truthout--2020-07-29--“Unrest” Is Not the Enemy. Fascism Is.

“Unrest” Is Not the Enemy. Fascism Is.

Kelly Hayes : As Black Lives Matter protests continue to play out around the country , images of protesters squaring off with police in Portland have inflamed debates about “ peacefulness , ” violence and respectability .
Some liberal figures have argued that Trump ’ s law and order narrative is facilitated by imagery of police dueling with protesters , and that unity will be needed to halt the march of fascism .
Such critics have pointed to the riots of the late ‘ 60s , claiming that the Civil Rights Movement was derailed by those who resorted to violent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has been calling on people for years to lock arms against the threat of fascism , regardless of personal difference , I can appreciate some of the sentiments behind these assertions .
But I , too , see some tired historical patterns at work .
It is very easy , as Nathan J. Robinson recently wrote in Current Affairs , to blame groups whose actions frustrate us for larger outcomes that disappoint us .
This phenomenon can be observed in arguments that particular riots derailed the Civil Rights Movement , despite innumerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a disastrous presidential campaign waged by Hubert Humphrey against Richard Nixon .
Some people have blamed those who riotously rebelled against anti-Black violence for Nixon ’ s election , despite the many factors working in Nixon ’ s favor , including Humphrey ’ s incompetence as a candidate .
We are seeing a similar narrative being spun now .
Even though Biden is not a terribly formidable opponent , we are told that if Trump wins , it will be the fault of people who threw soda cans at police after being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than the fault of people who have enabled Trump , and those who paved the path to his violence .
We are told that if Trump wins , it will be the fault of Black protesters , and others acting against the anti-Black violence of the state , rather than the violence of white supremacy itself .
We have similarly seen claims that the L.A .
Rebellion of 1992 led to a newfound enthusiasm for mass incarceration and austerity among Democrats , even though such accelerations had been well underway throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea of general strikes — a tactic we may well need in order to remove Trump — often strip away the reality that the labor movement is , itself , rooted in a great deal of rebellion and historical violence .
But blaming rioters for the outcomes of presidential elections is much worse than whitewashing the history of the labor movement in the U.S. Because blaming those with the least power for what unfolds at the highest levels of government is an abdication of responsibility .
Why would I trust someone who paints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are demonized ?
Why would I trust people who say that our communities must be controlled in a manner that demonization dictates ?
Demonizing people while demanding their votes is , to put it mildly , a flawed strategy .
It ’ s also absurd .
When water sits too long on the stove and boils over , do we lecture the water for jumping out of the pot ?
Black people are tired of being murdered without consequence .
They are tired of employing all manner of protest , only to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then cast aside .
Decrying a lack of nonviolent direct action training among people who are tossing plastic bottles at police will not transform them into Alinsky-style organizers — which also shouldn ’ t be the goal .
It takes a certain belief in liberal politics to blame those who benefit the least from such politics for the failures of the Democratic Party .
Many of us are unlikely to survive another four years of Trump without winding up in a cage .
Many will not survive at all .
There are horrors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be sure , but the importance of derailing fascism is not lost on me .
But how the Democrats win , and who is ground under or sold out in the process matters .
I will not sanctify this system to save it from a fascist because burying the truth about how we got here will not help us escape .
Folks who have positioned leftists as the problem in this moment have found an easy mark in Portland — and this is true of both conservatives and liberals who are taking aim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Portland is largely white , which allows people to attack the actions of protesters without directly criticizing Black protesters around the country who may also have destroyed property or thrown objects at police .
But the targeted goal is the same : to foster the idea that good liberals aren ’ t like that , so centrists should relate to them and share their goals .
Liberals are demanding cooperation from the left and from the most oppressed people in the U.S. , not just at the polls , where our executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in how we endure an era of collapse .
The idea that unrest can be kept at bay as a society falters is folly .
Unrest will be part of the current political moment .
Pivots in energy and expression are important , because narratives are easily lost amid chaos , but if unrest is the key to Trump ’ s victory , then liberals need to figure out how to leverage unrest , and the potential for unrest , to their own advantage , because they simply do not have the power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organize for collective survival and for collective liberation , but as someone who wants to dismantle the oppressions that uphold this system , I will not play into ahistorical notions of what these institutions are , in order to rally people to protect them .
I will not insult Black and Native people who have righteously rebelled by asking them to pledge allegiance to a country that has violently excluded them from its social contract since its bloody inception .
I believe that marginalized people are capable of processing the need for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong about that , it won ’ t be because the mythological unity that some are proposing would have persuaded people .
I do think imagery of street fights between Trump ’ s fed squads and protesters could help reelect Trump .
But Trump will also win if this political moment becomes a duel between liberals and the left over respectability and “ peacefulness.
” I think this is a good time to examine the lessons of history and also to ask questions .
Why did people in the 1960s riot rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonviolence fail them ?
How did white people who demanded an adherence to nonviolence fail them ?
Was measuring the utility of their efforts in electoral outcomes alone true to the needs or the aims of Black people ?
Why are some liberals so sure that it was the riots of the late ‘ 60s , as opposed to a historically inevitable white fatigue around Black-led protest , or the horribly run campaign to elect Humphrey , that delivered us to Nixon ?
History is a progression of events , but it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that can not be cleanly divorced from each other .
Trump sows chaos .
Liberals attacking the left over a “ peacefulness ” that will not come is part of that chaos , although to them , it may feel like order because it is an effort to impose order .
In an unjust society , restoring order is often the work of maintaining injustice .
If you want people who are inclined to break things , to do something else , then organize something meaningful and invite people to direct their energies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions that invite people to do more than just show up for the next march .
Let ’ s plan actions that invite people to defend tenants from eviction .
Let ’ s invite people to actions that become blockades against ICE .
Let ’ s invite people to actions that encourage networks of care in our communities , where we meet our neighbors and align against the forces that are harming them .
Militancy has a place , and that place is the discipline with which we sustain one another ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looming in the distance , and we need to be anchored to one another when they arrive .
As an organizer , I will not ask people to claim unity where it does not exist .
I will not ask people to pledge allegiance to anything or romanticize anything that would kill them .
I will not tell people they must publicly fetishize social contracts that were never meant to include them and rarely have .
What I will do is tell people that living to fight another day is always part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what may , and whatever tactics we must employ — we are worth it .
The things we believe in are worth it .
The future that could be is worth it .
And survival is worth it , because without that , there is nothing else .
So whether we are taking on police violence , evictions , federal relief , ableism or any of the other issues we must face , when I step into the fray , I am inviting folks to join me in an act of survival in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let ’ s dream new worlds into being with the protests we stage , and let ’ s survive together , so that we might live to see those dreams realized in a freer , more beautiful world .
To those of you who are in the streets protesting , whether you are marching , setting up mutual aid tents or squaring off with Trump ’ s feds , my heart is with you , and with everyone who would be there if they could .
Onward to Black liberation , the destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the abolition of the prison industrial complex .
Until next time , I ’ ll see you in the streets .

