truthout--2020-05-06--McConnell’s Pandemic Priority Is Appointing Conservative Judges

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Kentucky ) and President Donald Trump have exhibited a unique determination to appoint young , far right judges to the federal bench over the past three and a half years .
At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of decisive federal action , the Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to consider 27 new lifetime appointments — all of whom are ideologically committed to shrinking the size of the federal government .
The president ’ s judicial appointments are young — the average age is 48 — meaning they also have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for decades to come .
McConnell made it clear that when the Senate reconvenes in May — in the midst of a pandemic — his number one priority will be appointing conservative judges .
In a recent interview with conservative Hugh Hewitt , McConnell elaborated , “ My motto for the year is ‘ leave no vacancy behind.
’ That hasn ’ t changed .
The pandemic will not prevent us from achieving that goal.
” Apparently not content with filling only existing vacancies , McConnell has also allegedly been encouraging sitting judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s retirement from the powerful Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit created an opportunity for McConnell protégé Justin Walker to fill the seat , watchdog group Demand Justice requested an investigation into how the Senate majority leader is incentivizing judges to retire .
On May 1 , a D.C .
Circuit Court judge forwarded Demand Justice ’ s complaint to Chief Justice John Roberts .
This single-minded focus on judicial appointments seems absurd during a global pandemic with more than 1.1 million confirmed cases and more than 69,000 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supplies like sufficient personal protective equipment , sedative medications for those on ventilators , dialysis equipment and testing capacity .
The economic consequences of the crisis are severe .
In the last six weeks , 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment .
States , cities and hospitals are all in danger of going bankrupt .
In spite of the obvious need for federal leadership in the face of such a crisis , McConnell stated recently that he wants to “ push the pause button ” on further federal aid packages to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure , he recently conceded that he might consider another aid package to states , but only if other Republican priorities — like new liability protections for big businesses — were included .
However , both McConnell ’ s reluctance to consider additional federal aid packages and his insistence on prioritizing judicial appointments make sense in the context of his desire to shrink the federal government .
Not only does his control over the Senate mean that states are unlikely to get all the resources they need , but his retooling of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expansion of government programs .
Now , the reactionary judiciary put in place by McConnell and Trump threatens the COVID-19 recovery .
During Trump ’ s time in office , the president and the Senate have sought to remake the federal judiciary .
Trump has appointed one in four circuit court judges and has filled more federal judgeships during his first term than any president since President Jimmy Carter , whose term ended in 1981 .
While some Christian voters may be focused on issues like abortion or gay marriage , the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to appoint judges who want to shrink the administrative state .
The president ’ s two Supreme Court appointees — Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch — have signaled through their judicial opinions a desire to significantly pare down the administrative state .
Some of Trump ’ s more reactionary picks — like Andrew ( “ Andy ” ) Oldham , who now sits on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals — have argued that the administrative state as it currently exists is fundamentally illegitimate and unconstitutional .
To be clear , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services that citizens rely on : Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding clean air and water ; Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) regulations regarding the safety of medical devices ; the Security and Exchange Commission ’ s rules that help underpin the modern stock market ; the administration of the Social Security and Medicare systems ; and Department of Labor rules about fair employment practices are all vital parts of the administrative state .
If taken at face value , judicial opinions challenging the constitutionality of the administrative state have the potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health bureaucracies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s ( CDC ) , National Institutes of Health and the FDA can accomplish .
The current pandemic highlights the danger of ignoring the importance of the administrative state .
The federal response to the current crisis has been undermined by the Trump administration ’ s previous attacks on the bureaucracy .
For example , the Trump administration proposed a 9 percent cut to the CDC budget for fiscal year 2021 , fired two-thirds of CDC staffers operating inside China over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , left nearly 700 CDC positions vacant due to a hiring freeze .
During the current crisis , not only did a lack of human resources leave the CDC unable to monitor emerging threats from China , but contamination in CDC labs rendered the first crucial rounds of COVID-19 testing ineffective .
COVID-19 has put into stark relief other gaps in government services .
In the middle of a global pandemic , an estimated 9.2 million workers have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance .
Between 24.7 million and 162.8 million people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access at home just as school and work are moving online .
The disproportionate death rates due to COVID-19 for Black Americans in cities such as Chicago , St. Louis and New Orleans are a devastating demonstration of the social and economic inequality that persists in these cities .
Harvard University compiled a panel of experts recently and the resulting report estimated the U.S. would need to be able to test at least 5 million individuals a day , hire a minimum of 100,000 contact tracers , train a Medical Reserve Corps that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick doctors and nurses , provide financial support and job protection for all essential workers required to self-quarantine and create a federal Pandemic Testing Board .
The federal government would have to significantly increase the reach of the federal bureaucracy to follow the recommendations of the Harvard report , let alone address the more systematic social and economic concerns exposed by COVID-19 .
Instead , the Trump administration remains hostile to expanding access to health care .
In the midst of a pandemic , the Senate will have confirmation hearings for Justin Walker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C .
Circuit Court and 5th Circuit Court , respectively .
Both men are vocally opposed to the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) .
If confirmed , they would join other Trump appointments to the appellate courts , like John Bush , who have expressed their opposition to expanding access to health care .
Meanwhile , the administration is in the midst of arguing that the Supreme Court should find the entire ACA unconstitutional .
The pandemic has not deterred their plans to kill the ACA .
The current administration ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ led Republicans to apparently fear that they stand to lose both the presidency and the Senate in 2020 .
However , Trump ’ s judicial appointments could easily block progressive policy goals aimed at addressing the lack of affordable health care , environmental degradation and economic inequality for decades to come .
Dismantling the administrative state would fundamentally alter the way the government functions , severely compromise its response to COVID-19 and potentially stymie the will of democratically elected majorities for decades to come .

McConnell and Trump’s appointees threaten not only the COVID-19 recovery, but also federal programs for decades to come.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and President Donald Trump have exhibited a unique determination to appoint young, far right judges to the federal bench over the past three and a half years.
At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of decisive federal action, the Senate Judiciary Committee is poised to consider 27 new lifetime appointments — all of whom are ideologically committed to shrinking the size of the federal government.
The president’s judicial appointments are young — the average age is 48 — meaning they also have the potential to constrain federal government action for decades to come.
McConnell made it clear that when the Senate reconvenes in May — in the midst of a pandemic — his number one priority will be appointing conservative judges.
In a recent interview with conservative Hugh Hewitt, McConnell elaborated, “My motto for the year is ‘leave no vacancy behind.’ That hasn’t changed. The pandemic will not prevent us from achieving that goal.”
Apparently not content with filling only existing vacancies, McConnell has also allegedly been encouraging sitting judges to retire. After Judge Thomas Griffith’s retirement from the powerful Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit created an opportunity for McConnell protégé Justin Walker to fill the seat, watchdog group Demand Justice requested an investigation into how the Senate majority leader is incentivizing judges to retire. On May 1, a D.C. Circuit Court judge forwarded Demand Justice’s complaint to Chief Justice John Roberts.
This single-minded focus on judicial appointments seems absurd during a global pandemic with more than 1.1 million confirmed cases and more than 69,000 deaths in the U.S.
States still lack basic supplies like sufficient personal protective equipment, sedative medications for those on ventilators, dialysis equipment and testing capacity.
The economic consequences of the crisis are severe. In the last six weeks, 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment. States, cities and hospitals are all in danger of going bankrupt.
In spite of the obvious need for federal leadership in the face of such a crisis, McConnell stated recently that he wants to “push the pause button” on further federal aid packages to the states and individuals.
Under intense political pressure, he recently conceded that he might consider another aid package to states, but only if other Republican priorities — like new liability protections for big businesses — were included.
However, both McConnell’s reluctance to consider additional federal aid packages and his insistence on prioritizing judicial appointments make sense in the context of his desire to shrink the federal government.
Not only does his control over the Senate mean that states are unlikely to get all the resources they need, but his retooling of the judiciary could be a bulwark against future expansion of government programs.
Now, the reactionary judiciary put in place by McConnell and Trump threatens the COVID-19 recovery.
