truthout--2020-07-28--Migrant Children Secretly Held in Hampton Inn Hotels Before Expulsion From US

Under a shocking new Trump administration policy , hundreds of people who came to the United States seeking asylum were secretly held in hotels for days on end before being expelled from the country , often with little or no paper trail .
This includes more than 200 unaccompanied immigrant children — including babies and toddlers — who were taken to hotels near the Texas-Mexico border by a private contractor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
“ The Trump administration has been just basically expelling them without due process and without any paper trail , ” says Zenén Jaimes Pérez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rights Project , which helped uncover the abuse .
We also speak with Norma Pimentel , executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley .
This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
The Quarantine Report .
I ’ m Amy Goodman , with Juan González .
Under a shocking new Trump administration policy , hundreds of people who came to the United States seeking asylum were secretly held in hotels for days on end before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with little or no paper trail .
Between April and the end of June , more than 200 unaccompanied immigrant children — including babies and toddlers — were held in hotels , then removed .
A private contractor for ICE — that ’ s Immigration and Customs Enforcement — took the children to three Hampton Inn hotels in Arizona and near the Texas-Mexico border .
ICE paid MVM , Inc. to transport and monitor the children .
The same company previously held separated immigrant children in squalid conditions in empty office buildings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekend , many children held at the hotel were moved to different locations , though it ’ s not clear where .
And then , last night , on Monday night , the ACLU and the Texas Civil Rights Project and their co-counsel successfully sued to stop the expulsion of 17 people detained in the Hampton Inn hotel .
Officials agreed instead to transfer them to the custody of ORR — that ’ s the Office of Refugee Resettlement , where they were supposed to be held .
All of this comes after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went to the Hampton Inn hotel in McAllen last week and attempted to offer legal help to people detained there .
In this video , you can see and hear attorney Andrew Udelsman as he is getting off an elevator on the fourth floor , confronted by men who refuse to identify themselves .
AMY GOODMAN : An attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project yelling to people and to children , “ Are you being detained ?
Do you want to yell to me your name ?
” as he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more , we go to McAllen , where we ’ re joined by Zenén Jaimes Pérez , advocacy director for the Texas Civil Rights Project , part of the team that uncovered this new Trump administration policy .
Zenén , it ’ s great to have you back with us .
You were right there in the hotel on the fourth floor .
Can you explain how you came to learn ICE was secretly holding children in hotels like these ?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ : Hi .
Yes .
Good morning .
Glad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what we ’ re seeing here with the video — right ?
— with Andy bravely stepping forward and basically taking abuse by these unnamed guards when we were there , is that for many weeks now , especially since the CDC order that effectively the Trump administration used to end asylum , we ’ ve known that folks who have been coming in through the border to legally seek asylum , including unaccompanied children , that instead of going through the process that is spelled out by law , the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — right ?
— without due process and without any paper trail — in effect , basically violating their due process .
So , for the last couple of weeks , we ’ ve known that the number of children who have been under the custody of the federal government in the Office of Refugee Resettlement has decreased over the course of the pandemic .
And so , in that time , in June , we filed a lawsuit on behalf of one of the children that was expelled .
And through her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to find out that she was held in a hotel .
And that sort of set off for us a period of investigation to try to find : Well , what did she mean , right ?
What do you mean that you ’ re in a hotel ?
If you ’ re an unaccompanied child , that was never supposed to have happened to you in the first place .
And so , after a couple of weeks of investigation and working with the Associated Press , which broke the story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to uncover that the Hampton Inn hotel in McAllen , Texas , was being used to house and detain individuals , including unaccompanied children , but also other asylum seekers , including other family units , before they were expelled from the country .
And it ’ s important to sort of note the distinction between expulsion versus deportation , because under deportation , which is a legal process , there is a paper trail , right ?
There ’ s a way for us to be able to track what is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intervention .
But under expulsion , under Title 42 of the CDC order , what ’ s happening is that the administration is basically just apprehending people , holding them at black sites , either like this Hampton Inn hotel or other hotels across the country , or , quite frankly , maybe moving now to other government prisons , before they ’ re just summarily expelled , disappeared basically from the country , and it becomes almost impossible for groups like us , other immigration attorneys or other human rights advocates to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to start some type of legal process on their behalf .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Well , Zenén Jaimes Pérez , I wanted to ask you , this — we often hear in the United States talk of the Black Belt South , those portions of the United States that were — still overwhelmingly African American .
Really , the area of McAllen , South Texas , the Rio Grande Valley is the Brown Belt of the United States , where counties and cities are 80 % , 90 % Latino , with Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what the local officials know , if anything , about what ’ s going on here with the federal agencies ?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ : Yeah .
So , once sort of everything became viral on Thursday , we quickly came to find out that the city of McAllen , from what they ’ ve told us , that they really didn ’ t have any knowledge of what was going on at the Hampton Inn hotel .
But this is part of the wider picture — right ?
— the things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which DHS agents , including Border Patrol agents — where , you know , Portland is not on the border — they are disappearing folks , protesters , right ?
The thing that ’ s happening , though , at the border in the Rio Grande Valley , in El Paso and in Arizona is that the heavy militarization because of DHS over the last 20 years have already — have been experienced by the community here for decades — right ?
— hypermilitarization , unaccountable federal agents that are basically shooting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been numerous deaths of children and other individuals in ICE and also Border Patrol detention facilities here .
Border wall construction is ongoing and even ramping up in the middle of the pandemic .
And there have been this type of hypermilitarization on Brown communities here at the border for decades and decades and decades .
And so , what we saw on Thursday was also an outcrop of that .
And unfortunately , this is definitely something that is being imposed under the national security apparatus coming to Washington , D.C. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have actually been here and live here and have been undergoing this militarization for decades .
AMY GOODMAN : Zenén , I wanted to get your response to the Hilton company , which owns Hampton Inn brand .
They said , “ Our policy has always been that hotels should not be used as detention centers or for detaining individuals .
We expect all Hilton properties to reject business that would use a hotel in this way.
” Your response ?
And what are you demanding of them ?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Friday , we had that statement from the Hilton company , but we also saw that in the statement they say that they were no longer detaining individuals at that Hampton Inn hotel .
But when we went on Saturday , we definitely found still families there that were waving at us from the window , right ?
And so , we definitely knew that they had to — and on Monday , we saw the Hilton company actually update their statement to clarify what was actually going on .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back-and-forth is happening and that there is definitely accountability that the Hilton company needs to have , because it definitely happened under their noses , right ?
It happened not just in the valley , but also in — as you mentioned , in Arizona and in other locations .
So , definitely , there ’ s some more oversight and accountability that needs to happen there .
But the wider point , I think , here is that these black sites that are being operated by the DHS , whether they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even one of the government prisons that we already have a network of along the border — the wider picture here is that there is no oversight , no accountability to what ’ s going on .
So , we could have families and other detained folks here in our community still , and there would almost be no way for us to find out , unless we do a big investigation like we just did to uncover one site .
So , if this is what it takes to uncover one location @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of just 17 individuals — which , you know , we know that there were more than 17 in there , so we ’ re still actively looking for those other individuals who were moved this weekend under the cover of a hurricane .
So , if this is all happening with no oversight , we can only just kind of imagine what other black sites and what other secrecy is being operated by DHS along the border .
AMY GOODMAN : You ’ re calling for a congressional investigation , so you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ : Exactly , yes .
So , this is the type of oversight that we need , right ?
We need people to start asking questions , like how many people have been expelled , how many unaccompanied minors , where are these locations , and why isn ’ t there access to legal counsel at these areas .
And so , before we start — we can ’ t intervene on behalf of individuals unless we know the full picture .
And unfortunately , right now the administration has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create a cloud of secrecy over their asylum process and asylum — illegal asylum policies here at the border .
And we really need to shine a light on that .
AMY GOODMAN : Well , you mentioned the hurricane , and we want to stay at the Texas-Mexico border to look at what ’ s happened to asylum seekers in the Mexican city of Matamoros , just across from Brownsville , Texas , one of the largest refugee camps , that houses more than a thousand asylum seekers , including newborns and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the river next to it , the Rio Grande , started to rise and flood their tents .
Rain from Hurricane Hanna has continued to devastate the area .
These are people who have been waiting for months for court dates under a U.S. immigration policy informally known as “ Remain in Mexico.
” For more , we ’ re joined by Sister Norma Pimentel .
She is executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley .
Welcome to Democracy Now !
Can you describe what happened last night and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NORMA PIMENTEL : Thank you .
Yes .
We have been very concerned for the almost 2,000 individual refugees that are waiting there in Matamoros — SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL : — and seeing that the river is growing .
Yes ?
AMY GOODMAN : Keep going .
Yes , Sister .
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL : We just want to make sure that they ’ re safe .
And together with the authorities of Matamoros , the immigration in Mexico , we are trying to work with the families to move them to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re afraid , they ’ re afraid that — of what is happening to them , and not wanting to leave the area .
We continue to just monitor the river , and we ’ re prepared to move them to a safer space this morning or throughout this day .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : And , Sister Norma , in terms of how the United States — we ’ re hearing all the attention placed on the storm in the U.S. , very little on the impact on Mexico , right across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we see the families in Mexico .
