truthout--2020-04-23--Before COVID-19, Big Pharma Was Neglecting Vaccine and Antiviral Research

After reaching a new low in consumer confidence last year , thanks to public anger over rising drug prices , the pharmaceutical industry ’ s reputation is on the rise as researchers worldwide rush to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus .
A new national poll finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has benefited the industry ’ s public image , with 40 percent of respondents saying they have a more positive view of private drug companies than before the outbreak .
However , public health experts have warned for years that the world is at risk of a major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed little interest in developing vaccines – or even antibiotic and antiviral medications — until the latest outbreak offered an opportunity to rake in public funding and turn out massive profits with minimal risk .
Antibiotic and antiviral drugs are usually prescribed for short periods of time and therefore generally don ’ t yield blockbuster sales , according to Patients for Affordable Drugs .
Meanwhile , the pharmaceutical industry has gradually abandoned vaccine development over the past 50 years as it focused on lifestyle drugs and treatments for chronic conditions such as cancer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies also substantially decreased their investment in treatments and vaccines for emerging infectious diseases over the past decade .
In 2018 , only 1 percent of the global pharmaceutical industry ’ s research and development spending focused on emerging infectious diseases , according to the Access to Medicines Foundation .
In January , the World Health Organization warned that a lack of private interest and innovation in the development of new antibiotics was undermining global efforts to combat drug-resistant infections .
The United Nations issued a similarly dire warning last year .
Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine development programs during disease outbreaks , then quietly dropping them later , according to Dana Brown , director of The Next System Project , a research and development lab for political-economic alternatives .
Despite an outbreak raging in the Republic of Congo , the British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline recently gave up its effort to develop a vaccine for Ebola and handed off its research to a nonprofit lab .
Ebola is deadly but relatively rare globally , and the market was too small to generate significant profits .
In 2017 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a partnership with the U.S. Army to develop a vaccine for the mosquito-borne Zika virus .
“ Big Pharma ’ s business model is one of maximizing shareholder value — and it hinges on short-term returns , ” Brown said in an email .
“ There ’ s little if any gain for shareholders when companies invest in vaccine development… .
A number of companies report losing money on Ebola or SARS vaccines programs.
” Last year , there were only six active clinical trials of vaccines and therapeutics for coronaviruses involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them depend heavily on public funding , according to Public Citizen .
Had there been more sustained interest in the private sector , researchers would have more tools for combating the current outbreak , such as more platform technologies for vaccine development .
Now that COVID-19 has spread across the planet , the industry boasts that at least 310 clinical trials for treatments and vaccines for the virus are underway across the world , including 40 in the United States .
U.S. taxpayers have already invested $ 700 million in publicly funded research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak in 2002 , largely through the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) .
Since the outbreak , Congress has appropriated $ 1.8 billion for the NIH for coronavirus research .
“ With COVID-19 , the US government has eliminated many risks that often dissuade drug companies from vaccine investments , ” wrote David Mitchell and Ben Wakana with Patients for Affordable Drugs in a blog post this week .
“ By bankrolling research , sponsoring clinical trials , and eliminating all liability for drug corporations , American taxpayers are heavily subsidizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine.
” However , drug companies say it could be two to three years before an effective COVID-19 vaccine is widely available , and critics say there is no guarantee that private drug companies will follow through .
Generous government incentives have turned the pandemic into a massive business opportunity , but private drug companies will only remain involved if there is money to be made .
Indeed , CEOs of major drug companies are already worried that governments will cut funding once the crisis begins to recede .
These companies are demanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The federal Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ( BARDA ) gave $ 721 million to three private drug companies over the course of one week in March , and the NIH just announced a massive public-private partnership for accelerating COVID-19 drug development with more than a dozen private biopharmaceutical firms .
The large role of private companies in the vaccine quest raises concerns about their commitment to research as well as patient access to the vaccine itself .
Experts say a COVID-19 vaccine must be available worldwide for free to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the NIH partnership has no “ access provisions ” requiring private companies that benefit from public funding to make the medicines they develop accessible and affordable for patients .
Private companies will likely want exclusive licenses and marketing rights in exchange for their investment in COVID-19 drug development , advocates say .
This could create huge shortages of a vaccine , particularly in lower-income countries .
“ It ’ s essentially a giveaway of public funds to private corporations — ones that already benefit from massive amounts of public funding , plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deductions — with no conditions , ” Brown said .
Brown pointed to private companies that benefitted financially from the Canadian government ’ s investment in the Ebola vaccine development , but did little if anything to develop the actual vaccine and may have even delayed its rollout .
“ In a global pandemic that will forever shape our societies — one in which we are losing thousands of people a day — we can ill afford such delays , ” Brown added .
That ’ s why Brown and other reformers propose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharmaceuticals that exists purely to benefit public health , not profit margins .
Advocates say taxpayers in the U.S. are forced to pay for drugs twice – first by funding research through agencies like BARDA and the NIH , and then again at the pharmacy counter .
Instead of using public funding to support for-profit research , Congress could create and fund a publicly owned pharmaceutical outfit .
Brown said this would not abolish the private industry , which could remain focused on lifestyle drugs and blockbuster cures .
However , she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the interests of the public and the interests of private companies are not aligned .
“ This is simply an instance in which a competitive , market environment is not an apt vehicle for solving the problem , ” Brown said .
“ Only an open , collaborative approach to coronavirus vaccine development can assure a safe and effective vaccine will be made accessible to all — and it would speed up the process of discovery as well .
”

Coronavirus is an opportunity to rake in public funding and turn out massive profits with few financial risks.
Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
After reaching a new low in consumer confidence last year, thanks to public anger over rising drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry’s reputation is on the rise as researchers worldwide rush to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. A new national poll finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has benefited the industry’s public image, with 40 percent of respondents saying they have a more positive view of private drug companies than before the outbreak.
However, public health experts have warned for years that the world is at risk of a major pandemic, and advocates say Big Pharma showed little interest in developing vaccines – or even antibiotic and antiviral medications — until the latest outbreak offered an opportunity to rake in public funding and turn out massive profits with minimal risk.
Antibiotic and antiviral drugs are usually prescribed for short periods of time and therefore generally don’t yield blockbuster sales, according to Patients for Affordable Drugs. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry has gradually abandoned vaccine development over the past 50 years as it focused on lifestyle drugs and treatments for chronic conditions such as cancer that are in consistent demand. Drug companies also substantially decreased their investment in treatments and vaccines for emerging infectious diseases over the past decade. In 2018, only 1 percent of the global pharmaceutical industry’s research and development spending focused on emerging infectious diseases, according to the Access to Medicines Foundation.
In January, the World Health Organization warned that a lack of private interest and innovation in the development of new antibiotics was undermining global efforts to combat drug-resistant infections. The United Nations issued a similarly dire warning last year.
Drug companies have historically pleased investors by promoting vaccine development programs during disease outbreaks, then quietly dropping them later, according to Dana Brown, director of The Next System Project, a research and development lab for political-economic alternatives. Despite an outbreak raging in the Republic of Congo, the British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline recently gave up its effort to develop a vaccine for Ebola and handed off its research to a nonprofit lab. Ebola is deadly but relatively rare globally, and the market was too small to generate significant profits. In 2017, the massive French drug maker Sanofi pulled out of a partnership with the U.S. Army to develop a vaccine for the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
In 2018, only 1 percent of the global pharmaceutical industry’s research and development spending focused on emerging infectious diseases.
“Big Pharma’s business model is one of maximizing shareholder value — and it hinges on short-term returns,” Brown said in an email. “There’s little if any gain for shareholders when companies invest in vaccine development…. A number of companies report losing money on Ebola or SARS vaccines programs.”