During Trump’s time in office, the president and the Senate have sought to remake the federal judiciary. Trump has appointed one in four circuit court judges and has filled more federal judgeships during his first term than any president since President Jimmy Carter, whose term ended in 1981.
While some Christian voters may be focused on issues like abortion or gay marriage, the Trump administration has made it a top priority to appoint judges who want to shrink the administrative state.
The president’s two Supreme Court appointees — Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch — have signaled through their judicial opinions a desire to significantly pare down the administrative state.
Some of Trump’s more reactionary picks — like Andrew (“Andy”) Oldham, who now sits on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals — have argued that the administrative state as it currently exists is fundamentally illegitimate and unconstitutional.
To be clear, the administrative state encompasses most of the bureaucratic services that citizens rely on: Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding clean air and water; Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations regarding the safety of medical devices; the Security and Exchange Commission’s rules that help underpin the modern stock market; the administration of the Social Security and Medicare systems; and Department of Labor rules about fair employment practices are all vital parts of the administrative state.
If taken at face value, judicial opinions challenging the constitutionality of the administrative state have the potential to place severe restrictions on what public health bureaucracies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), National Institutes of Health and the FDA can accomplish.
The current pandemic highlights the danger of ignoring the importance of the administrative state. The federal response to the current crisis has been undermined by the Trump administration’s previous attacks on the bureaucracy.
For example, the Trump administration proposed a 9 percent cut to the CDC budget for fiscal year 2021, fired two-thirds of CDC staffers operating inside China over the course of the administration, and in 2017, left nearly 700 CDC positions vacant due to a hiring freeze.
During the current crisis, not only did a lack of human resources leave the CDC unable to monitor emerging threats from China, but contamination in CDC labs rendered the first crucial rounds of COVID-19 testing ineffective.
COVID-19 has put into stark relief other gaps in government services. In the middle of a global pandemic, an estimated 9.2 million workers have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance. Between 24.7 million and 162.8 million people in the U.S. do not have high-speed internet access at home just as school and work are moving online.
The disproportionate death rates due to COVID-19 for Black Americans in cities such as Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans are a devastating demonstration of the social and economic inequality that persists in these cities.
Harvard University compiled a panel of experts recently and the resulting report estimated the U.S. would need to be able to test at least 5 million individuals a day, hire a minimum of 100,000 contact tracers, train a Medical Reserve Corps that would be capable of filling in for sick doctors and nurses, provide financial support and job protection for all essential workers required to self-quarantine and create a federal Pandemic Testing Board.
The federal government would have to significantly increase the reach of the federal bureaucracy to follow the recommendations of the Harvard report, let alone address the more systematic social and economic concerns exposed by COVID-19.
Instead, the Trump administration remains hostile to expanding access to health care. In the midst of a pandemic, the Senate will have confirmation hearings for Justin Walker and Cory Wilson for seats on the D.C. Circuit Court and 5th Circuit Court, respectively. Both men are vocally opposed to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). If confirmed, they would join other Trump appointments to the appellate courts, like John Bush, who have expressed their opposition to expanding access to health care.
Meanwhile, the administration is in the midst of arguing that the Supreme Court should find the entire ACA unconstitutional. The pandemic has not deterred their plans to kill the ACA.
The current administration’s inept handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has led Republicans to apparently fear that they stand to lose both the presidency and the Senate in 2020.
However, Trump’s judicial appointments could easily block progressive policy goals aimed at addressing the lack of affordable health care, environmental degradation and economic inequality for decades to come.
Dismantling the administrative state would fundamentally alter the way the government functions, severely compromise its response to COVID-19 and potentially stymie the will of democratically elected majorities for decades to come.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-07--Trump’s Valet Receives COVID Diagnosis — the Closest It Has Come to Him

One of President Donald Trump ’ s personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus .
Presidential valets are elite military personnel who perform several duties for the president at the White House and outside of it , including directly serving the commander in chief their food or beverages .
The unnamed individual who tested positive for COVID-19 had exhibited symptoms of the disease on Wednesday morning .
After test results came back positive , news of the valet ’ s infection was “ hitting the fan ” at the White House , according to one source within the administration who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset upon learning about the person contracting coronavirus .
He was tested immediately , and his results came back negative .
Vice President Mike Pence was also tested , and his results were also negative .
The valet ’ s diagnosis is the closest the disease has reached Trump ’ s inner circle as of yet , per media reports .
Trump , Pence and all other White House personnel get regularly checked for coronavirus — a move that some have suggested is hypocritical , given the administration ’ s stance on who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the administration ’ s current plan is that only 2 percent of the populations across each state require screening to help determine which states should “ reopen ” ) .
Early in March , when the president was just starting to take the virus somewhat seriously , Trump made a bold promise that testing would be available to anyone who wanted to know if they had coronavirus or not .
“ Anybody that wants a test can get a test .
That ’ s what the bottom line is , ” Trump said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became apparent that he couldn ’ t follow through on this promise , Trump changed his tune , arguing that most Americans didn ’ t need to get tested at all .
Those sentiments were echoed earlier this week , when Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany explained it remained the White House ’ s view that it wasn ’ t necessary to test everyone in the country for the disease .
“ The notion that everyone needs to be tested is simply nonsensical , ” McEnany said on Wednesday .
Most health experts agree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states or localities across the country start ending social distancing practices and opening businesses up .
And while the administration continues to say that such tests aren ’ t needed , no expense seems to be spared for testing any person — inside or outside the White House — that comes into any type of contact with the president .
Indeed , earlier this week when Trump visited the Honeywell mask factory in Phoenix , Arizona , he himself didn ’ t wear any personal protective equipment , nor did anyone else near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to questions from reporters , Honeywell released a statement , explaining that the “ small number of individuals directly interfacing with the President on Tuesday were tested for COVID-19 immediately prior to the event , ” and that those around Trump were allowed to stay near him without masks as they had not tested positive for the disease .

The valet’s diagnosis is the closest the disease has reached Trump’s inner circle as of yet.
One of President Donald Trump’s personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus.
Presidential valets are elite military personnel who perform several duties for the president at the White House and outside of it, including directly serving the commander in chief their food or beverages. The unnamed individual who tested positive for COVID-19 had exhibited symptoms of the disease on Wednesday morning.
After test results came back positive, news of the valet’s infection was “hitting the fan” at the White House, according to one source within the administration who spoke to CNN.
Trump was reportedly upset upon learning about the person contracting coronavirus. He was tested immediately, and his results came back negative. Vice President Mike Pence was also tested, and his results were also negative.
The valet’s diagnosis is the closest the disease has reached Trump’s inner circle as of yet, per media reports. Trump, Pence and all other White House personnel get regularly checked for coronavirus — a move that some have suggested is hypocritical, given the administration’s stance on who should be tested across the country (the administration’s current plan is that only 2 percent of the populations across each state require screening to help determine which states should “reopen”).
Early in March, when the president was just starting to take the virus somewhat seriously, Trump made a bold promise that testing would be available to anyone who wanted to know if they had coronavirus or not. “Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That’s what the bottom line is,” Trump said on March 6.
But after it became apparent that he couldn’t follow through on this promise, Trump changed his tune, arguing that most Americans didn’t need to get tested at all.
Those sentiments were echoed earlier this week, when Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany explained it remained the White House’s view that it wasn’t necessary to test everyone in the country for the disease.
“The notion that everyone needs to be tested is simply nonsensical,” McEnany said on Wednesday.
Most health experts agree that more testing needs to happen before states or localities across the country start ending social distancing practices and opening businesses up. And while the administration continues to say that such tests aren’t needed, no expense seems to be spared for testing any person — inside or outside the White House — that comes into any type of contact with the president.
Indeed, earlier this week when Trump visited the Honeywell mask factory in Phoenix, Arizona, he himself didn’t wear any personal protective equipment, nor did anyone else near him at that event. In response to questions from reporters, Honeywell released a statement, explaining that the “small number of individuals directly interfacing with the President on Tuesday were tested for COVID-19 immediately prior to the event,” and that those around Trump were allowed to stay near him without masks as they had not tested positive for the disease.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-07--Leaked CDC “Reopening” Guide Was Rejected by Trump for Being Too Cautious

A 17-page document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) providing specific guidance to states and local governments on how to safely transition away from stay-at-home policies has been shelved , officials at the agency said , and is likely to never be seen by those it was intended to help .
