shadowproof--2020-03-18--The Coronavirus Primaries Were Illegitimate Elections

The United States is in the middle of the acceleration phase of the coronavirus pandemic .
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , this is the period , where the virus infects people and social distancing is crucial to slow the outbreak .
Yet , in a reckless move that defied the concerns of medical professionals , state officials in Arizona , Florida , and Illinois listened to politicians and proceeded with previously scheduled in-person voting in their primaries .
Over 2500 people , including more than 150 medical professionals , signed on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials .
It strongly urged them to extend mail-in voting and reschedule primaries .
( Disclosure : I co-organized the petition , which was sent to state officials . )
Multiple states postponed their primaries before in-person voting took place on March 17 .
Rather than respect the fact that states were trying to protect the health of voters and poll workers , the Democratic National Committee threatened states with the loss of delegates if they did not hold their primaries before June 9 .
On March 16 , Ohio Republican Governor Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s health department director , showed leadership and declared polling places a health emergency risk .
They postponed in-person voting until June .
The Ohio Democratic Party sued the state the following day .
The sociopathic nature of the Democratic Party establishment , as a health crisis plunged the country into a recession , demonstrated how reprehensible party operatives are willing to be in order to shepherd their preferred candidate closer to a presidential nomination .
Dysfunction that officials knew would occur resulted in voter suppression that made it impossible for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conditions stopped many other citizens from participating in the primaries .
Altogether , the results of the Arizona , Florida , and Illinois primaries were the product of an illegitimate electoral process carried out during a national state of emergency .
Once the news networks reported former Vice President Joe Biden was the winner of all three primaries , Biden appeared via livestream from his home in Wilmington , Delaware .
“ This is a moment , where we need our leaders to lead.
” “ It ’ s also a moment where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals are going to collectively impact on what happens , make a big difference in the severity of this outbreak and the ability of our medical hospital systems to handle it , ” Biden added .
What he declared was rather hypocritical .
Biden likely secured an insurmountable delegate lead over his opponent , Senator Bernie Sanders .
But he also showed zero leadership , put his base of elderly voters , who have overwhelmingly supported him , at risk , and his campaign disregarded CDC guidance to a degree that likely resulted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus because they believed what they claimed about how “ safe ” it was to vote .
“ If you are an older person , stay home and away from other people , ” the CDC advised .
“ If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition that can put you at increased risk ( for example , a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system ) , stay home and away from other people.
” The CDC further recommended , “ Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ healthy , you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk for others .
It is critical that you do your part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
” And , “ Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.
” Much of Arizona ’ s voting was done by mail-in ballots .
However , in Florida and Illinois , there were long lines of people , and in some cases , there were groups packed into rooms that violated the CDC ’ s recommendations .
Polling places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could have shut down .
The Dream Defenders , New Florida Majority , Organize Florida , and five individual plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to challenge “ large-scale voter disenfranchisement ” of “ communities of color and other historically vulnerable populations.
” It painted a stark picture .
“ Florida has reported 149 confirmed cases of COVID-19 , and four deaths to date , with every expectation that these numbers will rise .
Universities have sent students home , people are remaining in quarantine , poll workers are dropping out , and supervisors of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places in 22 counties , in many cases less than a week before the election , ” the complaint stated .
“ The predictable result is the denial of the vote to untold numbers of Floridians who had planned to vote in person on Election Day—including those who are elderly or have health conditions and can not get to the polls without tremendous risk , university students who are no longer present in their county of registration because their dorms have closed , and those who venture out but encounter long lines and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet the State of Florida has failed to take reasonable emergency measures necessary for voter participation in the face of this crisis , ” the groups added .
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Florida is the tenth day before an election .
The World Health Organization did not declare that the coronavirus was a pandemic until March 11 .
Travel restrictions were not imposed by President Donald Trump ’ s administration until the same date , and it was not until March 13 that that a national emergency was declared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter in Miami Dade County , suffers from heart problems and seizures .
He faces a higher risk of severe or “ fatal outcomes ” if he contracts the coronavirus .
Winters initially planned to vote at his polling place , but he was unable to vote on March 17 without severely risking his health .
His wife , Kathleen Winters , who is 67 years old , did not want to risk contracting the virus .
She was unable to vote without risking their health .
Bianca Maria Baez returned from an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She planned to vote at a polling place , but upon return from her trip , it became clear she was at risk of “ being asymptomatic while still having the virus.
” She did not want to risk her health or the health of members of her community .
Baez was unable to vote .
Another stunning example of voter disenfranchisement that was shared with the Dream Defenders apparently involved a small group of people , who went to a county elections office in Florida .
They attempted to go through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ who were unable to be home to vote because of the quarantine.
” “ There ’ s a whole process in place , where the voter can provide an affidavit to designate someone else to pick up a mail in ballot for them on the day of an election , ” one person in the group added .
“ We were not allowed to participate in this process due to not having a physician ’ s note to explain why they were not present .
[ Quarantining ] due to coronavirus travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida has an “ election emergency ” law that allows the governor to issue an executive order and delay an election .
He may do so independently or at the request of the secretary of state .
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis refused to take this step , and days prior to the primary , he proclaimed , “ We ’ re definitely voting .
They voted during the Civil War .
We ’ re going to vote.
” In Illinois , local news outlets in Chicago reported that the city ’ s board @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ move to a mail-in only model and cancel in-person voting.
” The board made this request immediately after the CDC classified the outbreak as a pandemic .
Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Jim Allen said “ the board anticipated the fear that the virus has caused among voters and poll workers but was told that the election was to be held anyway.
” After the first four hours of the primary , around 206 polling places were still not open .
Tim O ’ Brien , a professor in Cook County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my polling place early today .
It was closed .
An election official showed up to inform me that judges quit , and that they [ were ] ‘ scrambling ’ to get it going.
” Lea Salvatore reacted to the mess early in the morning .
“ Illinois primary is a complete disaster .
Polling places have been eliminated with no notice to voters .
I ’ m an election judge sitting on my couch with no place to go .
My friend just showed up at hers , and the doors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be invalid.
” One election judge said polling place workers were not trained to “ wipe down machines before and after use.
” Officials claimed they did not have time to give such coronavirus safety instructions , and several workers indicated they had to bring their own sanitizer or cleaning supplies to minimize risks to voters .
‘ Likely A Death Sentence For Many Voters Simply Trying To Have Their Voice Heard ’ Buzzfeed published a definitive report on election irregularities in the Illinois primary .
One polling place coordinator in Lincoln Park @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning because the location had no equipment .
“ Voters are very upset , ” Toya H. told Buzzfeed .
According to Buzzfeed , Toya sent them to “ a different polling place , only for that location to run out of provisional ballots .
By late morning , she was forced to redirect people to a polling place more than a mile away.
” Abshir Omar is the Iowa , Minnesota , Michigan , and Illinois political coordinator for the Bernie Sanders campaign .
He went to several polling places and documented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chicago , at the Thurgood Marshall Library , Omar observed a “ predominantly black senior population ” that “ waited on average two hours to vote in crowded rooms.
” “ There are senior citizens sitting in there .
They ’ ve been there two-to-three hours waiting .
There are too many people smashed together in there .
It ’ s too close in there , ” Deborah Collins told Omar .
“ None of the senior citizens are being waited on .
They ’ re just sitting there and waiting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They ’ re not voting because they ’ re having to wait so long.
” While at a Gage Park early voting site in the second largest Latino district in Illinois , Omar documented a crowd of people in a “ poorly ventilated basement.
” Several left without voting because they weren ’ t “ willing to risk their health.
” Yet another stunning example of non-CDC compliance was a line in the neighborhood near Wrigley Field stadium , where voters stood for around three hours .
It stretched for multiple blocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apart .
“ What I witnessed today in Chicago is likely a death sentence for many voters simply trying to have their voice heard .
The state of Illinois effective immediately should test and treat all those that voted in person today .
Unacceptable risks and clear violations of CDC guidelines , ” Omar concluded .
Illinois students may register to vote at their campus address .
Given that colleges or universities were shut down , that likely disenfranchised a significant number of students , who were deprived of the opportunity to vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The CDC And Folks Have Said It ’ s Safe ’ Beyond disenfranchisement in states , officials promoted misinformation or pseudo-science .
Initially , Ohio was part of a unified front by states scheduled to vote on March 17 .
Officials released an extraordinary statement .
“ Unlike concerts , sporting events or other mass gatherings where large groups of people travel long distances to congregate in a confined space for an extended period of time , polling locations see people from a nearby community coming into and out of the building for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As is clear after today ’ s primaries in Florida and Illinois , hundreds if not thousands of voters were in buildings and in larger groups than CDC recommends for long durations .
What happened was completely the opposite of what officials said would happen .
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs , a Democrat , “ worked with Arizona State University to enlist students to replace poll workers who quit or don ’ t show up.
” Except , young people can still be carriers and spread the virus .
They can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put a greater strain on health care facilities as they deal with surging cases among the elderly population .
Physician and health reporter Dr. Norman Swan warned , “ Intensive care units across China and across Italy are full of people who are young .
And it ’ s the young who are dying with no obvious risk factors.
” “ When this takes off , it ’ s young people who hit your intensive care units , and you ’ re making decisions between a 40 year-old and a 60 year-old…terrible ethical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior adviser Symone Sanders went on CNN after the presidential debate on March 15 and said , “ The CDC and folks have said it ’ s safe out there for Tuesday , ” even though the CDC issued no statements about whether primaries posed a risk to the public ’ s health .
She encouraged voters to go out there and vote in the middle of an accelerating pandemic .
Then , quite obnoxiously , after Biden took a commanding lead in the primary , she panicked .
“ Jake Tapper and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans to take the threat of COVID-19 seriously .
This is not a drill folks !
” The Biden campaign was afraid the pandemic would keep voters at home .
Rather than appeal to officials to delay primaries , they cynically tweeted , “ The right to vote is the most sacred American right there is .
State election officials are working closely with public officials to hold safe elections.
” “ If you are feeling healthy , not showing symptoms , and not at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 , please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urged .
The message was Trump-like in its disregard for public health risks .
Everyone is at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus .
A person who does not show symptoms could still have the virus and infect someone .
A person may feel healthy but be a carrier .
This is why schools , restaurants , bars , and non-essential businesses are shutting down .
It is why the CDC recommends bans on the gathering of people that occurred at polling places .
To further emphasize the recklessness of the Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the primaries , testing is going very poorly and will likely prolong the coronavirus outbreak .
What that means , according to Axios , is the “ virus has probably been spreading undetected for weeks.
” “ More people than we know about are infected , which means more people than we know about are spreading the virus , which likely means way more people than we know about are infected.
” Leadership From Democrats Now That Biden Has A Commanding Lead Ken Martin , the vice chair of the DNC and president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( ASDC ) , “ called for states to immediately adopt emergency measures to ensure voters are not disenfranchised by this public health crisis.
” “ The United States of America failed to live up to our democratic ideals when our primary election process broke down in a myriad of ways across several states , ” Martin contended .
“ Some voters were turned away from their polling places due to a lack of equipment or poll workers , students at colleges and universities that were barred from campuses could not vote where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay home out of a perfectly reasonable fear of contracting COVID-19 , and still more voters were put in harm ’ s way due to unsanitary conditions in their polling places .
This is unacceptable and can not continue.
” Martin ’ s leadership came too late for voters , especially since the national state of emergency is likely to interfere with any effort to seek a remedy .
The results were announced .
It is not like states will allow additional mail-in ballots to be added to the tally .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the refusal of state governments to take action to reschedule primaries and extend mail-in voting .
That taint extends to down-ballot races too .
Recommendations were issued by the DNC but only after Biden was further insulated from losing to Sanders .
The DNC urged “ remaining primary states ” to incorporate “ vote by mail.
” They proposed “ no-excuse absentee voting , ” whereby a voter could either drop a ballot off at convenient locations or drop it in the mail .
( To some degree , this is the contingency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculously accused Ohio of breeding “ more chaos and confusion ” by rescheduling the primary .
What Ohio did was find an off-ramp that all March 17 states should ’ ve taken to protect the public ’ s health .
The state employed the authority of the health department to declare a health emergency and shut down polling places .
It then left it up to the secretary of state to develop a remedy so that voters could participate by mailing in ballots or showing up to vote at polling places in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people it ’ s in their best interest to stay home and at the same time tell people to go vote .
We should not force people to choose between their health and their constitutional duties as citizens , ” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine plainly stated .
*** The Organization of American States ( OAS ) has election observers , who are trained to look for the very deficiencies that occurred : failure to open polling stations , lack of voting equipment or electoral materials , missing designated polling officials , lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and long lines for voters .
Had this happened when there was no coronavirus outbreak , what unfolded would be even more outrageous to the world .
Justice Democrats Alexandra Rojas , the 29 year-old executive director for Justice Democrats , appeared on CNN while results from the primaries were tabulated .
She appropriately captured the gravity of what the Democratic Party did to voters .
“ In this moment , in the midst of a pandemic , where we know that millions of Americans lives are at risk , it feels like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward , ” Rojas argued .
“ I know that most of the states , like Arizona and Florida , have vote by mail .
You have absentee ballots and folks voting early .
But just as the right to vote is sacred so is every American life , and I think that unprecedented times and moments of uncertainty call for unprecedented measures.
” “ So , even if it ’ s just one vote or a few votes , it matters .
The fact that it feels like we were kind of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and going into public places just a few days ago , yet we ’ re pushing forward with primaries.
” Rojas concluded , “ I think that Ohio made the right call .
They prioritized the health and well-being of their citizenry.
” “ If the question is if we gather in groups larger than 10—which I think those lines I think anecdotally I did not see people standing six feet apart , that ’ s really frightening , especially when it comes to the older population .
So , as a younger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic , [ potentially ] another recession within my lifetime , it feels very frightening in this moment , and I hope that Democratic leadership heeds that.
” Older voters are most vulnerable to death during this pandemic , and they have turned out in larger numbers in 2020 to make Biden the Democratic Party ’ s nominee .
They are eager to vote for him and beat President Donald Trump in November .
Tragically , a number of them may not be alive in November , and the public may never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the deranged push to hold in-person voting during the pandemic .

