truthout--2020-05-21--Trump’s “Blame China” Strategy Echoes Bush’s Targeting of Iraq

There ’ s a meme that appears now and then on Facebook and other social media : “ Those who don ’ t study history are doomed to repeat it .
Yet those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it.
” That ’ s funny .
What ’ s not is that the Trump administration and its coterie of China-bashers , led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and aided by Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton , have recently been dusting off the fake-intelligence playbook Vice President Dick Cheney used in 2002 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hussein ’ s Iraq .
At that time , the administration of President George W. Bush put enormous pressure on the U.S. intelligence community to ratify spurious allegations that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda and that his regime had assembled an arsenal of nuclear , biological , and chemical weapons .
Fantasy claims they may have been , but they did help to convince many skeptical conservatives and spooked liberals that a unilateral , illegal invasion of Iraq was urgently needed .
This time around , it ’ s the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — maybe manmade , maybe not , advocates of this conspiracy theory argue — was released perhaps deliberately , perhaps by accident from a laboratory in Wuhan , China , the city that was the epicenter of the outbreak late last year .
It ’ s a story that has ricocheted around the echo chambers of the far right , from conspiracy-oriented Internet kooks like Infowars ’ Alex Jones to semi-respectable media tribunes and radio talk-show hosts to the very highest reaches of the administration itself , including President Trump .
Unlike with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t planning on going to war with China , at least not yet .
But the Trump administration ’ s zeal in shifting attention from its own bungling of the Covid-19 crisis to China ’ s alleged culpability in creating a global pandemic only raises tensions precipitously between the planet ’ s two great powers at a terrible moment .
In the process , it essentially ensures that the two countries will be far less likely to cooperate in managing the long-term pandemic or collaboratively working on vaccines and cures .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a matter of life and death .
Back in 2002 , the Bush administration launched an unending campaign of pressure on the CIA and other intelligence agencies to falsify , distort , and cherry-pick intelligence factoids that could be collated into a package linking al-Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein ’ s Baghdad .
At the Pentagon , neoconservatives like Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith set up an ad hoc team that eventually took on the name of Office of Special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence on Iraq .
Just in case the message didn ’ t get across , Vice President Cheney made repeated visits to CIA headquarters in Langley , Virginia , to badger analysts to come up with something useful .
In 2003 , in “ The Lie Factory , ” which I co-authored with Jason Vest for Mother Jones , we reported on how Wolfowitz , Feith , allied Defense Department officials like Harold Rhode , and neoconservative apparatchiks like David Wurmser , then a senior adviser to Iraq-war-touting State Department Undersecretary John Bolton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump on Iran ) , actively worked to purge Pentagon and CIA officials who resisted the push to shape or exaggerate intelligence .
A year later , veteran spy-watcher James Bamford described the whole episode in excruciating detail in his 2004 book , A Pretext for War .
In 2020 , however , President Trump is not just pressuring the intelligence community , or IC .
He ’ s at war with it and has been busy installing unprofessional know-nothings and sycophants in top positions there .
His bitter antipathy began even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he repeatedly refused to believe a sober analysis from the IC , including the CIA and FBI , that President Vladimir Putin of Russia had aided and abetted his election .
Since then , he ’ s continually railed and tweeted against what he calls “ the deep state.
” And he ’ s assigned his authoritarian attorney general , Bill Barr , to conduct a scorched-earth offensive against the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller , the FBI , and the Justice Department itself , most recently by dropping charges against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s first national security advisor .
To make sure that the IC doesn ’ t challenge his wishes and does his bidding , Trump has moved to put his own political operatives in charge at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence , or ODNI , created as part of an intelligence reorganization scheme after 9/11 .
The effort began in February when Trump named U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as acting DNI .
A highly partisan , sharp-elbowed politico and spokesman for former National Security Advisor John Bolton , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump loyalist , as well as an acolyte of former Trump aide Steve Bannon .
On arriving in Bonn as ambassador , Grenell soon endorsed the rise of Europe ’ s anti-establishment ultra-right in an interview with Bannon ’ s Breitbart News .
To bolster Grenell , the administration has called on another ultra-right crusader , Kash Patel .
He has served as Republican Congressman Devin Nunes ’ s aide in the campaign to discredit the Russia investigation and reportedly acted as a White House backchannel to Ukraine during the effort to stir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tarring former Vice President Joe Biden .
Following that , the president re-named Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas , one of the president ’ s most enthusiastic defenders during the debate over impeachment , to serve as Grenell ’ s permanent replacement at ODNI .
In 2019 , Trump first floated Ratcliffe ’ s name for the post , but it was shot down days later , thanks to opposition from even Republican members of Congress , not to speak of intelligence professionals and various pundits .
Now , he ’ s back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be seen whether the Grenell-Ratcliffe tag-team , combined with Trump ’ s three-year campaign to disparage the intelligence community and intimidate its functionaries , has softened them up enough for the administration ’ s push to finger China and its labs for creating and spreading Covid-19 .
As is often the case , that campaign began rather quietly and unobtrusively in conservative and right-wing media outlets .
On January 24th , the right-wing Washington Times ran a story entitled “ Coronavirus may have originated in a lab linked to China ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , was playing off of a piece that had appeared in London ’ s Daily Mail the previous day .
Written like a science-fiction thriller , that story drew nearly all its ( unverified ) information from a single source , an Israeli military intelligence China specialist .
Soon , it moved from the Washington Times to other American right-wing outlets .
Steve Bannon picked it up the next day on his podcast , “ War Room : Pandemic , ” calling the piece “ amazing.
” A few days later , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( later much-debunked ) piece saying that a Chinese scientist bioengineered the virus , purporting even to name the scientist .
A couple of weeks later , Fox News weighed in , laughably citing a Dean Koontz novel , The Eyes of Darkness , about “ a Chinese military lab that creates a new virus to potentially use as a biological weapon during wartime.
” The day after that , Senator Tom Cotton — appearing on Fox , of course — agreed that China might indeed have created the virus .
Then the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( Soon Cotton was even tweeting that Beijing might possibly have deliberately released the virus . )
By late February , the right ’ s loudest voice , Rush Limbaugh , was on the case , claiming that the virus “ is probably a ChiCom laboratory experiment that is in the process of being weaponized.
” ( A vivid account of how this conspiracy theory spread can be found at the Global Disinformation Index . )
Starting in March , even as they were dismissing the seriousness of Covid-19 , both Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insisted on referring to it as the “ China virus ” or the “ Wuhan virus , ” ignoring criticism that terminology like that was both racist and inflammatory .
In late March , Pompeo even managed to scuttle a communiqué from America ’ s allies in the Group of Seven , or G7 , by demanding that they agree to use the term “ Wuhan virus.
” It didn ’ t take the president long to start threatening retaliatory action against China for its alleged role in spreading Covid-19 , while he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor .
And all of that was but a prelude to the White House ramping up of pressure on the CIA and the rest of the intelligence community to prove that the virus had indeed emerged , whether by design or accident , from either the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the Wuhan Center for Disease Control , a branch of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
An April 30th article in the New York Times broke the story that administration officials “ have pushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support an unsubstantiated theory that a government laboratory in Wuhan , China , was the origin of the coronavirus outbreak , ” and that Grenell had made it a “ priority.
” Both Trump and Pompeo would , in the meantime , repeatedly assert that they had seen actual “ evidence ” that the virus had indeed come from a Chinese lab , though Trump pretended that the information was so secret he couldn ’ t say anything more about it .
“ I can ’ t tell you that , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not allowed to tell you that.
” Asked during an appearance on ABC ’ s This Week if the virus had popped out of a lab in Wuhan , Pompeo answered : “ There is enormous evidence that that ’ s where this began.
” On April 30th , the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a terse statement , saying that so far it had concluded Covid-19 is “ not manmade or genetically modified , ” but that they were looking into whether or not it was “ the result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan.
” There is , however , no evidence of such an accident , nor did the ODNI cite any .
The run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2002-2003 should be on all our minds today .
Then , top officials simply repeated again and again that they believed both Saddam Hussein ’ s nonexistent ties to al-Qaeda and his nonexistent active nuclear , chemical , and bioweapon programs were realities and assigned intelligence community collectors and analysts to look into them ( while paying no attention to their conclusions ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ similarly putting their fat fingers on the scale of reality , while making it clear to hopefully intimidated intelligence professionals just what conclusions they want to hear .
Because those professionals know that their careers , salaries , and pensions depend on the continued favor of the politicians who pay them , there is , of course , a tremendous incentive to go along with such demands , shade what IC officials call the “ estimate ” in the direction the White House wants , or at least keep their mouths shut .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , given that Grenell , Patel , and Ratcliffe are essentially Trump toadies , the IC officials lower on the totem pole have to be grimly aware of what their latest bosses expect from them .
There was near-instant pushback from scientists , intelligence officials , and China experts about the Trump-Pompeo campaign to finger the Wuhan lab .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the preeminent American scientist and Covid-19 expert , promptly shot it down , saying that the virus had “ evolved in nature and then jumped species.
” That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the genome of the virus and its mutations , unanimously agree that it was not generated in a lab .
Among America ’ s allies — Australia , Britain , Canada , and New Zealand — in what ’ s called the Five Eyes group , there was an unambiguous conclusion that the virus had been a “ naturally occurring ” one and had mutated in the course of “ human and animal interaction.
” Australia , in particular , rejected what appeared to be a fake-intelligence dossier about the Wuhan lab , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculed the lab rumors as “ a calculated attempt to distract ” attention from the Trump administration ’ s own inept handling of the virus .
Finally , according to Bloomberg News , those studying the issue inside the intelligence community now say that suspicions it emerged from a lab are “ largely circumstantial since the U.S. has very little information from the ground to back up the lab-escape theory or any other.
” In the end , however , that doesn ’ t mean top IC officials beholden to the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fit the Trump-Pompeo narrative .
John McLaughlin , who served as deputy director and then acting director of the CIA during the Bush administration , believes that we are indeed seeing a replay of what happened in Iraq nearly two decades ago .
“ What it reminds me of is the dispute between the CIA and parts of the Bush administration over whether there was an operational relationship between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda , ” he said .
“ They kept asking the CIA , and we kept coming back and saying , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just not there.
’ ” Whether the tug-of-war between Trump , Pompeo , and the IC is just another passing battle in a more than three-year-old war between the president and the “ Deep State ” or whether it ’ s something that could lead to a serious crisis between Washington and Beijing remains to be seen .
Ironically enough , in January and February of this year , the IC provided President Trump with more than a dozen clear warnings about the dangers to the United States and national security posed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China and the World Health Organization that what was happening in Wuhan could spread worldwide — warnings that Trump either failed to notice , disregarded , or downplayed through March .
Were Donald Trump not so predisposed to see the intelligence community as his enemy , he might have paid more attention back then .
Had he done so , there would undoubtedly be many less dead Americans right now and he wouldn ’ t have had to spend his time in his own lab concocting what might be thought of as batshit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By the time this affair is over , the invasion of Iraq could look like the good old days .