It ’ s been the standard in the past for the CDC to give such guidance during health crises .
However , the Trump administration has attempted to control the messaging on its response to COVID-19 in a stricter fashion , including going so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus task force from appearing before a committee within the House of Representatives .
According to reporting from The Associated Press , the CDC document , titled “ Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework , ” was scheduled to be released to the public last Friday , and gives detailed standards on how businesses , churches , schools and more could safely transition away from stay-at-home orders while at the same time reducing the possibility of spreading the coronavirus .
Among its many detailed recommendations , the document included advice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ desks six feet apart , curtailing school-wide assemblies , having lunch in classrooms and ending field trips .
Restaurants were also encouraged , according to the report , to use single-use cutlery and condiments , and to set up sneeze guards at cash registers .
Although the CDC regularly receives calls from states and localities asking for guidance , the document , which could answer such questions in a more precise fashion , will likely “ never see the light of day , ” according to one CDC official who spoke with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the document ’ s release , it appears that the White House wants states to determine for themselves what standards should be used , without guidance from the CDC ’ s planned document to help them make the best science-based decisions .
A number of health experts have voiced criticism over the administration ’ s push for states to begin the process of easing stay-at-home orders across the nation , arguing that doing so risks spreading the disease even further ( as of Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time , more than 1.2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diagnosed with coronavirus , with close to 75,000 having died from it since the start of March ) .
Anthony Fauci , a prominent member of the White House coronavirus task force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , has expressed his own concerns .
“ There ’ s no doubt in my mind that when you pull back mitigation , you ’ re going to start seeing cases crop up here and there .
If you ’ re not able to handle them , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spike , and then you almost have to turn the clock back to go back to mitigation , ” Fauci has said .
Yet in spite of those worries from experts , President Donald Trump has suggested the net benefit from “ reopening ” states ’ economies will outweigh the negatives that could come about .
“ I ’ m not saying anything is perfect , and yes , will some people be affected , yes , will some people be affected badly — yes , but we have to get our country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open soon , ” Trump said to reporters on Tuesday about ending social distancing measures .
As states begin to ease stay-at-home orders , models aiming to predict the national death toll have shifted dramatically upward .
The University of Washington ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation ( IHME ) , for example , increased its projection this week , predicting 134,475 deaths due to COVID-19 by August , partially due to states winding back their social distancing rules .
The projection from IHME is a 60,000-count increase from what it @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A 17-page document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) providing specific guidance to states and local governments on how to safely transition away from stay-at-home policies has been shelved, officials at the agency said, and is likely to never be seen by those it was intended to help.
It’s been the standard in the past for the CDC to give such guidance during health crises. However, the Trump administration has attempted to control the messaging on its response to COVID-19 in a stricter fashion, including going so far as to restraining members of the coronavirus task force from appearing before a committee within the House of Representatives.
According to reporting from The Associated Press, the CDC document, titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” was scheduled to be released to the public last Friday, and gives detailed standards on how businesses, churches, schools and more could safely transition away from stay-at-home orders while at the same time reducing the possibility of spreading the coronavirus.
Among its many detailed recommendations, the document included advice for schools, such as keeping students’ desks six feet apart, curtailing school-wide assemblies, having lunch in classrooms and ending field trips. Restaurants were also encouraged, according to the report, to use single-use cutlery and condiments, and to set up sneeze guards at cash registers.
Although the CDC regularly receives calls from states and localities asking for guidance, the document, which could answer such questions in a more precise fashion, will likely “never see the light of day,” according to one CDC official who spoke with the AP. Rather than allow for the document’s release, it appears that the White House wants states to determine for themselves what standards should be used, without guidance from the CDC’s planned document to help them make the best science-based decisions.
A number of health experts have voiced criticism over the administration’s push for states to begin the process of easing stay-at-home orders across the nation, arguing that doing so risks spreading the disease even further (as of Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, more than 1.2 million individuals in the U.S. have been diagnosed with coronavirus, with close to 75,000 having died from it since the start of March).
Anthony Fauci, a prominent member of the White House coronavirus task force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has expressed his own concerns.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that when you pull back mitigation, you’re going to start seeing cases crop up here and there. If you’re not able to handle them, you’re going to see another peak, a spike, and then you almost have to turn the clock back to go back to mitigation,” Fauci has said.
Yet in spite of those worries from experts, President Donald Trump has suggested the net benefit from “reopening” states’ economies will outweigh the negatives that could come about.
“I’m not saying anything is perfect, and yes, will some people be affected, yes, will some people be affected badly — yes, but we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon,” Trump said to reporters on Tuesday about ending social distancing measures.
As states begin to ease stay-at-home orders, models aiming to predict the national death toll have shifted dramatically upward. The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), for example, increased its projection this week, predicting 134,475 deaths due to COVID-19 by August, partially due to states winding back their social distancing rules.
The projection from IHME is a 60,000-count increase from what it had predicted in its previous report.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-05-07--One Country Kept Me Safe During the Pandemic. The Other Nearly Killed Me.

Donald Trump is not a president .
He can ’ t even play one on TV .
He ’ s a corrupt and dangerous braggart with ill-concealed aspirations for a Crown and , with an election coming up , he ’ s been monopolizing prime time every day , spouting self-congratulation and misinformation .
( No , don ’ t inject that Lysol ! )
His never-ending absurd performances play out as farce against the tragic background of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the nation .
If we had a real president , which is to say , almost anybody else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have seen the pandemic coming .
It would not have attacked me in my old age .
And most of the dead might still be alive .
The records of other countries make this clear .
South Korea , Taiwan , Denmark , Finland , Germany , Iceland , New Zealand , and Norway have all had commendable success in protecting their people .
Could it be by chance that seven out of eight of the most successful nations in combating the COVID-19 pandemic are headed by women ?
Tsai Ing-wen of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanni Marin of Finland , Angela Merkel of Germany , Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland , Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand , and Erna Solberg of Norway have all been described in similar terms : as calm , confident , and compassionate leaders .
All of them have been commended for thorough preparations , quick decisive action , and clear , empathic communication .
Erna Solberg has even been hailed as the “ landetsmor , ” the mother of her country .
Perhaps in such disturbing times as these we feel some primal yearning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we need not resort to such psychological speculation .
The fortunate countries turn out to be those with the fairness and foresight to have welcomed women into government decades ago .
What seems anachronistic in this critical time is the presence in leadership posts of so many self-aggrandizing , sociopathic male autocrats : Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil , Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey , Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus , Viktor Orbán of Hungary , Vladimir Putin of Russia , Donald Trump of the United States , and more .
Faced with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” men had a clue .
They encountered an invader that could not be bullied , bribed , banished , or bombed .
And for their ignorance and vanity , the people pay ( and pay and pay ) .
I know something about the difference good leadership makes because I ’ ve been locked down now in two different countries .
One kept me safe , the other nearly killed me .
I happened to be in Norway when the virus arrived and saw firsthand what a well-run government can actually do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems small indeed when compared to the United States , but both of the governments that locked me down , Norway and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , where I now reside , represent roughly 5.5-6.5 million people , and Norway ’ s capital , Oslo , is only slightly more populous than Boston .
So some comparisons may be revelatory . )
More to the point , with any population , the difference between success and failure is preparation , swift action , and the techniques applied to overcome the pandemic .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Health announced the first case of COVID-19 : a woman who had returned a week earlier from China .
The next day , it reported two cases in travelers returning from Italy and another from Iran .
After that came two skiers also back from Italy .
One of them , an employee of Oslo ’ s largest hospital , went right back to work , where tracers would soon witness just how fast the unseen virus could move .
And here ’ s the key that escapes political leaders in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were on the job from the start .
As February rolled into March , they were already testing and tracking some 500 Norwegian skiers returning from the Austrian Alps and northern Italy .
Some had frequented convivial après-ski taverns there and , once back home , were quick to catch up with friends .
One Norwegian tracer labeled such skiers “ very sociable people.