A federal officer tells the crowd to move while dispersing a protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 21, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. State and city elected officials have called for the federal officers to leave Portland as clashes between protesters and federal police continue to escalate. Nathan Howard / Getty Images
Part of the Series Movement Memos
Note: This is a rush transcript and has been lightly edited for clarity. Copy may not be in its final form.
Kelly Hayes: Welcome to Movement Memos, a Truthout podcast about things you should know, if you want to change the world. I’m your host, Kelly Hayes. As Black Lives Matter protests continue to play out around the country, images of protesters squaring off with police in Portland have inflamed debates about “peacefulness,” violence and respectability. Some critics have pointed to the riots of the late ‘60s, claiming that the Civil Rights Movement was derailed by those who resorted to violent tactics in the streets.
As someone who has been calling for years for people to lock arms against the threat of fascism, regardless of personal difference, I can appreciate some of the sentiments behind these assertions. But I, too, see some tired historical patterns at work. It is very easy, as Nathan J. Robinson recently wrote in Current Affairs, to blame groups whose actions frustrate us for larger outcomes that disappoint us. This phenomenon can be observed in arguments that particular riots derailed the Civil Rights Movement, despite innumerable efforts to derail civil rights organizing, and a disastrous presidential campaign waged by Hubert Humphrey against Richard Nixon. Some people have blamed those who riotously rebelled against anti-Black violence for Nixon’s election, despite the many factors working in Nixon’s favor, including Humphrey’s incompetence as a candidate.
We are seeing a similar narrative being spun now. Even though Joe Biden is not a terribly formidable opponent, we are being told that if Trump wins, it will be the fault of people who threw soda cans at police after being brutalized and terrorized their entire lives, rather than the fault of people who have enabled Trump, and those who paved the path to his violence. We are told that if Trump wins, it will be the fault of Black protesters, and others acting against the anti-Black violence of the state, rather than the violence of white supremacy itself.
We have similarly seen claims that the L.A. Rebellion of 1992 led to a newfound enthusiasm for mass incarceration and austerity among Democrats, even though such accelerations had been well underway throughout the 1980s. Even historic romanticizations of the idea of general strikes — a tactic we may well need in order to remove Trump — often strip away the reality that the labor movement is, itself, rooted in a great deal of rebellion and historical violence. But blaming rioters for the outcomes of presidential elections is much worse than whitewashing the history of the labor movement in the U.S., because blaming those with the least power for what unfolds at the highest levels of government is an abdication of responsibility.
Why would I trust someone who paints the marginalized as the problem because they are demonized? Why would I trust people who say that our communities must be controlled in a manner that demonization dictates? Demonizing people while demanding their votes is, to put it mildly, a flawed strategy. It’s also absurd. When water sits too long on the stove and boils over, do we lecture the water for jumping out of the pot? Black people are tired of being murdered without consequence. They are tired of employing all manner of protest, only to be briefly applauded or spit at, and then cast aside. Decrying a lack of nonviolent direct action training among people who are tossing plastic bottles at police will not transform them into Alinsky-style organizers — which also shouldn’t be the goal.
It takes a certain level of belief in liberal politics to blame those who benefit the least from such politics for the failures of the Democratic Party. Many of us are unlikely to survive another four years of Trump without winding up in a cage. Many will not survive at all. There are horrors ahead regardless of who wins, to be sure, but the importance of derailing full blown fascism is not lost on me. But how the Democrats win, and who is ground under or sold out in the process matters. I will not sanctify this system to save it from a fascist because burying the truth about how we got here will not help us escape.
Folks who have positioned leftists as the problem in this moment have found an easy mark in Portland — and this is true of both conservatives and liberals who are taking aim at direct actions that they consider violent. Portland is largely white, which allows people to attack the actions of protesters without directly criticizing Black protesters around the country who may also have destroyed property or thrown objects at police. But the targeted goal is the same: to foster the idea that good liberals aren’t like that, so centrists should relate to them and share their goals.
Liberals are demanding cooperation from the left and from the most oppressed people in the U.S., not just at the polls, where our executive options are extremely limited, but also in how we endure an era of collapse. The idea that unrest can be kept at bay as a society falters is folly. Unrest will be part of the current political moment. Pivots in energy and expression are important, because narratives are easily lost amid chaos, but if unrest is the key to Trump’s victory, then liberals need to figure out how to leverage unrest, and the potential for unrest, to their own advantage, because they simply do not have the power to wish it away.
I will organize for collective survival and for collective liberation, but as someone who wants to dismantle the oppressions that uphold this system, I will not play into ahistorical notions of what these institutions are, in order to rally people to protect them. I will not insult Black and Native people who have righteously rebelled by asking them to pledge allegiance to a country that has violently excluded them from its social contract since its bloody inception. I believe that marginalized people are capable of processing the need for a united front, and if I am wrong about that, it won’t be because the mythological unity that some are proposing would have persuaded people.
I do think imagery of street fights between Trump’s fed squads and protesters could help reelect Trump. But Trump will also win if this political moment becomes a duel between liberals and the left over respectability and “peacefulness.” I think this is a good time to examine the lessons of history and also to ask questions. Why did some people in the 1960s riot rather than uniformly committing to nonviolence? How did nonviolence fail them? How did white people who demanded an adherence to nonviolence fail them? Was measuring the utility of their efforts in electoral outcomes alone true to the needs or the aims of Black people? Why are some liberals so sure that it was the riots of the late ‘60s, as opposed to a historically inevitable white fatigue around Black-led protest, or the horribly run campaign to elect Humphrey, that delivered us to Nixon? History is a progression of events, but it is also a jumble of actions and reactions that cannot be cleanly divorced from each other.
Trump sows chaos. Liberals attacking the left over a “peacefulness” that will not come is part of that chaos, although to them, it may feel like order because it is an effort to impose order. In an unjust society, restoring order is often the work of maintaining injustice. If you want people who are inclined to break things to do something else, then organize something meaningful and invite people to direct their energies there.
Let’s hold direct actions that encourage people to do more than just show up for the next march. Let’s plan actions that invite people to defend tenants from eviction, to stop deportations, to encourage networks of care in our communities, actions where we meet our neighbors and align against the forces that are harming them. Militancy has a place, and that place is the discipline with which we sustain one another’s survival. Because even larger storms are looming in the distance, and we need to be anchored to one another when they arrive.
As an organizer, I will not ask people to claim unity where it does not exist. I will not ask people to pledge allegiance to anything or romanticize anything that would kill them. I will not tell people they must publicly fetishize social contracts that were never meant to include them and rarely have.
What I will do is tell people that living to fight another day is always part of my strategy, and that — come what may, and whatever tactics we must employ — we are worth it. The things we believe in are worth it. The future that could be is worth it. And survival is worth it, because without that, there is nothing else. So whether we are taking on police violence, evictions, federal relief, ableism or any of the other issues we must face, when I step into the fray, I am inviting folks to join me in an act of survival in the pursuit of collective liberation. So let’s dream new worlds into being with the protests we stage, and let’s survive together, so that we might live to see those dreams realized in a freer, more beautiful world.
To those of you who are in the streets protesting, whether you are marching, setting up mutual aid tents or squaring off with Trump’s feds, my heart is with you, and with everyone who would be there if they could. Onward towards Black liberation, the destruction of capitalism and white supremacy, and the abolition of the prison industrial complex. Until next time, I’ll see you in the streets.
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truthout--2020-07-29--As Some States Reopen, People in Prison Continue to Face Harmful Lockdowns

