , fear of 'the government . '
`` Trump has unfinished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destroy still stands . ''
Donald John Trump is guilty of what Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro described a couple of weeks ago as `` seditious abuse . ''
Shapiro was talking about that bizarre Texas lawsuit that attempted to overthrow election results in four other states so that Trump could declare victory in the 2020 election , but the charge could be applied to virtually every action on every day he has held office .
What do you call Biden 's inauguration ?
A good start but just a start , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to restore and make stronger what may be what Abraham Lincoln called `` the last best hope '' we have .
Happy New Year .
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow for Common Dreams .
Previously , he was the Emmy Award-winning senior writer for Moyers & Company and BillMoyers.com , a past senior writing fellow at the policy and advocacy group Demos , and former president of the Writers Guild of America East .
Follow him on Twitter : @ MichaelWinship

And it came upon a midnight clear during this holiday season that after weeks and months alternating between negotiation and inertia, Congress finally reached agreement with the White House and passed a new $908 billion relief bill that provided a stimulus payment of $600 to each qualified citizen.
Or so they thought. For lo, there rose a star in the East, albeit something more akin to a black hole sucking all the energy from the universe around it. Ah, good evening, Mr. President. I see you've brought your monkey wrench.
It was last Tuesday night when all of a sudden, Donald Trump declared that he might not sign the bill. This after he was nowhere to be seen during the actual negotiations, leaving them in the hands of his obeisant treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, while he, Trump, concentrated on his crazed pursuit of election vindication—vainly hoping time and again to overturn the legitimate, certified results.
In a videotaped message, a four-minute rant, Trump announced that he was opposed to the $600 payment and wanted Americans to receive more—$2000. He's right about that, $600 is puny recompense indeed for the tragedy of COVID and the economic devastation it has caused. But of course, he's the one who caused so much of our misery in the first place.
One in every thousand Americans now has succumbed to the virus. In Los Angeles County, the current epicenter of our plague, the disease takes the life of someone every ten minutes. And the Associated Press recently reported that 2020 will go down as the deadliest year in United States history—not only because of the coronavirus but also increased deaths (many COVID-related) from heart and circulatory disease, diabetes, dementia, vehicle accidents and drug overdoses.
Last week, "the CDC reported more than 81,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12 months ending in May, making it the highest number ever recorded in a one-year period.
Experts think the pandemic's disruption to in-person treatment and recovery services may have been a factor. People also are more likely to be taking drugs alone — without the benefit of a friend or family member who can call 911 or administer overdose-reversing medication.
But perhaps a bigger factor are the drugs themselves: COVID-19 caused supply problems for dealers, so they are increasingly mixing cheap and deadly fentanyl into heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, experts said.
We have spent the last ten months dealing with the fatal consequences of this pandemic, both direct and indirect, biological and financial. And while the arrival of at least two effective vaccines is the second best news of this entire year, "that triumph of scientific ingenuity and bureaucratic efficiency does not conceal the difficult truth," a crack team of Washington Post reporters write, "that the virus has caused proportionately more infections and deaths in the United States than in most other developed nations — a result, experts say, of a dysfunctional federal response led by a president perpetually in denial."
In a major investigative report, they note:
The catastrophe began with Trump's initial refusal to take seriously the threat of a once-in-a-century pandemic. But, as officials detailed, it has been compounded over time by a host of damaging presidential traits—his skepticism of science, impatience with health restrictions, prioritization of personal politics over public safety, undisciplined communications, chaotic management style, indulgence of conspiracies, proclivity toward magical thinking, allowance of turf wars and flagrant disregard for the well-being of those around him.
So yes, a $2000 payment to Americans would, at the very least, be a little over three times better than $600. But that isn't why Trump demanded it. He was trying to burnish his populist image and keep the base happy while simultaneously creating some more of the dreadful chaos in which he flourishes. The result of Trump's latest impulse? A delay in a bit of relief for hundreds of millions of Americans, more pain, more sacrifice, more loss. And eventually, he wound up signing the bill anyway. (As I write, the House has voted in a separate resolution to make the increase to $2000, but word is out on whether the GOP Senate will go along -- on Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked one attempt, there will be others.)
As we've come to learn and loathe this last four years, during any given week, something like Trump's truculence on the stimulus bill sadly seems business as usual. But as his days in office dwindle down to a precious few, he spends even more time off his rocker than on it.
In addition to his endless tweeting and plotting about overthrowing the election, add his veto of the defense authorization bill (which Congress is in the process of overriding), the ongoing pardons of cronies and villains while stepping up executions at Federal prisons, interfering with the presidential transition and his encouragement of right-wing protests in Washington next week (on the day Vice President Pence is to officially announce Biden as the next president)—while so far ignoring the Christmas Day suicide bombing in Nashville that tore apart large portions of a city block.
And all the while, he enjoys the holidays on his Florida golf course as his vice president skis in Colorado and Steve Mnuchin whiles away the hours at his Mexican vacation home. A pretty picture as poverty, sickness and death continue to ravage the nation to which they swore an oath.
Thank heaven, this soon will be at an end. Good riddance to bad rubbish, as my mother used to say. Donald Trump has betrayed the United States and the rule of law. He is a thug, a crumb and a louse, aided and abetted by a party and a significant segment of the populace who for whatever twisted reason find his hate and penchant for mayhem appealing. Pray for peace and reconciliation but do not forget.
At The Irish Times, the great Fintan O'Toole warns, "Stripped of direct power, [Trump] will face enormous legal and financial jeopardy. He will have every reason to keep drawing on his greatest asset: his ability to unleash the demons that have always haunted the American experiment—racism, nativism, fear of 'the government.'
"Trump has unfinished business. A republic he wants to destroy still stands."
Donald John Trump is guilty of what Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro described a couple of weeks ago as "seditious abuse." Shapiro was talking about that bizarre Texas lawsuit that attempted to overthrow election results in four other states so that Trump could declare victory in the 2020 election, but the charge could be applied to virtually every action on every day he has held office.
What do you call Biden's inauguration? A good start but just a start, the beginning of a long hard road back to restore and make stronger what may be what Abraham Lincoln called "the last best hope" we have. Happy New Year.
Michael Winship is the Schumann Senior Writing Fellow for Common Dreams. Previously, he was the Emmy Award-winning senior writer for Moyers & Company and BillMoyers.com, a past senior writing fellow at the policy and advocacy group Demos, and former president of the Writers Guild of America East. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelWinship


alternet--2020-12-29--Trump was so upset with Melania's renovations at Mar-a-Lago that he demanded they be removed: report

According to a source speaking to CNN , President Trump was upset with renovations at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida -- many of which were overseen by his wife , Melania .
`` He was not happy with it , '' the source said , adding that the renovations did n't appeal to the aesthetic that Trump prefers .
Trump was reportedly so upset with the additions , which consisted of white marble and an abundance of dark wood , that he demanded they be removed immediately -- which they were .
According to CNN , Trump 's displeasure with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ larger souring of his mood over developments coinciding with the waning days of his presidency .
`` If the kick-off to his last Florida sojourn as President was rough , the days that followed would be much of the same , with Trump appearing 'moody , ' according to the source at the club , spending more time than usual behind closed doors and not mingling and conversing as much as he normally does with club members and senior White House staff , many of whom have in the last few years joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Read the full report over at CNN.com .