Last year, there were only six active clinical trials of vaccines and therapeutics for coronaviruses involving private drug companies, and all of them depend heavily on public funding, according to Public Citizen. Had there been more sustained interest in the private sector, researchers would have more tools for combating the current outbreak, such as more platform technologies for vaccine development.
Now that COVID-19 has spread across the planet, the industry boasts that at least 310 clinical trials for treatments and vaccines for the virus are underway across the world, including 40 in the United States. U.S. taxpayers have already invested $700 million in publicly funded research on coronaviruses and vaccines since the SARS outbreak in 2002, largely through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since the outbreak, Congress has appropriated $1.8 billion for the NIH for coronavirus research.
“With COVID-19, the US government has eliminated many risks that often dissuade drug companies from vaccine investments,” wrote David Mitchell and Ben Wakana with Patients for Affordable Drugs in a blog post this week. “By bankrolling research, sponsoring clinical trials, and eliminating all liability for drug corporations, American taxpayers are heavily subsidizing drug corporations’ search for a COVID-19 vaccine.”
However, drug companies say it could be two to three years before an effective COVID-19 vaccine is widely available, and critics say there is no guarantee that private drug companies will follow through. Generous government incentives have turned the pandemic into a massive business opportunity, but private drug companies will only remain involved if there is money to be made.
American taxpayers are heavily subsidizing drug corporations’ search for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Indeed, CEOs of major drug companies are already worried that governments will cut funding once the crisis begins to recede. These companies are demanding billions of dollars in additional public spending. The federal Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) gave $721 million to three private drug companies over the course of one week in March, and the NIH just announced a massive public-private partnership for accelerating COVID-19 drug development with more than a dozen private biopharmaceutical firms.
The large role of private companies in the vaccine quest raises concerns about their commitment to research as well as patient access to the vaccine itself. Experts say a COVID-19 vaccine must be available worldwide for free to stop the pandemic. Yet, Brown said, the NIH partnership has no “access provisions” requiring private companies that benefit from public funding to make the medicines they develop accessible and affordable for patients. Private companies will likely want exclusive licenses and marketing rights in exchange for their investment in COVID-19 drug development, advocates say. This could create huge shortages of a vaccine, particularly in lower-income countries.
“It’s essentially a giveaway of public funds to private corporations — ones that already benefit from massive amounts of public funding, plus monopoly rights, plus subsidies and tax deductions — with no conditions,” Brown said.
Brown pointed to private companies that benefitted financially from the Canadian government’s investment in the Ebola vaccine development, but did little if anything to develop the actual vaccine and may have even delayed its rollout.
“In a global pandemic that will forever shape our societies — one in which we are losing thousands of people a day — we can ill afford such delays,” Brown added.
That’s why Brown and other reformers propose a “public option” for developing pharmaceuticals that exists purely to benefit public health, not profit margins. Advocates say taxpayers in the U.S. are forced to pay for drugs twice – first by funding research through agencies like BARDA and the NIH, and then again at the pharmacy counter. Instead of using public funding to support for-profit research, Congress could create and fund a publicly owned pharmaceutical outfit. Brown said this would not abolish the private industry, which could remain focused on lifestyle drugs and blockbuster cures. However, she said, when it comes to pandemics, the interests of the public and the interests of private companies are not aligned.
“This is simply an instance in which a competitive, market environment is not an apt vehicle for solving the problem,” Brown said. “Only an open, collaborative approach to coronavirus vaccine development can assure a safe and effective vaccine will be made accessible to all — and it would speed up the process of discovery as well.”
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--2020-04-23--Agricultural Workers Have Struggled for Decades. They Need COVID-19 Relief Now.

My grandfather , who was a dairy farmer all his life , cried when he dumped his milk .
It ’ s downright painful to watch your hard work literally go down the drain .
That was in the late 1960s , when my family and many others dumped their milk out of protest — they did so with hope that keeping product off the market would grant them power to later negotiate a fair price from buyers .
Now , farmers around the country are also dumping their milk , but not out of protest .
This time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has decreased demand for food , as schools , hotels and restaurants have closed .
Meanwhile , as unemployment claims rise by the week , millions around the country have to flock to food banks in search of their next meal .
It ’ s not just the dairy industry that ’ s been negatively affected .
According to the Farm Bureau , the prices for nearly every commodity have fallen dramatically over the last few weeks .
The coercive law of supply and demand is forcing down prices for cattle ranchers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , farmers are letting their crops rot in the fields or making them into mulch because prices are too low .
This is awful news for an already struggling rural economy .
Farm incomes for the past six years have been stagnant or falling , showing a slight improvement in 2019 that now has been erased by the pandemic ’ s effects .
What ’ s been one of the government ’ s responses in these hard times for farmers ?
Pay farmworkers less .
Talk about the wrong way to confront our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit , the close to 3 million farmworkers who don ’ t own land and who labor on some of the larger operations in this country already lived in extreme poverty — earning between $ 15,000 to $ 18,000 a year .
That around 75 percent of farmworkers lack documented status only adds insult to injury , as these farmworkers are in constant fear of deportation .
As the pandemic continues , what have farmworkers been demanding ?
At a time when it looks like they could leverage their position to request , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are asking for sick pay , safety gear and basic information about the disease .
If that ’ s not humbling , then I don ’ t know what is — some of the most vulnerable people in this country just want to keep working , with a modicum of safety .
Yet these most essential workers , the people who grow our food and pick it , are treated as if they are disposable .
Fortunately , grassroots groups are stepping in where official leadership is not .
For instance , fundraising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice for Migrant Women seek donations to cover medical expenses for farmworkers if they get sick , as well as protective gear for the others who continue to labor in the fields .
For our politicians , it seems as if there ’ s no problem that farmers receive nothing for their work , and farmworkers get even less than the miserly wages that they were already being paid .
This reality is unacceptable , and now is the time for Americans to demand that our politicians make serious reforms to the food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work in agriculture — deserves a stable income .
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ’ s Small Farmer Relief Act , which would forgive loans of certain farms , is a step in the right direction , but is not enough .
Similarly , the recently announced $ 15 billion package of emergency payments and government purchases of product , such as dairy , is necessary , though not sufficient .
As this relief package looks much like the previous attempts to offset the president ’ s costly trade war with China , which triggered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then it is also likely that large-scale producers will be favored over small-scale ones .
For this reason , emergency payments need to be tailored to small- and medium-size farmers .
Furthermore , there also needs to be a national moratorium on foreclosures .
Moreover , farmworkers need not just improved salaries ( and not further cuts to pay ) , but also safe working conditions .
Before this global pandemic , women farmworkers suffered from routine sexual harassment , while exposure to pesticides and excessive heat made the work of harvesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and vegetables detrimental to the health of everyone in the fields .
Working with the risk of contracting COVID-19 only adds to the perilous health conditions that farmworkers already had to endure .
For these reasons , we should take this moment to improve our food system for the future .
This means that the next stimulus package needs to include agriculture in a big way .
Farmworkers need more than face masks — they should have the right to organize without fear of employer retaliation so that they can demand safe work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Workforce Modernization Act — a bill that would provide undocumented workers in agriculture with citizenship — should get another look now , as it passed in the House last December but later stalled in the Senate .
Let ’ s also make farm income stable by fixing a floor price — a minimum wage , in a sense — for what farmers sell and instituting a supply management system that would allow producers the power to negotiate with buyers the amount of product that goes on the market .
My grandfather , if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset at still seeing farmers having to work tirelessly , then having to throw away what they worked so hard to make .