” Systematically , Norway would test all its returning travelers ( every one of them ! )
, then track down all the contacts of those who had tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well , and so on down the line .
Working with remarkable speed , the tracers used immediate test results — a tool apparently available in the U.S. only to the rich and famous — to track the trajectories of the virus as it spread .
When cases began to multiply without known contacts , the tracers knew that the virus had begun to hitchhike through an unwitting community and were quick to surround it and shut it down .
In response to the pandemic , the government gradually closed down the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Oslo , places of assembly went first : theaters , cinemas , concert halls .
Norwegians were even asked to stay away from the World Cup Ski Championships being held at Holmenkollen , on the edge of Oslo .
Universities and schools moved online , while offices of all sorts soon followed suit .
Restaurants and bars shut their doors .
By March 12th , only two weeks after the first reported case , the capital and much of the country had closed down .
On that day , in fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man , the first Norwegian casualty of COVID-19 .
By mid-April , some five weeks after the shutdown went into effect , the government began to open up public life again , proceeding carefully step by step .
Toddlers were the first to return to their preschools on April 20th , with grade schoolers to follow .
By April 30th , Norway had administered 172,586 tests and recorded 7,667 positive cases of the coranavirus , 2,221 of them in Oslo .
The dead numbered 207 , suggesting a per capita mortality rate lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and far from America ’ s tragic loss of life .
But how to explain this Norwegian record ?
Experts attribute it to the government ’ s early and deep preparations , enabling it to respond immediately to the very first case to appear in the country and , after that , to its quick , unrelenting testing and tracing of the contagion .
This painstaking effort , backed by Norway ’ s universal health care system , enabled the state to get ahead of the virus , save lives , and stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s remarkably effective welfare system has bolstered its population throughout the shutdown .
Furloughed workers drew full pay from the government for 20 days , and about 62 % of their full salaries after that .
They ’ ll return to their jobs ready for work in factories , shops , and businesses as the quarantine is lifted .
The government ’ s effective and well-targeted expenditures are ensuring smooth transitions ; a quick return to production ; and , best of all in this troubled time , some peace of mind for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The shutdown is bound to be costly , perhaps the worst blow to the economy since World War II , but such thoroughgoing , bottom-up arrangements are less expensive — in both financial and human terms — than America ’ s striking neglect of marginal ( aka “ essential ” ) workers , thrown under the bus of crony capitalism with nothing but lectures on the overrated American freedom to fend for yourself .
In Norway , the invasion of COVID-19 was seen from the outset as a national problem and part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicized .
Norway ’ s conservative prime minister , Erna Solberg , is now receiving high marks indeed , even from opposition parties , for her calm leadership .
Children like her too .
During the crisis , she gave two nationwide “ press conferences ” to children to answer questions they submitted about the pandemic .
( “ Can I have a birthday party ?
” “ How long does it take to make a vaccine ?
” ) From the outset , she told them it was okay to be scared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what a smart , hard-working leader and a collaborative , many-partied parliament can do for all the people , even in scary times .
Remarkably , Norway very quickly achieved the lowest rate of contagion in Europe .
From the start , it aimed to stifle the virus to the point where one infected person might infect only one more .
In scientific terms , it aimed for an R-0 rate ( a rate of reproduction ) of 1.0 .
By the time Solberg announced that goal on March 24th , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 0.71 .
Today , with only 81 COVID-19 patients hospitalized and their contacts already traced and tested , Norwegians can begin to return with considerable confidence to something that edges ever closer to normal life .
The United States has become an example for the world of just the opposite : a corrupt government unprepared for and even in denial of warnings from within and without .
Years ago , President Obama created within the National Security Council a directorate for global health security and bio-defense to prepare for the pandemics sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incoming Trump team on the urgency of pandemic preparations before the president ’ s inauguration .
But on taking office , Trump eliminated the threat by eliminating the directorate .
As president , he was also informed of a viral outbreak in Wuhan , China , in early January of this year , but he ignored the message .
As has been widely reported , he wasted at least two months in self-serving fantasies , claiming the pandemic would disappear of its own accord , or was Fake News , or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his downfall .
By March , his conduct had become increasingly erratic , obtuse , combative , and often just flat-out nasty .
In April , he abandoned altogether his most pressing presidential duty , first claiming “ total power ” as president and then shifting the job of testing and protecting the people from an unrestrained pandemic onto state governors already struggling to find basic medical supplies for front-line health care personnel in their own states .
Worse , he roused his most militant followers , some heavily armed , to defy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Democratic governors .
In short , he first unloaded the responsibilities of his office onto state governors , then made it his mission to undermine and threaten some of them .
For good measure , he cut off U.S. funding for the World Health Organization , the single U.N. agency best equipped to deal with global health emergencies .
Trump already had a proud record of getting away with highly offensive , even criminal , acts in plain sight .
Now , through egotism , bravado , and just plain ignorance he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( MEGA ! )
, for COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the United States have by now far outstripped those anywhere else on Earth .
On March 11th , as Oslo was shutting down , President Trump issued an order to take effect in 72 hours : no one flying from Europe would be allowed to enter the United States .
It sounded crazy , but — worried about worse to come — I changed my flight home to meet the deadline .
The next day , the American embassy clarified the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not apply to U.S. citizens .
By that time , of course , it was impossible for me to change my ticket back .
So I left Oslo on March 14th , after assuring friends that I would be okay because Massachusetts , home of Elizabeth Warren , is a progressive state .
Changing planes in London , I found myself in a different world : packed into the tail section of that flight among a crowd of American students summoned home from European universities by their anxious parents .
Some were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the heartland of the European COVID-19 outbreak .
From the seats behind me came insistent sounds of boys coughing .
The flight attendants wore rubber gloves and made themselves scarce .
I wrapped a long scarf round and round my face , feeling as if somehow I ’ d been suckered into a trap .
Seven hours later , we stumbled into Boston ’ s Logan Airport , destined to spend a few more all-too-intimate hours together .
I crept along a zigzag trail , amid those coughing boys , with no way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the passport inspectors and then beyond .
Finally , one by one , we were ushered into a curtained area to experience that airport ’ s first night of official “ screening.
” I was pleased to think that we were all , at least , to be tested for the virus .
But no such luck .
When my turn came , the official screener voiced no greetings , asked no questions , offered nothing but a single order : “ Go home and take your temperature.
” Had I been held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this ?
Later that week , a local paper reported approvingly that the new airport screening , the first line of defense against the foreign plague , took “ less than a minute.
” I was angry to have been forced onto that dangerous flight by the president ’ s arbitrary edict and doubly angry that he had terminated travel from Europe without consulting any of his European counterparts .
By the look of things that evening , no one from his administration had even informed key American airports receiving flights from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw a bunch of those coughing boys board a Silver Line bus into Boston and others grabbing taxis .
And so we all went off into the night , apparently leaving behind no trace of the state of our health or where we were headed .
Some days later , I was not merely angry but very ill .
Ten days after that , in a hospital parking garage , a masked nurse worked a giant Q-tip up my nose .
A doctor told me to quarantine myself at home ( as I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got the test results in about 5 days .
But why should it take so long ?
Wasn ’ t the whole point of a test to learn what was going on as quickly as possible ?
The speed of the test result had been the very point in Norway .
Combined with the immediate work of the tracers , it enabled the National Health Service to stay ahead of the pandemic and , in the end , essentially , to shut it down .
I went home and got worse .
Five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 12th day , I felt well enough to call my doctor , who tracked down the result of my test ( “ just in ” ) .
It was positive , but almost two weeks old .
So , over the telephone , the doctor gave me the all-clear to put on my mask ( a souvenir of my trip to the ER ) and go forth to shop .
Knowing no Norwegian doctor would turn me loose so soon without another test , I asked for one .
Sorry , short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve kept myself in quarantine at home ever since .
On April 10th , came news of the death of 59-year-old Vitalina Williams , an immigrant from Guatemala , who worked a full-time job at a Walmart in Lynn , Massachusetts , as well as a part-time job at a supermarket in Salem .
Like the nurse and doctor in the ER , this cashier was an “ essential worker , ” the first grocery store employee in Massachusetts to work herself to death .
