truthout--2020-11-20--AOC and Cori Bush Join Protest Outside DNC to Push Biden on Climate Action

Indigenous , racial justice and climate activists staged an occupation outside the Democratic National Convention in Washington Thursday , calling on President-elect Joe Biden to take immediate climate action and to approve the Green New Deal .
Advocates are also calling for a Cabinet free of lobbyists and others with close industry ties .
A number of lawmakers spoke at the protest , including Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush from Missouri and Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York .
We air excerpts of their remarks .
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Democracynow.org , the Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
When we come back , we go to Washington , D.C. , where there was a sit-in staged outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
, the Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman .
In Washington , D.C. , indigenous , racial justice and climate activists staged an occupation outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters Thursday , calling on President-elect Joe Biden to take immediate climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Advocates are also calling for a corporate-free Cabinet .
Protesters included Ta ’ Sina Sapa Win of the Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective .
AMY GOODMAN : A number of lawmakers spoke at the protest outside the DNC , including Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush from Missouri .
Bush is a formerly homeless nurse and single mother who helped lead the protests following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson , Missouri in 2014 .
She recently became the first African American woman elected to Congress from Missouri .
CONGRESSMEMBER–ELECT CORI BUSH : First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to make sure that something is very clear .
When we don ’ t act , people who look like me die .
So let me say that again .
When people don ’ t act , people who look like me die .
And so there is just no other alternative right now than to make sure that we have bold leadership .
And some people say , “ Oh , well you can ’ t win , ” or “ You can ’ t—you have to play this game.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the games .
We can ’ t play any more games , because when we play the games , people die .
What we ’ re looking at right now , when we crossed the mark for 250,000 people dying at the hands of Trump ’ s COVID-19 ?
And I am calling it Trump ’ s COVID-19 because this could have been done differently .
So we ’ re looking right now to President-elect Joe Biden to make some changes and do some things that are different .
But it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We got ta do bold .
We got ta do change that happens now .
We got ta make sure that black folks , brown folks , every marginalized group , our indigenous folks , feel our change .
And so that ’ s why we ’ re here .
We need change that everybody can feel .
And so , yes , we ’ re going to get in good trouble doing it .
Yes , we ’ re going to make sure that we say the names of those that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And so that ’ s what we ’ re asking for right now .
When I think about the day when I didn ’ t care about the climate .
And see , one thing you all know about me is I tell my own ish ; I don ’ t need somebody to tell it for me .
There was a day when I didn ’ t care about the climate .
I thought the climate crisis and climate issues was all about—or caring about the environment was about recycling and endangered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what , I found out after fighting about why is my energy bill so high .
Fighting about , why do I keep having to go to the hospital for asthma .
Why does my child have to keep going to the hospital for asthma ?
And then I realized that it ’ s these coal companies and it ’ s these companies that are the ones that are pushing this into our communities , into communities that have nothing to do with it , that are the most impacted who look like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district , where black children are ten times as likely to go to the ER for asthma than white children , we got ta do somethin ’ about it .
So we ’ re calling on the Biden administration right now to save lives .
Save lives .
There ’ s no other alternative .
We need bold leadership and we ’ re asking you , because we voted for you .
Black and brown communities showed up .
Ilhan Omar and our sister right here , Rashida Tlaib , showed up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , showing up to vote .
So we ’ re asking you to show up for us .
And we need it now .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush of Missouri .
She was wearing a black mask with the white bold words “ good trouble ” printed on it , speaking Thursday at the “ Biden , be brave ” occupation outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters .
Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also spoke .
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO–CORTEZ : Climate is now a top-three issue for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about time that our Congress and our administration starts acting like it .
It ’ s way past time .
But what I think is so important is that every single person up here represents the power of the movement .
It represents the power of indigenous communities organizing , the power of young people organizing , the power of the Movement for Black Lives organizing , showing that climate is intersectional with every one of our needs and demands .
It is tied to the treaty rights and liberties of indigenous peoples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We can ’ t talk about climate unless we ’ re talking about the rights of young people to have a habitable planet , unless we ’ re talking about the rights of working-class people to have a job that guarantees them dignity .
And it is only bold federal action that can guarantee these things .
It is only that kind of transformational investment .
Now we have worked and the movement has pushed .
The movement is why I was elected to Congress .
The movement is why Jamaal and Cori @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all , the movement , is why Ilhan is here .
The movement is why Rashida is here .
The movement is why Ed Markey was protected this year .
It was the movement .
Because as we have been saying since day one , they ’ ve got money , but we ’ ve got people .
We ’ ve got people .
And at the end of the day , dollar bills don ’ t vote .
Although , they try to .
We vote .
People vote .
Young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , long past time , that we recognize and understand that we owe our seats , we owe our political power , because of young people , because of the Movement for Black Lives , because of women , because of the working class across this country .
And it ’ s is a class issue , it ’ s a race issue , it ’ s a gender issue .
That ’ s why this work is so important .
Because you all have done the work , you all got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have worked with the Biden administration to secure commitment on a $ 2 trillion climate plan .
Two trillion dollars .
But we ’ re not gon na stop there .
We ’ re not gon na stop with a piece of paper .
That ’ s not what ’ s gon na happen .
We ’ re not gon na forget about that agreement for the sake of an election , are we ?
No .
What we ’ re gon na do is that we ’ re gon na organize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I believe is decent and kind and honorable , keep their promise .
So that ’ s what our next move is , is to make sure that the Biden administration keeps its promise .
We know that we don ’ t just make that demand and walk away .
We have to organize for it .
We have to bring the heat for it .
Because there ’ s a whole lot of people that tried to just shove a bunch of money before this election to try to buy their seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for ours , and we ’ re not easily going to let that go .
So our demand here is to make sure that we keep this promise , that we follow through on a visionary , absolutely unprecedented $ 2 trillion plan that ’ s not just about money , but also it ’ s one of the first presidential plans to honor the treaty rights of native people , one of the first rights to make sure that we have environmental justice front and center , so that we make sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we make up for Flint , that we make up for Baltimore , that we make up for lead in the pipes across this country .
So that ’ s what this movement is all about .
I want to thank you .
And I don ’ t want anybody here to think that we ’ re not winning .
‘ Cause lem me tell you something—we ’ re winning .
It ’ s working .
It ’ s happening .
And we are going to secure a future .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a Green New Deal , a multi-trillion dollar jobs program for climate , for environmental , racial , gender and class justice .
That ’ s what the Green New Deal is and we will stick to that plan .
So thank you all so very much .
AMY GOODMAN : New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking at the “ Biden , be brave ” occupation outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington , D.C. , on Thursday .

Indigenous, racial justice and climate activists staged an occupation outside the Democratic National Convention in Washington Thursday, calling on President-elect Joe Biden to take immediate climate action and to approve the Green New Deal. Advocates are also calling for a Cabinet free of lobbyists and others with close industry ties. A number of lawmakers spoke at the protest, including Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush from Missouri and Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. We air excerpts of their remarks.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, Democracynow.org, the Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman. When we come back, we go to Washington, D.C., where there was a sit-in staged outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Stay with us.
[MUSIC BREAK]
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, the Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman. In Washington, D.C., indigenous, racial justice and climate activists staged an occupation outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters Thursday, calling on President-elect Joe Biden to take immediate climate action and approve the Green New Deal. Advocates are also calling for a corporate-free Cabinet. Protesters included Ta’Sina Sapa Win of the Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective.
TA’SINA SAPA WIN: I’m going to ask Biden, please, put an end to this fossil fuel addiction. Put an end to this ongoing genocide. Put an end to the ongoing injustices against our people. Because we will stand. And we do know that there are people willing to put their bodies on the line to make sure that our future generations will have a clean, beautiful and just thriving community.
AMY GOODMAN: A number of lawmakers spoke at the protest outside the DNC, including Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush from Missouri. Bush is a formerly homeless nurse and single mother who helped lead the protests following the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. She recently became the first African American woman elected to Congress from Missouri.