The United States is in the middle of the acceleration phase of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this is the period, where the virus infects people and social distancing is crucial to slow the outbreak.
Yet, in a reckless move that defied the concerns of medical professionals, state officials in Arizona, Florida, and Illinois listened to politicians and proceeded with previously scheduled in-person voting in their primaries.
Over 2500 people, including more than 150 medical professionals, signed on to a petition that was sent to state officials. It strongly urged them to extend mail-in voting and reschedule primaries. (Disclosure: I co-organized the petition, which was sent to state officials.)
Multiple states postponed their primaries before in-person voting took place on March 17. Rather than respect the fact that states were trying to protect the health of voters and poll workers, the Democratic National Committee threatened states with the loss of delegates if they did not hold their primaries before June 9.
On March 16, Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton, the state’s health department director, showed leadership and declared polling places a health emergency risk. They postponed in-person voting until June. The Ohio Democratic Party sued the state the following day.
The sociopathic nature of the Democratic Party establishment, as a health crisis plunged the country into a recession, demonstrated how reprehensible party operatives are willing to be in order to shepherd their preferred candidate closer to a presidential nomination.
Dysfunction that officials knew would occur resulted in voter suppression that made it impossible for numerous citizens to cast their ballot. Conditions stopped many other citizens from participating in the primaries.
Altogether, the results of the Arizona, Florida, and Illinois primaries were the product of an illegitimate electoral process carried out during a national state of emergency.
Once the news networks reported former Vice President Joe Biden was the winner of all three primaries, Biden appeared via livestream from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. “This is a moment, where we need our leaders to lead.”
“It’s also a moment where the choices and decisions we make as individuals are going to collectively impact on what happens, make a big difference in the severity of this outbreak and the ability of our medical hospital systems to handle it,” Biden added.
What he declared was rather hypocritical. Biden likely secured an insurmountable delegate lead over his opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders. But he also showed zero leadership, put his base of elderly voters, who have overwhelmingly supported him, at risk, and his campaign disregarded CDC guidance to a degree that likely resulted in dozens of people becoming infected with the coronavirus because they believed what they claimed about how “safe” it was to vote.
‘Large-Scale Voter Disenfranchisement’ In Florida
“If you are an older person, stay home and away from other people,” the CDC advised. “If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition that can put you at increased risk (for example, a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system), stay home and away from other people.”
The CDC further recommended, “Even if you are young, or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk for others. It is critical that you do your part to stop the spread of the coronavirus.” And, “Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.”
Much of Arizona’s voting was done by mail-in ballots. However, in Florida and Illinois, there were long lines of people, and in some cases, there were groups packed into rooms that violated the CDC’s recommendations. Polling places became health hazards that state health departments could have shut down.
The Dream Defenders, New Florida Majority, Organize Florida, and five individual plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to challenge “large-scale voter disenfranchisement” of “communities of color and other historically vulnerable populations.” It painted a stark picture.
“Florida has reported 149 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and four deaths to date, with every expectation that these numbers will rise. Universities have sent students home, people are remaining in quarantine, poll workers are dropping out, and supervisors of elections have closed or moved 112 polling places in 22 counties, in many cases less than a week before the election,” the complaint stated.
“The predictable result is the denial of the vote to untold numbers of Floridians who had planned to vote in person on Election Day—including those who are elderly or have health conditions and cannot get to the polls without tremendous risk, university students who are no longer present in their county of registration because their dorms have closed, and those who venture out but encounter long lines and confusion at the polls.”
“And yet the State of Florida has failed to take reasonable emergency measures necessary for voter participation in the face of this crisis,” the groups added.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Florida is the tenth day before an election. The World Health Organization did not declare that the coronavirus was a pandemic until March 11. Travel restrictions were not imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration until the same date, and it was not until March 13 that that a national emergency was declared.
Ray Winters, a 78 year-old voter in Miami Dade County, suffers from heart problems and seizures. He faces a higher risk of severe or “fatal outcomes” if he contracts the coronavirus. Winters initially planned to vote at his polling place, but he was unable to vote on March 17 without severely risking his health.
His wife, Kathleen Winters, who is 67 years old, did not want to risk contracting the virus. She was unable to vote without risking their health.
Bianca Maria Baez returned from an international trip and immediately quarantined herself. She planned to vote at a polling place, but upon return from her trip, it became clear she was at risk of “being asymptomatic while still having the virus.” She did not want to risk her health or the health of members of her community. Baez was unable to vote.
Another stunning example of voter disenfranchisement that was shared with the Dream Defenders apparently involved a small group of people, who went to a county elections office in Florida. They attempted to go through the process of casting votes for people, “who were unable to be home to vote because of the quarantine.”
“There’s a whole process in place, where the voter can provide an affidavit to designate someone else to pick up a mail in ballot for them on the day of an election,” one person in the group added. “We were not allowed to participate in this process due to not having a physician’s note to explain why they were not present. [Quarantining] due to coronavirus travel restrictions was not a valid reason.”
Florida has an “election emergency” law that allows the governor to issue an executive order and delay an election. He may do so independently or at the request of the secretary of state. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis refused to take this step, and days prior to the primary, he proclaimed, “We’re definitely voting. They voted during the Civil War. We’re going to vote.”
Illinois Governor Reportedly Rejected Request To Cancel In-Person Voting
In Illinois, local news outlets in Chicago reported that the city’s board of elections asked Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to “move to a mail-in only model and cancel in-person voting.” The board made this request immediately after the CDC classified the outbreak as a pandemic.
Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Jim Allen said “the board anticipated the fear that the virus has caused among voters and poll workers but was told that the election was to be held anyway.”
After the first four hours of the primary, around 206 polling places were still not open. Tim O’Brien, a professor in Cook County, shared, “I went to my polling place early today. It was closed. An election official showed up to inform me that judges quit, and that they [were] ‘scrambling’ to get it going.”
Lea Salvatore reacted to the mess early in the morning. “Illinois primary is a complete disaster. Polling places have been eliminated with no notice to voters. I’m an election judge sitting on my couch with no place to go. My friend just showed up at hers, and the doors are locked. This whole primary should be invalid.”
One election judge said polling place workers were not trained to “wipe down machines before and after use.” Officials claimed they did not have time to give such coronavirus safety instructions, and several workers indicated they had to bring their own sanitizer or cleaning supplies to minimize risks to voters.
‘Likely A Death Sentence For Many Voters Simply Trying To Have Their Voice Heard’
Buzzfeed published a definitive report on election irregularities in the Illinois primary. One polling place coordinator in Lincoln Park had to turn voters away in the morning because the location had no equipment.
“Voters are very upset,” Toya H. told Buzzfeed.
According to Buzzfeed, Toya sent them to “a different polling place, only for that location to run out of provisional ballots. By late morning, she was forced to redirect people to a polling place more than a mile away.”
Abshir Omar is the Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois political coordinator for the Bernie Sanders campaign. He went to several polling places and documented voter suppression.
On the south side of Chicago, at the Thurgood Marshall Library, Omar observed a “predominantly black senior population” that “waited on average two hours to vote in crowded rooms.”