Here ’ s an immense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that country , one job would have paid her a good wage and also given her paid leave to see her own doctor in the National Health Service when she first felt ill. She would have been taken in , diagnosed , cared for , and very likely saved .
That is simply how a national health care system works in a social democracy .
So what was my COVID-19 test for ?
What useful information did it give anyone ?
I had walked home from the ER in the dark ( so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bus ) and gone to bed .
Nobody checked up on me because nobody knew my test was positive — something I , of course , didn ’ t know either .
And throughout those nearly two weeks of waiting for the test results , no tracer called to learn if I lived with other people who might be endangered and available for testing .
( There were , in fact , no tracers then . )
No one asked me a single question about my family , friends , or others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screening ” at the airport .
And had I died in my bed , no one would or could have traced that bright red line between me , those coughing boys , and Donald Trump ’ s compulsory flight to a state caught totally off guard in a country both dysfunctional and unprepared .
On April 20th , five weeks after I returned to Boston , Massachusetts was designated a COVID-19 “ hot spot.
” With 38,077 cases and 1,706 deaths at that time , the state stood in third place behind New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not an honor , but it may be what prompted Governor Charlie Baker to turn to testing — and belatedly to tracing .
The number of new cases in this state was rising every day , as it has from the first reported case in February .
The governor , who also holds a press conference every day , explained that we are now “ right in the middle of an expected surge , ” apparently unaware that a “ surge ” is what you get when you have missed the moment for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also what you get when , as in the nation ’ s capital , politicians rather than scientists run the show . )
Belatedly , Massachusetts started testing people at the rate of about 9,000 per day , while private agencies funded by the state are in the process of hiring perhaps 1,000 tracers to conduct phone interviews with the contacts of all Massachusetts residents who have already tested positive .
Today , May 6th , we official “ positives ” number 70,271 , though 4,212 of us are already dead .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the number of positive patients hospitalized fell slightly and state officials adopted an attitude of “ cautious optimism.
” Presumably , something of importance will be learned from those belated tests .
As Norway recognized , however , if you don ’ t jump on this virus fast , it rapidly disperses beyond simple person-to-person contacts .
It spreads out sociably like so many Norwegian skiers — or American students .
It rides the chairlift and the bus .
It gets on the plane .
It hangs out at the airport .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the grocery store .
To tally its contacts may become simply a matter of counting the dead .
Tracers in Norway have already moved on to other tests to find asymptomatic carriers who may be contagious or perhaps have developed antibodies .
Anyone in that country with even the mildest symptoms may ask for a test .
These precautionary studies are essential in case the virus should find new life as the quarantine is lifted .
What scientists might learn from such studies , like the new tracing one in Massachusetts , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one inescapable conclusion is that this virus is smarter , more agile , and faster on its feet than any of its associates we ’ ve met before or , for that matter , than most of our public officials , from a failed president on down .
And for any readers who believe in politics more than science , let me just say that without science you won ’ t even know what hit you .

Donald Trump is not a president. He can’t even play one on TV. He’s a corrupt and dangerous braggart with ill-concealed aspirations for a Crown and, with an election coming up, he’s been monopolizing prime time every day, spouting self-congratulation and misinformation. (No, don’t inject that Lysol!) His never-ending absurd performances play out as farce against the tragic background of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the nation. If we had a real president, which is to say, almost anybody else, things would be different. We would have seen the pandemic coming. It would not have attacked me in my old age. And most of the dead might still be alive.
The records of other countries make this clear. South Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, New Zealand, and Norway have all had commendable success in protecting their people. Could it be by chance that seven out of eight of the most successful nations in combating the COVID-19 pandemic are headed by women? Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, Mette Frederiksen of Denmark, Sanni Marin of Finland, Angela Merkel of Germany, Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland, Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, and Erna Solberg of Norway have all been described in similar terms: as calm, confident, and compassionate leaders. All of them have been commended for thorough preparations, quick decisive action, and clear, empathic communication. Erna Solberg has even been hailed as the “landetsmor,” the mother of her country.
Perhaps in such disturbing times as these we feel some primal yearning for a capable, comforting mother, but we need not resort to such psychological speculation. The fortunate countries turn out to be those with the fairness and foresight to have welcomed women into government decades ago.
What seems anachronistic in this critical time is the presence in leadership posts of so many self-aggrandizing, sociopathic male autocrats: Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Donald Trump of the United States, and more. Faced with the pandemic, none of these “powerful” men had a clue. They encountered an invader that could not be bullied, bribed, banished, or bombed. And for their ignorance and vanity, the people pay (and pay and pay).
Lessons in Leadership
I know something about the difference good leadership makes because I’ve been locked down now in two different countries. One kept me safe, the other nearly killed me. I happened to be in Norway when the virus arrived and saw firsthand what a well-run government can actually do. (Yes, I know Norway seems small indeed when compared to the United States, but both of the governments that locked me down, Norway and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where I now reside, represent roughly 5.5-6.5 million people, and Norway’s capital, Oslo, is only slightly more populous than Boston. So some comparisons may be revelatory.)
More to the point, with any population, the difference between success and failure is preparation, swift action, and the techniques applied to overcome the pandemic. On February 26th, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health announced the first case of COVID-19: a woman who had returned a week earlier from China. The next day, it reported two cases in travelers returning from Italy and another from Iran. After that came two skiers also back from Italy. One of them, an employee of Oslo’s largest hospital, went right back to work, where tracers would soon witness just how fast the unseen virus could move.
And here’s the key that escapes political leaders in America: in Norway, testers and tracers were on the job from the start. As February rolled into March, they were already testing and tracking some 500 Norwegian skiers returning from the Austrian Alps and northern Italy. Some had frequented convivial après-ski taverns there and, once back home, were quick to catch up with friends. One Norwegian tracer labeled such skiers “very sociable people.”
Systematically, Norway would test all its returning travelers (every one of them!), then track down all the contacts of those who had tested positive and test them and their contacts as well, and so on down the line. Working with remarkable speed, the tracers used immediate test results — a tool apparently available in the U.S. only to the rich and famous — to track the trajectories of the virus as it spread. When cases began to multiply without known contacts, the tracers knew that the virus had begun to hitchhike through an unwitting community and were quick to surround it and shut it down.
In response to the pandemic, the government gradually closed down the capital and other centers of contagion. In Oslo, places of assembly went first: theaters, cinemas, concert halls. Norwegians were even asked to stay away from the World Cup Ski Championships being held at Holmenkollen, on the edge of Oslo.
Universities and schools moved online, while offices of all sorts soon followed suit. Restaurants and bars shut their doors. By March 12th, only two weeks after the first reported case, the capital and much of the country had closed down. On that day, in fact, officials reported the death of an elderly man, the first Norwegian casualty of COVID-19.
By mid-April, some five weeks after the shutdown went into effect, the government began to open up public life again, proceeding carefully step by step. Toddlers were the first to return to their preschools on April 20th, with grade schoolers to follow. By April 30th, Norway had administered 172,586 tests and recorded 7,667 positive cases of the coranavirus, 2,221 of them in Oslo. The dead numbered 207, suggesting a per capita mortality rate lower than that of any other European country and far from America’s tragic loss of life. But how to explain this Norwegian record?
Experts attribute it to the government’s early and deep preparations, enabling it to respond immediately to the very first case to appear in the country and, after that, to its quick, unrelenting testing and tracing of the contagion. This painstaking effort, backed by Norway’s universal health care system, enabled the state to get ahead of the virus, save lives, and stop the pandemic short.
The country’s remarkably effective welfare system has bolstered its population throughout the shutdown. Furloughed workers drew full pay from the government for 20 days, and about 62% of their full salaries after that. They’ll return to their jobs ready for work in factories, shops, and businesses as the quarantine is lifted. The government’s effective and well-targeted expenditures are ensuring smooth transitions; a quick return to production; and, best of all in this troubled time, some peace of mind for employers, workers, and families. The shutdown is bound to be costly, perhaps the worst blow to the economy since World War II, but such thoroughgoing, bottom-up arrangements are less expensive — in both financial and human terms — than America’s striking neglect of marginal (aka “essential”) workers, thrown under the bus of crony capitalism with nothing but lectures on the overrated American freedom to fend for yourself.
