truthout--2020-05-12--Fauci to Senators: “We Risk Danger of Multiple Outbreaks” in Premature Reopening

Anthony Fauci , a prominent member of President Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus task force team and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 , addressed a Senate committee on Tuesday about coronavirus and several states ’ plans to “ reopen ” their economies in the midst of a pandemic , delivering to lawmakers a dire warning about the consequences of doing so .
Fauci echoed sentiments that were made public on Monday evening in an email he sent to The New York Times , where he described what he intended to tell the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pensions Committee on Tuesday : that easing social distancing measures right now would undoubtedly lead to more Americans being infected with COVID-19 .
“ The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HLP committee [ on Tuesday ] is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely , ” Fauci explained in that email .
“ If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to ‘ Open America Again , ’ then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country.
” Fauci reiterated those worries in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and suggested that states “ reopening ” now could lead to problems that could grow to become bigger issues down the road .
“ My concern , that if some areas , city , states , or what have you , jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently , my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks , ” Fauci said .
In no uncertain terms , Fauci explained that more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social distancing measures at this time .
“ There is no doubt , even under the best of circumstances , that when you pull back on mitigation , you will see some cases , ” he added .
He also expressed skepticism regarding the current death toll data in the U.S. from coronavirus being counted , which presently sits at more than 82,000 having died so far from the disease .
“ Most of us feel that the number of deaths are likely higher than that number , ” Fauci said .
Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate committee , particularly Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky , who is a doctor himself , about economic matters .
“ I think we ought to have a little bit of humility in our belief that we know what ’ s best for the economy , ” Paul stated .
“ As much as I respect you , Dr. Fauci , I don ’ t think you ’ re the end-all .
I don ’ t think you ’ re the one person who gets to make the decision.
” Fauci responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decider on economic issues .
“ I have never made myself out to be the end-all and only voice in this .
I ’ m a scientist , a physician and a public health official , ” he said .
Even though the White House put together a series of guidelines on how states should quantify whether they ’ re ready to ease social distancing or not , many are planning to “ reopen ” things without reaching those goals .
Trump has not discouraged them from doing so , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encouraging states to go forward with easing restrictions if they believe it ’ s the right time for them to do so .
The warning from Fauci , in both his Senate testimony and in his email to the Times , seems to directly contradict what Trump and the rest of the White House have tried to push , in terms of messaging , about easing up on social distancing .
The president has stated at several junctures that it ’ s safe for much of the country to begin allowing businesses to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not yet at the levels experts say is necessary in order to deal with the crisis .
In spite of these shortfalls , a number of states are starting to ease back restrictions and “ reopen ” their economies .
According to estimates from The Washington Post , around 100 million Americans are affected by the easing of the rules , which will likely lead to a resurgence of the disease across the country , many experts predict .
Fauci ’ s words are respected by millions of Americans , so much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the president .
According to data from late April by a Hill-HarrisX poll , 63 percent of Americans trust Fauci with regard to information he shares about coronavirus .
Conversely , only 44 percent of Americans trust what Trump has to say about the pandemic , with a majority ( 52 percent ) saying they don ’ t trust him .
Other polling seems to demonstrate Americans share Fauci ’ s skepticism about reopening .
Only 11 percent of Americans think it ’ s safe to end social distancing at this moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with 19 percent saying we should wait for a month or so , and 29 percent saying it might take several months before it is safe to ease back restrictions .
Another 15 percent said it could take longer than a year before social distancing rules should be rescinded .

Anthony Fauci, a prominent member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force team and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, addressed a Senate committee on Tuesday about coronavirus and several states’ plans to “reopen” their economies in the midst of a pandemic, delivering to lawmakers a dire warning about the consequences of doing so.
Fauci echoed sentiments that were made public on Monday evening in an email he sent to The New York Times, where he described what he intended to tell the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday: that easing social distancing measures right now would undoubtedly lead to more Americans being infected with COVID-19.
“The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HLP committee [on Tuesday] is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely,” Fauci explained in that email. “If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to ‘Open America Again,’ then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country.”
Fauci reiterated those worries in his comments to senators on Tuesday, and suggested that states “reopening” now could lead to problems that could grow to become bigger issues down the road.
“My concern, that if some areas, city, states, or what have you, jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks,” Fauci said.
In no uncertain terms, Fauci explained that more coronavirus cases would come about from easing social distancing measures at this time. “There is no doubt, even under the best of circumstances, that when you pull back on mitigation, you will see some cases,” he added.
He also expressed skepticism regarding the current death toll data in the U.S. from coronavirus being counted, which presently sits at more than 82,000 having died so far from the disease. “Most of us feel that the number of deaths are likely higher than that number,” Fauci said.
Fauci was challenged by some Republican members of the Senate committee, particularly Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who is a doctor himself, about economic matters.
“I think we ought to have a little bit of humility in our belief that we know what’s best for the economy,” Paul stated. “As much as I respect you, Dr. Fauci, I don’t think you’re the end-all. I don’t think you’re the one person who gets to make the decision.”
Fauci responded by explaining he never intended to be the decider on economic issues.
“I have never made myself out to be the end-all and only voice in this. I’m a scientist, a physician and a public health official,” he said.
Even though the White House put together a series of guidelines on how states should quantify whether they’re ready to ease social distancing or not, many are planning to “reopen” things without reaching those goals. Trump has not discouraged them from doing so, however, and has, in fact, been encouraging states to go forward with easing restrictions if they believe it’s the right time for them to do so.
The warning from Fauci, in both his Senate testimony and in his email to the Times, seems to directly contradict what Trump and the rest of the White House have tried to push, in terms of messaging, about easing up on social distancing. The president has stated at several junctures that it’s safe for much of the country to begin allowing businesses to reopen, even as testing for COVID-19 is not yet at the levels experts say is necessary in order to deal with the crisis.
In spite of these shortfalls, a number of states are starting to ease back restrictions and “reopen” their economies. According to estimates from The Washington Post, around 100 million Americans are affected by the easing of the rules, which will likely lead to a resurgence of the disease across the country, many experts predict.
Fauci’s words are respected by millions of Americans, so much so that he even garners more trust than the president. According to data from late April by a Hill-HarrisX poll, 63 percent of Americans trust Fauci with regard to information he shares about coronavirus. Conversely, only 44 percent of Americans trust what Trump has to say about the pandemic, with a majority (52 percent) saying they don’t trust him.
Other polling seems to demonstrate Americans share Fauci’s skepticism about reopening. Only 11 percent of Americans think it’s safe to end social distancing at this moment, according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll, with 19 percent saying we should wait for a month or so, and 29 percent saying it might take several months before it is safe to ease back restrictions. Another 15 percent said it could take longer than a year before social distancing rules should be rescinded.
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truthout--2020-05-12--Ignoring Trump and Right-Wing Think Tanks, Red States Expand Vote by Mail

On April 23 , during the same week that Kentucky ’ s Republican secretary of state said he was contemplating a “ significant expansion ” of vote by mail , the Public Interest Legal Foundation emailed one of his employees under the subject line “ 28 MILLION ballots lost.
” “ Putting the election in the hands of the United States Postal Service would be a catastrophe , ” wrote J. Christian Adams , president of PILF , a conservative organization that has long complained about voter fraud .
His missive contended , with scant evidence , that “ twice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in the 2016 presidential election than made up the margin of votes between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump .
The state worker forwarded the message to his supervisor , who ignored it , according to emails obtained through a public records request .
Only days later , Kentucky finalized its plan for the biggest increase in vote by mail in the state ’ s history .
Secretary of State Mike Adams ( no relation to J. Christian ) said he had little trouble persuading legislators to pass the measure .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media and elsewhere , ” he said .
“ Republicans and Democrats both have been supportive of what we did.
” Not long ago , such a rebuff in a reliably red state to a conservative outlet ’ s warnings of voter fraud would have been unusual .
Think tanks like PILF and the Heritage Foundation ; advocacy groups like True the Vote ; and politicians like Kris Kobach , Kansas ’ former secretary of state , have effectively lobbied Republicans for decades for voter ID laws and stricter registration rules .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and oppose those , like vote by mail , that could make it easier to vote .
The Heritage Foundation has hosted confidential meetings with like-minded secretaries of state “ to strategize on advancing their shared goal of ensuring the integrity of the elections they administer in their home states , ” records show .
