therealnews--2020-09-08--COVID-19 could be a death sentence for elderly prisoners

Members of the group Releasing Aging People in Prison talk about officials ’ refusal to release aging prisoners with violent @ @ @ @ @ the chances of someone reoffending as they age are minimal .

Members of the group Releasing Aging People in Prison talk about officials’ refusal to release aging prisoners with violent offenses, although studies show the chances of someone reoffending as they age are minimal.
Story Transcript
This is a rush transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated.
Eddie Conway: Start with the fact that we have just passed the 1000 mark for prisoners across the United States who have died from COVID-19 while being incarcerated. New York is one of those places that we want to look at today, doing the start of the tough on crime era in the ’80s and the ’90s, which continues today, incidentally. A lot of people were locked up, and then they’re aging prisoners almost 40, 30, 40 years later. New York has a policy of not letting out people with felony convictions. So far, New York has the only led out 1404 prisoners, which is a tragedy because they claimed they was going to let out thousands, and it didn’t happen.
Joining me today is Jose [Sedonia 00:01:06] and Donna Robinson to talk about the conditions of aging people in the prison and the conditions in the New York prison system. Thank you for joining me.
Donna Robinson: So much, Eddie Conway, for letting me use this as a platform today. Power to the people.
Jose: Thank you for inviting us. And on behalf of the incarcerated people in New York State, I thank you for what you’re doing. Because we think that it will make a difference.
Eddie Conway: You did 38 years in the prison system in New York. And I take my hat off to you because I know that was rough time. Can you talk about the conditions in the prison system while you were there, and what you aware of, in terms of the treatment of older prisoners, as well as prisoners in general?
Jose: Well, Eddie, I take my hat off to you too, because you did a long stretch also. Let me say that during the decades of my incarceration, we, as elder incarcerated men and women, we face a health crisis for years and decades of incarceration, which was compounded by the brutality of the system and the substandard healthcare that we were subjected to. So this is prior to the pandemic here in the prison system. We was already in a critical stage. And I’m fortunate that I was released at 66 years old, relatively healthy, in spite of the conditions that I lived on the for nearly four decades. Most people didn’t have the close family ties that I maintained, and that’s vital to maintaining your health in prison.
Eddie Conway: Donna, your daughter is in prison now. And what’s the conditions like there, in terms… Since COVID-19, since the pandemic, in terms of contact visits, her personal hygiene items, et cetera, what’s it like in there right now, as you’re trying to deal with your daughter?
Donna Robinson: Their families can no longer sustain some of them because a lot of them have been in there 20 years, 30 years. I saw women there as old as I, when I would visit my daughter. As a matter of fact, visiting my daughter’s when I encountered Valerie Gator, the longest serving woman in the state of New York, died from neglect before COVID struck. So once the pandemic broke out, I knew they didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.
When I say it goes deeper than my daughter, she put me in contact with about 10 other women on her unit or women that she encountered since she’d been there, whose families could no longer maintain them for whatever reason. I took it upon myself to try and put money on their books, send them food packages, words of hope, and to let them know that they hadn’t forgotten about them. And so once I did this, others heard my humble cry, and they began to help me with what I call my mutual aid for my bonus daughters at Bedford Hills.
Society’s forgotten about the elderly. And I can see at my age, I just turned 65, how time seems to forget about us, and they want to push us out into the pasture, as I’ve heard the old timers say. So I try and do whatever I can to encourage these women and some of the men that I know in the facilities to remain hopeful that all is not lost, that there are people out here to do care.
Eddie Conway: What are the conditions right now inside the New York prison system, as related to COVID-19 and the pandemic?
Jose: Let’s look at the backdrop. Before COVID, since Cuomo took office, just as he took office, over 1000 people have died in his prisons. Over 700 of those are people that were 50 and older. Now we can assume, we could just realistically assume that the vast majority of those were people of color. What is striking is that the average age of death of those 700 men and women were 57 and 58 years old. So these conditions, the brutality of these conditions has reduced the longevity of men and women to 57, 58 years old. And I spoke about the healthcare, the substandard health, so this is the crisis that… Another deadly crisis that is fatal to the very population we’re talking about, this is the conditions that these men and women are suffering under.
And we’re in contact with over 1000 men and women across the state. And we’re hearing their voices, and we echo their voices, and they are terrified. As you know, Eddie, that during the HIV AIDS crisis, men and women, that was a nightmare for us in prison, especially in New York, where people were just dying. Over 900 people died in New York state prisons during this health crisis. So those of us who’ve languished in prison for these decades, we remember that.
And some of my mentors are still in prison, and they remember that. So they pass me on as much as information as they can possibly can to help the younger generation survive this crisis. And I think that’s probably why more people have not succumbed to this fatal disease because of the work of the elder people who were able to [inaudible 00:07:27] what to do and what not to do during this crisis. Because if we leave it up to the state, the state, as you know, the state does not give a damn about back humanity or the dignity of black people. They would just let them die, and that’s exactly what the governor is doing. Just letting people die, taking a risk of not letting the elders go, especially in those with underlying health conditions, and hoping that it doesn’t blow up in his face like a nursing home does in society.
Eddie Conway: It’s an economic incentive to keep aging people in the prison system. So many people, parole officers, the lawyers, the police, the judges, social workers, people doing the maintenance in prison, it’s so much money involved in this. What is the cost of keeping elderly people in prison? And let me just make one point, too, because I understand that you get over 45, you get over 50, the likelihood of you breaking another law or getting in trouble is almost slim or none, or once you get 45 and so on. That’s the research around the country. So these elderly people could be out, or people that are 45 or over could be out and would not pose any threat to the community. So there must be some money incentive involved in keeping them there. Can you talk a little bit about that, Jose? And then Donna, if you want to contribute?
Jose: We’re talking about a racist system that initially, they formulated this policy of mass incarceration. It didn’t start with the drug wars, like people think. It started with incarcerated leadership in our community. That was the whole idea, to incarcerate leadership. And the communities that supported this leadership that was involved with organized resistance to social and racial injustice. So we still have men and women languishing in prison since the ’70s, and they don’t care how much it costs to continue to imprison us. They feel that they can actually handle the costs, rather than let us go. And I think, and I’m firm believer, that the elders in prison, like myself, let Val Gator and like dozens and hundreds of others, we will benefit our communities. We are released, we’re not a threat. Not because sociologists and criminologists say so, but because we say so, because we have transformed our lives, we have helped countless others transform their life.
And once we are released, we continue with servicing our people, servicing our communities, and helping our communities build community power. And that’s what they don’t want. They don’t want leaders coming out of prison, and they see all of us as potential leaders coming out of prison. So we’re talking about racist system that’s really trying to keep our communities marginalized. And that’s the only reason. And it’s not a question about money because they don’t care. They’ll spend that extra hundreds and hundreds of… it costs almost $240,000 to keep a person like me in prison. 240 a year. 240 a year. So we got 10,000 elderly people in prison, you times that by 240,000, and you’ll see that tag, that price tag. And they [inaudible 00:11:27] to swallow that price tag, rather than to let us go, because they know that once we get out, reunited to our communities, in fact, we enhance community safety by the work services that we provide.
Donna Robinson: Since my involvement with the criminal injustice system, I have come in contact with kings, such as Jose, Anthony Dickson from parole prep, my dearest friend, former Black Panther member, Robert Seth Hayes. These are icons that can come back into the community, and they can mentor our young men, our young women, who may be thinking of doing something, because we know all it takes as a split second to make a bad decision and ruin the rest of their lives. They can sit down and tell them, “This is not what you want to do.” But as he said, it’s about oppression, further of people of color, taking them out of our communities. When we need them to be free. We need them to come home. We’ve submitted so many documents to the governor, to the State of New York, of elders who are redeemable, worthy of redemption, and should be home with their families and back into their communities. But they ignore us, as if we are invisible.
I always say, let’s tear down the prisons and plant marijuana. Okay. We’ve got to do something. We know that prison is a warehouse for slaves. They’re getting rich off of the backs of our brothers and sisters. And they’re not giving anything back to our future leaders.
Eddie Conway: Well, Jose, you already kind of answered why Governor Cuomo is not releasing anybody. And I’m very aware that it’s political, and it’s economic. What can people, loved ones, supporters, et cetera, both of you all can answer this, what can people do to put some fire up under the system, to get some of these elderly people out and to get people that no longer pose a threat, those people that’s 45 and beyond? What can the public do to push that?
Jose: [inaudible 00:13:56] advocates for two legislative initiatives, and one that’s administrative. And elder parole bill, which is in complement with the [inaudible 00:14:08] parole act. These two bills are a moderate approach to decarceration. Not decarceration toward an acceptable number, because there really isn’t an acceptable number, but decarceration towards something greater. And that’s to revisit the entire discussion of whether we need prisons, and to be in that discussion. But we’re talking about the elder parole bill will essentially… Everybody in New York State that’s serving a life sentence, a virtual life sentence, or life without parole sentence, or a number like 100 years, they will give them hope of returning back to their families and their home communities after serving 15 years. And once they reach 55 years old.
Now, again, 55 to some people, some legislators actually told me that, “Well, I’m 55 and I could commit a crime.” Well, it doesn’t apply to you. The thing about people… aging out of crime does not apply to a politician. Obviously, if you think you can still commit a crime and you over 55. But it’s a universal truth that people… I hate to use that term phase out of crime or age out of crime. It’s not that. It’s a process. A political, educational, conscious building process, that we come to terms with the harm, and we are willing to sacrifice to give back now.
And this transformation goes on every single day, just damn near 24/7 in New York State prisons, and I’m sure across prisons, across the entire nation. But we become, those who are impacted by the brutality of the system, becomes the most advocates, the better advocates for the system.
So, in essence, our bills, like I said, it’s a moderate approach toward ending mass incarceration. And just as important, to correct the injustice that was done 20, 30, 40 years ago, because some of these men are still languishing in prison.
And to assure that these injustices do not reoccur because the elder parole bill would give men and women 55 years, that have served 15 years… it didn’t take me 38 years to transform my life, doesn’t take anybody that long. In 15 years, a human being can transform his life, completely they become the best asset to their home communities, as well as to their families. And 55 is not that young, especially when you’ve done years of prison because of the health conditions and the brutality of the system.
But at least, men and woman will have this opportunity to return back to their families and whole communities. And we could revisit the whole concept, what is punishment? When is there enough punishment? And then we have to define what is justice. And we believe that if justice does not include valuing transformation over you elected, it’s not justice, it’s something else. And we think it’s more like revenge than justice. So our two bills would actually be a good first step toward getting these men and women out of prison who have already languished in there far too long, and make sure that others do not suffer the same fate that they did.
Eddie Conway: Donna, could you do a little followup on what the public, what people, loved ones, friends, supporters, or people that just want to make some changes, this prison industrial complex, what can they do?
Donna Robinson: I’m going to tell them to do what I did. Get off the side of the bed. It’s easy. Go login, rapcampaign.com. We have so many events and so many ways that you can become active. Use your voice. That’s the most… I guess the only thing that we have at this moment, that we can use. So use your voice. Tell your story. There are a lot of success stories of people who have been incarcerated. For example, I had a son also returned to me, February 5th, before the pandemic and the shutdown of the prisons. He had been in and out of the carceral system since the age of 16. He is now going to be almost 40 years old. Don’t be a… I tell people to be proactive. Don’t be reactive. Don’t wait until this situation lands on your doorstep, waiting to kick in your door and do a home invasion.
Come sit on the side of the bed because it’s too late. Know your rights, know who you can go to in time of assistance. If you’ve never been confronted with the criminal injustice system, which living while black seems to be a crime now. You really don’t even have to do anything. Walk outside of your door. Oh, you have on the same outfit as someone else, or you look like someone else, and then the red and blue lights come on. Take out your cell phone, whatever you have.
Start filming. We have things now that we didn’t have when I was a teenager, back in the ’70s. And when I think about how many people are still incarcerated, since I was in junior high school, that was the impetus for me to really do something about this. It’s something terribly wrong with the system, even though it’s working the way that it was designed to work, it needs to be torn completely down.
There’s nothing humane or redemptive about it or anything that’s going to make someone want to rehabilitate. There’s no rehabilitation in prison, unless you want that for yourself. You’ve got to want that. They don’t encourage that because you are a dollar sign to them. They use you to bottle the hand sanitizer, to do the slave labor. It blew my mind when I found out that right here in our backyard, they have people making coffins, working for the DMV. They perform duties that, once they’re released, they don’t even qualify for, to get hired. That is a travesty in itself.
So do something. Just don’t do nothing because the future generations, this is a generational curse. And our future generations depend on us becoming active, speaking out, using our voices to let them know enough is enough. This has got to stop. If not now, when?
Eddie Conway: All right. Thank you. And thank you, Donna, for joining me, and thank you, Jose, for joining me.
Donna Robinson: Thank you for having me.
Jose: Thank you for having us.
Donna Robinson: It’s a pleasure.
Eddie Conway: Great. Okay. And thank you for joining this episode of [inaudible 00:21:30].
Donna Robinson: Power to the people.
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino
Studio: Cameron Granadino
Production: Ericka Blount
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therealnews--2020-09-10--Smoke from climate change-fueled wildfires blocks out California sun