CONGRESSMEMBER–ELECT CORI BUSH: First of all, I think that we need to make sure that something is very clear. When we don’t act, people who look like me die. So let me say that again. When people don’t act, people who look like me die. And so there is just no other alternative right now than to make sure that we have bold leadership. And some people say, “Oh, well you can’t win,” or “You can’t—you have to play this game.” Well, I’m done with the games. We can’t play any more games, because when we play the games, people die. What we’re looking at right now, when we crossed the mark for 250,000 people dying at the hands of Trump’s COVID-19? And I am calling it Trump’s COVID-19 because this could have been done differently. So we’re looking right now to President-elect Joe Biden to make some changes and do some things that are different. But it’s not good enough to just do different. We gotta do bold. We gotta do change that happens now. We gotta make sure that black folks, brown folks, every marginalized group, our indigenous folks, feel our change. And so that’s why we’re here. We need change that everybody can feel. And so, yes, we’re going to get in good trouble doing it. Yes, we’re going to make sure that we say the names of those that have passed because of failed leadership. And so that’s what we’re asking for right now. When I think about the day when I didn’t care about the climate. And see, one thing you all know about me is I tell my own ish; I don’t need somebody to tell it for me. There was a day when I didn’t care about the climate. I thought the climate crisis and climate issues was all about—or caring about the environment was about recycling and endangered animals. Well, I tell you what, I found out after fighting about why is my energy bill so high. Fighting about, why do I keep having to go to the hospital for asthma. Why does my child have to keep going to the hospital for asthma? And then I realized that it’s these coal companies and it’s these companies that are the ones that are pushing this into our communities, into communities that have nothing to do with it, that are the most impacted who look like me. When I think about my district, where black children are ten times as likely to go to the ER for asthma than white children, we gotta do somethin’ about it. So we’re calling on the Biden administration right now to save lives. Save lives. There’s no other alternative. We need bold leadership and we’re asking you, because we voted for you. Black and brown communities showed up. Ilhan Omar and our sister right here, Rashida Tlaib, showed up, and made sure that people were out, showing up to vote. So we’re asking you to show up for us. And we need it now.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush of Missouri. She was wearing a black mask with the white bold words “good trouble” printed on it, speaking Thursday at the “Biden, be brave” occupation outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also spoke.
REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO–CORTEZ: Climate is now a top-three issue for voters across the country and it is about time that our Congress and our administration starts acting like it. It’s way past time. But what I think is so important is that every single person up here represents the power of the movement. It represents the power of indigenous communities organizing, the power of young people organizing, the power of the Movement for Black Lives organizing, showing that climate is intersectional with every one of our needs and demands. It is tied to the treaty rights and liberties of indigenous peoples in the United States of America. We can’t talk about climate unless we’re talking about the rights of young people to have a habitable planet, unless we’re talking about the rights of working-class people to have a job that guarantees them dignity. And it is only bold federal action that can guarantee these things. It is only that kind of transformational investment. Now we have worked and the movement has pushed. The movement is why I was elected to Congress. The movement is why Jamaal and Cori and Mondaire are here today. You all, the movement, is why Ilhan is here. The movement is why Rashida is here. The movement is why Ed Markey was protected this year. It was the movement. Because as we have been saying since day one, they’ve got money, but we’ve got people. We’ve got people. And at the end of the day, dollar bills don’t vote. Although, they try to. We vote. People vote. Young people vote. And it’s about time, long past time, that we recognize and understand that we owe our seats, we owe our political power, because of young people, because of the Movement for Black Lives, because of women, because of the working class across this country. And it’s is a class issue, it’s a race issue, it’s a gender issue. That’s why this work is so important. Because you all have done the work, you all got us a seat at the table. We have worked with the Biden administration to secure commitment on a $2 trillion climate plan. Two trillion dollars. But we’re not gonna stop there. We’re not gonna stop with a piece of paper. That’s not what’s gonna happen. We’re not gonna forget about that agreement for the sake of an election, are we? No. What we’re gonna do is that we’re gonna organize and demand that this administration, which I believe is decent and kind and honorable, keep their promise. So that’s what our next move is, is to make sure that the Biden administration keeps its promise. We know that we don’t just make that demand and walk away. We have to organize for it. We have to bring the heat for it. Because there’s a whole lot of people that tried to just shove a bunch of money before this election to try to buy their seat at the table. But we organized for ours, and we’re not easily going to let that go. So our demand here is to make sure that we keep this promise, that we follow through on a visionary, absolutely unprecedented $2 trillion plan that’s not just about money, but also it’s one of the first presidential plans to honor the treaty rights of native people, one of the first rights to make sure that we have environmental justice front and center, so that we make sure that we make up for redlining, that we make up for Flint, that we make up for Baltimore, that we make up for lead in the pipes across this country. So that’s what this movement is all about. I want to thank you. And I don’t want anybody here to think that we’re not winning. ‘Cause lemme tell you something—we’re winning. It’s working. It’s happening. And we are going to secure a future. We’re going to secure the basic tenets of a Green New Deal, a multi-trillion dollar jobs program for climate, for environmental, racial, gender and class justice. That’s what the Green New Deal is and we will stick to that plan. So thank you all so very much.
AMY GOODMAN: New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaking at the “Biden, be brave” occupation outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.


truthout--2020-11-20--Georgia Senator Privately Pushed for Lucrative Tax Break for Sports Teamowners

Sen. David Perdue , R-Ga. , privately pushed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to give wealthy sports owners a lucrative tax break last year , according to a previously unreported letter obtained by ProPublica .
After the 2017 tax bill championed by President Donald Trump passed , Mnuchin and the Treasury had to write rules on how the legislation would work in practice .
Of the hundreds of pages of new regulations the agency developed , Perdue wrote about his concern with one extremely narrow rule : The owners of professional sports teams were being excluded from a valuable tax break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are structured so that the companies don ’ t pay taxes but the owners do .
“ I hope you will reconsider , ” Perdue wrote in the 2019 letter .
Many such letters on regulatory matters are signed by multiple senators , sometimes dozens .
But in this case Perdue alone wrote and signed the letter .
Why Perdue got interested in an obscure tax regulation , which would impact at most only a small set of the richest Americans , is unclear .
Perdue was not on the committee that crafted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the arcane regulation unusual , congressional experts said .
The Treasury ultimately declined to adopt the revision Perdue sought .
If the regulation had been altered as Perdue wanted , it would have been a boon for some of his largest donors .
Perdue has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the owners of professional sports clubs , including now-fellow Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler , who co-owns Atlanta ’ s WNBA team , the Dream .
Perdue ’ s office did not answer questions about why he sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter with any sports team owners .
Perdue and Loeffler , who was appointed to her role earlier this year , are locked in runoff elections to be held Jan. 5 with the balance of the Senate in play .
If both Republicans lose , Democrats will take over the chamber , potentially allowing President-elect Joe Biden to implement more of his agenda than he would under a divided government .
Jon Ossoff , Perdue ’ s Democratic challenger , has cast Perdue as a member of the Washington “ swamp ” who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Perdue was one of the 2017 tax bill ’ s biggest boosters , publicly describing it as a windfall for average Americans .
“ A single mom making $ 41,000 with a child is going to get a 75 % tax cut , ” he told a reporter when it passed .
“ This is a great day for the middle class.
” Before Perdue became a senator in 2015 , he was a top executive for a string of companies , including Reebok , where in the early 2000s the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the NBA and the NHL .
A review of his campaign contributions shows that Perdue has taken more than $ 425,000 from the owners of professional sports teams and their relatives .
Some of the top donors include the DeVos family , which owns the Orlando Magic ; John Ingram , who owns the Nashville SC soccer team ; Los Angeles Kings owner Philip Anschutz ; and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam .
On the same day Perdue sent Mnuchin the letter , he received $ 3,000 in donations from three lobbyists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobbying firm that was representing the Atlanta Braves .
Because of the Braves ’ ownership structure , it ’ s unlikely the team would have been affected by the regulation , but around that time , MLB was lobbying on the rule , urging the Treasury to give its team owners the tax break .
Perdue ’ s campaign expenditures suggest he was in Atlanta that day , Jan. 23 , 2019 .
One of the lobbyists who contributed , John “ Trip ” Martin , said he couldn ’ t recall if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but said he did not discuss the tax exemption with Perdue .
Another Perdue donor in the sports world is Loeffler .
Before being picked by Georgia ’ s governor to fill a vacant Senate seat in late 2019 , Loeffler and her husband were prominent members of the business community and major donors to Republicans in the state and nationally .
