truthout--2020-11-17--Hospitals Are Still Unprepared and Lack PPE After 9 Months of Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month , a new report by National Nurses United , the largest nurses ’ union in the United States , finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get worse during the flu season .
Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic .
The union estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19 , with nurses of color accounting for half of those deaths , even though they ’ re less than a quarter of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Nurses United , says the lack of preparedness is having a devastating toll on healthcare workers .
“ Hospitals still don ’ t have a plan in place for a surge — and we ’ re currently in a surge , ” Ross says .
“ It ’ s the lack of response , the improper response , that has nurses and other healthcare workers really down.
” This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final form .
AMY GOODMAN : This is Democracy Now !
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month , a new report by National Nurses United , the largest nurses ’ union in the United States , finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE , personal protective equipment , and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get far worse during the flu season .
Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic .
National Nurses United estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19 — the number could be far higher .
Nurses of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though they ’ re less than a quarter of the workforce .
This comes as North Dakota ’ s Republican Governor Doug Burgum has called on infected but asymptomatic health workers to keep treating COVID patients .
Meanwhile , in Texas , a state appeals court has blocked El Paso County ’ s shutdown of nonessential businesses that had been implemented to slow a massive outbreak , after it was challenged by Texas ’ attorney general .
After the ruling Friday , National Nurses United held a virtual news conference with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who spoke out against the ruling .
This is Idali Cooper .
IDALI COOPER : In a community that is really — we are the majority , as Hispanic people , and we have been affected the most .
… It is imperative to inform our governor or attorney general that their decisions have dire consequences for my community or for communities of color .
… I ’ m just extremely exhausted emotionally , physically .
I haven ’ t recovered .
I have to go back to work tomorrow .
I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been napping all week .
And knowing that my patients are being intubated , it ’ s very demoralizing .
And I just want the community to know that it ’ s very important for all of us , even though our governor and attorney general did not do the right decision for our community , that we do what ’ s right for our community regardless of what they say .
Right now in the adult units , there ’ s not enough nurses for all the patients that are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care of adequately .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s registered nurse Idali Cooper speaking in El Paso Friday , where prisoners are being paid $ 2 an hour to move the bodies of people who have died of COVID-19 to mobile morgues as the number of cases and deaths has completely overwhelmed local hospitals .
For more , we ’ re joined by Jean Ross , acute care registered nurse , president of National Nurses United .
She ’ s in Bloomington , Minnesota .
We welcome you back to Democracy Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nurses are facing around the country right now , what your report found .
JEAN ROSS : What we found was , if we compare this report , as of October/November , to when we first started at the beginning of the pandemic , things have not gotten better , and in many cases they ’ ve gotten worse .
Nurses still are not getting the PPE that we need .
Many hospitals are still not cohorting , putting COVID-19 patients separate from other patients .
Hospitals still don ’ t have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we ’ re currently in a surge .
And nurses are reporting feeling more devastated , more sleepless — not hopeless .
We keep our spirits up .
But we do need to see some sort of improvement from our employers , from our government , that we are not seeing right now .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you talk about what the federal government needs to do right now ?
When you say hospitals aren ’ t providing the PPE , how are they supposed to get them ?
How is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , that there are still not enough tests available , there are still not enough masks available and other protective gear , all over the country ?
What are you demanding of the Trump administration ?
JEAN ROSS : Well , two main things would really help .
One is to fully , fully institute the DPA , the Defense Production Act , that act that came with wartime where you can have manufacturing in this country gear up so that we have the amount of PPE that we need .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard that says , for infectious diseases for this period of time , hospitals , these employers , must give at least this minimum standard of PPE and make sure that there ’ s enough of it .
So , right now we are being told different things by the employers .
Sometimes they say , “ Yes , we have plenty , but we have to keep them under lock and key in case there ’ s a surge.
” Well , there is a surge , and they ’ re still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nurses reuse equipment that really is supposed to be single-use .
AMY GOODMAN : Can you talk about the mental health of nurses across the country ?
I mean , the devastating fact that , nine months in , we ’ re now talking about some of the worst figures of the entire pandemic for deaths and infections , how do healthcare workers keep going ?
JEAN ROSS : Well , basically , it ’ s our job .
I mean , that ’ s what you ’ re prepared to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would say not the pandemic , because we always knew this was at some point inevitable .
But it ’ s the lack of response , the improper response , that has nurses and other healthcare workers really down .
Most of our nurses report , even in their downtime that they get now , they ’ re not sleeping as well .
They ’ re anxious .
They didn ’ t use to be so anxious .
And they ’ re anxious about not just passing it on to other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients , but the fact that they might not be able to keep going , because it is very devastating to see this amount of death every day , every shift , with what appears to be no end in sight .
AMY GOODMAN : So , let me ask you about North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum , who said that infected nurses and healthcare workers should still continue working if they ’ re asymptomatic .
JEAN ROSS : Yeah , that statement is just unconscionable .
It ’ s so irresponsible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from , though .
Re that , as in many other things , they look to the CDC , and , unfortunately , with requests from the hospital association , employers and others , they have continued to downgrade their guidelines and their recommendations .
But this novel virus , we know one of the things that ’ s unique about it is that you can be completely asymptomatic and yet be a spreader , a very effective spreader .
What sense does it make for a nurse to go into the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are ill , albeit with the same disease — doesn ’ t matter — and spread it to others , including her family .
So , it ’ s just — it ’ s irresponsible , and it ’ s something I never thought I would hear — AMY GOODMAN : And let me — AMY GOODMAN : Let me ask you about another study that you ’ ve put out that revealed hospitals may be charging as much as 18 times over their costs .
Your response ?
JEAN ROSS : Yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems to be the way in this country .
Up to 18 times .
So , for example , if your true cost — it ’ s called the charge-to-cost ratio , or CCR — if your true cost for your service is $ 100 , they are , in many cases , charging up to $ 1,800 .
And they do it because they can .
AMY GOODMAN : And I want to go to South Dakota , where the COVID-19 death rate is among the worst in the world .
Governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has said she would not enforce a mask mandate even if ordered by future President Joe Biden .
South Dakota ER nurse Jodi Doering says some of her COVID-19 patients refuse to believe that COVID is real — her COVID patients .
In a now-viral thread on Twitter , she wrote , “ These people really think this isn ’ t going to happen to them .
And then they stop yelling at you when they get intubated.
” This is Doering speaking on CNN .
AMY GOODMAN : I mean , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the nursing staff , saying , “ Why are you wearing that protective gear ?
What I am dying of is not COVID-19.
” And they only stop yelling when they ’ re intubated .
That ’ s South Dakota .
We had a story out of Provo , Utah , also so hard-hit , where people were trying to break into the local hospital , packed to the gills with COVID patients , saying they don ’ t believe that people are in there in ICUs with COVID .
JEAN ROSS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that , and I feel so bad for her and for other nurses .
These are things we didn ’ t use to have to contend with .
But that ’ s what happens when people are brainwashed .
And what you hope for , when you know your patient is probably going to die , is the most peaceful death possible in their situation .
That isn ’ t peaceful , and that ’ s got to be devastating — scary for that patient and devastating for the nurse and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and we only have a few seconds : What are you demanding right now , as president of National Nurses United ?
The Biden transition is happening , whether or not Trump is helping with it .
What do you demand happens ?
Because Trump is still there for two months .
That is tens of thousands of people dying in this country .
JEAN ROSS : Well , what we ’ re asking is that President-elect Biden and Kamala Harris continue the good fight to try to get into that transitioning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the right things right now , putting together the proper people — for once , some sane , rational people who believe in science , the true experts — and listening to them .
This is a step in the right direction .
And continue to put those people in place , so that we push , again , for the PPE , the Defense Production Act , that OSHA standard .
It can ’ t come soon enough .
AMY GOODMAN : Jean Ross , we want to thank you for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nurses United .
When we come back , we look at Central America , devastated by back-to-back climate change-fueled hurricanes just over the last few weeks .
Stay with us .

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month, a new report by National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the United States, finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get worse during the flu season. Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic. The union estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19, with nurses of color accounting for half of those deaths, even though they’re less than a quarter of the workforce. Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, says the lack of preparedness is having a devastating toll on healthcare workers. “Hospitals still don’t have a plan in place for a surge — and we’re currently in a surge,” Ross says. “It’s the lack of response, the improper response, that has nurses and other healthcare workers really down.”
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman.
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its ninth month, a new report by National Nurses United, the largest nurses’ union in the United States, finds hospitals are still failing to provide adequate PPE, personal protective equipment, and are unprepared as the surge is expected to get far worse during the flu season. Nurses also report mental health struggles related to the pandemic.
National Nurses United estimates at least 2,000 frontline healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19 — the number could be far higher. Nurses of color account for half of those deaths, even though they’re less than a quarter of the workforce.