Smoke from climate-change fueled wildfires has blocked out the sun in Northern California ’ s Bay Area .
Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ already experienced “ the largest fire season we ’ ve had in recent recorded history.
@ @ @ @ @ ’ re facing now is the extreme fire events that we believe are climate-induced , @ @ @ @ @ I have no patience for climate-change deniers .
It ’ s inconsistent with the reality @ @ @ @ @ facts.
” As The Real News has reported , Newsom has approved 36 new fracking @ @ @ @ @ s moratorium earlier this year .

Smoke from climate-change fueled wildfires has blocked out the sun in Northern California’s Bay Area. Gov. Gavin Newsom said California has already experienced “the largest fire season we’ve had in recent recorded history.”
“The challenge we’re facing now is the extreme fire events that we believe are climate-induced,” Newsom said. “I have no patience for climate-change deniers. It’s inconsistent with the reality on the ground, the facts.”
As The Real News has reported, Newsom has approved 48 new fracking permits since lifting California’s moratorium earlier this year.
A view of a layer of smoke generated by the over two dozen wildfires burning in California created and eerie orange glow over mush of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States on September 09, 2020. Fortunately a marine layer kept the smoke well above the ground improving air quality in the area. Burak Arik/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Downtown San Francisco is seen from Dolores Park under an orange sky darkened by smoke from California wildfires in San Francisco, California, U.S. September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Lam Visitors are seen in Dolores Park under an orange sky darkened by smoke from California wildfires in San Francisco, California, U.S. September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Lam/TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY The Bay Bridge is seen under an orange sky darkened by the smoke from California wildfires in San Francisco, California, U.S., September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Stephen Lam Smoky skies from northern California wildfires cast a reddish color in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images A man rides a bicycle on the beach as smoke from California wildlife hangs over the skyline on September 9, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Liu Guanguan/China News Service via Getty Images
CORRECTION (Updated 09/12/2020): A previous version of this article stated that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved 36 new fracking permits since the state’s moratorium ended. He has, in fact, approved 48 permits.
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therealnews--2020-09-10--America’s settler colonialist roots explain how we see property rights

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Dr. Gerald Horne holds the John J. and Rebecca Moores Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. His research has addressed issues of racism in a variety of relations involving labor, politics, civil rights, international relations and war. Dr. Horne has also written extensively about the film industry. His latest book is The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America. Dr. Horne received his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and his B.A. from Princeton University.


therealnews--2020-09-11--California is burning because we have changed the climate

Climate change is making wildfires stronger while global warming makes heat waves more frequent , intense and longer-lasting .
As multiple wildfires rage across western states , including California , Oregon , and Washington , scientists warn that climate change is delaying the onset of winter rains in California , which will result in a prolonged wildfire season along the coast .
Making matters worse is the early start of the strong , extremely dry windy conditions known as the Santa Ana winds , along with back-to-back heatwaves , before California ’ s wildfire season arrives .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Sept. 10 report , “ approximately 14,000 firefighters remain on the line of 29 major wildfires burning across California.
” The report continues : “ Although 37 new fires were sparked yesterday , crews contained most of them quickly though two have grown to large wildfires.
” Since the beginning of the year the wildfires have burned over 3.1 million acres in California , with 12 fatalities recorded so far and over 3,900 structures destroyed .
“ This year ’ s fire season has been a record-breaking year , in not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but 6 of the top 20 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in 2020.
” Scores of people in the affected areas have complained about poor air quality from the smoke and ash raining down as fires gut swathes of forest and city structures across the states .
Epidemiologists are warning that the hazardous conditions can result in respiratory complications .
According to the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region , 30 extreme fires continue to rage across the region , burning down 1,032,860 acres across Oregon and Washington .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in just 48 hours .
Conditions are still hot , dry and windy , ” the service announced on Twitter .
As many as 500,000 residents in densely populated northwest Oregon are evacuating as fires close in .
Meanwhile , climate scientists say a complex series of weather events exacerbated the wildfires , with smoke from the fires reaching as far as Mexico and Canada .
Meanwhile , scores of residents from the affected areas took to social media , posting pictures and videos showing an eerie orange-colored sky caused by the thick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , resembling scenes right out of an apocalyptic horror flick .
Alexander Gershunov , a research meteorologist with Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego , told The Real News that two major heat waves within two weeks impacted most of the southwest and Pacific northwestern California : “ The convergence of heat and tropical moisture set the conditions that led to the lightning strikes which ignited most of the wildfires , ” Gershunov said .
Gershunov explained that the dry , windy season typically picks up in October , but fires are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or another .
“ These winds start in October and peak in December and are the main drivers of the wildfires .
But there is never lightning to ignite the fires , which is what happened this time around and is extremely rare.
” “ The windy season is now setting in at a time when the wildfires are already burning , ” Gershunov added .
“ California ’ s historic peak wildfire season [ October ] is still ahead of us , and these wildfires may just be a prelude to that.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ see how the rest of the fall and winters go in coastal California as we enter the peak wildfire season and we may want to discuss the climate issues.
” He noted that climate change is one of the main ingredients making the wildfire season longer and intense .
“ Climate Change is like steroids , boosting the wildfire seasons .
And global warming is making heat waves more frequent , intense and longer-lasting .
Back-to-back heat waves broke temperature records in all places and are an important ingredient in setting off early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , climate change is postponing the onset of the rainy season in California , which will cause more situations like the Thomas Fire—the massive wildfire ignited in Southern California in December 2017 , regarded as the biggest in the state ’ s history until an even bigger 2018 wildfire topped it .
“ If winter rains are delayed again then we are looking at a very long wildfire season in coastal California , ” Gershunov said .
David Orr , a Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus and senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told The Real News that the climate scientists are reluctant to definitively say these events are caused by climate change although the evidence is apparent .
“ We live in a radically altered world now .
There will be more of those lightning that started off the wildfires until there is not much left to burn .
And the West Coast was also hit by two hurricanes one after another .
This is not climate change .
It ’ s climate chaos.
” These fires are all predictable events , and much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the late 19th century about global warming and climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels , Orr explained .
“ Nothing here is unpredictable or should be unforeseen in the light of scientific research done for decades .
And what is happening in Washington is anything but , ” he remarked .
“ And yet fossil fuel is still getting tax breaks and Trump is in the White House because some people have vested interest in climate chaos .
”