But now , even as Trump has joined these advocates in denouncing vote by mail , Republican election administrators are rejecting their concerns .
In Georgia , Idaho , Kentucky , Nebraska , Ohio , South Dakota and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote by mail .
Even in Alabama , where Secretary of State John Merrill has long spoken out against vote by mail , the state has added the coronavirus to the reasons for which voters can request an absentee ballot .
Election officials in these states say they have confidence in their ballot security practices .
Kentucky ’ s expansion of vote by mail included “ ballot integrity safeguards , such as an application requiring personally identifiable information in order to obtain an absentee ballot , a barcode tracking system for all outgoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintenance of the voter rolls , ” said Miranda Combs , Mike Adams ’ spokeswoman .
Also , because they don ’ t see an alternative if the pandemic persists into November , many Republican officials who would otherwise oppose widening vote by mail are showing they are open to it .
And they ’ re aware that Americans support voting by mail by a 2 to 1 margin .
“ While the Washington politicians may not agree , our polling shows 70 % of Georgia voters approve of the absentee ballot application @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to the COVID-19 crisis , ” said Jordan Fuchs , a Republican and Georgia ’ s deputy secretary of state .
“ As a result , Georgia has seen more than 1 million absentee ballot requests , with more than 900,000 ballots dropped into the mail system.
” David Becker , executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research , said he isn ’ t surprised that the attacks on vote by mail have failed to sway state officials .
“ The facts simply don ’ t support ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly with states to improve their election systems .
“ Election officials know what they are doing , and they know that mail voting has proper safeguards and that fraud is extremely rare in elections.
” Spokespeople for Trump , Heritage and PILF did not respond to requests for comment .
National election officials have noticed the states ’ adoption of vote by mail .
“ When it comes to information on how best to administer elections , I rely on state and local election officials , ” said Ben Hovland , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commission , a national clearinghouse that offers guidance on voting procedures .
“ I have repeatedly heard from officials of both parties that absentee and mail ballots will be an integral part of their 2020 election response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
” The wide public support and the relatively smooth expansion of vote by mail on the state level contrast with the opposition of Trump and many Republicans in Congress .
Trump used his formerly daily press briefings on the pandemic to cast doubt on vote by mail , often parroting the talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Heritage Foundation ’ s Hans von Spakovsky , both of whom served on his now-disbanded voter fraud commission .
Trump has called vote by mail “ horrible ” and “ corrupt.
” With universal vote by mail , “ you ’ d never have a Republican elected in this country again , ” he said .
“ Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country , because they ’ re cheaters , ” Trump said at a briefing in early April .
He recently tweeted about vote by mail in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election in California , writing : “ Turn your Ballots in now and track them , watching for dishonesty .
Report to Law Enforcement.
” But states that backed Trump in the 2016 presidential election are largely disregarding his warnings .
In the largest expansion of vote by mail in Georgia ’ s history , its Republican secretary of state sent applications to every active voter , despite protests from the speaker of the Georgia house , David Ralston .
There are “ a multitude of reasons why vote by mail in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a recent interview .
“ The president said it best , this will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia.
” Ohio went all absentee for its April 28 primary with limited in-person voting for individuals with disabilities .
Ballots needed to be postmarked before Election Day but could be received through May 5 .
Nearly 2 million Ohioans requested absentee ballots , overwhelming clerks with requests .
Kobach , Kansas ’ former secretary of state , became prominent by promoting unsupported claims of rampant voter fraud .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now running for U.S. Senate , are encouraging vote by mail .
Johnson County , the state ’ s largest county , where Kobach personally appointed the current clerk in charge of elections , will mail absentee ballot applications to all active voters ahead of the June primary .
The state has allowed citizens to vote by mail up to 20 days before an election since the late 1960s , and it has in recent decades refined that process to enable voters to track their ballots online .
In an April column for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurs “ in the vast majority of states ” that vote by mail .
“ All except Kansas , that is , ” he wrote , where most problems “ have been solved by the security reforms that I drafted and the Kansas Legislature enacted in 2011.
” Kobach was referring to voter identification requirements , signature verification and prevention of ballot harvesting , in which political operatives round up and cast absentee ballots .
These measures , though , aren ’ t unique to Kansas ; 31 states have signature verification , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witness or a notary .
Several states require ID verification to vote by mail , and all but 13 states have laws to deter ballot harvesting .
Kobach did not respond to requests for comment .
In Louisiana , the Republican secretary of state , Kyle Ardoin , worked with the Democratic governor on a plan to let anyone worried about health risks vote by mail .
After Republican legislators rejected the proposal , saying it increased the risk of fraud , a scaled-down version passed a few days later .
It enables @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are at higher risk for the coronavirus .
“ This is a great result for Louisiana ’ s voters and election workers , especially those most susceptible to the COVID-19 virus , ” Ardoin said in a statement .
“ Our plan serves as a temporary and pragmatic response to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our nation.
” Texas is responding to the pandemic by lengthening the early voting period , rather than by expanding vote by mail .
On Monday night , Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott announced that early voting for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ begin on June 29 instead of July 6 .
Still , a federal court may impose an incremental extension of vote by mail in Texas .
Over the objections of the Texas attorney general , Ken Paxton , who threatened “ criminal sanctions ” for voters who apply for an absentee ballot for fear of COVID-19 , a U.S. district court issued a temporary injunction expanding the definition of “ disability ” for purposes of voting by mail to include voters concerned about contracting the disease .
Across the state , election administrators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to seek absentee ballots for this reason .
“ It will make everything so much easier , ” said one , who declined to be named .
As in Texas , courts in other states have generally been unsympathetic to allegations that vote by mail increases fraud .
Last Tuesday , a federal court in Virginia rejected arguments by the state Republican Party and PILF that removing a requirement that absentee ballots be notarized would increase fraud .
The governor had waived the requirement for those who did not feel safe obtaining a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Similarly , a federal judge in Reno , Nevada , in April rejected True the Vote ’ s lawsuit challenging the state ’ s plan to hold its June primary largely by mail .
“ Their claim of voter fraud is without any factual basis , ” the judge wrote .
“ Plaintiffs can not demonstrate a burden upon their voting rights , only an imposition upon their preference for in-person voting.
” Some red states remain holdouts .
In Missouri , Republican Gov .
Mike Parson has declined to expand vote by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to change election procedures .
The secretary of state has stayed largely silent on the practice .
Von Spakovsky and J. Christian Adams have been pushing voter fraud claims since they both served in the U.S. Department of Justice ’ s civil rights division during the administration of President George W. Bush .
As early as 2010 , von Spakovsky called universal vote by mail “ a terrible idea whose time should never come , ” and he predicted an array of bad outcomes : rampant fraud , voter intimidation , even that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ siege.
” He has made a habit of calling mailed ballots the “ vote thieves ’ tool of choice.
” To back up his claims , the Heritage Foundation has compiled a database of vote by mail fraud .
But Amber McReynolds , chief executive of Vote at Home , and Charles Stewart , an MIT political scientist who studies election administration , contend that the database actually shows how rare fraud is .
In late April , the pair wrote for The Hill that , of the 1,200 cases in the database @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of absentee ballots ; 143 resulted in criminal convictions.
” “ One hundred forty-three cases of fraud using mailed ballots over the course of 20 years comes out to seven to eight cases per year , nationally .
It also means that across the 50 states , there has been an average of three cases per state over the 20-year span .
That is just one case per state every six or seven years .
We are talking about an occurrence that translates to about 0.00006 percent of total votes cast , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , von Spakovsky has pressed Republican election officials on election security and voter fraud in private , off-the-record meetings .
These get-togethers take place during the National Association of Secretaries of State conferences twice a year , in January in Washington , D.C. , and in the summer at a rotating location .
The half-day meetings gather secretaries and election officials on an invitation-only basis .
Correspondence obtained by ProPublica through public records requests shows that the meetings ’ purpose has been “ to have in-depth discussions of these issues and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goals and objectives shared by the secretaries.
” Guest speakers , such as Ed Meese , attorney general under President Ronald Reagan , occasionally make appearances .
“ I mean , you always know when the meetings are happening , because all of the most conservative secretaries are just gone ” from the regular conference events , said one secretary of state whom the Heritage Foundation has not invited .
“ What would actually be helpful is if these secretaries were present ” at the NASS trainings and briefings .
As the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their attacks on vote by mail , von Spakovsky and Adams have slightly modified their position .