He would also hate to see farmworkers having to sacrifice their health for next to nothing in pay .
Still , what should really cause concern for most everyone is that the struggle of people who are employed in agriculture is not new , but has been going on for years , if not decades .
We can strengthen our food system by investing in agriculture now , while also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Amid the pandemic, those essential workers who grow our food and pick it are treated as if they are disposable.
Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
My grandfather, who was a dairy farmer all his life, cried when he dumped his milk. It’s downright painful to watch your hard work literally go down the drain.
That was in the late 1960s, when my family and many others dumped their milk out of protest — they did so with hope that keeping product off the market would grant them power to later negotiate a fair price from buyers.
Now, farmers around the country are also dumping their milk, but not out of protest. This time, it’s a global pandemic that has decreased demand for food, as schools, hotels and restaurants have closed. Meanwhile, as unemployment claims rise by the week, millions around the country have to flock to food banks in search of their next meal.
It’s not just the dairy industry that’s been negatively affected. According to the Farm Bureau, the prices for nearly every commodity have fallen dramatically over the last few weeks. The coercive law of supply and demand is forcing down prices for cattle ranchers and vegetable growers. From coast to coast, farmers are letting their crops rot in the fields or making them into mulch because prices are too low.
This is awful news for an already struggling rural economy. Farm incomes for the past six years have been stagnant or falling, showing a slight improvement in 2019 that now has been erased by the pandemic’s effects.
What’s been one of the government’s responses in these hard times for farmers? Pay farmworkers less.
Talk about the wrong way to confront our current agricultural crisis.
Before the virus hit, the close to 3 million farmworkers who don’t own land and who labor on some of the larger operations in this country already lived in extreme poverty — earning between $15,000 to $18,000 a year. That around 75 percent of farmworkers lack documented status only adds insult to injury, as these farmworkers are in constant fear of deportation.
What’s been one of the government’s responses in these hard times for farmers? Pay farmworkers less.
As the pandemic continues, what have farmworkers been demanding? At a time when it looks like they could leverage their position to request, say, citizenship, farm labor organizations are asking for sick pay, safety gear and basic information about the disease.
If that’s not humbling, then I don’t know what is — some of the most vulnerable people in this country just want to keep working, with a modicum of safety. Yet these most essential workers, the people who grow our food and pick it, are treated as if they are disposable.
Fortunately, grassroots groups are stepping in where official leadership is not. For instance, fundraising efforts being organized by groups such as Justice for Migrant Women seek donations to cover medical expenses for farmworkers if they get sick, as well as protective gear for the others who continue to labor in the fields.
For our politicians, it seems as if there’s no problem that farmers receive nothing for their work, and farmworkers get even less than the miserly wages that they were already being paid.
This reality is unacceptable, and now is the time for Americans to demand that our politicians make serious reforms to the food system.
Everyone – including those who work in agriculture — deserves a stable income. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s Small Farmer Relief Act, which would forgive loans of certain farms, is a step in the right direction, but is not enough. Similarly, the recently announced $15 billion package of emergency payments and government purchases of product, such as dairy, is necessary, though not sufficient. As this relief package looks much like the previous attempts to offset the president’s costly trade war with China, which triggered retaliatory tariffs that hurt farmers particularly hard, then it is also likely that large-scale producers will be favored over small-scale ones. For this reason, emergency payments need to be tailored to small- and medium-size farmers. Furthermore, there also needs to be a national moratorium on foreclosures.
Now is the time for Americans to demand that our politicians make serious reforms to the food system.
Moreover, farmworkers need not just improved salaries (and not further cuts to pay), but also safe working conditions. Before this global pandemic, women farmworkers suffered from routine sexual harassment, while exposure to pesticides and excessive heat made the work of harvesting much of this country’s fruits and vegetables detrimental to the health of everyone in the fields. Working with the risk of contracting COVID-19 only adds to the perilous health conditions that farmworkers already had to endure.
For these reasons, we should take this moment to improve our food system for the future. This means that the next stimulus package needs to include agriculture in a big way.
Farmworkers need more than face masks — they should have the right to organize without fear of employer retaliation so that they can demand safe work conditions and pay increases. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act — a bill that would provide undocumented workers in agriculture with citizenship — should get another look now, as it passed in the House last December but later stalled in the Senate.
Let’s also make farm income stable by fixing a floor price — a minimum wage, in a sense — for what farmers sell and instituting a supply management system that would allow producers the power to negotiate with buyers the amount of product that goes on the market.
My grandfather, if he were alive today, would be upset at still seeing farmers having to work tirelessly, then having to throw away what they worked so hard to make. He would also hate to see farmworkers having to sacrifice their health for next to nothing in pay.
Still, what should really cause concern for most everyone is that the struggle of people who are employed in agriculture is not new, but has been going on for years, if not decades.
We can strengthen our food system by investing in agriculture now, while also preparing the conditions for the next generation.
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--2020-04-23--Online Schooling Is Highlighting the Inequality in Our Classrooms

Noelle Salaun , an urban high school senior , is frustrated .
Although she has already been accepted into a prestigious college for fall 2020 , the transition from in-school classes to at-home learning has left her perplexed and angry .
“ I ’ m drowning in stress and anxiety , ” Salaun told Truthout .
“ I feel as though I ’ m not learning .
Before the virus , a normal school day was 8:30 am to 2:30 pm .
Now , with online learning , every day of the week starts and ends differently .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says that remote video-conferencing is “ an inadequate replacement for classroom instruction.
” Her specific complaints — shared , she says , by many of her peers — is that she frequently has trouble logging in , hearing what is being said and responding .
Worse , she says , more class time is spent taking attendance , asking students to appear on camera and reminding them to keep up with homework than on explaining the subject matter .
“ We ’ re actually being given more work now than we were before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we supposedly have nothing else to do , ” Salaun says .
In addition , she adds , every assignment is due at a specific time , a requirement that leaves her feeling drained and insecure about the material she is expected to master .
Still , Salaun knows that she is lucky : She has a functioning computer , a secure internet connection , enough food to eat and a roof over her head .
Luz Dolores , a 16-year-old junior at the High School for Construction Trades , Engineering , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , also considers herself lucky .
Although she says that she hates being home 24/7 , she has largely been able to stay on top of her work thanks to a teacher who gave her a computer after learning that she did not have one .
Lack of Technology Causes Difficulties in Keeping Up The recent switch to online learning was not Dolores ’ s first experience with working from home .
Prior to her school ’ s mid-March shutdown , Dolores says that faculty had already moved to a mix of digital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disadvantaged her .
“ I have an outdated phone , an old phone that does not let me access certain files , ” she said .
“ Even before we went into crisis mode , I had an assignment that was uploaded to a site called PupilPath .
I did not know about this assignment because I couldn ’ t see it on my phone.
” Dolores says after she learned of the task from classmates , she explained what had happened to the teacher .
“ Instead of giving me an extension @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a phone upgrade .
Where did she expect me to get the money to do this ?
” Dolores asks , her exasperation audible .
Today , Dolores is thankful that she has a laptop and can access the course information that she needs .
Nonetheless , she says that the transition has been rocky .
“ It ’ s overwhelming , ” she says .
“ Not everything works the way it is supposed to .
There is a site called Edpuzzle , where teachers upload videos and assignments , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last few days , the application has given me an error message .
I sent a screen shot of this to my teacher but was told I ’ d received no credit because of the missed work.
” Situations like this require flexibility , Dolores continues .
“ When teachers pile on ridiculous amounts of work , they can ’ t expect us to retain the information , do the homework , and fully understand what we ’ re supposed to be learning on our own.
” There have been mornings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to 30 classroom updates and memos , with four or five assignments due by day ’ s end .