There’s a meme that appears now and then on Facebook and other social media: “Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. Yet those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it.”
That’s funny. What’s not is that the Trump administration and its coterie of China-bashers, led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and aided by Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton, have recently been dusting off the fake-intelligence playbook Vice President Dick Cheney used in 2002 and 2003 to justify war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. At that time, the administration of President George W. Bush put enormous pressure on the U.S. intelligence community to ratify spurious allegations that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda and that his regime had assembled an arsenal of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Fantasy claims they may have been, but they did help to convince many skeptical conservatives and spooked liberals that a unilateral, illegal invasion of Iraq was urgently needed.
This time around, it’s the Trump administration’s reckless charge that Covid-19 — maybe manmade, maybe not, advocates of this conspiracy theory argue — was released perhaps deliberately, perhaps by accident from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, the city that was the epicenter of the outbreak late last year. It’s a story that has ricocheted around the echo chambers of the far right, from conspiracy-oriented Internet kooks like Infowars’ Alex Jones to semi-respectable media tribunes and radio talk-show hosts to the very highest reaches of the administration itself, including President Trump.
Unlike with Iraq in 2003, the U.S. isn’t planning on going to war with China, at least not yet. But the Trump administration’s zeal in shifting attention from its own bungling of the Covid-19 crisis to China’s alleged culpability in creating a global pandemic only raises tensions precipitously between the planet’s two great powers at a terrible moment. In the process, it essentially ensures that the two countries will be far less likely to cooperate in managing the long-term pandemic or collaboratively working on vaccines and cures. That makes it, as in 2002-2003, a matter of life and death.
Iraq Redux?
Back in 2002, the Bush administration launched an unending campaign of pressure on the CIA and other intelligence agencies to falsify, distort, and cherry-pick intelligence factoids that could be collated into a package linking al-Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad. At the Pentagon, neoconservatives like Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith set up an ad hoc team that eventually took on the name of Office of Special Plans. It was dedicated to fabricating intelligence on Iraq.
Just in case the message didn’t get across, Vice President Cheney made repeated visits to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to badger analysts to come up with something useful. In 2003, in “The Lie Factory,” which I co-authored with Jason Vest for Mother Jones, we reported on how Wolfowitz, Feith, allied Defense Department officials like Harold Rhode, and neoconservative apparatchiks like David Wurmser, then a senior adviser to Iraq-war-touting State Department Undersecretary John Bolton (and now an unofficial advisor to Donald Trump on Iran), actively worked to purge Pentagon and CIA officials who resisted the push to shape or exaggerate intelligence. A year later, veteran spy-watcher James Bamford described the whole episode in excruciating detail in his 2004 book, A Pretext for War.
In 2020, however, President Trump is not just pressuring the intelligence community, or IC. He’s at war with it and has been busy installing unprofessional know-nothings and sycophants in top positions there. His bitter antipathy began even before he was sworn into office, when he repeatedly refused to believe a sober analysis from the IC, including the CIA and FBI, that President Vladimir Putin of Russia had aided and abetted his election. Since then, he’s continually railed and tweeted against what he calls “the deep state.” And he’s assigned his authoritarian attorney general, Bill Barr, to conduct a scorched-earth offensive against the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the FBI, and the Justice Department itself, most recently by dropping charges against admitted liar Michael Flynn, briefly Trump’s first national security advisor.
To make sure that the IC doesn’t challenge his wishes and does his bidding, Trump has moved to put his own political operatives in charge at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, created as part of an intelligence reorganization scheme after 9/11. The effort began in February when Trump named U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell as acting DNI. A highly partisan, sharp-elbowed politico and spokesman for former National Security Advisor John Bolton, he harbors far-right views and is a Trump loyalist, as well as an acolyte of former Trump aide Steve Bannon. On arriving in Bonn as ambassador, Grenell soon endorsed the rise of Europe’s anti-establishment ultra-right in an interview with Bannon’s Breitbart News.
To bolster Grenell, the administration has called on another ultra-right crusader, Kash Patel. He has served as Republican Congressman Devin Nunes’s aide in the campaign to discredit the Russia investigation and reportedly acted as a White House backchannel to Ukraine during the effort to stir up an inquiry in Kiev aimed at tarring former Vice President Joe Biden.
Following that, the president re-named Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas, one of the president’s most enthusiastic defenders during the debate over impeachment, to serve as Grenell’s permanent replacement at ODNI. In 2019, Trump first floated Ratcliffe’s name for the post, but it was shot down days later, thanks to opposition from even Republican members of Congress, not to speak of intelligence professionals and various pundits. Now, he’s back, awaiting likely confirmation.
It remains to be seen whether the Grenell-Ratcliffe tag-team, combined with Trump’s three-year campaign to disparage the intelligence community and intimidate its functionaries, has softened them up enough for the administration’s push to finger China and its labs for creating and spreading Covid-19.
The Wuhan Lab Lies
As is often the case, that campaign began rather quietly and unobtrusively in conservative and right-wing media outlets.
On January 24th, the right-wing Washington Times ran a story entitled “Coronavirus may have originated in a lab linked to China’s biowarfare program.” It, in turn, was playing off of a piece that had appeared in London’s Daily Mail the previous day. Written like a science-fiction thriller, that story drew nearly all its (unverified) information from a single source, an Israeli military intelligence China specialist. Soon, it moved from the Washington Times to other American right-wing outlets. Steve Bannon picked it up the next day on his podcast, “War Room: Pandemic,” calling the piece “amazing.” A few days later, the unreliable, gossipy website ZeroHedge ran a (later much-debunked) piece saying that a Chinese scientist bioengineered the virus, purporting even to name the scientist.
A couple of weeks later, Fox News weighed in, laughably citing a Dean Koontz novel, The Eyes of Darkness, about “a Chinese military lab that creates a new virus to potentially use as a biological weapon during wartime.” The day after that, Senator Tom Cotton — appearing on Fox, of course — agreed that China might indeed have created the virus. Then the idea began to go… well, viral. (Soon Cotton was even tweeting that Beijing might possibly have deliberately released the virus.) By late February, the right’s loudest voice, Rush Limbaugh, was on the case, claiming that the virus “is probably a ChiCom laboratory experiment that is in the process of being weaponized.” (A vivid account of how this conspiracy theory spread can be found at the Global Disinformation Index.)
Starting in March, even as they were dismissing the seriousness of Covid-19, both Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeatedly insisted on referring to it as the “China virus” or the “Wuhan virus,” ignoring criticism that terminology like that was both racist and inflammatory. In late March, Pompeo even managed to scuttle a communiqué from America’s allies in the Group of Seven, or G7, by demanding that they agree to use the term “Wuhan virus.” It didn’t take the president long to start threatening retaliatory action against China for its alleged role in spreading Covid-19, while he began comparing the pandemic to the 1941 Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.
And all of that was but a prelude to the White House ramping up of pressure on the CIA and the rest of the intelligence community to prove that the virus had indeed emerged, whether by design or accident, from either the Wuhan Institute of Virology or the Wuhan Center for Disease Control, a branch of the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An April 30th article in the New York Times broke the story that administration officials “have pushed American spy agencies to hunt for evidence to support an unsubstantiated theory that a government laboratory in Wuhan, China, was the origin of the coronavirus outbreak,” and that Grenell had made it a “priority.”
Both Trump and Pompeo would, in the meantime, repeatedly assert that they had seen actual “evidence” that the virus had indeed come from a Chinese lab, though Trump pretended that the information was so secret he couldn’t say anything more about it. “I can’t tell you that,” he said. “I’m not allowed to tell you that.” Asked during an appearance on ABC’s This Week if the virus had popped out of a lab in Wuhan, Pompeo answered: “There is enormous evidence that that’s where this began.”
On April 30th, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a terse statement, saying that so far it had concluded Covid-19 is “not manmade or genetically modified,” but that they were looking into whether or not it was “the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.” There is, however, no evidence of such an accident, nor did the ODNI cite any.
A Finger on the Scale
The run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2002-2003 should be on all our minds today. Then, top officials simply repeated again and again that they believed both Saddam Hussein’s nonexistent ties to al-Qaeda and his nonexistent active nuclear, chemical, and bioweapon programs were realities and assigned intelligence community collectors and analysts to look into them (while paying no attention to their conclusions). Now, Trump and his people are similarly putting their fat fingers on the scale of reality, while making it clear to hopefully intimidated intelligence professionals just what conclusions they want to hear.
Because those professionals know that their careers, salaries, and pensions depend on the continued favor of the politicians who pay them, there is, of course, a tremendous incentive to go along with such demands, shade what IC officials call the “estimate” in the direction the White House wants, or at least keep their mouths shut. That is exactly what happened in 2002 and, given that Grenell, Patel, and Ratcliffe are essentially Trump toadies, the IC officials lower on the totem pole have to be grimly aware of what their latest bosses expect from them.
There was near-instant pushback from scientists, intelligence officials, and China experts about the Trump-Pompeo campaign to finger the Wuhan lab. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the preeminent American scientist and Covid-19 expert, promptly shot it down, saying that the virus had “evolved in nature and then jumped species.” That’s because actual scientists, who study the genome of the virus and its mutations, unanimously agree that it was not generated in a lab.
Among America’s allies — Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand — in what’s called the Five Eyes group, there was an unambiguous conclusion that the virus had been a “naturally occurring” one and had mutated in the course of “human and animal interaction.” Australia, in particular, rejected what appeared to be a fake-intelligence dossier about the Wuhan lab, while German officials in an internal document ridiculed the lab rumors as “a calculated attempt to distract” attention from the Trump administration’s own inept handling of the virus.
Finally, according to Bloomberg News, those studying the issue inside the intelligence community now say that suspicions it emerged from a lab are “largely circumstantial since the U.S. has very little information from the ground to back up the lab-escape theory or any other.” In the end, however, that doesn’t mean top IC officials beholden to the White House won’t tailor their conclusions to fit the Trump-Pompeo narrative.
John McLaughlin, who served as deputy director and then acting director of the CIA during the Bush administration, believes that we are indeed seeing a replay of what happened in Iraq nearly two decades ago. “What it reminds me of is the dispute between the CIA and parts of the Bush administration over whether there was an operational relationship between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda,” he said. “They kept asking the CIA, and we kept coming back and saying, ‘You know, it’s just not there.’”
Whether the tug-of-war between Trump, Pompeo, and the IC is just another passing battle in a more than three-year-old war between the president and the “Deep State” or whether it’s something that could lead to a serious crisis between Washington and Beijing remains to be seen. Ironically enough, in January and February of this year, the IC provided President Trump with more than a dozen clear warnings about the dangers to the United States and national security posed by the coronavirus, following clarion calls from China and the World Health Organization that what was happening in Wuhan could spread worldwide — warnings that Trump either failed to notice, disregarded, or downplayed through March.
Were Donald Trump not so predisposed to see the intelligence community as his enemy, he might have paid more attention back then. Had he done so, there would undoubtedly be many less dead Americans right now and he wouldn’t have had to spend his time in his own lab concocting what might be thought of as batshit excuses for his dereliction of duty.
By the time this affair is over, the invasion of Iraq could look like the good old days.
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truthout--2020-05-22--Trump Condemned for Praising Noted Anti-Semite Henry Ford’s “Good Bloodlines”