In Norway, the invasion of COVID-19 was seen from the outset as a national problem and part of a global emergency. It was never politicized. Norway’s conservative prime minister, Erna Solberg, is now receiving high marks indeed, even from opposition parties, for her calm leadership. Children like her too. During the crisis, she gave two nationwide “press conferences” to children to answer questions they submitted about the pandemic. (“Can I have a birthday party?” “How long does it take to make a vaccine?”) From the outset, she told them it was okay to be scared. And then she set an example of what a smart, hard-working leader and a collaborative, many-partied parliament can do for all the people, even in scary times.
Remarkably, Norway very quickly achieved the lowest rate of contagion in Europe. From the start, it aimed to stifle the virus to the point where one infected person might infect only one more. In scientific terms, it aimed for an R-0 rate (a rate of reproduction) of 1.0. By the time Solberg announced that goal on March 24th, however, the magic number had already fallen to 0.71. Today, with only 81 COVID-19 patients hospitalized and their contacts already traced and tested, Norwegians can begin to return with considerable confidence to something that edges ever closer to normal life.
Amateur Night
The United States has become an example for the world of just the opposite: a corrupt government unprepared for and even in denial of warnings from within and without. Years ago, President Obama created within the National Security Council a directorate for global health security and bio-defense to prepare for the pandemics sure to come. That directorate even briefed the incoming Trump team on the urgency of pandemic preparations before the president’s inauguration. But on taking office, Trump eliminated the threat by eliminating the directorate.
As president, he was also informed of a viral outbreak in Wuhan, China, in early January of this year, but he ignored the message. As has been widely reported, he wasted at least two months in self-serving fantasies, claiming the pandemic would disappear of its own accord, or was Fake News, or a “new hoax” of Democrats plotting his downfall. By March, his conduct had become increasingly erratic, obtuse, combative, and often just flat-out nasty. In April, he abandoned altogether his most pressing presidential duty, first claiming “total power” as president and then shifting the job of testing and protecting the people from an unrestrained pandemic onto state governors already struggling to find basic medical supplies for front-line health care personnel in their own states.
Worse, he roused his most militant followers, some heavily armed, to defy the emergency directives of several states led by Democratic governors. In short, he first unloaded the responsibilities of his office onto state governors, then made it his mission to undermine and threaten some of them. For good measure, he cut off U.S. funding for the World Health Organization, the single U.N. agency best equipped to deal with global health emergencies. Trump already had a proud record of getting away with highly offensive, even criminal, acts in plain sight. Now, through egotism, bravado, and just plain ignorance he’s made an epidemic great again (MEGA!), for COVID-19 cases and fatalities in the United States have by now far outstripped those anywhere else on Earth.
Welcome to America
On March 11th, as Oslo was shutting down, President Trump issued an order to take effect in 72 hours: no one flying from Europe would be allowed to enter the United States. It sounded crazy, but — worried about worse to come — I changed my flight home to meet the deadline. The next day, the American embassy clarified the president’s ultimatum: the travel ban did not apply to U.S. citizens. By that time, of course, it was impossible for me to change my ticket back.
So I left Oslo on March 14th, after assuring friends that I would be okay because Massachusetts, home of Elizabeth Warren, is a progressive state.
Hah!
Changing planes in London, I found myself in a different world: packed into the tail section of that flight among a crowd of American students summoned home from European universities by their anxious parents. Some were in transit from northern Italy, already the heartland of the European COVID-19 outbreak. From the seats behind me came insistent sounds of boys coughing. The flight attendants wore rubber gloves and made themselves scarce. I wrapped a long scarf round and round my face, feeling as if somehow I’d been suckered into a trap.
Seven hours later, we stumbled into Boston’s Logan Airport, destined to spend a few more all-too-intimate hours together. I crept along a zigzag trail, amid those coughing boys, with no way of putting distance between us, to the passport inspectors and then beyond. Finally, one by one, we were ushered into a curtained area to experience that airport’s first night of official “screening.”
I was pleased to think that we were all, at least, to be tested for the virus. But no such luck. When my turn came, the official screener voiced no greetings, asked no questions, offered nothing but a single order: “Go home and take your temperature.” Had I been held all that time among those coughing boys for this? Later that week, a local paper reported approvingly that the new airport screening, the first line of defense against the foreign plague, took “less than a minute.”
I was angry to have been forced onto that dangerous flight by the president’s arbitrary edict and doubly angry that he had terminated travel from Europe without consulting any of his European counterparts. By the look of things that evening, no one from his administration had even informed key American airports receiving flights from Europe until the last minute. I saw a bunch of those coughing boys board a Silver Line bus into Boston and others grabbing taxis. And so we all went off into the night, apparently leaving behind no trace of the state of our health or where we were headed. Some days later, I was not merely angry but very ill.
Ten days after that, in a hospital parking garage, a masked nurse worked a giant Q-tip up my nose. A doctor told me to quarantine myself at home (as I had been doing anyway) until I got the test results in about 5 days. But why should it take so long? Wasn’t the whole point of a test to learn what was going on as quickly as possible? The speed of the test result had been the very point in Norway. Combined with the immediate work of the tracers, it enabled the National Health Service to stay ahead of the pandemic and, in the end, essentially, to shut it down.
I went home and got worse. Five days passed with no word. On the 12th day, I felt well enough to call my doctor, who tracked down the result of my test (“just in”). It was positive, but almost two weeks old. So, over the telephone, the doctor gave me the all-clear to put on my mask (a souvenir of my trip to the ER) and go forth to shop. Knowing no Norwegian doctor would turn me loose so soon without another test, I asked for one. Sorry, short supply, only one to a customer. I’ve kept myself in quarantine at home ever since.
COVID-19 Hitches a Ride in America
On April 10th, came news of the death of 59-year-old Vitalina Williams, an immigrant from Guatemala, who worked a full-time job at a Walmart in Lynn, Massachusetts, as well as a part-time job at a supermarket in Salem. Like the nurse and doctor in the ER, this cashier was an “essential worker,” the first grocery store employee in Massachusetts to work herself to death. Here’s an immense difference between Massachusetts and Norway. In that country, one job would have paid her a good wage and also given her paid leave to see her own doctor in the National Health Service when she first felt ill. She would have been taken in, diagnosed, cared for, and very likely saved. That is simply how a national health care system works in a social democracy.
So what was my COVID-19 test for? What useful information did it give anyone? I had walked home from the ER in the dark (so as not to endanger others by taking a bus) and gone to bed. Nobody checked up on me because nobody knew my test was positive — something I, of course, didn’t know either. And throughout those nearly two weeks of waiting for the test results, no tracer called to learn if I lived with other people who might be endangered and available for testing. (There were, in fact, no tracers then.) No one asked me a single question about my family, friends, or others I might have contacted since that “screening” at the airport. And had I died in my bed, no one would or could have traced that bright red line between me, those coughing boys, and Donald Trump’s compulsory flight to a state caught totally off guard in a country both dysfunctional and unprepared.
On April 20th, five weeks after I returned to Boston, Massachusetts was designated a COVID-19 “hot spot.” With 38,077 cases and 1,706 deaths at that time, the state stood in third place behind New York and New Jersey. This was not an honor, but it may be what prompted Governor Charlie Baker to turn to testing — and belatedly to tracing.
The number of new cases in this state was rising every day, as it has from the first reported case in February. The governor, who also holds a press conference every day, explained that we are now “right in the middle of an expected surge,” apparently unaware that a “surge” is what you get when you have missed the moment for preventative testing and tracing. (This is also what you get when, as in the nation’s capital, politicians rather than scientists run the show.)
Belatedly, Massachusetts started testing people at the rate of about 9,000 per day, while private agencies funded by the state are in the process of hiring perhaps 1,000 tracers to conduct phone interviews with the contacts of all Massachusetts residents who have already tested positive. Today, May 6th, we official “positives” number 70,271, though 4,212 of us are already dead.