“There are senior citizens sitting in there. They’ve been there two-to-three hours waiting. There are too many people smashed together in there. It’s too close in there,” Deborah Collins told Omar. “None of the senior citizens are being waited on. They’re just sitting there and waiting, and a lot of people are leaving. They’re not voting because they’re having to wait so long.”
While at a Gage Park early voting site in the second largest Latino district in Illinois, Omar documented a crowd of people in a “poorly ventilated basement.” Several left without voting because they weren’t “willing to risk their health.”
Yet another stunning example of non-CDC compliance was a line in the neighborhood near Wrigley Field stadium, where voters stood for around three hours. It stretched for multiple blocks and voters were not standing six feet apart.
“What I witnessed today in Chicago is likely a death sentence for many voters simply trying to have their voice heard. The state of Illinois effective immediately should test and treat all those that voted in person today. Unacceptable risks and clear violations of CDC guidelines,” Omar concluded.
Illinois students may register to vote at their campus address. Given that colleges or universities were shut down, that likely disenfranchised a significant number of students, who were deprived of the opportunity to vote because they were sent home.
‘The CDC And Folks Have Said It’s Safe’
Beyond disenfranchisement in states, officials promoted misinformation or pseudo-science.
Initially, Ohio was part of a unified front by states scheduled to vote on March 17. Officials released an extraordinary statement.
“Unlike concerts, sporting events or other mass gatherings where large groups of people travel long distances to congregate in a confined space for an extended period of time, polling locations see people from a nearby community coming into and out of the building for a short duration,” they asserted.
As is clear after today’s primaries in Florida and Illinois, hundreds if not thousands of voters were in buildings and in larger groups than CDC recommends for long durations. What happened was completely the opposite of what officials said would happen.
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, “worked with Arizona State University to enlist students to replace poll workers who quit or don’t show up.” Except, young people can still be carriers and spread the virus. They can become severely ill too and that can put a greater strain on health care facilities as they deal with surging cases among the elderly population.
Physician and health reporter Dr. Norman Swan warned, “Intensive care units across China and across Italy are full of people who are young. And it’s the young who are dying with no obvious risk factors.”
“When this takes off, it’s young people who hit your intensive care units, and you’re making decisions between a 40 year-old and a 60 year-old…terrible ethical conditions,” Swan added.
Biden senior adviser Symone Sanders went on CNN after the presidential debate on March 15 and said, “The CDC and folks have said it’s safe out there for Tuesday,” even though the CDC issued no statements about whether primaries posed a risk to the public’s health. She encouraged voters to go out there and vote in the middle of an accelerating pandemic.
Then, quite obnoxiously, after Biden took a commanding lead in the primary, she panicked. “Jake Tapper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta are basically pleading with Americans to take the threat of COVID-19 seriously. This is not a drill folks!”
The Biden campaign was afraid the pandemic would keep voters at home. Rather than appeal to officials to delay primaries, they cynically tweeted, “The right to vote is the most sacred American right there is. State election officials are working closely with public officials to hold safe elections.”
“If you are feeling healthy, not showing symptoms, and not at risk of being exposed to COVID-19, please vote on Tuesday,” the campaign urged.
The message was Trump-like in its disregard for public health risks. Everyone is at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus. A person who does not show symptoms could still have the virus and infect someone. A person may feel healthy but be a carrier. This is why schools, restaurants, bars, and non-essential businesses are shutting down. It is why the CDC recommends bans on the gathering of people that occurred at polling places.
To further emphasize the recklessness of the Biden campaign and Democratic officials who proceeded with the primaries, testing is going very poorly and will likely prolong the coronavirus outbreak. What that means, according to Axios, is the “virus has probably been spreading undetected for weeks.”
“More people than we know about are infected, which means more people than we know about are spreading the virus, which likely means way more people than we know about are infected.”
While the Biden campaign promoted misinformation, Bernie Sanders acknowledged the health risks when questioned by reporters. Sanders never called for postponing in-person voting, but his campaign told supporters, “Going to the polls amid the coronavirus outbreak is a personal decision, and we respect whichever choice voters make.” They even had volunteers call potential voters to provide tips on how to be safe if they intended to vote.
Leadership From Democrats Now That Biden Has A Commanding Lead
Ken Martin, the vice chair of the DNC and president of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC), “called for states to immediately adopt emergency measures to ensure voters are not disenfranchised by this public health crisis.”
“The United States of America failed to live up to our democratic ideals when our primary election process broke down in a myriad of ways across several states,” Martin contended. “Some voters were turned away from their polling places due to a lack of equipment or poll workers, students at colleges and universities that were barred from campuses could not vote where they reside as students, others chose to stay home out of a perfectly reasonable fear of contracting COVID-19, and still more voters were put in harm’s way due to unsanitary conditions in their polling places. This is unacceptable and cannot continue.”
Martin’s leadership came too late for voters, especially since the national state of emergency is likely to interfere with any effort to seek a remedy.
The results were announced. It is not like states will allow additional mail-in ballots to be added to the tally. As such, they are forever tainted by the refusal of state governments to take action to reschedule primaries and extend mail-in voting. That taint extends to down-ballot races too.
Recommendations were issued by the DNC but only after Biden was further insulated from losing to Sanders. The DNC urged “remaining primary states” to incorporate “vote by mail.” They proposed “no-excuse absentee voting,” whereby a voter could either drop a ballot off at convenient locations or drop it in the mail. (To some degree, this is the contingency plan Arizona adopted.)
The DNC ridiculously accused Ohio of breeding “more chaos and confusion” by rescheduling the primary.
What Ohio did was find an off-ramp that all March 17 states should’ve taken to protect the public’s health. The state employed the authority of the health department to declare a health emergency and shut down polling places. It then left it up to the secretary of state to develop a remedy so that voters could participate by mailing in ballots or showing up to vote at polling places in June.
“We can’t tell people it’s in their best interest to stay home and at the same time tell people to go vote. We should not force people to choose between their health and their constitutional duties as citizens,” Ohio Governor Mike DeWine plainly stated.
***
The Organization of American States (OAS) has election observers, who are trained to look for the very deficiencies that occurred: failure to open polling stations, lack of voting equipment or electoral materials, missing designated polling officials, lack of adequate information about polling place locations, and long lines for voters.
Had this happened when there was no coronavirus outbreak, what unfolded would be even more outrageous to the world.
Justice Democrats Alexandra Rojas, the 29 year-old executive director for Justice Democrats, appeared on CNN while results from the primaries were tabulated. She appropriately captured the gravity of what the Democratic Party did to voters.
“In this moment, in the midst of a pandemic, where we know that millions of Americans lives are at risk, it feels like an abdication of Democratic leadership to carry forward,” Rojas argued. “I know that most of the states, like Arizona and Florida, have vote by mail. You have absentee ballots and folks voting early. But just as the right to vote is sacred so is every American life, and I think that unprecedented times and moments of uncertainty call for unprecedented measures.”
“So, even if it’s just one vote or a few votes, it matters. The fact that it feels like we were kind of talking about young people were crowding bars and going into public places just a few days ago, yet we’re pushing forward with primaries.”
Rojas concluded, “I think that Ohio made the right call. They prioritized the health and well-being of their citizenry.”
“If the question is if we gather in groups larger than 10—which I think those lines I think anecdotally I did not see people standing six feet apart, that’s really frightening, especially when it comes to the older population. So, as a younger person seeing this in the midst of a pandemic, [potentially] another recession within my lifetime, it feels very frightening in this moment, and I hope that Democratic leadership heeds that.”
Older voters are most vulnerable to death during this pandemic, and they have turned out in larger numbers in 2020 to make Biden the Democratic Party’s nominee. They are eager to vote for him and beat President Donald Trump in November.
Tragically, a number of them may not be alive in November, and the public may never know exactly how many elderly people died because of the deranged push to hold in-person voting during the pandemic.