President Donald Trump , while touring a Ford Motor facility in Ypsilanti , Michigan , on Thursday , offered controversial praise for the company ’ s anti-Semitic founder .
Trump complimented Henry Ford ’ s genetics in an ad-libbed statement during a speech at the plant .
“ The company founded by a man named Henry Ford , ” Trump described Ford Motor Company as being .
“ Good bloodlines , good bloodlines .
If you believe in that stuff , you get good blood.
” Many blasted Trump ’ s comments as being insensitive , as they seemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held , especially about Jewish people .
Bend the Arc , a progressive Jewish organization , condemned the president in a tweet Thursday evening .
“ Henry Ford was a Nazi sympathizer who wrote ‘ The International Jew , the World ’ s Foremost Problem , ' ” the organization noted .
“ Hitler called Ford an ‘ inspiration ’ & gave him the highest Nazi medal for foreigners .
Trump praising Ford ’ s ‘ good bloodlines ’ = a dog-whistle to antisemites & white nationalists.
” Ford ’ s personal history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jewish people .
He infamously purchased a newspaper in Dearborn , Michigan , where he promoted his bigotry in print to a large circulation .
His words against Jewish people even caught the attention of fascists , including Nazi leader Adolf Hitler .
“ You can tell Herr Ford that I am a great admirer of his , ” Hitler once said .
“ I shall do my best to put his theories into practice in Germany.
” Although eugenics has been discredited as pseudoscience , in some ways Trump has expressed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ford is not the first person he has praised for ostensibly having superior genetics .
In the past , Trump has touted a group of British business leaders as having “ such good bloodlines ” as well .
The president himself bragged about his own genetics , stating that he was “ proud to have that German blood ” in 2017 .
“ The [ Trump ] family subscribes to a racehorse theory of human development , ” Trump biographer Michael D ’ Antonio said in 2016 .
“ They believe that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put together the genes of a superior woman and a superior man , you get a superior offspring.
” The president has also made questionable comments in the past that have been criticized for being anti-Semitic .
In December , while talking to a group of Jewish business leaders in Florida , Trump attacked Jews in the U.S. whom he believed “ don ’ t love Israel enough , ” invoking the anti-Semitic trope of “ dual loyalty.
” Trump made a similar claim last summer about Jewish people being disloyal to Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same event in December , Trump further suggested that members of the audience were obsessed with money , another anti-Jewish stereotype .
“ A lot of you are in the real estate business , because I know you very well .
You ’ re brutal killers , not nice people at all , ” the president said .
During a speech last year before the United Nations , Trump promoted himself as a nationalist who is against “ globalists ” whom he believes are trying to control the world .
The term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-Semitic term that has been embraced by bigoted individuals who describe themselves as part of an “ alt-right ” movement in recent years .