Climate change is making wildfires stronger while global warming makes heat waves more frequent, intense and longer-lasting.
As multiple wildfires rage across western states, including California, Oregon, and Washington, scientists warn that climate change is delaying the onset of winter rains in California, which will result in a prolonged wildfire season along the coast.
Making matters worse is the early start of the strong, extremely dry windy conditions known as the Santa Ana winds, along with back-to-back heatwaves, before California’s wildfire season arrives.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Sept. 10 report, “approximately 14,000 firefighters remain on the line of 29 major wildfires burning across California.” The report continues: “Although 37 new fires were sparked yesterday, crews contained most of them quickly though two have grown to large wildfires.” Since the beginning of the year the wildfires have burned over 3.1 million acres in California, with 12 fatalities recorded so far and over 3,900 structures destroyed. “This year’s fire season has been a record-breaking year, in not only the total amount of acres burned, but 6 of the top 20 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in 2020.”
Scores of people in the affected areas have complained about poor air quality from the smoke and ash raining down as fires gut swathes of forest and city structures across the states. Epidemiologists are warning that the hazardous conditions can result in respiratory complications. According to the Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region, 30 extreme fires continue to rage across the region, burning down 1,032,860 acres across Oregon and Washington. “This is more than a 100% increase in just 48 hours. Conditions are still hot, dry and windy,” the service announced on Twitter.
As many as 500,000 residents in densely populated northwest Oregon are evacuating as fires close in.
Meanwhile, climate scientists say a complex series of weather events exacerbated the wildfires, with smoke from the fires reaching as far as Mexico and Canada. Meanwhile, scores of residents from the affected areas took to social media, posting pictures and videos showing an eerie orange-colored sky caused by the thick smoke cover that blotted out the sun, resembling scenes right out of an apocalyptic horror flick.
Alexander Gershunov, a research meteorologist with Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, told The Real News that two major heat waves within two weeks impacted most of the southwest and Pacific northwestern California: “The convergence of heat and tropical moisture set the conditions that led to the lightning strikes which ignited most of the wildfires,” Gershunov said.
Gershunov explained that the dry, windy season typically picks up in October, but fires are always caused by the humans one way or another. “These winds start in October and peak in December and are the main drivers of the wildfires. But there is never lightning to ignite the fires, which is what happened this time around and is extremely rare.”
“The windy season is now setting in at a time when the wildfires are already burning,” Gershunov added. “California’s historic peak wildfire season [October] is still ahead of us, and these wildfires may just be a prelude to that.”
Gershunov cautions that “we will see how the rest of the fall and winters go in coastal California as we enter the peak wildfire season and we may want to discuss the climate issues.” He noted that climate change is one of the main ingredients making the wildfire season longer and intense. “Climate Change is like steroids, boosting the wildfire seasons. And global warming is making heat waves more frequent, intense and longer-lasting. Back-to-back heat waves broke temperature records in all places and are an important ingredient in setting off early wildfire season.”
According to the researcher, climate change is postponing the onset of the rainy season in California, which will cause more situations like the Thomas Fire—the massive wildfire ignited in Southern California in December 2017, regarded as the biggest in the state’s history until an even bigger 2018 wildfire topped it.
“If winter rains are delayed again then we are looking at a very long wildfire season in coastal California,” Gershunov said.
David Orr, a Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus and senior advisor to the president of Oberlin College, told The Real News that the climate scientists are reluctant to definitively say these events are caused by climate change although the evidence is apparent. “We live in a radically altered world now. There will be more of those lightning that started off the wildfires until there is not much left to burn. And the West Coast was also hit by two hurricanes one after another. This is not climate change. It’s climate chaos.”
These fires are all predictable events, and much has been written as far back as the late 19th century about global warming and climate change induced by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, Orr explained.
“Nothing here is unpredictable or should be unforeseen in the light of scientific research done for decades. And what is happening in Washington is anything but,” he remarked. “And yet fossil fuel is still getting tax breaks and Trump is in the White House because some people have vested interest in climate chaos.”
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therealnews--2020-09-11--Why Are We Just Hearing Evidence Trump Knew Dangers of COVID Now?

President Donald Trump admitted to downplaying the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic despite having evidence to the contrary , newly published interviews with noted investigative journalist Bob Woodward revealed .
According to the interviews , Trump knew the virus was dangerous in January .
“ It goes through the air , ” Trump said during a Feb. 7 interview with Woodward .
“ That ’ s always tougher than the touch .
You don ’ t have to touch things .
Right ?
But the air , you just breathe the air and that ’ s how it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadly than even your strenuous flus.
” At a White House press briefing on Thursday , Sept. 10 , Trump was confronted over his lies .
“ Why did you lie to the American people ?
And why should we trust what you have to say now ?
” asked ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl .
“ I didn ’ t lie , what I said was we had to be calm , we can ’ t be panicked , ” Trump responded .
He was then asked whether he would stop downplaying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t want to jump up and down and scream ‘ death , ’ because that ’ s not what it ’ s about , ” Trump said .
There have been more than 190,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States while Trump and his campaign push conspiracy theories that the 2020 elections are being rigged against him and Antifa is coming to the suburbs .
Despite knowing about the threat back in January , Trump diminished the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak , pushed states to reopen quickly , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing guidelines .
A week after the Feb. 7 interview , Trump said at a White House briefing that the number of U.S. coronavirus cases “ within a couple days is going to be down close to zero.
” On Feb. 28 , Trump referred to coronavirus as Democrats ’ “ new hoax.
” Spreading fear and panic over exaggerated or invented threats has been a hallmark of Trump ’ s presidency .
Eight minutes after tweeting on Thursday morning that his public comments about COVID-19 were to maintain “ calm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots were a “ total fraud in the making.
” Trump has claimed , without evidence , that absentee ballots were “ rigged ” against him , and said he may not accept the election results if he loses .
One hour later , Trump again tweeted the baseless conspiracy theory that Democrats will allow suburbs to be overrun by “ anarchists ” and “ protesters.
” Later in Thursday ’ s press conference Trump said , “ If Bob Woodward thought it was bad he should have immediately gone out publicly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widely criticized for not publishing Trump ’ s comments when they were recorded , or when Trump ’ s public comments contradicted what he ’ d told Woodward in interviews , but instead waiting to release them with his upcoming book .
As a pandemic raged and Trump continued to mislead the public about its dangers , Woodward continued reporting .
Woodward said in an interview with The Washington Post that he didn ’ t have an agreement to withhold Trump ’ s comments until the publication of his book .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said , but as far as promising not to publish in real time , or signing such an agreement , “ I don ’ t do that.
” Woodward said his aim was to provide a fuller context than could occur in a news story : “ I knew I could tell the second draft of history , and I knew I could tell it before the election.
” 60 Minutes correspondent Wesley Lowery responded : “ When the president of the United States is publicly underplaying the seriousness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people to go to rallies/reopen businesses , while only privately acknowledging how deadly the virus is , the potential urgency to report should be obvious.
” This raises the question whether Woodward and the corporate media is holding the powerful accountable , or seeking ratings and profits at any cost .

