truthout--2020-12-17--GOP Push to Keep Stimulus Check From People on Unemployment Draws Outrage

Republican negotiators in Congress are reportedly trying to prevent Americans currently receiving federal unemployment insurance from also getting a direct payment under a soon-to-be-finalized relief package , apparently outraged by the notion that millions of people struggling to afford healthcare , food , and rent could obtain aid on top of their inadequate weekly jobless benefits .
As congressional leaders on Wednesday made significant progress toward a deal that would include one-time direct payments of around $ 600 per person , Senate Majority Whip John Thune ( R-S.D . )
told reporters that “ there could be language in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who receive both enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks would be getting a ‘ double benefit , ' ” The Hill reported .
The proposed restriction immediately provoked backlash , and Democratic negotiators are reportedly confident they will be able to keep the language out of the final $ 900 billion package .
“ Imagine thinking someone who ’ s trying to pay the rent and buy food with $ 100 , $ 200 , or $ 300 per week is going to live high on the hog because they get an extra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Schapitl , a spokesperson for Senate Finance Committee Democrats .
Economist Robert Reich added that , “ funny enough , [ Republicans ] never take issue with doubling down on corporate bailouts and tax cuts for the wealthy , ” a point echoed by others .
The Republican effort to prevent desperate Americans from receiving a so-called “ double benefit ” came after the GOP already reportedly succeeded in paring back the duration of unemployment benefits in exchange for the inclusion of direct payments .
Citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congressional leaders have told other lawmakers that they are planning on reducing the length of unemployment benefits by one month from the bipartisan plan , ” which proposed a four-month extension of emergency unemployment programs set to expire on December 26 .
“ That could mean that the extended benefits would expire at the end of March , ” the Post noted .
“ Such a timeline could force the incoming Biden administration to move more quickly in its effort to pass a massive stimulus bill early next year.
” The relief agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal boost to unemployment benefits — just half of the supplement that congressional Republicans allowed to expire at the end of July .
Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. ) , the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee , was among those who condemned the rollback , saying in a statement , “ There ’ s no reason whatsoever to pay for relief checks by cutting the incomes of jobless workers.
” “ We obviously wouldn ’ t set an arbitrary date to cut off access to the vaccine while Covid is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so why does Mitch McConnell get to sabotage the economic recovery by cutting support for working people and setting arbitrary expirations ?
” As congressional leaders from both parties voiced confidence that they are on the brink of an agreement after months of stagnation , progressives in the House and Senate welcomed the inclusion of direct payments — which they demanded as a necessary component of any deal — but criticized the emerging package as inadequate to address the public health and economic crises ravaging the nation and pushing millions into poverty .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday , Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) — who has called for direct payments of $ 1,200 per adult and $ 500 per child — said that “ there is simply not enough money in the proposal to deal with the unprecedented crises that we now face.
” “ It is no secret to anybody that right now at this moment in America , we face the worst set of crises that this country has seen in perhaps 100 years , ” said the Vermont senator .
“ This bill has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but given the enormity of the crises that we face , it simply does not go anywhere [ near ] far enough… We ’ re gon na fight for more .
”

The effort comes after the GOP already reportedly succeeded in paring back the duration of unemployment benefits.
Republican negotiators in Congress are reportedly trying to prevent Americans currently receiving federal unemployment insurance from also getting a direct payment under a soon-to-be-finalized relief package, apparently outraged by the notion that millions of people struggling to afford healthcare, food, and rent could obtain aid on top of their inadequate weekly jobless benefits.
As congressional leaders on Wednesday made significant progress toward a deal that would include one-time direct payments of around $600 per person, Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that “there could be language in the deal aimed at addressing concerns that people who receive both enhanced unemployment benefits and stimulus checks would be getting a ‘double benefit,'” The Hill reported.
The proposed restriction immediately provoked backlash, and Democratic negotiators are reportedly confident they will be able to keep the language out of the final $900 billion package.
“Imagine thinking someone who’s trying to pay the rent and buy food with $100, $200, or $300 per week is going to live high on the hog because they get an extra one-time $600,” said Ashley Schapitl, a spokesperson for Senate Finance Committee Democrats.
Economist Robert Reich added that, “funny enough, [Republicans] never take issue with doubling down on corporate bailouts and tax cuts for the wealthy,” a point echoed by others.
This is gratuitously cruel & completely unworkable. It’s also news to me that Congress isn’t in the “double benefit” biz. In the same bill they’re letting businesses take tax deductions for costs paid by PPP. Corps that got CARES loans didn’t forfeit tax cuts. Etc etc etc. https://t.co/f0o6fFxhzV — Seth Hanlon (@SethHanlon) December 16, 2020
Amazing:
Senate Rs want to stop “double dipping,” where an unemployed person might get $300/wk in federal UI & a $600 direct payment. (oh noes)
But Senators also added a MASSIVE $100 billion “double dip” letting businesses deduct PPP loans from taxes when they’re already tax-free pic.twitter.com/1cHXkWLvs4 — David Dayen (@ddayen) December 16, 2020
The Republican effort to prevent desperate Americans from receiving a so-called “double benefit” came after the GOP already reportedly succeeded in paring back the duration of unemployment benefits in exchange for the inclusion of direct payments.
Citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations, the Washington Post reported Wednesday that “congressional leaders have told other lawmakers that they are planning on reducing the length of unemployment benefits by one month from the bipartisan plan,” which proposed a four-month extension of emergency unemployment programs set to expire on December 26.
“That could mean that the extended benefits would expire at the end of March,” the Post noted. “Such a timeline could force the incoming Biden administration to move more quickly in its effort to pass a massive stimulus bill early next year.”
The relief agreement is expected to include a $300-per-week federal boost to unemployment benefits — just half of the supplement that congressional Republicans allowed to expire at the end of July.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, was among those who condemned the rollback, saying in a statement, “There’s no reason whatsoever to pay for relief checks by cutting the incomes of jobless workers.”
“We obviously wouldn’t set an arbitrary date to cut off access to the vaccine while Covid is still raging,” said Wyden, “so why does Mitch McConnell get to sabotage the economic recovery by cutting support for working people and setting arbitrary expirations?”
The notion that Congress can’t give Americans direct checks AND unemployment benefits is a lie. We know that because 10 months ago Congress provided workers with both. This is a cruel last-ditch effort by Senate Republicans to scale back real aid for families. https://t.co/uRCO3xSPKz — Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) December 16, 2020
As congressional leaders from both parties voiced confidence that they are on the brink of an agreement after months of stagnation, progressives in the House and Senate welcomed the inclusion of direct payments — which they demanded as a necessary component of any deal — but criticized the emerging package as inadequate to address the public health and economic crises ravaging the nation and pushing millions into poverty.
In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who has called for direct payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child — said that “there is simply not enough money in the proposal to deal with the unprecedented crises that we now face.”
“It is no secret to anybody that right now at this moment in America, we face the worst set of crises that this country has seen in perhaps 100 years,” said the Vermont senator. “This bill has a lot in it that is good, but given the enormity of the crises that we face, it simply does not go anywhere [near] far enough… We’re gonna fight for more.”
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--2020-12-17--Frontline Warehouse Workers Are Worried They’ll Be Passed Over for COVID Vaccine