Loeffler was chief executive of Bakkt , a financial services company , and remains a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream .
Her husband , Jeffrey Sprecher , is chief executive of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York Stock Exchange .
Together , the couple has given about $ 70,000 in campaign contributions to Perdue .
Mary Brock , who co-owns the Dream with Loeffler , has given Perdue more than $ 38,000 .
Loeffler did not respond to questions about whether she discussed the tax break regulation with Perdue .
A spokeswoman for the team also declined to answer specific questions , saying in a statement that “ the Atlanta Dream is not a political entity , and we are in the business of sports and entertainment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful team on the court and creating a top fan experience.
” Like many WNBA teams , the Dream has not been profitable .
Reversing the regulation would have certainly benefited Loeffler if the Dream became profitable , but tax experts ProPublica spoke to were split about whether a reversal could have cut her tax burden even if the team remained in the red .
The landmark 2017 tax overhaul didn ’ t just lower the headline tax rates for corporations such as Exxon or Facebook .
It also included a more complicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known as pass-throughs .
A pass-through is a corporate structure — anything from a solo graphic design operation to a large professional sports team — that doesn ’ t pay taxes itself .
Instead the income “ passes through ” to the owners , who then are on the hook for the taxes .
The new tax law granted a 20 % deduction to most , but not all , of these businesses .
The hastily drafted bill left open to interpretation which sorts of businesses would be eligible to get this tax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars per year at stake , that ambiguity set off a flurry of lobbying as the Treasury Department set about writing regulations .
A group of prominent tax academics who analyzed the bill warned that “ complex rules governing this new deduction will invite gaming opportunities because there is no particular logic as to who clearly fits into the preferred categories .
As a result , taxpayers will be incentivized to engage in aggressive and socially costly tax gaming to fall within the haphazardly drawn lines.
” Perdue ’ s January 2019 letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines to the benefit of sports team owners .
He asked that Mnuchin “ allow owners of professional sports teams to claim a Section 199A deduction , ” using the formal legal citation for the tax break .
It followed a similar push in October 2018 by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred .
In his letter to the Treasury , Manfred pleaded for the agency to let club owners take the tax break .
Perdue also spoke on the phone to Mnuchin while the regulation was being hashed out in late November 2018 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public calendar .
The topic of the phone call is not specified .

The failed effort could have helped several of his donors, including fellow Sen. Kelly Loeffler.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., privately pushed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to give wealthy sports owners a lucrative tax break last year, according to a previously unreported letter obtained by ProPublica.
After the 2017 tax bill championed by President Donald Trump passed, Mnuchin and the Treasury had to write rules on how the legislation would work in practice.
Of the hundreds of pages of new regulations the agency developed, Perdue wrote about his concern with one extremely narrow rule: The owners of professional sports teams were being excluded from a valuable tax break being granted to many other businesses that are structured so that the companies don’t pay taxes but the owners do.
“I hope you will reconsider,” Perdue wrote in the 2019 letter.
Many such letters on regulatory matters are signed by multiple senators, sometimes dozens. But in this case Perdue alone wrote and signed the letter. Why Perdue got interested in an obscure tax regulation, which would impact at most only a small set of the richest Americans, is unclear. Perdue was not on the committee that crafted the legislation, making his in-the-weeds lobbying on the arcane regulation unusual, congressional experts said.
The Treasury ultimately declined to adopt the revision Perdue sought. If the regulation had been altered as Perdue wanted, it would have been a boon for some of his largest donors. Perdue has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the owners of professional sports clubs, including now-fellow Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who co-owns Atlanta’s WNBA team, the Dream.
Perdue’s office did not answer questions about why he sent the letter or whether he discussed the matter with any sports team owners.
Perdue and Loeffler, who was appointed to her role earlier this year, are locked in runoff elections to be held Jan. 5 with the balance of the Senate in play. If both Republicans lose, Democrats will take over the chamber, potentially allowing President-elect Joe Biden to implement more of his agenda than he would under a divided government.
Jon Ossoff, Perdue’s Democratic challenger, has cast Perdue as a member of the Washington “swamp” who caters to the interests of corporate donors.
Perdue was one of the 2017 tax bill’s biggest boosters, publicly describing it as a windfall for average Americans. “A single mom making $41,000 with a child is going to get a 75% tax cut,” he told a reporter when it passed. “This is a great day for the middle class.”
Before Perdue became a senator in 2015, he was a top executive for a string of companies, including Reebok, where in the early 2000s the company inked major licensing deals with the NFL, the NBA and the NHL.
A review of his campaign contributions shows that Perdue has taken more than $425,000 from the owners of professional sports teams and their relatives. Some of the top donors include the DeVos family, which owns the Orlando Magic; John Ingram, who owns the Nashville SC soccer team; Los Angeles Kings owner Philip Anschutz; and Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.
On the same day Perdue sent Mnuchin the letter, he received $3,000 in donations from three lobbyists at GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group, a lobbying firm that was representing the Atlanta Braves. Because of the Braves’ ownership structure, it’s unlikely the team would have been affected by the regulation, but around that time, MLB was lobbying on the rule, urging the Treasury to give its team owners the tax break.
Perdue’s campaign expenditures suggest he was in Atlanta that day, Jan. 23, 2019. One of the lobbyists who contributed, John “Trip” Martin, said he couldn’t recall if the contribution was made at a fundraiser but said he did not discuss the tax exemption with Perdue.
Another Perdue donor in the sports world is Loeffler.
Before being picked by Georgia’s governor to fill a vacant Senate seat in late 2019, Loeffler and her husband were prominent members of the business community and major donors to Republicans in the state and nationally.
Loeffler was chief executive of Bakkt, a financial services company, and remains a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is chief executive of Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange.
Together, the couple has given about $70,000 in campaign contributions to Perdue. Mary Brock, who co-owns the Dream with Loeffler, has given Perdue more than $38,000.
Loeffler did not respond to questions about whether she discussed the tax break regulation with Perdue. A spokeswoman for the team also declined to answer specific questions, saying in a statement that “the Atlanta Dream is not a political entity, and we are in the business of sports and entertainment. We are focused on building a successful team on the court and creating a top fan experience.”
Like many WNBA teams, the Dream has not been profitable.
Reversing the regulation would have certainly benefited Loeffler if the Dream became profitable, but tax experts ProPublica spoke to were split about whether a reversal could have cut her tax burden even if the team remained in the red.
The landmark 2017 tax overhaul didn’t just lower the headline tax rates for corporations such as Exxon or Facebook. It also included a more complicated but extremely valuable tax break for businesses known as pass-throughs. A pass-through is a corporate structure — anything from a solo graphic design operation to a large professional sports team — that doesn’t pay taxes itself. Instead the income “passes through” to the owners, who then are on the hook for the taxes.
The new tax law granted a 20% deduction to most, but not all, of these businesses. The hastily drafted bill left open to interpretation which sorts of businesses would be eligible to get this tax break. With tens of billions of dollars per year at stake, that ambiguity set off a flurry of lobbying as the Treasury Department set about writing regulations.
A group of prominent tax academics who analyzed the bill warned that “complex rules governing this new deduction will invite gaming opportunities because there is no particular logic as to who clearly fits into the preferred categories. As a result, taxpayers will be incentivized to engage in aggressive and socially costly tax gaming to fall within the haphazardly drawn lines.”
Perdue’s January 2019 letter amounted to an effort to shift those lines to the benefit of sports team owners. He asked that Mnuchin “allow owners of professional sports teams to claim a Section 199A deduction,” using the formal legal citation for the tax break.
It followed a similar push in October 2018 by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. In his letter to the Treasury, Manfred pleaded for the agency to let club owners take the tax break.
Perdue also spoke on the phone to Mnuchin while the regulation was being hashed out in late November 2018, according to the Treasury secretary’s public calendar. The topic of the phone call is not specified.
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truthout--2020-11-20--Senate GOP Shatters 123-Year Tradition to Approve Even More Trump Judges

Senate Republicans have bucked a century-old tradition to continue to confirm President Donald Trump ’ s judges in spite of his election loss .
The Senate has confirmed six district court nominees since the election , including a 33-year-old attorney with little trial experience who was rated “ not qualified ” by the American Bar Association ( ABA ) .