“ No one tells us how we ’ re supposed to do this .
We ’ re just expected to have time management skills and be able to think , read and write as if we have no other obligations.
” But many students do have other obligations : From caring for siblings and elders , to overseeing the homework completion of younger brothers and sisters , to picking up food from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to holding down a job or searching for one .
Some students are also dealing with illness , whether their own or someone else ’ s , or may be mourning a lost loved one .
Still others have had to deal with inclement weather — including tornadoes , floods , wind storms and blizzards — in addition to COVID-19 .
Then there ’ s the issue of technology .
According to Time Magazine approximately 15 percent of U.S. households with school-aged children do not have high-speed internet .
Microsoft estimates that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ account , 163 million people live without access to a fast , reliable connection .
And even in districts where schools have scrambled to acquire computers , tablets and hotspots for students , many live too far from a cellular wireless signal for this to make much difference .
These realities highlight a long-ignored but blatant fact : The biggest obstacle to online learning is not a lack of technological gear , but the persistence of class privilege and class bias .
And needless to say , homeschooling can ’ t happen for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the very least , a place where they can sit , focus and learn .
Predictably , children who live in spacious quarters , with a quiet nook in which to study , as well as an adult caretaker with the time , language skills and ability to oversee and supplement their homework , make sure nutritious meals are available , and purchase books , art materials and other supplies , can thrive in a homeschooling environment .
Samantha Barrow , a poet and humanities teacher , left her apartment in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Vineyard where she and her wife have a tiny house .
“ We are people with resources .
We have more flexibility than most , and while we don ’ t always have everything we want , we have a lot more than a lot of people.
” Barrow and her wife have two kids and family in Martha ’ s Vineyard to help rear them .
“ I can also open our back door so my kids can go outside , something that ’ s impossible in a Manhattan apartment building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she says that it ’ s difficult to both work and oversee her children ’ s learning .
Scheduling is grueling : Barrow ’ s wife — a chef who is now preparing meals for pick-up and delivery — goes to work from 4:00 to 6:00 am , comes home and helps get the kids set for the day , and returns to work from 8:00am until noon .
Barrow then works from 1:00 – 5:00 pm .
“ My kids go to a bilingual school called Dos Puentes , ” Barrow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inventive , creative and incredibly patient , but out of 25 kids in my son ’ s first-grade class , only 16 or 17 show up to the online classroom on a regular basis .
The teachers are trying to give the kids options , including several different ways for them to hook into lessons , but there are glitches and things are sometimes sloppy.
” Everyone at the school has good values , Barrow continues .
Nonetheless , she acknowledges that learning online does not serve every child or every family .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who have the most resources , ” she says .
“ I worry that next year , some kids who were passed into second grade will actually be ready for third grade while others will have slid back to the kindergarten level.
” As Barrow notes , absenteeism is another huge concern .
NPR reported in early April that 47 percent of public school and 18 percent of private school students had not connected to any online learning platform in the first three weeks of the transition .
Whether this is willful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priority remains unknown .
What we do know is that most teachers are struggling to adapt , and while students like Noelle Salaun and Luz Dolores ’ s complaints have become commonplace , many teachers are struggling to find the right balance between academic rigor and recognition of the emotional upheaval students are experiencing .
Jill Neely teaches English as a Second Language ( ESL ) at Laney College , a public community college in Oakland , California .
She told Truthout that in the first two-and-a-half weeks after the college ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her time trying to track down her students .
“ About 20 percent are homeless and the majority are from Asia .
Many live in very small spaces and a large percentage have children .
I don ’ t know how they are accomplishing anything , ” Neely said .
“ A lot don ’ t have computers at home , and if they do have one , they likely share it with four other people .
They typically have a crappy Wi-Fi connection so they do everything on their phones .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a phone takes a thousand million hours.
” Prior to the pandemic , Neely had never used Zoom and had to learn Canvas , the messaging platform used by public universities throughout California .
“ I ’ m working my butt off , ” she says .
“ I swear to God , some days I sit at the computer for six hours straight.
” Neely is also a single parent , raising two kids : a 19-year-old first-year college student , now back at home , and a high school junior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a good Wi-Fi connection .
It ’ s the privilege of the privileged , ” she says , “ and it is still hard.
” One of her biggest personal worries ?
Her daughter had planned to visit several colleges to see where she wanted to apply .
These trips have been canceled .
“ There will also be no junior or senior prom , which is a big deal , ” she says .
Yet as concerned as Neely is about her own kids , she is most worried about her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling , emailing , texting and reaching out to them through Canvas .
“ My students need to know that someone cares about them , ” Neely says .
In terms of coursework , she is keeping it simple , giving students lots of time to do assignments and being careful not to overwhelm them with multiple demands .
She further stresses that she is being flexible and is making sure to “ ask them how they ’ re doing every day , to see what they need.
” Shelley Ruby , another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College in San Pablo , California ; her experience mirrors Neely ’ s .
“ Many of my students don ’ t know how to use anything but their phones , so even though the college had Chromebooks they could borrow for free , they did not take them .
I ’ ve been reaching out and trying , but it ’ s hard to explain complex concepts when I ’ m not there in person , ” Ruby tells Truthout .
“ The main difficulties are a lack of language skills followed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In addition , at least half of my students have children and way more than half have jobs , often multiple jobs.
” Like Neely , Ruby is juggling online teaching with the care of her two sons — and even with an involved co-parent and two involved grandparents , she says that this has been an adjustment .
“ My sixth grader ’ s teachers have been serious from the start : students have to follow the regular school day schedule online .
The purpose is to maintain structure and not have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my son has been given way too much work .
He hates it .
He finds it exhausting and I find it hard to support him when I ’ m also feeling exhausted.
” After three weeks , the school dialed back some of the requirements , but since the school year runs until June 12 , Ruby is taking a wait-and-see position on whether this work reduction is adequate .
Her 8-year-old son , meanwhile , has heard almost nothing from his teachers , leaving him feeling bored and disengaged .
Amanda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at High School to Art School , a project of the Queens Council on the Arts in New York City .
She teaches an array of students and says that the program anticipated the school shutdown and formulated a plan for a relatively seamless transition .
Nonetheless , she says that she was shocked that some of her colleagues had no idea that so many of their students lacked in-home access to technology .
But even more surprising , she says , was the student reaction .
“ Our students come from both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids from the private schools have classes with a maximum of 15 students .
When they heard students in public schools say that they can have 35 , 36 , 38 students in one class , they were stunned.
” The disparity , Adams-Louis says , raised their consciousness about class privilege , school inequities and the disparities between rich and poor .
Will this newfound consciousness have long-term implications ?
No one knows .
In the meantime , students , teachers , parents and other caretakers are trying to stay in touch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do what they can to stay on top of assignments and grading .
But as Shawn Peck , assistant principal at Faribault High School in Minnesota , asked on Twitter : “ Have you ever taken an online class ?
How about six at once ?
When you were a teenager ?
With spotty Wi-Fi ?
And needing to share a device with siblings ?
While trapped at home filled with fear and anxiety ?
Yeah .
Me neither.
” Nineteenth-century educator Horace Mann theorized that education would be the “ great equalizer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rich and poor .
“ If online instruction exacerbates already existing inequalities and makes them greater , it will be devastating for our public school population , pre-K through college , ” Emily Schnee , a professor at Kingsborough Community College-City University of New York , told Truthout .
“ Right now , the most disenfranchised students are getting hurt the most.
” The only way to even begin to make sure their needs are better met , she says , is for there to be true collaboration between students , faculty , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since the school year is far from over , there ’ s still a chance we can make things right .