Like Kobach , von Spakovsky has touted his home state as an island of responsible practices .
He , Adams and Cleta Mitchell wrote on Fox News ’ website that Georgia — where von Spakovsky lives and speaks frequently with the secretary of state ’ s staff , according to email records — will “ cut down ” on fraud by sending absentee ballot applications only to registered and active voters .
The authors didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become the norm in other states .
Instead , they warned , “ No one should forget that absentee-ballot voting is vulnerable to intimidation , fraud and chaos as all-mail elections move behind closed doors beyond the oversight of election officials .
”

On April 23, during the same week that Kentucky’s Republican secretary of state said he was contemplating a “significant expansion” of vote by mail, the Public Interest Legal Foundation emailed one of his employees under the subject line “28 MILLION ballots lost.”
“Putting the election in the hands of the United States Postal Service would be a catastrophe,” wrote J. Christian Adams, president of PILF, a conservative organization that has long complained about voter fraud. His missive contended, with scant evidence, that “twice as many” mailed ballots “disappeared” in the 2016 presidential election than made up the margin of votes between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
The state worker forwarded the message to his supervisor, who ignored it, according to emails obtained through a public records request. Only days later, Kentucky finalized its plan for the biggest increase in vote by mail in the state’s history. Secretary of State Mike Adams (no relation to J. Christian) said he had little trouble persuading legislators to pass the measure. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised on social media and elsewhere,” he said. “Republicans and Democrats both have been supportive of what we did.”
Not long ago, such a rebuff in a reliably red state to a conservative outlet’s warnings of voter fraud would have been unusual. Think tanks like PILF and the Heritage Foundation; advocacy groups like True the Vote; and politicians like Kris Kobach, Kansas’ former secretary of state, have effectively lobbied Republicans for decades for voter ID laws and stricter registration rules. They generally favor measures that would reduce turnout and oppose those, like vote by mail, that could make it easier to vote. The Heritage Foundation has hosted confidential meetings with like-minded secretaries of state “to strategize on advancing their shared goal of ensuring the integrity of the elections they administer in their home states,” records show.
But now, even as Trump has joined these advocates in denouncing vote by mail, Republican election administrators are rejecting their concerns. In Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and West Virginia, GOP officials are expanding vote by mail. Even in Alabama, where Secretary of State John Merrill has long spoken out against vote by mail, the state has added the coronavirus to the reasons for which voters can request an absentee ballot.
Election officials in these states say they have confidence in their ballot security practices. Kentucky’s expansion of vote by mail included “ballot integrity safeguards, such as an application requiring personally identifiable information in order to obtain an absentee ballot, a barcode tracking system for all outgoing and incoming absentee ballots, and proactive maintenance of the voter rolls,” said Miranda Combs, Mike Adams’ spokeswoman. Also, because they don’t see an alternative if the pandemic persists into November, many Republican officials who would otherwise oppose widening vote by mail are showing they are open to it. And they’re aware that Americans support voting by mail by a 2 to 1 margin.
“While the Washington politicians may not agree, our polling shows 70% of Georgia voters approve of the absentee ballot application process and plan on voting by mail due to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Jordan Fuchs, a Republican and Georgia’s deputy secretary of state. “As a result, Georgia has seen more than 1 million absentee ballot requests, with more than 900,000 ballots dropped into the mail system.”
David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, said he isn’t surprised that the attacks on vote by mail have failed to sway state officials. “The facts simply don’t support” the claims, said Becker, who works directly with states to improve their election systems. “Election officials know what they are doing, and they know that mail voting has proper safeguards and that fraud is extremely rare in elections.”
Spokespeople for Trump, Heritage and PILF did not respond to requests for comment.
National election officials have noticed the states’ adoption of vote by mail. “When it comes to information on how best to administer elections, I rely on state and local election officials,” said Ben Hovland, a Republican and chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, a national clearinghouse that offers guidance on voting procedures. “I have repeatedly heard from officials of both parties that absentee and mail ballots will be an integral part of their 2020 election response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The wide public support and the relatively smooth expansion of vote by mail on the state level contrast with the opposition of Trump and many Republicans in Congress. Trump used his formerly daily press briefings on the pandemic to cast doubt on vote by mail, often parroting the talking points used by J. Christian Adams and the Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky, both of whom served on his now-disbanded voter fraud commission. Trump has called vote by mail “horrible” and “corrupt.” With universal vote by mail, “you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again,” he said.
“Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country, because they’re cheaters,” Trump said at a briefing in early April. He recently tweeted about vote by mail in connection with Tuesday’s special congressional election in California, writing: “Turn your Ballots in now and track them, watching for dishonesty. Report to Law Enforcement.”
But states that backed Trump in the 2016 presidential election are largely disregarding his warnings. In the largest expansion of vote by mail in Georgia’s history, its Republican secretary of state sent applications to every active voter, despite protests from the speaker of the Georgia house, David Ralston. There are “a multitude of reasons why vote by mail in my view is not acceptable,” Ralston said in a recent interview. “The president said it best, this will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives in Georgia.”
Ohio went all absentee for its April 28 primary with limited in-person voting for individuals with disabilities. Ballots needed to be postmarked before Election Day but could be received through May 5. Nearly 2 million Ohioans requested absentee ballots, overwhelming clerks with requests.
Kobach, Kansas’ former secretary of state, became prominent by promoting unsupported claims of rampant voter fraud. Yet parts of Kansas, where he is now running for U.S. Senate, are encouraging vote by mail. Johnson County, the state’s largest county, where Kobach personally appointed the current clerk in charge of elections, will mail absentee ballot applications to all active voters ahead of the June primary. The state has allowed citizens to vote by mail up to 20 days before an election since the late 1960s, and it has in recent decades refined that process to enable voters to track their ballots online.
In an April column for Breitbart, Kobach told readers that fraud occurs “in the vast majority of states” that vote by mail. “All except Kansas, that is,” he wrote, where most problems “have been solved by the security reforms that I drafted and the Kansas Legislature enacted in 2011.” Kobach was referring to voter identification requirements, signature verification and prevention of ballot harvesting, in which political operatives round up and cast absentee ballots. These measures, though, aren’t unique to Kansas; 31 states have signature verification, and nearly a dozen others require a witness or a notary. Several states require ID verification to vote by mail, and all but 13 states have laws to deter ballot harvesting.
Kobach did not respond to requests for comment.
In Louisiana, the Republican secretary of state, Kyle Ardoin, worked with the Democratic governor on a plan to let anyone worried about health risks vote by mail. After Republican legislators rejected the proposal, saying it increased the risk of fraud, a scaled-down version passed a few days later. It enables voters to seek absentee ballots if they are at higher risk for the coronavirus.
“This is a great result for Louisiana’s voters and election workers, especially those most susceptible to the COVID-19 virus,” Ardoin said in a statement. “Our plan serves as a temporary and pragmatic response to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our nation.”
Texas is responding to the pandemic by lengthening the early voting period, rather than by expanding vote by mail. On Monday night, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced that early voting for a state special election on July 14 would begin on June 29 instead of July 6. Still, a federal court may impose an incremental extension of vote by mail in Texas. Over the objections of the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, who threatened “criminal sanctions” for voters who apply for an absentee ballot for fear of COVID-19, a U.S. district court issued a temporary injunction expanding the definition of “disability” for purposes of voting by mail to include voters concerned about contracting the disease. Across the state, election administrators say they are prepared to allow people to seek absentee ballots for this reason. “It will make everything so much easier,” said one, who declined to be named.
As in Texas, courts in other states have generally been unsympathetic to allegations that vote by mail increases fraud. Last Tuesday, a federal court in Virginia rejected arguments by the state Republican Party and PILF that removing a requirement that absentee ballots be notarized would increase fraud. The governor had waived the requirement for those who did not feel safe obtaining a notary signature because of the pandemic.
Similarly, a federal judge in Reno, Nevada, in April rejected True the Vote’s lawsuit challenging the state’s plan to hold its June primary largely by mail. “Their claim of voter fraud is without any factual basis,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiffs cannot demonstrate a burden upon their voting rights, only an imposition upon their preference for in-person voting.”
Some red states remain holdouts. In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Parson has declined to expand vote by mail, calling it “inappropriate” to change election procedures. The secretary of state has stayed largely silent on the practice.