As Halloween approached , Ronald Jackson spent his days at a Chicago-area warehouse for the Mars candy company  “ getting Halloween candy to America.
” After co-workers got Covid-19 , Jackson complained to management about a lack of safety precautions .
Rather than improving precautions , he said , the company fired Jackson for an alleged infraction that occurred months ago .
Such situations are why workers and advocates are demanding the state of Illinois designate warehouse workers as essential workers and prioritize them when Covid-19 vaccines are distributed .
Warehouse Workers for Justice and other labor groups on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ J.B. Pritzker making these demands .
They note that warehouse work is essential to the economy , including by distributing cleaning supplies , personal protective equipment ( PPE ) and other products that are especially critical during the pandemic .
Workers in warehouses are especially vulnerable because the structure of warehouse work — where employees are generally hired through temporary staffing agencies with few protections or rights — makes it easy for the owners and operators of warehouses to ignore risks and fire or silence workers like Jackson who speak up .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffing workers in Illinois are disproportionately Black and Latinx , meaning they are also among the groups at disproportionate risk for Covid-19 infections and complications .
( There are also temporary workers in other industries , but many thousands are employed in the Chicago area warehouse sector . )
“ To develop an equitable vaccination plan you have to ask who bears the brunt of the health and economic impact of the pandemic , and the answer will always be communities of color , ” said Sophia Zaman , executive director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chicago workers centers .
The Trump administration ’ s Department of Health and Human Services Secretary , Alex Azar , said last month that while the federal government will issue recommendations on vaccine distribution , it will be up to governors to decide how to distribute vaccines and prioritize recipients .
The Illinois Department of Public Health has published guidelines for local governments to ultimately distribute the vaccine given them by the state ; meanwhile , Chicago will also receive vaccines directly from the federal government .
Right now , warehouse workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group to include ” in Phase 2 of Illinois ’ vaccine rollout when a  “ larger number ” of vaccine doses is available .
There are sprawling complexes of warehouses in suburbs and towns southwest and west of Chicago , and increasing numbers of warehouses — including for Amazon — within the city limits .
Many of the warehouse workers employed in the suburbs live in Chicago , coming predominantly from Latinx and Black communities that have been hard-hit by Covid-19 .
The governor ’ s office and Illinois Department of Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request for comment about the petition by the time this story was published .
During the governor ’ s daily coronavirus briefing on December 8 , public health department director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said ,  “ While the vaccine is coming , it ’ s not going to be as much as we want and won ’ t come out as quickly as we like .
The first groups to receive the vaccine will be our health care workers and also the residents of long-term care facilities… We ’ re prioritizing those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ illness.
” Mark Balentine , a community navigator for Warehouse Workers for Justice , also worked at the Mars warehouse until April , when an accident and his concerns about Covid-19 caused him to leave the job , he said .
“ People are coming up positive .
There ’ s a chance you work right next to them on the floor and ( managers ) don ’ t warn you , ” he said , noting that he found out one coworker had Covid-19 only when he called her on unrelated Warehouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The bottom line with Mars was the dollar — they were more concerned with the dollar bill than with people ’ s health .
I don ’ t believe in playing Russian roulette with people ’ s lives like that.
” After being fired from Mars , Jackson got work at another suburban Chicago warehouse that ships products  “ from fancy china to perfume and everything else ” for Walmart , Amazon and other retailers .
A Covid-19 outbreak occurred and the warehouse shut down for about a week , Jackson said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a test on his own time in order to return to the job that pays $ 14.50 an hour with no health insurance .
Jackson said workers still worry they are at high risk of contracting Covid-19 since , he said , management does little to protect them .
“ They ’ re just having us sign a piece of paper saying they took our temperature , ” he said .
 “ It ’ s really an unsafe work area , they ’ re not listening to the workers , they just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he or other workers are exposed to someone with Covid-19 , he said , they would likely keep going to work because they are not paid if they are quarantining .
Balentine said his brother continues to work at the Mars warehouse despite feeling at risk , since he needs the money .
“ You make this money and put it in the bank and now you ’ re not here to spend it , so what good is it ?
” said Balentine about his decision to quit .
He doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will improve protections any time soon , hence the urgency for vaccines for workers .
“ We need our doctors and nurses in order to take care of us , we need the healthcare workers to go by the elderly folks and see that they ’ re straight , and you need the warehouse workers because everything comes from a warehouse — hand sanitizer , toilet tissue , cleaning supplies , ” said Balentine .
 “ You want to protect ( warehouse workers ) to keep them working.
” Jackson said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deemed essential and given priority access to vaccines , he would himself be reluctant to take it .
“ Me being Black and the way the government has treated Black people dealing with ( medical care ) , I ’ m not sure I would take the vaccine , ” he said , citing the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment , in which Black men were not given adequate care or fully informed about the trial .
Warehouse Workers for Justice has long tried to raise awareness of abuses in the industry and demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that workers have little opportunity to advance or earn higher wages , and can be fired for any reason .
As a result , there has been little recourse for workers to address reportedly rampant health and safety problems , discrimination and sexual harassment .
As with many inequities and injustices , the pandemic has just amplified and cast light upon the longstanding problems with the warehousing industry , advocates and workers say .
“ It ’ s not just about Covid , it ’ s the way we ’ re disrespected and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Balentine .
 “ They look down on us .
We ’ re treated as invisible .
But without warehouse workers , nothing happens .
”

As Halloween approached, Ronald Jackson spent his days at a Chicago-area warehouse for the Mars candy company “getting Halloween candy to America.” After co-workers got Covid-19, Jackson complained to management about a lack of safety precautions. Rather than improving precautions, he said, the company fired Jackson for an alleged infraction that occurred months ago.
Such situations are why workers and advocates are demanding the state of Illinois designate warehouse workers as essential workers and prioritize them when Covid-19 vaccines are distributed. Warehouse Workers for Justice and other labor groups on Tuesday published a petition to Gov. J.B. Pritzker making these demands.
They note that warehouse work is essential to the economy, including by distributing cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other products that are especially critical during the pandemic.
Workers in warehouses are especially vulnerable because the structure of warehouse work — where employees are generally hired through temporary staffing agencies with few protections or rights — makes it easy for the owners and operators of warehouses to ignore risks and fire or silence workers like Jackson who speak up. The petition to Pritzker says the 650,000 temporary staffing workers in Illinois are disproportionately Black and Latinx, meaning they are also among the groups at disproportionate risk for Covid-19 infections and complications. (There are also temporary workers in other industries, but many thousands are employed in the Chicago area warehouse sector.)
“To develop an equitable vaccination plan you have to ask who bears the brunt of the health and economic impact of the pandemic, and the answer will always be communities of color,” said Sophia Zaman, executive director of the group Raise the Floor, a coalition of Chicago workers centers.
The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, said last month that while the federal government will issue recommendations on vaccine distribution, it will be up to governors to decide how to distribute vaccines and prioritize recipients. The Illinois Department of Public Health has published guidelines for local governments to ultimately distribute the vaccine given them by the state; meanwhile, Chicago will also receive vaccines directly from the federal government. Right now, warehouse workers are listed as a “possible group to include” in Phase 2 of Illinois’ vaccine rollout when a “larger number” of vaccine doses is available.
There are sprawling complexes of warehouses in suburbs and towns southwest and west of Chicago, and increasing numbers of warehouses — including for Amazon — within the city limits. Many of the warehouse workers employed in the suburbs live in Chicago, coming predominantly from Latinx and Black communities that have been hard-hit by Covid-19.
The governor’s office and Illinois Department of Public Health didn’t respond to a request for comment about the petition by the time this story was published.
During the governor’s daily coronavirus briefing on December 8, public health department director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said, “While the vaccine is coming, it’s not going to be as much as we want and won’t come out as quickly as we like. The first groups to receive the vaccine will be our health care workers and also the residents of long-term care facilities… We’re prioritizing those at greatest risk of exposure and severe illness.”
Mark Balentine, a community navigator for Warehouse Workers for Justice, also worked at the Mars warehouse until April, when an accident and his concerns about Covid-19 caused him to leave the job, he said.
“People are coming up positive. There’s a chance you work right next to them on the floor and (managers) don’t warn you,” he said, noting that he found out one coworker had Covid-19 only when he called her on unrelated Warehouse Workers for Justice business. “The bottom line with Mars was the dollar — they were more concerned with the dollar bill than with people’s health. I don’t believe in playing Russian roulette with people’s lives like that.”
(The U.S. media office for Mars did not respond to a request for comment.)
After being fired from Mars, Jackson got work at another suburban Chicago warehouse that ships products “from fancy china to perfume and everything else” for Walmart, Amazon and other retailers. A Covid-19 outbreak occurred and the warehouse shut down for about a week, Jackson said, and he was required to get a test on his own time in order to return to the job that pays $14.50 an hour with no health insurance. Jackson said workers still worry they are at high risk of contracting Covid-19 since, he said, management does little to protect them.
“They’re just having us sign a piece of paper saying they took our temperature,” he said. “It’s really an unsafe work area, they’re not listening to the workers, they just want to move these products.”
Even if he or other workers are exposed to someone with Covid-19, he said, they would likely keep going to work because they are not paid if they are quarantining. Balentine said his brother continues to work at the Mars warehouse despite feeling at risk, since he needs the money.
“You make this money and put it in the bank and now you’re not here to spend it, so what good is it?” said Balentine about his decision to quit. He doesn’t believe the companies operating warehouses will improve protections any time soon, hence the urgency for vaccines for workers.
“We need our doctors and nurses in order to take care of us, we need the healthcare workers to go by the elderly folks and see that they’re straight, and you need the warehouse workers because everything comes from a warehouse — hand sanitizer, toilet tissue, cleaning supplies,” said Balentine. “You want to protect (warehouse workers) to keep them working.”
Jackson said that while he thinks warehouse workers should be deemed essential and given priority access to vaccines, he would himself be reluctant to take it.
“Me being Black and the way the government has treated Black people dealing with (medical care), I’m not sure I would take the vaccine,” he said, citing the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment, in which Black men were not given adequate care or fully informed about the trial.
Warehouse Workers for Justice has long tried to raise awareness of abuses in the industry and demand reforms. The temporary staffing structure means that workers have little opportunity to advance or earn higher wages, and can be fired for any reason. As a result, there has been little recourse for workers to address reportedly rampant health and safety problems, discrimination and sexual harassment.
As with many inequities and injustices, the pandemic has just amplified and cast light upon the longstanding problems with the warehousing industry, advocates and workers say.
“It’s not just about Covid, it’s the way we’re disrespected and mistreated in these warehouses,” said Balentine. “They look down on us. We’re treated as invisible. But without warehouse workers, nothing happens.”
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.
Originally published at In These Times.