As in-home learning has replaced the schoolhouse, those with the fewest resources are falling through the cracks.
Noelle Salaun, an urban high school senior, is frustrated. Although she has already been accepted into a prestigious college for fall 2020, the transition from in-school classes to at-home learning has left her perplexed and angry.
“I’m drowning in stress and anxiety,” Salaun told Truthout. “I feel as though I’m not learning. Before the virus, a normal school day was 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Now, with online learning, every day of the week starts and ends differently. It’s a mess.”
Furthermore, Salaun says that remote video-conferencing is “an inadequate replacement for classroom instruction.” Her specific complaints — shared, she says, by many of her peers — is that she frequently has trouble logging in, hearing what is being said and responding. Worse, she says, more class time is spent taking attendance, asking students to appear on camera and reminding them to keep up with homework than on explaining the subject matter.
“We’re actually being given more work now than we were before the virus, with the excuse that we supposedly have nothing else to do,” Salaun says. In addition, she adds, every assignment is due at a specific time, a requirement that leaves her feeling drained and insecure about the material she is expected to master.
Still, Salaun knows that she is lucky: She has a functioning computer, a secure internet connection, enough food to eat and a roof over her head.
Luz Dolores, a 16-year-old junior at the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering, and Architecture in Ozone Park, New York, also considers herself lucky. Although she says that she hates being home 24/7, she has largely been able to stay on top of her work thanks to a teacher who gave her a computer after learning that she did not have one.
Lack of Technology Causes Difficulties in Keeping Up
The recent switch to online learning was not Dolores’s first experience with working from home.
Homeschooling can’t happen for those without a home — or, at the very least, a place where they can sit, focus and learn.
Prior to her school’s mid-March shutdown, Dolores says that faculty had already moved to a mix of digital and classroom instruction, a shift that disadvantaged her. “I have an outdated phone, an old phone that does not let me access certain files,” she said. “Even before we went into crisis mode, I had an assignment that was uploaded to a site called PupilPath. I did not know about this assignment because I couldn’t see it on my phone.” Dolores says after she learned of the task from classmates, she explained what had happened to the teacher. “Instead of giving me an extension, she told me I had to get a phone upgrade. Where did she expect me to get the money to do this?” Dolores asks, her exasperation audible.
Today, Dolores is thankful that she has a laptop and can access the course information that she needs. Nonetheless, she says that the transition has been rocky. “It’s overwhelming,” she says. “Not everything works the way it is supposed to. There is a site called Edpuzzle, where teachers upload videos and assignments, but digital things are not perfect. Over the last few days, the application has given me an error message. I sent a screen shot of this to my teacher but was told I’d received no credit because of the missed work.”
Situations like this require flexibility, Dolores continues. “When teachers pile on ridiculous amounts of work, they can’t expect us to retain the information, do the homework, and fully understand what we’re supposed to be learning on our own.”
There have been mornings, she says, when she has woken up to 30 classroom updates and memos, with four or five assignments due by day’s end. “No one tells us how we’re supposed to do this. We’re just expected to have time management skills and be able to think, read and write as if we have no other obligations.”
But many students do have other obligations: From caring for siblings and elders, to overseeing the homework completion of younger brothers and sisters, to picking up food from a school meals program or soup kitchen, to holding down a job or searching for one. Some students are also dealing with illness, whether their own or someone else’s, or may be mourning a lost loved one. Still others have had to deal with inclement weather — including tornadoes, floods, wind storms and blizzards — in addition to COVID-19.
Then there’s the issue of technology. According to Time Magazine approximately 15 percent of U.S. households with school-aged children do not have high-speed internet. Microsoft estimates that the number is even higher — by their account, 163 million people live without access to a fast, reliable connection. And even in districts where schools have scrambled to acquire computers, tablets and hotspots for students, many live too far from a cellular wireless signal for this to make much difference.
NPR reported in early April that 47 percent of public school and 18 percent of private school students had not connected to any online learning platform in the first three weeks of the transition.
These realities highlight a long-ignored but blatant fact: The biggest obstacle to online learning is not a lack of technological gear, but the persistence of class privilege and class bias. And needless to say, homeschooling can’t happen for those without a home — or, at the very least, a place where they can sit, focus and learn.
Predictably, children who live in spacious quarters, with a quiet nook in which to study, as well as an adult caretaker with the time, language skills and ability to oversee and supplement their homework, make sure nutritious meals are available, and purchase books, art materials and other supplies, can thrive in a homeschooling environment.
Privileging the Already Privileged
Samantha Barrow, a poet and humanities teacher, left her apartment in New York City in mid-March for Martha’s Vineyard where she and her wife have a tiny house. “We are people with resources. We have more flexibility than most, and while we don’t always have everything we want, we have a lot more than a lot of people.”
Barrow and her wife have two kids and family in Martha’s Vineyard to help rear them. “I can also open our back door so my kids can go outside, something that’s impossible in a Manhattan apartment building,” Barrow tells Truthout.
Still, she says that it’s difficult to both work and oversee her children’s learning. Scheduling is grueling: Barrow’s wife — a chef who is now preparing meals for pick-up and delivery — goes to work from 4:00 to 6:00 am, comes home and helps get the kids set for the day, and returns to work from 8:00am until noon. Barrow then works from 1:00 – 5:00 pm.
“My kids go to a bilingual school called Dos Puentes,” Barrow says. “The teachers have been inventive, creative and incredibly patient, but out of 25 kids in my son’s first-grade class, only 16 or 17 show up to the online classroom on a regular basis. The teachers are trying to give the kids options, including several different ways for them to hook into lessons, but there are glitches and things are sometimes sloppy.”
Everyone at the school has good values, Barrow continues. Nonetheless, she acknowledges that learning online does not serve every child or every family. “Online lessons end up serving the people who have the most resources,” she says. “I worry that next year, some kids who were passed into second grade will actually be ready for third grade while others will have slid back to the kindergarten level.”
As Barrow notes, absenteeism is another huge concern.
NPR reported in early April that 47 percent of public school and 18 percent of private school students had not connected to any online learning platform in the first three weeks of the transition. Whether this is willful disregard or reflects school becoming a bottom-of-the-list priority remains unknown.
Many teachers are struggling to find the right balance between academic rigor and recognition of the emotional upheaval students are experiencing.
What we do know is that most teachers are struggling to adapt, and while students like Noelle Salaun and Luz Dolores’s complaints have become commonplace, many teachers are struggling to find the right balance between academic rigor and recognition of the emotional upheaval students are experiencing.
Jill Neely teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) at Laney College, a public community college in Oakland, California. She told Truthout that in the first two-and-a-half weeks after the college’s March 19 closure, she spent most of her time trying to track down her students. “About 20 percent are homeless and the majority are from Asia. Many live in very small spaces and a large percentage have children. I don’t know how they are accomplishing anything,” Neely said. “A lot don’t have computers at home, and if they do have one, they likely share it with four other people. They typically have a crappy Wi-Fi connection so they do everything on their phones. As you know, writing a paper on a phone takes a thousand million hours.”
Teachers Face Online Teaching Challenge
Prior to the pandemic, Neely had never used Zoom and had to learn Canvas, the messaging platform used by public universities throughout California. “I’m working my butt off,” she says. “I swear to God, some days I sit at the computer for six hours straight.”
Neely is also a single parent, raising two kids: a 19-year-old first-year college student, now back at home, and a high school junior. “We each have a room with a good Wi-Fi connection. It’s the privilege of the privileged,” she says, “and it is still hard.”
One of her biggest personal worries? Her daughter had planned to visit several colleges to see where she wanted to apply. These trips have been canceled. “There will also be no junior or senior prom, which is a big deal,” she says.