I mean , all the border is being affected on both sides of the U.S. and the Mexican border , and there ’ s a lot of extensive flooding in both sides .
And so , we ’ ve already seen how the river , they ’ re letting the — water is being released from along the river areas to release all the flooding that is happening in Reynosa and other cities .
Already the river has gone over and covered a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is happening also in Matamoros .
And so , we ’ re trying to do our best to assist the families and help the Mexican authorities that are concerned for the safety of the families .
AMY GOODMAN : I want to turn to Josué Cornejo , Honduran asylum seeker , who ’ s been forcibly living at the Matamoros encampment with his family for a year due to Trump ’ s “ Remain in Mexico ” policy .
AMY GOODMAN : So , that ’ s Josué describing what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. response to Mexico ’ s , Sister Norma ?
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL : Well , I wish that the U.S. can see the danger that these families are exposed to , and that they are allowed to enter the United States and be safe in an area here in the U.S. , so we can take care of them as they go through their asylum process , because it ’ s not safe for them to be there in that area .
AMY GOODMAN : And finally , you wrote a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norma , that “ Covid-19 has come to our migrant camp .
It makes ending the MPP policy even more urgent.
” In these last 30 seconds , explain how hard COVID has hit there .
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL : Well , we are doing our best to control the spread of COVID , and measures are being taken to make sure it doesn ’ t .
We ’ re thankful that we can do that .
But they are truly at the need to move them out of there and allow them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
It ’ s the right way to do it , and I wish that that happened .
AMY GOODMAN : And we ’ ll link to your piece .
MPP is that “ Remain in Mexico ” program .
Sister Norma Pimentel , I want to thank you for being with us , executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley .
And thank you to Zenén Jaimes Pérez , the advocacy director for the Texas Civil Rights Project .
We will continue to follow what ’ s happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That does it for our broadcast .
If you want to sign up for our Democracy Now !
daily newsletter , you can go to democracynow.org or text the word “ democracynow ” to the number 66866 .
That ’ s “ democracynow , ” one word .
Democracy Now !
, produced with Renée Feltz , Mike Burke , Deena Guzder , Libby Rainey , Nermeen Shaikh , Carla Wills , Tami Woronoff , Charina Nadura , Sam Alcoff , Tey-Marie Astudillo , John Hamilton , Robby Karran , Hany Massoud .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Juan González .
Stay safe .
Save lives Wear a mask .

Under a shocking new Trump administration policy, hundreds of people who came to the United States seeking asylum were secretly held in hotels for days on end before being expelled from the country, often with little or no paper trail. This includes more than 200 unaccompanied immigrant children — including babies and toddlers — who were taken to hotels near the Texas-Mexico border by a private contractor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “The Trump administration has been just basically expelling them without due process and without any paper trail,” says Zenén Jaimes Pérez, advocacy director for the Texas Civil Rights Project, which helped uncover the abuse. We also speak with Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! The Quarantine Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
Under a shocking new Trump administration policy, hundreds of people who came to the United States seeking asylum were secretly held in hotels for days on end before being expelled from the country, often with little or no paper trail. Between April and the end of June, more than 200 unaccompanied immigrant children — including babies and toddlers — were held in hotels, then removed.
A private contractor for ICE — that’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement — took the children to three Hampton Inn hotels in Arizona and near the Texas-Mexico border. ICE paid MVM, Inc. to transport and monitor the children. The same company previously held separated immigrant children in squalid conditions in empty office buildings.
As Hurricane Hanna threatened South Texas this weekend, many children held at the hotel were moved to different locations, though it’s not clear where. And then, last night, on Monday night, the ACLU and the Texas Civil Rights Project and their co-counsel successfully sued to stop the expulsion of 17 people detained in the Hampton Inn hotel. Officials agreed instead to transfer them to the custody of ORR — that’s the Office of Refugee Resettlement, where they were supposed to be held.
All of this comes after members of the Texas Civil Rights Project went to the Hampton Inn hotel in McAllen last week and attempted to offer legal help to people detained there. In this video, you can see and hear attorney Andrew Udelsman as he is getting off an elevator on the fourth floor, confronted by men who refuse to identify themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN 1: Can we see your badges, sir? ANDREW UDELSMAN: Sorry? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Sir, you can’t come here. You can’t be here. ANDREW UDELSMAN: Can I ask who you are? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 3: Can I ask who you are, sir? ANDREW UDELSMAN: [shouting in Spanish] UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Get out! UNIDENTIFIED MAN 3: Outside. ANDREW UDELSMAN: [shouting in Spanish] UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Get him out! Get him out! ANDREW UDELSMAN: [shouting in Spanish] UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Get him out! ANDREW UDELSMAN: [shouting in Spanish] UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Hey, if you’re smart, you’re going to get out. ANDREW UDELSMAN: If you’re detained, give me your name! UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Get out, if you’re smart! Get out! ANDREW UDELSMAN: Who are you? Who are you? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Don’t worry about who we are! ANDREW UDELSMAN: Who are you? Are you police? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Don’t worry about who we are. ANDREW UDELSMAN: Are you police? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 4: You need to get out. UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Get out! Get out! Get out! Now! ANDREW UDELSMAN: Are you police? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Don’t worry about who we are! ANDREW UDELSMAN: Are you police? UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Get out!
AMY GOODMAN: An attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project yelling to people and to children, “Are you being detained? Do you want to yell to me your name?” as he’s being thrown out by security.
For more, we go to McAllen, where we’re joined by Zenén Jaimes Pérez, advocacy director for the Texas Civil Rights Project, part of the team that uncovered this new Trump administration policy.
Zenén, it’s great to have you back with us. You were right there in the hotel on the fourth floor. Can you explain how you came to learn ICE was secretly holding children in hotels like these?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ: Hi. Yes. Good morning. Glad to be here.
So, part of what we’re seeing here with the video — right? — with Andy bravely stepping forward and basically taking abuse by these unnamed guards when we were there, is that for many weeks now, especially since the CDC order that effectively the Trump administration used to end asylum, we’ve known that folks who have been coming in through the border to legally seek asylum, including unaccompanied children, that instead of going through the process that is spelled out by law, the Trump administration has been just basically expelling them — right? — without due process and without any paper trail — in effect, basically violating their due process. So, for the last couple of weeks, we’ve known that the number of children who have been under the custody of the federal government in the Office of Refugee Resettlement has decreased over the course of the pandemic.
And so, in that time, in June, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of one of the children that was expelled. And through her experience and working with her, we came to find out that she was held in a hotel. And that sort of set off for us a period of investigation to try to find: Well, what did she mean, right? What do you mean that you’re in a hotel? If you’re an unaccompanied child, that was never supposed to have happened to you in the first place.
And so, after a couple of weeks of investigation and working with the Associated Press, which broke the story last Tuesday, we were actually able to uncover that the Hampton Inn hotel in McAllen, Texas, was being used to house and detain individuals, including unaccompanied children, but also other asylum seekers, including other family units, before they were expelled from the country.
And it’s important to sort of note the distinction between expulsion versus deportation, because under deportation, which is a legal process, there is a paper trail, right? There’s a way for us to be able to track what is going on and try to do some legal intervention. But under expulsion, under Title 42 of the CDC order, what’s happening is that the administration is basically just apprehending people, holding them at black sites, either like this Hampton Inn hotel or other hotels across the country, or, quite frankly, maybe moving now to other government prisons, before they’re just summarily expelled, disappeared basically from the country, and it becomes almost impossible for groups like us, other immigration attorneys or other human rights advocates to try to even find individuals to try to start some type of legal process on their behalf.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Zenén Jaimes Pérez, I wanted to ask you, this — we often hear in the United States talk of the Black Belt South, those portions of the United States that were — still overwhelmingly African American. Really, the area of McAllen, South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley is the Brown Belt of the United States, where counties and cities are 80%, 90% Latino, with Latino elected officials. What is your understanding of what the local officials know, if anything, about what’s going on here with the federal agencies?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ: Yeah. So, once sort of everything became viral on Thursday, we quickly came to find out that the city of McAllen, from what they’ve told us, that they really didn’t have any knowledge of what was going on at the Hampton Inn hotel.
But this is part of the wider picture — right? — the things that we’re seeing in Portland, which DHS agents, including Border Patrol agents — where, you know, Portland is not on the border — they are disappearing folks, protesters, right? The thing that’s happening, though, at the border in the Rio Grande Valley, in El Paso and in Arizona is that the heavy militarization because of DHS over the last 20 years have already — have been experienced by the community here for decades — right? — hypermilitarization, unaccountable federal agents that are basically shooting individuals with impunity. There’s been numerous deaths of children and other individuals in ICE and also Border Patrol detention facilities here. Border wall construction is ongoing and even ramping up in the middle of the pandemic. And there have been this type of hypermilitarization on Brown communities here at the border for decades and decades and decades.