truthout--2020-12-17--Ending Violence Against Sex Workers Means Abolishing Police and Prisons

December 17 , the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers , is a day to honor sex workers who ’ ve been taken by violence .
And it ’ s also a day to strengthen our commitment to sex worker solidarity .
As organizers in the Sex Workers Outreach Project ( SWOP USA ) note on the December 17 memorial site : “ We can not end the marginalization and victimization of all sex workers without also fighting transphobia , racism , [ whore ] stigma , the criminalization of drug use and xenophobia.
” Much of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is at the hands of the carceral state ; the sexual and physical violence experienced at the hands of clients , abusive partners and neighborhood vigilantes is a direct result of the state ’ s permissiveness of all forms of violence toward those stigmatized , marginalized and criminalized in society .
The criminal codes , the cops and the courts ( all of which are manifestations of white supremacy ) sanction gender and sexual violence every day .
This carceral logic is far reaching : our society has deemed punishment as “ justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survivors .
Anti-rape , anti-carceral feminist activists from the 1970s , working alongside incarcerated survivors who were mostly women , queers and sex workers , paved the way for us to think about incarcerated survivors as political prisoners .
Prisons are the state ’ s ultimate depository for those survivors , as abolitionist educator Mariame Kaba has taught us , who have no self to defend .
Prisons are the culmination and continuation of our sexually violent society .
Considering all of this , I can again hear Mariame saying , prisons are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Violence Against Sex Workers was first recognized in 2003 as a memorial for the victims of Gary Ridgway , the so-called Green River Killer who murdered people in and around King County , Washington , during the 1980s and 1990s .
Ridgway would boast about his ease in murdering sex workers or houseless youth because they wouldn ’ t be missed , saying he was doing the cops ’ work for them .
Since 2003 , this day has galvanized people around the world to organize against whorephobic violence and honor the lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to read the names and remember those who have been taken from this world , SWOP USA has gathered a memorial list again this year .
For me , December 17 gatherings in Chicago and New York City have looked like protest vigils , community warming spaces with food and camaraderie , holding moments of rage outside , screaming into the cold night , lighting candles , sharing poetry and speaking the names of loved ones .
They ’ ve also included direct actions against police raids and police murder .
December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a day of demands .
It is a day filled with collective cries for a better world , a day to grieve alongside those who most understand that grief .
Some people think that we can legislate violence out of our world .
These people do not know the police and prisons the way that sex workers know them .
Among these bad actors exists a constellation of organizations and individuals that sex work-conscious community refers to as the rescue industry : the funded carceral feminist organizations who seek to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assumed inherent violence of the trade by working with police , courts and jails on patronizing diversion programs , collaborating on stings and advocating for increased criminalization .
Sex workers are the experts in our own experiences , and sex worker organizers have been telling anyone who will listen that the majority of violence that sex workers experience is also violence that Black people , femmes , trans women , drug-using people , queers of color , currently and formerly incarcerated people , and im/migrants experience daily .
All of these groups of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work to survive in this capitalist fray .
The biggest perpetrators of violence against all of these ( sometimes intersecting ) groups of people are carceral systems and their agents .
For example , the violence of police raids or sting operations in the name of rescue have never been justifiable , and the targeting of vulnerable communities like migrant or newly immigrated workers must stop .
December 17 is a day to demand the end of policing , in all of its forms , altogether .
It ’ s also a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from their outside community , friends and loved ones , by state violence : held in jails , prisons , detention centers , and nonconsensually , in psychiatric facilities .
One such person , with whom I ’ m holding ( virtual ) space on December 17 , via a prison video visit , is my comrade Alisha “ LeLe ” Walker .
“ LeLe ” is a poet and a visual artist , as well as a member of the Support Ho ( s ) e collective , which organizes to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago and New York City .
Alisha is also a criminalized survivor — someone who is punished directly or indirectly for their actions of protection or self-defense — who is currently incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center in Illinois .
She was sentenced to 15 years in state prison because she fought back against a violent client who was demanding unprotected sex and threatening her and her fellow worker with a knife .
Alisha saved her life and the life of her fellow worker that night .
So when the judge presiding over Alisha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , he ostensibly said that she should have died that night when her client attacked her .
He implied that her life didn ’ t matter as much as a well-connected white man ’ s .
It ’ s not hyperbolic to speculate that Alisha ’ s name could have ended up on an International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers memorial list .
But Alisha survived that attack .
Alisha ’ s survival and subsequent punishment underscores the racist and whorephobic violence of the police , courts and prisons .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the days leading up to December 17 , she was adamant that I share her experiences of the violence of erasure that prisons perpetuate with the vigil attendees I ’ d be joining .
She excitedly yelled into the phone , “ Tell them to remember all the hos in [ the ] county [ lockup ] , and in the prisons !
Remember us !
” She wanted me to also share that just as it ’ s so important to come together to mourn and grieve our lost , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight to end the everyday violence sex workers face at the hands of the police , the courts , border patrol , prison guards and administration .
In an introduction to a poem called “ Battle , ” written in 2017 to commemorate December 17 , Alisha wrote these words : As of this past week , Alisha has contracted COVID , amid the deplorable conditions inside Logan Correctional Center .
Her collective and its extended community are actively organizing for her immediate release and fundraising for when she ’ s returned home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our comrades when they come home .
To everyone who will gather to share safer space in comradeship today , in whatever forms that takes , thank you .
Organizing these gatherings can be so damn difficult , but it ’ s crucial , more so than ever , to collectively grieve .
If we are to commit ourselves to ending violence against sex workers and all those in the sex trades , then we must see that fight as intimately connected , if not one and the same , with the struggle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police and prisons .
We must commit ourselves to a fierce opposition of borders , and their policing .
We must commit ourselves to building , dreaming and sustaining an abolitionist world .
Here ’ s to holding each other with care , making space for our collective mourning and grief , and fighting like hell for the living in the names of those taken from us .