According to a source speaking to CNN, President Trump was upset with renovations at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida -- many of which were overseen by his wife, Melania.
"He was not happy with it," the source said, adding that the renovations didn't appeal to the aesthetic that Trump prefers. Trump was reportedly so upset with the additions, which consisted of white marble and an abundance of dark wood, that he demanded they be removed immediately -- which they were.
According to CNN, Trump's displeasure with the renovations may be due to a larger souring of his mood over developments coinciding with the waning days of his presidency.
"If the kick-off to his last Florida sojourn as President was rough, the days that followed would be much of the same, with Trump appearing 'moody,' according to the source at the club, spending more time than usual behind closed doors and not mingling and conversing as much as he normally does with club members and senior White House staff, many of whom have in the last few years joined him there," CNN reports.
Read the full report over at CNN.com.


alternet--2020-12-29--Trump is summoning supporters for a 'wild' time on the day the electoral vote will be finalized

On Jan. 6 , Mike Pence is scheduled to sit down in front of the Senate in his role as president of that body .
Pence will open up the box of votes .
Then Joe Biden officially wins .
It 's an absolutely ceremonial role , defined under the Twelfth Amendment in these terms : Despite the lawsuit filed by … sigh … Louie Gohmert , there is absolutely nothing in this amendment to suggest that Pence has a choice about opening that box , or any agency in determining what states get counted .
The Electoral Count Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact .
Meanwhile , outside the doors of the Senate , Donald Trump has declared that the Wild Rumpus must begin !
And really , there is no doubt that he is king of the monsters .
What 's concerning is that Trump has spent weeks urging his supporters to come to Washington on that date for a protest that he insists will be `` wild '' and is definitely yet another swing at defeating democracy .
It 's recently become clear that some people who have had COVID-19 emerge from the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to blame Trump 's actions on the virus .
He was always this way .
As Rachael Maddow notes at MSNBC , Trump has n't made it clear exactly what he expects when he gathers together every white supremacist Proud Boy , every Hawaiian shirt wearing Boogalooer , and every other variety of neo-Nazi in one place .
But Washington insiders are worried that Trump is leaning into the suggestion by disgraced former general Michael Flynn that he dust off the Insurrection Act , declare a national emergency , and order up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't like get it right .
As CNN reported back on Dec. 20 , even Trump 's own staff is worried that he 's taking Flynn 's nonsensical suggestion too seriously .
And as the last of the equally ridiculous lawsuits and challenges in state and federal courts fizzle out , getting Pence to simply not count the votes seems like the only move left in the Subverting Democracy Handbook .
After all , nothing says peaceful transition like an outgoing executive encouraging armed insurrectionists to mass around the capitol for a `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump '' website ( deliberately not linked ) is calling for a cross-country bus trip that touches such sacred spots as the Alamo and Trump 's wall .
They 'll also be driving across Georgia .
But even though they have their bus route planned out and press conferences scheduled along the way , the main event in Washington , D.C. remains to be described .
The best the site can give is `` details coming soon . ''
That may be in part because the group behind the protest still does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group `` Women for America First '' had originally scheduled their members to interfere with Biden 's inauguration before amending their request based on Trump 's out-of-the-blue tweet about the wild protest on Jan. 6 .
It 's unclear just how many people will show up for Trump 's latest gig .
An attempt to gather the faithful on Nov. 14 brought only about 10,000 people to town—making Kayleigh McEnany an even bigger liar than Sean Spicer .
It 's quite possible that the only thing wild about this event is how wildly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seem as if there are still people who care enough to come when Trump calls .
On the other hand , if Pence is only looking for an excuse , a single busload of Trump supporters will probably serve as well as thousands .
With no information about what Trump has planned for Jan. 6 , it 's hard to see where on the scale of `` Hamberders for all ! ''
to `` Burn it down !
Burn it all down ! ''
this event can be expected to fall .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump intends this event to threaten the completion of the election process , and that it 's not too late for those attending to work on their costumes

On Jan. 6, Mike Pence is scheduled to sit down in front of the Senate in his role as president of that body. Pence will open up the box of votes. Then Joe Biden officially wins. It's an absolutely ceremonial role, defined under the Twelfth Amendment in these terms:
The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;-The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President.
Despite the lawsuit filed by … sigh … Louie Gohmert, there is absolutely nothing in this amendment to suggest that Pence has a choice about opening that box, or any agency in determining what states get counted. The Electoral Count Act of 1887 only serves to underline this fact. Meanwhile, outside the doors of the Senate, Donald Trump has declared that the Wild Rumpus must begin! And really, there is no doubt that he is king of the monsters. What's concerning is that Trump has spent weeks urging his supporters to come to Washington on that date for a protest that he insists will be "wild" and is definitely yet another swing at defeating democracy.
It's recently become clear that some people who have had COVID-19 emerge from the disease with severe psychosis. But it's hard to blame Trump's actions on the virus. He was always this way.
As Rachael Maddow notes at MSNBC, Trump hasn't made it clear exactly what he expects when he gathers together every white supremacist Proud Boy, every Hawaiian shirt wearing Boogalooer, and every other variety of neo-Nazi in one place. But Washington insiders are worried that Trump is leaning into the suggestion by disgraced former general Michael Flynn that he dust off the Insurrection Act, declare a national emergency, and order up a revote until the states he doesn't like get it right.
As CNN reported back on Dec. 20, even Trump's own staff is worried that he's taking Flynn's nonsensical suggestion too seriously. And as the last of the equally ridiculous lawsuits and challenges in state and federal courts fizzle out, getting Pence to simply not count the votes seems like the only move left in the Subverting Democracy Handbook. After all, nothing says peaceful transition like an outgoing executive encouraging armed insurrectionists to mass around the capitol for a "wild" time.
The "March for Trump" website (deliberately not linked) is calling for a cross-country bus trip that touches such sacred spots as the Alamo and Trump's wall. They'll also be driving across Georgia. But even though they have their bus route planned out and press conferences scheduled along the way, the main event in Washington, D.C. remains to be described. The best the site can give is "details coming soon." That may be in part because the group behind the protest still doesn't have an approved permit. The group "Women for America First" had originally scheduled their members to interfere with Biden's inauguration before amending their request based on Trump's out-of-the-blue tweet about the wild protest on Jan. 6.
It's unclear just how many people will show up for Trump's latest gig. An attempt to gather the faithful on Nov. 14 brought only about 10,000 people to town—making Kayleigh McEnany an even bigger liar than Sean Spicer. It's quite possible that the only thing wild about this event is how wildly McEnany has to lie to make it seem as if there are still people who care enough to come when Trump calls. On the other hand, if Pence is only looking for an excuse, a single busload of Trump supporters will probably serve as well as thousands.
With no information about what Trump has planned for Jan. 6, it's hard to see where on the scale of "Hamberders for all!" to "Burn it down! Burn it all down!" this event can be expected to fall. All that can be said for sure is that Trump intends this event to threaten the completion of the election process, and that it's not too late for those attending to work on their costumes
.


alternet--2020-12-29--Federal judge halts voter purges in Georgia ahead of Senate Runoffs