The president has a storied history of making callous and insensitive comments about Jewish people in the past.
President Donald Trump, while touring a Ford Motor facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on Thursday, offered controversial praise for the company’s anti-Semitic founder.
Trump complimented Henry Ford’s genetics in an ad-libbed statement during a speech at the plant.
“The company founded by a man named Henry Ford,” Trump described Ford Motor Company as being. “Good bloodlines, good bloodlines. If you believe in that stuff, you get good blood.”
Many blasted Trump’s comments as being insensitive, as they seemed to ignore the bigoted views that Ford himself held, especially about Jewish people.
Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish organization, condemned the president in a tweet Thursday evening.
“Henry Ford was a Nazi sympathizer who wrote ‘The International Jew, the World’s Foremost Problem,'” the organization noted. “Hitler called Ford an ‘inspiration’ & gave him the highest Nazi medal for foreigners. Trump praising Ford’s ‘good bloodlines’ = a dog-whistle to antisemites & white nationalists.”
Ford’s personal history is rife with examples of hatred for Jewish people. He infamously purchased a newspaper in Dearborn, Michigan, where he promoted his bigotry in print to a large circulation. His words against Jewish people even caught the attention of fascists, including Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
“You can tell Herr Ford that I am a great admirer of his,” Hitler once said. “I shall do my best to put his theories into practice in Germany.”
Although eugenics has been discredited as pseudoscience, in some ways Trump has expressed a tacit endorsement of its tenets, as Ford is not the first person he has praised for ostensibly having superior genetics.
In the past, Trump has touted a group of British business leaders as having “such good bloodlines” as well. The president himself bragged about his own genetics, stating that he was “proud to have that German blood” in 2017.
“The [Trump] family subscribes to a racehorse theory of human development,” Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio said in 2016. “They believe that there are superior people and that if you put together the genes of a superior woman and a superior man, you get a superior offspring.”
The president has also made questionable comments in the past that have been criticized for being anti-Semitic.
In December, while talking to a group of Jewish business leaders in Florida, Trump attacked Jews in the U.S. whom he believed “don’t love Israel enough,” invoking the anti-Semitic trope of “dual loyalty.” Trump made a similar claim last summer about Jewish people being disloyal to Israel if they voted for Democrats.
At the same event in December, Trump further suggested that members of the audience were obsessed with money, another anti-Jewish stereotype. “A lot of you are in the real estate business, because I know you very well. You’re brutal killers, not nice people at all,” the president said.
During a speech last year before the United Nations, Trump promoted himself as a nationalist who is against “globalists” whom he believes are trying to control the world. The term “globalist” itself is a recognized anti-Semitic term that has been embraced by bigoted individuals who describe themselves as part of an “alt-right” movement in recent years.
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--2020-05-22--Trump Says He Will Not “Close the Country” If Second Wave of Virus Hits

As several states across the nation remove their shelter-in-place orders and begin to reopen businesses , there remains a looming possibility of a second wave of coronavirus cases .
Yet if that happens , President Donald Trump said this week he will not call for another round of similar measures to stem the spread of the disease .
Speaking to reporters while touring a Ford Motor factory in Michigan on Thursday , the president recognized the likelihood of a second wave of COVID-19 but rejected the idea of another round of stay-at-home rules to contain the spread of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to put out the fires .
We ’ re not going to close the country , ” Trump explained .
“ We can put out the fires .
Whether it is an ember or a flame , we are going to put it out .
But we are not closing our country.
” Most experts agree that the resurgence of COVID-19 is certain to happen .
In an interview with The Washington Post this week , Anthony Fauci , a member of Trump ’ s coronavirus task force and the director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Diseases , said it was “ inevitable ” that a second wave would come .
“ The virus is not going to disappear .
It ’ s a highly transmissible virus , ” Fauci said .
“ At any given time , it ’ s some place or another .
As long as that ’ s the case , there ’ s a risk of resurgence.
” While a second wave of COVID-19 is widely expected , there appears to be no consensus among experts on how to prepare for it .
On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments at the Ford factory , Robert Redfield , the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , did not rule out the possibility of implementing another round of shelter-in-place rules across the country if and when a second wave came about .
“ I can ’ t guarantee — that ’ s kind of getting into the opinion mode , we have to be data-driven , ” Redfield said .
“ What I can say is that we are committed to using the time that we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as possible.
” Megan Ranney , an emergency physician and a researcher at Brown University , told members of Congress this week that the United States is not ready for another spike in coronavirus cases when it comes .
Ranney put it in blunt terms : “ I do not think that we are currently prepared for a second wave , ” she said .
Ranney pointed to a lack of financial support to address the needs of combating the disease .
“ We still lack adequate science .
I ’ m so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have given to the [ National Institutes of Health ] and CDC , but that ’ s not enough , and we need more , ” she added .
Most Americans seem to share her concerns .
According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published this week , 77 percent of American adults say that they worry about a second wave of coronavirus happening as more businesses across the country reopen .
Less than a quarter of the American populace said they weren ’ t that concerned about it .