Part of the Series The Road to Abolition
December 17, the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, is a day to honor sex workers who’ve been taken by violence. And it’s also a day to strengthen our commitment to sex worker solidarity. As organizers in the Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP USA) note on the December 17 memorial site: “We cannot end the marginalization and victimization of all sex workers without also fighting transphobia, racism, [whore] stigma, the criminalization of drug use and xenophobia.”
Much of the violence experienced by people doing sex work is at the hands of the carceral state; the sexual and physical violence experienced at the hands of clients, abusive partners and neighborhood vigilantes is a direct result of the state’s permissiveness of all forms of violence toward those stigmatized, marginalized and criminalized in society. The criminal codes, the cops and the courts (all of which are manifestations of white supremacy) sanction gender and sexual violence every day. This carceral logic is far reaching: our society has deemed punishment as “justice,” and locks up thousands of survivors. Anti-rape, anti-carceral feminist activists from the 1970s, working alongside incarcerated survivors who were mostly women, queers and sex workers, paved the way for us to think about incarcerated survivors as political prisoners. Prisons are the state’s ultimate depository for those survivors, as abolitionist educator Mariame Kaba has taught us, who have no self to defend. Prisons are the culmination and continuation of our sexually violent society. Considering all of this, I can again hear Mariame saying, prisons are sexual violence.
International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers was first recognized in 2003 as a memorial for the victims of Gary Ridgway, the so-called Green River Killer who murdered people in and around King County, Washington, during the 1980s and 1990s. Ridgway would boast about his ease in murdering sex workers or houseless youth because they wouldn’t be missed, saying he was doing the cops’ work for them. Since 2003, this day has galvanized people around the world to organize against whorephobic violence and honor the lives of violence victims. For those who want to read the names and remember those who have been taken from this world, SWOP USA has gathered a memorial list again this year.
For me, December 17 gatherings in Chicago and New York City have looked like protest vigils, community warming spaces with food and camaraderie, holding moments of rage outside, screaming into the cold night, lighting candles, sharing poetry and speaking the names of loved ones. They’ve also included direct actions against police raids and police murder. December 17 is not about needing saviors. It’s a day of demands. It is a day filled with collective cries for a better world, a day to grieve alongside those who most understand that grief.
Some people think that we can legislate violence out of our world. These people do not know the police and prisons the way that sex workers know them. Among these bad actors exists a constellation of organizations and individuals that sex work-conscious community refers to as the rescue industry: the funded carceral feminist organizations who seek to “save” sex workers from the assumed inherent violence of the trade by working with police, courts and jails on patronizing diversion programs, collaborating on stings and advocating for increased criminalization.
Sex workers are the experts in our own experiences, and sex worker organizers have been telling anyone who will listen that the majority of violence that sex workers experience is also violence that Black people, femmes, trans women, drug-using people, queers of color, currently and formerly incarcerated people, and im/migrants experience daily. All of these groups of people have members who rely on sex work to survive in this capitalist fray.
December 17 is not about needing saviors. It’s a day of demands. It is a day filled with collective cries for a better world.
The biggest perpetrators of violence against all of these (sometimes intersecting) groups of people are carceral systems and their agents. For example, the violence of police raids or sting operations in the name of rescue have never been justifiable, and the targeting of vulnerable communities like migrant or newly immigrated workers must stop. December 17 is a day to demand the end of policing, in all of its forms, altogether. It’s also a day to remember those who are actively kept from their outside community, friends and loved ones, by state violence: held in jails, prisons, detention centers, and nonconsensually, in psychiatric facilities.
One such person, with whom I’m holding (virtual) space on December 17, via a prison video visit, is my comrade Alisha “LeLe” Walker.
“LeLe” is a poet and a visual artist, as well as a member of the Support Ho(s)e collective, which organizes to build radical community for sex working people in Chicago and New York City. Alisha is also a criminalized survivor — someone who is punished directly or indirectly for their actions of protection or self-defense — who is currently incarcerated at Logan Correctional Center in Illinois. She was sentenced to 15 years in state prison because she fought back against a violent client who was demanding unprotected sex and threatening her and her fellow worker with a knife.
Alisha saved her life and the life of her fellow worker that night. So when the judge presiding over Alisha’s case sentenced her to 15 years, he ostensibly said that she should have died that night when her client attacked her. He implied that her life didn’t matter as much as a well-connected white man’s. It’s not hyperbolic to speculate that Alisha’s name could have ended up on an International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers memorial list.
But Alisha survived that attack. Alisha’s survival and subsequent punishment underscores the racist and whorephobic violence of the police, courts and prisons. When Alisha called me last year, in the days leading up to December 17, she was adamant that I share her experiences of the violence of erasure that prisons perpetuate with the vigil attendees I’d be joining.
December 17 is a day to demand the end of policing, in all of its forms.
She excitedly yelled into the phone, “Tell them to remember all the hos in [the] county [lockup], and in the prisons! Remember us!” She wanted me to also share that just as it’s so important to come together to mourn and grieve our lost, it’s equally important to organize and fight to end the everyday violence sex workers face at the hands of the police, the courts, border patrol, prison guards and administration.
In an introduction to a poem called “Battle,” written in 2017 to commemorate December 17, Alisha wrote these words:
It’s gonna take all of us to fight this hatred of us, and we need you to fight alongside us now. If you support sex workers rights you are supporting all other kinds of rights too — because it’s the most diverse and marginalized profession out there. Show up for us.
As of this past week, Alisha has contracted COVID, amid the deplorable conditions inside Logan Correctional Center. Her collective and its extended community are actively organizing for her immediate release and fundraising for when she’s returned home. Combating violence also means directly resourcing our comrades when they come home.
To everyone who will gather to share safer space in comradeship today, in whatever forms that takes, thank you. Organizing these gatherings can be so damn difficult, but it’s crucial, more so than ever, to collectively grieve.
If we are to commit ourselves to ending violence against sex workers and all those in the sex trades, then we must see that fight as intimately connected, if not one and the same, with the struggle to abolish the criminal legal system, police and prisons. We must commit ourselves to a fierce opposition of borders, and their policing. We must commit ourselves to building, dreaming and sustaining an abolitionist world. Here’s to holding each other with care, making space for our collective mourning and grief, and fighting like hell for the living in the names of those taken from us.
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--2020-12-18--Corporate Fact-Checking Services Shouldn’t Be Our Defense Against “Fake News”

Since the tumultuous 2016 presidential election , politicians , pundits and pollsters alike have latched onto “ fake news ” as a hot issue .
So , too , have corporate news media , which have found in this topic an endless source of content that is both “ newsworthy ” and a ratings-winning lure for audiences .
As president , Donald Trump has consistently denounced the US press as “ the enemy of the people ” and has redefined “ fake news ” as a tool to dispatch any coverage , journalist , or news outlet that does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump has fanned widespread distrust of journalism , as is well documented .
But there has been less focus on how Trump ’ s weaponizing of “ fake news ” and his attacks on the press have laid the groundwork for self-appointed guardians of news integrity , such as Snopes , PolitiFact and NewsGuard , to assume positions of immense influence and power .
Like the Hungry Fox in Aesop ’ s fable , who proposes to take care of the Hen , NewsGuard seeks our trust as the public arbiter of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources for their credibility and transparency using nine criteria .
Its browser extension and mobile app identify reliable sources with green icons and flag problematic sources with red icons .
NewsGuard promotes its “ Internet Trust Tool ” to libraries and educators as part of its news literacy program ; it also markets these services to advertisers as tools to protect their “ brand safety.
” Corporate news organizations have , for the most part , uncritically embraced NewsGuard and accepted its stated aims at face value .
Even PEN America , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and celebrating freedom of expression , has endorsed PolitiFact and NewsGuard .
Yet who checks the fact-checkers ?
Corporate news organizations tend to sidestep this basic concern , but even a swift examination of NewsGuard ’ s advisory board calls into question whether it is an impartial , trustworthy protector against the threats of misinformation and propaganda .
NewsGuard relies on former Homeland Security , CIA , and NATO officials and a variety of corporate spokespersons for “ strategic advice ” on “ reliable journalism ” and its “ pivotal role in democracy.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisory board include Michael Hayden , who ran the Central Intelligence Agency under George W. Bush ; Leo Hindery , Jr. , once theCEO of AT & T Broadband ; Kate O ’ Sullivan , the general manager for digital diplomacy at Microsoft ; Anders Fogh Rasmussen , who served as secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) from 2009-2014 ; and Tom Ridge , the first director of Homeland Security .
Of course , NewsGuard is not alone in seeking expert counsel from sources whosecredentials are questionable when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In 2019 , for example , the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook had “ privately sought advice ” on regulating online content from Tony Perkins , the president of theFamily Research Council , an organization that consistently portrays the LGBTQ community as a threat to American society .
GLAAD ’ s Commentator Accountability Project documents Perkins ’ s long record of virulent homophobic and transphobic claims .
Instead of simply promoting a well-informed public , NewsGuard and its ilk stand poised to wield whatever authority they are granted to promote narrow ideological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the worldviews of powerful institutions such as Homeland Security , NATO , the CIA , AT & T , and Microsoft .
This mighty but narrow spectrum of interests ought to raise concerns about NewsGuard ’ s credibility as a judge of journalistic integrity and its ultimate purpose .
In the ongoing struggle to protect the public—and our democracy—from the threats of misinformation and propaganda , we have far better alternatives to NewsGuard .
A robust independent press—grounded in core values of journalism , including independence , accountability , and transparency—provides a first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact of independent journalism can be multiplied exponentially by education efforts that foster widespread critical media literacy among the public .
The “ Media Democracy in Action ” chapter in every edition of Project Censored ’ s annual book series highlights organizations that model this potential .
For example , • The Propaganda Critic website equips the public with tools to identify and resist media manipulation , including new , nefarious forms of digital disinformation , such as bots , sock puppets , and “ fake audiences ” ; • in Oakland , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ digital and social media literacy programs for youth affected by incarceration and violence , helping them to understand and counter exploitation of their data by both advertisers and law enforcement ; and • The Media , Inequality and Change ( MIC ) Center , cohosted at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University , brings together engaged researchers and grassroots activists to promote publicly owned and democratically governed local journalism .
These three programs , along with many other equally exemplary organizations , provide robust alternatives to the top-down , corporate-driven model of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ilk .
Like Aesop ’ s wise hen , we should recognize that self-preservation depends on critical skepticism of the Hungry Fox ’ s enticements .
“ I feel more secure on my own perch , ” Hen responds , in one verse adaptation of Aesop ’ s fable .
We need not grant authority to NewsGuard to protect us from “ fake news ” or other forms of misinformation , especially when the necessary tools and resources to build our own , superior defenses are so close at hand .