By early June , most of Indiana had already entered Stage 3 for reopening .
But at the Indiana Women ’ s Prison ( IWP ) , the opposite was happening : Women began being locked into their cells for extended periods of time .
IWP currently holds 642 women and has tested less than 10 percent for COVID-19 .
As of July 27 , 25 of the 64 women tested at the Indiana Women ’ s Prison had coronavirus .
For those in the prison ’ s euphemistically named “ cottages , ” this meant being locked into cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no toilet , sink or call button for emergencies .
These cottages , a vestige from the prison ’ s earlier days as a girls ’ reformatory , are smaller buildings which house fewer people than the traditional prison cell block or dormitory .
While smaller , these cottages still contain individual cells whose metal doors must be manually locked and unlocked by the officer on duty .
Women have reported not being allowed out of their cells to use the bathroom for hours , despite banging on their doors .
“ Since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to resort to using cups , bowls and trash cans as toilets , ” one woman wrote to advocate Kelsey Kauffman .
( Kauffman asked that the women ’ s names not be publicized . )
“ I have a spastic colon which causes diarrhea .
I have had to replace all of my panties due to not being able to get to the bathroom in time .
It has been extremely humiliating.
” Locked into concrete cells , women must contend with the extreme heat as summer temperatures soar into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The cottages have no air conditioning ; instead , the four women in each cell must share two outlets to plug in their fans , which cost $ 30 each at the prison ’ s commissary .
“ It ’ s unbearable in those rooms in the summer , even when the dorms are open , ” Anastazia Schmid , who was incarcerated at IWP from 2009 to 2017 , told Truthout .
During those years , women were not locked into their cells and could readily access bathrooms and sinks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her bunkmates would lay wet towels and blankets on themselves , trying to stay cool .
But the sweltering heat inside the cottages always won .
Across the country , states are beginning to reopen following months-long closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus .
However , many of these reopenings have led to spikes in new COVID-19 cases and in turn revived calls to close businesses and issue mandatory mask wearing in public .
And though several states have kept many of their prisons on full or partial lockdown throughout the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to slow the spread of coronavirus once it enters a prison .
Now , prisons across the country report more than 70,000 confirmed cases and nearly 700 COVID-related deaths .
( This figure does not include COVID cases in local jails , immigrant detention , or youth jails and prisons . )
“ I Am Afraid of Dying by Fire ” Kelsey Kauffman , an advocate who directed IWP ’ s higher education program , is concerned that these locked doors might lead to deaths — either from heat or if a fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which were built between 1969 and 1971 .
In a letter to Indiana Gov .
Eric Holcomb , she asked him to intervene and allow the cell doors to stay open so that women could use the bathroom , have access to air circulation and , in case of fire or other emergency , get help or get to safety .
The governor forwarded her letter to Rob Carter , the Indiana Department of Correction commissioner , who denied her request .
She ’ s not the only one concerned .
State legislators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intervene .
Even those who work inside the prison have expressed concerns about locking women into cells for up to 18 hours each day .
“ There ’ s really no reason to think the doors are being locked due to positive COVID cases , ” one employee told WVXU .
“ I feel like they ’ re trying to push us in the wrong direction.
” “ I am afraid of dying by fire because of the ways the outlets blow in the summer , ” wrote one woman .
“ No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cells nor the fire hazard posed by the cells being locked.
” In California , Reopening Leads to Hundreds of New COVID Cases Both in and Out of Prison California began reopening in May .
Reopening resulted in a skyrocketing of new coronavirus cases .
By July 7 , the state had a record high of 9,500 new cases in one day and a total of 284,691 cases overall .
Throughout the state ’ s prison system , 47 people have died , including eight on death row .
In May , California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an outbreak .
In late May , 121 people were transferred from the California Institution for Men ( CIM ) , then a hotbed with 941 COVID cases , to San Quentin .
Among them were people who had contracted coronavirus after they had been tested .
None were tested again before boarding the prison bus and , upon arriving at a prison which was at 117 percent capacity , had no way to keep a six-foot distance from others .
As of July 27 , San Quentin exceeded CIM with 2,158 confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prisons had 7,687 confirmed cases among incarcerated people and another 1,544 among staff .
In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times , Joshua Connor , a primary care physician for incarcerated people , wrote that this number “ represents 4.8 % of the total prison population , a staggeringly high rate of infection .
For perspective , this would be equivalent to about 1.8 million Californians testing positive for the coronavirus , compared with 284,000 confirmed cases.
” He echoed the recommendations of David Sears , a prison health expert , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Quentin population by at least half to curb the spread .
The pandemic inside San Quentin led Gov .
Gavin Newsom to announce three measures to further decrease the prison population , currently at 112,507 , by 8,000 people by the end of August .
One of those measures allows a one-time credit of three months off a prison sentence ( barring those sentenced to death or life without parole or those who have recently violated prison rules ) .
The state ’ s women ’ s prisons haven ’ t escaped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of July 27 , the California Institution for Women reported 290 cases , 121 of which were newly confirmed within the past 14 days .
Scarlett , age 72 , escaped COVID , but not the consequences of its stigma .
( Scarlett asked that she not be identified by her legal name for fear of retaliation . )
Throughout March and most of April , Scarlett worked in the prison factory making masks .
She worked 10 hours a day for 80 cents an hour , a sum that allowed her to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ items , such as salt and sugar , which the prison does not supply .
Then women in the factory began contracting COVID and the factory closed , initially for two weeks .
In May , Scarlett was tested and , while awaiting her results , was confined to her quarters ( “ CTQ ” ) .
Prison staff placed a CTQ sign and “ huge mug shots ” of her and her cellmate on their cell door .
“ Our peers look at us like we are dirty , ” she told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received her test results and prison staff removed the sign and photos .
As of mid-July , however , the prison factory remains closed and Scarlett remains without income .
Now , she says , “ at least 3 out of 6 of our housing units are on quarantine and on lockdown .
We are all fearful that soon it will be the whole institution.
” The state ’ s other large women ’ s prison , the Central California Women ’ s Facility ( CCWF ) , has had six confirmed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late July , the entire prison was on what ’ s called modified program , meaning that incarcerated people must stay within their housing units .
They can now go out to the yard , but only with others from their housing unit .
Meanwhile , prison programs remained on pause as did most work assignments .
Those who relied on the pennies paid by prison jobs had to navigate going without essential hygiene and other items .
After six people tested positive for COVID , eight buildings , including those where they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other housing units remained on modified program .
“ I feel like we are just now waiting like sitting ducks waiting for the invisible hunter , ” said Theresa , who is on a unit still on modified program .
( She asked that her legal name not be published for fear of reprisal . )
“ They are not testing really anyone , especially us inmates .
Remember , we are not rehabilitated in their eyes and we are to do life and leave in a body bag , ” she told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Staying in her housing unit does not allow her to keep the CDC-recommended social distance of six feet .
Theresa is fortunate to have only five cellmates ; other rooms are at full capacity with eight women on four bunk beds .
She spends most of her time in her room .
“ If I go out I have mask on I try not to touch anything , I wash my hands when I come back into room ; my room mates do the same .
And I pray a lot , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women get sick it has the potential to spread like wildfire , ” wrote Rose , another woman at CCWF .
Her prison job was paused in mid-March , which means that she must go without any of the necessities and treats she would otherwise buy at the prison commissary .
Not all jobs have stopped and those who continue working risk being exposed to COVID from outside supervisors .
Theresa said that 33 incarcerated women who worked in the kitchen were quarantined after a supervising staff member tested positive .
Theresa ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ineligible for the COVID-related early releases .
Still , she is hopeful about the recently announced three-month time cut , which would enable her to appear before the parole board in 2021 .
As for Rose , who has served 26 years on a life without parole sentence , none of these time cuts will make a difference .
“ I am glad that many women are going to get the chance to leave , ” she told Truthout .
“ I just hope that they consider something for those that have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are many of us that have not received any rules violations at all or it has been years since receiving one and yet we get nothing.
” What would ease the spread of COVID ?
Reduce the prison population , says Theresa in CCWF , which is at 118 percent capacity .
She says that releasing 8,000 of the nearly 105,000 people imprisoned across the state will not be enough to ease overcrowding and stop the spread .
“ Right now you could almost empty out my housing unit , ” she recommended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honor dorm , you have to be RVR [ rules violation report ] free for two years before you can think of moving in .
Then you have to stay RVR free and have to do programs/groups to stay .
There are two more honor dorms here so start there that will help .
I know other prisons throughout the state have honor dorms.
” For Trans Women in Men ’ s Prisons , Lockdowns Increase Dangers of Sexual Violence On June 1 , the Federal Bureau of Prisons went on lockdown not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd .
Over one month later , it remains on lockdown .
Being on lockdown at the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg , Virginia , means that people are allowed outside for only one hour each week .
For weeks , they stayed locked in their cells for 23 — and sometimes 24 hours — each day .
Now , they are allowed out of their cells for up to six hours each day , but aside from walking to the dining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , must remain in the housing unit .
For Heather Brooke , a trans woman incarcerated at the men ’ s prison at Petersburg , lockdown typically comes with an increased threat of sexual assault from male cellmates .
“ When I was locked down at USP Marion , I was in a cell with two men who were very adamant that they wanted to have sex with me , ” she wrote in an e-message to Truthout .
“ One fought me and won and raped me .
the other fought me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she has had cellmates who have attempted to molest and sexually assault her .
Now , she has a cellmate who not only has no interest in sexually assaulting her , but has often protected her from others on the unit who wish to do so .
Nonetheless , Brooke notes that being locked together in a small cell still has its challenges .
“ It is not just on my part .
My cellmate gets uncomfortable as well .
Like when we only got a shower every 7 days , we had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she explained .
“ This is very hard for two people who have different sex characteristics !
The prison staff do not think about what it is like for people to have to change with the opposite gender in the room with you .
Or to have to poop in the cell with someone else in there with you .
Things they would never make a cis gender woman do .
They are not allowed to strip search me in front of men but they expect me to change locked in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her six hours out of cell , Brooke must remain wary of sexual assaults from the men surrounding her .
“ You remember you can not let your guard down on the computer when your sending this email and the dude at the next computer leans over and makes a sexual request .
Your Prey and in a blind spot with no cameras !
Help will not come , ” she wrote at the end of one e-message .
That was what happened to Precious , a trans woman incarcerated at Minnesota ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked that Truthout only publish her first name . )
The prison was under lockdown , but Precious worked as a janitor and was allowed out for more than two hours each day .
So was another man , who sexually assaulted her in the cleaning supply closet .
Precious immediately reported her assault to the officer on duty .
“ Yes , they believed me , ” she told Truthout .
“ There was no reason not to , the evidence was all in my underwear.
” She was brought to an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kit exam , then returned to the prison the following morning .
But , she added , she was not allowed to shower for over 12 hours .
Precious was moved to another unit and the man who assaulted her was transferred to another prison .
Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act , jails , prisons and immigrant detention centers must provide victim advocates from rape crisis centers to people assaulted in custody , but COVID-19 has prevented her from receiving visits or regular calls from her assigned advocate .
“ This should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ This has been really hard to get over .
It ruined me as a person in so many ways.
” Precious wants to ensure that the prison doesn ’ t allow this to happen to anyone else .
“ I was literally raped 50 feet from the staff desk .
I was raped in the swamped closet where the cleaning supplies are .
I ’ m very upset about all this and want justice.
” At the segregation unit at Texas ’ s Lane Murray Unit , people are already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 hours each day .
Three days after Texas prison officials tested everyone in that unit for COVID-19 , the unit went on lockdown .
That meant , in addition to spending 24 hours in their cells , the women received cold meals in brown bags — sandwiches with only a small dab of peanut butter and jelly in the middle of two slices of stale bread , foul-smelling hard-boiled eggs and cold hot dogs .
“ What made this lockdown difficult was the system was not keeping us informed about any aspect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recounted Jack , a trans man in segregation .
He was fortunate — he had a radio and could tune in to NPR to learn more about the coronavirus and how it spread .
Still , as spring temperatures rapidly soared into summer ’ s triple digits , he has little to no relief .
Results took over two weeks to return .
When they did , 144 people had tested positive .
Across the state ’ s prisons , 10,556 people tested positive as of July 8 and at least 91 had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because I Have no Way of Alerting the Officer ” New York ’ s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility has two types of housing units — dormitories and cell blocks .
In April , prison staff began locking the women in their cells for up to 18 hours each day .
During the other six hours , the doors open for the first 10 minutes , allowing them to either leave or remain in their cell .
Then the doors are closed and , if they choose not to leave their cells , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their door to open .
There are no individual doors to lock in the prison ’ s dormitories , so this de facto isolation only applies to the women in cells .
Anna Adams is one of the women who spends 18 hours behind a locked cell door .
She has asked the prison administration to permit women to leave their cell doors open — for both air circulation and in case of emergency .
Her requests were denied .
She and other women filed grievances ; those too were denied .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the dormitories are not subject to the same onerous lockdown policies .
Like the women imprisoned in Indiana , she too fears not being able to seek help if an emergency arises .
“ We have to yell down the corridor to be heard , ” she told Truthout .
But in the summer months , the noise of the fans by the officers ’ station drowns out their voices .
“ I would be dead if I have an asthma attack [ or ] heart attack because I have no way @ @ @ @ @ @

Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
By early June, most of Indiana had already entered Stage 3 for reopening. But at the Indiana Women’s Prison (IWP), the opposite was happening: Women began being locked into their cells for extended periods of time. IWP currently holds 642 women and has tested less than 10 percent for COVID-19. As of July 27, 25 of the 64 women tested at the Indiana Women’s Prison had coronavirus.
For those in the prison’s euphemistically named “cottages,” this meant being locked into cells that hold up to four women with no toilet, sink or call button for emergencies. These cottages, a vestige from the prison’s earlier days as a girls’ reformatory, are smaller buildings which house fewer people than the traditional prison cell block or dormitory. While smaller, these cottages still contain individual cells whose metal doors must be manually locked and unlocked by the officer on duty. Women have reported not being allowed out of their cells to use the bathroom for hours, despite banging on their doors.
“Since the lockdown started, women have been forced to resort to using cups, bowls and trash cans as toilets,” one woman wrote to advocate Kelsey Kauffman. (Kauffman asked that the women’s names not be publicized.) “I have a spastic colon which causes diarrhea. I have had to replace all of my panties due to not being able to get to the bathroom in time. It has been extremely humiliating.”
Locked into concrete cells, women must contend with the extreme heat as summer temperatures soar into the 90s and excessive heat warnings are issued. The cottages have no air conditioning; instead, the four women in each cell must share two outlets to plug in their fans, which cost $30 each at the prison’s commissary. “It’s unbearable in those rooms in the summer, even when the dorms are open,” Anastazia Schmid, who was incarcerated at IWP from 2009 to 2017, told Truthout. During those years, women were not locked into their cells and could readily access bathrooms and sinks. She recalled many summer days when she and her bunkmates would lay wet towels and blankets on themselves, trying to stay cool. But the sweltering heat inside the cottages always won.
Across the country, states are beginning to reopen following months-long closures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. However, many of these reopenings have led to spikes in new COVID-19 cases and in turn revived calls to close businesses and issue mandatory mask wearing in public. And though several states have kept many of their prisons on full or partial lockdown throughout the pandemic, these actions have done little to slow the spread of coronavirus once it enters a prison. Now, prisons across the country report more than 70,000 confirmed cases and nearly 700 COVID-related deaths. (This figure does not include COVID cases in local jails, immigrant detention, or youth jails and prisons.)
Lauren Walker / Truthout
“I Am Afraid of Dying by Fire”
Kelsey Kauffman, an advocate who directed IWP’s higher education program, is concerned that these locked doors might lead to deaths — either from heat or if a fire occurs in one of the cottages, which were built between 1969 and 1971. In a letter to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, she asked him to intervene and allow the cell doors to stay open so that women could use the bathroom, have access to air circulation and, in case of fire or other emergency, get help or get to safety. The governor forwarded her letter to Rob Carter, the Indiana Department of Correction commissioner, who denied her request.
She’s not the only one concerned. State legislators have also called on the governor to intervene. Even those who work inside the prison have expressed concerns about locking women into cells for up to 18 hours each day. “There’s really no reason to think the doors are being locked due to positive COVID cases,” one employee told WFYI. “I feel like they’re trying to push us in the wrong direction.”
“I am afraid of dying by fire because of the ways the outlets blow in the summer,” wrote one woman. “No one cares about the heat in the cells nor the fire hazard posed by the cells being locked.”
In California, Reopening Leads to Hundreds of New COVID Cases Both in and Out of Prison
California began reopening in May. Reopening resulted in a skyrocketing of new coronavirus cases. By July 7, the state had a record high of 9,500 new cases in one day and a total of 284,691 cases overall. Throughout the state’s prison system, 47 people have died, including eight on death row.
In May, California prisons began resuming transfers, leading to an outbreak. In late May, 121 people were transferred from the California Institution for Men (CIM), then a hotbed with 941 COVID cases, to San Quentin. Among them were people who had contracted coronavirus after they had been tested. None were tested again before boarding the prison bus and, upon arriving at a prison which was at 117 percent capacity, had no way to keep a six-foot distance from others.
As of July 27, San Quentin exceeded CIM with 2,158 confirmed cases and 19 COVID-related deaths. Statewide, prisons had 7,687 confirmed cases among incarcerated people and another 1,544 among staff. In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Joshua Connor, a primary care physician for incarcerated people, wrote that this number “represents 4.8% of the total prison population, a staggeringly high rate of infection. For perspective, this would be equivalent to about 1.8 million Californians testing positive for the coronavirus, compared with 284,000 confirmed cases.” He echoed the recommendations of David Sears, a prison health expert, who urged the Senate to reduce the San Quentin population by at least half to curb the spread.
The pandemic inside San Quentin led Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce three measures to further decrease the prison population, currently at 112,507, by 8,000 people by the end of August. One of those measures allows a one-time credit of three months off a prison sentence (barring those sentenced to death or life without parole or those who have recently violated prison rules).
The state’s women’s prisons haven’t escaped the spread of COVID either. As of July 27, the California Institution for Women reported 290 cases, 121 of which were newly confirmed within the past 14 days. Scarlett, age 72, escaped COVID, but not the consequences of its stigma. (Scarlett asked that she not be identified by her legal name for fear of retaliation.) Throughout March and most of April, Scarlett worked in the prison factory making masks. She worked 10 hours a day for 80 cents an hour, a sum that allowed her to buy hygiene items as well as food items, such as salt and sugar, which the prison does not supply. Then women in the factory began contracting COVID and the factory closed, initially for two weeks. In May, Scarlett was tested and, while awaiting her results, was confined to her quarters (“CTQ”). Prison staff placed a CTQ sign and “huge mug shots” of her and her cellmate on their cell door. “Our peers look at us like we are dirty,” she told Truthout. Six days later, she received her test results and prison staff removed the sign and photos. As of mid-July, however, the prison factory remains closed and Scarlett remains without income. Now, she says, “at least 3 out of 6 of our housing units are on quarantine and on lockdown. We are all fearful that soon it will be the whole institution.”
The state’s other large women’s prison, the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF), has had six confirmed cases within the past 14 days. Until late July, the entire prison was on what’s called modified program, meaning that incarcerated people must stay within their housing units. They can now go out to the yard, but only with others from their housing unit. Meanwhile, prison programs remained on pause as did most work assignments. Those who relied on the pennies paid by prison jobs had to navigate going without essential hygiene and other items. After six people tested positive for COVID, eight buildings, including those where they are housed, were quarantined. The other housing units remained on modified program. “I feel like we are just now waiting like sitting ducks waiting for the invisible hunter,” said Theresa, who is on a unit still on modified program. (She asked that her legal name not be published for fear of reprisal.) “They are not testing really anyone, especially us inmates. Remember, we are not rehabilitated in their eyes and we are to do life and leave in a body bag,” she told Truthout. She has never been tested.
Staying in her housing unit does not allow her to keep the CDC-recommended social distance of six feet. Theresa is fortunate to have only five cellmates; other rooms are at full capacity with eight women on four bunk beds. She spends most of her time in her room. “If I go out I have mask on I try not to touch anything, I wash my hands when I come back into room; my room mates do the same. And I pray a lot,” she wrote.
“If any women get sick it has the potential to spread like wildfire,” wrote Rose, another woman at CCWF. Her prison job was paused in mid-March, which means that she must go without any of the necessities and treats she would otherwise buy at the prison commissary.
Not all jobs have stopped and those who continue working risk being exposed to COVID from outside supervisors. Theresa said that 33 incarcerated women who worked in the kitchen were quarantined after a supervising staff member tested positive.
Theresa’s life with parole sentence makes her ineligible for the COVID-related early releases. Still, she is hopeful about the recently announced three-month time cut, which would enable her to appear before the parole board in 2021. As for Rose, who has served 26 years on a life without parole sentence, none of these time cuts will make a difference. “I am glad that many women are going to get the chance to leave,” she told Truthout. “I just hope that they consider something for those that have been sentenced to life without parole. There are many of us that have not received any rules violations at all or it has been years since receiving one and yet we get nothing.”
What would ease the spread of COVID? Reduce the prison population, says Theresa in CCWF, which is at 118 percent capacity. She says that releasing 8,000 of the nearly 105,000 people imprisoned across the state will not be enough to ease overcrowding and stop the spread. “Right now you could almost empty out my housing unit,” she recommended. “Because it’s an honor dorm, you have to be RVR [rules violation report] free for two years before you can think of moving in. Then you have to stay RVR free and have to do programs/groups to stay. There are two more honor dorms here so start there that will help. I know other prisons throughout the state have honor dorms.”
For Trans Women in Men’s Prisons, Lockdowns Increase Dangers of Sexual Violence
On June 1, the Federal Bureau of Prisons went on lockdown not to combat the coronavirus spread, but because of the nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd. Over one month later, it remains on lockdown.
Being on lockdown at the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, Virginia, means that people are allowed outside for only one hour each week. For weeks, they stayed locked in their cells for 23 — and sometimes 24 hours — each day. Now, they are allowed out of their cells for up to six hours each day, but aside from walking to the dining hall to pick up their meal trays, must remain in the housing unit.
For Heather Brooke, a trans woman incarcerated at the men’s prison at Petersburg, lockdown typically comes with an increased threat of sexual assault from male cellmates. “When I was locked down at USP Marion, I was in a cell with two men who were very adamant that they wanted to have sex with me,” she wrote in an e-message to Truthout. “One fought me and won and raped me. the other fought me and lost!”
At Petersburg, she has had cellmates who have attempted to molest and sexually assault her. Now, she has a cellmate who not only has no interest in sexually assaulting her, but has often protected her from others on the unit who wish to do so. Nonetheless, Brooke notes that being locked together in a small cell still has its challenges.
“It is not just on my part. My cellmate gets uncomfortable as well. Like when we only got a shower every 7 days, we had to bird bathe in the cell,” she explained. “This is very hard for two people who have different sex characteristics! The prison staff do not think about what it is like for people to have to change with the opposite gender in the room with you. Or to have to poop in the cell with someone else in there with you. Things they would never make a cis gender woman do. They are not allowed to strip search me in front of men but they expect me to change locked in a cell with a man!”
During her six hours out of cell, Brooke must remain wary of sexual assaults from the men surrounding her. “You remember you cannot let your guard down on the computer when your sending this email and the dude at the next computer leans over and makes a sexual request. Your Prey and in a blind spot with no cameras! Help will not come,” she wrote at the end of one e-message.
That was what happened to Precious, a trans woman incarcerated at Minnesota’s Moose Lake Prison. (She asked that Truthout only publish her first name.) The prison was under lockdown, but Precious worked as a janitor and was allowed out for more than two hours each day. So was another man, who sexually assaulted her in the cleaning supply closet. Precious immediately reported her assault to the officer on duty. “Yes, they believed me,” she told Truthout. “There was no reason not to, the evidence was all in my underwear.” She was brought to an outside hospital where she underwent a rape kit exam, then returned to the prison the following morning. But, she added, she was not allowed to shower for over 12 hours.
Precious was moved to another unit and the man who assaulted her was transferred to another prison. Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act, jails, prisons and immigrant detention centers must provide victim advocates from rape crisis centers to people assaulted in custody, but COVID-19 has prevented her from receiving visits or regular calls from her assigned advocate.
“This should not happen to anyone,” she said. “This has been really hard to get over. It ruined me as a person in so many ways.” Precious wants to ensure that the prison doesn’t allow this to happen to anyone else. “I was literally raped 50 feet from the staff desk. I was raped in the swamped closet where the cleaning supplies are. I’m very upset about all this and want justice.”
Locked Down in Lockdown
At the segregation unit at Texas’s Lane Murray Unit, people are already locked in their cells for 23 to 24 hours each day. Three days after Texas prison officials tested everyone in that unit for COVID-19, the unit went on lockdown. That meant, in addition to spending 24 hours in their cells, the women received cold meals in brown bags — sandwiches with only a small dab of peanut butter and jelly in the middle of two slices of stale bread, foul-smelling hard-boiled eggs and cold hot dogs.
“What made this lockdown difficult was the system was not keeping us informed about any aspect of our new daily routine,” recounted Jack, a trans man in segregation. He was fortunate — he had a radio and could tune in to NPR to learn more about the coronavirus and how it spread. Still, as spring temperatures rapidly soared into summer’s triple digits, he has little to no relief.
Results took over two weeks to return. When they did, 144 people had tested positive. Across the state’s prisons, 10,556 people tested positive as of July 8 and at least 91 had died.
“I Would Be Dead Because I Have no Way of Alerting the Officer”
New York’s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility has two types of housing units — dormitories and cell blocks. In April, prison staff began locking the women in their cells for up to 18 hours each day. During the other six hours, the doors open for the first 10 minutes, allowing them to either leave or remain in their cell. Then the doors are closed and, if they choose not to leave their cells, they must wait until the next 50 minutes for their door to open. There are no individual doors to lock in the prison’s dormitories, so this de facto isolation only applies to the women in cells.
Anna Adams is one of the women who spends 18 hours behind a locked cell door. She has asked the prison administration to permit women to leave their cell doors open — for both air circulation and in case of emergency. Her requests were denied. She and other women filed grievances; those too were denied.
Adams points out that the women housed in the dormitories are not subject to the same onerous lockdown policies. Like the women imprisoned in Indiana, she too fears not being able to seek help if an emergency arises. “We have to yell down the corridor to be heard,” she told Truthout. But in the summer months, the noise of the fans by the officers’ station drowns out their voices. “I would be dead if I have an asthma attack [or] heart attack because I have no way of alerting the officer.”
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--2020-07-30--GOP Leaders Attempt to Distance Themselves From Trump’s Election Delay Talk