This comes as North Dakota’s Republican Governor Doug Burgum has called on infected but asymptomatic health workers to keep treating COVID patients.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a state appeals court has blocked El Paso County’s shutdown of nonessential businesses that had been implemented to slow a massive outbreak, after it was challenged by Texas’ attorney general. After the ruling Friday, National Nurses United held a virtual news conference with a group of registered nurses in El Paso who spoke out against the ruling. This is Idali Cooper.
IDALI COOPER: In a community that is really — we are the majority, as Hispanic people, and we have been affected the most. … It is imperative to inform our governor or attorney general that their decisions have dire consequences for my community or for communities of color. … I’m just extremely exhausted emotionally, physically. I haven’t recovered. I have to go back to work tomorrow. I have not recovered. I feel I’ve been napping all week. And knowing that my patients are being intubated, it’s very demoralizing. And I just want the community to know that it’s very important for all of us, even though our governor and attorney general did not do the right decision for our community, that we do what’s right for our community regardless of what they say. Right now in the adult units, there’s not enough nurses for all the patients that are being taken — that need to be taken care of adequately.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s registered nurse Idali Cooper speaking in El Paso Friday, where prisoners are being paid $2 an hour to move the bodies of people who have died of COVID-19 to mobile morgues as the number of cases and deaths has completely overwhelmed local hospitals.
For more, we’re joined by Jean Ross, acute care registered nurse, president of National Nurses United. She’s in Bloomington, Minnesota.
We welcome you back to Democracy Now!, Jean. Talk about what nurses are facing around the country right now, what your report found.
JEAN ROSS: What we found was, if we compare this report, as of October/November, to when we first started at the beginning of the pandemic, things have not gotten better, and in many cases they’ve gotten worse. Nurses still are not getting the PPE that we need. Many hospitals are still not cohorting, putting COVID-19 patients separate from other patients. Hospitals still don’t have a plan in place for a surge — and we’re currently in a surge. And nurses are reporting feeling more devastated, more sleepless — not hopeless. We keep our spirits up. But we do need to see some sort of improvement from our employers, from our government, that we are not seeing right now.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about what the federal government needs to do right now? When you say hospitals aren’t providing the PPE, how are they supposed to get them? How is it possible that nine months into this pandemic, that there are still not enough tests available, there are still not enough masks available and other protective gear, all over the country? What are you demanding of the Trump administration?
JEAN ROSS: Well, two main things would really help. One is to fully, fully institute the DPA, the Defense Production Act, that act that came with wartime where you can have manufacturing in this country gear up so that we have the amount of PPE that we need.
The other would be a temporary emergency OSHA standard that says, for infectious diseases for this period of time, hospitals, these employers, must give at least this minimum standard of PPE and make sure that there’s enough of it. So, right now we are being told different things by the employers. Sometimes they say, “Yes, we have plenty, but we have to keep them under lock and key in case there’s a surge.” Well, there is a surge, and they’re still insisting that many, if not most, nurses reuse equipment that really is supposed to be single-use.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the mental health of nurses across the country? I mean, the devastating fact that, nine months in, we’re now talking about some of the worst figures of the entire pandemic for deaths and infections, how do healthcare workers keep going?
JEAN ROSS: Well, basically, it’s our job. I mean, that’s what you’re prepared to do. But until this pandemic — and I would say not the pandemic, because we always knew this was at some point inevitable. But it’s the lack of response, the improper response, that has nurses and other healthcare workers really down. Most of our nurses report, even in their downtime that they get now, they’re not sleeping as well. They’re anxious. They didn’t use to be so anxious. And they’re anxious about not just passing it on to other people, to their families, to other patients, but the fact that they might not be able to keep going, because it is very devastating to see this amount of death every day, every shift, with what appears to be no end in sight.
AMY GOODMAN: So, let me ask you about North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum, who said that infected nurses and healthcare workers should still continue working if they’re asymptomatic.
JEAN ROSS: Yeah, that statement is just unconscionable. It’s so irresponsible. I understand where he gets it from, though. Re that, as in many other things, they look to the CDC, and, unfortunately, with requests from the hospital association, employers and others, they have continued to downgrade their guidelines and their recommendations. But this novel virus, we know one of the things that’s unique about it is that you can be completely asymptomatic and yet be a spreader, a very effective spreader. What sense does it make for a nurse to go into the hospital and try to take care people who are ill, albeit with the same disease — doesn’t matter — and spread it to others, including her family. So, it’s just — it’s irresponsible, and it’s something I never thought I would hear —
AMY GOODMAN: And let me —
JEAN ROSS: — from a government official.
AMY GOODMAN: Let me ask you about another study that you’ve put out that revealed hospitals may be charging as much as 18 times over their costs. Your response?
JEAN ROSS: Yes. Again, unconscionable, but that seems to be the way in this country. Up to 18 times. So, for example, if your true cost — it’s called the charge-to-cost ratio, or CCR — if your true cost for your service is $100, they are, in many cases, charging up to $1,800. And they do it because they can.
AMY GOODMAN: And I want to go to South Dakota, where the COVID-19 death rate is among the worst in the world. Governor Kristi Noem, a close Trump ally, has said she would not enforce a mask mandate even if ordered by future President Joe Biden. South Dakota ER nurse Jodi Doering says some of her COVID-19 patients refuse to believe that COVID is real — her COVID patients. In a now-viral thread on Twitter, she wrote, “These people really think this isn’t going to happen to them. And then they stop yelling at you when they get intubated.” This is Doering speaking on CNN.
JODI DOERING: Their last dying words are “This can’t be happening. It’s not real.” And when they should be spending time FaceTiming their families, they’re filled with anger and hatred. And it just made me really sad the other night, and I just can’t believe that those are going to be their last thoughts and words.
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, this is astounding. They are fighting with the nursing staff, saying, “Why are you wearing that protective gear? What I am dying of is not COVID-19.” And they only stop yelling when they’re intubated. That’s South Dakota. We had a story out of Provo, Utah, also so hard-hit, where people were trying to break into the local hospital, packed to the gills with COVID patients, saying they don’t believe that people are in there in ICUs with COVID.
JEAN ROSS: Yeah, I did hear Jodi say that, and I feel so bad for her and for other nurses. These are things we didn’t use to have to contend with. But that’s what happens when people are brainwashed. And what you hope for, when you know your patient is probably going to die, is the most peaceful death possible in their situation. That isn’t peaceful, and that’s got to be devastating — scary for that patient and devastating for the nurse and the family.
AMY GOODMAN: Final question, and we only have a few seconds: What are you demanding right now, as president of National Nurses United? The Biden transition is happening, whether or not Trump is helping with it. What do you demand happens? Because Trump is still there for two months. That is tens of thousands of people dying in this country.
JEAN ROSS: Well, what we’re asking is that President-elect Biden and Kamala Harris continue the good fight to try to get into that transitioning. We know they’re doing all the right things right now, putting together the proper people — for once, some sane, rational people who believe in science, the true experts — and listening to them. This is a step in the right direction. And continue to put those people in place, so that we push, again, for the PPE, the Defense Production Act, that OSHA standard. It can’t come soon enough.
AMY GOODMAN: Jean Ross, we want to thank you for being with us, president of National Nurses United.
When we come back, we look at Central America, devastated by back-to-back climate change-fueled hurricanes just over the last few weeks. Stay with us.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
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--2020-11-17--Georgia’s GOP Secretary of State Decries Leader of Trump’s Recount as a “Liar”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Sunday issued a surprisingly forceful rebuke of the election misinformation pushed by President Donald Trump and Rep. Doug Collins , R-Ga. , who is leading the campaign ’ s recount effort in the state .
Raffensperger , a Republican whose election was endorsed by Trump , hit back at Trump ’ s baseless claims raising doubts about the integrity of Georgia ’ s elections by pointing out in a series of Facebook posts that he had repeatedly made it harder for people to vote .
Raffensperger also called Collins was a “ failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump falsely claimed that a consent decree signed by Raffensperger and backed by Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp “ at the urging ” of Democrat Stacey Abrams made it “ impossible ” to match signatures on ballots .
In a fact-check , Raffensperger clarified that the consent decree not only allowed election clerks to check signatures but also required them to be matched twice before a ballot is cast .
( The Associated Press also deemed Trump ’ s claims about voter signature checks in the state “ wrong.
” ) “ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump alleged .
Collins also labeled the signature matches a “ sham.
” “ Frankly , the secretary of state ’ s office has caused this problem to develop .
They ’ ve been continually problematic in this , and I will continue to call them out and force them to do this , ” Collins told the conservative outlet Newsmax .
“ The problem is we ’ re dealing in areas in which the secretary of state is setting the rules .
We ’ re having to challenge him on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as we go… .
But these ballots will be counted , and we ’ ll see ( that ) those ballot counts.