The move broke a “ 123-year tradition against voting on judicial nominees of an outgoing president of the defeated party during a lame duck session , ” according to Bloomberg Law .
Judicial nominees of presidents who lost their re-election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been confirmed after an election since 1897 , Russell Wheeler , a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies judicial appointments , told the outlet .
The lone exception was when the Senate confirmed future Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer , who was then the chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee , to a circuit court in 1980 .
The push comes as the Senate continues to stall on a coronavirus relief package despite the number of pandemic deaths rising to more than a quarter-million and massive spikes in cases across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schumer , D-N.Y. , and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. to “ finally come ” to the negotiating table this week .
The House passed a $ 3.4 trillion package back in May and a $ 2.2 trillion compromise offer last month .
McConnell has refused to budge from his $ 500 billion offer , even though economists say the country needs at least 400 % more in relief funding to get through the winter .
McConnell has vowed to continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward with two nominations handed down since Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett ’ s confirmation .
“ We ’ re going to run through the tape , ” McConnell said in a radio interview after the Barrett vote .
“ We go through the end of the year , and so does the president.
” Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , has suggested that the Senate may even confirm nominees in January — right up until President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20 .
Asked about the tradition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg Law , a spokesperson for McConnell “ pointed to Senate norms that Democrats have abandoned in the judicial nominations process.
” Democrats eliminated the filibuster for lower court and executive nominees in 2013 before Republicans eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 to push through the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-Calif. , the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee , called for Senate Republicans to halt confirmations after Trump ’ s defeat , citing the longstanding tradition of not confirming judges after a president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter to Graham calling on him to respect “ long and established tradition ” and “ accordingly cease to process judicial nominations and allow the Biden-Harris administration the opportunity to appoint judges after Inauguration Day.
” One of the four district court nominees approved this week was Kathryn Kimball Mizelle .
She is an attorney at the law firm Jones Day , which is one of the firms involved in the Republican legal crusade challenging the results of the election .
Mizelle is also a member of the Federalist Society , the conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bankrolled Trump ’ s judicial appointments .
She is also close to Justice Clarence Thomas , with whom she taught a course at the University of Florida , according to The Tampa Bay Times .
Prior to joining Jones Day , Mizelle worked as a lawyer in Trump ’ s Department of Justice .
She supervised litigation from the agency ’ s Civil Rights Division and Civil Division , which rescinded protections for transgender students , dropped its opposition to racially discriminatory election policies and opposed policies expanding health care and education opportunities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tenure , according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights .
“ It is deeply disturbing that someone like Ms. Mizelle – who was involved in many of the Trump administration ’ s most egregious civil rights rollbacks – would be rewarded for these actions with a lifetime appointment to the federal bench , ” Vanita Gupta , the group ’ s president and CEO , said in a letter to senators ahead of the vote , describing Mizelle as an “ ultraconservative ideologue ” and a “ Trump loyalist.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump pick to be approved by the Senate yet , was confirmed in a 49-41 vote on Wednesday to a district court seat in Florida despite being rated “ Not Qualified ” by the ABA .
The ABA , which usually sets a 12-year threshold for a nominee to be rated as qualified , said in a September letter that Mizelle , who has little trial experience and was only admitted to the bar in 2012 , “ represents a rather marked departure from the 12 year minimum.
” She is the tenth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be confirmed by Senate Republicans .
Mizelle “ is woefully unprepared and unqualified to serve as a federal judge , ” Gupta wrote .
“ While this matters little to the Trump administration — which has spent the past four years attempting to lard the federal courts with young , right-wing extremists like Ms. Mizelle — her lack of experience should make her nomination a non-starter .
.
.
Rather than processing judicial nominees , the Senate should be focused on addressing the many urgent challenges that are gripping our nation at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ devastating health and economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis .
”

Judicial nominees of presidents who lost their reelection have not been confirmed after an election since 1897.
Senate Republicans have bucked a century-old tradition to continue to confirm President Donald Trump’s judges in spite of his election loss.
The Senate has confirmed six district court nominees since the election, including a 33-year-old attorney with little trial experience who was rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association (ABA). The move broke a “123-year tradition against voting on judicial nominees of an outgoing president of the defeated party during a lame duck session,” according to Bloomberg Law.
Judicial nominees of presidents who lost their re-election or whose party was defeated have not been confirmed after an election since 1897, Russell Wheeler, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies judicial appointments, told the outlet. The lone exception was when the Senate confirmed future Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who was then the chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, to a circuit court in 1980.
The push comes as the Senate continues to stall on a coronavirus relief package despite the number of pandemic deaths rising to more than a quarter-million and massive spikes in cases across the country. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. to “finally come” to the negotiating table this week. The House passed a $3.4 trillion package back in May and a $2.2 trillion compromise offer last month. McConnell has refused to budge from his $500 billion offer, even though economists say the country needs at least 400% more in relief funding to get through the winter.
McConnell has vowed to continue to confirm judges, announcing plans to move forward with two nominations handed down since Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation.
“We’re going to run through the tape,” McConnell said in a radio interview after the Barrett vote. “We go through the end of the year, and so does the president.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has suggested that the Senate may even confirm nominees in January — right up until President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
Asked about the tradition of not confirming judges after election defeats by Bloomberg Law, a spokesperson for McConnell “pointed to Senate norms that Democrats have abandoned in the judicial nominations process.” Democrats eliminated the filibuster for lower court and executive nominees in 2013 before Republicans eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 to push through the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called for Senate Republicans to halt confirmations after Trump’s defeat, citing the longstanding tradition of not confirming judges after a president’s defeat.
Feinstein wrote a letter to Graham calling on him to respect “long and established tradition” and “accordingly cease to process judicial nominations and allow the Biden-Harris administration the opportunity to appoint judges after Inauguration Day.”
One of the four district court nominees approved this week was Kathryn Kimball Mizelle. She is an attorney at the law firm Jones Day, which is one of the firms involved in the Republican legal crusade challenging the results of the election.
Mizelle is also a member of the Federalist Society, the conservative dark money group which has steered and bankrolled Trump’s judicial appointments. She is also close to Justice Clarence Thomas, with whom she taught a course at the University of Florida, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
Prior to joining Jones Day, Mizelle worked as a lawyer in Trump’s Department of Justice. She supervised litigation from the agency’s Civil Rights Division and Civil Division, which rescinded protections for transgender students, dropped its opposition to racially discriminatory election policies and opposed policies expanding health care and education opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds during her tenure, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
“It is deeply disturbing that someone like Ms. Mizelle – who was involved in many of the Trump administration’s most egregious civil rights rollbacks – would be rewarded for these actions with a lifetime appointment to the federal bench,” Vanita Gupta, the group’s president and CEO, said in a letter to senators ahead of the vote, describing Mizelle as an “ultraconservative ideologue” and a “Trump loyalist.”
The 33-year-old Washington attorney, the youngest Trump pick to be approved by the Senate yet, was confirmed in a 49-41 vote on Wednesday to a district court seat in Florida despite being rated “Not Qualified” by the ABA.
The ABA, which usually sets a 12-year threshold for a nominee to be rated as qualified, said in a September letter that Mizelle, who has little trial experience and was only admitted to the bar in 2012, “represents a rather marked departure from the 12 year minimum.”
She is the tenth Trump nominee rated “not qualified” to be confirmed by Senate Republicans.
Mizelle “is woefully unprepared and unqualified to serve as a federal judge,” Gupta wrote. “While this matters little to the Trump administration — which has spent the past four years attempting to lard the federal courts with young, right-wing extremists like Ms. Mizelle — her lack of experience should make her nomination a non-starter . . . Rather than processing judicial nominees, the Senate should be focused on addressing the many urgent challenges that are gripping our nation at this moment,” such as the “devastating health and economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.”
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--2020-11-20--As Stimulus Runs Out, 56% of US Household Are Worried About Affording Food

More than half of households in the United States are not “ very confident ” that they can afford to put food on the table as the holidays approach , according to federal Census data .
Meanwhile , what remains of federal pandemic relief programs is set to expire before the end of year .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has so far refused to take up a $ 2.2 trillion economic relief package passed by Democrats months ago , even after Democrats attempted to compromise with Republicans and lowered the price tag by $ 1.2 trillion .
If Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million workers will lose federal emergency unemployment benefits when they expire on December 26 — on top of the 4.6 million who will have exhausted their benefits before then , according to the Century Foundation .
The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a terrifying phase in recent weeks , forcing some state and local governments to issue stay-at-home orders while others refuse to impose serious mitigations despite spikes in cases and hospitalizations .
The U.S. has reported an average 162,816 new cases each day over the past week , a 77 percent increase from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the COVID trackers at The New York Times .
Deaths surpassed 250,000 on Thursday .
“ We have had one million cases documented over the past week , our rate of rise is higher than it even was in the summer , we have hospitalizations going up 25 percent week over week , ” said Adm. Brett Giroir , assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services , in an interview with CNN on Thursday .
Unemployment remains stubbornly high as cities and states stare down another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people filing new unemployment claims over the past two weeks , according to the Economic Policy Institute .
State unemployment benefits are paid for 26 weeks , but the pandemic has gone on much longer than that , leaving millions of people dependent on the two federal unemployment programs established by the first pandemic relief package passed in March .
These programs are set to expire the day after Christmas .
Millions of families are sitting on a fiscal cliff : 56 percent of households are not “ very confident ” that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the next four weeks , according to federal data collected in late October .
The Center for Budget and Policy priorities estimates that , right now , up to 11 million children live in households that could not afford enough to eat over the past week , and 40 percent of children live in a household that is either food insecure or behind on rent .
When people struggle to afford basic needs , their spending on non-essentials such as holiday gifts plummets , further slowing an already sluggish economic recovery as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst .
Meanwhile , Congress remains at an impasse over a second pandemic relief bill .
The White House has backed out of negotiations as President Donald Trump remains fixated on spreading disinformation and attempting to overturn the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden .
With two Republican Senate seats at risk in an upcoming runoff in Georgia , McConnell has said Congress should pass another stimulus , but Republicans are reportedly sticking to a $ 500 billion proposal .
Democrats say much more is needed , including another round of stimulus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments struggling on the front lines of the pandemic .
In a letter to McConnell this week , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer implored the GOP to return to the negotiating table this week and come to a COVID relief agreement to “ crush the virus and save American lives.
” “ Earlier this year during negotiations with Secretary [ Steven ] Mnuchin and Chief of Staff [ Mark ] Meadows , we agreed to compromise on a relief package and lowered our request by $ 1.2 trillion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that time , you have lowered your proposal from $ 1 trillion to $ 500 billion , despite the consensus from economists and experts that the country requires a much larger injection of aid.
” Indeed , financial analysts say relief proposals offered by Democrats would allow for the most economic recovery .
A new international analysis by the Institute for New Economic Thinking found countries such as South Korea and New Zealand that focused on lockdowns early on in the pandemic , rather than preserving their economies , have gained control over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economies grow , in contrast with the dire economic circumstances currently in the U.S .
Reflecting Trump ’ s view of the pandemic , much of the GOP appears unphased as the nation lunges toward a fiscal cliff .
Promising news that a COVID-19 vaccine is on the way may be buoying hopes among Republicans that an easy fix to the pandemic is on the horizon .
However , there are growing concerns that state governments lack the resources necessary to effectively distribute a vaccine .
States need at least $ 6 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to date only $ 200 million has been allocated for vaccine preparedness , according to the Kaiser Family Foundation .
Schumer announced on Thursday that McConnell had agreed to restart negotiations with Democrats , although he offered few other details , according to reports .
Democrats and Republicans must agree on a government spending package by December 11 to avoid a government shutdown .
If they don ’ t agree on pandemic relief as well , millions of their constituents will be struggling to afford food — not to mention rent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the end of the year .

More than half of households in the United States are not “very confident” that they can afford to put food on the table as the holidays approach, according to federal Census data. Meanwhile, what remains of federal pandemic relief programs is set to expire before the end of year.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has so far refused to take up a $2.2 trillion economic relief package passed by Democrats months ago, even after Democrats attempted to compromise with Republicans and lowered the price tag by $1.2 trillion. If Congress fails to act, an estimated 12 million workers will lose federal emergency unemployment benefits when they expire on December 26 — on top of the 4.6 million who will have exhausted their benefits before then, according to the Century Foundation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a terrifying phase in recent weeks, forcing some state and local governments to issue stay-at-home orders while others refuse to impose serious mitigations despite spikes in cases and hospitalizations. The U.S. has reported an average 162,816 new cases each day over the past week, a 77 percent increase from the daily average two weeks ago, according to the COVID trackers at The New York Times. Deaths surpassed 250,000 on Thursday.
“We have had one million cases documented over the past week, our rate of rise is higher than it even was in the summer, we have hospitalizations going up 25 percent week over week,” said Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
Unemployment remains stubbornly high as cities and states stare down another round of lockdowns, with 2.2 million people filing new unemployment claims over the past two weeks, according to the Economic Policy Institute. State unemployment benefits are paid for 26 weeks, but the pandemic has gone on much longer than that, leaving millions of people dependent on the two federal unemployment programs established by the first pandemic relief package passed in March. These programs are set to expire the day after Christmas.
Millions of families are sitting on a fiscal cliff: 56 percent of households are not “very confident” that they will be able to afford enough food in the next four weeks, according to federal data collected in late October. The Center for Budget and Policy priorities estimates that, right now, up to 11 million children live in households that could not afford enough to eat over the past week, and 40 percent of children live in a household that is either food insecure or behind on rent.
When people struggle to afford basic needs, their spending on non-essentials such as holiday gifts plummets, further slowing an already sluggish economic recovery as the pandemic takes a turn for the worst.
Meanwhile, Congress remains at an impasse over a second pandemic relief bill. The White House has backed out of negotiations as President Donald Trump remains fixated on spreading disinformation and attempting to overturn the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.
With two Republican Senate seats at risk in an upcoming runoff in Georgia, McConnell has said Congress should pass another stimulus, but Republicans are reportedly sticking to a $500 billion proposal. Democrats say much more is needed, including another round of stimulus checks and support for state and local governments struggling on the front lines of the pandemic.
In a letter to McConnell this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer implored the GOP to return to the negotiating table this week and come to a COVID relief agreement to “crush the virus and save American lives.”
“Earlier this year during negotiations with Secretary [Steven] Mnuchin and Chief of Staff [Mark] Meadows, we agreed to compromise on a relief package and lowered our request by $1.2 trillion,” they wrote. “Since that time, you have lowered your proposal from $1 trillion to $500 billion, despite the consensus from economists and experts that the country requires a much larger injection of aid.”
Indeed, financial analysts say relief proposals offered by Democrats would allow for the most economic recovery. A new international analysis by the Institute for New Economic Thinking found countries such as South Korea and New Zealand that focused on lockdowns early on in the pandemic, rather than preserving their economies, have gained control over the virus and are now seeing their economies grow, in contrast with the dire economic circumstances currently in the U.S.
Reflecting Trump’s view of the pandemic, much of the GOP appears unphased as the nation lunges toward a fiscal cliff. Promising news that a COVID-19 vaccine is on the way may be buoying hopes among Republicans that an easy fix to the pandemic is on the horizon. However, there are growing concerns that state governments lack the resources necessary to effectively distribute a vaccine. States need at least $6 to $8 billion to distribute a vaccine, and to date only $200 million has been allocated for vaccine preparedness, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Schumer announced on Thursday that McConnell had agreed to restart negotiations with Democrats, although he offered few other details, according to reports. Democrats and Republicans must agree on a government spending package by December 11 to avoid a government shutdown. If they don’t agree on pandemic relief as well, millions of their constituents will be struggling to afford food — not to mention rent, medical bills and other expenses — by the end of the year.
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--2020-11-20--Dozens of Racial Justice Protesters Held by Feds for Months Pretrial

Just after midnight on May 31 in downtown Las Vegas , Ricardo Densmore broke off from a larger group of demonstrators and used his phone to record two other protesters lighting a squad car on fire .
Densmore , a 24-year-old former security guard , had felt called to action after watching the video of George Floyd being killed by Minneapolis police and joined thousands of others in the streets , part of a wave of protests across the nation .
In Las Vegas that night , police used tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters , some of whom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police vehicle was the only one reported to have been set ablaze in Las Vegas , but images of burning squad cars would become national symbols of frustration over unaccountable police violence .