Officials in two rural counties in Georgia late Monday were ordered by a U.S. district judge to stop invalidating voter registrations due to so-called `` unreliable '' change of address information , a ruling that could protect more than 4,000 Georgia residents from voter suppression .
After two Georgia residents challenged the voter registrations of people in Muscogee County , which President-elect Joe Biden won by a wide margin in November 's election , and Ben Hill County , which was won by President Trump , Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner ruled ( pdf ) that the counties are `` enjoined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of two U.S. Senate runoff elections scheduled for January 5 .
Earlier this month , the election boards in Muscogee and Ben Hill Counties voted 3-1 and 2-1 , respectively , to remove voters from registration lists despite little concrete evidence that the voters had moved out of state .
In Muscogee County , a voter named Ralph Russell alleged that publicly accessible voter registration lists and U.S .
Postal Service change-of-address records showed that about 4,000 voters had moved away and should be purged from voter rolls .
Russell did not attend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and presented no additional evidence of his claim , yet the board ruled that voters he had raised concerns about would have to vote via provisional ballots and provide additional evidence of residency at polling places .
Fitzgerald , Georgia City Council member Tommy Roberts presented a challenge of about 150 voters ' names in Ben Hill County , also relying on the post office 's change-of-address data , which he said included names on the county 's voter list .
Against the advice of the county attorney , the board supported Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Voter Registration Act of 1993 ( NVRA ) by initiating the voter purges , wrote Gardner , who sits on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia , siding with the national group Majority Forward .
The group is led by Democratic Party attorney Marc Elias .
`` It does not appear that the Boards received written confirmation from the Targeted Voters that they had changed their addresses , '' wrote Gardner .
`` Section8 ( d ) ( 1 ) ( A ) of the NVRA clearly states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'State shall not remove the name of a registrant from the official list of eligible voters in elections for Federal office on the ground that the registrant has changed residence unless the registrant ... confirms in writing that the registrant has changed residence to a place outside the registrar 's jurisdiction in which the registrant is registered . '
'' The judge also noted that the changes the boards were making to voter rolls were being made within 90 days of a federal election , another violation of the law .
Elias said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that his organization would `` continue to monitor how other Georgia counties respond to the suppression scheme . ''
`` Where necessary , we will sue and we will win , '' he said .
Earlier on Monday , the Muscogee board filed a motion demanding that Gardner recuse herself from the case on the grounds that she is the sister of Stacey Abrams , the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate whose organization , Fair Fight , was credited with helping to ensure that more than 800,000 new voters in the state were registered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's call suggested election officials were concerned the judge may be biased towards ensuring Georgians have the right to vote due to her relation to Abrams , some on social media noted .
`` Really saying the quiet parts out loud there , '' wrote one observer .

Officials in two rural counties in Georgia late Monday were ordered by a U.S. district judge to stop invalidating voter registrations due to so-called "unreliable" change of address information, a ruling that could protect more than 4,000 Georgia residents from voter suppression.
After two Georgia residents challenged the voter registrations of people in Muscogee County, which President-elect Joe Biden won by a wide margin in November's election, and Ben Hill County, which was won by President Trump, Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner ruled (pdf) that the counties are "enjoined from removing any challenged voters" ahead of two U.S. Senate runoff elections scheduled for January 5.
Earlier this month, the election boards in Muscogee and Ben Hill Counties voted 3-1 and 2-1, respectively, to remove voters from registration lists despite little concrete evidence that the voters had moved out of state.
In Muscogee County, a voter named Ralph Russell alleged that publicly accessible voter registration lists and U.S. Postal Service change-of-address records showed that about 4,000 voters had moved away and should be purged from voter rolls.
Russell did not attend the board's meeting on December 16 and presented no additional evidence of his claim, yet the board ruled that voters he had raised concerns about would have to vote via provisional ballots and provide additional evidence of residency at polling places.
Fitzgerald, Georgia City Council member Tommy Roberts presented a challenge of about 150 voters' names in Ben Hill County, also relying on the post office's change-of-address data, which he said included names on the county's voter list.
Against the advice of the county attorney, the board supported Roberts' effort.
Both boards violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by initiating the voter purges, wrote Gardner, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, siding with the national group Majority Forward. The group is led by Democratic Party attorney Marc Elias.
"It does not appear that the Boards received written confirmation from the Targeted Voters that they had changed their addresses," wrote Gardner. "Section8(d)(1)(A) of the NVRA clearly states, in relevant part, that a 'State shall not remove the name of a registrant from the official list of eligible voters in elections for Federal office on the ground that the registrant has changed residence unless the registrant...confirms in writing that the registrant has changed residence to a place outside the registrar's jurisdiction in which the registrant is registered.'"
The judge also noted that the changes the boards were making to voter rolls were being made within 90 days of a federal election, another violation of the law.
Elias said after Gardner's ruling was handed down that his organization would "continue to monitor how other Georgia counties respond to the suppression scheme."
"Where necessary, we will sue and we will win," he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Muscogee board filed a motion demanding that Gardner recuse herself from the case on the grounds that she is the sister of Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate whose organization, Fair Fight, was credited with helping to ensure that more than 800,000 new voters in the state were registered for the November elections.
The board's call suggested election officials were concerned the judge may be biased towards ensuring Georgians have the right to vote due to her relation to Abrams, some on social media noted.
"Really saying the quiet parts out loud there," wrote one observer.


alternet--2020-12-29--Democratic Party leadership is already expressing worries about AOC challenging Sen. Schumer for his

Democratic Party leadership is already expressing worries about AOC challenging Sen. Schumer for his seat

With more than a year to go until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer faces a potential primary challenge for the seat he 's held for nearly two decades in New York , the state 's Democratic leadership is already expressing concern that progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run against Schumer .
In an interview with the New York Post , state Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs said Saturday that a challenge by Ocasio-Cortez would be driven more by the congresswoman 's `` ambition '' than a need for new representation for New York in the U.S. Senate .
`` She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supports her , and they 're in her community , and I think it would be a loss for them if she were to do that , '' Jacobs told The Post , despite the fact that Ocasio-Cortez 's current constituents in The Bronx and Queens would still be represented by her in the upper chamber should she win Schumer 's seat .
Ocasio-Cortez has not directly expressed a desire to challenge the four-term senator , but has been vocal since she first ran for office in 2018 about her belief that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by embracing policy proposals that Schumer and other centrists reject .
Earlier this month , the congresswoman told The Intercept that while she is `` not ready '' to take over the role of House Speaker from Rep. Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) , she believes `` we need new leadership in the Democratic Party . ''
She directly criticized establishment Democrats ' embrace of the Affordable Care Act and their insistence that the law—which has left nearly 30 million Americans uninsured and healthcare spending on the rise—should be `` strengthened '' instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` For me personally , it was when I was waitressing and I would hear Democrats talk about why the Affordable Care Act was so amazing all the time and how this is the greatest thing ever and the economy is doing wonderfully , '' she told The Intercept of how she decided to run for Congress in 2018 .
`` Frankly , it is the same trick that Trump pulls , which is , you know , people touting the Dow as a measure of economic success when we 're all getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described Schumer as `` a progressive force , '' he has not embraced Sen. Bernie Sanders ' ( I-Vt. ) Medicare for All proposal .
Recent polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation has shown that 87 % of Democratic voters and 63 % of Independents have a positive view of the term `` Medicare for All , '' and 53 % of the public favors expanding Medicare to all Americans under a national healthcare plan .
Jacobs ' comments and other efforts by establishment Democrats to discourage Ocasio-Cortez 's political ambitions only serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization Our Revolution .
`` The Establishment should embrace progressive ideas that over 85 % of Democrats already support ! ''
the group said .
In an interview with Vanity Fair in October , Ocasio-Cortez said that while she does n't believe she is `` going to be staying in the House forever , '' she aims to assess where `` can be more effective '' before running for a Senate seat or filling a cabinet position .
`` I do n't see myself really staying where I 'm at for the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the magazine .
`` I do n't want to aspire to a quote-unquote higher position just for the sake of that title or just for the sake of having a different or higher position .
I truly make an assessment to see if I can be more effective .
And so , you know , I do n't know if I could necessarily be more effective in an administration , but , for me that 's always what the question comes down to . ''
Oliver Willis of the American Independent noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2018 , when she challenged powerful nine-term congressman Joe Crowley , is now being repeated by her detractors , including Jacobs .
Others on social media wrote that considering Ocasio-Cortez 's national profile and her strong support for numerous popular policies—including Medicare for All , a Green New Deal , and tuition-free public college—the congresswoman would have a strong chance of defeating Schumer .
`` The AOC stan army would move en masse across state lines to knock doors before Schumer 's consultants could formulate a tweet about his support of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a former adviser to Sanders ' presidential campaign .