In the first few days of May, the number of positive patients hospitalized fell slightly and state officials adopted an attitude of “cautious optimism.” Presumably, something of importance will be learned from those belated tests. As Norway recognized, however, if you don’t jump on this virus fast, it rapidly disperses beyond simple person-to-person contacts. It spreads out sociably like so many Norwegian skiers — or American students. It rides the chairlift and the bus. It gets on the plane. It hangs out at the airport. It hitches a ride with someone stopping at the grocery store. To tally its contacts may become simply a matter of counting the dead.
Tracers in Norway have already moved on to other tests to find asymptomatic carriers who may be contagious or perhaps have developed antibodies. Anyone in that country with even the mildest symptoms may ask for a test. These precautionary studies are essential in case the virus should find new life as the quarantine is lifted. What scientists might learn from such studies, like the new tracing one in Massachusetts, remains to be seen, but surely one inescapable conclusion is that this virus is smarter, more agile, and faster on its feet than any of its associates we’ve met before or, for that matter, than most of our public officials, from a failed president on down. And for any readers who believe in politics more than science, let me just say that without science you won’t even know what hit you.
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.
To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.com here.


truthout--2020-05-07--Will Pharmaceutical Giants Use Patents to Limit Access to COVID Drugs?

We ’ re in this together We know that everyone in Truthout ’ s reader community will be touched by @ @ @ @ @ or another .
That ’ s why we ’ re devoting ourselves to covering it @ @ @ @ @ creatively as possible .
Truthout relies on donations from readers to keep publishing , and @ @ @ @ @ moving more quickly than ever .
If you can , please chip in to support @ @ @ @ @ this time when it ’ s needed most .

Image Credit: Gilead Sciences
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide approaches 4 million and the pandemic could be with us for months or years, we look at who can access drugs like remdesivir, being developed by pharmaceutical giant Gilead, which has the patent for the drug and is poised to make massive profits. We look at how much drugs like remdesivir will cost, and who can access them, with writer Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project, which campaigns for access to medicines in India, Brazil and South Africa.
Please check back later for full transcript.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.


truthout--2020-05-07--Republicans Oppose Mail-In Voting Because They’re Scared of Losing

Donald Trump ’ s deliberately cruel , remorselessly lethal , floundering , blundering , utterly worthless response to the COVID-19 pandemic has left him and his Republican hostages in Congress wide open to a historic electoral rout in November .
Democrats across the country , especially in places where that party traditionally fares poorly , are seeing remarkably favorable poll numbers .
Even Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and Lindsey Graham in South Carolina are locked in a re-election fight for their political lives , and who would have thought we ’ d live long enough to see that .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because Trump is the best campaign spokesman for Democrats in the country , and he ain ’ t gon na stop — it ’ s possible that all the Democrats really need is for there to be an election in November .
However , because of COVID-19 , and Trump , and the generalized revulsion Republicans hold for democracy itself , that November election is growing increasingly unlikely with every passing day .
Trump and the GOP have good reason to make a real election difficult , if not impossible .
Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracking poll and a new Monmouth poll — have Joe Biden alternately holding or expanding his lead over Trump .
Biden has accomplished this without leaving his house , which long-time Biden watchers might well agree is the reason for his lead .
It is what it is .
In the House of Representatives , any hopes Republicans had two months ago of retaking the majority and snatching the gavel out of Speaker Pelosi ’ s hand have fallen to dust .
According to the Cook Political Report , “ The COVID-19 pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraising , shielding Democratic incumbents with big financial head starts .
Now , Republicans ’ path to picking up the 18 seats needed to win back the majority now looks slim to non-existent.
” The Republican majority in the Senate stands now in deep peril .
Aside from the tight races McConnell and Graham find themselves in , Susan Collins of Maine is running scared , and for good reason .
Voters that were already disgusted by her vacillating flim-flam votes on Justice Kavanaugh and the impeachment of Trump are now faced with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ratcliffe , Trump ’ s absurd conspiracy theorist pick for director of national intelligence .
The latest polls have Collins ’ s challenger , Democrat Sara Gideon , holding a small lead .
Morning Consult ranks Collins the most disliked senator in the country ( with Bernie Sanders ranked the most popular , so beat that with a stick ) , and a coalition of women ’ s groups and voters have vowed to see her defeated .
Collins is looking at 40 miles of bad road if she wants to save her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vastly unqualified Radcliffe will do her no favors .
In Colorado , Democrat John Hickenlooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican incumbent Cory Gardner .
In Montana , Democratic Gov .
Steve Bullock holds a 7-point lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines .
In North Carolina , Democrat Cal Cunningham holds a 9-point lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis .
In Arizona , Democrat Mark Kelly leads incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally by 8 points .
And in Kansas of all places , Democrat Barbara Bollier holds a slim lead over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kobach .
Of course , polls are polls are polls , and if 2016 taught us anything , it is that you can defecate in one hand and hold a polling sheet in the other , and both will stink in equal measure .
That being said : Kentucky , South Carolina , North Carolina , Maine , Arizona , Colorado , Montana and Kansas .
That is blood on the moon for the Republican majority in the Senate .
Combine that with the fact that Biden is leading Trump nationally even as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking his precious , and a doom-addled picture of the future begins to coalesce for the GOP .
The Republicans ’ decision to hitch their wagon to Trump ’ s mercurial star makes lemmings appear thoughtful and judicious by comparison .
Which is why Trump and his Republican allies have every intention of making the November election a practical impossibility .
Trump can ’ t “ cancel ” the election , any more than he can turn off the sun by flicking a switch .
He and his pals can , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force voters into risking their lives in the midst of a pandemic to get to the polls and cast a ballot .
The answer is straightforward : A concerted national effort must be made to allow voters to cast ballots by mail , with widespread accessible options for people with disabilities .
Several states do this for their own elections , and the process tends to be smoother than most .
A vote-by-mail infrastructure , supplemented by online cloud-based voting or other fully available accommodations for those with disabilities such as blindness , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without risking their health at a crowded polling station .
Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield have both publicly stated that COVID will be very much present in the fall , and could combine with the annual flu season to make a dangerous situation worse .
It ’ s essential to avoid another lethal spike in infections caused by crowds at the polling stations .
Because mail-in voting is the prudent thing to do , Trump and the Republicans are dead set against it .
“ Republicans should fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wide mail-in voting .
Democrats are clamoring for it , ” Trump tweeted back in early April when the idea of mail-in voting first became pressing .
“ Tremendous potential for voter fraud , and for whatever reason , doesn ’ t work out well for Republicans.
” Thus , as ever , the quiet part is said aloud by the president of the United States .
“ No , mail ballots , they cheat , ” said Trump during the April 8 COVID-19 briefing .
“ OK , people cheat .
Mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country because they are cheaters.
” This , despite the fact that just the month before , Trump himself had voted by mail in the Florida primary .
When pressed by reporters on why it ’ s acceptable for him to vote by mail but not the people , he replied , “ Because I ’ m allowed to.
” At the center of this maelstrom of nonsense is the United States Postal Service ( USPS ) , which would carry the main burden if a national vote-by-mail program were to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial ground before the pandemic as the digital age has crowded into its traditional turf , and was a frequent target of Trump ’ s ire .
Since the pandemic , he has doubled down .
Among other things , Trump wants the USPS to charge Amazon higher rates for deliveries , basically because Trump doesn ’ t like Jeff Bezos , owner of Amazon and The Washington Post .
The post office , once as apolitical an agency as you ’ ll find in government , found itself an unwilling pawn in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The USPS has been further damaged financially by COVID-19 , because there simply isn ’ t as much mail going out , and the service sustains itself on the postage fees it collects .
The postal service is currently projecting a $ 13 billion shortfall in revenue .
There was a bipartisan push in Congress to bail the USPS out some weeks ago , but Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin put an end to that .
At the moment , the USPS and Mnuchin are haggling over a $ 10 billion loan that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mnuchin and Trump are demanding a variety of concessions from the Postal Workers Union , one of the last truly muscular public-sector unions left in the country .
Like as not , the board that makes USPS policy will concede to at least some of Mnuchin ’ s demands , because the postal service will cease to exist before the end of summer without an infusion of revenue .
Without a functioning postal service , there can be no mail-in option for the November election , and without the mail-in option , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debacle that costs lives and robs the people of their voice .