Video later obtained by local police and reviewed by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives shows two men using a butane lighter to spark a flame through the car ’ s passenger-side window , according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Nevada .
Federal prosecutors have not claimed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a federal grand jury nevertheless indicted him on two counts each of conspiracy and arson , alongside his two co-defendants , Devarian Haynes and Tyree Walker , charges that could mean a minimum of five years in prison , according to prosecutors .
He has pleaded not guilty .
The three young men had been swept up in a nationwide crackdown on the movement for Black lives led by Attorney General William Barr , who pushed U.S. attorneys to file charges against protesters .
Federal prosecutors filed felony charges against at least 107 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the week after Floyd ’ s death .
As of November , prosecutors have initiated cases against at least 340 people , charging protesters for acts such as arson , theft , property damage and making threats online .
Many of the indictments stretch the limits of the federal government ’ s ability to prosecute crimes that affect “ interstate commerce , ” according to experts .
The aggressive push to prosecute protesters appears to be matched by an aggressive push to detain those defendants pretrial .
According to a review by Reveal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Type Investigations of prosecutions by U.S. attorney ’ s offices , more than 60 people arrested for acts of protest this past spring and summer were ordered detained pending trial , despite multiple coronavirus outbreaks inside the federal prison system and at county jails that detain federal defendants pretrial .
In more than a dozen cases in which judges denied a prosecutor ’ s request for pretrial detention , prosecutors appealed the release order .
Densmore ’ s case was one of them .
The U.S. attorney ’ s office in Nevada moved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until trial .
On June 5 , after a magistrate judge ordered him released , prosecutors filed a successful emergency stay , further prolonging his detention at the Nevada Southern Detention Center , outside of Las Vegas .
That month , COVID-19 was spreading rapidly through the facility , according to a civil rights suit filed by a prisoner .
The suit alleges that officials working for CoreCivic , the for-profit company that operates the prison , seeded an outbreak starting on June 1 by placing a newly arrived inmate who later tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people slept and shared showers and toilets .
In an emailed statement , CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin said the company has “ rigorously followed the guidance of local , state and federal health authorities ” on COVID-19 , adding that it has “ responded to this unprecedented situation appropriately.
” Civil rights advocates say lengthy pretrial detention for crimes associated with protesting is unusual — and inappropriate .
“ Prosecutors are seeking to keep people detained as if they were longstanding drug lord criminals , ” says Vincent Warren , executive director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York .
“ These are not people that are transporting arms across state lines .
These aren ’ t people that are hardened criminals with long records .
These are average citizens motivated by a horrible policy , and they ’ re speaking out.
” Densmore ’ s childhood was marred by an abusive foster home , leaving him with no family ties in Las Vegas .
As an adult , Densmore worked as a security guard for nearly three years until he was laid off in March due to the COVID-19 shutdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Michigan with his father , the first time he ’ d spent an extended period of time with him , until he returned to Las Vegas in late May .
Ivette Maningo , Densmore ’ s attorney , said the attempt to keep him detained , even during a pandemic , struck her as unusual .
He wasn ’ t accused of any violent acts , and with a history of steady employment , he didn ’ t appear to be the kind of defendant prosecutors in her district typically try to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ihler argued that Densmore ’ s lack of local community ties or stable residency , plus a conviction for misdemeanor domestic battery , warranted pretrial detention .
“ They ’ re normally not this aggressive in detaining someone like that , ” said Maningo .
“ It was clear they were making an example of him.
” According to a motion she filed on June 26 , Densmore had been held in solitary confinement for most of the month and had not received a cast for a broken hand .
Gustin , theCoreCivic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , explaining that Densmore had been held in a quarantine unit upon arrival .
Gustin said claims that Densmore had not received medical treatment were “ patently false.
” At a detention hearing on July 1 , Ihler again moved to keep Densmore detained , arguing that he should not be released to his family in Michigan because the partner of Densmore ’ s father was a registered medical marijuana user .
Densmore ’ s conditions of release included a prohibition on using cannabis .
The judge pushed back and ordered him released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she considered the political circumstances of his alleged offense as a mitigating factor .
“ The backdrop for this incident was the killing of Mr. Floyd , ” Weksler said in the hearing .
“ This was the catalyst for what many believe is a series of racial injustices at the hands of police that have been suffered predominately by Black people in this country , so the court can not overlook the symbolic nature of the acts at hand here.
” Defense attorneys say the Justice Department ’ s reliance on incarceration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by federal prosecutors under the Trump administration .
Prosecutors with U.S. attorney ’ s offices began requesting detention more frequently in 2018 and are now more likely to request detention for federal defendants than at any time since at least 2006 .
With an unprecedented wave of federal prosecutions of protesters across the country , some who felt compelled to speak out in the wake of Floyd ’ s death ended up in jail for weeks or months .
And the consequences of pretrial detention have been greatly heightened by the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6,676 people in the custody of the U.S .
Marshals , who are responsible for managing federal pretrial detainees , have tested positive for the virus .
Twenty of them have died .
By requesting judges deny bail for protesters , federal prosecutors are exacerbating a crisis of excessive pretrial detention in the federal system , according to Alison Siegler , a clinical professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and director of the school ’ s Federal Criminal Justice Clinic , which advocates for low-income defendants charged with federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretrial detention for federal drug cases , but says protesters have faced similar consequences .
In her experience , Siegler says , “ the impact of pretrial detention falls more heavily on people of color and people who live in poverty.
” Though systemic analyses are limited , one 2009 study of drug cases in three U.S. District Courts found that being Black and male were significant predictors of pretrial detention .
Millions protested across the country for months after Floyd ’ s murder , and in protests in many cities — including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles , New York and Washington , D.C. — demonstrators were predominantly White .
But racism in policing — the issue at the heart of the protests — meant that many Black protesters have paid a higher price .
Black people are more likely than White people to have criminal histories due to racial bias in the justice system , meaning some took greater risks when they chose to protest .
A person ’ s criminal history is a significant factor when judges consider whether to detain someone pretrial .
Between late May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detain at least 104 defendants pretrial — nearly half of the federal cases brought against protesters during that time .
Judges agreed to detain 62 defendants in all — nearly half of whom were Black .
It is notable that judges denied 47 requests for pretrial detention , at least 20 of which involved Black defendants .
In Lovejoy , Georgia , 21-year-old Delveccho Waller has been imprisoned since attending protests against racist police brutality the week after Floyd ’ s killing .
He felt an obligation to speak out , he says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his community in nearby Gainesville , through his social media presence and his church .
Waller points out that last year , his church , Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church , made national headlines after a White teenage girl plotted a racist attack on its Black parishioners .
He has also felt targeted by police himself .
Court records indicate police stopped him for driving violations multiple times .
“ I ’ ve always had encounters with a lot of cops that don ’ t like me , ” Waller said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me growing up , I felt like my life was endangered with cops .
So seeing that I had one son , and he ’ s a Black male , I feel like I should be here speaking up for my community.
” Georgia court records indicate two prior convictions for auto theft and misdemeanor battery , and four for driving offenses , including headlight and stop sign violations .
He was also charged with criminal trespass twice as a teenager ; such private property laws have a legacy of being used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Postbellum South .
Federal prosecutors charged Waller with being part of a group that burned a city police car .
But , as with Densmore , the indictment does not claim that he was personally involved in setting the fire .
He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence ; in fact , he says he attended peaceful protests with his family over several nights , including with his small children .
If convicted of arson , he faces a minimum of five years in prison .
On the night in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting a ride from a group of men , some of whom were friends , when prosecutors allege that some of them got out of the car and torched a squad car outside an apartment complex .
Police stopped the car he was in five miles away from the scene .
Federal prosecutors filed a motion to detain Waller until his trial , though a judge has yet to rule on it .
Waller ’ s arrest triggered a probation violation , stemming from a prior conviction .
He would not be eligible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge said during his arraignment , until he was granted bond for his state probation charge .
In a September court filing , Waller ’ s lawyer , Arturo Corso , noted that the state had refused to grant bond on the probation charge .
Corso says Waller ’ s incarceration has been unduly harsh .
Instead of being detained at the local jail in Hall County , he has been held at the federal Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Lovejoy , about 80 miles from Gainesville .