And so, what we saw on Thursday was also an outcrop of that. And unfortunately, this is definitely something that is being imposed under the national security apparatus coming to Washington, D.C., with no regard to the communities that have actually been here and live here and have been undergoing this militarization for decades.
AMY GOODMAN: Zenén, I wanted to get your response to the Hilton company, which owns Hampton Inn brand. They said, “Our policy has always been that hotels should not be used as detention centers or for detaining individuals. We expect all Hilton properties to reject business that would use a hotel in this way.” Your response? And what are you demanding of them?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ: Yeah, you know, definitely. On Friday, we had that statement from the Hilton company, but we also saw that in the statement they say that they were no longer detaining individuals at that Hampton Inn hotel. But when we went on Saturday, we definitely found still families there that were waving at us from the window, right? And so, we definitely knew that they had to — and on Monday, we saw the Hilton company actually update their statement to clarify what was actually going on. And so, we know that this sort of back-and-forth is happening and that there is definitely accountability that the Hilton company needs to have, because it definitely happened under their noses, right? It happened not just in the valley, but also in — as you mentioned, in Arizona and in other locations. So, definitely, there’s some more oversight and accountability that needs to happen there.
But the wider point, I think, here is that these black sites that are being operated by the DHS, whether they’re at a Hilton, Ritz-Carlton or even one of the government prisons that we already have a network of along the border — the wider picture here is that there is no oversight, no accountability to what’s going on. So, we could have families and other detained folks here in our community still, and there would almost be no way for us to find out, unless we do a big investigation like we just did to uncover one site. So, if this is what it takes to uncover one location and try to stop the illegal expulsion of just 17 individuals — which, you know, we know that there were more than 17 in there, so we’re still actively looking for those other individuals who were moved this weekend under the cover of a hurricane. So, if this is all happening with no oversight, we can only just kind of imagine what other black sites and what other secrecy is being operated by DHS along the border.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re calling for a congressional investigation, so you don’t have to imagine?
ZENÉN JAIMES PÉREZ: Exactly, yes. So, this is the type of oversight that we need, right? We need people to start asking questions, like how many people have been expelled, how many unaccompanied minors, where are these locations, and why isn’t there access to legal counsel at these areas. And so, before we start — we can’t intervene on behalf of individuals unless we know the full picture. And unfortunately, right now the administration has been using the COVID pandemic to basically create a cloud of secrecy over their asylum process and asylum — illegal asylum policies here at the border. And we really need to shine a light on that.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, you mentioned the hurricane, and we want to stay at the Texas-Mexico border to look at what’s happened to asylum seekers in the Mexican city of Matamoros, just across from Brownsville, Texas, one of the largest refugee camps, that houses more than a thousand asylum seekers, including newborns and elderly people, told to evacuate overnight when the river next to it, the Rio Grande, started to rise and flood their tents. Rain from Hurricane Hanna has continued to devastate the area. These are people who have been waiting for months for court dates under a U.S. immigration policy informally known as “Remain in Mexico.”
For more, we’re joined by Sister Norma Pimentel. She is executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
Welcome to Democracy Now! Can you describe what happened last night and what people need to know?
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: Thank you. Yes. We have been very concerned for the almost 2,000 individual refugees that are waiting there in Matamoros —
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Sister Norma —
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: — and seeing that the river is growing. Yes?
AMY GOODMAN: Keep going. Yes, Sister.
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: We just want to make sure that they’re safe. And together with the authorities of Matamoros, the immigration in Mexico, we are trying to work with the families to move them to a safer space. And because they’re afraid, they’re afraid that — of what is happening to them, and not wanting to leave the area. We continue to just monitor the river, and we’re prepared to move them to a safer space this morning or throughout this day.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Sister Norma, in terms of how the United States — we’re hearing all the attention placed on the storm in the U.S., very little on the impact on Mexico, right across the border.
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: Well, we see the families in Mexico. I mean, all the border is being affected on both sides of the U.S. and the Mexican border, and there’s a lot of extensive flooding in both sides. And so, we’ve already seen how the river, they’re letting the — water is being released from along the river areas to release all the flooding that is happening in Reynosa and other cities. Already the river has gone over and covered a lot of areas, and so we were afraid that this is happening also in Matamoros. And so, we’re trying to do our best to assist the families and help the Mexican authorities that are concerned for the safety of the families.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to Josué Cornejo, Honduran asylum seeker, who’s been forcibly living at the Matamoros encampment with his family for a year due to Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.
JOSUÉ CORNEJO: [translated] There were some very difficult days and nights, two long, sleepless nights. The rain has passed, but it’s now headed to the mountains. What are the consequences of that? The Rio Grande flows from up there. The most dangerous part could come if the river floods. The camp is right next to the river. There is no protection for us if the river overflows.
AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Josué describing what’s happening there. Can you compare the U.S. response to Mexico’s, Sister Norma?
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: Well, I wish that the U.S. can see the danger that these families are exposed to, and that they are allowed to enter the United States and be safe in an area here in the U.S., so we can take care of them as they go through their asylum process, because it’s not safe for them to be there in that area.
AMY GOODMAN: And finally, you wrote a piece in The Washington Post, Sister Norma, that “Covid-19 has come to our migrant camp. It makes ending the MPP policy even more urgent.” In these last 30 seconds, explain how hard COVID has hit there.
SISTER NORMA PIMENTEL: Well, we are doing our best to control the spread of COVID, and measures are being taken to make sure it doesn’t. We’re thankful that we can do that. But they are truly at the need to move them out of there and allow them to enter the country, the United States. It’s the right way to do it, and I wish that that happened.
AMY GOODMAN: And we’ll link to your piece. MPP is that “Remain in Mexico” program. Sister Norma Pimentel, I want to thank you for being with us, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. And thank you to Zenén Jaimes Pérez, the advocacy director for the Texas Civil Rights Project. We will continue to follow what’s happened to these disappeared children and adults.
That does it for our broadcast. If you want to sign up for our Democracy Now! daily newsletter, you can go to democracynow.org or text the word “democracynow” to the number 66866. That’s “democracynow,” one word.
Democracy Now!, produced with Renée Feltz, Mike Burke, Deena Guzder, Libby Rainey, Nermeen Shaikh, Carla Wills, Tami Woronoff, Charina Nadura, Sam Alcoff, Tey-Marie Astudillo, John Hamilton, Robby Karran, Hany Massoud. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González. Stay safe. Save lives Wear a mask.


truthout--2020-07-28--Barr to Attack Russia Investigation, “Violent Rioters” in First House Testimony

Attorney General William Barr is expected to attack Democrats and the Department of Justice ’ s own investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign ’ s ties to Russia during his first appearance Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee .
Barr is scheduled to testify before Rep. Jerry Nadler ’ s , D-N.Y. , panel after numerous delays and subpoena threats .
The attorney general is set to accuse Democrats of seeking to discredit him and defend his controversial moves since taking office , according to his prepared opening remarks released on Monday .
“ Ever since I made it clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could to get to the bottom of the grave abuses involved in the bogus ‘ Russiagate scandal , ’ many of the Democrats on this committee have attempted to discredit me by conjuring up a narrative that I am simply the president ’ s factotum , who disposes of criminal cases according to his instructions , ” Barr says in the opening statement .
“ Judging from the letter inviting me to this hearing , that appears to be your agenda today.
” Barr is likely to be grilled on a wide-ranging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployment to cities like Portland and Chicago ; his role in the tear-gassing of peaceful protesters ahead of President Donald Trump ’ s church photo-op ; his decision to fire Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman ; his intervention into the cases of former Trump advisers Roger Stone and Michael Flynn ; and the alleged politicization of the Justice Department .
“ The president has not attempted to interfere in these decisions , ” Barr says in the prepared remarks .
“ From my experience , the president has played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidents , ” the remarks say , even though Trump has attacked the Justice Department on Twitter and demanded that it prosecute his enemies throughout his presidency .
“ The president has occasionally , and appropriately , confirmed that the department is aware of the matter .
But the handling of the matter , and my decisions on criminal matters , have been left to my independent judgment.
” But as he seeks to downplay the president ’ s role in the decision-making process at the department , Barr says he views his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views as the politicization of the department against Trump .
“ I became deeply troubled by what I perceived as the increasing use of the criminal justice process as a political weapon and the emergence of two separate standards of justice , ” his statement says .
“ When asked to consider returning , I did so because I revere the department and believed my independence would allow me to help steer her back to her core mission of applying one standard of justice for everyone and enforcing the law even-handedly , without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak about the federal deployment in response to protests over the death of George Floyd and police brutality .
He is expected to reject claims that the law enforcement system is racist and insist that the presence of federal authorities is warranted , even though officials in Oregon have said the deployment has escalated tensions after protests were already calming down .
“ Until just the last 50 years or so , our laws and institutions were explicitly discriminatory , ” Barr says in the statement , before claiming that everyone has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite numerous staggering documented racial disparities .
Barr cites the increase of Black police officers and says that events such as the killing of Floyd “ are fortunately quite rare , ” even though unarmed Black people are disproportionately more likely to be killed by police than white people .
“ The number of unarmed Black men killed by police so far this year is eight .