Von Spakovsky and J. Christian Adams have been pushing voter fraud claims since they both served in the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division during the administration of President George W. Bush. As early as 2010, von Spakovsky called universal vote by mail “a terrible idea whose time should never come,” and he predicted an array of bad outcomes: rampant fraud, voter intimidation, even that the secret ballot would be “under siege.” He has made a habit of calling mailed ballots the “vote thieves’ tool of choice.”
To back up his claims, the Heritage Foundation has compiled a database of vote by mail fraud. But Amber McReynolds, chief executive of Vote at Home, and Charles Stewart, an MIT political scientist who studies election administration, contend that the database actually shows how rare fraud is. In late April, the pair wrote for The Hill that, of the 1,200 cases in the database, “204 involved the fraudulent use of absentee ballots; 143 resulted in criminal convictions.”
“One hundred forty-three cases of fraud using mailed ballots over the course of 20 years comes out to seven to eight cases per year, nationally. It also means that across the 50 states, there has been an average of three cases per state over the 20-year span. That is just one case per state every six or seven years. We are talking about an occurrence that translates to about 0.00006 percent of total votes cast,” they wrote.
For the last three years, von Spakovsky has pressed Republican election officials on election security and voter fraud in private, off-the-record meetings. These get-togethers take place during the National Association of Secretaries of State conferences twice a year, in January in Washington, D.C., and in the summer at a rotating location.
The half-day meetings gather secretaries and election officials on an invitation-only basis. Correspondence obtained by ProPublica through public records requests shows that the meetings’ purpose has been “to have in-depth discussions of these issues and to share strategy and tactics on achieving long-term goals and objectives shared by the secretaries.” Guest speakers, such as Ed Meese, attorney general under President Ronald Reagan, occasionally make appearances.
“I mean, you always know when the meetings are happening, because all of the most conservative secretaries are just gone” from the regular conference events, said one secretary of state whom the Heritage Foundation has not invited. “What would actually be helpful is if these secretaries were present” at the NASS trainings and briefings.
As the pandemic has raged, and states have rejected their attacks on vote by mail, von Spakovsky and Adams have slightly modified their position. Like Kobach, von Spakovsky has touted his home state as an island of responsible practices. He, Adams and Cleta Mitchell wrote on Fox News’ website that Georgia — where von Spakovsky lives and speaks frequently with the secretary of state’s staff, according to email records — will “cut down” on fraud by sending absentee ballot applications only to registered and active voters.
The authors didn’t point out that similar procedures have become the norm in other states. Instead, they warned, “No one should forget that absentee-ballot voting is vulnerable to intimidation, fraud and chaos as all-mail elections move behind closed doors beyond the oversight of election officials.”
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-05-12--New York City’s Budget Must Stop Robbing Our Children to Pay the NYPD

It ’ s that time of year again — New York City ’ s budget process is underway .
Unfortunately , the proposed budget is $ 3.4 billion less than last year due to the lost tax revenue from COVID-19 , as well as cuts in New York ’ s state budget , leaving a bigger hole for the city to backfill .
What will New York City do to balance its expenses ?
The city budget , which usually passes in June , is not a done deal yet .
The mayor ’ s budget still needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and pre-budget hearings have started .
There is still time to make our voices heard and stop the city from robbing Peter to pay Paul .
Mayor Bill de Blasio and city council members will likely do what they usually do : underfund and cut housing , health care and education to pay the New York City Police Department ( NYPD ) billions of dollars .
This has to stop .
As a member of Manhattan Community Board 11 , which covers East Harlem , I participate in crafting recommendations of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I see how our city sets our collective priorities through the allocation of funding — a budget that props up policing to battle all the symptoms to our city ’ s problems , but not the root causes .
When people are homeless on the street and need homes , the city ’ s response is to send the police to “ sweep ” the streets .
When poor people — particularly Black and Latinx people , who can ’ t afford increasing transportation costs — jump subway turnstiles , the city ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for fare evasion .
When people , including children , are trying to earn money by selling candy or churros in the subway , the city ’ s response is to send the police .
Clearly , the police are being deployed in response to matters that do not require law enforcement or involve “ public safety.
” It is not only ineffective and cruel ; it is also a waste of limited taxpayer dollars .
This year ’ s budget will be extremely constrained .
The COVID-19 pandemic is projected to result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenue for the city .
Mayor de Blasio ’ s executive budget cuts $ 641.8 million from education but only cuts $ 23.8 million from the police department .
In other words , the cut from education is about 27 times greater than the proposed cut from the police department .
To get more specific as to who is impacted , New York City ’ s school population is 40.6 percent Latinx , 25.5 percent Black and 16.2 percent Asian .
The mayor also announced cuts to the Summer Youth Employment Program , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city each summer .
In 2019 , the program employed 44 percent Black , 25 percent Latinx and 12 percent Asian youths .
These numbers are particularly alarming when we see these are the same racial demographics targeted by the police and criminal legal system .
The city ’ s Department of Correction reports their average daily population is 53.3 percent Black and 33.9 percent Latinx .
There never seems to be enough money to invest in our youth and their futures when it comes to education and job opportunities — except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is our priorities .
In the mayor ’ s executive budget , he allocates $ 5.9 billion for the NYPD and $ 1.2 billion for the Department of Correction .
Moreover , the city approved an $ 8 billion borough-based jail expansion plan .
The exorbitant financial costs of policing and mass incarceration gets worse .
In 2019 , the city paid approximately $ 69 million toward police misconduct lawsuits , and close to $ 39 million in 2018 .
This doesn ’ t even capture the total figures for the costs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , the NYPD paid close to $ 230 million , and $ 335.5 million in 2017 .
New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer predicted that these numbers may go up based on a “ substantial number of pending wrongful conviction claims filed against the City [ which ] could result in an increase in future NYPD payouts.
” Needless to say , each of these NYPD lawsuits represents lives that were destroyed and communities that were traumatized .
It also reveals that the police are part of the problem in perpetuating harm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Eric Garner or Layleen Polanco .
Rather than contributing to public safety , police do the opposite .
The money spent on policing that resulted in these lawsuits could ’ ve been better spent on housing , education and health care .
A case in point was the NYPD officer who escalated a confrontation with a Black bystander for allegedly violating social distancing rules .
This officer whips out a taser and starts slapping , punching and arresting the bystander — this same officer was previously named in seven lawsuits , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 210,000 in settlements .
In one of these lawsuits , he was accused of mocking a lesbian and calling her a “ fucking dyke , ” and then beating her up before arresting her .
In stark contrast , there are now countless viral images of white people gathered in large groups in the park and outside bars , flouting social distancing rules , without any harm from the police .
We are told tradeoffs must be made in the name of public safety .
But racist policing does not make any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is no such thing as public safety when Black and Latinx New Yorkers are dying at twice the rates of their white counterparts from COVID-19 .
The infection and death rates can literally be mapped onto the most segregated neighborhoods in the city by race and class .
The reality is poverty and systemic racism are comorbidities , and no amount of policing and mass incarceration will fix the root causes of these problems .
But it ’ s not too late .
As the New York Budget Justice movement has called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state and federal taxes on the rich and wealthy to fund a budget that invests in our communities and fights inequality .
Even during this pandemic , billionaires continue to see their net worth soar by many more billions , and they can afford to pay their fair share instead of continuing to balance the budget on the backs of poor , Black and Brown New Yorkers .
In addition to increasing our government ’ s tax revenue , we can also choose to redirect much-needed resources from the NYPD budget to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , organizations like the Alliance for Quality Education have been fighting to fully fund our schools , because without funding there is no educational equity for the next generation .
In recent years , one of the most visible campaigns to explicitly center a redistributive budget demand was led by No New Jails NYC , a coalition that unapologetically demanded redistribution of billions of dollars from building new jails in New York City to community-based resources that would support permanent decarceration .
It is time to make a different choice .
Join me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our communities first , now more than ever : Choose to invest in future generations through housing , health care and education , and reject disinvestment , criminalization and mass incarceration .

It’s that time of year again — New York City’s budget process is underway. Unfortunately, the proposed budget is $3.4 billion less than last year due to the lost tax revenue from COVID-19, as well as cuts in New York’s state budget, leaving a bigger hole for the city to backfill. What will New York City do to balance its expenses?
The city budget, which usually passes in June, is not a done deal yet. The mayor’s budget still needs to be negotiated with the New York City Council, and pre-budget hearings have started. There is still time to make our voices heard and stop the city from robbing Peter to pay Paul. Mayor Bill de Blasio and city council members will likely do what they usually do: underfund and cut housing, health care and education to pay the New York City Police Department (NYPD) billions of dollars. This has to stop.