shadowproof--2020-03-19--Dissenter Weekly: Whistleblowing During The Coronavirus Pandemic

On this edition of the “ Dissenter Weekly , ” we discuss whistleblower stories related to the spread of COVID-19 or the coronavirus .
Homeless shelters in places like Orange County , California are in disrepair .
That will likely lead to more widespread infections .
There is a fear that contracting the virus may mean losing shelter .
One homeless man , who spoke anonymously to The Guardian , shared , “ If I start coughing , they may throw me out and I will have no place to go.
” Later in the episode , Gosztola highlights a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urges President Donald Trump ’ s Justice Department to set up a task force to investigate fraud related to coronavirus assistance programs .
The show also covers two stories unrelated to the coronavirus that involve war crimes committed by Australian Special Forces an an appeal against Arkansas ’ ag-gag law .
“ Dissenter Weekly ” airs every Thursday at 4pm ET on YouTube and Facebook , and covers whistleblower and press freedom news from that week .
Homeless Residents Blow Whistle On Inhumane Conditions That Will Spread Coronavirus Justice Department Urged To Setup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Investigators Recommend Punishment For Officials Who Retaliated Against Coronavirus Whistleblower Groups Appeal Ag-Gag Law In Arkansas That Silences Whistleblowers Who Expose Factory Farm Abuses Australian Special Forces Whistleblower Reveals Murders Of Afghans In The War Doctors Demand Release Of Assange As Belmarsh Becomes ‘ Breeding Ground ’ For Coronavirus Network Of Supporters Helps Chelsea Manning Raise Funds To Pay Cruel Fine *** Julian Assange has been in jail for over 325 days , since he was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in London .
This show is brought to you by Shadowproof.com , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you enjoy our work , you can support us with a donation or by subscribing for $ 5/month or more : https : //shadowproof.com/donate

On this edition of the “Dissenter Weekly,” we discuss whistleblower stories related to the spread of COVID-19 or the coronavirus.
Homeless shelters in places like Orange County, California are in disrepair. That will likely lead to more widespread infections.
There is a fear that contracting the virus may mean losing shelter. One homeless man, who spoke anonymously to The Guardian, shared, “If I start coughing, they may throw me out and I will have no place to go.”
Later in the episode, Gosztola highlights a call by the National Whistleblower Center that urges President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to set up a task force to investigate fraud related to coronavirus assistance programs.
The show also covers two stories unrelated to the coronavirus that involve war crimes committed by Australian Special Forces an an appeal against Arkansas’ ag-gag law.
“Dissenter Weekly” airs every Thursday at 4pm ET on YouTube and Facebook, and covers whistleblower and press freedom news from that week.
This week’s stories:
Homeless Residents Blow Whistle On Inhumane Conditions That Will Spread Coronavirus
Justice Department Urged To Setup A Coronavirus False Claims Task Force
Chinese Investigators Recommend Punishment For Officials Who Retaliated Against Coronavirus Whistleblower
Groups Appeal Ag-Gag Law In Arkansas That Silences Whistleblowers Who Expose Factory Farm Abuses
Australian Special Forces Whistleblower Reveals Murders Of Afghans In The War
Doctors Demand Release Of Assange As Belmarsh Becomes ‘Breeding Ground’ For Coronavirus
Network Of Supporters Helps Chelsea Manning Raise Funds To Pay Cruel Fine
***
Julian Assange has been in jail for over 325 days, since he was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in London.
Send tips and feedback to editor@shadowproof.com
This show is brought to you by Shadowproof.com, a 100% reader-funded press organization. If you enjoy our work, you can support us with a donation or by subscribing for $5/month or more: https://shadowproof.com/donate


shadowproof--2020-03-22--Republicans, Including A Trump Supporter, Funded Joe Biden’s Super PAC In February

A super PAC that backs Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden received significant funding from Republican donors , including one supporter of President Donald Trump , according to campaign finance disclosures from February .
Unite The Country was launched in October by former Biden aides .
The board was chaired by Mark Doyle , a former Biden aide .
It also included fellow Biden alum John MacNeil and Larry Rasky , who was part of Biden ’ s 1988 and 2008 presidential campaigns .
In early February , as Senator Bernie Sanders surged and gained momentum , Unite The Country warned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hedging their bets on Biden because of Bloomberg could be creating a doomsday scenario for Democrats everywhere , ” Rasky declared .
“ The Sanders-Warren wing of the party is ready for the [ Mike ] Bloomberg fight .
Democrats can not afford a split convention.
” “ If Bernie has more delegates , do you really think the Bros will make way for Mike ?
Not to mention that the legacy of the Sanders campaign ( such as the Squad ) will ravage any chance center-left Democrats have of maintaining hard won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Rasky argued .
Unite The Country was viewed among billionaires , particularly so-called moderate wealthy Democrats , as a vehicle for attacking the Sanders campaign .
They were desperate for some way to stifle Sanders in the days before Biden handily won South Carolina .
Carlos Duart , a major Republican donor , contributed $ 50,000 to Unite The Country on February 6 .
He is the president of an engineering firm called CDR Maguire in Miami , Florida .
On February 28 , 2019 , he donated $ 19,750 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave $ 2,800 , the maximum amount one may contribute during a primary , to Trump on the same day .
Duart contributed $ 35,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee ( NRSC ) and the National Republican Congressional Committee ( NRCC ) on June 13 , 2018 , during the midterm election .
Greg Wendt is an equity portfolio manager for Capital Group , which is based in San Francisco .
As he did in January , Wendt contributed $ 50,000 to Unite The Country on February 5 .
He has given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , like former Senator Jeff Flake , Senator Lindsey Graham , Senator Mitt Romney , Representative Kevin McCarthy , and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan .
Wendt donated $ 40,000 to Mitt Romney ’ s 2012 presidential campaign .
He contributed $ 50,000 to McCarthy in March 2019 .
While President Barack Obama was in the White House , he gave $ 100,000 to the NRSC in October 2015 .
Club For Growth Action , a conservative super PAC , ran attack ads against Sanders after they feared a “ radical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wendt donated $ 50,000 to this super PAC in July 2018 .
Billionaire Herbert Allen Jr. contributed $ 100,000 to Unite The Country .
He is known for Allen & Company , which is a boutique investment bank that was involved in the IPOs for Groupon , LinkedIn , and Twitter .
Allen appears to be a Never Trump Republican .
He gave $ 25,000 to Romney ’ s presidential campaign and $ 25,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2012 .
He contributed $ 100,000 to the RNC Republican National State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ W. Bush ran for president .
To be clear , Biden ’ s super PAC was funded by individuals that backed Republican efforts to defeat and undermine Obama ’ s agenda , as well as his re-election .
They played a role in propelling him to a commanding lead in the 2020 primary .
That matters because one of the super PAC ’ s ads recycled an attack against Sanders from 2016 and declared , “ Democrats want a nominee who ’ s a Democrat .
An Obama-Biden Democrat.
” Yet , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Several corporate Democrats made large contributions as well .
Bernard Schwartz , the chair of BLS Investments , donated $ 200,000 to Unite The Country on February 24—a couple days after Sanders achieved a huge victory in the Nevada Caucuses .
Schwartz is a chair emeritus on the board of trustees for Third Way , which is a “ centrist ” think tank notorious for its opposition to progressive policies on behalf of business interests .
So far , in 2020 , he has given more than $ 150,000 to the Democratic National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s Super Tuesday victories , he still believed elites needed to “ put a lot of effort into fighting Bernie Sanders ” and force him out of the primary .
CNBC reported , “ Schwartz [ was ] a vocal opponent of Sanders since the start of the election .
His attempts to push Sanders out of the primary include privately reaching out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. Schwartz hoped they would come out to endorse any of the moderate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were still in the race.
” Eugene Ludwig donated $ 25,000 to the super PAC .
He was United States comptroller of currency from 1993 to 1998 during President Bill Clinton ’ s administration , which was “ a period characterized by significant deregulation of the financial services industry.
” That is according to a 2011 interview with The Street that was headlined , “ Former Regulator Now Has The Banks ’ Back.
” He is the CEO of Promontory Financial Group , which is owned by IBM , and the co-founder of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sold to the Blackstone Group for $ 2.5 billion in October 2019 .
Sheila Bair , “ who played a pivotal role in the response to the [ 2008 ] financial crisis as chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ( FDIC ) , criticized the sale .
She contended Promontory ’ s business model games the FDIC rules .
“ The FDIC takes all the credit risk , and Promontory gets the profit.
” Ludwig once was the vice-chair of Deutsche Bank , and some of his past clients have included Citigroup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Banks .
He gave over $ 300,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016 to help Hillary Clinton defeat Trump .
Yaron Minsky , a wealthy Democratic donor , contributed $ 1 million to Unite The Country .
He is the chief technology officer for Jane Street Capital , a stock trading firm .
Mary Swig , a member of an elite family in San Francisco who funded Senator Kamala Harris ’ political rise , gave $ 25,000 .
Alan Leventhal , the CEO of Beacon Capital Partners , donated $ 250,000 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , senior economists for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors , gave $ 300,000 .
Reid Hoffman , the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn , who was tied to a dark money group behind the app that Shadow Inc. produced , which turned the Iowa Caucuses into a fiasco , contributed $ 1 million to Unite The Country on February 28 .
He was part of an effort to rehabilitate Jeffrey Epstein ’ s public image after Epstein was convicted of offenses involving sex with children .
Hoffman also funded a Russian intelligence-style disinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ahead of the March 17 primaries , which the DNC pressured states to hold in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic , the super PAC sent mailers that targeted Latino voters in Chicago and Orlando .
It highlighted an endorsement from the Latino Victory Fund and maintained , “ We don ’ t need a revolution in this country .
We can ’ t afford a never-ending ideological war with more division and upheaval.
” To some extent , Biden ’ s success in South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ramp up their attacks against Sanders .
But the disclosures reveal the coalition of Republicans and corporate Democrats , who provided funds that would ’ ve helped Biden make Sanders toxic to voters .
Center for Economic Policy and Research ’ s Andrea Beaty previously reported on the support Unite The Country received from “ private equity , venture capital , real estate , and other sectors that may be looking for favorable policies or to influence strategic appointments ” in January .
Richard Blum , the president of Blum Capital , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his spouse , Senator Dianne Feinstein , have jointly raised over $ 25,000 for Biden ’ s campaign .
Blum ’ s real estate firm CBRE Group has drawn scrutiny for lucrative contracts with the FDIC and USPS , the latter of which is costing the Postal Service millions of dollars a year in lease overpayments.
” Beaty further reported that Blackstone executives Tony James , John McCormick , and Perry Verdun donated $ 150,000 .
“ Michael Sacks of private equity firm Grosvenor Capital Management , who [ had ] already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s campaign , donated $ 100,000 .
Bernard Aronson , founder of private equity firm ACON Investments , donated $ 15,000.
” Biden initially was opposed to having a super PAC .
In October , he flip-flopped because campaign finance limits meant he would not be able to raise the same amount of funds as Sanders , since he had much fewer supporters willing to donate .
During the March 15 , Sanders confronted Biden over the Super PACs , including Unite The Country , which supported “ very ugly negative ads.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ super PACs backing his campaign .
Sanders has no super PACs .
“ This is the point .
In the richest country in the history of the world , half of our people should not be struggling to put food on the table , ” Sanders remarked .
“ And the reason for that is you have a political structure in which big money interests not only dominate the political system but dominate our economy as well.
” “ Somebody makes a decision .
We ’ re going to shut down a factory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move to China .
We ’ re going to move to Mexico , pay people starvation wages there.
” This is an issue that has got to be ultimately deal with .
Who has the power in America ?
Are we content with so few exercising so much power when so many people have given up on the political process ?
” Sanders added .