The number of unarmed white men killed by police over the same time period is 11 , ” Barr says in the statement , neglecting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the population while white people make up 60 % of the population .
Though he acknowledges that concerns about racism in policing from the Black community are “ legitimate , ” he goes on to describe protests over Floyd ’ s death as violent , even though the overwhelming majority have been peaceful .
Barr complains about people “ demonizing the police ” and “ irresponsible efforts to defund the police ” as he points to the number of Black people killed by other Black people each year .
Barr describes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law ” since Floyd ’ s death , citing “ violent rioters and anarchists ” that have “ hijacked legitimate protests to wreak senseless havoc , ” even as federal officers in Portland have been seen on footage tear-gassing peaceful moms and veterans who came out in support of demonstrators near a federal courthouse protected by federal forces .
“ What unfolds nightly around the courthouse can not reasonably be called a protest : it is , by any objective measure , an assault on the government of the United States , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these scenes of destruction are even superficial attempts by the rioters to connect their actions to George Floyd ’ s death or any legitimate call for reform.
” Barr goes on to criticize the media for blaming the federal government over the response , even though the blame has come from Portland and Oregon ’ s own elected officials and police chief .
Democrats are ready to fire back at Barr ahead of his testimony , as well .
Rep. Eric Swalwell , D-Calif. , a member of the Judiciary Committee , penned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr as the president ’ s “ fixer.
” “ Michael Cohen was Donald Trump ’ s fixer , until he got caught , pleaded guilty and went to prison .
Now Bill Barr has taken the job , ” Swalwell wrote .
“ Unfortunately , Bill Barr already had a job — as attorney general of the United States , our nation ’ s top law enforcement official .
And we must not let him do both jobs at once .
”

The attorney general is set to defend his controversial actions and accuse Democrats of seeking to discredit him.
Attorney General William Barr is expected to attack Democrats and the Department of Justice’s own investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s ties to Russia during his first appearance Tuesday before the House Judiciary Committee.
Barr is scheduled to testify before Rep. Jerry Nadler’s, D-N.Y., panel after numerous delays and subpoena threats. The attorney general is set to accuse Democrats of seeking to discredit him and defend his controversial moves since taking office, according to his prepared opening remarks released on Monday.
“Ever since I made it clear that I was going to do everything I could to get to the bottom of the grave abuses involved in the bogus ‘Russiagate scandal,’ many of the Democrats on this committee have attempted to discredit me by conjuring up a narrative that I am simply the president’s factotum, who disposes of criminal cases according to his instructions,” Barr says in the opening statement. “Judging from the letter inviting me to this hearing, that appears to be your agenda today.”
Barr is likely to be grilled on a wide-ranging number of issues, including the federal deployment to cities like Portland and Chicago; his role in the tear-gassing of peaceful protesters ahead of President Donald Trump’s church photo-op; his decision to fire Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman; his intervention into the cases of former Trump advisers Roger Stone and Michael Flynn; and the alleged politicization of the Justice Department.
“The president has not attempted to interfere in these decisions,” Barr says in the prepared remarks.
“From my experience, the president has played a role properly and traditionally played by presidents,” the remarks say, even though Trump has attacked the Justice Department on Twitter and demanded that it prosecute his enemies throughout his presidency. “The president has occasionally, and appropriately, confirmed that the department is aware of the matter. But the handling of the matter, and my decisions on criminal matters, have been left to my independent judgment.”
But as he seeks to downplay the president’s role in the decision-making process at the department, Barr says he views his role as fighting back against what he views as the politicization of the department against Trump.
“I became deeply troubled by what I perceived as the increasing use of the criminal justice process as a political weapon and the emergence of two separate standards of justice,” his statement says. “When asked to consider returning, I did so because I revere the department and believed my independence would allow me to help steer her back to her core mission of applying one standard of justice for everyone and enforcing the law even-handedly, without partisan considerations.”
Barr is also set to speak about the federal deployment in response to protests over the death of George Floyd and police brutality. He is expected to reject claims that the law enforcement system is racist and insist that the presence of federal authorities is warranted, even though officials in Oregon have said the deployment has escalated tensions after protests were already calming down.
“Until just the last 50 years or so, our laws and institutions were explicitly discriminatory,” Barr says in the statement, before claiming that everyone has been equal under the law since then despite numerous staggering documented racial disparities.
Barr cites the increase of Black police officers and says that events such as the killing of Floyd “are fortunately quite rare,” even though unarmed Black people are disproportionately more likely to be killed by police than white people.
“The number of unarmed Black men killed by police so far this year is eight. The number of unarmed white men killed by police over the same time period is 11,” Barr says in the statement, neglecting to mention that Black people make up 13% of the population while white people make up 60% of the population.
Though he acknowledges that concerns about racism in policing from the Black community are “legitimate,” he goes on to describe protests over Floyd’s death as violent, even though the overwhelming majority have been peaceful.
Barr complains about people “demonizing the police” and “irresponsible efforts to defund the police” as he points to the number of Black people killed by other Black people each year.
Barr describes a “breakdown in the rule of law” since Floyd’s death, citing “violent rioters and anarchists” that have “hijacked legitimate protests to wreak senseless havoc,” even as federal officers in Portland have been seen on footage tear-gassing peaceful moms and veterans who came out in support of demonstrators near a federal courthouse protected by federal forces.
“What unfolds nightly around the courthouse cannot reasonably be called a protest: it is, by any objective measure, an assault on the government of the United States,” he claims. “Largely absent from these scenes of destruction are even superficial attempts by the rioters to connect their actions to George Floyd’s death or any legitimate call for reform.”
Barr goes on to criticize the media for blaming the federal government over the response, even though the blame has come from Portland and Oregon’s own elected officials and police chief.
Democrats are ready to fire back at Barr ahead of his testimony, as well.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., a member of the Judiciary Committee, penned an op-ed in Newsweek on Monday casting Barr as the president’s “fixer.”
“Michael Cohen was Donald Trump’s fixer, until he got caught, pleaded guilty and went to prison. Now Bill Barr has taken the job,” Swalwell wrote. “Unfortunately, Bill Barr already had a job — as attorney general of the United States, our nation’s top law enforcement official. And we must not let him do both jobs at once.”
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.
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truthout--2020-07-28--“I Have Not Been Misleading the American Public”: Fauci Responds to Trump Tweets

On Tuesday morning , Anthony Fauci , a member of President Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus task force and the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , responded to criticisms made against him on social media that were shared by the commander-in-chief .
Trump retweeted a post on Twitter that suggested Fauci wasn ’ t being truthful on several topics , including a controversial drug called hydroxychloroquine that the president had peddled , without scientific backing , as a means to treat COVID-19 .
“ Dr .
Fauci has misled the American public on many issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # hydroxychloroquine and calling Remdesivir the new gold standard , ” the social media post that Trump had shared said .
While initial study of Remdesivir has shown some limited promise for treatment of COVID-19 , a number of studies for hydroxychloroquine have actually shown it may be more dangerous for use against the disease than conventional treatment .
Fauci addressed the indirect critique from Trump head-on in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on “ Good Morning America ” Tuesday , first pointing out that he personally tries to avoid social media sites @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t tweet , I don ’ t even read them , ” Fauci said of Trump ’ s critical tweets and others like them .
“ So I don ’ t really want to go there .
I just will continue to do my job no matter what comes out , because I think it ’ s very important.
” On whether people should trust him or not , Fauci assured the host he wasn ’ t being dishonest when speaking about the coronavirus pandemic .
“ I have not been misleading the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
The Food and Drug Administration ended emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine last month , after determining that the drug “ showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery.
” Trump had pushed the drug , without citing any medical evidence for its benefits , during a number of coronavirus press briefings earlier this year , as well as on social media .
He tamped down his promotion of the drug somewhat after studies showed that it was not helpful , but latched onto it once again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highly suspect Henry Ford Health System study that some say was flawed , particularly because it did not use a randomized sample .
“ The highly respected Henry Ford Health System just reported , based on a large sampling , that HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE cut the death rate in certain sick patients very significantly , ” Trump tweeted out immediately after .
At the time , Trump also accused those who had been skeptical of the drug of being so in order to make him look bad .
“ The Dems disparaged it for political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said , adding that the FDA should “ act now on it ” to restore its emergency use authorization .
While Trump has stated publicly that he and Fauci have a good relationship with one another , the president ’ s actions say otherwise , with the White House going so far as to launch a smear campaign against the doctor earlier this month .
Those efforts backfired , however , and the president finally had a phone conversation with Fauci , the first time Trump had talked to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in months .
So deep-seated is Trump ’ s apparent resentment toward Fauci that the president apparently lied about having been invited to , but being unable to throw out , a first pitch at a New York Yankees game later this year , after Fauci had thrown the first pitch for a Washington Nationals game this week .
Trump had claimed he could not attend the game in New York , set to happen in August , because he was too focused on the pandemic and the economy , but in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization for that specific time .
An open-ended invitation by the Yankees organization had been extended to the president , but even they were caught off-guard by his saying he was scheduled to attend a game .
More Americans view Fauci as a trustworthy figure on COVID-19 than do Trump , according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll .
Just 32 percent of the country says they trust the president “ a lot ” or “ somewhat ” to give out medical advice , while 54 percent say the same for Fauci .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say they “ somewhat ” distrust or distrust Trump “ a lot ” when he gives out said advice .

On Tuesday morning, Anthony Fauci, a member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force and the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responded to criticisms made against him on social media that were shared by the commander-in-chief.
Trump retweeted a post on Twitter that suggested Fauci wasn’t being truthful on several topics, including a controversial drug called hydroxychloroquine that the president had peddled, without scientific backing, as a means to treat COVID-19.
“Dr. Fauci has misled the American public on many issues, but in particular, on dismissing #hydroxychloroquine and calling Remdesivir the new gold standard,” the social media post that Trump had shared said.
While initial study of Remdesivir has shown some limited promise for treatment of COVID-19, a number of studies for hydroxychloroquine have actually shown it may be more dangerous for use against the disease than conventional treatment.
Fauci addressed the indirect critique from Trump head-on in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America” Tuesday, first pointing out that he personally tries to avoid social media sites like Twitter.
“I don’t tweet, I don’t even read them,” Fauci said of Trump’s critical tweets and others like them. “So I don’t really want to go there. I just will continue to do my job no matter what comes out, because I think it’s very important.”
On whether people should trust him or not, Fauci assured the host he wasn’t being dishonest when speaking about the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have not been misleading the American public under any circumstances,” he said.
The Food and Drug Administration ended emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine last month, after determining that the drug “showed no benefit for decreasing the likelihood of death or speeding recovery.”
Trump had pushed the drug, without citing any medical evidence for its benefits, during a number of coronavirus press briefings earlier this year, as well as on social media. He tamped down his promotion of the drug somewhat after studies showed that it was not helpful, but latched onto it once again in July following the release of a highly suspect Henry Ford Health System study that some say was flawed, particularly because it did not use a randomized sample.
“The highly respected Henry Ford Health System just reported, based on a large sampling, that HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE cut the death rate in certain sick patients very significantly,” Trump tweeted out immediately after.
At the time, Trump also accused those who had been skeptical of the drug of being so in order to make him look bad. “The Dems disparaged it for political reasons (me!). Disgraceful,” he said, adding that the FDA should “act now on it” to restore its emergency use authorization.
While Trump has stated publicly that he and Fauci have a good relationship with one another, the president’s actions say otherwise, with the White House going so far as to launch a smear campaign against the doctor earlier this month. Those efforts backfired, however, and the president finally had a phone conversation with Fauci, the first time Trump had talked to the nation’s top infectious diseases expert in months.
So deep-seated is Trump’s apparent resentment toward Fauci that the president apparently lied about having been invited to, but being unable to throw out, a first pitch at a New York Yankees game later this year, after Fauci had thrown the first pitch for a Washington Nationals game this week.
Trump had claimed he could not attend the game in New York, set to happen in August, because he was too focused on the pandemic and the economy, but in fact he was never formally invited by the organization for that specific time. An open-ended invitation by the Yankees organization had been extended to the president, but even they were caught off-guard by his saying he was scheduled to attend a game.
More Americans view Fauci as a trustworthy figure on COVID-19 than do Trump, according to a recent Economist/YouGov poll.
Just 32 percent of the country says they trust the president “a lot” or “somewhat” to give out medical advice, while 54 percent say the same for Fauci. A majority of Americans, 52 percent, say they “somewhat” distrust or distrust Trump “a lot” when he gives out said advice.
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--2020-07-28--DNC Platform Committee Votes Down Medicare for All Amendment

A Democratic National Committee panel on Monday voted down an amendment that would have inserted a plank supporting Medicare for All into the party ’ s 2020 platform , a move progressives decried as out of touch with public opinion and a slap in the face to the millions of people who have lost their health insurance due to the Covid-19 pandemic .
The DNC Platform Committee rejected the Medicare for All amendment introduced by longtime single-payer advocate Michael Lighty by a vote of 36-125 during a virtual meeting Monday .
The committee also voted down separate attempts to include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dropping the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 55 , and legalizing marijuana .
“ Shameful .
And during a pandemic , ” tweeted progressive radio host Kyle Kulinksi in response to the defeat of the Medicare for All amendment .
“ History will not judge this kindly .
It ’ s like opposing the New Deal during the Great Depression .
Unforgivable.
” Winnie Wong , former senior adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ ( I-Vt. ) presidential campaign , tweeted late Monday that she “ can ’ t even imagine what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 125 DNC Platform Committee members who voted Medicare or All down.
” “ Today .
Now .
When the country is in the deathgrip of a global pandemic and people are dying because they can ’ t afford to the upkeep of their sick-care , ” Wong wrote .
“ Shameful.
” Lighty said ahead of the vote that with more than 100 million people and counting either uninsured or underinsured amid a deadly pandemic , “ it is vital that the Democratic Party join the NAACP , the Poor People ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , community-based organizations all over the country and demand guaranteed healthcare for all through an improved Medicare for All system.
” Speaking in support of Lighty ’ s amendment during the platform meeting Monday , Dr. Abdul El-Sayed , former health director for the city of Detroit and 2018 Michigan gubernatorial candidate , said the Covid-19 pandemic has “ revealed that our house of healthcare was built of straw.
” “ We have a for-profit healthcare system that ’ s left 27 million more people without healthcare because we attached healthcare to jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late Tuesday , more than 600 DNC delegates had signed a petition vowing to vote against the Democratic platform if it doesn ’ t include support for Medicare for All , a policy solution supported by around 80 % of Democratic voters and a majority of House Democrats .
Most of the petition ’ s signatories are Sanders delegates , according to organizers , but some Biden delegates have also signed on .
Mike Casca , a spokesman for Sanders , said in a statement that the Vermont senator “ believes that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicare for All.
” “ The senator appreciates that , amid a deadly pandemic which is creating a national health emergency , his delegates understand that now more than ever we must guarantee healthcare as a human right , ” Casca said .
The draft ( pdf ) version of the Democratic platform includes one mention of Medicare for All but does not endorse the policy that would provide comprehensive healthcare to everyone in the U.S. for free at the point of service .
“ Generations of Democrats have been united in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ draft reads .
“ We are proud our party welcomes advocates who want to build on and strengthen the Affordable Care Act and those who support a Medicare for All approach ; all are critical to ensuring that healthcare is a human right.
” Progressives said the brief nod is nowhere near enough .
“ Democrats who understand the profound need for Medicare for All don ’ t want a pat on the head , ” Norman Solomon , national director of progressive advocacy group RootsAction.org and a Sanders delegate from California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want a genuine political commitment to healthcare as a human right.
” In an op-ed for Common Dreams on Tuesday , RootsAction.org co-founder Jeff Cohen wrote that “ the fact that our nation is the only advanced industrial country without universal healthcare can not be blamed on Republican obstruction alone.
” “ It was also caused by Democratic leaders who ’ ve spent decades catering to corporate interests ( while collecting their campaign donations ) — and refusing to fight for universal coverage , ” Cohen added .
“ This history of Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected delegates to next month ’ s Democratic convention have put their foot down .
”

The vote comes as 100 million people and counting are either uninsured or underinsured in the U.S. amid a pandemic.
A Democratic National Committee panel on Monday voted down an amendment that would have inserted a plank supporting Medicare for All into the party’s 2020 platform, a move progressives decried as out of touch with public opinion and a slap in the face to the millions of people who have lost their health insurance due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DNC Platform Committee rejected the Medicare for All amendment introduced by longtime single-payer advocate Michael Lighty by a vote of 36-125 during a virtual meeting Monday. The committee also voted down separate attempts to include support for expanding Medicare to children, dropping the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 55, and legalizing marijuana.
“Shameful. And during a pandemic,” tweeted progressive radio host Kyle Kulinksi in response to the defeat of the Medicare for All amendment. “History will not judge this kindly. It’s like opposing the New Deal during the Great Depression. Unforgivable.”
Winnie Wong, former senior adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) presidential campaign, tweeted late Monday that she “can’t even imagine what went on in the heads of those 125 DNC Platform Committee members who voted Medicare or All down.”
“Today. Now. When the country is in the deathgrip of a global pandemic and people are dying because they can’t afford to the upkeep of their sick-care,” Wong wrote. “Shameful.”
Lighty said ahead of the vote that with more than 100 million people and counting either uninsured or underinsured amid a deadly pandemic, “it is vital that the Democratic Party join the NAACP, the Poor People’s Campaign, the Rising Majority, Mijente, community-based organizations all over the country and demand guaranteed healthcare for all through an improved Medicare for All system.”
Speaking in support of Lighty’s amendment during the platform meeting Monday, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, former health director for the city of Detroit and 2018 Michigan gubernatorial candidate, said the Covid-19 pandemic has “revealed that our house of healthcare was built of straw.”
“We have a for-profit healthcare system that’s left 27 million more people without healthcare because we attached healthcare to jobs,” said El-Sayed.