Some health experts are warning that the country is ill-prepared for a second wave of the disease.
As several states across the nation remove their shelter-in-place orders and begin to reopen businesses, there remains a looming possibility of a second wave of coronavirus cases.
Yet if that happens, President Donald Trump said this week he will not call for another round of similar measures to stem the spread of the disease.
Speaking to reporters while touring a Ford Motor factory in Michigan on Thursday, the president recognized the likelihood of a second wave of COVID-19 but rejected the idea of another round of stay-at-home rules to contain the spread of the virus if it happens.
“We are going to put out the fires. We’re not going to close the country,” Trump explained. “We can put out the fires. Whether it is an ember or a flame, we are going to put it out. But we are not closing our country.”
Most experts agree that the resurgence of COVID-19 is certain to happen. In an interview with The Washington Post this week, Anthony Fauci, a member of Trump’s coronavirus task force and the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said it was “inevitable” that a second wave would come.
“The virus is not going to disappear. It’s a highly transmissible virus,” Fauci said. “At any given time, it’s some place or another. As long as that’s the case, there’s a risk of resurgence.”
While a second wave of COVID-19 is widely expected, there appears to be no consensus among experts on how to prepare for it. On the same day that Trump made his comments at the Ford factory, Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), did not rule out the possibility of implementing another round of shelter-in-place rules across the country if and when a second wave came about.
“I can’t guarantee — that’s kind of getting into the opinion mode, we have to be data-driven,” Redfield said. “What I can say is that we are committed to using the time that we have now to get this nation as overprepared as possible.”
Megan Ranney, an emergency physician and a researcher at Brown University, told members of Congress this week that the United States is not ready for another spike in coronavirus cases when it comes.
Ranney put it in blunt terms: “I do not think that we are currently prepared for a second wave,” she said.
Ranney pointed to a lack of financial support to address the needs of combating the disease.
“We still lack adequate science. I’m so thankful for the funding that you all have given to the [National Institutes of Health] and CDC, but that’s not enough, and we need more,” she added.
Most Americans seem to share her concerns. According to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published this week, 77 percent of American adults say that they worry about a second wave of coronavirus happening as more businesses across the country reopen. Less than a quarter of the American populace said they weren’t that concerned about it.
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--2020-05-22--FBI Says It Will Investigate Breonna Taylor Shooting Death

We speak with Ben Crump , attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment .
Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department that details how police shot Taylor at least eight times after they burst into her apartment , unannounced , with a search warrant .
The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor ’ s apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when officers arrived at Taylor ’ s residence on the night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of her killing , Taylor had been working as an emergency medical technician treating COVID-19 patients .
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : Ben Crump , I wanted to end with another case .
You ’ re also representing the family of Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old aspiring nurse , who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment .
Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department , the lawsuit detailing how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they burst into her apartment , unannounced , with a search warrant .
The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor ’ s apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when the officers arrived at Taylor ’ s residence on the night of March 13th .
At the time of her killing , Breonna Taylor had been working as an emergency medical technician treating COVID-19 patients .
Your final words ?
BENJAMIN CRUMP : Yes .
I agree with Senator Rand Paul that these dangerous no-knock warrants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as Senator Rand said , they should be abolished , because it is foreseeable that innocent , law-abiding citizens will be hurt or killed .
And Breonna Taylor is exhibit number one .
And we can not forget about Black women .
As I have been proclaiming , if you ran with Maud in the Ahmaud Arbery case , then you need to stand for Bre , because Breonna Taylor ’ s life mattered .
Black women ’ s lives matter , too .
And this was just an execution of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And I look forward to coming back to talk with you more about developments in that case .
The police chief resigned yesterday in the aftermath of this execution of this innocent Black woman .
And we have to continue to demand that those police officers are arrested for the killing of this young lady , who her co-workers and family and everybody who knew her says she was just an angel of a person .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , Benjamin Crump , we look forward to having you back .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery .
He ’ s the author of Open Season : Legalized Genocide of Colored People .
Up next , we go to India , which is starting to loosen its nationwide lockdown , the largest in world history .
It just saw its biggest spike in coronavirus infections in a day with 6,000 new reported cases .
Stay with us .
AMY GOODMAN : “ The Long March of the Locked-Down Migrants , ” a song by composer , lyric writer and singer Aadesh Ravi for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

We speak with Ben Crump, attorney for the family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old aspiring nurse who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department that details how police shot Taylor at least eight times after they burst into her apartment, unannounced, with a search warrant. The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor’s apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when officers arrived at Taylor’s residence on the night of March 13. At the time of her killing, Taylor had been working as an emergency medical technician treating COVID-19 patients.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Ben Crump, I wanted to end with another case. You’re also representing the family of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old aspiring nurse, who was shot to death by police inside her own apartment. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department, the lawsuit detailing how police shot Taylor at least eight times after they burst into her apartment, unannounced, with a search warrant. The man police were looking for did not live in Taylor’s apartment and was reportedly already detained by police when the officers arrived at Taylor’s residence on the night of March 13th. At the time of her killing, Breonna Taylor had been working as an emergency medical technician treating COVID-19 patients. Your final words?
BENJAMIN CRUMP: Yes. I agree with Senator Rand Paul that these dangerous no-knock warrants, I believe, are unconstitutional. But, as Senator Rand said, they should be abolished, because it is foreseeable that innocent, law-abiding citizens will be hurt or killed. And Breonna Taylor is exhibit number one.
And we cannot forget about Black women. As I have been proclaiming, if you ran with Maud in the Ahmaud Arbery case, then you need to stand for Bre, because Breonna Taylor’s life mattered. Black women’s lives matter, too. And this was just an execution of her in the sanctity of her own home.
And I look forward to coming back to talk with you more about developments in that case. The police chief resigned yesterday in the aftermath of this execution of this innocent Black woman. And we have to continue to demand that those police officers are arrested for the killing of this young lady, who her co-workers and family and everybody who knew her says she was just an angel of a person.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, Benjamin Crump, we look forward to having you back. Ben Crump is a civil rights attorney representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery. He’s the author of Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People.
Up next, we go to India, which is starting to loosen its nationwide lockdown, the largest in world history. It just saw its biggest spike in coronavirus infections in a day with 6,000 new reported cases. Stay with us.
[break]
AMY GOODMAN: “The Long March of the Locked-Down Migrants,” a song by composer, lyric writer and singer Aadesh Ravi for the People’s Archive of Rural India.


truthout--2020-05-22--Corporations’ COVID Response Is Class War Waged From the Top

Journalists aren ’ t supposed to “ bury the lede.
” But when death is the topic and corporate power is the culprit , the connection routinely goes unmentioned .
Class war — waged methodically from the top down — is so constant and pervasive that it might seem unremarkable .
The 24/7 siege to make large companies more profitable and the wealthy more wealthy is going on all around us .
In the process , it normalizes avoidable death as a cost of doing business .
Overall , news media are part of that normalization .
While negative coverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his handling of the pandemic , media outrage has been muted in relation to the magnitude of the dying in our midst — at a time when most of the dying could have been prevented .
Deaths tend to become less “ newsworthy ” as the numbers mount and shock gives way to tacit media acceptance .
A new lethal reality is built on dominant structures that keep serving the financial priorities of the powerful .
Emphasis is often less about saving lives and more about saving the stock market .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and less about dying , even though opening is sure to cause more dying .
Patterns of economic injustice are so basic to U.S. society that they amount to deep cracks in its foundation .
Under the weight of catastrophe , whether hurricane or recession or pandemic , the cracks split wider and wider as more human beings — disproportionately poor and people of color — fall into the abyss .
Corporate media narratives routinely bypass such core truths about cause and effect .
Heartbreaking stories have scant context .
Victims without victimizers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s approach is a kind of scorched-earth nonstop campaign , an extreme version of the asymmetrical class warfare going on all the time .
“ The world before COVID-19 was a deeply unequal place , ” the progressive publisher OR Books noted in an email to supporters this week .
“ Now , in the pandemic , those inequalities are only more stark .
Across America and around the globe are fabulous riches for a tiny few and deepening immiseration for everyone else .
A swiftly infamous Instagram post by David Geffen ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) in late March , showing his $ 590 million yacht at sunset as the pandemic took deadly hold in the United States ( “ isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus … I hope everybody is staying safe ” ) , became a symbol transcending avowed politics .
Geffen is no right-winger .
He ’ s a liberal .
In the 2018 election cycle he gave $ 1 million to Democratic congressional super PACs .
He went on to become a donor to Pete Buttigieg ’ s presidential campaign .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the super-wealthy are not so overtly gauche .
The poisons are laced with soothing PR , while the rich movers and shakers play by the rules that capitalism has constructed for the voracious acquisition of wealth at the expense of everyone else .
In that sense , the worst class-war crimes are the ones that adhere to the rules and don ’ t get singled out for condemnation .
Consider the pathology of Jeff Bezos , reputedly the world ’ s richest person , who commented that he couldn ’ t think of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ besides programs for space travel , while back on planet Earth the extent of misery due to poverty is staggering .
Said Bezos : “ The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel .
That is basically it.
” For the likes of Bezos and other elite winners of riches , in the words of songwriter Tracy Chapman , a future awaits : “ I won ’ t die lonely/ I ’ ll have it all prearranged/ A grave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For me and all my mountains o ’ things.
” A few months into 2020 , capitalism is running amuck in tandem with the coronavirus , like some headless horseman galloping over dead bodies .
Meanwhile , for much of the U.S. news media , accustomed to covering faraway disasters , a reflex has set in close to home — turning the page on deaths , increasingly presenting them as numbers .
An anesthetized pall of acceptance is descending on us .
“ For the person who dies there is an end , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person who grieves , ” psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz has pointed out .
“ The person who mourns goes on living and for as long as he [ or she ] lives there is always the possibility of feeling grief.
” In his book “ The Examined Life , ” Grosz wrote : “ My experience is that closure is an extraordinarily compelling fantasy of mourning .
It is the fiction that we can love , lose , suffer and then do something to permanently end our sorrow.
” The corporate system is looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closure ” in the midst of this pandemic ’ s colossal deadly upheaval .
Already , we ’ re supposed to accept .
Maybe you don ’ t want to call it class war .
But whatever you call it , the system always makes a killing .