A super PAC that backs Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden received significant funding from Republican donors, including one supporter of President Donald Trump, according to campaign finance disclosures from February.
Unite The Country was launched in October by former Biden aides. The board was chaired by Mark Doyle, a former Biden aide. It also included fellow Biden alum John MacNeil and Larry Rasky, who was part of Biden’s 1988 and 2008 presidential campaigns.
In early February, as Senator Bernie Sanders surged and gained momentum, Unite The Country warned donors against abandoning Biden.
“Donors hedging their bets on Biden because of Bloomberg could be creating a doomsday scenario for Democrats everywhere,” Rasky declared. “The Sanders-Warren wing of the party is ready for the [Mike] Bloomberg fight. Democrats cannot afford a split convention.”
“If Bernie has more delegates, do you really think the Bros will make way for Mike? Not to mention that the legacy of the Sanders campaign (such as the Squad) will ravage any chance center-left Democrats have of maintaining hard won victories in states from Pennsylvania to California,” Rasky argued.
Unite The Country was viewed among billionaires, particularly so-called moderate wealthy Democrats, as a vehicle for attacking the Sanders campaign. They were desperate for some way to stifle Sanders in the days before Biden handily won South Carolina.
Carlos Duart, a major Republican donor, contributed $50,000 to Unite The Country on February 6. He is the president of an engineering firm called CDR Maguire in Miami, Florida.
On February 28, 2019, he donated $19,750 to the Trump Victory Committee. He also gave $2,800, the maximum amount one may contribute during a primary, to Trump on the same day.
Duart contributed $35,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on June 13, 2018, during the midterm election.
Greg Wendt is an equity portfolio manager for Capital Group, which is based in San Francisco. As he did in January, Wendt contributed $50,000 to Unite The Country on February 5.
He has given tens of thousands of dollars to Republicans, like former Senator Jeff Flake, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Mitt Romney, Representative Kevin McCarthy, and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Wendt donated $40,000 to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. He contributed $50,000 to McCarthy in March 2019. While President Barack Obama was in the White House, he gave $100,000 to the NRSC in October 2015.
Club For Growth Action, a conservative super PAC, ran attack ads against Sanders after they feared a “radical socialist” may become the Democratic nominee. Wendt donated $50,000 to this super PAC in July 2018.
Billionaire Herbert Allen Jr. contributed $100,000 to Unite The Country. He is known for Allen & Company, which is a boutique investment bank that was involved in the IPOs for Groupon, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Allen appears to be a Never Trump Republican. He gave $25,000 to Romney’s presidential campaign and $25,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2012. He contributed $100,000 to the RNC Republican National State Elections Committee in 2000, when George W. Bush ran for president.
To be clear, Biden’s super PAC was funded by individuals that backed Republican efforts to defeat and undermine Obama’s agenda, as well as his re-election. They played a role in propelling him to a commanding lead in the 2020 primary.
That matters because one of the super PAC’s ads recycled an attack against Sanders from 2016 and declared, “Democrats want a nominee who’s a Democrat. An Obama-Biden Democrat.” Yet, that ad was funded by Republican donors.
Several corporate Democrats made large contributions as well. Bernard Schwartz, the chair of BLS Investments, donated $200,000 to Unite The Country on February 24—a couple days after Sanders achieved a huge victory in the Nevada Caucuses.
Schwartz is a chair emeritus on the board of trustees for Third Way, which is a “centrist” think tank notorious for its opposition to progressive policies on behalf of business interests. So far, in 2020, he has given more than $150,000 to the Democratic National Committee.
On March 16, despite Biden’s Super Tuesday victories, he still believed elites needed to “put a lot of effort into fighting Bernie Sanders” and force him out of the primary.
CNBC reported, “Schwartz [was] a vocal opponent of Sanders since the start of the election. His attempts to push Sanders out of the primary include privately reaching out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Schwartz hoped they would come out to endorse any of the moderate candidates that, at the time, were still in the race.”
Eugene Ludwig donated $25,000 to the super PAC. He was United States comptroller of currency from 1993 to 1998 during President Bill Clinton’s administration, which was “a period characterized by significant deregulation of the financial services industry.” That is according to a 2011 interview with The Street that was headlined, “Former Regulator Now Has The Banks’ Back.”
He is the CEO of Promontory Financial Group, which is owned by IBM, and the co-founder of the Promontory Interfinancial Network, which he sold to the Blackstone Group for $2.5 billion in October 2019.
Sheila Bair, “who played a pivotal role in the response to the [2008] financial crisis as chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), criticized the sale. She contended Promontory’s business model games the FDIC rules. “The FDIC takes all the credit risk, and Promontory gets the profit.”
Ludwig once was the vice-chair of Deutsche Bank, and some of his past clients have included Citigroup, Countrywide Financial, and Allied Irish Banks. He gave over $300,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016 to help Hillary Clinton defeat Trump.
Yaron Minsky, a wealthy Democratic donor, contributed $1 million to Unite The Country. He is the chief technology officer for Jane Street Capital, a stock trading firm. Mary Swig, a member of an elite family in San Francisco who funded Senator Kamala Harris’ political rise, gave $25,000.
Alan Leventhal, the CEO of Beacon Capital Partners, donated $250,000 to Unite the Country, and Steven Laufer, senior economists for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, gave $300,000.
Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, who was tied to a dark money group behind the app that Shadow Inc. produced, which turned the Iowa Caucuses into a fiasco, contributed $1 million to Unite The Country on February 28.
He was part of an effort to rehabilitate Jeffrey Epstein’s public image after Epstein was convicted of offenses involving sex with children. Hoffman also funded a Russian intelligence-style disinformation campaign during a special election in Alabama.
Ahead of the March 17 primaries, which the DNC pressured states to hold in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic, the super PAC sent mailers that targeted Latino voters in Chicago and Orlando. It highlighted an endorsement from the Latino Victory Fund and maintained, “We don’t need a revolution in this country. We can’t afford a never-ending ideological war with more division and upheaval.”
To some extent, Biden’s success in South Carolina and the Super Tuesday states meant Unite The Country never really had to ramp up their attacks against Sanders. But the disclosures reveal the coalition of Republicans and corporate Democrats, who provided funds that would’ve helped Biden make Sanders toxic to voters.
Center for Economic Policy and Research’s Andrea Beaty previously reported on the support Unite The Country received from “private equity, venture capital, real estate, and other sectors that may be looking for favorable policies or to influence strategic appointments” in January.
Richard Blum, the president of Blum Capital, donated $1 million. “Blum and his spouse, Senator Dianne Feinstein, have jointly raised over $25,000 for Biden’s campaign. Blum’s real estate firm CBRE Group has drawn scrutiny for lucrative contracts with the FDIC and USPS, the latter of which is costing the Postal Service millions of dollars a year in lease overpayments.”
Beaty further reported that Blackstone executives Tony James, John McCormick, and Perry Verdun donated $150,000. “Michael Sacks of private equity firm Grosvenor Capital Management, who [had] already raised at least $25,000 for Biden’s campaign, donated $100,000. Bernard Aronson, founder of private equity firm ACON Investments, donated $15,000.”
Biden initially was opposed to having a super PAC. In October, he flip-flopped because campaign finance limits meant he would not be able to raise the same amount of funds as Sanders, since he had much fewer supporters willing to donate.
During the March 15, Sanders confronted Biden over the Super PACs, including Unite The Country, which supported “very ugly negative ads.”
Biden falsely suggested Sanders has nine super PACs backing his campaign. Sanders has no super PACs.
“This is the point. In the richest country in the history of the world, half of our people should not be struggling to put food on the table,” Sanders remarked. “And the reason for that is you have a political structure in which big money interests not only dominate the political system but dominate our economy as well.”
“Somebody makes a decision. We’re going to shut down a factory in America. We’re going to move to China. We’re going to move to Mexico, pay people starvation wages there.”
This is an issue that has got to be ultimately deal with. Who has the power in America? Are we content with so few exercising so much power when so many people have given up on the political process?” Sanders added.