Yet as concerned as Neely is about her own kids, she is most worried about her students and reports that she is regularly calling, emailing, texting and reaching out to them through Canvas. “My students need to know that someone cares about them,” Neely says. In terms of coursework, she is keeping it simple, giving students lots of time to do assignments and being careful not to overwhelm them with multiple demands. She further stresses that she is being flexible and is making sure to “ask them how they’re doing every day, to see what they need.”
Nineteenth-century educator Horace Mann theorized that education would be the “great equalizer,” leveling the playing field for rich and poor. This obviously hasn’t happened.
Shelley Ruby, another ESL teacher, works at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California; her experience mirrors Neely’s. “Many of my students don’t know how to use anything but their phones, so even though the college had Chromebooks they could borrow for free, they did not take them. I’ve been reaching out and trying, but it’s hard to explain complex concepts when I’m not there in person,” Ruby tells Truthout. “The main difficulties are a lack of language skills followed by a lack of technological savvy. In addition, at least half of my students have children and way more than half have jobs, often multiple jobs.”
Like Neely, Ruby is juggling online teaching with the care of her two sons — and even with an involved co-parent and two involved grandparents, she says that this has been an adjustment. “My sixth grader’s teachers have been serious from the start: students have to follow the regular school day schedule online. The purpose is to maintain structure and not have the class collapse into chaos, but my son has been given way too much work. He hates it. He finds it exhausting and I find it hard to support him when I’m also feeling exhausted.”
After three weeks, the school dialed back some of the requirements, but since the school year runs until June 12, Ruby is taking a wait-and-see position on whether this work reduction is adequate. Her 8-year-old son, meanwhile, has heard almost nothing from his teachers, leaving him feeling bored and disengaged.
Amanda Adams-Louis is a teacher and student advisor at High School to Art School, a project of the Queens Council on the Arts in New York City. She teaches an array of students and says that the program anticipated the school shutdown and formulated a plan for a relatively seamless transition. Nonetheless, she says that she was shocked that some of her colleagues had no idea that so many of their students lacked in-home access to technology. But even more surprising, she says, was the student reaction. “Our students come from both public and elite private schools. The kids from the private schools have classes with a maximum of 15 students. When they heard students in public schools say that they can have 35, 36, 38 students in one class, they were stunned.” The disparity, Adams-Louis says, raised their consciousness about class privilege, school inequities and the disparities between rich and poor.
Will this newfound consciousness have long-term implications? No one knows.
In the meantime, students, teachers, parents and other caretakers are trying to stay in touch with one another, foster learning and do what they can to stay on top of assignments and grading.
But as Shawn Peck, assistant principal at Faribault High School in Minnesota, asked on Twitter: “Have you ever taken an online class? How about six at once? When you were a teenager? With spotty Wi-Fi? And needing to share a device with siblings? While trapped at home filled with fear and anxiety? Yeah. Me neither.”
Nineteenth-century educator Horace Mann theorized that education would be the “great equalizer,” leveling the playing field for rich and poor.
This obviously hasn’t happened.
“If online instruction exacerbates already existing inequalities and makes them greater, it will be devastating for our public school population, pre-K through college,” Emily Schnee, a professor at Kingsborough Community College-City University of New York, told Truthout. “Right now, the most disenfranchised students are getting hurt the most.” The only way to even begin to make sure their needs are better met, she says, is for there to be true collaboration between students, faculty, teachers’ unions and school administrators.
Since the school year is far from over, there’s still a chance we can make things right.
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--2020-04-24--HHS Spokesman Tweeted About Chinese People Sucking “Blood Out of Rabid Bats”

Before he was officially named to the post last week , Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Michael Caputo scrapped most of the posts off of his Twitter account , deleting a number of questionable and racist content .
Though they were deleted days before he was officially hired , the tweets were not forgotten , and now , some of them are coming to light , demonstrating xenophobic and alarming commentary from a man who is serving as the mouthpiece of a department largely at the center of the Trump administration ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump — he was an adviser on Trump ’ s 2016 campaign , and wrote a book called The Ukraine Hoax which attempted to exonerate the president during the impeachment saga .
Caputo accepted his government position on April 15 .
“ I am honored to serve the President to the best of my abilities in this time of crisis and , in so doing , the American people , ” Caputo said .
He hasn ’ t always been so respectful in his comments , however .
Indeed , among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several that blamed China for the spread of the virus , including one disseminating the racist claim that coronavirus came about due to Chinese culinary practices .
“ Millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer , ” Caputo wrote in one of his tweets , also suggesting they “ eat the ass out of anteaters ” — alluding to an unsubstantiated notion that the disease came from a dish called “ bat soup ” in China , or that it may have come from a similar dish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make these types of comments once or twice , but frequently , and discussed it on his podcast program as well .
In another tweet in which a user was critical of him , Caputo responded back , “ Don ’ t you have a bat to eat ?
” Caputo , at many times , has said , much like Trump has , that the coronavirus itself wasn ’ t that worrisome of a threat .
He also alleged it was a political ploy by Democrats , whom Caputo believed had inflamed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make the president look bad .
The new HHS spokesman ’ s comments from the past haven ’ t just targeted Chinese people — they also lambaste prominent Jewish Americans , and demonstrate anti-Semitism in Caputo ’ s thinking .
Caputo , on March 17 , stated that economist David Rothschild ( whom he called “ an inbred elitist sphincter whose family craves control ” ) had wanted to murder people in order to gain power , for example .
Also in March , Caputo wrote that billionaire philanthropist George Soros , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was happy that a pandemic was happening , stating without evidence that it helped fulfill his political goals .
These comments , disgusting as they are , may not be grounds in Trump ’ s mind for disqualification from his new role as HHS spokesperson .
The president has frequently tried to shift messaging on the coronavirus , insisting on calling it the “ Chinese Virus ” in tweets and public statements , in spite of the clear racist connotations .
The president has also expressed anti-Semitic views .
Trump has called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for office “ disloyal , ” a centuries-old trope .
And before he was president , while campaigning to a group of Jewish Republicans , Trump suggested they wouldn ’ t vote for him in the primaries because they couldn ’ t buy him off — another stereotype that promulgates the offensive belief that Jewish people are only concerned with money .

The new Department of Health and Human Services spokesman deleted most of his tweets earlier this month.
Before he was officially named to the post last week, Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Michael Caputo scrapped most of the posts off of his Twitter account, deleting a number of questionable and racist content.
Though they were deleted days before he was officially hired, the tweets were not forgotten, and now, some of them are coming to light, demonstrating xenophobic and alarming commentary from a man who is serving as the mouthpiece of a department largely at the center of the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Caputo is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump — he was an adviser on Trump’s 2016 campaign, and wrote a book called The Ukraine Hoax which attempted to exonerate the president during the impeachment saga. Caputo accepted his government position on April 15.
“I am honored to serve the President to the best of my abilities in this time of crisis and, in so doing, the American people,” Caputo said.
He hasn’t always been so respectful in his comments, however.
Indeed, among the tweets he deleted, Caputo removed several that blamed China for the spread of the virus, including one disseminating the racist claim that coronavirus came about due to Chinese culinary practices.
“Millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer,” Caputo wrote in one of his tweets, also suggesting they “eat the ass out of anteaters” — alluding to an unsubstantiated notion that the disease came from a dish called “bat soup” in China, or that it may have come from a similar dish involving pangolins.
Caputo didn’t make these types of comments once or twice, but frequently, and discussed it on his podcast program as well. In another tweet in which a user was critical of him, Caputo responded back, “Don’t you have a bat to eat?”