As a member of Manhattan Community Board 11, which covers East Harlem, I participate in crafting recommendations of our district needs for the city budget. I see how our city sets our collective priorities through the allocation of funding — a budget that props up policing to battle all the symptoms to our city’s problems, but not the root causes.
When people are homeless on the street and need homes, the city’s response is to send the police to “sweep” the streets. When poor people — particularly Black and Latinx people, who can’t afford increasing transportation costs — jump subway turnstiles, the city’s response is to send the police for fare evasion. When people, including children, are trying to earn money by selling candy or churros in the subway, the city’s response is to send the police.
Clearly, the police are being deployed in response to matters that do not require law enforcement or involve “public safety.” It is not only ineffective and cruel; it is also a waste of limited taxpayer dollars.
This year’s budget will be extremely constrained. The COVID-19 pandemic is projected to result in $7.4 billion in lost tax revenue for the city. Mayor de Blasio’s executive budget cuts $641.8 million from education but only cuts $23.8 million from the police department. In other words, the cut from education is about 27 times greater than the proposed cut from the police department.
To get more specific as to who is impacted, New York City’s school population is 40.6 percent Latinx, 25.5 percent Black and 16.2 percent Asian. The mayor also announced cuts to the Summer Youth Employment Program, which provides jobs to 75,000 youth in the city each summer. In 2019, the program employed 44 percent Black, 25 percent Latinx and 12 percent Asian youths. These numbers are particularly alarming when we see these are the same racial demographics targeted by the police and criminal legal system. The city’s Department of Correction reports their average daily population is 53.3 percent Black and 33.9 percent Latinx.
Mayor de Blasio’s executive budget cuts $641.8 million from education but only cuts $23.8 million from the police department.
There never seems to be enough money to invest in our youth and their futures when it comes to education and job opportunities — except the money is there. The issue is our priorities. In the mayor’s executive budget, he allocates $5.9 billion for the NYPD and $1.2 billion for the Department of Correction. Moreover, the city approved an $8 billion borough-based jail expansion plan.
The exorbitant financial costs of policing and mass incarceration gets worse. In 2019, the city paid approximately $69 million toward police misconduct lawsuits, and close to $39 million in 2018. This doesn’t even capture the total figures for the costs of all claims against the NYPD. In 2018, the NYPD paid close to $230 million, and $335.5 million in 2017. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer predicted that these numbers may go up based on a “substantial number of pending wrongful conviction claims filed against the City [which] could result in an increase in future NYPD payouts.”
Needless to say, each of these NYPD lawsuits represents lives that were destroyed and communities that were traumatized. It also reveals that the police are part of the problem in perpetuating harm to Black communities — ask the families of Eric Garner or Layleen Polanco. Rather than contributing to public safety, police do the opposite. The money spent on policing that resulted in these lawsuits could’ve been better spent on housing, education and health care.
A case in point was the NYPD officer who escalated a confrontation with a Black bystander for allegedly violating social distancing rules. This officer whips out a taser and starts slapping, punching and arresting the bystander — this same officer was previously named in seven lawsuits, which required the city to pay at least $210,000 in settlements. In one of these lawsuits, he was accused of mocking a lesbian and calling her a “fucking dyke,” and then beating her up before arresting her. In stark contrast, there are now countless viral images of white people gathered in large groups in the park and outside bars, flouting social distancing rules, without any harm from the police.
We are told tradeoffs must be made in the name of public safety. But racist policing does not make any of us safer. The truth is there is no such thing as public safety when Black and Latinx New Yorkers are dying at twice the rates of their white counterparts from COVID-19. The infection and death rates can literally be mapped onto the most segregated neighborhoods in the city by race and class. The reality is poverty and systemic racism are comorbidities, and no amount of policing and mass incarceration will fix the root causes of these problems.
The city approved an $8 billion borough-based jail expansion plan.
But it’s not too late. As the New York Budget Justice movement has called for, we can increase city, state and federal taxes on the rich and wealthy to fund a budget that invests in our communities and fights inequality. Even during this pandemic, billionaires continue to see their net worth soar by many more billions, and they can afford to pay their fair share instead of continuing to balance the budget on the backs of poor, Black and Brown New Yorkers.
In addition to increasing our government’s tax revenue, we can also choose to redirect much-needed resources from the NYPD budget to the needs of our communities. For decades, organizations like the Alliance for Quality Education have been fighting to fully fund our schools, because without funding there is no educational equity for the next generation. In recent years, one of the most visible campaigns to explicitly center a redistributive budget demand was led by No New Jails NYC, a coalition that unapologetically demanded redistribution of billions of dollars from building new jails in New York City to community-based resources that would support permanent decarceration.
It is time to make a different choice. Join me in demanding our elected officials finally put our communities first, now more than ever: Choose to invest in future generations through housing, health care and education, and reject disinvestment, criminalization and mass incarceration.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-13--Trump’s “Lightning Fast” COVID-19 Test May Be Seriously Flawed, New Study Shows

President Donald Trump has frequently bragged about the amount of testing being conducted across the United States in response to COVID-19 — but a recent study from New York University suggests that the testing going on within the White House itself is faulty .
The White House utilizes a testing kit from Abbott Laboratories called the ID NOW test , administering COVID-19 tests on everyone who might come into contact with the president , including governors , lawmakers , reporters and other dignitaries visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue .
Researchers at NYU say that specific test is flawed , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results for individuals who have otherwise tested positive for COVID-19 .
According to their findings , at least one-third , and as many as 48 percent , of tests used in the ID NOW test present a false negative result , compared to other tests where nasal swabs are used .
In other words , close to half of the results from the Abbott Laboratories test may not be trustworthy .
Abbott objected to the researchers ’ findings , saying they didn ’ t conduct the tests as instructed , and maintained that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as 0.02 percent .
Trump himself has cast the ID NOW test in a positive light , describing it as delivering “ lightning-fast results in as little as five minutes.
” In March , Trump called it “ a whole new ballgame ” in testing .
Trump also compared the Abbott test to the nasal swab alternative , describing that sort of testing for COVID-19 as “ nothing pleasant ” to take part in .
If the results of the test are indeed unreliable , however , it could mean that many in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without realizing it yet , as at least two individuals in Trump ’ s proximity have tested positive so far for the disease .
Even though everyone who comes into contact with him gets tested , the president has downplayed the need for widespread testing across the United States , arguing that a 2 percent test rate in each state is all that is required .
However , other studies have shown that , in order to understand the extent to which the disease has spread , a minimum of 900,000 tests per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rate that ’ s three times higher than the number currently being tested per day .
In recent days , Trump has bragged about the number of tests being conducted in the U.S. , falsely suggesting that the rate is among the best in the world .
When confronted by CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang about why he felt it was necessary to frame testing as a “ global competition ” when thousands of Americans are dying from coronavirus , Trump told her to “ ask China ” that question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist .
More than 84,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 as of Wednesday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time .
The Trump administration , however , may be looking at ways to change how deaths are reported in order to make that number appear smaller than it actually is .

President Donald Trump has frequently bragged about the amount of testing being conducted across the United States in response to COVID-19 — but a recent study from New York University suggests that the testing going on within the White House itself is faulty.
The White House utilizes a testing kit from Abbott Laboratories called the ID NOW test, administering COVID-19 tests on everyone who might come into contact with the president, including governors, lawmakers, reporters and other dignitaries visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Researchers at NYU say that specific test is flawed, however, given that it frequently sends back negative results for individuals who have otherwise tested positive for COVID-19.
According to their findings, at least one-third, and as many as 48 percent, of tests used in the ID NOW test present a false negative result, compared to other tests where nasal swabs are used. In other words, close to half of the results from the Abbott Laboratories test may not be trustworthy.
Abbott objected to the researchers’ findings, saying they didn’t conduct the tests as instructed, and maintained that its testing error rate is as low as 0.02 percent. Trump himself has cast the ID NOW test in a positive light, describing it as delivering “lightning-fast results in as little as five minutes.” In March, Trump called it “a whole new ballgame” in testing.
Trump also compared the Abbott test to the nasal swab alternative, describing that sort of testing for COVID-19 as “nothing pleasant” to take part in.