As of late Tuesday, more than 600 DNC delegates had signed a petition vowing to vote against the Democratic platform if it doesn’t include support for Medicare for All, a policy solution supported by around 80% of Democratic voters and a majority of House Democrats. Most of the petition’s signatories are Sanders delegates, according to organizers, but some Biden delegates have also signed on.
Mike Casca, a spokesman for Sanders, said in a statement that the Vermont senator “believes that the Democratic Party platform should advocate strongly for Medicare for All.”
“The senator appreciates that, amid a deadly pandemic which is creating a national health emergency, his delegates understand that now more than ever we must guarantee healthcare as a human right,” Casca said.
The draft (pdf) version of the Democratic platform includes one mention of Medicare for All but does not endorse the policy that would provide comprehensive healthcare to everyone in the U.S. for free at the point of service.
“Generations of Democrats have been united in the fight for universal healthcare,” the draft reads. “We are proud our party welcomes advocates who want to build on and strengthen the Affordable Care Act and those who support a Medicare for All approach; all are critical to ensuring that healthcare is a human right.”
Progressives said the brief nod is nowhere near enough. “Democrats who understand the profound need for Medicare for All don’t want a pat on the head,” Norman Solomon, national director of progressive advocacy group RootsAction.org and a Sanders delegate from California, told Politico on Monday. “We want a genuine political commitment to healthcare as a human right.”
In an op-ed for Common Dreams on Tuesday, RootsAction.org co-founder Jeff Cohen wrote that “the fact that our nation is the only advanced industrial country without universal healthcare cannot be blamed on Republican obstruction alone.”
“It was also caused by Democratic leaders who’ve spent decades catering to corporate interests (while collecting their campaign donations) — and refusing to fight for universal coverage,” Cohen added. “This history of Democratic obstruction and vacillation is why hundreds of elected delegates to next month’s Democratic convention have put their foot down.”
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--2020-07-28--People of Color Are Facing Economic Devastation While Police Get a Blank Check

Increasingly , activists are drawing connections between police killings and rising inequality across class and racial lines .
On July 20 , thousands walked off the job for Strike for Black Lives , connecting police brutality with the increasingly dire economic straits facing many workers of color .
Backed by major unions , striking workers called on employers to protect the safety of frontline workers during the pandemic , provide a $ 15 minimum wage , universal health care , paid sick leave and the right to form a union , among other demands .
The day of action included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities from Oakland , California , to Durham , North Carolina , where activists took a knee , raised their fists in the air and observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence , the amount of time police knelt on George Floyd ’ s neck .
Organizers have pointed to the fact that Floyd was accused of using a fake $ 20 bill to buy cigarettes at a Minneapolis convenience store .
After he was murdered by police , his brother , Philonise Floyd , told the House Judiciary Committee , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over $ 20 .
Is that what a Black man is worth ?
Twenty dollars ?
” According to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies , “ the median Black family today owns $ 3,600 — just 2 percent of the $ 147,000 of wealth the median White family owns .
The median Latino family has assets worth $ 6,600 — just 4 percent as much as the median White family.
” That same report also found that U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by $ 637 billion during the economic lockdowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Our economy and health care system marginalize the economically vulnerable so this recession caused by a health crisis leaves the most economically and health-fragile community members to face the worst of both of these crises , ” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad , chief of race , wealth and community at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition .
Before Floyd was killed by police , he was among the millions of Americans who lost their jobs due to the economic recession sparked by COVID-19 .
While over 40 million people in the U.S. have filed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been affected at higher rates .
In April , more than half of the adult African American population was unemployed , according to the Economic Policy Institute ( EPI ) .
While the overall unemployment rate dropped to 11.1 percent in June , it continued to climb for Black men reaching 16.3 percent , according to EPI .
“ The great concentration of private and public wealth and the segregation of opportunity require a police state to maintain these divisions and violence is needed to sustain these divisions , ” Asante-Muhammad said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ death , Minneapolis labor unions connected his killing with the “ devastating effects of racism and oppression targeting people of color in our communities , ” according to a May 27 statement by UNITE HERE Local 17 , which represents 6,000 workers in the food service industry in the Twin Cities .
People of color and immigrants dominate sectors like food service and hospitality , and have been especially hard hit by COVID-19 .
UNITE HERE has joined other unions to link Floyd ’ s killing — and the killing and harming of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people — with unsafe working conditions made worse by COVID-19 and austerity measures , while policing often gets a blank check .
A staggering 98 percent of UNITE HERE ’ s 300,000 members across the U.S. have been laid off since March , and many struggle to pay for food , rent and utilities , and risk losing employer-based health care .
“ If Congress does not act , I will lose my health insurance on July 31 , and without insurance there ’ s no way I ’ ll be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Patricia Williams , a cashier at the U.S. State Department Cafeteria and member of UNITE HERE Local 23 during the June 17 Workers First Caravan for Racial and Economic Justice .
Fighting tears , Williams , who is African American , urged Congress to protect health care access for workers impacted by COVID-19 .
“ I was told that if I wanted to keep my insurance through COBRA , it would cost me $ 966 per month , but I can ’ t afford that , especially since I have no idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work.
” Hundreds of union members and allies took part in the car caravans in all 50 states , organizers said , demanding passage of the HEROES Act , a $ 3 trillion stimulus proposed by House Democrats that Republicans deemed “ dead on arrival ” in the Senate .
It includes $ 1 trillion for state and local governments facing budget cuts due to the recession , and $ 200 billion in hazard pay for frontline workers , who are disproportionately people of color .
“ I ’ m here today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I are concerned whether we will have a safe environment when we return to our classrooms , ” said Chrystal Puryear , a pre-kindergarten teacher at Neval Thomas Elementary School in Washington , D.C. , and a member of Washington Teachers ’ Union Local 6 .
“ We need [ personal protective equipment ] provided and environments that are clean and safe for everyone.
” Schools face increased costs to reopen safely , while cratering revenue means states are imposing deep cuts to education spending .
Nearly half of the 1.5 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ furloughed this year are school employees , according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities .
Puryear also echoed growing calls to remove police from schools , a stance recently backed by the American Federation of Teachers .
“ We are demanding full funding , including counselors back in our schools , because police are not the answer for discipline issues , ” she said .
Over the past month , educators have backed successful campaigns to remove police from public schools in Minneapolis , Denver , Oakland , Milwaukee and Portland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal to cancel the $ 33 million contract for school resource officers in Chicago Public Schools ( CPS ) .
The board voted down the proposal 4 to 3 on June 25 while hundreds protested their decision in downtown Chicago .
“ Schools have multiple police officers yet they don ’ t have a social worker all five days a week , ” said Sarah Chambers , a high school special education teacher and vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union .
Chambers took part in the June demonstration to demand that $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers , psychiatrists or nurses .
“ CPS also pays millions of dollars in police misconduct every year .
Statistics also show police are more likely to arrest students with disabilities and students of color , ” Chambers said .
Since June , unions have linked demands for defunding the police with calls to action around COVID-19 , which has disproportionately impacted Black communities .
Some unions have held vigils to remember the nearly 600 health care workers who have died fighting COVID-19 , and participated in actions to observe eight minutes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police brutality , including Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old emergency room technician who Louisville police shot eight times during a no-knock raid on March 13 .
With 400,000 members across the country , 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East is the nation ’ s largest health care union .
Its 10,000 members in the Maryland and D.C. area , many of whom are low-wage workers of color , have also been deeply impacted by the pandemic .
“ My experience with COVID-19 was horrible .
I couldn ’ t breathe … I felt like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack , ” said Shonda Charles , an 1199 member and geriatric nursing assistant ( GNA ) of 28 years who contracted the coronavirus from a patient on April 23 .
Organizers say coronavirus ’ s impact on nursing homes is a racial justice issue .
A lack of personal protective equipment , coronavirus testing and safety protocols turned nursing homes into COVID-19 hotbeds , with deadly impacts on both residents and staff , who are disproportionately people of color .
The New York Times found nursing homes where Black and Latinx people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the residents are twice as likely to be hit by the coronavirus .
One study estimates nursing homes accounted for over 50,000 COVID-19 deaths , including hundreds of workers , comprising 45 percent of the nation ’ s death toll .
“ We ’ ve had a large number of our members that have tested positive , or that have passed away , ” said Ricarra Jones , 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East ’ s political director , in an interview with Truthout .
A typical wage for a nursing home employee is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of them aren ’ t receiving hazard pay so they ’ re out risking their lives to protect our loved ones , and most of them are making pretty low wages.
” On a state level , Jones and the Fight for $ 15 movement helped lead efforts to pass a $ 15 minimum wage bill in 2019 over the veto of Maryland ’ s Republican Gov .
Larry Hogan .
Now that coalition is fighting back against efforts to suspend the scheduled increase to the state ’ s minimum wage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disproportionately hurt workers of color , according to the Maryland Center on Economic Policy , which found 1 in 4 Black and Latinx workers would benefit from a $ 15 minimum wage .
“ It would mean a great deal for GNAs like me to receive more pay , ” Charles told the audience of a Fight for $ 15 virtual rally livestreamed on Facebook even as she continued her recovery .