With more than a year to go until Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer faces a potential primary challenge for the seat he's held for nearly two decades in New York, the state's Democratic leadership is already expressing concern that progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run against Schumer.
In an interview with the New York Post, state Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs said Saturday that a challenge by Ocasio-Cortez would be driven more by the congresswoman's "ambition" than a need for new representation for New York in the U.S. Senate.
"She has a constituency that admires her and supports her, and they're in her community, and I think it would be a loss for them if she were to do that," Jacobs toldThe Post, despite the fact that Ocasio-Cortez's current constituents in The Bronx and Queens would still be represented by her in the upper chamber should she win Schumer's seat.
Ocasio-Cortez has not directly expressed a desire to challenge the four-term senator, but has been vocal since she first ran for office in 2018 about her belief that the Democratic Party must better represent working people by embracing policy proposals that Schumer and other centrists reject.
Earlier this month, the congresswoman told The Intercept that while she is "not ready" to take over the role of House Speaker from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), she believes "we need new leadership in the Democratic Party."
She directly criticized establishment Democrats' embrace of the Affordable Care Act and their insistence that the law—which has left nearly 30 million Americans uninsured and healthcare spending on the rise—should be "strengthened" instead of replaced with Medicare for All.
"For me personally, it was when I was waitressing and I would hear Democrats talk about why the Affordable Care Act was so amazing all the time and how this is the greatest thing ever and the economy is doing wonderfully," she told The Intercept of how she decided to run for Congress in 2018. "Frankly, it is the same trick that Trump pulls, which is, you know, people touting the Dow as a measure of economic success when we're all getting killed out here."
Although Jacobs described Schumer as "a progressive force," he has not embraced Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) Medicare for All proposal. Recent polling from the Kaiser Family Foundation has shown that 87% of Democratic voters and 63% of Independents have a positive view of the term "Medicare for All," and 53% of the public favors expanding Medicare to all Americans under a national healthcare plan.
Jacobs' comments and other efforts by establishment Democrats to discourage Ocasio-Cortez's political ambitions only serve to divide the party, tweeted grassroots organization Our Revolution.
"The Establishment should embrace progressive ideas that over 85% of Democrats already support!" the group said.
In an interview with Vanity Fair in October, Ocasio-Cortez said that while she doesn't believe she is "going to be staying in the House forever," she aims to assess where "can be more effective" before running for a Senate seat or filling a cabinet position.
"I don't see myself really staying where I'm at for the rest of my life," she told the magazine. "I don't want to aspire to a quote-unquote higher position just for the sake of that title or just for the sake of having a different or higher position. I truly make an assessment to see if I can be more effective. And so, you know, I don't know if I could necessarily be more effective in an administration, but, for me that's always what the question comes down to."
Oliver Willis of the American Independent noted that the Democratic Party's underestimation of Ocasio-Cortez in 2018, when she challenged powerful nine-term congressman Joe Crowley, is now being repeated by her detractors, including Jacobs.
Others on social media wrote that considering Ocasio-Cortez's national profile and her strong support for numerous popular policies—including Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and tuition-free public college—the congresswoman would have a strong chance of defeating Schumer.
"The AOC stan army would move en masse across state lines to knock doors before Schumer's consultants could formulate a tweet about his support of the public option," tweeted Winnie Wong, a former adviser to Sanders' presidential campaign.


alternet--2020-12-29--Medical expert details why the vaccine rollout is a mess: 'They are again setting states up to fail'

During his appearances as a medical expert on MSNBC , Dr. Ashish K. Jha has expressed his excitement over the arrival of vaccines for COVID-19 .
But in a Twitter thread posted this week , Jha — a dean at the Brown University School of Public Health in Rhode Island and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute — expresses something else : frustration .
As Jha sees it , the rollout of the vaccines in the United States is both too slow and too disorganized .
`` Personally , I 'm incredibly frustrated , '' the 49-year-old Jha writes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines were coming ?
Is vaccine administration a surprise ? ''
Jha notes that in October , Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar promised that 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine would be ready by the end of December — but by November , Azar was saying that 40 million doses would be ready to ship by that point .
And earlier this month , Azar adds , Operation Warp Speed was promising 20 million doses by the end of the year .
`` Now , we 'll miss ( the ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get to 20M by sometime in early January , '' Jha explains .
`` But this is really not the worst part .
The worst part is no real planning on what happens when vaccines arrive in states .
No plan , no money , just hope that states will figure this out . ''
Jha goes on to voice his concern that underfunded health departments in individual states will have a hard time `` adding vaccines to their plate . ''
`` Most are super stretched , and they are trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They are trying to stand up a vaccination infrastructure .
Congress had given them no money .
States are out of money .
So many are passing it on to hospitals , nursing homes . ''
Hospitals , Jha adds , are now `` trying to figure out where to set up vaccination sites . ''
Jha notes although `` we have about 11.5 million doses distributed '' and `` about 2.1 million given , '' the frustrating part is that `` there appears to be no investment or plan in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort from feds to help states launch a real vaccination infrastructure . ''
`` Public health has always been a state/federal partnership , '' Jha notes .
`` States are stretched .
Feds are supposed to help .
But ( the ) same folks who blamed states for ( the ) testing mess ( are ) now ready to blame states for vaccine slowdown .
They are again setting states up to fail . ''
However , Jha cites some reasons for `` hope , '' noting that `` Congress finally passed $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` are now building infrastructure . ''
`` After a slow ramp up , it 'll get better , '' Jha writes .
`` We 're learning again we ca n't fight pandemic with every state on its own .
An effective federal ( government ) helps . ''

During his appearances as a medical expert on MSNBC, Dr. Ashish K. Jha has expressed his excitement over the arrival of vaccines for COVID-19. But in a Twitter thread posted this week, Jha — a dean at the Brown University School of Public Health in Rhode Island and director of the Harvard Global Health Institute — expresses something else: frustration. As Jha sees it, the rollout of the vaccines in the United States is both too slow and too disorganized.
"Personally, I'm incredibly frustrated," the 49-year-old Jha writes. "Did we not know that vaccines were coming? Is vaccine administration a surprise?"
Jha notes that in October, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar promised that 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine would be ready by the end of December — but by November, Azar was saying that 40 million doses would be ready to ship by that point. And earlier this month, Azar adds, Operation Warp Speed was promising 20 million doses by the end of the year.
"Now, we'll miss (the) 20M deadline but might be able to get to 20M by sometime in early January," Jha explains. "But this is really not the worst part. The worst part is no real planning on what happens when vaccines arrive in states. No plan, no money, just hope that states will figure this out."
Jha goes on to voice his concern that underfunded health departments in individual states will have a hard time "adding vaccines to their plate."
"Most are super stretched, and they are trying to make a plan," Jha observes. "They are trying to stand up a vaccination infrastructure. Congress had given them no money. States are out of money. So many are passing it on to hospitals, nursing homes."
Hospitals, Jha adds, are now "trying to figure out where to set up vaccination sites."
Jha notes although "we have about 11.5 million doses distributed" and "about 2.1 million given," the frustrating part is that "there appears to be no investment or plan in the last mile" and "no effort from feds to help states launch a real vaccination infrastructure."
"Public health has always been a state/federal partnership," Jha notes. "States are stretched. Feds are supposed to help. But (the) same folks who blamed states for (the) testing mess (are) now ready to blame states for vaccine slowdown. They are again setting states up to fail."
However, Jha cites some reasons for "hope," noting that "Congress finally passed $ for vax distribution" and that states "are now building infrastructure."
"After a slow ramp up, it'll get better," Jha writes. "We're learning again we can't fight pandemic with every state on its own. An effective federal (government) helps."