President Donald Trump admitted to downplaying the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic despite having evidence to the contrary, newly published interviews with noted investigative journalist Bob Woodward revealed.
According to the interviews, Trump knew the virus was dangerous in January.
“It goes through the air,” Trump said during a Feb. 7 interview with Woodward. “That’s always tougher than the touch. You don’t have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus.”
At a White House press briefing on Thursday, Sept. 10, Trump was confronted over his lies.
“Why did you lie to the American people? And why should we trust what you have to say now?” asked ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl.
“I didn’t lie, what I said was we had to be calm, we can’t be panicked,” Trump responded.
He was then asked whether he would stop downplaying the threat of COVID-19.
“I don’t want to jump up and down and scream ‘death,’ because that’s not what it’s about,” Trump said.
There have been more than 190,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the United States while Trump and his campaign push conspiracy theories that the 2020 elections are being rigged against him and Antifa is coming to the suburbs.
Despite knowing about the threat back in January, Trump diminished the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, pushed states to reopen quickly, and has packed campaign events while flouting local social distancing guidelines. A week after the Feb. 7 interview, Trump said at a White House briefing that the number of U.S. coronavirus cases “within a couple days is going to be down close to zero.”
On Feb. 28, Trump referred to coronavirus as Democrats’ “new hoax.”
Spreading fear and panic over exaggerated or invented threats has been a hallmark of Trump’s presidency.
Eight minutes after tweeting on Thursday morning that his public comments about COVID-19 were to maintain “calm, no panic,” Trump tweeted mail-in ballots were a “total fraud in the making.” Trump has claimed, without evidence, that absentee ballots were “rigged” against him, and said he may not accept the election results if he loses.
One hour later, Trump again tweeted the baseless conspiracy theory that Democrats will allow suburbs to be overrun by “anarchists” and “protesters.”
Later in Thursday’s press conference Trump said, “If Bob Woodward thought it was bad he should have immediately gone out publicly, not waited four months.”
Woodward was widely criticized for not publishing Trump’s comments when they were recorded, or when Trump’s public comments contradicted what he’d told Woodward in interviews, but instead waiting to release them with his upcoming book. As a pandemic raged and Trump continued to mislead the public about its dangers, Woodward continued reporting. Woodward said in an interview with The Washington Post that he didn’t have an agreement to withhold Trump’s comments until the publication of his book.
“I told him it was for the book,” he said, but as far as promising not to publish in real time, or signing such an agreement, “I don’t do that.”
Woodward said his aim was to provide a fuller context than could occur in a news story: “I knew I could tell the second draft of history, and I knew I could tell it before the election.”
60 Minutes correspondent Wesley Lowery responded: “When the president of the United States is publicly underplaying the seriousness of a global pandemic and at times encouraging people to go to rallies/reopen businesses, while only privately acknowledging how deadly the virus is, the potential urgency to report should be obvious.”
This raises the question whether Woodward and the corporate media is holding the powerful accountable, or seeking ratings and profits at any cost.
Related
Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.


therealnews--2020-09-11--Washington Mystics’ Myisha Hines-Allen, Ariel Atkins lead efforts in WNBA’s bubble

Washington Mystics forward Myisha Hines-Allen took a few extra seconds before she answered what has become a daunting question : “ How are you , really ?
” “ I ’ m surviving , ” Hines-Allen , in her third year with the Washington Mystics , said during a Zoom media availability Thursday , Sept. 3 .
The Mystics were coming off their third game in six days after the WNBA players ’ wildcat strike on Aug. 28 .
Hines-Allen and teammate Ariel Atkins were the catalysts for another display of unity inside the league ’ s single site at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the Mystics announced they would not play , mirroring the NBA ’ s same action in a playoff game earlier that day .
The team arrived at the court in white shirts with seven gunshot wounds painted on their backs .
It was a stark reminder that just days prior , Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey fired the same number of shots into Jacob Blake ’ s back at point-blank range in front of his three children—ages 3 , 5 and 8—who were all in the car .
Blake survived , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was time for the Mystics to take another stand .
Every action leading up to the announcement they would not play in their scheduled game against the Atlanta Dream was intentional ; all of the players ’ actions this season , whether inside the bubble or within their respective communities , have been intentional .
Shortly after the WNBA announced it would move its 12 teams into a “ bubble ” —a restricted single sitewhere all players would stay for the season to limit COVID-19 exposure—to start the 2020 season originally scheduled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in partnership with the Women ’ s National Basketball Players Association , this season would be dedicated to social justice .
A number of players opted out of playing this year , citing concerns about COVID-19 and that the season would interfere with their ongoing social justice work .
But the ones that decided to participate are part of a collective effort to keep the Black Lives Matter movement in America ’ s collective consciousness throughout the course of the now 22-game season .
“ Black Lives Matter ” adorned the courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Angel McCoughtry petitioned for Breonna Taylor ’ s name to be on the backs of their jerseys , the WNBA continued to Say Her Name by dedicating the season to Taylor , a 26-year-old emergency room technician who was killed in her sleep by members of the Louisville Metro Police Department , which issued a no-knock warrant .
Players continued to set the standard of player , and league , activism , delivering impassioned speeches before games , a number of them dedicated to Black women who died at the hands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this season to Breonna Taylor , an outstanding EMT who was murdered over 130 days ago in her home .
Breonna Taylor was dedicated and committed to uplifting everyone around her , ” New York Liberty ’ s eighth-year guard Layshia Clarendon said before tipoff of the first WNBA game of the season .
“ We are also dedicating this season to ‘ Say Her Name ’ campaign , a campaign committed to saying the names and fighting for justice for Black women , Black women who are so often forgotten in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have people marching in the streets for them .
We will say her name .
Sandra Bland .
Atatiana Jefferson .
Dominique Remy Fells .
And Breonna Taylor .
We will be a voice for the voiceless.
” Those in the bubble have to balance a rigorous , competitive schedule with the realities of being a Black person in the United States .
The WNBA is largely made up of Black women—of the 144 players holding roster spots in the WNBA in 2019 , at least 127 are Black or women of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Tamryn Spruill—and when issues of racism and violence wielded against Black bodies are discussed , the onus always and unfairly falls on these women , including some of the league ’ s biggest stars .
One of the WNBA ’ s most consistent players , Minnesota Lynx ’ s Maya Moore , who was playing the best basketball of her career , famously opted out of the 2019 season in pursuit of criminal justice reform and turning over the wrongful conviction of Jonathan Irons , whose 50-year prison sentence for burglary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Natasha Cloud , a fifth-year guard for the Mystics , was one of the players who opted out of playing this season in the bubble .
In the time since , Cloud—who has advocated for various social justice issues in previous seasons—has continued work within her community and assisted athletes , including her teammates , with their own forms of activism .
Atkins weighed the same decision but ultimately joined Washington in the bubble , and she has , along with Hines-Allen , become one of the team ’ s emerging leaders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agent addition Tina Charles are not in the bubble due to health reasons .
The strides Atkins and Hines-Allen have made in this short time are in part due to the support from teammates from afar , including Cloud .
In an op-ed for The Athletic , Cloud detailed how she challenged the team ’ s two leaders to think about sitting out their next game .
“ On Tuesday night , I was thinking about trying to play right now , and I was like , ‘ I know if I were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
Whether the team followed me or not , I would not have played , ’ ” Cloud wrote .
“ And I don ’ t want to step on anyone ’ s toes , because again , I ’ m not in the bubble .
And I made the decision to opt out exactly for this reason—because I can ’ t compartmentalize having the luxury of dribbling a basketball while people who look like me are being shot and killed every single day , many by the hands of police.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teammates inside the bubble and texted Atkins , which sparked a deeper conversation with Hines-Allen that ultimately led to the team ’ s collective decision .
“ They really challenged me to just say , ‘ No , this is not the time , ’ and as much as people think that we were going to solve racism sitting out one game , that ’ s not the case , ” Atkins said in a recent media availability .
“ Racism is a problem that ’ s been going on for so long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that are going to change it , if you want to be quite frank , directly basketball doesn ’ t affect politics , but we do understand we ’ re visible .
We do understand that people see us , and we understand that people hear us when we speak.
” Atkins ’ voice was being heard .
The united front of the players both in and away from Florida was again being recognized , but just as the WNBA has been at the forefront of the social justice movement in sports , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves .
More for their families .
More for their communities .
“ We ’ re still demanding justice , ” Atkins said .
“ We ’ re still fighting for the lives of the people that are survived by the victims who lost their lives at the hands of police authority .
So , I mean , I ’ m personally , I ’ m alright .
I ’ m here fighting for what I can and trying to make sure everybody understands that we aren ’ t just basketball players , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hear those families , and we want them to know we ’ re there for them.
” It ’ s not lost on any of these women that when they put on a jersey to honor Taylor , when they say her name , her family is reliving the moment they lost her .
“ It ’ s not just about how heavy our hearts are but understanding that these families have to go through this every day , ” Atkins said .
“ So , being aware of that and not being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , we ’ re basketball players and I ’ m thankful to do this , but this work isn ’ t just about being seen.
” This work dates back years to when Cloud and the Mystics fought for gun reform and when the Minnesota Lynx said enough after the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile , Black men who were killed by police in the span of a week in July 2016 .
This is why Moore decided to sit out another WNBA season .
Players both in-season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have set a new standard in player activism .
Their way was paved by sport martyrs like Olympian ’ s Tommie Smith and John Carlos and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick .
WNBA players have innovated ways to continue the movement and bring the message to more people—These players are the vanguard when it comes to athlete protests .
As the league draws in more fans and viewers than ever before , including 63 % more viewership from 2020 ’ s opening weekend than the 2019 regular-season average , it remains mostly about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women , these Black women and Black bodies everywhere matter .
Their wildcat strike was another statement they needed to make .
“ When we take off our jerseys , when we leave this bubble , we ’ re going to step into that real world and it could be us whose dying at the hands of police brutality , ” Hines-Allen said .
“ We just have to learn how to step away from basketball and realize we have a platform , we have a voice , let ’ s use it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do it also .
This is bigger than basketball .
We ’ re bigger than basketball so let ’ s continue to use our voice to try and make change .
”