Media outrage has been directed at Trump, but this pandemic isn’t just about his incompetence. It’s about capitalism.
Journalists aren’t supposed to “bury the lede.” But when death is the topic and corporate power is the culprit, the connection routinely goes unmentioned.
Class war — waged methodically from the top down — is so constant and pervasive that it might seem unremarkable. The 24/7 siege to make large companies more profitable and the wealthy more wealthy is going on all around us. In the process, it normalizes avoidable death as a cost of doing business.
Overall, news media are part of that normalization. While negative coverage of Donald Trump has been common due to his handling of the pandemic, media outrage has been muted in relation to the magnitude of the dying in our midst — at a time when most of the dying could have been prevented.
Deaths tend to become less “newsworthy” as the numbers mount and shock gives way to tacit media acceptance. A new lethal reality is built on dominant structures that keep serving the financial priorities of the powerful. Emphasis is often less about saving lives and more about saving the stock market. The storyline becomes more about “opening” and less about dying, even though opening is sure to cause more dying.
Patterns of economic injustice are so basic to U.S. society that they amount to deep cracks in its foundation. Under the weight of catastrophe, whether hurricane or recession or pandemic, the cracks split wider and wider as more human beings — disproportionately poor and people of color — fall into the abyss.
Corporate media narratives routinely bypass such core truths about cause and effect. Heartbreaking stories have scant context. Victims without victimizers.
Fueled by ultra-greed, Trump’s approach is a kind of scorched-earth nonstop campaign, an extreme version of the asymmetrical class warfare going on all the time.
“The world before COVID-19 was a deeply unequal place,” the progressive publisher OR Books noted in an email to supporters this week. “Now, in the pandemic, those inequalities are only more stark. Across America and around the globe are fabulous riches for a tiny few and deepening immiseration for everyone else.
A swiftly infamous Instagram post by David Geffen (“net worth” $8.7 billion) in late March, showing his $590 million yacht at sunset as the pandemic took deadly hold in the United States (“isolated in the Grenadines avoiding the virus … I hope everybody is staying safe”), became a symbol transcending avowed politics. Geffen is no right-winger. He’s a liberal. In the 2018 election cycle he gave $1 million to Democratic congressional super PACs. He went on to become a donor to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.
But the most pernicious and ultimately destructive actions of the super-wealthy are not so overtly gauche. The poisons are laced with soothing PR, while the rich movers and shakers play by the rules that capitalism has constructed for the voracious acquisition of wealth at the expense of everyone else. In that sense, the worst class-war crimes are the ones that adhere to the rules and don’t get singled out for condemnation.
Consider the pathology of Jeff Bezos, reputedly the world’s richest person, who commented that he couldn’t think of much else to spend his money on besides programs for space travel, while back on planet Earth the extent of misery due to poverty is staggering. Said Bezos: “The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel. That is basically it.”
For the likes of Bezos and other elite winners of riches, in the words of songwriter Tracy Chapman, a future awaits: “I won’t die lonely/ I’ll have it all prearranged/ A grave that’s deep and wide enough/ For me and all my mountains o’ things.”
A few months into 2020, capitalism is running amuck in tandem with the coronavirus, like some headless horseman galloping over dead bodies. Meanwhile, for much of the U.S. news media, accustomed to covering faraway disasters, a reflex has set in close to home — turning the page on deaths, increasingly presenting them as numbers. An anesthetized pall of acceptance is descending on us.
“For the person who dies there is an end, but this is not so for the person who grieves,” psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz has pointed out. “The person who mourns goes on living and for as long as he [or she] lives there is always the possibility of feeling grief.” In his book “The Examined Life,” Grosz wrote: “My experience is that closure is an extraordinarily compelling fantasy of mourning. It is the fiction that we can love, lose, suffer and then do something to permanently end our sorrow.”
The corporate system is looking for its own forms of social “closure” in the midst of this pandemic’s colossal deadly upheaval. Already, we’re supposed to accept.
Maybe you don’t want to call it class war. But whatever you call it, the system always makes a killing.
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--2020-05-22--GOP “Plot to Gut Social Security Behind Closed Doors” Gains Steam in COVID Talks