alternet--2020-12-29--The appalling reality is what Trump may get away with

Most of the 74,222,957 Americans who voted to reelect Donald Trump – 46.8 percent of the votes cast in the 2020 presidential election – do n't hold Trump accountable for what he 's done to America .
Their acceptance of Trump 's behavior will be his vilest legacy .
Nearly forty years ago , political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Kelling observed that a broken window left unattended in a community signals that no one cares if windows are broken there .
The broken window is thereby an invitation to throw more stones and break more windows .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ here because others have done it and got away with it .
The broken window theory has led to picayune and arbitrary law enforcement in poor communities .
But America 's most privileged and powerful have been breaking big windows with impunity .
In 2008 , Wall Street nearly destroyed the economy .
The Street got bailed out while millions of Americans lost their jobs , savings , and homes .
Yet no major Wall Street executive ever went to jail .
In more recent years , top executives of Purdue Pharmaceuticals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family who own it , knew the dangers of OxyContin but did nothing .
Executives at Wells Fargo Bank pushed bank employees to defraud customers .
Executives at Boeing hid the results of tests showing its 737 Max Jetliner was unsafe .
Police chiefs across America looked the other way as police under their command repeatedly killed innocent Black Americans .
Here , too , they 've got away with it .
These windows remain broken .
Trump has brought impunity to the highest office in the land , wielding a wrecking ball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – American democracy .
The message ?
A president can obstruct special counsels ' investigations of his wrongdoing , push foreign officials to dig up dirt on political rivals , fire inspectors general who find corruption , order the entire executive branch to refuse congressional subpoenas , flood the Internet with fake information about his opponents , refuse to release his tax returns , accuse the press of being `` fake media '' and `` enemies of the people , '' and make money off his presidency .
And he can get away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electorate will even vote for his reelection .
A president can also lie about the results of an election without a shred of evidence – and yet , according to polls , be believed by the vast majority of those who voted for him .
Not only has he shattered the norm for presidential pardons – usually granted because of a petitioner 's good conduct after conviction and service of sentence – but he 's pardoned people who themselves shattered windows .
By pardoning them , he has rendered them unaccountable for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lying to the FBI and threatening potential witnesses in order to protect him ; his son-in-law 's father , who pleaded guilty to tax evasion , witness tampering , illegal campaign contributions , and lying to the Federal Election Commission ; Blackwater security guards convicted of murdering Iraqi civilians , including women and children ; Border Patrol agents convicted of assaulting or shooting unarmed suspects ; and Republican lawmakers and their aides found guilty of fraud , obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations .
It 's not simply the size of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Wilson and Kelling .
It 's the willingness of society to look the other way .
If no one is held accountable , norms collapse .
Trump may face a barrage of lawsuits when he leaves office , possibly including criminal charges .
But it 's unlikely he 'll go to jail .
Presidential immunity or a self-pardon will protect him .
Prosecutorial discretion would almost certainly argue against indictment , in any event .
No former president has ever been convicted of a crime .
The mere possibility of a criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brawl across the nation .
Congress may try to limit the power of future presidents – strengthening congressional oversight , fortifying the independence of inspectors general , demanding more financial disclosure , increasing penalties on presidential aides who break laws , restricting the pardon process , and so on .
But Congress – a co-equal branch of government under the Constitution – can not rein in rogue presidents .
And the courts do n't want to weigh in on political questions .
The appalling reality is that Trump may get away with it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will have changed and degraded the norms governing American presidents .
The giant windows he 's broken are invitations to a future president to break even more .
Nothing will correct this unless or until an overwhelming majority of Americans recognize and condemn what has occurred .

Most of the 74,222,957 Americans who voted to reelect Donald Trump – 46.8 percent of the votes cast in the 2020 presidential election – don't hold Trump accountable for what he's done to America.
Their acceptance of Trump's behavior will be his vilest legacy.
Nearly forty years ago, political scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Kelling observed that a broken window left unattended in a community signals that no one cares if windows are broken there. The broken window is thereby an invitation to throw more stones and break more windows. The message: Do whatever you want here because others have done it and got away with it.
The broken window theory has led to picayune and arbitrary law enforcement in poor communities. But America's most privileged and powerful have been breaking big windows with impunity.
In 2008, Wall Street nearly destroyed the economy. The Street got bailed out while millions of Americans lost their jobs, savings, and homes. Yet no major Wall Street executive ever went to jail.
In more recent years, top executives of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, along with the members of the Sackler family who own it, knew the dangers of OxyContin but did nothing. Executives at Wells Fargo Bank pushed bank employees to defraud customers. Executives at Boeing hid the results of tests showing its 737 Max Jetliner was unsafe. Police chiefs across America looked the other way as police under their command repeatedly killed innocent Black Americans.
Here, too, they've got away with it. These windows remain broken.
Trump has brought impunity to the highest office in the land, wielding a wrecking ball to the most precious windowpane of all – American democracy.
The message? A president can obstruct special counsels' investigations of his wrongdoing, push foreign officials to dig up dirt on political rivals, fire inspectors general who find corruption, order the entire executive branch to refuse congressional subpoenas, flood the Internet with fake information about his opponents, refuse to release his tax returns, accuse the press of being "fake media" and "enemies of the people," and make money off his presidency.
And he can get away with it. Almost half of the electorate will even vote for his reelection.
A president can also lie about the results of an election without a shred of evidence – and yet, according to polls, be believed by the vast majority of those who voted for him.
Trump's recent pardons have broken double-paned windows.
Not only has he shattered the norm for presidential pardons – usually granted because of a petitioner's good conduct after conviction and service of sentence – but he's pardoned people who themselves shattered windows. By pardoning them, he has rendered them unaccountable for their acts.
They include aides convicted of lying to the FBI and threatening potential witnesses in order to protect him; his son-in-law's father, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion, witness tampering, illegal campaign contributions, and lying to the Federal Election Commission; Blackwater security guards convicted of murdering Iraqi civilians, including women and children; Border Patrol agents convicted of assaulting or shooting unarmed suspects; and Republican lawmakers and their aides found guilty of fraud, obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations.
It's not simply the size of the broken window that undermines standards, according to Wilson and Kelling. It's the willingness of society to look the other way. If no one is held accountable, norms collapse.
Trump may face a barrage of lawsuits when he leaves office, possibly including criminal charges. But it's unlikely he'll go to jail. Presidential immunity or a self-pardon will protect him. Prosecutorial discretion would almost certainly argue against indictment, in any event. No former president has ever been convicted of a crime. The mere possibility of a criminal trial for Trump would ignite a partisan brawl across the nation.
Congress may try to limit the power of future presidents – strengthening congressional oversight, fortifying the independence of inspectors general, demanding more financial disclosure, increasing penalties on presidential aides who break laws, restricting the pardon process, and so on.
But Congress – a co-equal branch of government under the Constitution – cannot rein in rogue presidents. And the courts don't want to weigh in on political questions.
The appalling reality is that Trump may get away with it. And in getting away with it he will have changed and degraded the norms governing American presidents. The giant windows he's broken are invitations to a future president to break even more.
Nothing will correct this unless or until an overwhelming majority of Americans recognize and condemn what has occurred.


alternet--2020-12-29--'You sir, have no shame': Marco Rubio is getting torn apart for his phony attack on Fauci and 'elite

'You sir, have no shame': Marco Rubio is getting torn apart for his phony attack on Fauci and 'elites'