Washington Mystics forward Myisha Hines-Allen took a few extra seconds before she answered what has become a daunting question: “How are you, really?”
“I’m surviving,” Hines-Allen, in her third year with the Washington Mystics, said during a Zoom media availability Thursday, Sept. 3.
The Mystics were coming off their third game in six days after the WNBA players’ wildcat strike on Aug. 28. Hines-Allen and teammate Ariel Atkins were the catalysts for another display of unity inside the league’s single site at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, when the Mystics announced they would not play, mirroring the NBA’s same action in a playoff game earlier that day.
The team arrived at the court in white shirts with seven gunshot wounds painted on their backs. It was a stark reminder that just days prior, Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey fired the same number of shots into Jacob Blake’s back at point-blank range in front of his three children—ages 3, 5 and 8—who were all in the car.
Blake survived, but he wasn’t supposed to. It was time for the Mystics to take another stand.
Every action leading up to the announcement they would not play in their scheduled game against the Atlanta Dream was intentional; all of the players’ actions this season, whether inside the bubble or within their respective communities, have been intentional. Shortly after the WNBA announced it would move its 12 teams into a “bubble”—a restricted single sitewhere all players would stay for the season to limit COVID-19 exposure—to start the 2020 season originally scheduled to begin in mid-May, it revealed, in partnership with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, this season would be dedicated to social justice. A number of players opted out of playing this year, citing concerns about COVID-19 and that the season would interfere with their ongoing social justice work. But the ones that decided to participate are part of a collective effort to keep the Black Lives Matter movement in America’s collective consciousness throughout the course of the now 22-game season.
“Black Lives Matter” adorned the courts, and, after Las Vegas Aces’ Angel McCoughtry petitioned for Breonna Taylor’s name to be on the backs of their jerseys, the WNBA continued to Say Her Name by dedicating the season to Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician who was killed in her sleep by members of the Louisville Metro Police Department, which issued a no-knock warrant.
Players continued to set the standard of player, and league, activism, delivering impassioned speeches before games, a number of them dedicated to Black women who died at the hands of law enforcement.
“We are dedicating this season to Breonna Taylor, an outstanding EMT who was murdered over 130 days ago in her home. Breonna Taylor was dedicated and committed to uplifting everyone around her,” New York Liberty’s eighth-year guard Layshia Clarendon said before tipoff of the first WNBA game of the season. “We are also dedicating this season to ‘Say Her Name’ campaign, a campaign committed to saying the names and fighting for justice for Black women, Black women who are so often forgotten in this fight for justice, who do not have people marching in the streets for them. We will say her name. Sandra Bland. Atatiana Jefferson. Dominique Remy Fells. And Breonna Taylor. We will be a voice for the voiceless.”
Those in the bubble have to balance a rigorous, competitive schedule with the realities of being a Black person in the United States. The WNBA is largely made up of Black women—of the 144 players holding roster spots in the WNBA in 2019, at least 127 are Black or women of color, according to statistics from Swish Appeal’s Tamryn Spruill—and when issues of racism and violence wielded against Black bodies are discussed, the onus always and unfairly falls on these women, including some of the league’s biggest stars. One of the WNBA’s most consistent players, Minnesota Lynx’s Maya Moore, who was playing the best basketball of her career, famously opted out of the 2019 season in pursuit of criminal justice reform and turning over the wrongful conviction of Jonathan Irons, whose 50-year prison sentence for burglary and assault charges was overturned July 1.
Natasha Cloud, a fifth-year guard for the Mystics, was one of the players who opted out of playing this season in the bubble. In the time since, Cloud—who has advocated for various social justice issues in previous seasons—has continued work within her community and assisted athletes, including her teammates, with their own forms of activism. Atkins weighed the same decision but ultimately joined Washington in the bubble, and she has, along with Hines-Allen, become one of the team’s emerging leaders. Star Elena Delle Donne and free agent addition Tina Charles are not in the bubble due to health reasons. The strides Atkins and Hines-Allen have made in this short time are in part due to the support from teammates from afar, including Cloud.
In an op-ed for The Athletic, Cloud detailed how she challenged the team’s two leaders to think about sitting out their next game.
“On Tuesday night, I was thinking about trying to play right now, and I was like, ‘I know if I were there, I would’ve sat out. Whether the team followed me or not, I would not have played,’” Cloud wrote. “And I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, because again, I’m not in the bubble. And I made the decision to opt out exactly for this reason—because I can’t compartmentalize having the luxury of dribbling a basketball while people who look like me are being shot and killed every single day, many by the hands of police.”
Cloud began communicating these feelings explicitly with teammates inside the bubble and texted Atkins, which sparked a deeper conversation with Hines-Allen that ultimately led to the team’s collective decision.
“They really challenged me to just say, ‘No, this is not the time,’ and as much as people think that we were going to solve racism sitting out one game, that’s not the case,” Atkins said in a recent media availability. “Racism is a problem that’s been going on for so long; we’re not the ones that are going to change it, if you want to be quite frank, directly basketball doesn’t affect politics, but we do understand we’re visible. We do understand that people see us, and we understand that people hear us when we speak.”
Atkins’ voice was being heard. The united front of the players both in and away from Florida was again being recognized, but just as the WNBA has been at the forefront of the social justice movement in sports, its players want more. More for themselves. More for their families. More for their communities.
“We’re still demanding justice,” Atkins said. “We’re still fighting for the lives of the people that are survived by the victims who lost their lives at the hands of police authority. So, I mean, I’m personally, I’m alright. I’m here fighting for what I can and trying to make sure everybody understands that we aren’t just basketball players, we care about those families. We hear those families, and we want them to know we’re there for them.”
It’s not lost on any of these women that when they put on a jersey to honor Taylor, when they say her name, her family is reliving the moment they lost her.
“It’s not just about how heavy our hearts are but understanding that these families have to go through this every day,” Atkins said. “So, being aware of that and not being ignorant to that fact and understanding that, of course, we’re basketball players and I’m thankful to do this, but this work isn’t just about being seen.”
This work dates back years to when Cloud and the Mystics fought for gun reform and when the Minnesota Lynx said enough after the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Black men who were killed by police in the span of a week in July 2016. This is why Moore decided to sit out another WNBA season. Players both in-season and continuing the work on their own have set a new standard in player activism. Their way was paved by sport martyrs like Olympian’s Tommie Smith and John Carlos and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. WNBA players have innovated ways to continue the movement and bring the message to more people—These players are the vanguard when it comes to athlete protests.
As the league draws in more fans and viewers than ever before, including 63% more viewership from 2020’s opening weekend than the 2019 regular-season average, it remains mostly about the message. The one that these women, these Black women and Black bodies everywhere matter. Their wildcat strike was another statement they needed to make.
“When we take off our jerseys, when we leave this bubble, we’re going to step into that real world and it could be us whose dying at the hands of police brutality,” Hines-Allen said. “We just have to learn how to step away from basketball and realize we have a platform, we have a voice, let’s use it. I think it was perfect timing to do it also. This is bigger than basketball. We’re bigger than basketball so let’s continue to use our voice to try and make change.”
Related
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therealnews--2020-09-14--Sanders supporters strike surprise blow against Rhode Island’s Democratic establishment