Since the tumultuous 2016 presidential election, politicians, pundits and pollsters alike have latched onto “fake news” as a hot issue. So, too, have corporate news media, which have found in this topic an endless source of content that is both“newsworthy” and a ratings-winning lure for audiences.
As president, Donald Trump has consistently denounced the U.S. press as “the enemy of the people” and has redefined “fake news” as a tool to dispatch any coverage, journalist or news outlet that does not serve his narrow self-interest. In doing so, Trump has fanned widespread distrust of journalism, as is well documented. But there has been less focus on how Trump’s weaponizing of “fake news” and his attacks on the press have laid the groundwork for self-appointed guardians of news integrity, such as Snopes, PolitiFact and NewsGuard, to assume positions of immense influence and power. Like the Hungry Fox in Aesop’s fable, who proposes to take care of the Hen, NewsGuard seeks our trust as the public arbiter of legitimate news.
NewsGuard rates online news sources for their credibility and transparency using nine criteria. Its browser extension and mobile app identify reliable sources with green icons and flag problematic sources with red icons. NewsGuard promotes its “Internet Trust Tool” to libraries and educators as part of its news literacy program; it also markets these services to advertisers as tools to protect their “brand safety.”
Corporate news organizations have, for the most part, uncritically embraced NewsGuard and accepted its stated aims at face value. Even PEN America, a nonprofit organization that is renowned for defending and celebrating freedom of expression, has endorsed PolitiFact and NewsGuard.
Yet who checks the fact-checkers? Corporate news organizations tend to sidestep this basic concern, but even a swift examination of NewsGuard’s advisory board calls into question whether it is an impartial, trustworthy protector against the threats of misinformation and propaganda. NewsGuard relies on former Homeland Security, CIA and NATO officials, and a variety of corporate spokespersons for “strategic advice” on “reliable journalism” and its “pivotal role in democracy.”
The members of NewsGuard’s advisory board include Michael Hayden, who ran the Central Intelligence Agency under George W. Bush; Leo Hindery Jr., once the CEO of AT&T Broadband; Kate O’Sullivan, the general manager for digital diplomacy at Microsoft; Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who served as secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from 2009-2014; and Tom Ridge, the first director of Homeland Security.
Trump’s attacks on the press have laid the groundwork for self-appointed guardians of news integrity to assume positions of immense influence and power.
Of course, NewsGuard is not alone in seeking expert counsel from sources whose credentials are questionable when it comes to freedom of expression: In 2019, for example, the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook had “privately sought advice” on regulating online content from Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, an organization that consistently portrays the LGBTQ community as a threat to American society. GLAAD’s Commentator Accountability Project documents Perkins’s long record of virulent homophobic and transphobic claims.
Instead of simply promoting a well-informed public, NewsGuard and its ilk stand poised to wield whatever authority they are granted to promote narrow ideological perspectives and corporate economic interests that reflect the world views of powerful institutions such as Homeland Security, NATO, the CIA, AT&T and Microsoft. This mighty but narrow spectrum of interests ought to raise concerns about NewsGuard’s credibility as a judge of journalistic integrity and its ultimate purpose.
In the ongoing struggle to protect the public — and our democracy — from the threats of misinformation and propaganda, we have far better alternatives to NewsGuard. A robust independent press — grounded in core values of journalism, including independence, accountability and transparency — provides a first line of defense. And the positive impact of independent journalism can be multiplied exponentially by education efforts that foster widespread critical media literacy among the public.
NewsGuard and its ilk stand poised to wield whatever authority they are granted to promote narrow ideological perspectives and corporate economic interests.
The “Media Democracy in Action” chapter in every edition of Project Censored’s annual book series highlights organizations that model this potential. For example,
The Propaganda Critic website equips the public with tools to identify and resist media manipulation, including new, nefarious forms of digital disinformation, such as bots, sock puppets and “fake audiences”;
in Oakland, the nonprofit Center for Urban Excellence promotes digital and social media literacy programs for youth affected by incarceration and violence, helping them to understand and counter exploitation of their data by both advertisers and law enforcement; and
The Media, Inequality and Change (MIC) Center, cohosted at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University, brings together engaged researchers and grassroots activists to promote publicly owned and democratically governed local journalism.
These three programs, along with many other equally exemplary organizations, provide robust alternatives to the top-down, corporate-driven model of news monitoring promoted by NewsGuard and its ilk.
Like Aesop’s wise Hen, we should recognize that self-preservation depends on critical skepticism of the Hungry Fox’s enticements. “I feel more secure on my own perch,” Hen responds, in one verse adaptation of Aesop’s fable.
We need not grant authority to NewsGuard to protect us from “fake news” or other forms of misinformation, especially when the necessary tools and resources to build our own, superior defenses are so close at hand.
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--2020-12-18--Ban on Digital Ads Lifts for Georgia Runoffs, Opening “Dark Money” Floodgates

Online advertising is opening the floodgates for more money from untraceable sources to pour into the Georgia Senate runoffs as Google and Facebook lift political ad bans that went into effect after polls closed on Nov. 3 .
Georgia ’ s Jan. 5 runoff elections will decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate , pitting Sen. David Perdue ( R-Ga. ) against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-Ga. ) against Raphael Warnock .
A primary aim of the bans was to prevent the spread of misinformation about election results .
But it also prevented advertisers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from buying ads on two of the biggest online platforms .
Google ended its political ad ban on Dec. 10 and Facebook announced that it would start allowing ads exclusively in Georgia on Dec. 15 , just three weeks before Georgia ’ s runoff elections .
Within hours of when Google ’ s ban was lifted , super PACs , “ dark money ” groups , campaigns and other political groups launched ad buys on the platform .
In addition to providing another platform for spending by super PACs pouring millions into Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other outlets , online advertising has opened the door to opaque spending by “ dark money ” groups that would be required to report spending on more traditional ad platforms to the FEC .
Senate Republican leadership-aligned 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) nonprofit One Nation spent at least $ 22,500 on digital ads in the first three days after Google ’ s ban was lifted , marking the dark money group ’ s first advertising mentioning Georgia Senate candidates during the runoffs .
Google ’ s data indicates the ads reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viewers during the first three days .
One Nation ’ s new ads on Google boost Loeffler and Perdue with messages about health care , but are framed as “ issue ” ads that stop short of explicitly calling for an election outcome .
Since online issue ad spending is not subject to the same disclosure requirements as TV and radio ads , One Nation may buy ads up until the runoff without ever disclosing their spending to the Federal Election Commission so long as they stick to online ads and avoid explicitly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One Nation poured more money into 2020 elections than any other dark money group .
It ’ s been able to avoid disclosing any of its spending to the FEC since it stopped spending on TV issues ads in the window 60 days before Election Day and limited its activities to spending on online ads and giving money to a closely-tied super PAC .
One Nation reported spending around $ 20 million total in 2019 , according to the organization ’ s most recent tax returns obtained by the Center for Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with OpenSecrets .
But this year alone , One Nation shelled out around $ 100 million in political contributions , TV ad spending and online ad spending .
That ’ s more than it has reported spending overall in tax returns covering any previous year .
With the 60-day window before Georgia runoffs requiring disclosure of all spending on TV or radio ads mentioning candidates and the two leading online ad platforms banning political ads in the wake of the presidential election , One Nation was left with few options to directly influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disclosure .
Days before Google ’ s announcement , One Nation started buying TV ads targeting Georgia , as first reported on by Bloomberg Government ’ s Ken Doyle .
The ads focus on health care but instead of explicitly naming any candidates up for election in Georgia , the ads featured Democratic Party figureheads Sen. Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) , Rep. Nancy Pelosi ( D-Ca . )
and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-N.Y. ) — effectively using them as stand-ins for Democratic candidates in the state .
Featuring national party figureheads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates up for election allows One Nation to continue avoiding FEC disclosure while amplifying messages in its online ads and in advertising by its allies .
One Nation ’ s TV attack ads invoking the names of Democratic Party figureheads largely mirror their newer online ads boosting Loeffler and Perdue by name .
“ Lose your choice of doctors ” becomes “ Save your choice of doctors ” while “ Call Congress , tell them to take their hands off our healthcare ” becomes “ tell Senators Loeffler and Perdue to keep fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records indicate that One Nation ’ s TV ads “ relate to an election ” even though they do not name a candidate .
One of the top spenders during the first few weeks of Georgia ’ s runoffs is also a grey money group heavily funded by One Nation .
Senate Leadership Fund , the Senate GOP leadership ’ s main super PAC received more than $ 60 million from One Nation and shares an office with the dark money group .
The super PAC is a top spender on the Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nation ’ s TV ads targeting Georgia with messages invoking Democratic Party figureheads instead of naming candidates in the runoff , Senate Leadership Fund has primarily spent on attack ads that tie Georgia ’ s Democratic Senate candidates to “ radical liberals ” including Schumer , Pelosi and AOC .
American Crossroads , a super-PAC launched by Republican strategist Karl Rove that shares an office with Senate Leadership Fund , and the more recently created Peachtree PAC are two other groups aligned with Senate GOP leadership spending heavily on Georgia ’ s Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership-aligned political operation , linked to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) , has reported more than $ 113 million in spending on Georgia ’ s Senate races to the FEC during the 2020 election cycle and has spent even more in undisclosed dark money .
The operation is taking advantage of the return of online advertising on Google , collectively spending more than $ 150,000 in the first three days after Google lifted its ban .
In those three days , Senate Leadership Fund spent at least $ 92,500 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Senate Majority PAC and Majority Forward , Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation ’ s Democratic equivalents , have not yet resumed buying online ads .
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $ 83,700 in Georgia during the first three days political advertising resumed .
Hybrid PAC National Victory Action Fund spent at least $ 3,900 supporting Loeffler and Perdue .
The Republican National Committee spent at least $ 8,000 backing them in ads targeted to Georgia .
Americans for Prosperity ’ s super PAC , Americans for Prosperity Action , spent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economy and boosting Perdue .
Candidates are leveraging online ad platforms , too .
Loeffler ’ s campaign spent around $ 115,000 in the first three days and Perdue spent $ 12,400 .
On the Democratic side , Warnock spent more than $ 70,000 and Ossoff spent more than $ 46,000 .
During the first three days since Google ’ s ban was lifted , Trump ’ s joint fundraising committee spent on more than 100 nationwide ads soliciting money to “ Save America ” and “ Fight For Fair Elections ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for the “ Georgia Recount Fund.
” Save America PAC , Trump ’ s new leadership PAC , gets 75 percent of each contribution to the efforts with remaining funds shared by Trump ’ s “ Recount Account ” and the RNC .