” “ Let ’ s address this disinformation about signature match.
” Raffensperger wrote .
“ We strengthened signature match .
We helped train election officials on GBI ( Georgia Bureau of Investigation ) signature match — which is confirmed twice before a ballot is ever cast .
Failed candidate Doug Collins is a liar — but what ’ s new ?
” Raffensperger also hit out at a lawsuit alleging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ My team secured and strengthened absentee ballots for the first time since 2005 .
As Secretary of State the first thing I did was push legislation that —OUTLAWED—absentee ballot harvesting in Georgia , ” he wrote .
“ Next , for the first time in the history of Georgia , Absentee ballots submitted through our electronic portal required photo ID .
My team—we made that happen.
” In another false claim , Trump alleged that poll “ watchers and observers ” had not been allowed into counting rooms .
Raffensperger wrote that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of monitors solely on both parties , ” adding that any issues should be directed toward “ your state party.
” Raffensperger also refuted an attempt by Trump to link the Dominion voting system , which is used by about half of states , to Venezuela .
The company , Raffensperger wrote , is “ American owned .
America .
‘ Merica .
Not Venezuela.
” It was far from the first time that the secretary of state had to correct misinformation about Georgia pushed by Trump and his allies .
Last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Kelly Loeffler , R-Ga. , dubbed the recent elections in the state an “ embarrassment.
” The pair called for Raffensperger to step down , even though the lifelong Republican managing the state ’ s voting system dismissed allegations of fraud as “ hoaxes and nonsense.
” Raffensperger refuted that there were any widespread problems with the votes , adding that his resignation was “ not going to happen.
” “ As a Republican , I am concerned about Republicans keeping the U.S. Senate , ” he added .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focusing on that.
” Raffensperger ordered a hand recount after President-elect Joe Biden defeated Trump by about 14,000 votes in the state .
With the recount nearly completed , about 48 county officials said they finished “ with either no change or minor shifts ” like “ differences of fewer than five votes , ” according to Bloomberg News .
Four counties reported no changes at all .
“ More Georgians voted for President-elect Biden than voted for President Trump , ” Democratic lawyer Marc Elias told the outlet .
“ There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do to change that .
”

The nearly completed recount is extremely unlikely to impact Trump’s defeat in Georgia.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Sunday issued a surprisingly forceful rebuke of the election misinformation pushed by President Donald Trump and Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., who is leading the campaign’s recount effort in the state.
Raffensperger, a Republican whose election was endorsed by Trump, hit back at Trump’s baseless claims raising doubts about the integrity of Georgia’s elections by pointing out in a series of Facebook posts that he had repeatedly made it harder for people to vote. Raffensperger also called Collins was a “failed candidate” and a “liar.”
Trump falsely claimed that a consent decree signed by Raffensperger and backed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp “at the urging” of Democrat Stacey Abrams made it “impossible” to match signatures on ballots. In a fact-check, Raffensperger clarified that the consent decree not only allowed election clerks to check signatures but also required them to be matched twice before a ballot is cast. (The Associated Press also deemed Trump’s claims about voter signature checks in the state “wrong.”)
“They knew they were going to cheat,” Trump alleged. Collins also labeled the signature matches a “sham.”
“Frankly, the secretary of state’s office has caused this problem to develop. They’ve been continually problematic in this, and I will continue to call them out and force them to do this,” Collins told the conservative outlet Newsmax. “The problem is we’re dealing in areas in which the secretary of state is setting the rules. We’re having to challenge him on the rules. They seem to be changing as we go…. But these ballots will be counted, and we’ll see (that) those ballot counts.”
“Let’s address this disinformation about signature match.” Raffensperger wrote. “We strengthened signature match. We helped train election officials on GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) signature match — which is confirmed twice before a ballot is ever cast. Failed candidate Doug Collins is a liar — but what’s new?”
Raffensperger also hit out at a lawsuit alleging that the consent decree was unconstitutional.
“My team secured and strengthened absentee ballots for the first time since 2005. As Secretary of State the first thing I did was push legislation that —OUTLAWED—absentee ballot harvesting in Georgia,” he wrote. “Next, for the first time in the history of Georgia, Absentee ballots submitted through our electronic portal required photo ID. My team—we made that happen.”
In another false claim, Trump alleged that poll “watchers and observers” had not been allowed into counting rooms. Raffensperger wrote that the state “placed responsibility of recruitment of monitors solely on both parties,” adding that any issues should be directed toward “your state party.”
Raffensperger also refuted an attempt by Trump to link the Dominion voting system, which is used by about half of states, to Venezuela. The company, Raffensperger wrote, is “American owned. America. ‘Merica. Not Venezuela.”
It was far from the first time that the secretary of state had to correct misinformation about Georgia pushed by Trump and his allies. Last week, Sens. David Perdue, R-Ga., and Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., dubbed the recent elections in the state an “embarrassment.” The pair called for Raffensperger to step down, even though the lifelong Republican managing the state’s voting system dismissed allegations of fraud as “hoaxes and nonsense.”
Raffensperger refuted that there were any widespread problems with the votes, adding that his resignation was “not going to happen.”
“As a Republican, I am concerned about Republicans keeping the U.S. Senate,” he added. “I recommend that Senators Loeffler and Perdue start focusing on that.”
Raffensperger ordered a hand recount after President-elect Joe Biden defeated Trump by about 14,000 votes in the state. With the recount nearly completed, about 48 county officials said they finished “with either no change or minor shifts” like “differences of fewer than five votes,” according to Bloomberg News. Four counties reported no changes at all.
“More Georgians voted for President-elect Biden than voted for President Trump,” Democratic lawyer Marc Elias told the outlet. “There is nothing that the recount’s going to do to change that.”
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--2020-11-17--Biden’s First 100 Days Should Be Focused on Policies Protecting Most Vulnerable

In the two weeks since Election 2020 , the country has oscillated between joy and anger , hope and dread in an era of polarization sharpened by the forces of racism , nativism , and hate .
Still , truth be told , though the divisive tone of this moment may only be sharpening , division in the United States of America is not a new phenomenon .
Over the past days , I ’ ve found myself returning to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. , who , in 1967 , just a year before his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entitled “ The Other America ” in which he vividly described a reality that feels all too of this moment rather than that one : In Dr. King ’ s day , that other America was , for a time , laid bare to the nation through mass social unrest and political change , through the bold actions of the freedom fighters who won the Voting Rights Act and then just kept on fighting , as well as governmental programs like the “ War on Poverty.
” And yet , despite the significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , inequality in this country has been on the rise to previously unimaginable levels , while poverty remained locked in and largely ignored .
Today , in the early winter of an uncurbed pandemic and the economic crisis that accompanies it , there are 140 million poor or low-income Americans , disproportionately people of color , but reaching into every community in this country : 24 million Blacks , 38 million Latinos , eight million Asians , two million Native peoples , and 66 million whites .
More than a third of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been relegated to poverty and precariousness and yet how little of the political discourse in recent elections was directed at those who were poor or one storm , fire , job loss , eviction , or healthcare crisis away from poverty and economic chaos .
In the distorted mirror of public policy , those 140 million people have remained essentially invisible .
As in the 1960s and other times in our history , however , the poor are no longer waiting for recognition from Washington .
Instead , every indication is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , taking decisive action to alter the scales of political power .
For years , I ’ ve traveled this country , working to build a movement to end poverty .
In a nation that has so often boasted about being the wealthiest and freest in history , I ’ ve regularly witnessed painful divisions caused by hunger , homelessness , sickness , degradation , and so much more .
In Lowndes County , Alabama , for instance , I organized with people who lived day in , day out with raw sewage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes .
On Apache land in Oak Flats , Arizona , I stood with native leaders struggling to cope with generations of loss and plunder , most recently at the hands of a multinational copper mining company .
In Gray ’ s Harbor , Washington , I visited millennials living in homeless encampments under constant siege by militia groups and the police .
And the list , sadly , only goes on .
As the future administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris heads for the White House ( no matter the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of us must equip ourselves with both courage and caution , living as we do in a divided nation , in — to be exact — two very different Americas .
Keep in mind that these are not the insulated , readymade Americas of MSNBC and Fox News , of Republicans and Democrats , of conservatives and liberals .
All of us live in a land where there are two Americas , one of unimaginable wealth , the other of miserable poverty ; an America of the promised good life and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unleashing the Power of Poor and Low-Income Voters One enduring narrative from the 2016 election is that poor and low-income voters won Donald Trump the White House , even if the numbers don ’ t bear it out .
Hillary Clinton won by 12 points among voters who made less than $ 30,000 a year and by 9 points among voters who made less than $ 49,999 ; the median household income of Trump voters then was $ 72,000 .
Four years later , initial estimates suggest that this trend has only intensified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low-income voters than President Trump both in the aggregate and in key states like Michigan .