A proposal by Sen. Mitt Romney to establish congressional committees with the specific goal of crafting legislative “ solutions ” for America ’ s federal trust fund programs has reportedly resurfaced in GOP talks over the next Covid-19 stimulus package , sparking alarm among progressive advocates who warn the Utah Republican ’ s bill is nothing but a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare .
Politico ’ s Burgess Everett reported Wednesday that Romney ’ s TRUST Act , first introduced last October with the backing of a bipartisan group of senators , “ is getting a positive reception @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussions , which are still in their early stages .
The legislation , Everett noted , “ could become part of the mix ” for the next Covid-19 stimulus as Republicans once again claim to be concerned about the growing budget deficit .
Max Richtman , president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare ( NCPSSM ) , told Common Dreams in an interview that he is not at all surprised to see Romney ’ s bill crop up again and said it should be diligently opposed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was unveiled last year , warning that — if passed — the measure “ would likely result in cuts to the earned benefits of seniors , people with disabilities , and survivors.
” Richtman noted that in a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee roundtable discussion this week , the idea of establishing commissions to study possible changes to Social Security — though not Romney ’ s bill specifically — was floated by GOP members , an indication that the New Deal-era program is very much on the minds , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers .
“ Social Security is the piggy bank that Republicans seem to go to whenever it dawns on them that we ’ ve got ta do something about the debt , ” Richtman said , “ notwithstanding the fact that they passed a huge tax cut that added trillions to the debt and benefited mostly wealthy individuals and corporations.
” Speaking to Politico this week , two Republican congressmen — Reps. Tom Reed ( R-N.Y. ) and Steve Womack ( R-Ark . )
— cited the coronavirus pandemic ’ s possible effects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commission to study the program and recommend reforms .
Rep. John Larson ( D-Conn. ) , meanwhile , is pushing for an expansion of benefits funded by lifting the payroll tax cap , which would make wealthier Americans pay more .
“ I don ’ t know when we ’ re going to decide to take up the issue , ” said Womack .
“ I hope and I pray that it ’ s not when we have no other real options other than something draconian like big cuts.
” Richtman warned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely “ going to start hearing more and more ” GOP proposals to cut Social Security under the guise of “ entitlement reform ” as the party suddenly rediscovers its concern for the mounting deficit .
“ Obviously this is a way to push in cuts to Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints , or not many fingerprints , ” Richtman said of the TRUST Act .
Romney ’ s legislation — which currently has 10 Senate co-sponsors , including five Democrats — would give the Treasury Department 45 days to present @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government ’ s “ endangered ” trust funds .
Congress would then establish one “ rescue committee ” per trust fund with a “ mandate to draft legislation that restores solvency and otherwise improves each trust fund program.
” “ If a Rescue Committee reports a qualifying bill for its trust fund program , it would receive expedited consideration in both chambers , ” according to a summary of Romney ’ s bill .
“ While 60 votes would be required to invoke cloture for final passage in the Senate , only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ motion to proceed , which would be privileged.
” The Utah Republican ’ s role as lead sponsor of the TRUST Act was sufficient reason for activists to raise serious concerns about the bill ’ s intentions when it was first unveiled last year .
During his 2012 presidential run , Romney proposed raising the Social Security retirement age and privatizing Medicare .
Romney ’ s running mate , former House Speaker Paul Ryan , was long considered the poster child for Republican efforts to gut what ’ s left of America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s bill was endorsed by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles , the leaders of the notorious Obama-era commission that — among other sweeping changes — recommended raising Social Security ’ s eligibility age and slashing benefits .
“ The last thing seniors need is for Mitt Romney to get his hands on Social Security , ” Richtman said in October .
Social Security Works , a progressive advocacy group , warned in a tweet on Wednesday that the TRUST Act is “ a plot to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The group told Common Dreams that it is closely monitoring Senate talks and actions related Romney ’ s bill .
Alex Lawson , executive director of Social Security Works , said in an emailed statement to Common Dreams that “ at a time when current Republican policy is to let seniors die of Covid-19 by the tens of thousands without lifting a finger to help , it is beyond shameful that Mitt Romney ’ s focus is to rob those same older Americans of their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fast-track , closed door commission to cut Social Security and Medicare , ” Lawson said .
“ If Republicans cared about the American people , especially seniors , they ’ d be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers , help the unemployed , and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps.
” “ Instead , ” Lawson added , “ they are focused on using this pandemic as an excuse to gut our most popular and effective government programs .
”

A proposal by Sen. Mitt Romney alarmed advocates who warn the bill is a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare.
A proposal by Sen. Mitt Romney to establish congressional committees with the specific goal of crafting legislative “solutions” for America’s federal trust fund programs has reportedly resurfaced in GOP talks over the next Covid-19 stimulus package, sparking alarm among progressive advocates who warn the Utah Republican’s bill is nothing but a stealth attack on Social Security and Medicare.
Politico’s Burgess Everett reported Wednesday that Romney’s TRUST Act, first introduced last October with the backing of a bipartisan group of senators, “is getting a positive reception from Senate Republicans” in coronavirus relief discussions, which are still in their early stages. The legislation, Everett noted, “could become part of the mix” for the next Covid-19 stimulus as Republicans once again claim to be concerned about the growing budget deficit.
Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM), told Common Dreams in an interview that he is not at all surprised to see Romney’s bill crop up again and said it should be diligently opposed.
NCPSSM vocally condemned the TRUST Act when it was unveiled last year, warning that — if passed — the measure “would likely result in cuts to the earned benefits of seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors.”
Richtman noted that in a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee roundtable discussion this week, the idea of establishing commissions to study possible changes to Social Security — though not Romney’s bill specifically — was floated by GOP members, an indication that the New Deal-era program is very much on the minds, and potentially in the crosshairs, of Republican lawmakers.
“Social Security is the piggy bank that Republicans seem to go to whenever it dawns on them that we’ve gotta do something about the debt,” Richtman said, “notwithstanding the fact that they passed a huge tax cut that added trillions to the debt and benefited mostly wealthy individuals and corporations.”
Speaking to Politico this week, two Republican congressmen — Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.) — cited the coronavirus pandemic’s possible effects on Social Security to call for a commission to study the program and recommend reforms. Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), meanwhile, is pushing for an expansion of benefits funded by lifting the payroll tax cap, which would make wealthier Americans pay more.
“I don’t know when we’re going to decide to take up the issue,” said Womack. “I hope and I pray that it’s not when we have no other real options other than something draconian like big cuts.”
Richtman warned that in the near future the public is likely “going to start hearing more and more” GOP proposals to cut Social Security under the guise of “entitlement reform” as the party suddenly rediscovers its concern for the mounting deficit.
“Obviously this is a way to push in cuts to Social Security and Medicare without leaving fingerprints, or not many fingerprints,” Richtman said of the TRUST Act.
“If history is a guide, retirees should not trust Romney with their #SocialSecurity benefits.” https://t.co/9fxgJvXQ1g — Nat. Cmte. to Preserve Social Security & Medicare (@NCPSSM) November 13, 2019
Romney’s legislation — which currently has 10 Senate co-sponsors, including five Democrats — would give the Treasury Department 45 days to present Congress with a report on the federal government’s “endangered” trust funds. Congress would then establish one “rescue committee” per trust fund with a “mandate to draft legislation that restores solvency and otherwise improves each trust fund program.”
“If a Rescue Committee reports a qualifying bill for its trust fund program, it would receive expedited consideration in both chambers,” according to a summary of Romney’s bill. “While 60 votes would be required to invoke cloture for final passage in the Senate, only a simple majority would be needed for the motion to proceed, which would be privileged.”
The Utah Republican’s role as lead sponsor of the TRUST Act was sufficient reason for activists to raise serious concerns about the bill’s intentions when it was first unveiled last year.
During his 2012 presidential run, Romney proposed raising the Social Security retirement age and privatizing Medicare. Romney’s running mate, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, was long considered the poster child for Republican efforts to gut what’s left of America’s social safety net.
Romney’s bill was endorsed by former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, the leaders of the notorious Obama-era commission that — among other sweeping changes — recommended raising Social Security’s eligibility age and slashing benefits.
“The last thing seniors need is for Mitt Romney to get his hands on Social Security,” Richtman said in October.
Social Security Works, a progressive advocacy group, warned in a tweet on Wednesday that the TRUST Act is “a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors.” The group told Common Dreams that it is closely monitoring Senate talks and actions related Romney’s bill.
The bill in question is the TRUST Act, and it’s a plot to gut Social Security behind closed doors: https://t.co/n4ubqjR26U With seniors most at risk from COVID-19, we need to be increasing Social Security’s modest benefits, not creating secret commissions to cut them. https://t.co/2IFtEt7VeD — SocialSecurityWorks (@SSWorks) May 20, 2020
Alex Lawson, executive director of Social Security Works, said in an emailed statement to Common Dreams that “at a time when current Republican policy is to let seniors die of Covid-19 by the tens of thousands without lifting a finger to help, it is beyond shameful that Mitt Romney’s focus is to rob those same older Americans of their earned Social Security and Medicare benefits.”
“Romney’s TRUST Act would create a fast-track, closed door commission to cut Social Security and Medicare,” Lawson said. “If Republicans cared about the American people, especially seniors, they’d be passing legislation to get PPE to essential workers, help the unemployed, and rush assistance to the nursing homes that are turning into death traps.”
“Instead,” Lawson added, “they are focused on using this pandemic as an excuse to gut our most popular and effective government programs.”
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.
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truthout--2020-05-22--Medicaid Providers Are Last in Line for Federal COVID Funding