In the first three days since Google’s ban ended, one Republican-aligned group spent at least $22,500 on digital ads.
Online advertising is opening the floodgates for more money from untraceable sources to pour into the Georgia Senate runoffs as Google and Facebook lift political ad bans that went into effect after polls closed on Nov. 3.
Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff elections will decide whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate, pitting Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) against Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) against Raphael Warnock.
A primary aim of the bans was to prevent the spread of misinformation about election results. But it also prevented advertisers seeking to influence the Georgia Senate runoffs from buying ads on two of the biggest online platforms.
Google ended its political ad ban on Dec. 10 and Facebook announced that it would start allowing ads exclusively in Georgia on Dec. 15, just three weeks before Georgia’s runoff elections.
Within hours of when Google’s ban was lifted, super PACs, “dark money” groups, campaigns and other political groups launched ad buys on the platform.
In addition to providing another platform for spending by super PACs pouring millions into Georgia’s Senate runoffs through TV and other outlets, online advertising has opened the door to opaque spending by “dark money” groups that would be required to report spending on more traditional ad platforms to the FEC.
Senate Republican leadership-aligned 501(c)(4) nonprofit One Nation spent at least $22,500 on digital ads in the first three days after Google’s ban was lifted, marking the dark money group’s first advertising mentioning Georgia Senate candidates during the runoffs. Google’s data indicates the ads reached between 1.5 million and 15 million Georgia viewers during the first three days.
One Nation’s new ads on Google boost Loeffler and Perdue with messages about health care, but are framed as “issue” ads that stop short of explicitly calling for an election outcome.
Since online issue ad spending is not subject to the same disclosure requirements as TV and radio ads, One Nation may buy ads up until the runoff without ever disclosing their spending to the Federal Election Commission so long as they stick to online ads and avoid explicitly calling for candidates’ election or defeat.
One Nation poured more money into 2020 elections than any other dark money group. It’s been able to avoid disclosing any of its spending to the FEC since it stopped spending on TV issues ads in the window 60 days before Election Day and limited its activities to spending on online ads and giving money to a closely-tied super PAC.
One Nation reported spending around $20 million total in 2019, according to the organization’s most recent tax returns obtained by the Center for Public Integrity’s Carrie Levine in collaboration with OpenSecrets. But this year alone, One Nation shelled out around $100 million in political contributions, TV ad spending and online ad spending. That’s more than it has reported spending overall in tax returns covering any previous year.
With the 60-day window before Georgia runoffs requiring disclosure of all spending on TV or radio ads mentioning candidates and the two leading online ad platforms banning political ads in the wake of the presidential election, One Nation was left with few options to directly influence the Senate races while still avoiding FEC disclosure.
Days before Google’s announcement, One Nation started buying TV ads targeting Georgia, as first reported on by Bloomberg Government’s Ken Doyle.
The ads focus on health care but instead of explicitly naming any candidates up for election in Georgia, the ads featured Democratic Party figureheads Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — effectively using them as stand-ins for Democratic candidates in the state.
Featuring national party figureheads and echoing partisan talking points without mentioning candidates up for election allows One Nation to continue avoiding FEC disclosure while amplifying messages in its online ads and in advertising by its allies.
One Nation’s TV attack ads invoking the names of Democratic Party figureheads largely mirror their newer online ads boosting Loeffler and Perdue by name. “Lose your choice of doctors” becomes “Save your choice of doctors” while “Call Congress, tell them to take their hands off our healthcare” becomes “tell Senators Loeffler and Perdue to keep fighting to protect your healthcare.”
Political ad records indicate that One Nation’s TV ads “relate to an election” even though they do not name a candidate.
One of the top spenders during the first few weeks of Georgia’s runoffs is also a grey money group heavily funded by One Nation.
Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP leadership’s main super PAC received more than $60 million from One Nation and shares an office with the dark money group. The super PAC is a top spender on the Georgia Senate runoffs.
Complementing messaging in One Nation’s TV ads targeting Georgia with messages invoking Democratic Party figureheads instead of naming candidates in the runoff, Senate Leadership Fund has primarily spent on attack ads that tie Georgia’s Democratic Senate candidates to “radical liberals” including Schumer, Pelosi and AOC.
American Crossroads, a super-PAC launched by Republican strategist Karl Rove that shares an office with Senate Leadership Fund, and the more recently created Peachtree PAC are two other groups aligned with Senate GOP leadership spending heavily on Georgia’s Senate races. Altogether, the Senate Republican leadership-aligned political operation, linked to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), has reported more than $113 million in spending on Georgia’s Senate races to the FEC during the 2020 election cycle and has spent even more in undisclosed dark money.
The operation is taking advantage of the return of online advertising on Google, collectively spending more than $150,000 in the first three days after Google lifted its ban. In those three days, Senate Leadership Fund spent at least $92,500 and American Crossroads spent more than $39,000.
Senate Majority PAC and Majority Forward, Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation’s Democratic equivalents, have not yet resumed buying online ads. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spent $83,700 in Georgia during the first three days political advertising resumed.
Hybrid PAC National Victory Action Fund spent at least $3,900 supporting Loeffler and Perdue. The Republican National Committee spent at least $8,000 backing them in ads targeted to Georgia. Americans for Prosperity’s super PAC, Americans for Prosperity Action, spent at least $8,000 on messages about the economy and boosting Perdue.
Candidates are leveraging online ad platforms, too. Loeffler’s campaign spent around $115,000 in the first three days and Perdue spent $12,400. On the Democratic side, Warnock spent more than $70,000 and Ossoff spent more than $46,000.
During the first three days since Google’s ban was lifted, Trump’s joint fundraising committee spent on more than 100 nationwide ads soliciting money to “Save America” and “Fight For Fair Elections” for the “Election Defense Fund” and for the “Georgia Recount Fund.” Save America PAC, Trump’s new leadership PAC, gets 75 percent of each contribution to the efforts with remaining funds shared by Trump’s “Recount Account” and the RNC.
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--2020-12-18--2020 Saw Resurgence of Strikes as a Key Tactic for Labor Around the World