Trump , on the other hand , gained among voters with annual family incomes of more than $ 100,000 .
Last week , the director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab noted that this “ appears to be the biggest demographic shift I ’ m seeing .
And you can tie that to [ Trump ’ s ] tax cuts [ for the wealthy ] and lower regulations.
” In 2016 , there were 64 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 32 million of whom did not vote .
In 2020 , it ’ s becoming clear that poor and low-income voters helped decide the election ’ s outcome by opting for a candidate who signaled support for key antipoverty issues like raising the minimum wage , expanding health care , and protecting the environment .
In down-ballot races , every congressional member who endorsed Medicare for All won reelection , even in swing states .
Imagine then how many dispossessed and disenfranchised voters might have turned out if more candidates had actually been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lives ?
Seventy-two percent of Americans said that they would prefer a government-run healthcare plan and more than 70 % supported raising the minimum wage , including 62 % of Republicans .
Even in districts that went for Trump , voters passed ballot measures that , only a few years ago , would have been unheard of .
In Mississippi , people voted to decriminalize medical marijuana , while in Florida a referendum for a $ 15 minimum wage got more votes than either of the two presidential candidates .
If nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divided nation — two Americas , not one — though that dividing line marked anything but an even or obvious split .
A startling number of Americans are trapped in wretched conditions and hungry for a clean break with the status quo .
On the other hand , the rampant voter suppression and racialized gerrymandering of the last decade of American politics suggests that extremists from the wealthier America will go to remarkable lengths to undercut the power of those at the bottom of this society .
They have proven ready to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ division and subterfuge imaginable to stop poor Black , Latino , Asian , Indigenous , and white potential voters from building new and transformative alliances , including a new electorate .
It ’ s time to move beyond the defeatist myth of the Solid South or even the dulling comfort of a Midwestern “ blue wall.
” Across the South and the Midwest , there are voter-suppression states still to win , not for a party , but for a fusion movement of the many .
The same could be true for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains a sleeping giant of poor and low-income people yet to be pulled into political action .
If this country is ever going to be built back better , to borrow Joe Biden ’ s campaign pledge , it ’ s time to turn to its abandoned corners ; to , that is , the other America of Martin Luther King that still haunts us , whether we know it or not .
Fusion Politics in the Other America When Dr. King gave his “ Other America ” speech , he was preparing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project of his life : the Poor People ’ s Campaign .
At a time when the nation appeared to be fraying at the seams , he grasped that a giant social leap forward was still possible .
In fact , he envisioned a protracted struggle that might catapult this country into a new era of human rights and revolution not through sanguine calls for unity , but via a rousing fusion of poor and dispossessed people from all walks of life .
And that , as he imagined it , would also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other forms of hate and prejudice were crucial to the maintenence of the two Americas and had to be challenged head-on .
The idea of such fusion politics echoed earlier chapters of political reckoning and transformation in this country .
From the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction into the 1890s , newly emancipated Blacks built unprecedented , if fragile , alliances with poor whites to seize governing power .
Across a new South , fusion parties expanded voting rights , access to public education , labor protections , fair taxation , and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for instance , legislators went so far as to rewrite the state constitution to codify for the first time the right of all citizens to “ life , liberty , and the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor.
” For nearly 30 years , I ’ ve been part of a modern version of fusion organizing , even as I studied earlier examples of it — and this country ’ s history is rich with them .
Indeed , the modern Poor People ’ s Campaign that I co-chair is itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the version of politics I was first introduced to by multiracial welfare rights and homeless organizing in the 1980s and 1990s .
Organizations like the National Welfare Rights Union and the National Union of the Homeless first grew in response to the neoliberal politics of President Ronald Reagan and his attacks on the poor , especially the Black poor , or , as he put it , “ welfare queens.
” In response to such myths and deep , divisive cuts , out of shelters and from the streets , poor people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and solidarity , including “ unions ” of the homeless .
By the 1980s , the National Union of the Homeless had been created and had upwards of 30,000 members in 25 cities .
Meanwhile , organizers across the country soon escalated their efforts with waves of coordinated and nonviolent takeovers of vacant federally owned buildings at a time when the government had abdicated its responsibility to protect and provide for its poorest citizens .
Those poor and homeless leaders also helped the Homeless Union secure guarantees from the federal government both for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the right of the homeless to vote .
Today , in the middle of an economic crisis that could , in the end , rival the Great Depression , I ’ m reminded not just of those moments that first involved me but of the fusion movements of the early 1930s .
After all , in those years , shanty towns called “ Hoovervilles ” — given that Herbert Hoover was still president — cropped up in cities across the country .
Not unlike the tent cities of the Homeless Union and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ones appearing today , those Hoovervilles were where masses of the unemployed and homeless gathered to survive the worst of that depression and strategize on how to resist its misery .
Multiracial Unemployed Councils organized and fought for relief for workers without jobs then , preventing thousands of evictions and utility shutoffs .
Meanwhile , in the abandoned fields of the Southern Delta from Arkansas to Mississippi , groups like the Southern Tenant Farmers Union pioneered the dangerous work of organizing Black and white tenant farmers and sharecroppers .
When the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with white Southern extremists , members of that union were among the last guardians of the rights of poor agrarian workers .
Their lonely clarity on the significance of fusion politics in the South stood in stark contrast to the rise of an unmitigated politics of white reaction there .
Today , as top Democrats like Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claim the legacy of Great Depression-era President Franklin Delano Roosevelt , remember the fusion organizing that helped bring him to power and pushed him to enact change .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 40,000 unemployed veterans of World War I who arrived in Washington D.C. in 1932 to demand the early payment of promised bonuses , previously only considered redeemable after 1945 .
That Bonus Army , as the veterans called it , collected many of the fraying threads of the American tapestry , making camp , sometimes with wives and children , on seized public land just across the Potomac River from the capital ’ s federal office buildings , while holding regular nonviolent marches and rallies .
Eventually , President Herbert Hoover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the camp in a violent fashion .
The mistreatment of those poor and war-weary veterans in the process proved to be a lightning rod for the public and so Hoover lost to FDR in the presidential election later that year , setting the stage for a decade defined by militant organizing and major shifts in national policy .
The Mandate of the Poor Today There are already those in the media and politics who are counseling restraint and a return to the pre-Trump days , as if he were the cause , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divided .
This would be nothing less than a disaster , given that the fissures in our democracy so desperately need mending not with nice words but with a new governing contract with the American people .
The battleground states that won Joe Biden the presidency have also been battlegrounds in the most recent war against the poor .
In Michigan , hit first and worst by deindustrialization , millions have struggled with a failing water system and a jobs crisis .
In Wisconsin , where unions have been under attack for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both budgets and social welfare policies have been slashed by legislatures .
In Pennsylvania , rural hospitals have been closing at an alarming rate and , even before the pandemic hit , the poorest large city in the country , Philadelphia , had already become a checkerboard of disinvestment and gentrification .
In Georgia , 1.3 million renters — 45 % of the households in that state — were at risk of eviction this year .
And in Arizona , the climate crisis and Covid-19 have ravaged entire communities , including the members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote in record numbers .
The people of these states and 15 more helped elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris , and count on one thing : with their votes , they were calling for more than just an end to Trumpism .
They were demanding that a new era of change begin for the poor and marginalized .
The first priority in such an era should , of course , be to pass a comprehensive relief bill to control the pandemic and buoy the millions of Americans now facing a cold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House and the Senate have a moral responsibility to get this done as soon as the new administration takes office , if not before ( though tell that to Mitch McConnell ) .
The first 100 days of the Biden administration should then be focused , at least in part , on launching a historic investment in securing permanent protections for the poor , including expanded voting rights , universal healthcare , affordable housing , a living wage , and a guaranteed adequate annual income , not to speak of divestment from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a green economy .
That should be the mandate of our next government .
And that ’ s why we , the overflowing millions , must harness the fusion politics that was so crucial to the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and organize in the best tradition of our predecessors .
Real social progress rarely comes slowly and steadily , but in leaps and bounds .
The predictable stalemate of the next administration and its Republican opposition can ’ t be broken by grand speeches in the House or Senate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast social movement capable of awakening the moral imagination of the nation .
It ’ s time to get to work .

In the two weeks since Election 2020, the country has oscillated between joy and anger, hope and dread in an era of polarization sharpened by the forces of racism, nativism, and hate. Still, truth be told, though the divisive tone of this moment may only be sharpening, division in the United States of America is not a new phenomenon.