Donald Trump : This will be the most corrupt election in the history of our country .
Jaisal Noor : Welcome to The Real News .
I ’ m Jaisal Noor .
The nation ’ s focus is already shifting to the general election , but there are still important primaries taking place across the country where Progressives had growing success this year in taking on the Democratic Party establishment .
Speaker 3 : Very strong showing for the Progressive wing of Rhode Island Democratic party .
Some longtime Senators are out .
Over in the House , some big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership .
Kimberly Dicupe : We were done with inside deals and sweetheart deals and the things that our State House had been known for .
Jaisal Noor : This trend continued in deep blue Rhode Island , where the Rhode Island Political Cooperative , Working Families Party , Sunrise Movement , the Democratic Socialists of America helped Progressive candidates to feed more than a dozen Conservative Democrats who were backed by a party establishment known for opposing abortion rights and embracing neoliberalism .
Candidates backed by Reclaim Rhode Island , a group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went four for four in their races .
Well , we ’ re joined by two organizers with Reclaim Rhode Island .
Kinverly Dicupe is a Cultural Co-Director of Reclaim Rhode Island , Co-Chair the Providence DSA , and Field Director for the campaign of Senator Sam Bell , who defeated his primary challenger .
And Daniel Denver is Co-Chair of Reclaim Rhode Island and host of the Dig Podcast from Jacobin .
Thank you both for joining us .
Kimberly Dicupe : Thank you so much for having us .
Daniel Denvir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Noor : So Kimberly , let ’ s start with you .
We were talking before we started this interview and one of the establishment ’ s top priorities in this race was defeating Sam Bell , and it ’ s worth mentioning that the establishment endorsed a number of candidates who were not Progressives this year .
What message was sent to the Democratic Party establishment in Rhode Island , which is known for , as I mentioned , embracing austerity , embracing neoliberalism and things like opposing abortion rights in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean , we sent a big message that the winds are changing here in Rhode Island .
Senator Sam Bell was their top priority to take out specifically because he was an unabashed Progressive who would call them out and vote against their bills and things of that sort .
But he ended up winning with a landslide and beat his opponent with a 70 % margin rate in her own backyard .
This is just unheard of stuff , especially since the leadership here in Rhode , they ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m sure this took them by surprise , but Progressives are gaining power here in Rhode Island and you either start advocating for the people and being on behalf of Medicare for all , Green New Deal , $ 15 minimum wage , or you ’ re going to get taken out .
That ’ s what it is .
Jaisal Noor : And Daniel , so the Democratic Party establishment has held a grip on the state of Rhode Island for the better half of this past century , and just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we ’ ve seen a growing number of Progressives win office .
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez , perhaps most famously .
We ’ ve seen a number of big Congressional races this year , people like Cory Bush in Missouri and Jamal Bowman in New York taking off incumbents with decades of experience .
Why do you think the message of Progressive values is resonating so much with voters this year ?
Daniel Denvir : Well , those victories also have knock-on effects .
It occurs to me that I think our youngest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have it right , was inspired to get involved in Left Progressive politics by AOC ’ s example .
But , really , I think people in general and young people in particular just have to look around .
The West coast is on fire .
We need a Green New Deal .
COVID is massacring people in this country .
We need Medicare for all .
People don ’ t have what they need to survive and the private sector is not providing it .
We need the state , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that doesn ’ t murder people .
That ’ s why we ’ ve seen mass uprisings this year .
So I think across the board , in terms of economic justice , social justice , racial justice , environmental justice , that conditions are making it clear that the Left has the only solutions that make sense to these just incredible problems that have become impossible to deny in this country .
Jaisal Noor : So Kimberly , we know that Reclaim Rhode Island and the DSA and other groups were canvassing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finding ways to connect with voters .
Talk about the importance of that and what lessons you learned just engaging with folks and what kind of changes do ordinary folks want to see right now ?
Kimberly Dicupe : Well , when I was on the doors , a lot of people were hesitant to go knock doors because it was a pandemic and many thought voters weren ’ t going to be open to having a conversation .
But I found that nobody really refused to have a conversation with the me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Probably wanting to talk to people .
Right ?
Kimberly Dicupe : Yeah .
Many people were excited to talk to me , wanted to basically have their opinions heard on what was going on , so people were eager to basically hear out the candidates .
But we kept it safe , six feet apart , masks always , hand sanitizer , gloves .
But you one of the things I had told David Morales , which was one of the winning candidates , was that the only way that a Progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s no other way to do it .
So we need to do it as safely as we can , but we do need to get out on the doors and I think that was part of the reason why Progressives one so big because Progressives were out on the doors 24/7 .
The incumbents were doing lit drops .
Daniel Denvir : Yeah .
We had people , Reclaim , we were knocking doors all over the place every weekend for all four of our candidates through Rhode Island Political Cooperative and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the establishment doesn ’ t have people .
And it turns out that politics is all about organizing people and convincing them that , yes , it does make a difference to get involved .
And I think we should emphasize that there ’ s a lot of caricatures about what kind of districts Progressives and Leftists can win in .
Leonela Felix , a candidate that Reclaim worked very hard on , on her race alongside Rhode Island Working Families Party , she ’ s a young , Progressive , Dominican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working class district in Pawtucket .
Our ideas resonate all over the place .
Leonela ’ s victory in particular means that there ’ s not a single legislator in Rhode Island , okay , that ’ s an exaggeration , that there are a few legislators in Rhode Island who are safe from a Progressive challenger and they should all consider themselves as they consider the budget right now , on notice .
Jaisal Noor : And we know there ’ s many states around the country , including right here in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority but yet are failing in many people ’ s opinion to stand up to a Republican Governor who has not done enough to stop evictions and to just cut hazard pay for a frontline union workers employed by the state .
What lessons have you learned that you think other people across the country should know about ?
Kimberly Dicupe : Well , I would say Rhode Island is a one party state .
We ’ re all Democrats across the board .
Very , very few Republicans .
We always have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t brought us , our working class people , here in Rhode Island anything of benefit .
It really matters what type of Democrat you are .
Not all Democrats are the same .
That Democrat who comes from their district and represents working class people is a different Democrat from somebody who takes Wall Street money , corporate money , and doesn ’ t have an agenda that works for everyone because they ’ re mainly there for career ambitious .
Daniel Denvir : Yeah .
Our Governor , Gina Raimondo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a case in point .
She endorsed Michael Bloomberg during the Presidential primary .
And though she has done a good job managing the public health aspects of COVID compared to the right wing , crazy Governors we see out here , and yet COVID has showed the benefit of just living in a plain blue state .
But right now , what she ’ s doing with the economic crisis is unconscionable .
She is raiding funding for the poorest cities and towns in the state seemingly illegally .
Kimberly Dicupe : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up despite that , once again , Rhode Island is an all blue state , but our public schools are crumbling , fungus all over the place , things broken that have never been fixed .
And yet she wants hundreds of people it ’ s going into this building .
Yet you can ’ t have a backyard party with 15 people because that will spread COVID but you can have hundreds of people in a building that ’ s not outfitted at all for any type of safety and .
hasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Daniel Denvir : Yeah .
And I think Rhode Island , the opportunity here at being a small one party state , the win numbers , the numbers we needed to win these races are very small and people elsewhere might say , “ So what you ’ re a small state ?
” Well , we have two U.S .
Senators and those races have win numbers that are similar to a U.S. House seat .
Jaisal Noor : And so talk about what ’ s next because securing these victories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to have to get passed .
There ’ s going to be coalitions that need to get built .
In the State House next year , what ’ s top of the agenda for Rhode Island Progressives and what ’ s the plan to get that work accomplished ?
Daniel Denvir : I think one top priority is getting all the Left orgs and Progressive organizations in the state , especially those groups that worked so hard on these huge electoral successes , the Rhode Island Political Cooperative , Sunrise , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a table together so that we can organize our elected so that they can act as a Progressive block in the State Legislature .
Because we haven ’ t just lacked Progressives in quantity , in terms of their quantity in the State Legislature .
But in terms of the quality of what sort of action they ’ re taking , they haven ’ t been cohesive and organized enough to stand up to leadership and to push a transformative agenda .
So I think that ’ s a top priority .
Kimberly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has said .
Jaisal Noor : All right , we want to thank you both for joining us and talking about this important victory .
Like you said , Rhode Island might be a small state , but it ’ s still an important state and it ’ s still as two U.S .
Senators , which will be up for reelection in the upcoming year .
So there ’ s still going to be a lot more to follow from Rhode Island .
Thank you both for joining us .
Kimberly Dicupe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denvir : Thank you and thank you to Kimberly and everyone in Reclaim who ’ s put this organization together , and to all of our partner Progressive orgs in Rhode Island for this huge victory .
Kimberly Dicupe : And the people as well , who delivered it .
Jaisal Noor : And thank you for joining us at the Real News Network .
And a reminder to our viewers , we ’ re in the middle of a fundraising drive .
If you enjoy footage like this , talking to these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Progressive causes , Progressive races , and positive stories in these troubled times , go to the realnews.com and find out how you can donate today .
Thank you so much for joining .