Like every other social movement in the U.S. this year , the compounding crises of 2020 proved a catalyzing force for the labor movement , compelling essential and frontline workers to join picket lines to ensure basic protections and increased pay as they continue to face disproportionate risks and increasingly perilous working conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
But essential workers weren ’ t the only sector on strike this year : Prisoners and tenants across the country also withheld their labor and rent to fight for their fundamental human right to life and housing .
Building momentum after major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 has cemented the strike ’ s resurgence as a crucial tactic for workers and organizers not only in the U.S. but around the world .
The pandemic intensified what was already an uptick in strike activity in the U.S .
According to Payday Report ’ s Strike Tracker , there have been at least 1,100 strikes since March 1 .
Among those have been high-profile strikes launched by Instacart , Whole Foods and Amazon workers , as well as by frontline health care workers .
Many labor struggles that began in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wave have reignited with its second wave .
Just this month , for instance , nursing home workers with SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana reached a contract agreement with Infinity Health Care , ending a a 12-day strike at 11 nursing homes in the Chicago area .
Health care workers in at least three states are again turning to strikes as the virus rages .
While the term “ general strike ” gained traction at multiple points throughout the year in the U.S. , much of this country ’ s strike activity remained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surfaced most recently in the run-up to the election , as Truthout reported that several labor councils passed resolutions calling for a general strike if Trump steals the election .
With his coup attempt floundering in the courts , most unions are again focusing on pandemic protections for their members .
But a general strike did materialize elsewhere , as the global pandemic recently culminated with the world ’ s largest coordinated strike in which 250 million workers in India shut down government and financial services , oil and gas production , banks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a one-day work stoppage called by the nation ’ s central trade unions to protest the Narendra Modi government ’ s neoliberal labor reforms .
Still , this year ’ s crises , including national uprisings over police-perpetrated violence , have also exposed the labor movement ’ s internal divisions and fractures over issues like the inclusion of police unions in broader labor councils and federations .
Examining some of these successes and failures can inform the labor movement ’ s broader strategy as it prepares for what ’ s ahead under a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s an overview of a few of the year ’ s labor actions and their biggest takeaways .
Unions and gig workers won a number of victories at the height of the pandemic ’ s first wave in the spring largely because they were able to draw on the legitimate sympathies of a public and media narrative praising essential and frontline workers as heroes of the pandemic era .
In April , Amazon fired Chris Smalls for organizing a strike at a warehouse in Staten Island , New York , to protest the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its decision to keep the warehouse open even after employees there were diagnosed with COVID-19 .
In response to the firing , New York ’ s attorney general called the move “ disgraceful ” and issued a statement asking the National Labor Relations Board to investigate .
Smalls has not gone quietly , though .
Late last month he organized a protest at Amazon ’ s South Lake Union corporate headquarters in Seattle , Washington , chanting “ Tax [ Amazon CEO Jeff ] Bezos !
” and calling for better pay and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which workers are still disproportionately at risk as the company is expected to rake in record profits .
The burgeoning protest movement is just the beginning of a wider challenge to one of the most profitable companies on Earth , whose CEO is set to be the world ’ s first trillionaire in six years and has profited from the pandemic to the tune of nearly $ 67 billion this year alone .
But other gig workers and essential workers won material victories , including pay increases and additional benefits like emergency paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For instance , United Food and Commercial Workers ( UFCW ) reached an agreement in March with Kroger to increase pay and benefits , including a $ 2 per hour wage increase , additional emergency paid leave and new workplace safety measures for the company ’ s more than 460,000 U.S. workers .
More recently , nurses in Connecticut who went on strike in October won a settlement agreement with Hartford HealthCare executives and Backus Hospital for increased personal protective equipment , pay , staff retention and benefits .
Grocery and health care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , manufacturing , restaurant , retail , sanitation and shipping workers in thousands of labor actions this year .
While the pandemic forced employers and management to provide at least some basic protections , the labor movement across these sectors also benefited from key support from seemingly unrelated social movements .
As Truthout reported earlier this year , the environmental movement went all in on supporting frontline workers in 2020 , expending considerable time and resources to support campaigns to pressure the Trump administration to take action to provide protective gear to hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacturers .
The pressure campaign included nine days of action from Earth Day to May Day to demonstrate the interconnection of climate justice and worker justice .
This cross-movement solidarity played a crucial role in many of the outcomes for workers ’ struggles this year , which makes it all the more troubling that when social justice and labor allies in the movement for Black lives pressured top labor leaders to kick out police unions this summer , many ultimately refused to show the same cross-movement intersectional analysis , choosing instead to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been the year in which the “ debate ” over whether police are “ part of the 99 percent ” was finally laid to rest .
Unfortunately , labor leaders have refused to examine some of the reasons that may have led protesters in Washington , D.C. , to set the headquarters of the AFL-CIO aflame in July .
Yet , even after some of the nation ’ s most influential unions and labor councils called on the AFL-CIO to expel the International Union of Police Associations and other law enforcement unions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federation , AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka ultimately dug his heels in on a position that will continue to alienate labor from younger social justice activists for years to come .
Trumka told Bloomberg over the summer that he wouldn ’ t cut ties with police unions because “ police officers and everyone who works for a living has the right to collective bargaining ” and that the “ best way to use our influence on the issue of police misconduct is to engage with our police affiliates rather than isolate them.
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the answer is not to disengage and condemn ” police unions , while imploring labor organizers to fight racism .
His statements demonstrate a failure to understand how police unions systemically perpetuate institutional racism .
While other unions and labor councils have worked to organize truth and reconciliation processes to grapple with labor ’ s history of racism , Trumka and others are sending a message that they ’ re more willing to gain from short-term benefit of police unionists ’ membership in the federation than to address their harmful legacy .
Other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a better example .
As Truthout reported , MLK Labor , the central body of labor groups which represents more than 150 unions and 100,000 workers in the Seattle , Washington , voted to expel the Seattle Police Officers Guild after approving a resolution taking up the question in June .
“ Labor is not going to be able to figure out to organize effectively if we can not figure out how to root out racism within our movement and move toward an anti-racist stand and be directly linked to the communities in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Local 21 President Faye Guenther told Truthout at the time .
The local sponsored the resolution alongside SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and other groups .
Guenther says that instead of relying on police officers to pad union rolls , the labor movement must do the work of becoming anti-racist and being involved in communities and social justice movements to ensure its own future and growth .
“ Labor needs to clean up its own house , ” Guenther said .
“ We need people of good heart and good will , and people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , LGBT equity and trans equity to join our movement and help us rebuild our power to fight corporate greed , and rebuild our power to have a more anti-racist , pro-democracy and pro-human soul of the labor movement .
Trumka ’ s choice will continue to haunt the labor movement into 2021 , as social justice activists continue to work for police accountability under a Biden administration — just as they did under Obama .
What ’ s clear is that amid the historic uprisings of 2020 , simple criticisms and affirmations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer enough .

Like every other social movement in the U.S. this year, the compounding crises of 2020 proved a catalyzing force for the labor movement, compelling essential and frontline workers to join picket lines to ensure basic protections and increased pay as they continue to face disproportionate risks and increasingly perilous working conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
But essential workers weren’t the only sector on strike this year: Prisoners and tenants across the country also withheld their labor and rent to fight for their fundamental human right to life and housing. Building momentum after major strike waves in 2018 and 2019, 2020 has cemented the strike’s resurgence as a crucial tactic for workers and organizers not only in the U.S. but around the world.
The pandemic intensified what was already an uptick in strike activity in the U.S. According to Payday Report’s Strike Tracker, there have been at least 1,100 strikes since March 1. Among those have been high-profile strikes launched by Instacart, Whole Foods and Amazon workers, as well as by frontline health care workers.
Many labor struggles that began in the spring with the coronavirus’s first wave have reignited with its second wave. Just this month, for instance, nursing home workers with SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana reached a contract agreement with Infinity Health Care, ending a a 12-day strike at 11 nursing homes in the Chicago area. Health care workers in at least three states are again turning to strikes as the virus rages.
While the term “general strike” gained traction at multiple points throughout the year in the U.S., much of this country’s strike activity remained decentralized and largely uncoordinated. The term surfaced most recently in the run-up to the election, as Truthout reported that several labor councils passed resolutions calling for a general strike if Trump steals the election. With his coup attempt floundering in the courts, most unions are again focusing on pandemic protections for their members.
But a general strike did materialize elsewhere, as the global pandemic recently culminated with the world’s largest coordinated strike in which 250 million workers in India shut down government and financial services, oil and gas production, banks, transport and other major industries in a one-day work stoppage called by the nation’s central trade unions to protest the Narendra Modi government’s neoliberal labor reforms.
Still, this year’s crises, including national uprisings over police-perpetrated violence, have also exposed the labor movement’s internal divisions and fractures over issues like the inclusion of police unions in broader labor councils and federations.
Cross-movement solidarity played a crucial role in many of the outcomes for workers’ struggles this year.
Examining some of these successes and failures can inform the labor movement’s broader strategy as it prepares for what’s ahead under a Biden administration in 2021. Here’s an overview of a few of the year’s labor actions and their biggest takeaways.
Cross-Movement Solidarity
Unions and gig workers won a number of victories at the height of the pandemic’s first wave in the spring largely because they were able to draw on the legitimate sympathies of a public and media narrative praising essential and frontline workers as heroes of the pandemic era.
In April, Amazon fired Chris Smalls for organizing a strike at a warehouse in Staten Island, New York, to protest the company’s sick leave policies and its decision to keep the warehouse open even after employees there were diagnosed with COVID-19. In response to the firing, New York’s attorney general called the move “disgraceful” and issued a statement asking the National Labor Relations Board to investigate.
Smalls has not gone quietly, though. Late last month he organized a protest at Amazon’s South Lake Union corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington, chanting “Tax [Amazon CEO Jeff] Bezos!” and calling for better pay and working conditions amid a holiday season in which workers are still disproportionately at risk as the company is expected to rake in record profits.
The burgeoning protest movement is just the beginning of a wider challenge to one of the most profitable companies on Earth, whose CEO is set to be the world’s first trillionaire in six years and has profited from the pandemic to the tune of nearly $67 billion this year alone.
But other gig workers and essential workers won material victories, including pay increases and additional benefits like emergency paid leave and new workplace safety measures. For instance, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) reached an agreement in March with Kroger to increase pay and benefits, including a $2 per hour wage increase, additional emergency paid leave and new workplace safety measures for the company’s more than 460,000 U.S. workers.
More recently, nurses in Connecticut who went on strike in October won a settlement agreement with Hartford HealthCare executives and Backus Hospital for increased personal protective equipment, pay, staff retention and benefits.
Grocery and health care workers joined bus drivers, meat processing, manufacturing, restaurant, retail, sanitation and shipping workers in thousands of labor actions this year. While the pandemic forced employers and management to provide at least some basic protections, the labor movement across these sectors also benefited from key support from seemingly unrelated social movements.
Trumka and others are sending a message that they’re more willing to gain from short-term benefit of police unionists’ membership in the federation than to address their harmful legacy.
As Truthout reported earlier this year, the environmental movement went all in on supporting frontline workers in 2020, expending considerable time and resources to support campaigns to pressure the Trump administration to take action to provide protective gear to hospital workers but also for grocery workers and manufacturers. The pressure campaign included nine days of action from Earth Day to May Day to demonstrate the interconnection of climate justice and worker justice.
This cross-movement solidarity played a crucial role in many of the outcomes for workers’ struggles this year, which makes it all the more troubling that when social justice and labor allies in the movement for Black lives pressured top labor leaders to kick out police unions this summer, many ultimately refused to show the same cross-movement intersectional analysis, choosing instead to keep police in their ranks.
Labor’s Police Union Betrayal
2020 should have been the year in which the “debate” over whether police are “part of the 99 percent” was finally laid to rest. Unfortunately, labor leaders have refused to examine some of the reasons that may have led protesters in Washington, D.C., to set the headquarters of the AFL-CIO aflame in July.
Yet, even after some of the nation’s most influential unions and labor councils called on the AFL-CIO to expel the International Union of Police Associations and other law enforcement unions from the nation’s largest labor federation, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka ultimately dug his heels in on a position that will continue to alienate labor from younger social justice activists for years to come.
Trumka told Bloomberg over the summer that he wouldn’t cut ties with police unions because “police officers and everyone who works for a living has the right to collective bargaining” and that the “best way to use our influence on the issue of police misconduct is to engage with our police affiliates rather than isolate them.” He told labor leaders and reporters that “the answer is not to disengage and condemn” police unions, while imploring labor organizers to fight racism.
His statements demonstrate a failure to understand how police unions systemically perpetuate institutional racism. While other unions and labor councils have worked to organize truth and reconciliation processes to grapple with labor’s history of racism, Trumka and others are sending a message that they’re more willing to gain from short-term benefit of police unionists’ membership in the federation than to address their harmful legacy.
Other labor leaders, however, have set a better example. As Truthout reported, MLK Labor, the central body of labor groups which represents more than 150 unions and 100,000 workers in the Seattle, Washington, voted to expel the Seattle Police Officers Guild after approving a resolution taking up the question in June.
“Labor is not going to be able to figure out to organize effectively if we cannot figure out how to root out racism within our movement and move toward an anti-racist stand and be directly linked to the communities in which our workers live,” UFCW Local 21 President Faye Guenther told Truthout at the time. The local sponsored the resolution alongside SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and other groups.
Guenther says that instead of relying on police officers to pad union rolls, the labor movement must do the work of becoming anti-racist and being involved in communities and social justice movements to ensure its own future and growth.
“Labor needs to clean up its own house,” Guenther said. “We need people of good heart and good will, and people who believe in racial equity, gender equity, LGBT equity and trans equity to join our movement and help us rebuild our power to fight corporate greed, and rebuild our power to have a more anti-racist, pro-democracy and pro-human soul of the labor movement.
Trumka’s choice will continue to haunt the labor movement into 2021, as social justice activists continue to work for police accountability under a Biden administration — just as they did under Obama. What’s clear is that amid the historic uprisings of 2020, simple criticisms and affirmations of anti-racism without bold action are no longer enough.
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--2020-12-18--SCOTUS Lets Trump Census Plan Excluding Undocumented Immigrants to Move Forward