A number of Republicans have condemned President Donald Trump ’ s suggestion on Thursday to delay this year ’ s elections .
While leaving the president ’ s false statements on mail-in voting unchallenged , several lawmakers within Trump ’ s own party were quick to rebuke the proposal .
“ We are going to have an election on time .
It ’ s unthinkable that would not be the case , ” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-Utah ) said .
The only Republican to vote in favor of Trump ’ s impeachment , Romney also added that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail ” because , in case of a recount or other discrepancy , “ you don ’ t have to worry about machines having been tampered with.
” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-California ) also opined there should not be a delay .
“ Never in the history of federal elections have we ever not held an election and we should go forward with our election , ” McCarthy said .
Even some of Trump ’ s staunchest congressional allies were against the proposal .
Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think that ’ s a particularly good idea.
” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also dismissed Trump ’ s tweet .
“ Never in the history of the country , through wars , depressions and the Civil War , have we ever not had a federally-scheduled election on time , ” he said in an interview with WNKY .
“ We ’ ll find a way to do that again this November 3rd.
” Trump sent out the tweet on Thursday morning .
“ With Universal Mail-In Voting ( not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history , ” the president wrote .
“ It will be a great embarrassment to the USA .
Delay the Election until people can properly , securely and safely vote ?
?
?
” There is no evidence for Trump ’ s claim that mail-in voting is rife with fraud .
The tweet from the president on Thursday appeared to be unplanned , as his staffers were apparently unprepared for it , according to Reuters .
One Republican source close to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just can ’ t help himself ” when it comes to writing such tweets , complaining that such comments throw into question the viability of his candidacy .
“ This is starting to look like a real campaign , and then he does this , ” the Republican source added .
“ It ’ s awful .
It ’ s starting to look like he doesn ’ t even want to win.
” Trump ’ s proposal to postpone the election is itself a moot point — while he can make the suggestion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carry it out .
According to the U.S. Constitution , only Congress can determine or change the date of federal elections .
Ellen Weintraub , a commissioner on the Federal Elections Commission ( FEC ) , reminded Trump of that point in a tweet she sent out in response to his initial remarks .
“ No , Mr. President .
No .
You don ’ t have the power to move the election , ” Weintraub wrote .
“ Nor should it be moved.
” “ States and localities are asking you and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run the safe and secure elections all Americans want , ” she said .
“ Why don ’ t you work on that ?
” Since 1845 , federal elections have been held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November .