The facility , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GEO Group , is beset with institutional problems , including chronic understaffing and insufficient training for staff , according to a July report from the Department of Justice ’ s Office of the Inspector General .
In early September , Waller contracted COVID-19 at the prison , part of an outbreak that has infected at least 26 U.S .
Marshals prisoners thus far .
In an email , Corso said that Waller ’ s treatment amounted to “ pretrial punishment ” and insisted that prosecuting authorities could make arrangements to send Waller to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , Waller ’ s family has struggled during his incarceration , according to the mother of three of his children , potentially putting pressure on him to take a plea agreement rather than wait for a trial date that still hasn ’ t been set .
In early November , Waller ’ s lawyer filed a motion for pretrial release , after his client was finally granted bond for his state probation charge .
As of publication , court filings do not indicate whether the District Court has ruled on the motion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defendants to participate in their own defense , research has found , and can encourage people to take unfavorable plea agreements just to get out of jail .
At least three protesters whom federal prosecutors convinced a judge to detain pretrial have taken pleas , including one convicted of aiding and abetting arson after throwing Molotov cocktails into an empty county courthouse near Minneapolis , and another , in Fayetteville , North Carolina , accused of setting fire to a building where enslaved people were once sold .
Both events unfolded in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federal prosecutors have also sought pretrial detention for those facing lesser charges , such as activists charged with making digital threats .
Mustafah Hawkins , 27 , a video game and anime enthusiast from Cleveland , Ohio , was incarcerated in June for allegedly making threatening statements over Facebook in the wake of Floyd ’ s death ; he has pleaded not guilty .
The social media posts put him on the radar of the FBI ’ s local Joint Terrorism Task Force , which Barr charged with investigating civil unrest .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fine to five years in prison .
But a review of Hawkins ’ s Facebook page makes it difficult to discern whether his language constituted actual threats .
In one post from June 2 , cited in the indictment , Hawkins appears to express support for setting fires in Cleveland ’ s Little Italy — a place , he notes , where he had experienced racism — and claims he ’ d be able to form a flash mob to throw Molotov cocktails in that neighborhood .
In earlier posts cited by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to police being shot .
Yet these posts appear among many nonviolent anti-racism posts Hawkins made up until his arrest .
The facility where Hawkins was detained , the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown , has also experienced outbreaks of COVID-19 ; 59 staff members had tested positive by Oct. 28 , as had 17 prisoners .
At the end of September , Hawkins ’ attorney filed a motion for his release , arguing that his pretrial detention was excessive in light of a criminal record that only included misdemeanor offenses for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been in custody almost four months , and it will likely be some time before the defense can complete its investigation because of the pandemic , ” reads the filing by his lawyer , Charles Fleming .
“ Keeping Mr. Hawkins in custody pending trial will eventually force him to choose between exercising his right to trial or pleading to secure his release.
” U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver concurred with Fleming ’ s motion .
On Nov. 3 , after almost five months in jail , Oliver ordered Hawkins released on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date has not been set .
For Hawkins , Densmore and Waller , the decision by a U.S. attorney ’ s office to prosecute them federally resulted in months of pretrial detention .
According to the Vera Institute of Justice , studies have found that even spending a small number of days in jail after being arrested can lead to housing instability and job loss .
It also increases the chances of being found guilty .
Such steep consequences for participating in a movement decrying state violence against Black people could have broader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center for Constitutional Rights .
“ When people realize they can be prosecuted and held in jail on either high or no bail , prior to their case being adjudicated , and met with the full force of the federal government , they ’ ll think twice whether to even engage in protest , ” Warren said .
“ It is our right to engage in ways that are forceful , clear and pinpoint the ire that people feel about these horrible policies.
” This story was edited by Esther Kaplan of Reveal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was fact checked by Nina Zweig of Type Investigations .

This story was reported in collaboration with Type Investigations.
Just after midnight on May 31 in downtown Las Vegas, Ricardo Densmore broke off from a larger group of demonstrators and used his phone to record two other protesters lighting a squad car on fire. Densmore, a 24-year-old former security guard, had felt called to action after watching the video of George Floyd being killed by Minneapolis police and joined thousands of others in the streets, part of a wave of protests across the nation. In Las Vegas that night, police used tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters, some of whom threw items at police.
That unoccupied police vehicle was the only one reported to have been set ablaze in Las Vegas, but images of burning squad cars would become national symbols of frustration over unaccountable police violence. Video later obtained by local police and reviewed by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows two men using a butane lighter to spark a flame through the car’s passenger-side window, according to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Nevada. Federal prosecutors have not claimed that Densmore actually set the fire. But a federal grand jury nevertheless indicted him on two counts each of conspiracy and arson, alongside his two co-defendants, Devarian Haynes and Tyree Walker, charges that could mean a minimum of five years in prison, according to prosecutors. He has pleaded not guilty.
The three young men had been swept up in a nationwide crackdown on the movement for Black lives led by Attorney General William Barr, who pushed U.S. attorneys to file charges against protesters. Federal prosecutors filed felony charges against at least 107 people for incidents related to protests in the week after Floyd’s death.
As of November, prosecutors have initiated cases against at least 340 people, charging protesters for acts such as arson, theft, property damage and making threats online. Many of the indictments stretch the limits of the federal government’s ability to prosecute crimes that affect “interstate commerce,” according to experts.
The aggressive push to prosecute protesters appears to be matched by an aggressive push to detain those defendants pretrial. According to a review by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and Type Investigations of prosecutions by U.S. attorney’s offices, more than 60 people arrested for acts of protest this past spring and summer were ordered detained pending trial, despite multiple coronavirus outbreaks inside the federal prison system and at county jails that detain federal defendants pretrial. In more than a dozen cases in which judges denied a prosecutor’s request for pretrial detention, prosecutors appealed the release order. Densmore’s case was one of them.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Nevada moved aggressively this summer to keep Densmore detained until trial. On June 5, after a magistrate judge ordered him released, prosecutors filed a successful emergency stay, further prolonging his detention at the Nevada Southern Detention Center, outside of Las Vegas.
That month, COVID-19 was spreading rapidly through the facility, according to a civil rights suit filed by a prisoner. The suit alleges that officials working for CoreCivic, the for-profit company that operates the prison, seeded an outbreak starting on June 1 by placing a newly arrived inmate who later tested positive in a dorm room where 96 people slept and shared showers and toilets. In an emailed statement, CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin said the company has “rigorously followed the guidance of local, state and federal health authorities” on COVID-19, adding that it has “responded to this unprecedented situation appropriately.”
Civil rights advocates say lengthy pretrial detention for crimes associated with protesting is unusual — and inappropriate.
“Prosecutors are seeking to keep people detained as if they were longstanding drug lord criminals,” says Vincent Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York. “These are not people that are transporting arms across state lines. These aren’t people that are hardened criminals with long records. These are average citizens motivated by a horrible policy, and they’re speaking out.”
Densmore’s childhood was marred by an abusive foster home, leaving him with no family ties in Las Vegas. As an adult, Densmore worked as a security guard for nearly three years until he was laid off in March due to the COVID-19 shutdown. He then spent two months quarantined in Michigan with his father, the first time he’d spent an extended period of time with him, until he returned to Las Vegas in late May.
Ivette Maningo, Densmore’s attorney, said the attempt to keep him detained, even during a pandemic, struck her as unusual. He wasn’t accused of any violent acts, and with a history of steady employment, he didn’t appear to be the kind of defendant prosecutors in her district typically try to detain. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler argued that Densmore’s lack of local community ties or stable residency, plus a conviction for misdemeanor domestic battery, warranted pretrial detention.
“They’re normally not this aggressive in detaining someone like that,” said Maningo. “It was clear they were making an example of him.” According to a motion she filed on June 26, Densmore had been held in solitary confinement for most of the month and had not received a cast for a broken hand. Gustin, theCoreCivic spokesperson, disputed Maningo’s characterization, explaining that Densmore had been held in a quarantine unit upon arrival. Gustin said claims that Densmore had not received medical treatment were “patently false.”
At a detention hearing on July 1, Ihler again moved to keep Densmore detained, arguing that he should not be released to his family in Michigan because the partner of Densmore’s father was a registered medical marijuana user. Densmore’s conditions of release included a prohibition on using cannabis.