shadowproof--2020-03-23--Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Corona Virus Climate Catastrophe Fascist Empire 2020 Blues Massacree’ By

Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Corona Virus Climate Catastrophe Fascist Empire 2020 Blues Massacree’ By David Rovics

The following post originally appeared at Ongoing History Of Protest Songs .
David Rovics is a prolific singer-songwriter and activist who has been active for over two decades .
He recently released the excellent album Strangers & Friends , which is well worth the listen .
Along with albums , Rovics often composes topical songs which he posts online .
A recent example is the timely “ Corona Virus Climate Catastrophe Fascist Empire 2020 Blues Massacree.
” The satirical tune deals with life in the time of a global pandemic .
It addresses society ’ s failure to respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manner .
Even though many parts of the world took steps to contain the virus , the initial inaction and minimization of risks compounded the spread which led to it turning into a pandemic .
Rovics connects this inaction to the inaction from elites that contributes to many societal ills , such as the threat of climate change .
“ Bush all burning , towns destroyed .
Then the flooding , filling the void .
Left by the loss of the plants and soil .
But they keep digging for coal and drilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times weren ’ t right here .
Just go shopping , do not fear , ” Rovics sings .
Governments and corporations refuse to make the necessary changes when their bottom line is affected .
Yet , as citizens of the planet , we must change our way of life and do our part to save humanity before it is too late .

The following post originally appeared at Ongoing History Of Protest Songs.
David Rovics is a prolific singer-songwriter and activist who has been active for over two decades. He recently released the excellent album Strangers & Friends, which is well worth the listen.
Along with albums, Rovics often composes topical songs which he posts online. A recent example is the timely “Corona Virus Climate Catastrophe Fascist Empire 2020 Blues Massacree.”
The satirical tune deals with life in the time of a global pandemic. It addresses society’s failure to respond to the spread of COVID-19 in a timely manner. Even though many parts of the world took steps to contain the virus, the initial inaction and minimization of risks compounded the spread which led to it turning into a pandemic.
Rovics connects this inaction to the inaction from elites that contributes to many societal ills, such as the threat of climate change.
“Bush all burning, towns destroyed. Then the flooding, filling the void. Left by the loss of the plants and soil. But they keep digging for coal and drilling for oil. As if the end times weren’t right here. Just go shopping, do not fear,” Rovics sings.
Governments and corporations refuse to make the necessary changes when their bottom line is affected. Yet, as citizens of the planet, we must change our way of life and do our part to save humanity before it is too late.


shadowproof--2020-03-24--Chicago Mayor Pressures Judge To Release Fewer Detainees As Coronavirus Spreads In Cook County Jail

As the coronavirus spreads at Cook County Jail in Illinois , Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other mayors in the county urged a judge to factor in “ public health considerations ” as emergency bond hearings for detainees are held .
Cook County Jail is one of the largest single-site county pretrial detention facilities in the United States .
On March 22 , the Cook County Sheriff ’ s Office announced that a correctional officer tested positive for the coronavirus or COVID-19 .
A spokesperson for the Sheriff ’ s Office said the officer worked for the jail ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ wing for inmates who need medical or mental health attention.
” He also was at Cermak Hospital , the on-site medical center .
The following day the Sheriff ’ s Office announced two detainees at Cook County Jail tested positive for COVID-19 .
The detainees , who are 42 years-old and 18 years-old , were put in isolation units at Cermak Hospital on March 20 , when they first exhibited “ flu-like symptoms.
” Public defenders responded to the development with an urgent motion for the release of seven categories of detainees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affiliate .
The categories break down as follows : “ older people or those with underlying health conditions , who are considered at higher risk of COVID-19 ; any pregnant women , those being confined on misdemeanor charges ; those being held on felony charges which are probationable or non-violent ; those who could be out on bail but can ’ t afford it ; those confined over an arrest warrant or probation violation but who did not commit a violent crime ; and those serving sentences who are eligible for release.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be exercised with care , ” the letter declares [ PDF ] .
“ In these challenging times , and given the work that mayors all over Cook County are taking to keep our communities safe from the further spread of the virus , we urge that a public health screening be part of any release decision.
” “ It would be wise to consider implementing certain protocols to ensure that detainees residing in a facility , where a known case has been detected are asymptomatic for a reasonable time prior to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public , ” the letter adds .
[ Emphasis in the letter . ]
Neither of these mayors are public health officials .
They are elected politicians , who are worried about being held responsible for detainees who may be released .
However , there does not appear to be a solid public health argument for not releasing detainees to prevent the spread of the virus in jails .
The Chicago Community Bond Fund ( CCBF ) is a volunteer organization that advocates for an end to money bond and pretrial incarceration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 2019 , CCBF paid “ more than $ 1.5 million to secure the freedom of more than 280 people who otherwise would have remained incarcerated.
” The bond ’ s efforts contributed to a “ marked drop in the number of people incarcerated in Cook County from 7,500 in September 2017 to roughly 5,750 as of October 2019.
” Organizers with CCBF have called for a mass release of detainees at Cook County Jail as the coronavirus crisis intensifies .
“ There ’ s no reason to release questions about the validity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than to create political pressure that undermines release just as there ’ s increased momentum and support for more significant action , ” CCBF executive director Sharlyn Grace argued .
Grace further contended , “ People who are currently incarcerated and eligible to be released under these reviews , and who should be released under the reviews , [ are ] in the best position possible to maintain their health and prevent the spread by being in the community.
” People should not have their “ release from incarceration slowed under some sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be “ treated differently ” than anyone in the community and “ certainly not be punished ” for testing positive for COVID-19 .
Lightfoot and mayors in the area believe releasing detainees that are homeless individuals is unwise if they can not be connected with “ appropriate social service organizations.
” The implication is that somehow by keeping them in detention they will be at less risk during the pandemic because they have access to “ social services ” in jail .
Yet , according to the Prison Policy Initiative ( PPI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for providing health and social services .
They repeatedly fail people who need medical care , and even worse , if individuals with coronavirus are put in isolation , that could exacerbate mental health problems they may have had before contracting the virus .
“ Given that many people in local jails have health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to this new coronavirus , and simple precautions like social distancing are nearly impossible behind bars , it is vital that we release anyone from jail who doesn ’ t need to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a matter of life or death , ” PPI ’ s Alexi Jones wrote .
Cermak Hospital does not only serve detainees at Cook County Jail .
If authorities fail to act and the virus keeps spreading , that will impact the entire health system in the Chicago metropolitan area .
Both Cermak and Stroger hospitals on the southwest side of Chicago treat detainees at Cook County Jail .
“ When you create a situation where you have a public health emergency at the county jail , the county hospital will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Sharone Mitchell , Jr , the director of the Illinois Justice Project .
“ There ’ s a spillover to poor Chicagoans , poor Cook County residents , who have to depend on those same hospitals.
” Mitchell further emphasized letting the virus spread in a facility , where you can not social distance , presents a risk to the entire community .
Cook County public defender Amy Campanelli argued on March 23 that ventilation is poor at the jail .
Detainees are kept in close quarters .
They share cells and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with soap .
They do not have enough soap .
So every detainee is vulnerable .
For organizers with CCBF , the central issue is that every day State ’ s Attorney ’ s Office drags its feet and every day that some mayor like Lightfoot applies pressure , which stalls action , is another day that the curve during the coronavirus pandemic grows steeper .
“ Unless thousands of people are released , the inevitable exponential rise of COVID-19 infections in the jail will bring down the entire county ’ s health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Decarceration is required for social distancing .
It is impossible to flatten the curve while maintaining mass criminalization and mass incarceration.
” “ Cook County officials will have blood on their hands for dragging their feet over the last two weeks or more , when this inevitability came to light .
”