Casa de Salud , a nonprofit clinic in Albuquerque , New Mexico , provides primary medical care , opioid addiction services and non-Western therapies , including acupuncture and reiki , to a largely low-income population .
And , like so many other health care providers that serve as a safety net , its revenue — and its future — are threatened by the COVID-19 epidemic .
“ I ’ ve been working for the past six weeks to figure out how to keep the doors open , ” said the clinic ’ s executive director , Dr. Anjali Taneja .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 % drop in patient care , which has completely impacted our bottom line.
” In March , Congress authorized $ 100 billion for health care providers , both to compensate them for the extra costs associated with caring for patients with COVID-19 and for the revenue that ’ s not coming in from regular care .
They have been required to stop providing most nonemergency services , and many patients are afraid to visit health care facilities .
But more than half that money has been allocated by the Department of Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it so far has gone to hospitals , doctors and other facilities that serve Medicare patients .
Officials said at the time that was an efficient way to get the money beginning to move to many providers .
That , however , leaves out a large swath of the health system infrastructure that serves the low-income Medicaid population and children .
Casa de Salud , for example , accepts Medicaid but not Medicare .
State Medicaid directors say that without immediate funding , many of the health facilities that serve Medicaid patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month ago , bipartisan Medicaid chiefs wrote the federal government asking for immediate authority to make “ retainer ” payments — not related to specific care for patients — to keep their health providers in business .
“ If we wait , core components of the Medicaid delivery system could fail during , or soon after , this pandemic , ” wrote the National Association of Medicaid Directors .
So far , the Trump administration has not responded , although in early April it said it was “ working rapidly on additional targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those who predominately serve Medicaid patients .
In an email , the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said officials there will “ continue to work with states as they seek to ensure continued access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries through and beyond the public health emergency.
” CMS noted that states have several ways of boosting payments for Medicaid providers , but did not directly answer the question about the retainer payments that states are seeking the authority to make .
Nor did it say when the funds would start to flow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get funding from Medicare .
“ This needs to be addressed urgently , ” said Joan Alker , executive director of Georgetown University ’ s Center for Children and Families in Washington , D.C. “ We are concerned about the infrastructure and how quickly it could evaporate.
” In the administration ’ s explanation of how it is distributing the relief funds , Medicaid providers are included in a catchall category at the very bottom of the list , under the heading “ additional allocations.
” “ To not see anything substantive coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to injury , ” said Todd Goodwin .
He runs the John F. Murphy Homes in Auburn , Maine , which provides residential and day services to hundreds of children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities .
He said his organization — which has already furloughed almost 300 workers and spent more than $ 200,000 on COVID-related expenses including purchases of essential equipment such as masks and protective equipment that will not be reimbursable — has not been eligible for any of the various aid programs passed by Congress .
It gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public school systems .
The organization has tapped a line of credit to stay afloat .
“ But if we ’ re not here providing these services , there ’ s no Plan B , ” he said .
Even providers who largely serve privately insured patients are facing financial distress .
Dr. Sandy Chung is CEO of Trusted Doctors , which has about 50 physicians in 13 offices in the Northern Virginia suburbs around Washington , D.C. She said about 15 % of its funding comes from Medicaid , but the drop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the group “ really struggling.
” “ We ’ ve had to furlough staff , had to curtail hours , and we may have to close some locations , ” she said .
Of special concern are children because Medicaid covers nearly 40 % of them across the county .
Chung , who also heads the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics , said that vaccination rates are off 30 % for infants and 75 % for adolescents , putting them and others at risk for preventable illnesses .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that with the economy in free fall , more people will qualify for Medicaid coverage in the coming weeks and months .
“ But if you don ’ t have providers around anymore , then you will have a significant mismatch , ” she said .
Back in Albuquerque , Taneja is working to find whatever sources of funding she can to keep the clinic open .
She secured a federal loan to help cover her payroll for a couple of months , but worries what will happen after that .
“ It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ survived 15 years in this health care system , just to not make it through COVID , ” she said .

Without immediate funding, many of the health facilities that serve Medicaid patients could close permanently.
Casa de Salud, a nonprofit clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides primary medical care, opioid addiction services and non-Western therapies, including acupuncture and reiki, to a largely low-income population.
And, like so many other health care providers that serve as a safety net, its revenue — and its future — are threatened by the COVID-19 epidemic.
“I’ve been working for the past six weeks to figure out how to keep the doors open,” said the clinic’s executive director, Dr. Anjali Taneja. “We’ve seen probably an 80% drop in patient care, which has completely impacted our bottom line.”
In March, Congress authorized $100 billion for health care providers, both to compensate them for the extra costs associated with caring for patients with COVID-19 and for the revenue that’s not coming in from regular care. They have been required to stop providing most nonemergency services, and many patients are afraid to visit health care facilities.
But more than half that money has been allocated by the Department of Health and Human Services, and the majority of it so far has gone to hospitals, doctors and other facilities that serve Medicare patients. Officials said at the time that was an efficient way to get the money beginning to move to many providers. That, however, leaves out a large swath of the health system infrastructure that serves the low-income Medicaid population and children. Casa de Salud, for example, accepts Medicaid but not Medicare.
State Medicaid directors say that without immediate funding, many of the health facilities that serve Medicaid patients could close permanently. More than a month ago, bipartisan Medicaid chiefs wrote the federal government asking for immediate authority to make “retainer” payments — not related to specific care for patients — to keep their health providers in business.
“If we wait, core components of the Medicaid delivery system could fail during, or soon after, this pandemic,” wrote the National Association of Medicaid Directors.
So far, the Trump administration has not responded, although in early April it said it was “working rapidly on additional targeted distributions” for other providers, including those who predominately serve Medicaid patients.
In an email, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said officials there will “continue to work with states as they seek to ensure continued access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries through and beyond the public health emergency.”
CMS noted that states have several ways of boosting payments for Medicaid providers, but did not directly answer the question about the retainer payments that states are seeking the authority to make. Nor did it say when the funds would start to flow to Medicaid providers who do not also get funding from Medicare.
The delay is frustrating Medicaid advocates.
“This needs to be addressed urgently,” said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families in Washington, D.C. “We are concerned about the infrastructure and how quickly it could evaporate.”
In the administration’s explanation of how it is distributing the relief funds, Medicaid providers are included in a catchall category at the very bottom of the list, under the heading “additional allocations.”
“To not see anything substantive coming from the federal level just adds insult to injury,” said Todd Goodwin.
He runs the John F. Murphy Homes in Auburn, Maine, which provides residential and day services to hundreds of children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. He said his organization — which has already furloughed almost 300 workers and spent more than $200,000 on COVID-related expenses including purchases of essential equipment such as masks and protective equipment that will not be reimbursable — has not been eligible for any of the various aid programs passed by Congress. It gets most of its funding from Medicaid and public school systems.
The organization has tapped a line of credit to stay afloat. “But if we’re not here providing these services, there’s no Plan B,” he said.
Even providers who largely serve privately insured patients are facing financial distress. Dr. Sandy Chung is CEO of Trusted Doctors, which has about 50 physicians in 13 offices in the Northern Virginia suburbs around Washington, D.C. She said about 15% of its funding comes from Medicaid, but the drop off in private and Medicaid patients has left the group “really struggling.”
“We’ve had to furlough staff, had to curtail hours, and we may have to close some locations,” she said.
Of special concern are children because Medicaid covers nearly 40% of them across the county. Chung, who also heads the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that vaccination rates are off 30% for infants and 75% for adolescents, putting them and others at risk for preventable illnesses.
The biggest rub, she added, is that with the economy in free fall, more people will qualify for Medicaid coverage in the coming weeks and months.
“But if you don’t have providers around anymore, then you will have a significant mismatch,” she said.
Back in Albuquerque, Taneja is working to find whatever sources of funding she can to keep the clinic open. She secured a federal loan to help cover her payroll for a couple of months, but worries what will happen after that. “It would kill me if we’ve survived 15 years in this health care system, just to not make it through COVID,” she said.
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.