Over the past days, I’ve found myself returning to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who, in 1967, just a year before his own assassination, gave a speech prophetically entitled “The Other America” in which he vividly described a reality that feels all too of this moment rather than that one:
“There are literally two Americas. One America is beautiful… and overflowing with the milk of prosperity and the honey of opportunity. This America is the habitat of millions of people who have food and material necessities for their bodies; and culture and education for their minds; and freedom and human dignity for their spirits… “But tragically and unfortunately, there is another America. This other America has a daily ugliness about it that constantly transforms the ebulliency of hope into the fatigue of despair. In this America millions of work-starved men walk the streets daily in search for jobs that do not exist. In this America millions of people find themselves living in rat-infested, vermin-filled slums. In this America people are poor by the millions. They find themselves perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.”
In Dr. King’s day, that other America was, for a time, laid bare to the nation through mass social unrest and political change, through the bold actions of the freedom fighters who won the Voting Rights Act and then just kept on fighting, as well as governmental programs like the “War on Poverty.” And yet, despite the significant gains then, for many decades since, inequality in this country has been on the rise to previously unimaginable levels, while poverty remained locked in and largely ignored.
Today, in the early winter of an uncurbed pandemic and the economic crisis that accompanies it, there are 140 million poor or low-income Americans, disproportionately people of color, but reaching into every community in this country: 24 million Blacks, 38 million Latinos, eight million Asians, two million Native peoples, and 66 million whites. More than a third of the potential electorate, in other words, has been relegated to poverty and precariousness and yet how little of the political discourse in recent elections was directed at those who were poor or one storm, fire, job loss, eviction, or healthcare crisis away from poverty and economic chaos. In the distorted mirror of public policy, those 140 million people have remained essentially invisible. As in the 1960s and other times in our history, however, the poor are no longer waiting for recognition from Washington. Instead, every indication is that they’re beginning to organize themselves, taking decisive action to alter the scales of political power.
For years, I’ve traveled this country, working to build a movement to end poverty. In a nation that has so often boasted about being the wealthiest and freest in history, I’ve regularly witnessed painful divisions caused by hunger, homelessness, sickness, degradation, and so much more. In Lowndes County, Alabama, for instance, I organized with people who lived day in, day out with raw sewage in their yards and dangerous mold in their homes. On Apache land in Oak Flats, Arizona, I stood with native leaders struggling to cope with generations of loss and plunder, most recently at the hands of a multinational copper mining company. In Gray’s Harbor, Washington, I visited millennials living in homeless encampments under constant siege by militia groups and the police. And the list, sadly, only goes on.
As the future administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris heads for the White House (no matter the recalcitrant loser still ensconced there), the rest of us must equip ourselves with both courage and caution, living as we do in a divided nation, in — to be exact — two very different Americas. Keep in mind that these are not the insulated, readymade Americas of MSNBC and Fox News, of Republicans and Democrats, of conservatives and liberals. All of us live in a land where there are two Americas, one of unimaginable wealth, the other of miserable poverty; an America of the promised good life and one of almost guaranteed premature death.
Unleashing the Power of Poor and Low-Income Voters
One enduring narrative from the 2016 election is that poor and low-income voters won Donald Trump the White House, even if the numbers don’t bear it out. Hillary Clinton won by 12 points among voters who made less than $30,000 a year and by 9 points among voters who made less than $49,999; the median household income of Trump voters then was $72,000.
Four years later, initial estimates suggest that this trend has only intensified: Joe Biden attracted more poor and low-income voters than President Trump both in the aggregate and in key states like Michigan. Trump, on the other hand, gained among voters with annual family incomes of more than $100,000. Last week, the director of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab noted that this “appears to be the biggest demographic shift I’m seeing. And you can tie that to [Trump’s] tax cuts [for the wealthy] and lower regulations.”
In 2016, there were 64 million eligible poor and low-income voters, 32 million of whom did not vote. In 2020, it’s becoming clear that poor and low-income voters helped decide the election’s outcome by opting for a candidate who signaled support for key antipoverty issues like raising the minimum wage, expanding health care, and protecting the environment. In down-ballot races, every congressional member who endorsed Medicare for All won reelection, even in swing states. Imagine then how many dispossessed and disenfranchised voters might have turned out if more candidates had actually been speaking to the most pressing issues of their lives?
Seventy-two percent of Americans said that they would prefer a government-run healthcare plan and more than 70% supported raising the minimum wage, including 62% of Republicans. Even in districts that went for Trump, voters passed ballot measures that, only a few years ago, would have been unheard of. In Mississippi, people voted to decriminalize medical marijuana, while in Florida a referendum for a $15 minimum wage got more votes than either of the two presidential candidates.
If nothing else, Election 2020 revealed a deeply divided nation — two Americas, not one — though that dividing line marked anything but an even or obvious split. A startling number of Americans are trapped in wretched conditions and hungry for a clean break with the status quo. On the other hand, the rampant voter suppression and racialized gerrymandering of the last decade of American politics suggests that extremists from the wealthier America will go to remarkable lengths to undercut the power of those at the bottom of this society. They have proven ready to use every tool and scare tactic of racist division and subterfuge imaginable to stop poor Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and white potential voters from building new and transformative alliances, including a new electorate.
It’s time to move beyond the defeatist myth of the Solid South or even the dulling comfort of a Midwestern “blue wall.” Across the South and the Midwest, there are voter-suppression states still to win, not for a party, but for a fusion movement of the many. The same could be true for the coasts and the Southwest, where there remains a sleeping giant of poor and low-income people yet to be pulled into political action. If this country is ever going to be built back better, to borrow Joe Biden’s campaign pledge, it’s time to turn to its abandoned corners; to, that is, the other America of Martin Luther King that still haunts us, whether we know it or not.
Fusion Politics in the Other America
When Dr. King gave his “Other America” speech, he was preparing for what would become the last political project of his life: the Poor People’s Campaign. At a time when the nation appeared to be fraying at the seams, he grasped that a giant social leap forward was still possible. In fact, he envisioned a protracted struggle that might catapult this country into a new era of human rights and revolution not through sanguine calls for unity, but via a rousing fusion of poor and dispossessed people from all walks of life. And that, as he imagined it, would also involve a recognition that systemic racism and other forms of hate and prejudice were crucial to the maintenence of the two Americas and had to be challenged head-on.
The idea of such fusion politics echoed earlier chapters of political reckoning and transformation in this country. From the post-Civil War era of Reconstruction into the 1890s, newly emancipated Blacks built unprecedented, if fragile, alliances with poor whites to seize governing power. Across a new South, fusion parties expanded voting rights, access to public education, labor protections, fair taxation, and more. In North Carolina in 1868, for instance, legislators went so far as to rewrite the state constitution to codify for the first time the right of all citizens to “life, liberty, and the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor.”
For nearly 30 years, I’ve been part of a modern version of fusion organizing, even as I studied earlier examples of it — and this country’s history is rich with them. Indeed, the modern Poor People’s Campaign that I co-chair is itself inspired by such past fusion movements, including the version of politics I was first introduced to by multiracial welfare rights and homeless organizing in the 1980s and 1990s.
Organizations like the National Welfare Rights Union and the National Union of the Homeless first grew in response to the neoliberal politics of President Ronald Reagan and his attacks on the poor, especially the Black poor, or, as he put it, “welfare queens.” In response to such myths and deep, divisive cuts, out of shelters and from the streets, poor people began to organize projects of mutual aid and solidarity, including “unions” of the homeless.
By the 1980s, the National Union of the Homeless had been created and had upwards of 30,000 members in 25 cities. Meanwhile, organizers across the country soon escalated their efforts with waves of coordinated and nonviolent takeovers of vacant federally owned buildings at a time when the government had abdicated its responsibility to protect and provide for its poorest citizens. Those poor and homeless leaders also helped the Homeless Union secure guarantees from the federal government both for more subsidized housing and for protections of the right of the homeless to vote.
Today, in the middle of an economic crisis that could, in the end, rival the Great Depression, I’m reminded not just of those moments that first involved me but of the fusion movements of the early 1930s. After all, in those years, shanty towns called “Hoovervilles” — given that Herbert Hoover was still president — cropped up in cities across the country.
Not unlike the tent cities of the Homeless Union and the Welfare Rights Movement in the 1980s and the ones appearing today, those Hoovervilles were where masses of the unemployed and homeless gathered to survive the worst of that depression and strategize on how to resist its misery. Multiracial Unemployed Councils organized and fought for relief for workers without jobs then, preventing thousands of evictions and utility shutoffs.
Meanwhile, in the abandoned fields of the Southern Delta from Arkansas to Mississippi, groups like the Southern Tenant Farmers Union pioneered the dangerous work of organizing Black and white tenant farmers and sharecroppers. When the New Deal coalition bet its future on compromise with white Southern extremists, members of that union were among the last guardians of the rights of poor agrarian workers. Their lonely clarity on the significance of fusion politics in the South stood in stark contrast to the rise of an unmitigated politics of white reaction there.