As the coronavirus spreads at Cook County Jail in Illinois, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other mayors in the county urged a judge to factor in “public health considerations” as emergency bond hearings for detainees are held.
Cook County Jail is one of the largest single-site county pretrial detention facilities in the United States. On March 22, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office announced that a correctional officer tested positive for the coronavirus or COVID-19.
A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said the officer worked for the jail’s Residential Treatment Unit, which is a “wing for inmates who need medical or mental health attention.” He also was at Cermak Hospital, the on-site medical center.
The following day the Sheriff’s Office announced two detainees at Cook County Jail tested positive for COVID-19. The detainees, who are 42 years-old and 18 years-old, were put in isolation units at Cermak Hospital on March 20, when they first exhibited “flu-like symptoms.”
Public defenders responded to the development with an urgent motion for the release of seven categories of detainees, according to the local NBC News affiliate.
The categories break down as follows: “older people or those with underlying health conditions, who are considered at higher risk of COVID-19; any pregnant women, those being confined on misdemeanor charges; those being held on felony charges which are probationable or non-violent; those who could be out on bail but can’t afford it; those confined over an arrest warrant or probation violation but who did not commit a violent crime; and those serving sentences who are eligible for release.”
Kim Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney, objected to releasing a group of detainees. Prosecutors pushed for individualized reviews. As public defenders signaled their agreement on March 23, Lightfoot and other local mayors sent a letter to pressure the judge into being more discriminatory when deciding which detainees to release.
“We urge each individualized bond determination to be exercised with care,” the letter declares [PDF]. “In these challenging times, and given the work that mayors all over Cook County are taking to keep our communities safe from the further spread of the virus, we urge that a public health screening be part of any release decision.”
“It would be wise to consider implementing certain protocols to ensure that detainees residing in a facility, where a known case has been detected are asymptomatic for a reasonable time prior to release in order to safeguard them and the public,” the letter adds. [Emphasis in the letter.]
Neither of these mayors are public health officials. They are elected politicians, who are worried about being held responsible for detainees who may be released. However, there does not appear to be a solid public health argument for not releasing detainees to prevent the spread of the virus in jails.
The Chicago Community Bond Fund (CCBF) is a volunteer organization that advocates for an end to money bond and pretrial incarceration, especially in Cook County. As of 2019, CCBF paid “more than $1.5 million to secure the freedom of more than 280 people who otherwise would have remained incarcerated.”
The bond’s efforts contributed to a “marked drop in the number of people incarcerated in Cook County from 7,500 in September 2017 to roughly 5,750 as of October 2019.”
Organizers with CCBF have called for a mass release of detainees at Cook County Jail as the coronavirus crisis intensifies.
“There’s no reason to release questions about the validity or adequacy of those plans publicly other than to create political pressure that undermines release just as there’s increased momentum and support for more significant action,” CCBF executive director Sharlyn Grace argued.
Grace further contended, “People who are currently incarcerated and eligible to be released under these reviews, and who should be released under the reviews, [are] in the best position possible to maintain their health and prevent the spread by being in the community.”
People should not have their “release from incarceration slowed under some sort of public health measure.” They should not be “treated differently” than anyone in the community and “certainly not be punished” for testing positive for COVID-19.
Lightfoot and mayors in the area believe releasing detainees that are homeless individuals is unwise if they cannot be connected with “appropriate social service organizations.” The implication is that somehow by keeping them in detention they will be at less risk during the pandemic because they have access to “social services” in jail.
Yet, according to the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI), jails are not good places for providing health and social services. They repeatedly fail people who need medical care, and even worse, if individuals with coronavirus are put in isolation, that could exacerbate mental health problems they may have had before contracting the virus.
“Given that many people in local jails have health conditions that make them especially vulnerable to this new coronavirus, and simple precautions like social distancing are nearly impossible behind bars, it is vital that we release anyone from jail who doesn’t need to be there. For many, it will be a matter of life or death,” PPI’s Alexi Jones wrote.
Cermak Hospital does not only serve detainees at Cook County Jail. If authorities fail to act and the virus keeps spreading, that will impact the entire health system in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Both Cermak and Stroger hospitals on the southwest side of Chicago treat detainees at Cook County Jail.
“When you create a situation where you have a public health emergency at the county jail, the county hospital will have to pick up the slack,” said Sharone Mitchell, Jr, the director of the Illinois Justice Project. “There’s a spillover to poor Chicagoans, poor Cook County residents, who have to depend on those same hospitals.”
Mitchell further emphasized letting the virus spread in a facility, where you cannot social distance, presents a risk to the entire community.
Cook County public defender Amy Campanelli argued on March 23 that ventilation is poor at the jail. Detainees are kept in close quarters. They share cells and bathrooms. There are not enough sinks with soap. They do not have enough soap. So every detainee is vulnerable.
For organizers with CCBF, the central issue is that every day State’s Attorney’s Office drags its feet and every day that some mayor like Lightfoot applies pressure, which stalls action, is another day that the curve during the coronavirus pandemic grows steeper.
“Unless thousands of people are released, the inevitable exponential rise of COVID-19 infections in the jail will bring down the entire county’s health system,” Grace concluded. “Decarceration is required for social distancing. It is impossible to flatten the curve while maintaining mass criminalization and mass incarceration.”
“Cook County officials will have blood on their hands for dragging their feet over the last two weeks or more, when this inevitability came to light.”


shadowproof--2020-03-24--Beyond Prisons: Supporting Prisoners During COVID19

Beyond Prisons hosts Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein walk through our guide on how to support incarcerated people and their loved ones during the Coronavirus Crisis .
You can check it out along with some demands we put together , mutual aid resources , and more at beyond-prisons.com/covid19 .
Many , many thanks to everyone who worked with us to pull this together and who have contacted us to volunteer .
We ’ re sincerely grateful .
Please share this guide with your friends , your family , on social media , wherever you can , if you find it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the hands of as many people as it can help , and we will continue to update it in the coming days and weeks so please check back .
Additionally , if you have any regional or facility-specific suggestions for people supporting their loved ones on the inside , please submit them using our form .
We ’ re trying to pool information that is helpful to everyone while having specific locally relevant suggestions as well .
Support our show and join us on Patreon .
Check out our other donation options @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and rate/review our podcast on iTunes , Spotify , and on Google Play Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes , events , and more Kim Wilson is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate workshops .
Please contact beyondprisonspodcast @ gmail.com for more information

Beyond Prisons hosts Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein walk through our guide on how to support incarcerated people and their loved ones during the Coronavirus Crisis.
You can check it out along with some demands we put together, mutual aid resources, and more at beyond-prisons.com/covid19. Many, many thanks to everyone who worked with us to pull this together and who have contacted us to volunteer. We’re sincerely grateful.
Please share this guide with your friends, your family, on social media, wherever you can, if you find it helpful. We want to get it into the hands of as many people as it can help, and we will continue to update it in the coming days and weeks so please check back.
Additionally, if you have any regional or facility-specific suggestions for people supporting their loved ones on the inside, please submit them using our form. We’re trying to pool information that is helpful to everyone while having specific locally relevant suggestions as well.
Support our show and join us on Patreon. Check out our other donation options as well.
Please listen, subscribe, and rate/review our podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and on Google Play
Join our mailing list for updates on new episodes, events, and more
Send tips, comments, and questions to beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com
Kim Wilson is available for speaking engagements and to facilitate workshops. Please contact beyondprisonspodcast@gmail.com for more information
Twitter: @Beyond_Prison
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondprisonspodcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beyondprisons/
Hosts: Kim Wilson and Brian Sonenstein
Music: Jared Ware


shadowproof--2020-03-25--Judge Denies Assange Bail As UN Human Rights Official Urges Governments To Protect Detainees During

Judge Denies Assange Bail As UN Human Rights Official Urges Governments To Protect Detainees During COVID-19 Pandemic