Caputo, at many times, has said, much like Trump has, that the coronavirus itself wasn’t that worrisome of a threat. He also alleged it was a political ploy by Democrats, whom Caputo believed had inflamed the seriousness of the disease in order to make the president look bad.
The new HHS spokesman’s comments from the past haven’t just targeted Chinese people — they also lambaste prominent Jewish Americans, and demonstrate anti-Semitism in Caputo’s thinking. Caputo, on March 17, stated that economist David Rothschild (whom he called “an inbred elitist sphincter whose family craves control”) had wanted to murder people in order to gain power, for example.
Also in March, Caputo wrote that billionaire philanthropist George Soros, often the target of far-right conspiracy theorists, was happy that a pandemic was happening, stating without evidence that it helped fulfill his political goals.
“Soros’s political agenda REQUIRES a pandemic,” Caputo said.
These comments, disgusting as they are, may not be grounds in Trump’s mind for disqualification from his new role as HHS spokesperson. The president has frequently tried to shift messaging on the coronavirus, insisting on calling it the “Chinese Virus” in tweets and public statements, in spite of the clear racist connotations.
The president has also expressed anti-Semitic views. Trump has called Jewish Americans that voted for Democratic candidates for office “disloyal,” a centuries-old trope.
And before he was president, while campaigning to a group of Jewish Republicans, Trump suggested they wouldn’t vote for him in the primaries because they couldn’t buy him off — another stereotype that promulgates the offensive belief that Jewish people are only concerned with money.
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--2020-04-24--New Relief Bill Lacks Funds for Food Aid, Rent Relief, Election Protection

As the House passes a new $ 484 Billion coronavirus relief bill , Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the sole Democrat to vote no , saying it falls far short , failing to protect those at greatest health risk , including essential frontline workers , and could let millions go hungry .
We get response from The American Prospect ’ s David Dayen .
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Members of Congress returned to Washington , D.C. , Thursday and voted nearly unanimously to approve a half a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The relief bill adds another $ 310 billion for the small business Paycheck Protection Program , just as the Small Business Administration reports some 1.6 million small businesses received funding from the program , but hundreds of thousands more still are waiting to just hear back about their application status , after the program ran out of money last week .
Much of the money was allocated to large corporations .
The new relief bill also provides billions in aid to hospitals and for testing .
But critics say it falls far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities , and additional money to expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program , known as SNAP .
More than 30 state attorneys general say the move could force 3 million people to go hungry in the middle of a pandemic .
Just one Democrat voted against the bill : Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , who spoke out on the House floor .
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO–CORTEZ : On behalf of my constituents in the Bronx and Queens , New York ’ s 14th Congressional District , the most impacted district in America , calling people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is a joke when Republicans say that they have urgency around this bill .
The only folks that they have urgency around are folks like Ruth ’ s Chris Steak House and Shake Shack .
Those are the people getting assistance in this bill .
You are not trying to fix this bill for mom-and-pops .
And we have to fight to fund hospitals , fighting to fund testing .
That is what we ’ re fighting for in this bill .
It is unconscionable .
If you had urgency , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May 1st and make sure that we include rent and mortgage relief for our constituents .
Thank you very much .
AMY GOODMAN : Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was speaking as she was holding her mask .
This comes as Democrats have called for key priorities to be added to a new “ Phase 4 ” bill , including more funding for rent assistance , election security and the U.S .
Postal Service .
For more , we go to David Dayen , executive editor of The American Prospect , where he writes a daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” his latest books [ sic ] , “ The Fight to Learn Who the Fed Will Bail Out.
” Welcome back to Democracy Now !
, and thanks so much for joining us , David .
Why don ’ t you start off by just reviewing what happened ?
We just played AOC .
She was the sole Democrat , along with four Republicans , to vote against this stimulus pack .
Explain who ’ s getting bailed out and still who isn ’ t .
DAVID DAYEN : Well , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it was in the House of Representatives , to see everybody in masks .
And they had to shuttle people in and clean the House of Representatives every — I think they went alphabetically .
The vote took about an hour .
This bill has — it just replenishes the small business lending fund , the PPP , for about $ 300 billion or more , and it has $ 75 billion for hospital defraying of costs and $ 25 billion to surge testing .
But it leaves out , as you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures that progressives have been asking for but haven ’ t received .
And now , you know , Republicans got the small business replenishment that they wanted , and it ’ s hard to see what the incentive is for Republicans to come to the table on a fourth round .
AMY GOODMAN : So , why was it almost unanimous then , David ?
DAVID DAYEN : Well , certainly , I don ’ t think anybody is saying that this money isn ’ t needed .
I think what AOC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re disappointed that this didn ’ t have the key measures for individuals , rent relief , fixing the Postal Service , guaranteeing vote by mail for the elections in November , payroll support and things like that .
And , you know , progressives that I ’ ve talked to are very upset that leverage keeps leaking out here over and over again .
You know , in the last big bill in March , you had a giant corporate bailout .
Now you ’ ve had the small business relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ small ” is a relevant term .
It ’ s 500 employees or less , and franchises can still apply .
So , you know , that ’ s kind of what the Republicans wanted .
And now Democrats are going to try to get their priorities through , and it ’ s , I think , going to be a pretty difficult road .
AMY GOODMAN : On Wednesday , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he ’ s against giving states more federal aid in future pandemic legislation , suggesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was New York Governor Cuomo ’ s response .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s Governor Cuomo , who just met with Donald Trump in Washington .
He called McConnell “ the Grim Reaper.
” David Dayen , you ’ ve written a lot about governors gaining power right now .
Talk about McConnell ’ s suggestion — let the states go bankrupt as the corporations are funded — and the rise of governors .
DAVID DAYEN : Yeah , I think this is for one reason and one reason only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pensions .
This is about public employees and trying to get out of , you know , the benefits that they earned , that they deserved , over the course of their working lifetimes .
McConnell and the Republicans have been ideologically opposed to public workers and public pensions for some time , and they see their moment to strike .
The hole in state and local budgets is absolutely massive .
About $ 3 trillion was spent last year on state and local government .
We ’ ve only seen about $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last month ’ s bill , fill that hole .
There ’ s probably going to be a trillion-dollar hole in these budgets .
And so , you know , this is absolutely dire .
If you want to see another depression , watch the austerity at the state and local level .
You know , states and localities can ’ t print money , so they have to cut services or raise taxes .
And so , this is really dire , and McConnell seems to feel like he holds them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen governors rise in prominence during this coronavirus pandemic .
They certainly have been able to make policy decisions .
President Trump has sort of given them the ability to make policy decisions by sort of taking responsibility away from himself .
And that has been great , but they run up against a wall when it comes to spending .
They only have the revenues they can take in .
And McConnell is try to exploit that .
It ’ s really damaging .
AMY GOODMAN : Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were going to have on today , but he lost a dear constituent to COVID-19 — introduced the Essential Workers ’ Bill of Rights .
We ’ re going to talk in a minute with a domestic worker organizer in the epicenter of the epicenter , in Queens .
But if you can talk about , very quickly , this and other demands that progressives are making right now , as clearly one after another of the stimulus bills are being passed ?
DAVID DAYEN : Yeah , I mean , a temporary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical .
We ’ re seeing our frontline workers come down sick with infections of the coronavirus .
You know , rent is due on May 1st .
And all of these things now go into a next bill , that Republicans — it ’ s going to be hard-pressed for them to deal with .
But I think the key is that there ’ s no real pressure on Nancy Pelosi .
Nancy Pelosi has been a one-woman Congress for the last month or so .
The constituents — or , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policymaking .