If the results of the test are indeed unreliable, however, it could mean that many in the White House might have contracted COVID-19 without realizing it yet, as at least two individuals in Trump’s proximity have tested positive so far for the disease.
Even though everyone who comes into contact with him gets tested, the president has downplayed the need for widespread testing across the United States, arguing that a 2 percent test rate in each state is all that is required. However, other studies have shown that, in order to understand the extent to which the disease has spread, a minimum of 900,000 tests per day across the country is needed, a rate that’s three times higher than the number currently being tested per day.
In recent days, Trump has bragged about the number of tests being conducted in the U.S., falsely suggesting that the rate is among the best in the world. When confronted by CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang about why he felt it was necessary to frame testing as a “global competition” when thousands of Americans are dying from coronavirus, Trump told her to “ask China” that question, a response that many decried as racist.
More than 84,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 as of Wednesday at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. The Trump administration, however, may be looking at ways to change how deaths are reported in order to make that number appear smaller than it actually is.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-13--The HEROES Act Is a Vital Step Toward Ending COVID, So of Course It Is Doomed

There are two ways the COVID-19 story ends for the United States .
The nation can embrace scientific and medical facts as the way back home , make business secondary to life and health , and use our vast financial resources to support the populace even as we roll out a comprehensive testing program to speed a return to whatever passes for normal in this thundercloud of a country .
Or we can burn on the pyre of heedlessly rapacious capitalism .
It really , truly is just that simple .
As it stands , and with our current “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that pyre at flank speed .
An enormous majority supports the stay-at-home strictures , and huge swaths of people are sticking to them even in states that are recklessly throwing their doors open to the virus .
Fact : Donald Trump gets tested for COVID-19 multiple times a day , according to reports .
The people closest to him also get tested , and if any of them show positive for infection , as several recently did , they are shuffled off to quarantine .
Trump knows comprehensive testing works .
He simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the rest of us .
On Tuesday , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-California ) unveiled the beginnings of an answer to this crisis .
The $ 3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act , or HEROES Act , would be the largest relief package ever passed in the U.S. if it actually sees the light of day .
It is incomplete in a number of vital areas , but it is a stupendous improvement over Trump ’ s whistle-past-the-overflowing-graveyard plan of pretending none of this is actually happening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 1,800 pages long , would provide $ 1 trillion for state , local , territorial and tribal governments to support health workers , first responders and teachers who are in danger of losing their jobs .
Another $ 75 billion would provide free COVID testing , tracing and isolation measures , and would ensure all Americans have access to free treatment if infected .
The bill sets $ 200 billion aside to provide hazard pay for essential workers who have risked their lives in the maw of the pandemic .
It extends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides housing assistance for renters and homeowners , and includes a 15 percent increase in food and nutrition programs to combat rising hunger .
The bill also includes safeguards for the upcoming election , assistance to the Census process to ensure an accurate count , and preserves the standing of the United States Postal Service .
Overall , the bill seeks to assist the millions of people who received no measurable benefit from the last relief package .
The centerpiece of the bill is another $ 1,200 direct payment to individuals — up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the previous relief package , this would also be a one-time payment , and that has led to some appropriately vigorous argument from the progressive wing of the Democratic party .
Reps. Rashida Tlaib ( D-Michigan ) , Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-New York ) , Ilhan Omar ( D-Minneapolis ) and Ayanna Pressley ( D-Massachusetts ) co-signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging the HEROES Act be modified to make such payments a recurring monthly phenomenon .
There was talk of doing just that in the early stages of the bill ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Vermont ) , Kamala Harris ( D-California ) and Ed Markey ( D-Massachusetts ) proposed legislation guaranteeing a $ 2,000 monthly payment to citizens for the duration of the pandemic — but those ideas did not survive the final draft .
Rep. Pramila Jayapal ( D-Washington ) , co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus , has also pushed back on the final version because it fails to include her Paycheck Guarantee Act , her plan to cover 100 percent of workers ’ wages up to $ 90,000 a year .
Rising in defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ro Khanna ( D-California ) told CNN , “ When people say that Jayapal ’ s bill for a paycheck guarantee or recurring payments is ‘ too costly , ’ I ’ d like them to explain to me why they think in a low-inflation , low-interest-rate environment a crisis response of spending to prevent massive unemployment and a shrinking of the GDP is bad policy .
I have yet to hear a coherent economic rationale.
” Of course , most congressional Republicans detest the HEROES Act .
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is “ no urgency ” to pass another relief package , while Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-South Carolina ) announced the bill was “ dead on arrival ” in the Senate .
No urgency .
Dead on arrival .
Grotesque language with more than 80,000 people dead and thousands more sure to follow , but par for the course with Donald Trump ’ s party of aristocratic brigands .
A vote on the HEROES Act in the House is scheduled for Friday , but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Kentucky ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill in his inbox until the sun burns out .
In the meantime , the dying will continue , fear and uncertainty will spread , and capitalism will go on cutting off its nose to spite its face .
The HEROES Act is far from perfect in many regards , and should only be considered as a step in the right direction .
It is a piece of what has to happen if the nation is to come out the other side of this in some semblance of good order .
The alternative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is too grim to contemplate , yet could become all too real all too soon .
If we can pay for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program ( $ 1.5 trillion ) , the 12 ballistic missile submarines intended to replace the aging Ohio-class fleet ( $ 347 billion ) and the B2 bomber squadron ( $ 40 billion ) — just three of the hundreds of Pentagon programs designed to take life — surely we can pay to save our own lives .
“ Yeah , but capitalism ” is not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pact most people want no part of .

Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
There are two ways the COVID-19 story ends for the United States.
The nation can embrace scientific and medical facts as the way back home, make business secondary to life and health, and use our vast financial resources to support the populace even as we roll out a comprehensive testing program to speed a return to whatever passes for normal in this thundercloud of a country.
Or we can burn on the pyre of heedlessly rapacious capitalism. It really, truly is just that simple. As it stands, and with our current “leadership,” we are bound for that pyre at flank speed. An enormous majority supports the stay-at-home strictures, and huge swaths of people are sticking to them even in states that are recklessly throwing their doors open to the virus.
Fact: Donald Trump gets tested for COVID-19 multiple times a day, according to reports. The people closest to him also get tested, and if any of them show positive for infection, as several recently did, they are shuffled off to quarantine. Trump knows comprehensive testing works. He simply does not care to share the benefits with the rest of us.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) unveiled the beginnings of an answer to this crisis. The $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or HEROES Act, would be the largest relief package ever passed in the U.S. if it actually sees the light of day. It is incomplete in a number of vital areas, but it is a stupendous improvement over Trump’s whistle-past-the-overflowing-graveyard plan of pretending none of this is actually happening.
The bill, which is more than 1,800 pages long, would provide $1 trillion for state, local, territorial and tribal governments to support health workers, first responders and teachers who are in danger of losing their jobs. Another $75 billion would provide free COVID testing, tracing and isolation measures, and would ensure all Americans have access to free treatment if infected.
The bill sets $200 billion aside to provide hazard pay for essential workers who have risked their lives in the maw of the pandemic. It extends unemployment benefits to the new year, provides housing assistance for renters and homeowners, and includes a 15 percent increase in food and nutrition programs to combat rising hunger.
The bill also includes safeguards for the upcoming election, assistance to the Census process to ensure an accurate count, and preserves the standing of the United States Postal Service. Overall, the bill seeks to assist the millions of people who received no measurable benefit from the last relief package.
The centerpiece of the bill is another $1,200 direct payment to individuals — up to $6,000 per household. As with the previous relief package, this would also be a one-time payment, and that has led to some appropriately vigorous argument from the progressive wing of the Democratic party.
The HEROES Act is incomplete in a number of vital areas, but it is a stupendous improvement over Trump’s whistle-past-the-overflowing-graveyard plan.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), Ilhan Omar (D-Minneapolis) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) co-signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging the HEROES Act be modified to make such payments a recurring monthly phenomenon. There was talk of doing just that in the early stages of the bill’s drafting — Senators Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), Kamala Harris (D-California) and Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) proposed legislation guaranteeing a $2,000 monthly payment to citizens for the duration of the pandemic — but those ideas did not survive the final draft.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has also pushed back on the final version because it fails to include her Paycheck Guarantee Act, her plan to cover 100 percent of workers’ wages up to $90,000 a year.