Progressives in Rhode Island explain how grassroots organizers, inspired by Bernie and AOC, defeated the state’s powerful Democratic machine.
Story Transcript
Donald Trump: This will be the most corrupt election in the history of our country.
Jaisal Noor: Welcome to The Real News. I’m Jaisal Noor. The nation’s focus is already shifting to the general election, but there are still important primaries taking place across the country where Progressives had growing success this year in taking on the Democratic Party establishment.
Speaker 3: Very strong showing for the Progressive wing of Rhode Island Democratic party. Some longtime Senators are out. Over in the House, some big upsets too, with some shakeups and leadership.
Kimberly Dicupe: We were done with inside deals and sweetheart deals and the things that our State House had been known for.
Jaisal Noor: This trend continued in deep blue Rhode Island, where the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, Working Families Party, Sunrise Movement, the Democratic Socialists of America helped Progressive candidates to feed more than a dozen Conservative Democrats who were backed by a party establishment known for opposing abortion rights and embracing neoliberalism. Candidates backed by Reclaim Rhode Island, a group inspired by the Bernie Sanders campaign, went four for four in their races. Well, we’re joined by two organizers with Reclaim Rhode Island. Kinverly Dicupe is a Cultural Co-Director of Reclaim Rhode Island, Co-Chair the Providence DSA, and Field Director for the campaign of Senator Sam Bell, who defeated his primary challenger. And Daniel Denver is Co-Chair of Reclaim Rhode Island and host of the Dig Podcast from Jacobin. Thank you both for joining us.
Kimberly Dicupe: Thank you so much for having us.
Daniel Denvir: Thank you so much.
Jaisal Noor: So Kimberly, let’s start with you. We were talking before we started this interview and one of the establishment’s top priorities in this race was defeating Sam Bell, and it’s worth mentioning that the establishment endorsed a number of candidates who were not Progressives this year. What message was sent to the Democratic Party establishment in Rhode Island, which is known for, as I mentioned, embracing austerity, embracing neoliberalism and things like opposing abortion rights in a deep blue state?
Kimberly Dicupe: I mean, we sent a big message that the winds are changing here in Rhode Island. Senator Sam Bell was their top priority to take out specifically because he was an unabashed Progressive who would call them out and vote against their bills and things of that sort. But he ended up winning with a landslide and beat his opponent with a 70% margin rate in her own backyard. This is just unheard of stuff, especially since the leadership here in Rhode, they’ve been very powerful for decades. So I’m sure this took them by surprise, but Progressives are gaining power here in Rhode Island and you either start advocating for the people and being on behalf of Medicare for all, Green New Deal, $15 minimum wage, or you’re going to get taken out. That’s what it is.
Jaisal Noor: And Daniel, so the Democratic Party establishment has held a grip on the state of Rhode Island for the better half of this past century, and just in the last few years, really, we’ve seen a growing number of Progressives win office. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, perhaps most famously. We’ve seen a number of big Congressional races this year, people like Cory Bush in Missouri and Jamal Bowman in New York taking off incumbents with decades of experience. Why do you think the message of Progressive values is resonating so much with voters this year?
Daniel Denvir: Well, those victories also have knock-on effects. It occurs to me that I think our youngest member, who is 18, if I have it right, was inspired to get involved in Left Progressive politics by AOC’s example. But, really, I think people in general and young people in particular just have to look around. The West coast is on fire. We need a Green New Deal. COVID is massacring people in this country. We need Medicare for all. People don’t have what they need to survive and the private sector is not providing it. We need the state, a state that takes care of people, that doesn’t murder people. That’s why we’ve seen mass uprisings this year. So I think across the board, in terms of economic justice, social justice, racial justice, environmental justice, that conditions are making it clear that the Left has the only solutions that make sense to these just incredible problems that have become impossible to deny in this country.
Jaisal Noor: So Kimberly, we know that Reclaim Rhode Island and the DSA and other groups were canvassing during a pandemic and reaching voters, finding ways to connect with voters. Talk about the importance of that and what lessons you learned just engaging with folks and what kind of changes do ordinary folks want to see right now?
Kimberly Dicupe: Well, when I was on the doors, a lot of people were hesitant to go knock doors because it was a pandemic and many thought voters weren’t going to be open to having a conversation. But I found that nobody really refused to have a conversation with the me during the pandemic.
Jaisal Noor: Probably wanting to talk to people. Right?
Kimberly Dicupe: Yeah. Many people were excited to talk to me, wanted to basically have their opinions heard on what was going on, so people were eager to basically hear out the candidates. But we kept it safe, six feet apart, masks always, hand sanitizer, gloves. But you one of the things I had told David Morales, which was one of the winning candidates, was that the only way that a Progressive candidate wins is canvassing. There’s no other way to do it. So we need to do it as safely as we can, but we do need to get out on the doors and I think that was part of the reason why Progressives one so big because Progressives were out on the doors 24/7. The incumbents were doing lit drops.
Daniel Denvir: Yeah. We had people, Reclaim, we were knocking doors all over the place every weekend for all four of our candidates through Rhode Island Political Cooperative and Sunrise and DSA were doing the same and the establishment doesn’t have people. And it turns out that politics is all about organizing people and convincing them that, yes, it does make a difference to get involved. And I think we should emphasize that there’s a lot of caricatures about what kind of districts Progressives and Leftists can win in. Leonela Felix, a candidate that Reclaim worked very hard on, on her race alongside Rhode Island Working Families Party, she’s a young, Progressive, Dominican woman who won in a thoroughly White working class district in Pawtucket. Our ideas resonate all over the place.
Leonela’s victory in particular means that there’s not a single legislator in Rhode Island, okay, that’s an exaggeration, that there are a few legislators in Rhode Island who are safe from a Progressive challenger and they should all consider themselves as they consider the budget right now, on notice.
Jaisal Noor: And we know there’s many states around the country, including right here in Maryland, where Democrats have a super majority but yet are failing in many people’s opinion to stand up to a Republican Governor who has not done enough to stop evictions and to just cut hazard pay for a frontline union workers employed by the state. What lessons have you learned that you think other people across the country should know about?
Kimberly Dicupe: Well, I would say Rhode Island is a one party state. We’re all Democrats across the board. Very, very few Republicans. We always have super majorities here and that hasn’t brought us, our working class people, here in Rhode Island anything of benefit. It really matters what type of Democrat you are. Not all Democrats are the same. That Democrat who comes from their district and represents working class people is a different Democrat from somebody who takes Wall Street money, corporate money, and doesn’t have an agenda that works for everyone because they’re mainly there for career ambitious.
Daniel Denvir: Yeah. Our Governor, Gina Raimondo, who’s a Democrat, is a case in point. She endorsed Michael Bloomberg during the Presidential primary. And though she has done a good job managing the public health aspects of COVID compared to the right wing, crazy Governors we see out here, and yet COVID has showed the benefit of just living in a plain blue state. But right now, what she’s doing with the economic crisis is unconscionable. She is raiding funding for the poorest cities and towns in the state seemingly illegally.
Kimberly Dicupe: She’s forcing schools to open up despite that, once again, Rhode Island is an all blue state, but our public schools are crumbling, fungus all over the place, things broken that have never been fixed. And yet she wants hundreds of people it’s going into this building. Yet you can’t have a backyard party with 15 people because that will spread COVID but you can have hundreds of people in a building that’s not outfitted at all for any type of safety and. hasn’t been cleaned properly or anything.
Daniel Denvir: Yeah. And I think Rhode Island, the opportunity here at being a small one party state, the win numbers, the numbers we needed to win these races are very small and people elsewhere might say, “So what you’re a small state?” Well, we have two U.S. Senators and those races have win numbers that are similar to a U.S. House seat.
Jaisal Noor: And so talk about what’s next because securing these victories is just the first step. Laws are going to have to get passed. There’s going to be coalitions that need to get built. In the State House next year, what’s top of the agenda for Rhode Island Progressives and what’s the plan to get that work accomplished?
Daniel Denvir: I think one top priority is getting all the Left orgs and Progressive organizations in the state, especially those groups that worked so hard on these huge electoral successes, the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, Sunrise, DSA, WFP, Reclaim all at a table together so that we can organize our elected so that they can act as a Progressive block in the State Legislature. Because we haven’t just lacked Progressives in quantity, in terms of their quantity in the State Legislature. But in terms of the quality of what sort of action they’re taking, they haven’t been cohesive and organized enough to stand up to leadership and to push a transformative agenda. So I think that’s a top priority.
Kimberly Dicupe: Totally agree with everything Daniel has said.
Jaisal Noor: All right, we want to thank you both for joining us and talking about this important victory. Like you said, Rhode Island might be a small state, but it’s still an important state and it’s still as two U.S. Senators, which will be up for reelection in the upcoming year. So there’s still going to be a lot more to follow from Rhode Island. Thank you both for joining us.
Kimberly Dicupe: Thank you so much.
Daniel Denvir: Thank you and thank you to Kimberly and everyone in Reclaim who’s put this organization together, and to all of our partner Progressive orgs in Rhode Island for this huge victory.
Kimberly Dicupe: And the people as well, who delivered it.
Daniel Denvir: Indeed.
Jaisal Noor: And thank you for joining us at the Real News Network. And a reminder to our viewers, we’re in the middle of a fundraising drive. If you enjoy footage like this, talking to these guests from across the country, talking about Progressive causes, Progressive races, and positive stories in these troubled times, go to the realnews.com and find out how you can donate today. Thank you so much for joining.
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therealnews--2020-09-14--Underpaid and at risk, graduate workers protest college reopening plans