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has lambasted by countless Twitter users following a December 27 tweet in which he attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci for `` distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity '' and described him as one of the people who lives `` in elite bubbles . ''
Journalist Christian Schneider analyzes that tweet in an article published this week by the conservative website The Bulwark , and as Schneider sees it , Rubio 's tweet speaks volumes about the 49-year-old Republican 's views on GOP voters .
`` In the course of his young political career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rubio has been a Tea Partier , a reformicon , and a neoconservative .
Now , he 's auditioning for the role of MAGA Fan # 7 by trying to paint Anthony Fauci as the real villain of the pandemic .
His strategy seems to be : dazzle the Trumpenproletariat so completely that they adopt him as their new king .
It 's adorable — the political equivalent of leaving your husband in hopes of catching the eye of pharma bro Martin Shkreli . ''
Schneider finds the fake `` anti-elitist '' tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in light of the fact that the 49-year-old senator received a COVID-19 vaccine on December 19 — long before Americans who lack his connections were able to receive them .
`` Of course , being 'elite ' is really a state of mind , '' Schneider writes .
`` If you went to the University of Pennsylvania and live in a private , oceanside , gated club , you 're not elite .
If you went to Harvard and own a tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan , you 're not elite either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 49-year-old with no risk-factors who jumps to the head of the COVID vaccine line just because you 're a U.S .
senator ? ''
During the 2016 GOP presidential primary , Rubio often expressed his contempt for Trump .
But now , Schneider observes , he is full MAGA .
Schneider explains , `` For guys like Rubio… .
this is all just kabuki theater .
They belong to a party that is populated by people who hate 'elites . '
So , they have to hate 'elites ' too .
And since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'elite ' is infinitely elastic , Rubio tries to butch up whenever there 's a clear target .
And since Donald Trump hates Anthony Fauci , then Fauci is , ipso facto , an elite .
Period , the end .
Nothing else matters . ''
According to Schneider , Rubio 's December 27 tweet — as ridiculous as it was — serves a useful purpose : trying to show MAGA voters that they have his support .
`` Rubio is n't doing this because he 's stupid , '' Schneider writes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's an ambitious coward desperate to earn the approval of a deranged man who still has a chokehold on the Republican Party .
And it only serves to sow distrust among the segment of the population which already views scientific expertise as a marker of the evil 'elites . '
'' Schneider goes on to say , `` Trying to undercut Fauci is simply a tactic meant to appeal to the most deranged voting bloc of the GOP — the QAnon-friendly conspiracy theorists who bought into the 'Plandemic ' hoax that suggested Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheme .
And when Rubio beats up on Fauci , what he 's really doing is signaling that he thinks those people are in charge of his party . ''

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has lambasted by countless Twitter users following a December 27 tweet in which he attacked Dr. Anthony Fauci for "distorting the level of vaccination needed for herd immunity" and described him as one of the people who lives "in elite bubbles." Journalist Christian Schneider analyzes that tweet in an article published this week by the conservative website The Bulwark, and as Schneider sees it, Rubio's tweet speaks volumes about the 49-year-old Republican's views on GOP voters.
"In the course of his young political career," Schneider writes, "Marco Rubio has been a Tea Partier, a reformicon, and a neoconservative. Now, he's auditioning for the role of MAGA Fan #7 by trying to paint Anthony Fauci as the real villain of the pandemic. His strategy seems to be: dazzle the Trumpenproletariat so completely that they adopt him as their new king. It's adorable — the political equivalent of leaving your husband in hopes of catching the eye of pharma bro Martin Shkreli."
The Miami-born Rubio posted:
Schneider finds the fake "anti-elitist" tone of Rubio's tweet to be ironic in light of the fact that the 49-year-old senator received a COVID-19 vaccine on December 19 — long before Americans who lack his connections were able to receive them.
"Of course, being 'elite' is really a state of mind," Schneider writes. "If you went to the University of Pennsylvania and live in a private, oceanside, gated club, you're not elite. If you went to Harvard and own a tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, you're not elite either. And if you're a healthy 49-year-old with no risk-factors who jumps to the head of the COVID vaccine line just because you're a U.S. senator?"
During the 2016 GOP presidential primary, Rubio often expressed his contempt for Trump. But now, Schneider observes, he is full MAGA.
Schneider explains, "For guys like Rubio…. this is all just kabuki theater. They belong to a party that is populated by people who hate 'elites.' So, they have to hate 'elites' too. And since the definition of who or what is 'elite' is infinitely elastic, Rubio tries to butch up whenever there's a clear target. And since Donald Trump hates Anthony Fauci, then Fauci is, ipso facto, an elite. Period, the end. Nothing else matters."
According to Schneider, Rubio's December 27 tweet — as ridiculous as it was — serves a useful purpose: trying to show MAGA voters that they have his support.
"Rubio isn't doing this because he's stupid," Schneider writes. "He's doing it because he's an ambitious coward desperate to earn the approval of a deranged man who still has a chokehold on the Republican Party. And it only serves to sow distrust among the segment of the population which already views scientific expertise as a marker of the evil 'elites.'"
Schneider goes on to say, "Trying to undercut Fauci is simply a tactic meant to appeal to the most deranged voting bloc of the GOP — the QAnon-friendly conspiracy theorists who bought into the 'Plandemic' hoax that suggested Fauci had created the coronavirus as a money-making scheme. And when Rubio beats up on Fauci, what he's really doing is signaling that he thinks those people are in charge of his party."


alternet--2020-12-29--Paul Krugman explains how 2020 decisively debunked Ronald Regan's ideological legacy

Liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently offended admirers of President Ronald Reagan when he made a Donald Trump/Ronald Reagan comparison and argued that the modern GOP 's `` hatred for facts and science '' can be traced back to the Reagan era .
Krugman revisits the subject of Reaganomics in his column this week , arguing that the coronavirus pandemic offers an important lesson : Reaganomics do n't work , liberal economics do .
Krugman describes 2020 as `` the year Reaganism died . ''
And while he is n't arguing that Reaganism will disappear altogether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 — a brutal recession brought on by a deadly pandemic — make a case for strong government invention , not less government .
`` When I say that Reaganism died in 2020 , I do n't mean that the usual suspects will stop making the usual arguments , '' Krugman writes .
`` Voodoo economics is too deeply embedded in the modern GOP — and too useful to billionaire donors seeking tax cuts — to be banished by inconvenient facts . ''
Krugman has long been a major proponent of New Deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events of 2020 , according to Krugman , make a strong case for fiscal liberalism .
`` This year is closing out with a second demonstration of the lesson we should have learned in the spring : In times of crisis , government aid to people in distress is a good thing — not just for those getting help , but for the nation as a whole , '' Krugman stresses .
`` Or to put it a bit differently , 2020 was the year Reaganism died .
What I mean by Reaganism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that tax cuts have magical power and can solve all problems .
After all , nobody believes in that claim aside from a handful of charlatans and cranks , plus the entire Republican Party . ''
Krugman adds that although `` Reagan-style hostility to helping people in need '' did n't vanish in 2020 , the economic `` big-government intervention '' that came about this year in response to COVID-19 `` worked . ''
`` Aid to the unemployed and business loans that were forgiven if they were used to maintain payrolls limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Direct checks sent to most adults were n't the best targeted policy ever , but they boosted personal incomes… .
There was no indication that helping the unemployed deterred workers from taking jobs when they became available . ''
The late neoconservative Irving Kristol , father of Never Trump conservative and Bulwark co-founder Bill Kristol , famously described a neocon as a `` liberal who 's been mugged by reality . ''
But Krugman essentially makes the opposite argument in his column , saying that COVID-19 and the economic pain that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reality and reminded them how badly economic intervention from the government is needed during a crisis .
`` While Reaganism will still be out there , it will now , even more than before , be zombie Reaganism — a doctrine that should have been killed by its encounter with reality , even if it 's still shambling along , eating politicians ' brains , '' Krugman argues .
`` For the lesson of 2020 is that in a crisis , and to some extent even in calmer times , the government can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives .
And what we should fear most is a government that refuses to do its job . ''

Liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently offended admirers of President Ronald Reagan when he made a Donald Trump/Ronald Reagan comparison and argued that the modern GOP's "hatred for facts and science" can be traced back to the Reagan era. Krugman revisits the subject of Reaganomics in his column this week, arguing that the coronavirus pandemic offers an important lesson: Reaganomics don't work, liberal economics do.
Krugman describes 2020 as "the year Reaganism died." And while he isn't arguing that Reaganism will disappear altogether, Krugman stresses that the events of 2020 — a brutal recession brought on by a deadly pandemic — make a case for strong government invention, not less government.
"When I say that Reaganism died in 2020, I don't mean that the usual suspects will stop making the usual arguments," Krugman writes. "Voodoo economics is too deeply embedded in the modern GOP — and too useful to billionaire donors seeking tax cuts — to be banished by inconvenient facts."
Krugman has long been a major proponent of New Deal and Great Society economics. And the events of 2020, according to Krugman, make a strong case for fiscal liberalism.
"This year is closing out with a second demonstration of the lesson we should have learned in the spring: In times of crisis, government aid to people in distress is a good thing — not just for those getting help, but for the nation as a whole," Krugman stresses. "Or to put it a bit differently, 2020 was the year Reaganism died. What I mean by Reaganism goes beyond voodoo economics, the claim that tax cuts have magical power and can solve all problems. After all, nobody believes in that claim aside from a handful of charlatans and cranks, plus the entire Republican Party."
Krugman adds that although "Reagan-style hostility to helping people in need" didn't vanish in 2020, the economic "big-government intervention" that came about this year in response to COVID-19 "worked."
"Aid to the unemployed and business loans that were forgiven if they were used to maintain payrolls limited the suffering," Krugman observes. "Direct checks sent to most adults weren't the best targeted policy ever, but they boosted personal incomes…. There was no indication that helping the unemployed deterred workers from taking jobs when they became available."
The late neoconservative Irving Kristol, father of Never Trump conservative and Bulwark co-founder Bill Kristol, famously described a neocon as a "liberal who's been mugged by reality." But Krugman essentially makes the opposite argument in his column, saying that COVID-19 and the economic pain that it inflicted gave Americans a harsh dose of reality and reminded them how badly economic intervention from the government is needed during a crisis.
"While Reaganism will still be out there, it will now, even more than before, be zombie Reaganism — a doctrine that should have been killed by its encounter with reality, even if it's still shambling along, eating politicians' brains," Krugman argues. "For the lesson of 2020 is that in a crisis, and to some extent even in calmer times, the government can do a lot to improve people's lives. And what we should fear most is a government that refuses to do its job."


alternet--2020-12-29--Are the Trumpers headed for history's dumpster?

Now , even as they find themselves voting against Donald Trump 's ballyhooed call to send $ 2,000 to desperate Americans , most congressional Republicans , from Louie Gohmert and Jim Jordan to Mitch McConnell , David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , are finally suffering the Trumpian contempt and public humiliation that executive-branch saps such as Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr suffered as they set themselves up for and squirmed under Trump 's all-devouring narcissism .
And so another raft of Trumpsters — this time including a majority of Republican lawmakers — is thrown into history 's dumpster .
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's not set ourselves up for embarrassment .
It 's not yet clear that Trump 's millions of diehard believers are learning anything from watching politician after politician bite the dust .
Even in the unlikely event that Democrats win control of the Senate by defeating Perdue and Loeffler in Georgia 's Jan. 5 Senate runoffs , potential victors Jon Ossoff and/or Raphael Warnock will inherit , along with Joe Biden , a mess even more dreadful than the awful one that George W. Bush 's Republicans bequeathed to Barack Obama and Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Democrats will have to survive a tsunami of unrepentant , unending poison and unquenchable rage .
We can anticipate this because it 's happened so often in American history that we , no less than the congressional Republicans , would be setting ourselves up for shock and despair if we did n't take steps to counter it .
Too many Americans who voted for Trump and who crave easy answers and scapegoats for their distress are following the New England Puritans who hunted witches ; the masses of desperately poor who swooned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 18th and 19th centuries , prompting the satirist H.L .
Mencken to lampoon preachers who dammed brooks by baptizing the faithful ; and the lynch mobs and Klansmen and believers who followed such demagogues as Louisiana Gov .
Huey Long and Sen. Joe McCarthy .
The journal Democracy has just posted my essay warning that it 's happening again .
( Salon posted my similar warning in greater detail four years ago , when Trump was rampaging through the Republican primaries and demolishing both parties ' establishments . )
Many others have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The Money Cult '' nails more Protestant theologians and preachers than I like to acknowledge as `` court poets '' of the vulturous capitalism that has deluded Americans throughout our history .
Trump 's demagoguery , I write in Democracy , has `` enlarged and exploited a social and moral vacuum that was already swallowing faith in the republic and a corporate-capitalist economy that has driven countless little stabs of heartbreak and self-doubt into our lives '' : What differentiates Trumpism from the mass delusions I 've mentioned is that we longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , for all its flaws , was credible enough to enough Americans — as , for instance , Franklin D. Roosevelt was — to buy off , deflect and sometimes educate enough stampeding witch-hunters , creationists , race rioters and rabid anti-Communists to give democracy another chance .
Even conservative Republicans such as John McCain sometimes accomplished that .
Where are they now ?
This time , they — and liberal Democrats — have let torrents of casino-like financing and consumer bamboozling , which seem harmless and anodyne but are in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of potentially thoughtful citizens into impulse-buyers who demand to be lied to because they 're desperate for easy answers .
And so we find today 's congressional Republicans , locked in a blind , swooning embrace of delusions about how wealth is created and about how it escapes from the working people who actually create it .

Now, even as they find themselves voting against Donald Trump's ballyhooed call to send $2,000 to desperate Americans, most congressional Republicans, from Louie Gohmert and Jim Jordan to Mitch McConnell, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, are finally sufferingthe Trumpian contempt and public humiliation that executive-branch saps such as Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr suffered as they set themselves up for and squirmed under Trump's all-devouring narcissism.
And so another raft of Trumpsters — this time including a majority of Republican lawmakers — is thrown into history's dumpster. Or so we might wish.
But let's not set ourselves up for embarrassment. It's not yet clear that Trump's millions of diehard believers are learning anything from watching politician after politician bite the dust.
Even in the unlikely event that Democrats win control of the Senate by defeating Perdue and Loeffler in Georgia's Jan. 5 Senate runoffs, potential victors Jon Ossoff and/or Raphael Warnock will inherit, along with Joe Biden, a mess even more dreadful than the awful one that George W. Bush's Republicans bequeathed to Barack Obama and Biden in 2009.
And, once again, Democrats will have to survive a tsunami of unrepentant, unending poison and unquenchable rage.
We can anticipate this because it's happened so often in American history that we, no less than the congressional Republicans, would be setting ourselves up for shock and despair if we didn't take steps to counter it.
Too many Americans who voted for Trump and who crave easy answers and scapegoats for their distress are following the New England Puritans who hunted witches; the masses of desperately poor who swooned in revival rallies and Great Awakenings across the 18th and 19th centuries, prompting the satirist H.L. Mencken to lampoon preachers who dammed brooks by baptizing the faithful; and the lynch mobs and Klansmen and believers who followed such demagogues as Louisiana Gov. Huey Long and Sen. Joe McCarthy.
The journal Democracy has just posted my essay warning that it's happening again. (Salon posted my similar warning in greater detail four years ago, when Trump was rampaging through the Republican primaries and demolishing both parties' establishments.) Many others have issued similar warnings: Chris Lehmann's "The Money Cult"nails more Protestant theologians and preachers than I like to acknowledge as "court poets" of the vulturous capitalism that has deluded Americans throughout our history.
Trump's demagoguery, I write in Democracy, has "enlarged and exploited a social and moral vacuum that was already swallowing faith in the republic and a corporate-capitalist economy that has driven countless little stabs of heartbreak and self-doubt into our lives":
These forces have been dissolving our freedoms for decades now, not out of malevolence but out of mindless, routinized greed. Trump has focused free-floating, inchoate rage against these material and cultural assaults into a syndrome that substitutes Authority for democracy by feigning populist indignation and by scapegoating women and people of color. His true believers' growing violence won't recede or be reversed even if it's set back. ...
[S]omething like Trumpism will outlast him because the fabric of liberal-democratic and civic republican norms and institutions was weakened long before his presidency: Leaders who weakened citizens' trust in public initiatives and assets were market-fundamentalist economists such as Milton Friedman, James Buchanan (both of whom died before Trump even ran for President), and Arthur Laffer, who advised Trump's 2016 campaign; businessmen who've long meddled in politics, such as the brothers Charles and David Koch and private-equity baron Stephen Schwarzman; and media moguls such as Rupert Murdoch and demagogues Rush Limbaugh and Tucker Carlson.
What differentiates Trumpism from the mass delusions I've mentioned is that we longer have even the ghost of an establishment that, for all its flaws, was credible enough to enough Americans — as, for instance, Franklin D. Roosevelt was — to buy off, deflect and sometimes educate enough stampeding witch-hunters, creationists, race rioters and rabid anti-Communists to give democracy another chance. Even conservative Republicans such as John McCain sometimes accomplished that. Where are they now?
This time, they — and liberal Democrats — have let torrents of casino-like financing and consumer bamboozling, which seem harmless and anodyne but are in fact unprecedentedly powerful and intimately intrusive, turn millions of potentially thoughtful citizens into impulse-buyers who demand to be lied to because they're desperate for easy answers. And so we find today's congressional Republicans, locked in a blind, swooning embrace of delusions about how wealth is created and about how it escapes from the working people who actually create it.