Rising in defense of Jayapal’s bill, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) told CNN, “When people say that Jayapal’s bill for a paycheck guarantee or recurring payments is ‘too costly,’ I’d like them to explain to me why they think in a low-inflation, low-interest-rate environment a crisis response of spending to prevent massive unemployment and a shrinking of the GDP is bad policy. I have yet to hear a coherent economic rationale.”
Of course, most congressional Republicans detest the HEROES Act.
GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said on Tuesday that he feels there is “no urgency” to pass another relief package, while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) announced the bill was “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
No urgency. Dead on arrival. Grotesque language with more than 80,000 people dead and thousands more sure to follow, but par for the course with Donald Trump’s party of aristocratic brigands.
A vote on the HEROES Act in the House is scheduled for Friday, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has telegraphed his intent to leave the bill in his inbox until the sun burns out. In the meantime, the dying will continue, fear and uncertainty will spread, and capitalism will go on cutting off its nose to spite its face.
The HEROES Act is far from perfect in many regards, and should only be considered as a step in the right direction. It is a piece of what has to happen if the nation is to come out the other side of this in some semblance of good order. The alternative to taking these and other necessary steps is too grim to contemplate, yet could become all too real all too soon.
If we can pay for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program ($1.5 trillion), the 12 ballistic missile submarines intended to replace the aging Ohio-class fleet ($347 billion) and the B2 bomber squadron ($40 billion) — just three of the hundreds of Pentagon programs designed to take life — surely we can pay to save our own lives.
“Yeah, but capitalism” is not a valid excuse. It is a suicide pact most people want no part of.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-13--Was Jared Kushner Testing the Waters for Cancelling Elections in November?

Jared Kushner created a stir on Tuesday evening when an interview with him was published online in which he expressed how the Trump administration was possibly considering delaying the 2020 presidential election date due to the coronavirus pandemic .
In an interview with TIME magazine , when questioned whether the general election would still be held on November 3 , Kushner gave an ambiguous answer .
“ I ’ m not sure I can commit one way or the other , but right now that ’ s the plan , ” Kushner said , implying ( though not promising ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held on the date it is mandated to occur on .
On Wednesday , following an uproar in the media , Kushner tried to walk back those comments , stating that he was not aware of any “ discussions ” happening in the White House at this time on the subject of delaying the election .
However , his words did not ease many people ’ s minds , as he did not guarantee that such conversations weren ’ t happening at all .
President Donald Trump ’ s son-in-law , who also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the White House , does not have any powers delegated to him that would allow a delay in election dates from his order alone .
Nor does Trump , for that matter : according to constitutional experts , the president can not delay an election on his own without Congress consenting to change the date , even though others have privately expressed worries that he may still try to do so , using the COVID-19 crisis as a means to stay in office longer .
Former Vice President Joe Biden , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential nominee , stated last month that he believed Trump was going to do something iniquitous when it came to this year ’ s elections .
“ Mark my words , I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow , come up with some rationale why it can ’ t be held , ” Biden said .
Biden also brought up an interesting possibility , that Trump may try to interfere in the elections in other ways — including by refusing to fund the United States Postal Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more difficult for people to vote by mail if COVID-19 still posed a public health threat by this fall .
“ Imagine threatening not to fund the post office .
Now , what in God ’ s name is that about ?
Other than trying to let the word out that he ’ s going to do all he can to make it very hard for people to vote , ” Biden said at the time .
Trump has indeed expressed disdain for voting by mail as an option to allow elections to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
“ No , mail ballots , they cheat , ” Trump said in early April , in spite of no evidence that fraud occurs through the use of mail-in ballots ( indeed , Trump himself has voted by mail ) .
While Trump has expressed misgivings about voting by mail , he has taken actions that appear to be immobilizing the ability of the USPS from being able to function properly later this year .
This week , Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman , a strong proponent of mail-in voting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position .
Stroman ’ s departure came about just one week after Louis DeJoy , a prominent donor to the Republican Party and a supporter of Trump ’ s , was named the agency ’ s new Postmaster General .
There are other reasons to be concerned .
The USPS is facing a significant budget shortfall due to the coronavirus crisis , with the possibility that it could run out of funding by September without action from Congress and by the president .
But Trump has said in recent weeks he will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his liking are made at the USPS .

Trump’s son-in-law later tried to walk back his comment that the November 3 election may not happen due to COVID-19.
Jared Kushner created a stir on Tuesday evening when an interview with him was published online in which he expressed how the Trump administration was possibly considering delaying the 2020 presidential election date due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with TIME magazine, when questioned whether the general election would still be held on November 3, Kushner gave an ambiguous answer.
“I’m not sure I can commit one way or the other, but right now that’s the plan,” Kushner said, implying (though not promising) that the election would likely still be held on the date it is mandated to occur on.
On Wednesday, following an uproar in the media, Kushner tried to walk back those comments, stating that he was not aware of any “discussions” happening in the White House at this time on the subject of delaying the election. However, his words did not ease many people’s minds, as he did not guarantee that such conversations weren’t happening at all.
President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who also serves as one of his top advisers in the White House, does not have any powers delegated to him that would allow a delay in election dates from his order alone. Nor does Trump, for that matter: according to constitutional experts, the president cannot delay an election on his own without Congress consenting to change the date, even though others have privately expressed worries that he may still try to do so, using the COVID-19 crisis as a means to stay in office longer.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, stated last month that he believed Trump was going to do something iniquitous when it came to this year’s elections.
“Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” Biden said.
Biden also brought up an interesting possibility, that Trump may try to interfere in the elections in other ways — including by refusing to fund the United States Postal Service (USPS), thereby making it more difficult for people to vote by mail if COVID-19 still posed a public health threat by this fall.
“Imagine threatening not to fund the post office. Now, what in God’s name is that about? Other than trying to let the word out that he’s going to do all he can to make it very hard for people to vote,” Biden said at the time.
Trump has indeed expressed disdain for voting by mail as an option to allow elections to happen unimpeded from the continued spread of COVID-19. “No, mail ballots, they cheat,” Trump said in early April, in spite of no evidence that fraud occurs through the use of mail-in ballots (indeed, Trump himself has voted by mail).
While Trump has expressed misgivings about voting by mail, he has taken actions that appear to be immobilizing the ability of the USPS from being able to function properly later this year.
This week, Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman, a strong proponent of mail-in voting, was reportedly forced to resign from his position. Stroman’s departure came about just one week after Louis DeJoy, a prominent donor to the Republican Party and a supporter of Trump’s, was named the agency’s new Postmaster General.
There are other reasons to be concerned. The USPS is facing a significant budget shortfall due to the coronavirus crisis, with the possibility that it could run out of funding by September without action from Congress and by the president. But Trump has said in recent weeks he will not agree to any funding increases unless changes to his liking are made at the USPS.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-13--Why Are “Progressive Democrats” Siding With Amazon in Seattle?

Right now in Seattle , Washington , Amazon — arguably the company positioned to profit the most from COVID-19 — is fighting to suppress a movement for a progressive tax .
Amazon ’ s biggest ally in the fight : so-called progressive Democrats .
No matter what , the economy is going to transform .
The question is : What kind of transformation will benefit the working class , not just now in this current inflection point of the COVID-19 crisis but into the future , through the likely recession and beyond ?
As with any recession , the choices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If citizens let neoliberal politicians have their way , recession will be a convenient excuse to cut government programs and pave the way for more privatization and tax giveaways to corporations .
That ’ s precisely what organizers in Seattle are trying to stop .
The organizers are made up of a coalition of socialists , environmentalists , unions and community groups .
What they ’ re demanding is a progressive tax on the top 2 percent of businesses in the city .
It wasn ’ t just the idea of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but what it would pay for : First , COVID-19 relief for front-line communities , and second , affordable housing and a Green New Deal for Seattle .
Specifically , the Green New Deal would fund thousands of union jobs retrofitting houses and building new public housing to both combat the rise of homelessness and stem the flow of Seattle workers to suburbs farther and farther away where commutes drive up carbon footprints .
The opponents of the tax are the usual grouping of Chamber of Commerce members and right-wing radio talk show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bigger roadblock : self-described “ progressive Democrats ” in key positions of power , one city councilmember and the city ’ s “ anti-Trump ” mayor .
The city councilmember , Alex Pedersen , published an op-ed in The Seattle Times that stakes out the ideological territory of the opposition .