The three demands outlined in the petition by Northern Michigan University ’ s Graduate Student Advancement Committee ( GSAC ) to the school ’ s president , dean , and board of trustees prior to the start of fall semester 2020 were simple : Provide permanent healthcare solutions to all graduate employees without detracting from their yearly salary .
Allow any graduate employee to teach remotely until the pandemic is over .
And for those who must work in person , provide hazard pay at 25 % of their standard hourly wage .
As of Sept. 10 , NMU , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under 8,000 students , has made zero concessions to the petition ’ s demands , leaving graduate assistants ( GAs ) disheartened and fearful for the year ahead .
GAs at colleges and universities around the country have long fought for salaries and benefits on par with those of non-student faculty members .
Amidst COVID-19 , the battle for improved working conditions has an increased sense of urgency .
At Georgetown University , graduate workers aligned with Georgetown ’ s national and international undergraduate and graduate students to protest the school ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Pittsburgh , and Penn State have all pushed back against contracts mandating behavioral expectations for the prevention of COVID-19 and associated punishments for noncompliance , and students and faculty at the University of Iowa staged a sickout in defiance of administration demands for in-person education .
In addition to issuing the petition , GSAC at NMU sent a letter to Michigan ’ s Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer , to no avail .
They ’ ve also held forums with university leadership , but according to Hannah Cajandig-Taylor , a third year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NMU and member of the newly formed GSAC , none of these efforts have made a difference .
At NMU , GAs are paid a stipend of $ 9,300 per academic year to cover a 20-hour work week , making them ineligible for full-time employee health benefits from the university .
Once cost of living and taxes are deducted from their pay , which Cajandig-Taylor calculated to be roughly $ 12 per hour when taking into account their actual workload , few can afford to see a doctor , making it nearly impossible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professional excusing them from teaching in a classroom environment .
When emailed for comment , Lisa Eckert , dean of Graduate Studies and Research , replied , “ NMU staff and administration have worked long hours all summer to provide the safest conditions possible for faculty , staff and students .
NMU is not alone in this situation ; like universities across the nation , we seek to provide the best academic experience for all students .
The staff in Graduate Studies and Research are concerned with the academic success and safety of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We continue to work diligently to provide the resources available to support them in various contexts and disciplines.
” Although NMU never formally acknowledged the GSAC ’ s demands in writing , an email sent from Eckert soon after the petition was filed outlined GAs ’ health insurance options such as Medicaid , a private insurer , or—for those under 26—coverage under a parent ’ s plan .
While the email also mentioned that this year , services provided by the school ’ s health center would be covered by the university for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include that the center could provide reference letters to secure virtual accommodations for teachers .
This vital information wasn ’ t communicated to them until right before the start of the semester , says Cajandig-Taylor , and that the process itself could take weeks , if not months , depending on the center ’ s caseload .
They were also late to learn that they could receive medical accomodation for mental illness .
Eckert ’ s email warned students that failure to “ report for duty as assigned without a valid reason or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in forfeiture of their position and the “ immediate billing for tuition and fees as well as suspension of stipend payment , ” totaling what Eckert says is more than $ 25,000 per 10-month academic year .
“ That obviously scared a lot of us pretty bad , ” says Cajandig-Taylor , explaining that the threat of getting fired for any advocacy efforts , whether they be initiating a dialogue , speaking out publicly on social media , or not adhering to the university ’ s instructions for in-person classes , has created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : while the teaching position enables them to afford expenses not covered by the program such as housing , food , and car payments ( although many , including Cajandig-Taylor , have additional off-campus jobs and/or partners who contribute to the household income ) , their acquiescence to the administration ’ s demands for face-to-face teaching puts their lives and the lives of their loved ones , and the greater Marquette community , at risk .
As Cajandig-Taylor is still covered under her parent ’ s insurance plan and was able to receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her creative writing class remotely this semester .
But Victoria Rego , a master ’ s candidate in NMU ’ s English department and president of GSAC , isn ’ t so lucky .
Unable to get a letter , she will be instructing writing composition from behind a mask and a plexiglass barrier to the 16 students who opted for face-to-face sessions when surveyed last May .
Nine others will join virtually , though as of now , Rego is uncertain how this will play out , especially with a syllabus so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Acting as GSAC president puts Rego in a precarious position , but her frustration with opaque guidelines for how to conduct lessons , sanitize classrooms , handle her students ’ individual needs , enforce social distancing and mask wearing , not to mention the lack of support from tenured professors and the university ’ s leadership , has given her and her fellow GAs little choice .
“ You know , speaking out like this could bar me from future jobs , ” says Rego .
“ But , honestly I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a place that has a problem with recognizing this kind of systematic injustice .
”

The three demands outlined in the petition by Northern Michigan University’s Graduate Student Advancement Committee (GSAC) to the school’s president, dean, and board of trustees prior to the start of fall semester 2020 were simple: Provide permanent healthcare solutions to all graduate employees without detracting from their yearly salary. Allow any graduate employee to teach remotely until the pandemic is over. And for those who must work in person, provide hazard pay at 25% of their standard hourly wage.
As of Sept. 10, NMU, a public university in Marquette with just under 8,000 students, has made zero concessions to the petition’s demands, leaving graduate assistants (GAs) disheartened and fearful for the year ahead.
GAs at colleges and universities around the country have long fought for salaries and benefits on par with those of non-student faculty members. Amidst COVID-19, the battle for improved working conditions has an increased sense of urgency. At Georgetown University, graduate workers aligned with Georgetown’s national and international undergraduate and graduate students to protest the school’s reopening plan. Students at Stanford, University of Pittsburgh, and Penn State have all pushed back against contracts mandating behavioral expectations for the prevention of COVID-19 and associated punishments for noncompliance, and students and faculty at the University of Iowa staged a sickout in defiance of administration demands for in-person education.
In addition to issuing the petition, GSAC at NMU sent a letter to Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, to no avail. They’ve also held forums with university leadership, but according to Hannah Cajandig-Taylor, a third year MFA candidate in the English Department at NMU and member of the newly formed GSAC, none of these efforts have made a difference.
At NMU, GAs are paid a stipend of $9,300 per academic year to cover a 20-hour work week, making them ineligible for full-time employee health benefits from the university. Once cost of living and taxes are deducted from their pay, which Cajandig-Taylor calculated to be roughly $12 per hour when taking into account their actual workload, few can afford to see a doctor, making it nearly impossible to obtain a letter from a medical professional excusing them from teaching in a classroom environment.
When emailed for comment, Lisa Eckert, dean of Graduate Studies and Research, replied, “NMU staff and administration have worked long hours all summer to provide the safest conditions possible for faculty, staff and students. NMU is not alone in this situation; like universities across the nation, we seek to provide the best academic experience for all students. The staff in Graduate Studies and Research are concerned with the academic success and safety of all 650 graduate students at NMU. We continue to work diligently to provide the resources available to support them in various contexts and disciplines.”
Although NMU never formally acknowledged the GSAC’s demands in writing, an email sent from Eckert soon after the petition was filed outlined GAs’ health insurance options such as Medicaid, a private insurer, or—for those under 26—coverage under a parent’s plan. While the email also mentioned that this year, services provided by the school’s health center would be covered by the university for those without insurance, it failed to include that the center could provide reference letters to secure virtual accommodations for teachers. This vital information wasn’t communicated to them until right before the start of the semester, says Cajandig-Taylor, and that the process itself could take weeks, if not months, depending on the center’s caseload. They were also late to learn that they could receive medical accomodation for mental illness.
Eckert’s email warned students that failure to “report for duty as assigned without a valid reason or permission of their supervisor” would result in forfeiture of their position and the “immediate billing for tuition and fees as well as suspension of stipend payment,” totaling what Eckert says is more than $25,000 per 10-month academic year.
“That obviously scared a lot of us pretty bad,” says Cajandig-Taylor, explaining that the threat of getting fired for any advocacy efforts, whether they be initiating a dialogue, speaking out publicly on social media, or not adhering to the university’s instructions for in-person classes, has created something of a lose-lose situation for GAs: while the teaching position enables them to afford expenses not covered by the program such as housing, food, and car payments (although many, including Cajandig-Taylor, have additional off-campus jobs and/or partners who contribute to the household income), their acquiescence to the administration’s demands for face-to-face teaching puts their lives and the lives of their loved ones, and the greater Marquette community, at risk.
As Cajandig-Taylor is still covered under her parent’s insurance plan and was able to receive an accomodation note, she is teaching her creative writing class remotely this semester. But Victoria Rego, a master’s candidate in NMU’s English department and president of GSAC, isn’t so lucky. Unable to get a letter, she will be instructing writing composition from behind a mask and a plexiglass barrier to the 16 students who opted for face-to-face sessions when surveyed last May. Nine others will join virtually, though as of now, Rego is uncertain how this will play out, especially with a syllabus so dependent upon discussions and group exercises.
Acting as GSAC president puts Rego in a precarious position, but her frustration with opaque guidelines for how to conduct lessons, sanitize classrooms, handle her students’ individual needs, enforce social distancing and mask wearing, not to mention the lack of support from tenured professors and the university’s leadership, has given her and her fellow GAs little choice. “You know, speaking out like this could bar me from future jobs,” says Rego. “But, honestly I don’t know if I want to work for a place that has a problem with recognizing this kind of systematic injustice.”
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Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.