The United States Supreme Court ruled on Friday that it would not decide a case involving how undocumented immigrants are counted in the U.S. Census .
The ruling means that a Trump administration plan requiring two separate tabulations for the census — one that includes every person residing in the U.S. and another that excludes undocumented immigrants — can move forward for now .
The court stated that it was “ premature ” to come to a decision on the Trump administration ’ s alterations to the census .
If the alterations go into effect , they could result in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of Congress .
However , the Supreme court stated in its ruling that if the Trump administration decides to use the census changes to determine how many representatives each state is apportioned in Congress ( or how federal funds and programs are distributed across the country ) , litigants can bring forward a lawsuit at that time , the Court said .
In short , the Court ruled that litigants challenging the Trump administration ’ s planned changes didn ’ t have legal injury required to sue quite yet .
The three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the ruling , with Justice Stephen Breyer delivering a blistering dissent against it .
“ The plain meaning of the governing statutes , decades of historical practice , and uniform interpretations from all three branches of Government demonstrate that aliens without lawful status can not be excluded from the decennial census solely on account of that status , ” Breyer wrote .
“ The Government ’ s effort to remove them from the apportionment base is unlawful , and I believe this Court should say so.
” “ Where , as here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to achieve an allegedly illegal goal , ” Breyer went on to write , “ this court should not decline to resolve the case simply because the government speculates that it might not fully succeed.
” Dale Ho , a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ) who represents a number of the challengers to the Trump administration ’ s proposed policy , expressed that he doesn ’ t view the ruling on Friday as a loss .
“ This Supreme Court decision is only about timing , not the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump ’ s goal of excluding undocumented immigrants from the census count used to apportion the House of Representatives , ” Ho said in a statement .
“ This fight isn ’ t over .
If this policy is actually implemented , we ’ ll see them right back in court , ” the official ACLU Twitter account tweeted .
The basis for making the changes to apportionment that President Donald Trump proposed in a memorandum authored in July indeed cuts against both law and precedent .
The census , and how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counts in each state , is laid out plainly in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution , which states that representatives are apportioned based on “ counting the whole number of persons ” — not citizens — “ in each state.
” Noncitizens are not explicitly excluded in the amendment ’ s wording .
Changes to how apportionment works , if it did go through , could result in as many as three states losing — and three other states gaining — seats in the House of Representatives .
If Trump does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a lawsuit would undoubtedly be refiled by the litigants of this case .
It ’ s possible that President-elect Joe Biden , too , could reverse the attempt by Trump , if the case is not settled by the time he is inaugurated .

The ruling, issued by the Court’s conservative bloc members, punts the question of apportionment down the road.
The United States Supreme Court ruled on Friday that it would not decide a case involving how undocumented immigrants are counted in the U.S. Census. The ruling means that a Trump administration plan requiring two separate tabulations for the census — one that includes every person residing in the U.S. and another that excludes undocumented immigrants — can move forward for now.
The court stated that it was “premature” to come to a decision on the Trump administration’s alterations to the census.
If the alterations go into effect, they could result in profound changes to how states are apportioned members of Congress. However, the Supreme court stated in its ruling that if the Trump administration decides to use the census changes to determine how many representatives each state is apportioned in Congress (or how federal funds and programs are distributed across the country), litigants can bring forward a lawsuit at that time, the Court said.
In short, the Court ruled that litigants challenging the Trump administration’s planned changes didn’t have legal injury required to sue quite yet.
The three liberal bloc members of the Court disagreed with the ruling, with Justice Stephen Breyer delivering a blistering dissent against it.
“The plain meaning of the governing statutes, decades of historical practice, and uniform interpretations from all three branches of Government demonstrate that aliens without lawful status cannot be excluded from the decennial census solely on account of that status,” Breyer wrote. “The Government’s effort to remove them from the apportionment base is unlawful, and I believe this Court should say so.”
“Where, as here, the government acknowledges it is working to achieve an allegedly illegal goal,” Breyer went on to write, “this court should not decline to resolve the case simply because the government speculates that it might not fully succeed.”
Dale Ho, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who represents a number of the challengers to the Trump administration’s proposed policy, expressed that he doesn’t view the ruling on Friday as a loss.
“This Supreme Court decision is only about timing, not the merits. This ruling does not authorize President Trump’s goal of excluding undocumented immigrants from the census count used to apportion the House of Representatives,” Ho said in a statement.
“This fight isn’t over. If this policy is actually implemented, we’ll see them right back in court,” the official ACLU Twitter account tweeted.
The basis for making the changes to apportionment that President Donald Trump proposed in a memorandum authored in July indeed cuts against both law and precedent. The census, and how it is used to apportion House seat counts in each state, is laid out plainly in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that representatives are apportioned based on “counting the whole number of persons” — not citizens — “in each state.” Noncitizens are not explicitly excluded in the amendment’s wording.
Changes to how apportionment works, if it did go through, could result in as many as three states losing — and three other states gaining — seats in the House of Representatives.
If Trump does indeed attempt to change the apportionment numbers, a lawsuit would undoubtedly be refiled by the litigants of this case. It’s possible that President-elect Joe Biden, too, could reverse the attempt by Trump, if the case is not settled by the time he is inaugurated.
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.