Today, as top Democrats like Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claim the legacy of Great Depression-era President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, remember the fusion organizing that helped bring him to power and pushed him to enact change. I’m thinking in particular of the more than 40,000 unemployed veterans of World War I who arrived in Washington D.C. in 1932 to demand the early payment of promised bonuses, previously only considered redeemable after 1945. That Bonus Army, as the veterans called it, collected many of the fraying threads of the American tapestry, making camp, sometimes with wives and children, on seized public land just across the Potomac River from the capital’s federal office buildings, while holding regular nonviolent marches and rallies.
Eventually, President Herbert Hoover ordered the U.S. Army to tear down the camp in a violent fashion. The mistreatment of those poor and war-weary veterans in the process proved to be a lightning rod for the public and so Hoover lost to FDR in the presidential election later that year, setting the stage for a decade defined by militant organizing and major shifts in national policy.
The Mandate of the Poor Today
There are already those in the media and politics who are counseling restraint and a return to the pre-Trump days, as if he were the cause, not the consequence, of a nation desperately divided. This would be nothing less than a disaster, given that the fissures in our democracy so desperately need mending not with nice words but with a new governing contract with the American people.
The battleground states that won Joe Biden the presidency have also been battlegrounds in the most recent war against the poor. In Michigan, hit first and worst by deindustrialization, millions have struggled with a failing water system and a jobs crisis. In Wisconsin, where unions have been under attack for years and austerity has become the norm, both budgets and social welfare policies have been slashed by legislatures. In Pennsylvania, rural hospitals have been closing at an alarming rate and, even before the pandemic hit, the poorest large city in the country, Philadelphia, had already become a checkerboard of disinvestment and gentrification. In Georgia, 1.3 million renters — 45% of the households in that state — were at risk of eviction this year. And in Arizona, the climate crisis and Covid-19 have ravaged entire communities, including the members of Indigenous nations who recently turned out to vote in record numbers.
The people of these states and 15 more helped elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and count on one thing: with their votes, they were calling for more than just an end to Trumpism. They were demanding that a new era of change begin for the poor and marginalized. The first priority in such an era should, of course, be to pass a comprehensive relief bill to control the pandemic and buoy the millions of Americans now facing a cold, dark winter of deprivation. The House and the Senate have a moral responsibility to get this done as soon as the new administration takes office, if not before (though tell that to Mitch McConnell). The first 100 days of the Biden administration should then be focused, at least in part, on launching a historic investment in securing permanent protections for the poor, including expanded voting rights, universal healthcare, affordable housing, a living wage, and a guaranteed adequate annual income, not to speak of divestment from the war economy and a swift transition to a green economy.
That should be the mandate of our next government. And that’s why we, the overflowing millions, must harness the fusion politics that was so crucial to the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and organize in the best tradition of our predecessors. Real social progress rarely comes slowly and steadily, but in leaps and bounds. The predictable stalemate of the next administration and its Republican opposition can’t be broken by grand speeches in the House or Senate. It can only be broken by a vast social movement capable of awakening the moral imagination of the nation.
It’s time to get to work.
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truthout--2020-11-17--Calls Mount for Lindsey Graham to Resign Over Alleged Interference in GA Recount

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-South Carolina ) is facing calls to step down from his role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee over allegations he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to invalidate ballots that were legally cast in this month ’ s presidential election .
Raffensperger , who is also a Republican , said in an interview with The Washington Post this week that many within his own party are putting pressure on him to help deliver an electoral win for President Donald Trump within Georgia .
Although a recount is currently underway in the state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden by a margin of about 14,000 votes .
The Georgia Secretary of State said that his pledge to conduct a fair assessment of the election has resulted in overt criticism from Republicans and even death threats against him .
In one text message he received , someone wrote that Raffensperger ’ s “ life depends ” on not messing up the recount — implying that he should deliver a win to Trump , or else .
Trump himself has been less-than-subtle in his criticisms of Raffensperger — tweeting unfounded claims that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Georgia Secretary of State , a so-called Republican ( RINO ) , won ’ t let the people checking the ballots see the signatures for fraud , ” Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday .
“ Why ?
Without this the whole process is very unfair and close to meaningless.
” In fact , the allegations made by Trump are false : election observers are indeed allowed to compare signatures .
Beyond the death threats being made against him and the wrongful allegations being levied by the president , Raffensperger also claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ applied pressure on him behind the scenes , including Lindsey Graham .
According to Raffensperger , Graham called him directly to inquire whether all mail-in ballots from counties with higher rates of signature discrepancies could be tossed out from the totals .
Raffensperger interpreted the request from Graham as suggesting he find a way to toss ballots that were legally cast , a move that would hinder Biden ’ s vote totals and help Trump .
“ It sure looked like he was wanting to go down that road , ” Raffensperger said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself has responded to the allegations from Raffensperger by denying that he called for ballots to be tossed aside and calling his discussion with the Georgia official a “ good conversation.
” “ If he feels threatened by that conversation , he ’ s got a problem , ” Graham added .
A number of critics weighed in on Graham ’ s alleged actions , describing what Raffensperger described as warranting an investigation .
“ It is deeply troubling to have a state official allege that a member of the United States Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should throw out ballots cast by eligible voters , ” Kristen Clarke , president of the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law , said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday .
“ We should see the Senate open an ethics inquiry to determine whether or not these allegations are true , ” Clarke added .
Marc Elias , a Democratic attorney who specializes in voting rights , agreed .
“ This is both outrageous and should be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee , ” Elias said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true , [ Lindsey Graham ] should resign , ” Rolling Stone senior writer Jamil Smith said .
“ He ’ s the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , for goodness ’ sake.
” Smith noted that Graham ’ s denial itself was worrisome .
“ Even Graham ’ s defense is troubling .
If Raffensperger ‘ feels threatened by that conversation , he ’ s got a problem ’ ?
What might that be , Lindsey ?
” Smith said .
Noah Bookbinder , the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a direct call for Graham to step away from his position in the Senate .
“ Under the guise of rooting out election fraud , it looks like Graham is suggesting committing it , ” Bookbinder said .
“ That is unacceptable , and Senator Graham should step down from his chairmanship immediately.
” Overturning the will of voters in Georgia would be an undemocratic and egregious departure from the standard functioning of modern American politics .
And even if it were somehow to happen , it wouldn ’ t overturn the outcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many of his Republican allies are still refusing to concede the election to Biden , the Democratic candidate has amassed 306 Electoral College votes , meaning that if Georgia ’ s 16 votes were removed from his totals , the president-elect would still have well over the 270 votes needed to win the race .

Graham allegedly asked whether all mail-in ballots in certain Georgia counties could be invalidated.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) is facing calls to step down from his role as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee over allegations he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to invalidate ballots that were legally cast in this month’s presidential election.
Raffensperger, who is also a Republican, said in an interview with The Washington Post this week that many within his own party are putting pressure on him to help deliver an electoral win for President Donald Trump within Georgia. Although a recount is currently underway in the state, the incumbent president is currently behind President-elect Joe Biden by a margin of about 14,000 votes.
The Georgia Secretary of State said that his pledge to conduct a fair assessment of the election has resulted in overt criticism from Republicans and even death threats against him. In one text message he received, someone wrote that Raffensperger’s “life depends” on not messing up the recount — implying that he should deliver a win to Trump, or else.
Trump himself has been less-than-subtle in his criticisms of Raffensperger — tweeting unfounded claims that Raffensperger is biased against the president.
“Georgia Secretary of State, a so-called Republican (RINO), won’t let the people checking the ballots see the signatures for fraud,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday. “Why? Without this the whole process is very unfair and close to meaningless.”
In fact, the allegations made by Trump are false: election observers are indeed allowed to compare signatures.
Beyond the death threats being made against him and the wrongful allegations being levied by the president, Raffensperger also claims that high-ranking members of the GOP have applied pressure on him behind the scenes, including Lindsey Graham.
According to Raffensperger, Graham called him directly to inquire whether all mail-in ballots from counties with higher rates of signature discrepancies could be tossed out from the totals. Raffensperger interpreted the request from Graham as suggesting he find a way to toss ballots that were legally cast, a move that would hinder Biden’s vote totals and help Trump.
“It sure looked like he was wanting to go down that road,” Raffensperger said of Graham’s insinuations.
Graham himself has responded to the allegations from Raffensperger by denying that he called for ballots to be tossed aside and calling his discussion with the Georgia official a “good conversation.”
“If he feels threatened by that conversation, he’s got a problem,” Graham added.
A number of critics weighed in on Graham’s alleged actions, describing what Raffensperger described as warranting an investigation.
“It is deeply troubling to have a state official allege that a member of the United States Senate took the position that this state official should throw out ballots cast by eligible voters,” Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, said in an interview with MSNBC on Monday.
“We should see the Senate open an ethics inquiry to determine whether or not these allegations are true,” Clarke added.