Nothing would please Trump more , which is likely why on Wednesday afternoon he announced that Louis DeJoy , a high-dollar Republican donor and staunch Trump ally , will be named the new postmaster general .
For the last two decades , postmasters rose through the ranks of the USPS before assuming the position .
DeJoy will parachute in just as the USPS is at its most vulnerable , and just as its services are most desperately needed for the maintenance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present , the House of Representatives is the only part of the federal government not controlled by Trump and the Republicans .
The House ’ s responsibility to defend the vote and the USPS in this time of unprecedented crisis and threat is manifestly clear .
“ Mail-in ballots ” should be on the lips of Speaker Pelosi and every House Democrat , as well as every Senate Democrat , every single day .
The republic has not faced an existential threat of this magnitude since the Civil War .
Yet even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the awesome darkness of 1864 , Union soldiers were allowed to vote by mail .
If they could do it then , we can do it now .

Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
Donald Trump’s deliberately cruel, remorselessly lethal, floundering, blundering, utterly worthless response to the COVID-19 pandemic has left him and his Republican hostages in Congress wide open to a historic electoral rout in November.
Democrats across the country, especially in places where that party traditionally fares poorly, are seeing remarkably favorable poll numbers. Even Mitch McConnell in Kentucky and Lindsey Graham in South Carolina are locked in a re-election fight for their political lives, and who would have thought we’d live long enough to see that.
If the pattern holds — which it should, because Trump is the best campaign spokesman for Democrats in the country, and he ain’t gonna stop — it’s possible that all the Democrats really need is for there to be an election in November. However, because of COVID-19, and Trump, and the generalized revulsion Republicans hold for democracy itself, that November election is growing increasingly unlikely with every passing day.
Trump and the GOP have good reason to make a real election difficult, if not impossible. Two national polls this week — the Economist/YouGov tracking poll and a new Monmouth poll — have Joe Biden alternately holding or expanding his lead over Trump. Biden has accomplished this without leaving his house, which long-time Biden watchers might well agree is the reason for his lead. It is what it is.
In the House of Representatives, any hopes Republicans had two months ago of retaking the majority and snatching the gavel out of Speaker Pelosi’s hand have fallen to dust. According to the Cook Political Report, “The COVID-19 pandemic has all but frozen House recruitment and fundraising, shielding Democratic incumbents with big financial head starts. Now, Republicans’ path to picking up the 18 seats needed to win back the majority now looks slim to non-existent.”
The Republican majority in the Senate stands now in deep peril. Aside from the tight races McConnell and Graham find themselves in, Susan Collins of Maine is running scared, and for good reason. Voters that were already disgusted by her vacillating flim-flam votes on Justice Kavanaugh and the impeachment of Trump are now faced with her abrupt support for GOP Rep. John Ratcliffe, Trump’s absurd conspiracy theorist pick for director of national intelligence.
The latest polls have Collins’s challenger, Democrat Sara Gideon, holding a small lead. Morning Consult ranks Collins the most disliked senator in the country (with Bernie Sanders ranked the most popular, so beat that with a stick), and a coalition of women’s groups and voters have vowed to see her defeated. Collins is looking at 40 miles of bad road if she wants to save her seat, and her support of the vastly unqualified Radcliffe will do her no favors.
The republic has not faced an existential threat of this magnitude since the Civil War.
In Colorado, Democrat John Hickenlooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican incumbent Cory Gardner. In Montana, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock holds a 7-point lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Steve Daines. In North Carolina, Democrat Cal Cunningham holds a 9-point lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. In Arizona, Democrat Mark Kelly leads incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally by 8 points. And in Kansas of all places, Democrat Barbara Bollier holds a slim lead over Republican nominee and serial vote thief Kris Kobach.
Of course, polls are polls are polls, and if 2016 taught us anything, it is that you can defecate in one hand and hold a polling sheet in the other, and both will stink in equal measure.
That being said: Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maine, Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Kansas. That is blood on the moon for the Republican majority in the Senate.
Combine that with the fact that Biden is leading Trump nationally even as he campaigns in the dark like Gollum seeking his precious, and a doom-addled picture of the future begins to coalesce for the GOP. The Republicans’ decision to hitch their wagon to Trump’s mercurial star makes lemmings appear thoughtful and judicious by comparison.
Which is why Trump and his Republican allies have every intention of making the November election a practical impossibility. Trump can’t “cancel” the election, any more than he can turn off the sun by flicking a switch. He and his pals can, however, throw enough logs in the road to force voters into risking their lives in the midst of a pandemic to get to the polls and cast a ballot.
The answer is straightforward: A concerted national effort must be made to allow voters to cast ballots by mail, with widespread accessible options for people with disabilities. Several states do this for their own elections, and the process tends to be smoother than most. A vote-by-mail infrastructure, supplemented by online cloud-based voting or other fully available accommodations for those with disabilities such as blindness, will allow people to cast a ballot without risking their health at a crowded polling station.
Anthony Fauci and Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield have both publicly stated that COVID will be very much present in the fall, and could combine with the annual flu season to make a dangerous situation worse. It’s essential to avoid another lethal spike in infections caused by crowds at the polling stations.
Because mail-in voting is the prudent thing to do, Trump and the Republicans are dead set against it. “Republicans should fight very hard when it comes to state wide mail-in voting. Democrats are clamoring for it,” Trump tweeted back in early April when the idea of mail-in voting first became pressing. “Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans.”
Thus, as ever, the quiet part is said aloud by the president of the United States.
“No, mail ballots, they cheat,” said Trump during the April 8 COVID-19 briefing. “OK, people cheat. Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country because they are cheaters.” This, despite the fact that just the month before, Trump himself had voted by mail in the Florida primary. When pressed by reporters on why it’s acceptable for him to vote by mail but not the people, he replied, “Because I’m allowed to.”
Trump and his Republican allies have every intention of making the November election a practical impossibility.
At the center of this maelstrom of nonsense is the United States Postal Service (USPS), which would carry the main burden if a national vote-by-mail program were to take effect. The USPS was on shaky financial ground before the pandemic as the digital age has crowded into its traditional turf, and was a frequent target of Trump’s ire. Since the pandemic, he has doubled down.
Among other things, Trump wants the USPS to charge Amazon higher rates for deliveries, basically because Trump doesn’t like Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon and The Washington Post. The post office, once as apolitical an agency as you’ll find in government, found itself an unwilling pawn in Trump’s endless quest for vengeance.
The USPS has been further damaged financially by COVID-19, because there simply isn’t as much mail going out, and the service sustains itself on the postage fees it collects. The postal service is currently projecting a $13 billion shortfall in revenue. There was a bipartisan push in Congress to bail the USPS out some weeks ago, but Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin put an end to that.
At the moment, the USPS and Mnuchin are haggling over a $10 billion loan that would bolster the USPS past September. Mnuchin and Trump are demanding a variety of concessions from the Postal Workers Union, one of the last truly muscular public-sector unions left in the country. Like as not, the board that makes USPS policy will concede to at least some of Mnuchin’s demands, because the postal service will cease to exist before the end of summer without an infusion of revenue.
Without a functioning postal service, there can be no mail-in option for the November election, and without the mail-in option, that election could very easily become a deadly debacle that costs lives and robs the people of their voice.
Nothing would please Trump more, which is likely why on Wednesday afternoon he announced that Louis DeJoy, a high-dollar Republican donor and staunch Trump ally, will be named the new postmaster general. For the last two decades, postmasters rose through the ranks of the USPS before assuming the position. DeJoy will parachute in just as the USPS is at its most vulnerable, and just as its services are most desperately needed for the maintenance of democratic rule in the U.S.
At present, the House of Representatives is the only part of the federal government not controlled by Trump and the Republicans. The House’s responsibility to defend the vote and the USPS in this time of unprecedented crisis and threat is manifestly clear. “Mail-in ballots” should be on the lips of Speaker Pelosi and every House Democrat, as well as every Senate Democrat, every single day.
The republic has not faced an existential threat of this magnitude since the Civil War. Yet even in the charnel house of that bloody conflict, in the awesome darkness of 1864, Union soldiers were allowed to vote by mail. If they could do it then, we can do it now.
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.