Under the Constitution, the president doesn’t have the power to move the date of federal elections.
A number of Republicans have condemned President Donald Trump’s suggestion on Thursday to delay this year’s elections.
While leaving the president’s false statements on mail-in voting unchallenged, several lawmakers within Trump’s own party were quick to rebuke the proposal.
“We are going to have an election on time. It’s unthinkable that would not be the case,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said. The only Republican to vote in favor of Trump’s impeachment, Romney also added that he’s “a fan of voting by mail” because, in case of a recount or other discrepancy, “you don’t have to worry about machines having been tampered with.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California) also opined there should not be a delay.
“Never in the history of federal elections have we ever not held an election and we should go forward with our election,” McCarthy said.
Even some of Trump’s staunchest congressional allies were against the proposal. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) told CNN, “I don’t think that’s a particularly good idea.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also dismissed Trump’s tweet. “Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally-scheduled election on time,” he said in an interview with WNKY. “We’ll find a way to do that again this November 3rd.”
Trump sent out the tweet on Thursday morning.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” the president wrote. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
There is no evidence for Trump’s claim that mail-in voting is rife with fraud.
The tweet from the president on Thursday appeared to be unplanned, as his staffers were apparently unprepared for it, according to Reuters. One Republican source close to the White House even lamented that Trump “just can’t help himself” when it comes to writing such tweets, complaining that such comments throw into question the viability of his candidacy.
“This is starting to look like a real campaign, and then he does this,” the Republican source added. “It’s awful. It’s starting to look like he doesn’t even want to win.”
Trump’s proposal to postpone the election is itself a moot point — while he can make the suggestion, he has no legal authority to carry it out. According to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can determine or change the date of federal elections.
Ellen Weintraub, a commissioner on the Federal Elections Commission, reminded Trump of that point in a tweet she sent out in response to his initial remarks.
“No, Mr. President. No. You don’t have the power to move the election,” Weintraub wrote. “Nor should it be moved.”
“States and localities are asking you and Congress for funds so they can properly run the safe and secure elections all Americans want,” she said. “Why don’t you work on that?”
Since 1845, federal elections have been held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
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--2020-07-30--Herman Cain Dies of COVID-19

Herman Cain Dies of COVID-19

Herman Cain , a pizza business magnate who unsuccessfully ran for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president , has died Thursday due to complications from coronavirus .
Cain had tested positive for COVID-19 on June 29 .
Just two days later , he was hospitalized after developing “ serious ” symptoms of the disease , according to a message that appeared on his Twitter account in early July .
“ There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus , ” a statement on Cain ’ s website said about his hospitalization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump , had attended a campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , held by the president on June 20 .
The event was widely criticized for not enforcing social distancing recommendations , as many participants , Cain included , were seen not wearing masks or observing six-feet distancing standards to prevent the spread of coronavirus .
While it ’ s not clear whether Cain became ill from the disease due to the rally , his diagnosis and hospitalization would fit a timeline of him doing so around the date that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that large events , like Trump ’ s campaign rally , likely facilitated a spike in cases of coronavirus in the county where it was held .
At least eight campaign staffers contracted the disease after the event was held , and Oklahoma Gov .
Kevin Stitt , who was in attendance without a mask on as well , also tested positive for it .
Cain , a staunch conservative who was supported by the Koch brothers over the years , entered the race for president in 2011 , hoping to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama the following year .
However , a series of sexual harassment allegations prompted him to drop out of the race before the first primary election .

The former candidate for president was seen not wearing a mask at the Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month.
Herman Cain, a pizza business magnate who unsuccessfully ran for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president, has died Thursday due to complications from coronavirus.
Cain had tested positive for COVID-19 on June 29. Just two days later, he was hospitalized after developing “serious” symptoms of the disease, according to a message that appeared on his Twitter account in early July.
“There is no way of knowing for sure how or where Mr. Cain contracted the coronavirus,” a statement on Cain’s website said about his hospitalization.
Cain, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, had attended a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, held by the president on June 20. The event was widely criticized for not enforcing social distancing recommendations, as many participants, Cain included, were seen not wearing masks or observing six-feet distancing standards to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
While it’s not clear whether Cain became ill from the disease due to the rally, his diagnosis and hospitalization would fit a timeline of him doing so around the date that it happened. Tulsa health officials have said that large events, like Trump’s campaign rally, likely facilitated a spike in cases of coronavirus in the county where it was held.
At least eight campaign staffers contracted the disease after the event was held, and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who was in attendance without a mask on as well, also tested positive for it.
Cain, a staunch conservative who was supported by the Koch brothers over the years, entered the race for president in 2011, hoping to be the Republican choice for the election against then-President Barack Obama the following year. However, a series of sexual harassment allegations prompted him to drop out of the race before the first primary election.
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--2020-07-30--Trump Suggests Delay in 2020 Elections, Citing Inaccurate Claims on Voter Fraud

President Donald Trump floated the idea of delaying the 2020 elections on Thursday morning , as he invoked repeatedly disproven claims that mail-in voting is susceptible to voter fraud .
Trump did not say whether he would seek to postpone the elections , but rather suggested the idea to his Twitter followers .
“ With Universal Mail-In Voting ( not Absentee Voting , which is good ) , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history , ” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning .
“ It will be a great embarrassment to the USA .
Delay the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safely vote ?
?
?
” The president ’ s tweet contained a number of inaccuracies .
For example , his claim that absentee ballots have more protections against fraud than mail-in voting has been refuted by fact-checking organizations .
The chances of an illegal ballot being cast through the mail is so slim that individuals actually have a higher chance of being struck by lightning than becoming the victims of voter impersonation fraud .
Indeed , only 31 ballots out of billions cast over a 15-year period were found to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Washington Post .
Others on social media noted that the president has no authority to change the date of elections .
“ There is no law or Constitutional provision that allows a president to ‘ delay ’ the election , ” Mother Jones ’ s D.C. Bureau Chief David Corn wrote in a tweet .
“ Trump CAN NOT delay the election , ” Vanita Gupta , president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights , and a former director of the Department of Justice ’ s Civil Rights Division @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the general election is set by federal law , fixed since 1845 .
It would take a change in federal law — an act of Congress — to move that date.
” Journalist Sam Stein suggested that Trump might be attempting to distract voters from bad news about the economy this morning .
Trump ’ s suggestion of delaying the 2020 election comes soon after voting rights and legal experts raised alarms over the possibility that the president ’ s deployment of federal police into Democrat-led cities could be used to intimidate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a historian who is an expert on authoritarianism and fascism , said Trump ’ s tweet “ is a fine example of his propaganda tactics : float the idea ( trial balloon ) and have it amplified by allies until it becomes something possible.
” The idea that Trump could try to delay or cancel the presidential election , in light of the increasing probability he could lose , has been raised in the past , including by his main opponent in the race , Democratic Party presumptive nominee Joe Biden .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is gon na try to kick back the election somehow , come up with some rationale why it can ’ t be held , ” Biden predicted in April .

There is no evidence that mail-in voting leads to high rates of fraud, as the president has repeatedly asserted.
President Donald Trump floated the idea of delaying the 2020 elections on Thursday morning, as he invoked repeatedly disproven claims that mail-in voting is susceptible to voter fraud.
Trump did not say whether he would seek to postpone the elections, but rather suggested the idea to his Twitter followers.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
The president’s tweet contained a number of inaccuracies. For example, his claim that absentee ballots have more protections against fraud than mail-in voting has been refuted by fact-checking organizations.
The chances of an illegal ballot being cast through the mail is so slim that individuals actually have a higher chance of being struck by lightning than becoming the victims of voter impersonation fraud. Indeed, only 31 ballots out of billions cast over a 15-year period were found to be fraudulent, according to an analysis from The Washington Post.
Others on social media noted that the president has no authority to change the date of elections. “There is no law or Constitutional provision that allows a president to ‘delay’ the election,” Mother Jones’s D.C. Bureau Chief David Corn wrote in a tweet.
“Trump CANNOT delay the election,” Vanita Gupta, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and a former director of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, chimed in. “Date of the general election is set by federal law, fixed since 1845. It would take a change in federal law — an act of Congress — to move that date.”
Journalist Sam Stein suggested that Trump might be attempting to distract voters from bad news about the economy this morning.
Trump’s suggestion of delaying the 2020 election comes soon after voting rights and legal experts raised alarms over the possibility that the president’s deployment of federal police into Democrat-led cities could be used to intimidate and suppress in-person voting.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian who is an expert on authoritarianism and fascism, said Trump’s tweet “is a fine example of his propaganda tactics: float the idea (trial balloon) and have it amplified by allies until it becomes something possible.”
The idea that Trump could try to delay or cancel the presidential election, in light of the increasing probability he could lose, has been raised in the past, including by his main opponent in the race, Democratic Party presumptive nominee Joe Biden.
“Mark my words: I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” Biden predicted in April.
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--2020-07-30--Trump’s Properties Are a Playground for White Nationalists, Far Right Extremists