Marc Elias, a Democratic attorney who specializes in voting rights, agreed. “This is both outrageous and should be investigated by the Senate Ethics Committee,” Elias said in a tweet.
“If these allegations are true, [Lindsey Graham] should resign,” Rolling Stone senior writer Jamil Smith said. “He’s the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, for goodness’ sake.”
Smith noted that Graham’s denial itself was worrisome.
“Even Graham’s defense is troubling. If Raffensperger ‘feels threatened by that conversation, he’s got a problem’? What might that be, Lindsey?” Smith said.
Noah Bookbinder, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, also made a direct call for Graham to step away from his position in the Senate.
“Under the guise of rooting out election fraud, it looks like Graham is suggesting committing it,” Bookbinder said. “That is unacceptable, and Senator Graham should step down from his chairmanship immediately.”
Overturning the will of voters in Georgia would be an undemocratic and egregious departure from the standard functioning of modern American politics. And even if it were somehow to happen, it wouldn’t overturn the outcome of the presidential race.
Although Trump and many of his Republican allies are still refusing to concede the election to Biden, the Democratic candidate has amassed 306 Electoral College votes, meaning that if Georgia’s 16 votes were removed from his totals, the president-elect would still have well over the 270 votes needed to win the race.
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--2020-11-17--Poorer Countries May Have to Wait Years for a COVID Vaccine

A COVID-19 vaccine appears to be on the way , raising plenty of questions about how much vaccines will cost and who get will get them first .
On Monday , Moderna announced initial results from a clinical trial showing that its COVID-19 vaccine is 94.5 percent effective .
That ’ s promising news for people in the United States , where COVID-19 is surging and the government invested heavily in developing the vaccine .
However , consumer advocates warn U.S. taxpayers will ultimately pay twice for Moderna ’ s vaccine if it ’ s approved by regulators .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration covers the cost of bringing the vaccine to market — and pays for the vaccine itself .
This gives Americans quick access to the vaccine once it is approved in the U.S. , but much of the world could be left behind during a pandemic that knows no borders .
Disparities in global vaccine sales and distribution exacerbated by propriety control of manufacturing technologies are expected to create a “ global vaccine apartheid , ” in which wealthy countries distribute COVID-19 vaccines within their borders for months , if not years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Peter Maybarduk , director of the Access to Medicines program at Public Citizen .
“ If we fail to act , potentially billions of people around the world will experience a longer pandemic , and that , of course , will mean many deaths , but also economic devastation for vulnerable communities , as well as potential political instability , ” Maybarduk said in an interview .
As Truthout has reported , private pharmaceutical companies have neglected vaccine research for decades because other medicines are more profitable , leaving the job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit , Moderna and other companies racing to develop vaccines have received billions of dollars in development aid from wealthy governments and international foundations working with the World Health Organization ( WHO ) .
Maybarduk said these funders are responsible to the public , not a pharmaceutical company ’ s profit margins , and they should leverage their stake in any future vaccines to make them affordable and widely available on a global scale .
“ In the worst health crisis in a century , vaccine funders must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share technology and teach the world to make vaccines , ” Maybarduk said .
“ Governments and foundations must learn to use their power and tell pharmaceutical corporations what to do if we are to prevent a global vaccine apartheid.
” The U.S. enjoys a significant stake in leading vaccines thanks to publicly funded research and development shared with private industry .
Along with Pfizer , which announced preliminary but promising results from its vaccine trial last week , Moderna relied on technology developed by the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that stabilizes coronavirus “ spike ” proteins for research .
Johnson & Johnson , Novavax and other companies in the race to develop a vaccine are also using the technology , according to Public Citizen .
Moderna ’ s vaccine quest also benefited from nearly $ 1 billion in federal research and development aid , which covers 100 percent of the cost of bringing the vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration for approval .
Even after that investment , the Trump administration agreed to pay an additional $ 1.5 billion for 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. has the option of buying another 500 million doses , which translates to $ 8 billion in profits for Moderna .
“ This is the people ’ s vaccine .
The NIH ’ s vaccine .
It is not merely Moderna ’ s vaccine , ” Maybarduk said .
“ Federal scientists helped invent it and taxpayers are funding its development .
We all have played a role .
It should belong to humanity.
” President Trump believed approving a vaccine ahead of the election would benefit his reelection chances , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vaccine would be available while attempting to take credit for development efforts .
The Trump administration redirected billions of federal dollars earmarked for personal protective equipment and public health agencies battling the pandemic to fund a partnership between the government and private vaccine developers .
The Trump administration clearly took an “ America First ” approach to vaccine development .
Unless people in all countries have access to vaccines , the global pandemic could drag on for years .
Even in the unlikely event that the five leading vaccines are approved , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not have access until at least 2022 , according to Oxfam International .
Moderna says it can produce 1 billion doses of its vaccine by the end of next year , but 78 percent of those doses have already been sold to the U.S. and wealthy nations in Europe representing only 12 percent of the world ’ s population , according to Global Justice Now , an international group aligned with social movements .
However , Moderna was one of several beneficiaries of a $ 1.1 billion investment by the Coalition for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which co-leads the WHO ’ s COVID-19 vaccine access facility with support from the World Bank and wealthy foundations .
In a new report , Public Citizen argues that Moderna appears to be violating CEPI ’ s “ equitable access policy ” that prioritizes vaccine access by public health need , instead of the ability to pay , by securing purchase agreements with only the U.S. and other wealthy nations .
“ We welcome any good news when it comes to a coronavirus breakthrough , but sadly most of the world can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now Director Nick Dearden , in a statement .
“ Moderna ’ s is predicted to be the most expensive potential vaccine on the market , at around $ 35 a dose , even though it has been made with vast public support.
” While those prices may be lower in the U.S. , taxpayers have already invested millions into Moderna ’ s vaccine , and Moderna plans on turning a profit , according to Public Citizen .
President-Elect Joe Biden has said a vaccine will be available to everyone in the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s refusal to accept the election results and allow for a transition between his administration and Biden ’ s could hinder a vaccine rollout .
In any case , a vaccine would first be distributed to health workers and vulnerable patients before the public at large .
Maybarduk said both administrations should engage with CEPI and use the U.S. ’ s stake in vaccine development to ramp up global production and distribution .
Human rights groups say Moderna and other leading vaccine developers must share technology and insight for manufacturing any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
No single corporation has the capability of distributing a vaccine globally , and many countries will need knowledge and technology currently held by private companies that received public support .
“ The U.S. government has tremendous power to do this and frankly save the world , we ’ re talking about that level of thing , ” Maybarduk said .
While Moderna has pledged not to enforce its vaccine patents during the pandemic , potentially allowing governments and drug makers to replicate its vaccine production methods , it remains unclear how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the pandemic .
Stephen Cockburn , the head of economic and social justice programs at Amnesty International , said Moderna and other profit-seeking vaccine makers must be held accountable to global public health needs during this unprecedented crisis .
“ Having already sold most of its potential 2021 vaccine supply to rich countries , Moderna must follow through on its promise to allow others to make the vaccine , and provide the knowledge and technology to do so , once the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective , ” Cockburn @ @ @ @ @ @ @

U.S. must act now and leverage its stake in vaccine development to prevent “global vaccine apartheid,” advocates say.
Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
A COVID-19 vaccine appears to be on the way, raising plenty of questions about how much vaccines will cost and who get will get them first.
On Monday, Moderna announced initial results from a clinical trial showing that its COVID-19 vaccine is 94.5 percent effective. That’s promising news for people in the United States, where COVID-19 is surging and the government invested heavily in developing the vaccine.
However, consumer advocates warn U.S. taxpayers will ultimately pay twice for Moderna’s vaccine if it’s approved by regulators. A $2.5 billion public investment by the Trump administration covers the cost of bringing the vaccine to market — and pays for the vaccine itself. This gives Americans quick access to the vaccine once it is approved in the U.S., but much of the world could be left behind during a pandemic that knows no borders.
Disparities in global vaccine sales and distribution exacerbated by propriety control of manufacturing technologies are expected to create a “global vaccine apartheid,” in which wealthy countries distribute COVID-19 vaccines within their borders for months, if not years, before poorer nations have access, according to Peter Maybarduk, director of the Access to Medicines program at Public Citizen.
“If we fail to act, potentially billions of people around the world will experience a longer pandemic, and that, of course, will mean many deaths, but also economic devastation for vulnerable communities, as well as potential political instability,” Maybarduk said in an interview.
As Truthout has reported, private pharmaceutical companies have neglected vaccine research for decades because other medicines are more profitable, leaving the job up to governments and public research institutions. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Moderna and other companies racing to develop vaccines have received billions of dollars in development aid from wealthy governments and international foundations working with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Maybarduk said these funders are responsible to the public, not a pharmaceutical company’s profit margins, and they should leverage their stake in any future vaccines to make them affordable and widely available on a global scale.