I ’ m told , from one progressive organization , they ’ re going to try to get members to say out front , “ Give us some of these demands that we need for our constituents , or we ’ re not going to vote for this next package ” — they want that guarantee upfront — to pressure Pelosi to actually include some of this stuff and work on a bill that actually meets the needs of the American people , especially in these districts .
AMY GOODMAN : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you so much for being with us , executive editor of The American Prospect , where he writes a daily update on the pandemic called “ Unsanitized.
” Well , when we come back , we speak to a leading domestic worker organizer in the epicenter of the epicenter , in Queens .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : Joan Baez singing Bob Dylan ’ s “ Forever Young , ” dedicating it to the heroes of our time — healthcare workers , farmworkers , truckers and many other essential workers .

As the House passes a new $484 Billion coronavirus relief bill, Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the sole Democrat to vote no, saying it falls far short, failing to protect those at greatest health risk, including essential frontline workers, and could let millions go hungry. We get response from The American Prospect’s David Dayen.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Members of Congress returned to Washington, D.C., Thursday and voted nearly unanimously to approve a half a trillion dollars in new COVID-19 emergency funding. The relief bill adds another $310 billion for the small business Paycheck Protection Program, just as the Small Business Administration reports some 1.6 million small businesses received funding from the program, but hundreds of thousands more still are waiting to just hear back about their application status, after the program ran out of money last week. Much of the money was allocated to large corporations. The new relief bill also provides billions in aid to hospitals and for testing.
But critics say it falls far short on providing funding for states and cities, and additional money to expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. More than 30 state attorneys general say the move could force 3 million people to go hungry in the middle of a pandemic. Just one Democrat voted against the bill: Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke out on the House floor.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO–CORTEZ: On behalf of my constituents in the Bronx and Queens, New York’s 14th Congressional District, the most impacted district in America, calling people, losing their families every day, it is a joke when Republicans say that they have urgency around this bill. The only folks that they have urgency around are folks like Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Shake Shack. Those are the people getting assistance in this bill. You are not trying to fix this bill for mom-and-pops. And we have to fight to fund hospitals, fighting to fund testing. That is what we’re fighting for in this bill. It is unconscionable. If you had urgency, you would legislate like rent was due on May 1st and make sure that we include rent and mortgage relief for our constituents. Thank you very much. Related Story Op-Ed | Politics & Elections Trump and His Allies Have Decided to Preserve Capitalism at Any Cost Do not listen to the president. Truthout
AMY GOODMAN: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was speaking as she was holding her mask. This comes as Democrats have called for key priorities to be added to a new “Phase 4” bill, including more funding for rent assistance, election security and the U.S. Postal Service.
For more, we go to David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect, where he writes a daily update on the pandemic called “Unsanitized,” his latest books [sic], “The Fight to Learn Who the Fed Will Bail Out.”
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, and thanks so much for joining us, David. Why don’t you start off by just reviewing what happened? We just played AOC. She was the sole Democrat, along with four Republicans, to vote against this stimulus pack. Explain who’s getting bailed out and still who isn’t.
DAVID DAYEN: Well, it’s a remarkable scene, that it was in the House of Representatives, to see everybody in masks. And they had to shuttle people in and clean the House of Representatives every — I think they went alphabetically. The vote took about an hour.
This bill has — it just replenishes the small business lending fund, the PPP, for about $300 billion or more, and it has $75 billion for hospital defraying of costs and $25 billion to surge testing. But it leaves out, as you mentioned, all of the very important measures that progressives have been asking for but haven’t received. And now, you know, Republicans got the small business replenishment that they wanted, and it’s hard to see what the incentive is for Republicans to come to the table on a fourth round.
AMY GOODMAN: So, why was it almost unanimous then, David?
DAVID DAYEN: Well, certainly, I don’t think anybody is saying that this money isn’t needed. I think what AOC and others are saying is that they’re disappointed that this didn’t have the key measures for individuals, rent relief, fixing the Postal Service, guaranteeing vote by mail for the elections in November, payroll support and things like that. And, you know, progressives that I’ve talked to are very upset that leverage keeps leaking out here over and over again. You know, in the last big bill in March, you had a giant corporate bailout. Now you’ve had the small business relief that has been put in. That “small” is a relevant term. It’s 500 employees or less, and franchises can still apply. So, you know, that’s kind of what the Republicans wanted. And now Democrats are going to try to get their priorities through, and it’s, I think, going to be a pretty difficult road.
AMY GOODMAN: On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’s against giving states more federal aid in future pandemic legislation, suggesting states should instead consider bankruptcy. This was New York Governor Cuomo’s response.
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO: As soon as the Senate passed it, this current bill, Senator Mitch McConnell goes out, and he says maybe the states should declare bankruptcy. OK? This is one of the really dumb ideas of all time.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Governor Cuomo, who just met with Donald Trump in Washington. He called McConnell “the Grim Reaper.” David Dayen, you’ve written a lot about governors gaining power right now. Talk about McConnell’s suggestion — let the states go bankrupt as the corporations are funded — and the rise of governors.
DAVID DAYEN: Yeah, I think this is for one reason and one reason only. It’s to undercut public pensions. This is about public employees and trying to get out of, you know, the benefits that they earned, that they deserved, over the course of their working lifetimes. McConnell and the Republicans have been ideologically opposed to public workers and public pensions for some time, and they see their moment to strike.
The hole in state and local budgets is absolutely massive. About $3 trillion was spent last year on state and local government. We’ve only seen about $150 billion in the CARES Act, the last month’s bill, fill that hole. There’s probably going to be a trillion-dollar hole in these budgets. And so, you know, this is absolutely dire. If you want to see another depression, watch the austerity at the state and local level. You know, states and localities can’t print money, so they have to cut services or raise taxes. And so, this is really dire, and McConnell seems to feel like he holds them hostage.
You know, we have seen governors rise in prominence during this coronavirus pandemic. They certainly have been able to make policy decisions. President Trump has sort of given them the ability to make policy decisions by sort of taking responsibility away from himself. And that has been great, but they run up against a wall when it comes to spending. They only have the revenues they can take in. And McConnell is try to exploit that. It’s really damaging.
AMY GOODMAN: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Congressmember Ro Khanna — who we were going to have on today, but he lost a dear constituent to COVID-19 — introduced the Essential Workers’ Bill of Rights. We’re going to talk in a minute with a domestic worker organizer in the epicenter of the epicenter, in Queens. But if you can talk about, very quickly, this and other demands that progressives are making right now, as clearly one after another of the stimulus bills are being passed?
DAVID DAYEN: Yeah, I mean, a temporary worker standard for workplace safety is absolutely critical. We’re seeing our frontline workers come down sick with infections of the coronavirus. You know, rent is due on May 1st. And all of these things now go into a next bill, that Republicans — it’s going to be hard-pressed for them to deal with. But I think the key is that there’s no real pressure on Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi has been a one-woman Congress for the last month or so. The constituents — or, the other representatives have not been involved in policymaking. I’m told, from one progressive organization, they’re going to try to get members to say out front, “Give us some of these demands that we need for our constituents, or we’re not going to vote for this next package” — they want that guarantee upfront — to pressure Pelosi to actually include some of this stuff and work on a bill that actually meets the needs of the American people, especially in these districts.
AMY GOODMAN: David Dayen, we want to thank you so much for being with us, executive editor of The American Prospect, where he writes a daily update on the pandemic called “Unsanitized.”
Well, when we come back, we speak to a leading domestic worker organizer in the epicenter of the epicenter, in Queens. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: Joan Baez singing Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young,” dedicating it to the heroes of our time — healthcare workers, farmworkers, truckers and many other essential workers.