Conspiracy theorists , alt-right memers and prominent white nationalists have frequently appeared at properties owned by President Trump , where they ’ ve hosted gatherings , mingled with officials and spent money , according to research obtained by Salon .
Trump properties are well-documented hot spots for MAGA-world luminaries and hangers-on , particularly Trump International Hotel in Washington , where the lobby is frequently a blur of lobbyists , administration officials , lawmakers , corporate leaders and foreign dignitaries — the physical embodiment of the president ’ s numerous conflicts of interest .
But in a sense those properties are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Twitter feed , a running scroll of the same groups .
Both are also sprinkled to varying degrees with influential right-wing extremists and internet trolls ( Diamond and Silk kicked off their 2019 “ Chit Chat Live ” tour at Trump Hotel D.C. ) , some of whom now are now moving into legitimate electoral politics under the auspices of the Republican Party in various states , including Oregon , Colorado , Georgia and Trump ’ s new home state of Florida .
And though Trump fandom is little more than an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who see themselves as more pure , edgy and extreme , those places draw an older generation that has influence , but might be looking for someone who knows better how to wield it today .
“ Trump properties are the place to be if you ’ re an elected Republican looking to dip your toe in alt-right waters .
So no one should be surprised that once-mainstream Republicans and the NRCC are now backing the very QAnon supporters and fringe factions they ’ ve mingled with for years , ” said Kyle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson .
The more high-profile of these patron-extremists include : • Nick Fuentes , a white supremacist and accused Holocaust denier who founded the far-right Groyper movement • Chuck Johnson , a right-wing activist once described as “ the most hated man on the internet ” Trump properties are a particularly popular draw for the Fuentes-led Groyper movement , a loose affiliation of far-right and alt-right nationalists who peddle racist and anti-Semitic tropes while mocking mainstream conservatives — including some less radical white nationalists — as phonies .
As with most things born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the origins of the Groyper movement are not easy to understand .
Its name is drawn from a specific Pepe the Frog pose , in which the alt-right cartoon mascot rests his chin on his interlinked hands .
Marilyn Mayo , senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League ’ s Center on Extremism , described the movement in a 2019 interview .
“ What they ’ re trying to do , there ’ s this whole grouping who refer to themselves as the dissident right , they want to move the Overton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the shifting spectrum of acceptable ideological and political discourse .
“ They want to make racism and anti-Semitism mainstream.
” Trump made waves this January when he retweeted a clip of Michelle Malkin , the self-described “ mommy ” of the Groyper movement , complaining about online censorship .
Trump added his own caption , thanking her : “ The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and Google .
The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation .
Stay tuned , and send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
” That Malkin clip was produced by Fuentes ’ internet show , America First .
Fuentes has attended events at Trump International in Washington , including with friend and fellow Groyper Megan Harris , and both appeared there during the conservative gathering CPAC this year , as documented in a since-deleted Instagram post .
The two were joined at CPAC by musician and Groyper Ricky Rebel , who shared a number of pictures from Trump International on his Instagram story .
Fuentes , like several other fringe-right personalities , has also patronized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s golf resort near Miami , where he appeared in an Instagram photo with alt-right internet personality Baked Alaska ( Tim Gionet ) .
One of the more well-known names is alt-right personality , Pizzagate truther and noted misogynist Mike Cernovich , whom Gionet engaged in multiple projects .
Cernovich has spent considerable time at Trump properties .
Gionet once spent Christmas with blogger Chuck Johnson , the aforementioned “ most hated man on the internet , ” who reportedly had a hand in vetting Trump Cabinet picks during the transition ( working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and may have acted as an inadvertent conduit between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Donald Trump Jr .
In January 2017 , Johnson posted on Facebook that he was “ building algorithms to ID all the illegal immigrants for the deportation squads.
” HuffPost quoted a source claiming to have seen Johnson discussing that same project with “ a whole bunch of really important people ” at the Trump hotel in D.C. Former Breitbart editor Katie McHugh has said that Johnson asked to be connected with senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify every illegal alien in the country.
” In 2018 , Johnson was also spotted at Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas .
Then there ’ s the Posobiec , who while not exactly a Groyper is a fringe conspiracy theorist with anti-Semitic views whom Trump has retweeted a number of times .
Posobiec and his wife met Brexit architect Nigel Farage at the Trump Hotel in Washington in February , 2017 , and have spent both Christmas and New Year ’ s holidays there .
In July 2019 , Posobiec joined QAnon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carpe Donktum and former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for a conservative conference called AMPFest , held at Trump National Doral .
Documents obtained by The Washington Post showed that the Florida property ’ s revenues were “ in steep decline ” at the time .
Posobiec spread the debunked conspiracy theory that the Las Vegas mass shooter was affiliated with ISIS , but was challenged for credit by right-wing provocateur , Islamophobe and Trump patron Laura Loomer .
The two seemed to smooth things over before AMPFest 2019 , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently running as a Republican congressional candidate in Florida ’ s 21st district — home to Donald Trump ’ s private Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago , where she appeared at a 2019 winter gala that featured Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani , former White House staffer Sebastian Gorka and guest of honor Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky .
Just a few days after that , Trump tweeted his support for Loomer ’ s candidacy .
And since the 21st is officially his district of residence , he will have the chance to vote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November .
( Her chances of winning are not strong : Incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel , a Democrat , was re-elected without opposition in 2018 . )
On March 3 , Loomer was back at Trump International in D.C .

Conspiracy theorists, alt-right memers and prominent white nationalists have frequently appeared at properties owned by President Trump, where they’ve hosted gatherings, mingled with officials and spent money, according to research obtained by Salon.
Trump properties are well-documented hot spots for MAGA-world luminaries and hangers-on, particularly Trump International Hotel in Washington, where the lobby is frequently a blur of lobbyists, administration officials, lawmakers, corporate leaders and foreign dignitaries — the physical embodiment of the president’s numerous conflicts of interest.
But in a sense those properties are also real-world iterations of the president’s Twitter feed, a running scroll of the same groups. Both are also sprinkled to varying degrees with influential right-wing extremists and internet trolls (Diamond and Silk kicked off their 2019 “Chit Chat Live” tour at Trump Hotel D.C.), some of whom now are now moving into legitimate electoral politics under the auspices of the Republican Party in various states, including Oregon, Colorado, Georgia and Trump’s new home state of Florida.
And though Trump fandom is little more than an ironic lark to young fringe-right adherents, who see themselves as more pure, edgy and extreme, those places draw an older generation that has influence, but might be looking for someone who knows better how to wield it today.
“Trump properties are the place to be if you’re an elected Republican looking to dip your toe in alt-right waters. So no one should be surprised that once-mainstream Republicans and the NRCC are now backing the very QAnon supporters and fringe factions they’ve mingled with for years,” said Kyle Morse, an American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson.
The more high-profile of these patron-extremists include:
Trump properties are a particularly popular draw for the Fuentes-led Groyper movement, a loose affiliation of far-right and alt-right nationalists who peddle racist and anti-Semitic tropes while mocking mainstream conservatives — including some less radical white nationalists — as phonies.
As with most things born in the nether regions of the internet, the origins of the Groyper movement are not easy to understand. Its name is drawn from a specific Pepe the Frog pose, in which the alt-right cartoon mascot rests his chin on his interlinked hands.
Marilyn Mayo, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, described the movement in a 2019 interview.
“What they’re trying to do, there’s this whole grouping who refer to themselves as the dissident right, they want to move the Overton window,” said Mayo, referring to the shifting spectrum of acceptable ideological and political discourse. “They want to make racism and anti-Semitism mainstream.”
Trump made waves this January when he retweeted a clip of Michelle Malkin, the self-described “mommy” of the Groyper movement, complaining about online censorship. Trump added his own caption, thanking her:
“The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events. Thank you Michelle!”
That Malkin clip was produced by Fuentes’ internet show, America First.
“Donald Trump is watching America First Clips,” Fuentes tweeted.
Fuentes has attended events at Trump International in Washington, including with friend and fellow Groyper Megan Harris, and both appeared there during the conservative gathering CPAC this year, as documented in a since-deleted Instagram post. The two were joined at CPAC by musician and Groyper Ricky Rebel, who shared a number of pictures from Trump International on his Instagram story.
Fuentes, like several other fringe-right personalities, has also patronized Trump National Doral, the president’s golf resort near Miami, where he appeared in an Instagram photo with alt-right internet personality Baked Alaska (Tim Gionet).
One of the more well-known names is alt-right personality, Pizzagate truther and noted misogynist Mike Cernovich, whom Gionet engaged in multiple projects. Cernovich has spent considerable time at Trump properties.
Gionet once spent Christmas with blogger Chuck Johnson, the aforementioned “most hated man on the internet,” who reportedly had a hand in vetting Trump Cabinet picks during the transition (working with Facebook’s Peter Thiel) — and may have acted as an inadvertent conduit between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Donald Trump Jr.
In January 2017, Johnson posted on Facebook that he was “building algorithms to ID all the illegal immigrants for the deportation squads.” HuffPost quoted a source claiming to have seen Johnson discussing that same project with “a whole bunch of really important people” at the Trump hotel in D.C. Former Breitbart editor Katie McHugh has said that Johnson asked to be connected with senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller so he could pitch a “way to identify every illegal alien in the country.”
In 2018, Johnson was also spotted at Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
Then there’s the Posobiec, who while not exactly a Groyper is a fringe conspiracy theorist with anti-Semitic views whom Trump has retweeted a number of times. Posobiec and his wife met Brexit architect Nigel Farage at the Trump Hotel in Washington in February, 2017, and have spent both Christmas and New Year’s holidays there.
In July 2019, Posobiec joined QAnon acolyte Tracy Beanz, MAGA alt-right memesmith Carpe Donktum and former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for a conservative conference called AMPFest, held at Trump National Doral. Documents obtained by The Washington Post showed that the Florida property’s revenues were “in steep decline” at the time.
Posobiec spread the debunked conspiracy theory that the Las Vegas mass shooter was affiliated with ISIS, but was challenged for credit by right-wing provocateur, Islamophobe and Trump patron Laura Loomer. The two seemed to smooth things over before AMPFest 2019, where Loomer appeared alongside Posobiec.
Loomer is currently running as a Republican congressional candidate in Florida’s 21st district — home to Donald Trump’s private Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago, where she appeared at a 2019 winter gala that featured Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House staffer Sebastian Gorka and guest of honor Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Just a few days after that, Trump tweeted his support for Loomer’s candidacy. And since the 21st is officially his district of residence, he will have the chance to vote for her should she appear on the ballot in November. (Her chances of winning are not strong: Incumbent Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat, was re-elected without opposition in 2018.)
On March 3, Loomer was back at Trump International in D.C.
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--2020-07-30--Lawmakers Warn New USPS Loan Terms “Could Accelerate Demise of Postal Service”