Even in the unlikely event that the five leading vaccines are approved, two-thirds of the world’s population will not have access until at least 2022.
“In the worst health crisis in a century, vaccine funders must use every tool at their disposal to share technology and teach the world to make vaccines,” Maybarduk said. “Governments and foundations must learn to use their power and tell pharmaceutical corporations what to do if we are to prevent a global vaccine apartheid.”
The U.S. enjoys a significant stake in leading vaccines thanks to publicly funded research and development shared with private industry. Along with Pfizer, which announced this week that its vaccine is both safe and 95 percent effective, Moderna relied on technology developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — and paid for by taxpayers — that stabilizes coronavirus “spike” proteins for research. Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and other companies in the race to develop a vaccine are also using the technology, according to Public Citizen.
Moderna’s vaccine quest also benefited from nearly $1 billion in federal research and development aid, which covers 100 percent of the cost of bringing the vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. Even after that investment, the Trump administration agreed to pay an additional $1.5 billion for 100 million doses of the vaccine. The U.S. has the option of buying another 500 million doses, which translates to $8 billion in profits for Moderna.
“This is the people’s vaccine. The NIH’s vaccine. It is not merely Moderna’s vaccine,” Maybarduk said. “Federal scientists helped invent it and taxpayers are funding its development. We all have played a role. It should belong to humanity.”
President Trump believed approving a vaccine ahead of the election would benefit his reelection chances, and he repeatedly lied to voters about when a vaccine would be available while attempting to take credit for development efforts. The Trump administration redirected billions of federal dollars earmarked for personal protective equipment and public health agencies battling the pandemic to fund a partnership between the government and private vaccine developers.
“The U.S. government has tremendous power to do this and frankly save the world.”
The Trump administration clearly took an “America First” approach to vaccine development. Unless people in all countries have access to vaccines, the global pandemic could drag on for years. Even in the unlikely event that the five leading vaccines are approved, two-thirds of the world’s population will not have access until at least 2022, according to Oxfam International.
Moderna says it can produce 1 billion doses of its vaccine by the end of next year, but 78 percent of those doses have already been sold to the U.S. and wealthy nations in Europe representing only 12 percent of the world’s population, according to Global Justice Now, an international group aligned with social movements.
However, Moderna was one of several beneficiaries of a $1.1 billion investment by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which co-leads the WHO’s COVID-19 vaccine access facility with support from the World Bank and wealthy foundations.
In a new report, Public Citizen argues that Moderna appears to be violating CEPI’s “equitable access policy” that prioritizes vaccine access by public health need, instead of the ability to pay, by securing purchase agreements with only the U.S. and other wealthy nations.
“We welcome any good news when it comes to a coronavirus breakthrough, but sadly most of the world cannot celebrate today,” said Global Justice Now Director Nick Dearden, in a statement. “Moderna’s is predicted to be the most expensive potential vaccine on the market, at around $35 a dose, even though it has been made with vast public support.”
While those prices may be lower in the U.S., taxpayers have already invested millions into Moderna’s vaccine, and Moderna plans on turning a profit, according to Public Citizen. President-Elect Joe Biden has said a vaccine will be available to everyone in the U.S. “free of charge,” but Trump’s refusal to accept the election results and allow for a transition between his administration and Biden’s could hinder a vaccine rollout. In any case, a vaccine would first be distributed to health workers and vulnerable patients before the public at large.
Maybarduk said both administrations should engage with CEPI and use the U.S.’s stake in vaccine development to ramp up global production and distribution. Human rights groups say Moderna and other leading vaccine developers must share technology and insight for manufacturing any vaccines that come to market with the world. No single corporation has the capability of distributing a vaccine globally, and many countries will need knowledge and technology currently held by private companies that received public support.
“The U.S. government has tremendous power to do this and frankly save the world, we’re talking about that level of thing,” Maybarduk said.
While Moderna has pledged not to enforce its vaccine patents during the pandemic, potentially allowing governments and drug makers to replicate its vaccine production methods, it remains unclear how Moderna will define the “end” of the pandemic.
Stephen Cockburn, the head of economic and social justice programs at Amnesty International, said Moderna and other profit-seeking vaccine makers must be held accountable to global public health needs during this unprecedented crisis.
“Having already sold most of its potential 2021 vaccine supply to rich countries, Moderna must follow through on its promise to allow others to make the vaccine, and provide the knowledge and technology to do so, once the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective,” Cockburn said in a statement on Monday.
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--2020-11-17--Trump Adviser Says Elderly Will Die Soon Anyway, Urging Thanksgiving Gatherings

In his latest anti-science appeal to Americans , White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas on Monday night called on families to ignore the guidance of public health experts who say the holiday season should not include indoor gatherings — suggesting to Fox News that families should take the risk even for elderly or sick relatives this Thanksgiving because they will no longer be alive next year .
“ This kind of isolation is one of the unspoken tragedies of the elderly who are now being told don ’ t see your family at Thanksgiving , ” Atlas , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox host Martha MacCallum .
“ For many people this is their final Thanksgiving , believe it or not .
What are we doing here ?
” Stanford University , where Atlas was a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution before joining President Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus team , promptly distanced itself from the doctor ’ s comments , while political observers expressed shock on social media .
Protecting the elderly from Covid-19 is one of the main reasons infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and other officials have called on Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .
Last week he advised Americans to wear face coverings at any gatherings they do have if they don ’ t know the Covid-19 status of all attendees .
Meanwhile , Atlas has falsely stated that face masks don ’ t reduce transmission of Covid-19 and is a proponent of the U.S. government taking a “ herd immunity ” approach to the pandemic — encouraging people who are relatively young and healthy to go about their daily lives with no regard for mask-wearing , social distancing , or the existence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 246,000 people in the U.S. this year , while using unspecified methods to separate them from people who are elderly or at high risk for severe Covid-19 infections .
The “ herd immunity ” approach , euphemistically rebranded as “ focused protection ” by some proponents , has been denounced as “ fringe ” by seasoned public health officials .
On Sunday , Atlas also called on Michigan residents to “ rise up ” against public health guidance after Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer announced that in-person learning , indoor dining , organized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down for three weeks to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 .
“ This guy is a public health menace and it needs to stop now , ” tweeted one emergency room physician on Monday evening following Atlas ’ s comments about Thanksgiving .

In his latest anti-science appeal to Americans, White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas on Monday night called on families to ignore the guidance of public health experts who say the holiday season should not include indoor gatherings — suggesting to Fox News that families should take the risk even for elderly or sick relatives this Thanksgiving because they will no longer be alive next year.
“This kind of isolation is one of the unspoken tragedies of the elderly who are now being told don’t see your family at Thanksgiving,” Atlas, who has no public health expertise, told Fox host Martha MacCallum. “For many people this is their final Thanksgiving, believe it or not. What are we doing here?”
Stanford University, where Atlas was a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution before joining President Donald Trump’s coronavirus team, promptly distanced itself from the doctor’s comments, while political observers expressed shock on social media.
Well, if it’s not their last Thanksgiving it will be now, “Doctor” Atlas. https://t.co/HSrWAu9i7o — David Atkins (@DavidOAtkins) November 17, 2020
Eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow my policies may kill you https://t.co/mcGZJxvhZ2 — Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) November 17, 2020
Enough. Where is the AMA, The American Society of Neuroradiology, Stanford? This guy is a public health menace and it needs to stop now. https://t.co/hTmRq87nRt — Andrea R MD (@AndreaR9Md) November 17, 2020
Shorter Atlas. For a lot of these people it’ll be their last Thanksgiving … because they’re attending Thanksgiving. So bring on the Turkey. https://t.co/SUHcOuzRqG — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 17, 2020
Protecting the elderly from Covid-19 is one of the main reasons infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and other officials have called on Americans to skip indoor family gatherings and traveling this year. Last week he advised Americans to wear face coverings at any gatherings they do have if they don’t know the Covid-19 status of all attendees.
Meanwhile, Atlas has falsely stated that face masks don’t reduce transmission of Covid-19 and is a proponent of the U.S. government taking a “herd immunity” approach to the pandemic — encouraging people who are relatively young and healthy to go about their daily lives with no regard for mask-wearing, social distancing, or the existence of a virus that’s killed more than 246,000 people in the U.S. this year, while using unspecified methods to separate them from people who are elderly or at high risk for severe Covid-19 infections.
The “herd immunity” approach, euphemistically rebranded as “focused protection” by some proponents, has been denounced as “fringe” by seasoned public health officials.
On Sunday, Atlas also called on Michigan residents to “rise up” against public health guidance after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that in-person learning, indoor dining, organized sports, and other activities would be shut down for three weeks to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.
“This guy is a public health menace and it needs to stop now,” tweeted one emergency room physician on Monday evening following Atlas’s comments about Thanksgiving.
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.