A flyer at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange 's extradition hearing in London , reading `` FREE ASSANGE .
NO U.S .
EXTRADITION . ''
Photo by Kevin Gosztola .
British Magistrate Court Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange ’ s request for bail , despite calls for the release of detainees and prisoners to halt the spread of the coronavirus .
Assange is charged with 17 counts of violating the United States Espionage Act , and a computer crime offense , which contains language from the Espionage Act .
He faces extradition to the United States and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prison Belmarsh .
Attorneys applied for bail because they believe Assange faces “ imminent danger.
” He suffers from a chronic lung condition , which makes him especially vulnerable to a coronavirus that severely affects anyone with respiratory ailments .
Marty Silk , an Australian correspondent , reported that Baraitser stated , “ Mr .
Assange ’ s past conduct shows the lengths he is prepared to go to avoid extradition proceedings .
If I released him today , he would not return to face these extradition proceedings.
” “ As matters stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of itself , yet provide grounds for Mr. Assange ’ s release , ” Baraitser asserted .
Despite the fact that Edward Fitzgerald , an attorney for Assange , was informed that 100 members of the Belmarsh staff were “ sick ” as a result of the coronavirus , Baraitser maintained the coronavirus is not a problem at the prison .
Fitzgerald , according to Silk , contended the fact that the coronavirus exists reduces Assange ’ s “ risk of absconsion.
” The Don ’ t Extradite Assange campaign said “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of house arrest and electronic tagging ” made by Fitzgerald .
“ We condemn in the strongest possible terms the decision today not to release Julian Assange on bail , ” WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson responded .
“ It is unjust and inhumane in light of the crises we are now facing.
” “ I urge everybody to protest this injustice , this grave injustice , ” Hrafnsson added .
“ It was pathetic to listen today to the magistrate court judge relying on the prison authorities , relying on reports that there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while we know that more than 100 staff of Belmarsh are in isolation.
” On the same day Baraitser denied Assange ’ s bail request , Michelle Bachelet , the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , issued a statement urging governments to protect the health and safety of people in detention .
“ Governments are facing huge demands on resources in this crisis and are having to take difficult decisions .
But I urge them not to forget those behind bars , or those confined in places such as closed mental @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because the consequences of neglecting them are potentially catastrophic , ” Bachelet declared .
Bachelet added , “ It is vital that governments should address the situation of detained people in their crisis planning to protect detainees , staff , visitors , and of course , wider society.
” After Assange was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in April , nearly one year ago , British authorities convicted him of a charge of violating bail conditions when he sought asylum from Ecuador .
He completed a 50-week sentence .
Baraitser ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poses reveal her contempt for the institution of political asylum , which is recognized by countries throughout the world as means of protecting the human rights of targeted dissidents .
The Prisoners ’ Advice Service , an independent legal charity in Britain , recommended on March 16 that “ people awaiting extradition ” be released during the pandemic .
Andrea Albutt , head of the Prison Governors Association , previously advocated for the release of some prisoners to prevent disorder and slow the spread of the virus .
“ Overcrowding , poor regime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not having visits anymore – these are all things that can introduce instability , ” Albutt told The Guardian .
“ If we can take one of them away , if we can reduce the level of overcrowding in our prisons , it will help towards the coming months.
” When Baraitser heard Assange ’ s bail application , she was unwilling to accommodate him so he could participate via videolink for more than 15 minutes .
She limited his participation in the proceedings .
Her management of proceedings was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when she denied Assange ’ s request to leave a glass box at the back of the courtroom and sit with his legal team .
“ COVID-19 is bringing forth the best in people and the worst in people .
Today ’ s decision by the judge was an example of the latter , ” Hrafnsson concluded .

British Magistrate Court Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s request for bail, despite calls for the release of detainees and prisoners to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Assange is charged with 17 counts of violating the United States Espionage Act, and a computer crime offense, which contains language from the Espionage Act. He faces extradition to the United States and is currently detained at Her Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh.
Attorneys applied for bail because they believe Assange faces “imminent danger.” He suffers from a chronic lung condition, which makes him especially vulnerable to a coronavirus that severely affects anyone with respiratory ailments.
Marty Silk, an Australian correspondent, reported that Baraitser stated, “Mr. Assange’s past conduct shows the lengths he is prepared to go to avoid extradition proceedings. If I released him today, he would not return to face these extradition proceedings.”
“As matters stand today, this global pandemic does not, of itself, yet provide grounds for Mr. Assange’s release,” Baraitser asserted.
Despite the fact that Edward Fitzgerald, an attorney for Assange, was informed that 100 members of the Belmarsh staff were “sick” as a result of the coronavirus, Baraitser maintained the coronavirus is not a problem at the prison.
Fitzgerald, according to Silk, contended the fact that the coronavirus exists reduces Assange’s “risk of absconsion.”
The Don’t Extradite Assange campaign said “the judge refused to accept the offer of house arrest and electronic tagging” made by Fitzgerald.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the decision today not to release Julian Assange on bail,” WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson responded. “It is unjust and inhumane in light of the crises we are now facing.”
“I urge everybody to protest this injustice, this grave injustice,” Hrafnsson added. “It was pathetic to listen today to the magistrate court judge relying on the prison authorities, relying on reports that there was no COVID-19 case inside Belmarsh prison while we know that more than 100 staff of Belmarsh are in isolation.”
On the same day Baraitser denied Assange’s bail request, Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a statement urging governments to protect the health and safety of people in detention.
“Governments are facing huge demands on resources in this crisis and are having to take difficult decisions. But I urge them not to forget those behind bars, or those confined in places such as closed mental health facilities, nursing homes and orphanages, because the consequences of neglecting them are potentially catastrophic,” Bachelet declared.
Bachelet added, “It is vital that governments should address the situation of detained people in their crisis planning to protect detainees, staff, visitors, and of course, wider society.”
After Assange was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in April, nearly one year ago, British authorities convicted him of a charge of violating bail conditions when he sought asylum from Ecuador. He completed a 50-week sentence.
Baraitser’s statements about the supposed flight risk Assange poses reveal her contempt for the institution of political asylum, which is recognized by countries throughout the world as means of protecting the human rights of targeted dissidents.
The Prisoners’ Advice Service, an independent legal charity in Britain, recommended on March 16 that “people awaiting extradition” be released during the pandemic.
Andrea Albutt, head of the Prison Governors Association, previously advocated for the release of some prisoners to prevent disorder and slow the spread of the virus.
“Overcrowding, poor regime, reduced contact with family because we’re not having visits anymore – these are all things that can introduce instability,” Albutt told The Guardian. “If we can take one of them away, if we can reduce the level of overcrowding in our prisons, it will help towards the coming months.”
Her management of proceedings was in line with her ruling in February, when she denied Assange’s request to leave a glass box at the back of the courtroom and sit with his legal team.
“COVID-19 is bringing forth the best in people and the worst in people. Today’s decision by the judge was an example of the latter,” Hrafnsson concluded.


shadowproof--2020-04-17--Dissenter Weekly: Coronavirus Whistleblowers On The Frontlines

President Donald Trump ’ s administration is pushing to re-open the United States very soon .
Meanwhile , governors are coordinating their own plans separate from Trump .
“ Essential workers ” will be caught in the middle of this conflict over when and how to end lockdowns .
On this edition of the “ Dissenter Weekly , ” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola highlights two stories involving whistleblowing nurses at hospitals , who complained of conditions .
In Detroit , Kenisa Barkai was fired after she urged “ supervisors to address what she described as a dangerous and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported , “ When they ignored her , Barkai said she threatened to alert state authorities .
She even tried to form a union.
” At Amazon , one manager died from the coronavirus , despite continued calls by whistleblowers to address horrid workplace conditions .
Two tech workers were fired for speaking out publicly .
But Gosztola begins by noting a significant decision by a federal appeals court , which says federal government agencies are allowed to open investigations into whistleblowers and doing so is not necessarily retaliation .
The decision undermines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” airs every Thursday at 4pm ET on YouTube and Facebook , and covers whistleblower and press freedom news from that week .
Manager At Amazon Facility Dies of Coronavirus After Whistleblowers Call For Increased Protection Spanish Security Company Spied On Assange To Find Out If He Had A Baby Julian Assange has been in jail for a year and 5 days , since he was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in London .
This show is brought to you by Shadowproof.com , a 100 % reader-funded press organization .
If you enjoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a donation or by subscribing for $ 5/month or more : https : //shadowproof.com/donate

President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing to re-open the United States very soon. Meanwhile, governors are coordinating their own plans separate from Trump. “Essential workers” will be caught in the middle of this conflict over when and how to end lockdowns.
On this edition of the “Dissenter Weekly,” host and Shadowproof editor Kevin Gosztola highlights two stories involving whistleblowing nurses at hospitals, who complained of conditions.
In Detroit, Kenisa Barkai was fired after she urged “supervisors to address what she described as a dangerous and severe staffing shortage.” The Metro Times reported, “When they ignored her, Barkai said she threatened to alert state authorities. She even tried to form a union.”
At Amazon, one manager died from the coronavirus, despite continued calls by whistleblowers to address horrid workplace conditions. Two tech workers were fired for speaking out publicly.
But Gosztola begins by noting a significant decision by a federal appeals court, which says federal government agencies are allowed to open investigations into whistleblowers and doing so is not necessarily retaliation. The decision undermines basic whistleblower protections.
“Dissenter Weekly” airs every Thursday at 4pm ET on YouTube and Facebook, and covers whistleblower and press freedom news from that week.
This week’s stories:
Manager At Amazon Facility Dies of Coronavirus After Whistleblowers Call For Increased Protection
Postal Service Workers Pressured To Deliver Mail Despite Coronavirus Symptoms
Virginia Enacts Whistleblower Protection Law
Spanish Security Company Spied On Assange To Find Out If He Had A Baby
***
Julian Assange has been in jail for a year and 5 days, since he was expelled from the Ecuador embassy in London.
Send tips and feedback to editor@shadowproof.com
This show is brought to you by Shadowproof.com, a 100% reader-funded press organization. If you enjoy our work, you can support us with a donation or by subscribing for $5/month or more: https://shadowproof.com/donate