In the piece , Pedersen argues that progressive taxes kill jobs , wealth trickles down , the current federal COVID-19 relief package is sufficient for the scale of the crisis , and that what Seattle needs now more than ever is budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” is an umbrella term big enough to include “ Reaganomics fanboy ” and “ austerity zealot.
” Maybe the term is just a politically necessary lie to get elected in a liberal city like Seattle .
Mayor Jenny Durkan has placed herself in that opposition camp , telling the same story about herself as a progressive .
But Durkan is more careful than Pedersen in guarding her image .
She says she supports a big business tax in theory but that now is not the time to implement such a tax .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar tax passed by city council only to help kill it before it went into effect , she vaguely suggested it was because she wanted to work on “ real partnerships ” with Seattle ’ s business community .
When it comes to economic policy , Durkan is progressive in theory more than in practice .
But for Seattleites who have suffered the most from skyrocketing rents and now suffer the most from the COVID-19 crisis , there ’ s no difference .
When local news station KING5 asked Durkan about the payroll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ It ] is never going to happen.
” The biggest irony of Durkan ’ s maneuvering is her strong anti-Trump rhetoric .
In her campaign for office and in subsequent interviews and op-eds , she has often called out the president and claimed that as a progressive city , Seattle can # resist .
Yet , by holding the line against progressive taxes , she effectively supports the Trump administration ’ s keystone achievement : tax cuts for the wealthy .
In fact , one of the pro-tax slogans in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to the austerity likely to follow tax cuts .
Washington State already has the most regressive tax structure in the country , so the imperative to pass the tax is even greater .
But despite claiming to care about the backward tax structure and wanting to combat the impacts of the Trump presidency , “ progressive Democrats , ” city- and state-wide , have yet to coalesce around any real progress on the issue ( Washington State , for instance , doesn ’ t have an income tax despite perennial promises from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pass sales taxes and property taxes — the one-two punch that won our state the regressive tax gold medal in the first place .
While the mayor ’ s position is disheartening , organizers continue to push .
Before the stay-at-home order , groups mobilized their membership in a signature-gathering campaign to get the tax on the ballot in November .
Because in-person signature gathering has become more difficult , the fight has largely moved to an inside-politics strategy , with two city councilors , Tammy Morales and Kshama Sawant , putting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ control of the narrative .
When other council members moved to push discussion of the legislation until after the end of stay-at-home orders — May 31 — organizations quickly coordinated and blasted out a response .
For instance , 350 Seattle said in a statement : “ We can ’ t wait until social distancing requirements fully are lifted— possibly many months or even years from now — to address the multiple and overlapping crises that make communities vulnerable to COVID-19 in the first place.
” This can feel like a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone banking and amplifying messages on social media — even giving public testimony to city council is just a matter of calling in from the couch .
But on May Day , organizers launched a socially distanced protest down a main drag of the city , ending in front of Amazon headquarters .
What ’ s at stake isn ’ t just the health of Seattle .
One of the main targets of this tax is Amazon , the global anti-tax leviathan that is seeing record profits during the COVID-19 crisis .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax breaks for its warehouses and offices .
Across the globe , it keeps tax structures tilted in its favor under threat of moving jobs elsewhere .
Passing a tax here in the home of the company ’ s first headquarters could serve as a signal that local governments don ’ t have to put up with this anymore .
A win here would mean that Amazon isn ’ t invincible .

Right now in Seattle, Washington, Amazon — arguably the company positioned to profit the most from COVID-19 — is fighting to suppress a movement for a progressive tax. Amazon’s biggest ally in the fight: so-called progressive Democrats.
No matter what, the economy is going to transform. The question is: What kind of transformation will benefit the working class, not just now in this current inflection point of the COVID-19 crisis but into the future, through the likely recession and beyond?
As with any recession, the choices governments make now will have long-lasting repercussions. If citizens let neoliberal politicians have their way, recession will be a convenient excuse to cut government programs and pave the way for more privatization and tax giveaways to corporations. That’s precisely what organizers in Seattle are trying to stop.
The organizers are made up of a coalition of socialists, environmentalists, unions and community groups. What they’re demanding is a progressive tax on the top 2 percent of businesses in the city. It wasn’t just the idea of a progressive tax that brought these groups together but what it would pay for: First, COVID-19 relief for front-line communities, and second, affordable housing and a Green New Deal for Seattle. Specifically, the Green New Deal would fund thousands of union jobs retrofitting houses and building new public housing to both combat the rise of homelessness and stem the flow of Seattle workers to suburbs farther and farther away where commutes drive up carbon footprints.
The opponents of the tax are the usual grouping of Chamber of Commerce members and right-wing radio talk show hosts, but there’s a bigger roadblock: self-described “progressive Democrats” in key positions of power, one city councilmember and the city’s “anti-Trump” mayor.
The city councilmember, Alex Pedersen, published an op-ed in The Seattle Times that stakes out the ideological territory of the opposition. In the piece, Pedersen argues that progressive taxes kill jobs, wealth trickles down, the current federal COVID-19 relief package is sufficient for the scale of the crisis, and that what Seattle needs now more than ever is budget cuts. Apparently, “progressive Democrat” is an umbrella term big enough to include “Reaganomics fanboy” and “austerity zealot.” Maybe the term is just a politically necessary lie to get elected in a liberal city like Seattle.
When it comes to economic policy, Durkan is progressive in theory more than in practice.
Mayor Jenny Durkan has placed herself in that opposition camp, telling the same story about herself as a progressive. But Durkan is more careful than Pedersen in guarding her image. She says she supports a big business tax in theory but that now is not the time to implement such a tax. In 2018, when she signed a similar tax passed by city council only to help kill it before it went into effect, she vaguely suggested it was because she wanted to work on “real partnerships” with Seattle’s business community. When it comes to economic policy, Durkan is progressive in theory more than in practice. But for Seattleites who have suffered the most from skyrocketing rents and now suffer the most from the COVID-19 crisis, there’s no difference. When local news station KING5 asked Durkan about the payroll tax, she said that, “[It] is never going to happen.”
The biggest irony of Durkan’s maneuvering is her strong anti-Trump rhetoric. In her campaign for office and in subsequent interviews and op-eds, she has often called out the president and claimed that as a progressive city, Seattle can #resist. Yet, by holding the line against progressive taxes, she effectively supports the Trump administration’s keystone achievement: tax cuts for the wealthy. In fact, one of the pro-tax slogans in the city has been “Trump-proof Seattle,” referring to the austerity likely to follow tax cuts.
By holding the line against progressive taxes, she effectively supports the Trump administration’s keystone achievement: tax cuts for the wealthy.
Washington State already has the most regressive tax structure in the country, so the imperative to pass the tax is even greater. But despite claiming to care about the backward tax structure and wanting to combat the impacts of the Trump presidency, “progressive Democrats,” city- and state-wide, have yet to coalesce around any real progress on the issue (Washington State, for instance, doesn’t have an income tax despite perennial promises from state Democrats). They just continue to pass sales taxes and property taxes — the one-two punch that won our state the regressive tax gold medal in the first place.
While the mayor’s position is disheartening, organizers continue to push. Before the stay-at-home order, groups mobilized their membership in a signature-gathering campaign to get the tax on the ballot in November. Because in-person signature gathering has become more difficult, the fight has largely moved to an inside-politics strategy, with two city councilors, Tammy Morales and Kshama Sawant, putting forward the legislation and backing certain organizations’ control of the narrative. When other council members moved to push discussion of the legislation until after the end of stay-at-home orders — May 31 — organizations quickly coordinated and blasted out a response. For instance, 350 Seattle said in a statement: “We can’t wait until social distancing requirements fully are lifted— possibly many months or even years from now — to address the multiple and overlapping crises that make communities vulnerable to COVID-19 in the first place.”
This can feel like a lot of armchair activism: letter writing, phone banking and amplifying messages on social media — even giving public testimony to city council is just a matter of calling in from the couch. But on May Day, organizers launched a socially distanced protest down a main drag of the city, ending in front of Amazon headquarters.
What’s at stake isn’t just the health of Seattle. One of the main targets of this tax is Amazon, the global anti-tax leviathan that is seeing record profits during the COVID-19 crisis. In location after location, Amazon has negotiated tax breaks for its warehouses and offices. Across the globe, it keeps tax structures tilted in its favor under threat of moving jobs elsewhere. Passing a tax here in the home of the company’s first headquarters could serve as a signal that local governments don’t have to put up with this anymore. A win here would mean that Amazon isn’t invincible.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.