“ We are risking our lives … essential workers like me deserve more money , ” said Charles , who also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her employer tried to terminate her for missing two weeks of work due to her illness .
Earlier this year , lawmakers in Virginia delayed the implementation of minimum wage increase from $ 7.25 to $ 9.50 an hour .
Corporate lobbyists in states including Oregon and California are pressuring lawmakers to withhold minimum wage increases in those states as well .
“ We just can ’ t imagine that the way we would repay these people who risked their lives and the lives of their families to make sure that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and have groceries , by freezing their wages at $ 11 an hour , ” said Jones , who expressed optimism on June 23 , when it was reported that it appeared the state would not be delaying its minimum wage increase .
These demands are integrally tied to calls for reducing police budgets .
Jones is among the local leaders who have long called on Baltimore City to spend less on police and more on social services .
Today that movement is growing , and on June 12 , protesters painted “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in front of City Hall during a budget hearing , urging officials to cut Baltimore ’ s police budget in half to fund social services .
Baltimore City spends more than $ 500 million a year on its police force , more than it spends on its health department , civil rights , parks and recreation , and its local school system combined .
Some labor activists argue it ’ s not enough for organized labor to support the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement ; they must also expel law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unions play a major role in enforcing an unjust economic system .
“ I think it ultimately comes down to the fact that we aren ’ t reckoning with police violence in its totality , ” said Sydney Roberts , an organizer with the group No Cop Unions , which collected over 7,000 signatures on a petition urging the AFL-CIO to disaffiliate law enforcement unions .
A potent political force , police and prison guard unions are considered among the greatest barriers to reform and defunding the police , and are staunch defenders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing pressure , SEIU , which endorsed the Movement for Black Lives platform and sponsored Strike for Black Lives , is considering separating itself from the law enforcement unions .
“ We can ’ t say that we ’ re committed to racial justice , as it is connected to economic justice … if we ’ re not actively working to remove the presence of police and [ Immigration and Customs Enforcement ] and Border Patrol within our own ranks , ” said Roberts , who is also a communications specialist for Working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the AFL-CIO .
In a recent report titled “ White Supremacy is the Pre-Existing Condition : Eight Solutions to Ensure the Economic Recovery Reduces the Racial Wealth Divide , ” Asante-Muhammad and his co-authors argue that structural racism can be , in part , combatted by reversing policies that increase racialized economic inequality .
The report argues the government must collect and audit data on racial disparities in government programs responding to the pandemic , create universal programs that guarantee health care and access to a living wage job , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gap , among other proposals .
“ Essential to bringing forth a true economic recovery and social healing is building a public infrastructure that bridges the racial wealth divide , ” the report says .
Activists say diverting resources from law enforcement into community-led development plans , such as equitable investments in education and economic opportunities , could be a first step in truly achieving public safety and well-being .

Part of the Series The Road to Abolition
Increasingly, activists are drawing connections between police killings and rising inequality across class and racial lines.
On July 20, thousands walked off the job for Strike for Black Lives, connecting police brutality with the increasingly dire economic straits facing many workers of color. Backed by major unions, striking workers called on employers to protect the safety of frontline workers during the pandemic, provide a $15 minimum wage, universal health care, paid sick leave and the right to form a union, among other demands.
The day of action included dozens of virtual and in-person demonstrations in cities from Oakland, California, to Durham, North Carolina, where activists took a knee, raised their fists in the air and observed eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the amount of time police knelt on George Floyd’s neck.
Organizers have pointed to the fact that Floyd was accused of using a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a Minneapolis convenience store. After he was murdered by police, his brother, Philonise Floyd, told the House Judiciary Committee, “He didn’t deserve to die over $20. Is that what a Black man is worth? Twenty dollars?”
According to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies, “the median Black family today owns $3,600 — just 2 percent of the $147,000 of wealth the median White family owns. The median Latino family has assets worth $6,600 — just 4 percent as much as the median White family.” That same report also found that U.S. billionaires increased their wealth by $637 billion during the economic lockdowns that have devastated the U.S. economy.
“Our economy and health care system marginalize the economically vulnerable so this recession caused by a health crisis leaves the most economically and health-fragile community members to face the worst of both of these crises,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, chief of race, wealth and community at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
Before Floyd was killed by police, he was among the millions of Americans who lost their jobs due to the economic recession sparked by COVID-19. While over 40 million people in the U.S. have filed unemployment claims, workers of color have been affected at higher rates. In April, more than half of the adult African American population was unemployed, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). While the overall unemployment rate dropped to 11.1 percent in June, it continued to climb for Black men reaching 16.3 percent, according to EPI.
“The great concentration of private and public wealth and the segregation of opportunity require a police state to maintain these divisions and violence is needed to sustain these divisions,” Asante-Muhammad said.
The median Black family today owns $3,600 — just 2 percent of the $147,000 of wealth the median White family owns.
In the days after Floyd’s death, Minneapolis labor unions connected his killing with the “devastating effects of racism and oppression targeting people of color in our communities,” according to a May 27 statement by UNITE HERE Local 17, which represents 6,000 workers in the food service industry in the Twin Cities.
People of color and immigrants dominate sectors like food service and hospitality, and have been especially hard hit by COVID-19. UNITE HERE has joined other unions to link Floyd’s killing — and the killing and harming of so many other Black and otherwise marginalized people — with unsafe working conditions made worse by COVID-19 and austerity measures, while policing often gets a blank check. A staggering 98 percent of UNITE HERE’s 300,000 members across the U.S. have been laid off since March, and many struggle to pay for food, rent and utilities, and risk losing employer-based health care.
“If Congress does not act, I will lose my health insurance on July 31, and without insurance there’s no way I’ll be able to afford my treatments and medications,” said Patricia Williams, a cashier at the U.S. State Department Cafeteria and member of UNITE HERE Local 23 during the June 17 Workers First Caravan for Racial and Economic Justice. Fighting tears, Williams, who is African American, urged Congress to protect health care access for workers impacted by COVID-19. “I was told that if I wanted to keep my insurance through COBRA, it would cost me $966 per month, but I can’t afford that, especially since I have no idea when I’ll be called back to work.”
Hundreds of union members and allies took part in the car caravans in all 50 states, organizers said, demanding passage of the HEROES Act, a $3 trillion stimulus proposed by House Democrats that Republicans deemed “dead on arrival” in the Senate. It includes $1 trillion for state and local governments facing budget cuts due to the recession, and $200 billion in hazard pay for frontline workers, who are disproportionately people of color.
“I’m here today participating in the caravan because my coworkers and I are concerned whether we will have a safe environment when we return to our classrooms,” said Chrystal Puryear, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Neval Thomas Elementary School in Washington, D.C., and a member of Washington Teachers’ Union Local 6. “We need [personal protective equipment] provided and environments that are clean and safe for everyone.”
Schools face increased costs to reopen safely, while cratering revenue means states are imposing deep cuts to education spending. Nearly half of the 1.5 million public sector employees already laid off or furloughed this year are school employees, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Puryear also echoed growing calls to remove police from schools, a stance recently backed by the American Federation of Teachers.
Unions have linked demands for defunding the police with calls to action around COVID-19, which has disproportionately impacted Black communities.
“We are demanding full funding, including counselors back in our schools, because police are not the answer for discipline issues,” she said.
Over the past month, educators have backed successful campaigns to remove police from public schools in Minneapolis, Denver, Oakland, Milwaukee and Portland. The Chicago Teachers Union backed a proposal to cancel the $33 million contract for school resource officers in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The board voted down the proposal 4 to 3 on June 25 while hundreds protested their decision in downtown Chicago.
“Schools have multiple police officers yet they don’t have a social worker all five days a week,” said Sarah Chambers, a high school special education teacher and vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union. Chambers took part in the June demonstration to demand that $33 million instead be spent on social workers, psychiatrists or nurses.
“CPS also pays millions of dollars in police misconduct every year. Statistics also show police are more likely to arrest students with disabilities and students of color,” Chambers said.
Since June, unions have linked demands for defunding the police with calls to action around COVID-19, which has disproportionately impacted Black communities. Some unions have held vigils to remember the nearly 600 health care workers who have died fighting COVID-19, and participated in actions to observe eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence for victims of police brutality, including Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician who Louisville police shot eight times during a no-knock raid on March 13.
With 400,000 members across the country, 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East is the nation’s largest health care union. Its 10,000 members in the Maryland and D.C. area, many of whom are low-wage workers of color, have also been deeply impacted by the pandemic.
“My experience with COVID-19 was horrible. I couldn’t breathe … I felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” said Shonda Charles, an 1199 member and geriatric nursing assistant (GNA) of 28 years who contracted the coronavirus from a patient on April 23.
Organizers say coronavirus’s impact on nursing homes is a racial justice issue. A lack of personal protective equipment, coronavirus testing and safety protocols turned nursing homes into COVID-19 hotbeds, with deadly impacts on both residents and staff, who are disproportionately people of color. The New York Times found nursing homes where Black and Latinx people make up at least 25 percent of the residents are twice as likely to be hit by the coronavirus. One study estimates nursing homes accounted for over 50,000 COVID-19 deaths, including hundreds of workers, comprising 45 percent of the nation’s death toll.