The judge pushed back and ordered him released. U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler said she considered the political circumstances of his alleged offense as a mitigating factor.
“The backdrop for this incident was the killing of Mr. Floyd,” Weksler said in the hearing. “This was the catalyst for what many believe is a series of racial injustices at the hands of police that have been suffered predominately by Black people in this country, so the court cannot overlook the symbolic nature of the acts at hand here.”
***
Defense attorneys say the Justice Department’s reliance on incarceration is reflective of a broader law-and-order crackdown by federal prosecutors under the Trump administration. Prosecutors with U.S. attorney’s offices began requesting detention more frequently in 2018 and are now more likely to request detention for federal defendants than at any time since at least 2006.
With an unprecedented wave of federal prosecutions of protesters across the country, some who felt compelled to speak out in the wake of Floyd’s death ended up in jail for weeks or months. And the consequences of pretrial detention have been greatly heightened by the pandemic. As of early November, at least 6,676 people in the custody of the U.S. Marshals, who are responsible for managing federal pretrial detainees, have tested positive for the virus. Twenty of them have died.
By requesting judges deny bail for protesters, federal prosecutors are exacerbating a crisis of excessive pretrial detention in the federal system, according to Alison Siegler, a clinical professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and director of the school’s Federal Criminal Justice Clinic, which advocates for low-income defendants charged with federal felonies. She has mostly observed excessive pretrial detention for federal drug cases, but says protesters have faced similar consequences.
In her experience, Siegler says, “the impact of pretrial detention falls more heavily on people of color and people who live in poverty.” Though systemic analyses are limited, one 2009 study of drug cases in three U.S. District Courts found that being Black and male were significant predictors of pretrial detention.
Millions protested across the country for months after Floyd’s murder, and in protests in many cities — including, according to one analysis, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. — demonstrators were predominantly White. But racism in policing — the issue at the heart of the protests — meant that many Black protesters have paid a higher price. Black people are more likely than White people to have criminal histories due to racial bias in the justice system, meaning some took greater risks when they chose to protest. A person’s criminal history is a significant factor when judges consider whether to detain someone pretrial.
Between late May and early September, prosecutors sought to detain at least 104 defendants pretrial — nearly half of the federal cases brought against protesters during that time. Judges agreed to detain 62 defendants in all — nearly half of whom were Black.
It is notable that judges denied 47 requests for pretrial detention, at least 20 of which involved Black defendants.
***
In Lovejoy, Georgia, 21-year-old Delveccho Waller has been imprisoned since attending protests against racist police brutality the week after Floyd’s killing. He felt an obligation to speak out, he says, because he’s well known in his community in nearby Gainesville, through his social media presence and his church. Waller points out that last year, his church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, made national headlines after a White teenage girl plotted a racist attack on its Black parishioners. He has also felt targeted by police himself. Court records indicate police stopped him for driving violations multiple times.
“I’ve always had encounters with a lot of cops that don’t like me,” Waller said in a recent phone call. “So me growing up, I felt like my life was endangered with cops. So seeing that I had one son, and he’s a Black male, I feel like I should be here speaking up for my community.”
Georgia court records indicate two prior convictions for auto theft and misdemeanor battery, and four for driving offenses, including headlight and stop sign violations. He was also charged with criminal trespass twice as a teenager; such private property laws have a legacy of being used to control the movements of Black people in the Postbellum South.
Federal prosecutors charged Waller with being part of a group that burned a city police car. But, as with Densmore, the indictment does not claim that he was personally involved in setting the fire. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence; in fact, he says he attended peaceful protests with his family over several nights, including with his small children. If convicted of arson, he faces a minimum of five years in prison.
On the night in question, Waller says, he was getting a ride from a group of men, some of whom were friends, when prosecutors allege that some of them got out of the car and torched a squad car outside an apartment complex. Police stopped the car he was in five miles away from the scene.
Federal prosecutors filed a motion to detain Waller until his trial, though a judge has yet to rule on it. Waller’s arrest triggered a probation violation, stemming from a prior conviction. He would not be eligible for consideration for release, a federal judge said during his arraignment, until he was granted bond for his state probation charge. In a September court filing, Waller’s lawyer, Arturo Corso, noted that the state had refused to grant bond on the probation charge.
Corso says Waller’s incarceration has been unduly harsh. Instead of being detained at the local jail in Hall County, he has been held at the federal Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Lovejoy, about 80 miles from Gainesville. The facility, which is operated by the private prison company GEO Group, is beset with institutional problems, including chronic understaffing and insufficient training for staff, according to a July report from the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General.
In early September, Waller contracted COVID-19 at the prison, part of an outbreak that has infected at least 26 U.S. Marshals prisoners thus far. In an email, Corso said that Waller’s treatment amounted to “pretrial punishment” and insisted that prosecuting authorities could make arrangements to send Waller to the local Hall County jail instead.
Meanwhile, Waller’s family has struggled during his incarceration, according to the mother of three of his children, potentially putting pressure on him to take a plea agreement rather than wait for a trial date that still hasn’t been set. In early November, Waller’s lawyer filed a motion for pretrial release, after his client was finally granted bond for his state probation charge. As of publication, court filings do not indicate whether the District Court has ruled on the motion.
***
Pretrial detention makes it harder for defendants to participate in their own defense, research has found, and can encourage people to take unfavorable plea agreements just to get out of jail.
At least three protesters whom federal prosecutors convinced a judge to detain pretrial have taken pleas, including one convicted of aiding and abetting arson after throwing Molotov cocktails into an empty county courthouse near Minneapolis, and another, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, accused of setting fire to a building where enslaved people were once sold. Both events unfolded in the days after Floyd’s murder.
Federal prosecutors have also sought pretrial detention for those facing lesser charges, such as activists charged with making digital threats. Mustafah Hawkins, 27, a video game and anime enthusiast from Cleveland, Ohio, was incarcerated in June for allegedly making threatening statements over Facebook in the wake of Floyd’s death; he has pleaded not guilty. The social media posts put him on the radar of the FBI’s local Joint Terrorism Task Force, which Barr charged with investigating civil unrest.
If convicted, Hawkins could face anything from a fine to five years in prison. But a review of Hawkins’s Facebook page makes it difficult to discern whether his language constituted actual threats.
In one post from June 2, cited in the indictment, Hawkins appears to express support for setting fires in Cleveland’s Little Italy — a place, he notes, where he had experienced racism — and claims he’d be able to form a flash mob to throw Molotov cocktails in that neighborhood. In earlier posts cited by the FBI, Hawkins makes vague references to police being shot. Yet these posts appear among many nonviolent anti-racism posts Hawkins made up until his arrest.
The facility where Hawkins was detained, the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, has also experienced outbreaks of COVID-19; 59 staff members had tested positive by Oct. 28, as had 17 prisoners. At the end of September, Hawkins’ attorney filed a motion for his release, arguing that his pretrial detention was excessive in light of a criminal record that only included misdemeanor offenses for misconduct.
“Mr. Hawkins has already been in custody almost four months, and it will likely be some time before the defense can complete its investigation because of the pandemic,” reads the filing by his lawyer, Charles Fleming. “Keeping Mr. Hawkins in custody pending trial will eventually force him to choose between exercising his right to trial or pleading to secure his release.”
U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver concurred with Fleming’s motion. On Nov. 3, after almost five months in jail, Oliver ordered Hawkins released on a $50,000 bond. A trial date has not been set.
For Hawkins, Densmore and Waller, the decision by a U.S. attorney’s office to prosecute them federally resulted in months of pretrial detention. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, studies have found that even spending a small number of days in jail after being arrested can lead to housing instability and job loss. It also increases the chances of being found guilty.
Such steep consequences for participating in a movement decrying state violence against Black people could have broader implications, according to Warren with the Center for Constitutional Rights.
“When people realize they can be prosecuted and held in jail on either high or no bail, prior to their case being adjudicated, and met with the full force of the federal government, they’ll think twice whether to even engage in protest,” Warren said. “It is our right to engage in ways that are forceful, clear and pinpoint the ire that people feel about these horrible policies.”
This story was edited by Esther Kaplan of Reveal and Cassi Feldman of Type Investigations; it was fact checked by Nina Zweig of Type Investigations.
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