alternet--2020-12-29--Frustrated Americans react after 'monster' McConnell blocks vote on $2,000 stimulus checks: 'Teach h

Frustrated Americans react after 'monster' McConnell blocks vote on $2,000 stimulus checks: 'Teach him a lesson'

Despite substantial bipartisan support for an increase in stimulus payments for Americans , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) has blocked progress , yet again .
During the latest Senate hearing , McConnell spoke about overriding President Donald Trump 's veto of the defense bill as he shut down Minority Leader Chuck Schumer 's ( D-NY ) request to vote on $ 2,000 direct payments to American workers .
`` For 59 consecutive years and counting , Washington has put our differences aside , found common ground , & passed the annual defense bill , '' McConnell said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a Congress let its differences prevent it from completing this work for its national security . ''
McConnell did not explain why he refuses to hold a vote on stimulus checks .
As a result of McConnell 's latest actions , he has been met with opposition from an overwhelming number of frustrated Americans .
Political analyst Jared Sexton tweeted , `` Mitch McConnell 's entire job is to keep the government from doing literally anything to help the American people , lest they start believing again that it is capable of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better . ''
Famed actress Patricia Arquette posed a question to Georgia voters tweeting , `` # Georgia are you sick of Mitch McConnell having so much power ?
Are you sick of him killing bills that could help small businesses & families ?
You can do something to teach him a lesson .
Vote [ Ossoff ] and [ Reverend Warnock ] and put Mitch in his place . ''
Others also noted the consequences Senate Republicans could face as a result of McConnell 's latest actions .
Another Twitter user wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote for 2k .
They lose voters , Georgia and the top 1 % loses protections guaranteed them by a GOP-controlled Senate .
I 'm not quite sure that the GOP Senators fully appreciate the fury that will follow a poison pill situation .
People are paying attention . ''
With the Georgia runoff just days away , McConnell 's decision could greatly impact Republicans ' ability to maintain control of the Senate .
The Georgia Senate runoff is scheduled for Jan. 5 .

Despite substantial bipartisan support for an increase in stimulus payments for Americans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has blocked progress, yet again.
During the latest Senate hearing, McConnell spoke about overriding President Donald Trump's veto of the defense bill as he shut down Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) request to vote on $2,000 direct payments to American workers.
"For 59 consecutive years and counting, Washington has put our differences aside, found common ground, & passed the annual defense bill," McConnell said. "Not once in six decades has a Congress let its differences prevent it from completing this work for its national security."
McConnell did not explain why he refuses to hold a vote on stimulus checks.
As a result of McConnell's latest actions, he has been met with opposition from an overwhelming number of frustrated Americans.
Political analyst Jared Sexton tweeted, "Mitch McConnell's entire job is to keep the government from doing literally anything to help the American people, lest they start believing again that it is capable of making their lives even the smallest bit better."
Famed actress Patricia Arquette posed a question to Georgia voters tweeting, "#Georgia are you sick of Mitch McConnell having so much power? Are you sick of him killing bills that could help small businesses & families? You can do something to teach him a lesson. Vote [Ossoff] and [Reverend Warnock] and put Mitch in his place."
Others also noted the consequences Senate Republicans could face as a result of McConnell's latest actions.
Another Twitter user wrote, "Lose/lose if GOP doesn't vote for 2k. They lose voters, Georgia and the top 1% loses protections guaranteed them by a GOP-controlled Senate. I'm not quite sure that the GOP Senators fully appreciate the fury that will follow a poison pill situation. People are paying attention."
With the Georgia runoff just days away, McConnell's decision could greatly impact Republicans' ability to maintain control of the Senate. The Georgia Senate runoff is scheduled for Jan. 5.


alternet--2020-12-29--Texas judge slams politicians for cutting ahead of essential workers on same day Gov. Abbott receive

Texas judge slams politicians for cutting ahead of essential workers on same day Gov. Abbott received COVID vaccine

For the last 10 months , essential workers have been on the front line fighting the pandemic , and many have yet to receive COVID-19 vaccine priority as the coronavirus continues to ravage states across the country .
Now , a Fort Bend County , Texas judge is pushing back against Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott 's prioritization of politicians over essential workers when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine .
According to KHOU , Fort Bend County Judge KP George released a letter expressing his concerns about the state 's vaccine distribution on the same day Abbott received his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the politicians who downplayed the severity of the pandemic and `` used masks and scientific guidelines in games of political ping-pong '' for skipping the vaccination line .
`` Before politicians , many of whom used masks and scientific guidelines in games of political ping-pong , get access to the COVID-19 vaccine , essential workers such as our medical staff , grocery store workers , nonprofit organizations , educators , food service workers , police officers , and other essential staff should have priority . ''
George also expressed the importance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` teachers , grocery store workers , and police officers , '' being prioritized for vaccination .
`` The limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine necessitated that the administration be strictly targeted to those serving directly in hospital settings , emergency settings , and , as well as , locations with vulnerable residents , '' George wrote , adding , `` However , strong efficacy news of the Moderna vaccine brings us hope that a larger supply will allow a more rapid expansion of the administration efforts . ''
George also cited the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) guidelines as he urged `` the consideration and adoption of the CDC recommendations by the State of Texas and prioritizing such essential workers before the politicians start receiving the vaccines . ''

For the last 10 months, essential workers have been on the front line fighting the pandemic, and many have yet to receive COVID-19 vaccine priority as the coronavirus continues to ravage states across the country. Now, a Fort Bend County, Texas judge is pushing back against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's prioritization of politicians over essential workers when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to KHOU, Fort Bend County Judge KP George released a letter expressing his concerns about the state's vaccine distribution on the same day Abbott received his initial vaccine dose. George also called out the politicians who downplayed the severity of the pandemic and "used masks and scientific guidelines in games of political ping-pong" for skipping the vaccination line.
"Before politicians, many of whom used masks and scientific guidelines in games of political ping-pong, get access to the COVID-19 vaccine, essential workers such as our medical staff, grocery store workers, nonprofit organizations, educators, food service workers, police officers, and other essential staff should have priority."
George also expressed the importance of essential workers, whom he described as "teachers, grocery store workers, and police officers," being prioritized for vaccination.
"The limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine necessitated that the administration be strictly targeted to those serving directly in hospital settings, emergency settings, and, as well as, locations with vulnerable residents," George wrote, adding, "However, strong efficacy news of the Moderna vaccine brings us hope that a larger supply will allow a more rapid expansion of the administration efforts."
George also cited the "Critical Population" category under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines as he urged "the consideration and adoption of the CDC recommendations by the State of Texas and prioritizing such essential workers before the politicians start receiving the vaccines."