Leading congressional Democrats are warning that an emergency loan agreement announced Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — a major donor to President Donald Trump and the GOP — could “ accelerate the demise of the Postal Service ” by giving the administration unprecedented access to the popular agency ’ s internal operations .
“ Secretary Mnuchin and the leadership of the U.S .
Postal Service appear to be exploiting this public health pandemic to hold the Postal Service to unreasonable loan terms without even consulting Congress , ” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Mich. ) , Rep. Gerry Connolly ( D-Va. ) , and Sen. Tom Carper ( D-Del . )
in a joint statement Wednesday evening .
According to a loan term sheet ( pdf ) made public by the lawmakers , the USPS will gain access to $ 10 billion in emergency funding approved by Congress back in March provided that the agency adheres to a number of requirements , including providing the Trump administration with “ historical and protected business , financial , operational , contractual , and planning data that Treasury may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s current and future financial condition.
” The agreement also requires USPS to give the Treasury Department access to proprietary information about the Postal Service ’ s private-sector shipping contracts and bars the agency from accessing the emergency funds if its “ cash balance exceeds $ 8 billion.
” In a statement , Mnuchin hailed the deal as a step in the direction of “ the president ’ s goal of establishing a sustainable business model under which USPS can continue to provide necessary mail service for all Americans , without shifting costs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called the USPS a “ joke ” and demanded that it dramatically hike package prices amid the Covid-19 pandemic , which caused a sharp decline in mail volume .
Maloney , Peters , Connolly , and Carper said Wednesday that the terms agreed upon by Mnuchin and DeJoy — who took over as head of the USPS just last month — “ would inappropriately insert the Treasury into the internal operations of the Postal Service.
” “ These terms would severely limit the Postal Service ’ s access to capital and could accelerate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Americans , especially seniors , small businesses , veterans , and those living in rural communities , rely upon every day , especially during the pandemic , ” the lawmakers said .
“ We will not stop fighting to protect this critical service that communities depend on and to ensure that every American can safely participate in the November elections.
” The new loan agreement comes as DeJoy continues to rush ahead with sweeping operational changes at the USPS that postal workers believe are part of a deliberate effort to sabotage the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a path toward privatization — a longtime goal of the conservative movement .
Last week , as Common Dreams reported , USPS leadership launched a pilot program that could result in significant delays in mail delivery by barring postal workers from sorting packages during their morning operations .
In Portland , Maine , letter carriers allege they are being instructed to delay first-class parcels in order to prioritize Amazon packages .
“ Undermining and degrading the Postal Service helps frustrate the customer , which sets the stage to privatizing it , ” Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Workers Union , told The Intercept .
“ The Trump administration is on record for raising prices , reducing service , and reducing workers ’ rights and benefits.
” Motherboard reported Monday that “ post offices around the country are slashing their hours — including during the busiest times of day — with little notice as yet another abrupt cost-saving measure ” implemented by DeJoy , previously the CEO of New Breed Logistics , a private firm with a history of union-busting activity .
“ In addition to West Virginia and New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Petersburg , Alaska , Youngstown , Ohio , and Knoxville , Tennessee have announced similar plans to reduce hours , ” Motherboard reported .
“ All of the changes Motherboard has reviewed were announced only by signs hanging on the post office doors.
” In addition to harming the credibility of the USPS — which ranks as the most popular government agency in the United States — DeJoy ’ s cost-cutting measures also threaten to disrupt upcoming elections as an record number of Americans turn to vote-by-mail as the safest way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Trump administration ’ s attempts to politicize , privatize , and gut USPS in the middle of a pandemic and unprecedented vote-by-mail is one of the biggest scandals in American politics right now , ” Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman tweeted Wednesday .
In an op-ed for NJ.com this week , Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. ( D-N.J. ) warned that “ the electoral implications for the destruction of the Postal Service are momentous.
” “ If it is forced to curtail its service , ” Pascrell wrote , “ our ability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obliterated .
”

Leading congressional Democrats are warning that an emergency loan agreement announced Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — a major donor to President Donald Trump and the GOP — could “accelerate the demise of the Postal Service” by giving the administration unprecedented access to the popular agency’s internal operations.
“Secretary Mnuchin and the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service appear to be exploiting this public health pandemic to hold the Postal Service to unreasonable loan terms without even consulting Congress,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), and Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) in a joint statement Wednesday evening.
According to a loan term sheet (pdf) made public by the lawmakers, the USPS will gain access to $10 billion in emergency funding approved by Congress back in March provided that the agency adheres to a number of requirements, including providing the Trump administration with “historical and protected business, financial, operational, contractual, and planning data that Treasury may determine is necessary to evaluate USPS’s current and future financial condition.”
The agreement also requires USPS to give the Treasury Department access to proprietary information about the Postal Service’s private-sector shipping contracts and bars the agency from accessing the emergency funds if its “cash balance exceeds $8 billion.”
In a statement, Mnuchin hailed the deal as a step in the direction of “the president’s goal of establishing a sustainable business model under which USPS can continue to provide necessary mail service for all Americans, without shifting costs to taxpayers.” In April, Trump called the USPS a “joke” and demanded that it dramatically hike package prices amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused a sharp decline in mail volume.
Maloney, Peters, Connolly, and Carper said Wednesday that the terms agreed upon by Mnuchin and DeJoy — who took over as head of the USPS just last month — “would inappropriately insert the Treasury into the internal operations of the Postal Service.”
“These terms would severely limit the Postal Service’s access to capital and could accelerate the demise of the Postal Service that all Americans, especially seniors, small businesses, veterans, and those living in rural communities, rely upon every day, especially during the pandemic,” the lawmakers said. “We will not stop fighting to protect this critical service that communities depend on and to ensure that every American can safely participate in the November elections.”
The new loan agreement comes as DeJoy continues to rush ahead with sweeping operational changes at the USPS that postal workers believe are part of a deliberate effort to sabotage the beloved government institution and put it on a path toward privatization — a longtime goal of the conservative movement.
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, USPS leadership launched a pilot program that could result in significant delays in mail delivery by barring postal workers from sorting packages during their morning operations. In Portland, Maine, letter carriers allege they are being instructed to delay first-class parcels in order to prioritize Amazon packages.
“Undermining and degrading the Postal Service helps frustrate the customer, which sets the stage to privatizing it,” Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, told The Intercept. “The Trump administration is on record for raising prices, reducing service, and reducing workers’ rights and benefits.”
Motherboard reported Monday that “post offices around the country are slashing their hours — including during the busiest times of day — with little notice as yet another abrupt cost-saving measure” implemented by DeJoy, previously the CEO of New Breed Logistics, a private firm with a history of union-busting activity.
“In addition to West Virginia and New Jersey, post offices in Berkeley, California; Petersburg, Alaska, Youngstown, Ohio, and Knoxville, Tennessee have announced similar plans to reduce hours,” Motherboard reported. “All of the changes Motherboard has reviewed were announced only by signs hanging on the post office doors.”
In addition to harming the credibility of the USPS — which ranks as the most popular government agency in the United States — DeJoy’s cost-cutting measures also threaten to disrupt upcoming elections as an record number of Americans turn to vote-by-mail as the safest way to cast their ballots amid the pandemic.
“The Trump administration’s attempts to politicize, privatize, and gut USPS in the middle of a pandemic and unprecedented vote-by-mail is one of the biggest scandals in American politics right now,” Mother Jones reporter Ari Berman tweeted Wednesday.
In an op-ed for NJ.com this week, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.) warned that “the electoral implications for the destruction of the Postal Service are momentous.”
“If it is forced to curtail its service,” Pascrell wrote, “our ability to hold a national election could be obliterated.”
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.