“We’ve had a large number of our members that have tested positive, or that have passed away,” said Ricarra Jones, 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East’s political director, in an interview with Truthout. A typical wage for a nursing home employee is $12.50 an hour. “A lot of them aren’t receiving hazard pay so they’re out risking their lives to protect our loved ones, and most of them are making pretty low wages.”
“We can’t say that we’re committed to racial justice, as it is connected to economic justice … if we’re not actively working to remove the presence of police within our own ranks.”
On a state level, Jones and the Fight for $15 movement helped lead efforts to pass a $15 minimum wage bill in 2019 over the veto of Maryland’s Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Now that coalition is fighting back against efforts to suspend the scheduled increase to the state’s minimum wage of $11 an hour. Low wages disproportionately hurt workers of color, according to the Maryland Center on Economic Policy, which found 1 in 4 Black and Latinx workers would benefit from a $15 minimum wage.
“It would mean a great deal for GNAs like me to receive more pay,” Charles told the audience of a Fight for $15 virtual rally livestreamed on Facebook even as she continued her recovery. “We are risking our lives … essential workers like me deserve more money,” said Charles, who also thanked her union for fighting back when her employer tried to terminate her for missing two weeks of work due to her illness.
Earlier this year, lawmakers in Virginia delayed the implementation of minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $9.50 an hour. Corporate lobbyists in states including Oregon and California are pressuring lawmakers to withhold minimum wage increases in those states as well.
“We just can’t imagine that the way we would repay these people who risked their lives and the lives of their families to make sure that we’re all fed and taken care of and have groceries, by freezing their wages at $11 an hour,” said Jones, who expressed optimism on June 23, when it was reported that it appeared the state would not be delaying its minimum wage increase.
These demands are integrally tied to calls for reducing police budgets. Jones is among the local leaders who have long called on Baltimore City to spend less on police and more on social services. Today that movement is growing, and on June 12, protesters painted “Defund The Police” in large letters in front of City Hall during a budget hearing, urging officials to cut Baltimore’s police budget in half to fund social services. Baltimore City spends more than $500 million a year on its police force, more than it spends on its health department, civil rights, parks and recreation, and its local school system combined.
Some labor activists argue it’s not enough for organized labor to support the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement; they must also expel law enforcement unions from their ranks, arguing such unions play a major role in enforcing an unjust economic system.
“I think it ultimately comes down to the fact that we aren’t reckoning with police violence in its totality,” said Sydney Roberts, an organizer with the group No Cop Unions, which collected over 7,000 signatures on a petition urging the AFL-CIO to disaffiliate law enforcement unions.
A potent political force, police and prison guard unions are considered among the greatest barriers to reform and defunding the police, and are staunch defenders of officers accused of wrongdoing.
Facing growing pressure, SEIU, which endorsed the Movement for Black Lives platform and sponsored Strike for Black Lives, is considering separating itself from the law enforcement unions.
“We can’t say that we’re committed to racial justice, as it is connected to economic justice … if we’re not actively working to remove the presence of police and [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol within our own ranks,” said Roberts, who is also a communications specialist for Working America, the political organizing arm of the AFL-CIO.
In a recent report titled “White Supremacy is the Pre-Existing Condition: Eight Solutions to Ensure the Economic Recovery Reduces the Racial Wealth Divide,” Asante-Muhammad and his co-authors argue that structural racism can be, in part, combatted by reversing policies that increase racialized economic inequality. The report argues the government must collect and audit data on racial disparities in government programs responding to the pandemic, create universal programs that guarantee health care and access to a living wage job, as well as direct investments to address the multigenerational wealth gap, among other proposals.
“Essential to bringing forth a true economic recovery and social healing is building a public infrastructure that bridges the racial wealth divide,” the report says.
Activists say diverting resources from law enforcement into community-led development plans, such as equitable investments in education and economic opportunities, could be a first step in truly achieving public safety and well-being.
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--2020-07-29--Congressman Who Refused to Wear Mask Tests Positive for COVID, Blames Masks

Rep. Louie Gohmert , a Republican from Texas who frequently refuses to wear masks or facial coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 , tested positive for the disease on Wednesday .
Gohmert was screened for COVID-19 prior to his planned boarding of Air Force One to join President Donald Trump as he travelled to the lawmaker ’ s home state for a fundraiser and visit to an oil rig to tout his administration ’ s energy policy .
After testing positive for coronavirus , Gohmert had to withdraw .
Gohmert was seen on Tuesday not wearing his mask and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a House Judiciary Committee hearing involving Attorney General William Barr .
Gohmert was also seen speaking to Barr directly during recess , with neither individual wearing a mask during their encounter .
Returning to the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday in spite of the diagnosis he had just received , Gohmert was interviewed by a Texas news station about what had just happened .
Refusing to take responsibility for being a mostly anti-mask legislator , Gohmert suggested that his decision to wear a mask more frequently was perhaps responsible for his contracting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place , if I might have put some germs , some of the virus on the mask and breathed it in , ” Gohmert said .
There ’ s no scientific evidence to suggest Gohmert ’ s claims are accurate , and indeed , unless he was sharing his mask with others , his insinuations suggest that he had already contracted the disease before he supposedly “ reinfected ” himself .
Health experts are clear on the issue of wearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preventing the spread of coronavirus .
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ( D-California ) responded first with sympathy for Gohmert , then with consternation for his actions , which likely put others at risk for contracting the disease .
“ I ’ m so sorry for him… But I ’ m also sorry my members , who are concerned , because he has been showing up at meetings without a mask and making a thing of it , ” she said .
“ Hopefully now he will look after his health , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After news broke of Gohmert ’ s diagnosis , Jake Sherman from Politico emailed the congressman ’ s office for a comment .
An aide who responded asked that when the story is published , it “ include the fact that Louie requires full staff to be in the office , including three interns , so that ‘ we could be an example to America on how to open up safely . '
” The aide also implied that individuals visiting the office while wearing masks were regularly belittled for doing so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s positive test result , the potential spread of coronavirus was on the minds of members of Congress on Wednesday .
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing following the diagnosis , another Republican congressman , Jim Jordan of Ohio , objected to Rep. David Cicilline ( D-Rhode Island ) about his inability to get a unanimous consent request passed in order to speak longer about an issue .
Jordan , who also rarely wears a mask , was rebuked by Cicilline .
“ Mr .
Jordan , you made a unanimous consent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are our rules… .
Put your mask on !
” Cicilline said .

Rep. Louie Gohmert was seen not wearing a mask while speaking to Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Texas who frequently refuses to wear masks or facial coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19, tested positive for the disease on Wednesday.
Gohmert was screened for COVID-19 prior to his planned boarding of Air Force One to join President Donald Trump as he travelled to the lawmaker’s home state for a fundraiser and visit to an oil rig to tout his administration’s energy policy. After testing positive for coronavirus, Gohmert had to withdraw.
Gohmert was seen on Tuesday not wearing his mask and in close proximity to other lawmakers during a House Judiciary Committee hearing involving Attorney General William Barr. Gohmert was also seen speaking to Barr directly during recess, with neither individual wearing a mask during their encounter.
Returning to the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday in spite of the diagnosis he had just received, Gohmert was interviewed by a Texas news station about what had just happened. Refusing to take responsibility for being a mostly anti-mask legislator, Gohmert suggested that his decision to wear a mask more frequently was perhaps responsible for his contracting the disease.
“I can’t help but wonder if by keeping a mask on and keeping it in place, if I might have put some germs, some of the virus on the mask and breathed it in,” Gohmert said.
There’s no scientific evidence to suggest Gohmert’s claims are accurate, and indeed, unless he was sharing his mask with others, his insinuations suggest that he had already contracted the disease before he supposedly “reinfected” himself. Health experts are clear on the issue of wearing masks: they absolutely are effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) responded first with sympathy for Gohmert, then with consternation for his actions, which likely put others at risk for contracting the disease.
“I’m so sorry for him… But I’m also sorry my members, who are concerned, because he has been showing up at meetings without a mask and making a thing of it,” she said.
“Hopefully now he will look after his health, and others’,” Pelosi added.
After news broke of Gohmert’s diagnosis, Jake Sherman from Politico emailed the congressman’s office for a comment. An aide who responded asked that when the story is published, it “include the fact that Louie requires full staff to be in the office, including three interns, so that ‘we could be an example to America on how to open up safely.'” The aide also implied that individuals visiting the office while wearing masks were regularly belittled for doing so.
It was evident that following Gohmert’s positive test result, the potential spread of coronavirus was on the minds of members of Congress on Wednesday. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing following the diagnosis, another Republican congressman, Jim Jordan of Ohio, objected to Rep. David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island) about his inability to get a unanimous consent request passed in order to speak longer about an issue.
Jordan, who also rarely wears a mask, was rebuked by Cicilline.
“Mr. Jordan, you made a unanimous consent request, objection was heard, those are our rules…. Put your mask on!” Cicilline said.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.