thenation--2020-05-27--Trump’s Decision to Freeze WHO Funding Worries the US Military

The US military ’ s Africa Command , known as AFRICOM , raised concerns during a recent meeting about President Donald Trump ’ s decision to suspend payments to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , according to documents obtained exclusively by The Nation .
On April 23 , the officials “ highlighted some of the negative impacts related to the POTUS halt on WHO funding , ” according to minutes marked “ For Official Use Only.
” Some two dozen individuals attended the meeting via Skype , according to the readout , which reveals that AFRICOM appears to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contributing to the WHO during the Covid-19 pandemic , China will use that as an opportunity to expand its influence in Africa .
On May 19 , Trump threatened to make permanent the suspension of payments to the WHO and said he would “ reconsider ” the country ’ s membership in the UN agency .
In the 2018–19 budget , US funding accounted for 15 percent of the WHO ’ s budget—more than any other country ’ s contribution .
The following day , Chinese President Xi Jinping made diplomatic relations with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the World Health Assembly .
Xi ’ s speech emphasized Beijing ’ s long-standing relations with Africa , saying that China had provided health aid to 200 million Africans over thepast 70 years .
And while Trump threatens to exit the WHO , Xi pledged to give the agency $ 2 billion to over the next 20 years .
For comparison , the United States gave between $ 107 and $ 119 million in assessed contributions annually—as well as voluntary contributions ranging from $ 102 and $ 401 million per year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under a section titled “ COVID-19 Update , ” the report says that officials “ [ b ] riefed the GPC [ Great Power Competition ] impacts of China ’ s ‘ mask diplomacy ’ efforts and some signs of pushback from African countries , providing an opportunity for greater U.S. influence .
But , highlighted some of the negative impacts related to the POTUS halt on WHO funding.
” The document also highlights “ concern ” about the fact that the only major US military base in the region , Camp Lemonnier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it notes “ has by far the highest incidence rate per population on the continent.
” In April , The Nation reported on a leaked Defense Department intelligence brief detailing fears about the dangers Covid-19 outbreaks in foreign countries could pose to US military personnel .
Asked about the nature of the meeting , a Defense Department spokesperson declined to comment .
The report references China ’ s “ mask diplomacy efforts , ” which include donating more than 1 million test kits and 600,000 facial masks to various African countries .
Despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not one of unmitigated approval .
Earlier this month , Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) called on the Chinese government to “ end the discriminatory treatment of Africans related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
” The rights group criticized Chinese authorities in Guangzhou , a city in southern China , for targeting African residents with forced testing and quarantine .
Landlords also evicted Africans , forcing many to sleep on the streets .
Authorities did not generally treat other foreigners in this manner , according to HRW .
The Pentagon is acutely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The document cites a briefing on the “ GPC impacts.
” “ Great Power Competition ” is conflict between superpowers for geopolitical dominance .
As The Atlantic reported last year , GPC has become a popular way for the DC foreign policy establishment to frame almost any international issue—so much so that it is “ approaching a cliché.
” In 2019 , Gen. Kenneth McKensie , commander of US Central Command , identified GPC as the main focus of the National Defense Strategy , a planning document produced once every four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the president .
The fourth reason is the reemergence of the great power competition , the main challenge highlighted in the NDS [ National Defense Strategy ] .
China and Russia seek to dominate and influence not just their own geographic regions , but the Central Region as well .
Just as great power competitors looked to influence energy and trade in the Middle East following the first World War , China and Russia are working very hard today to reshuffle the balance of power in the CENTCOM area of responsibility , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ current position of influence in the region .
Then in March of this year , McKensie gave a posture statement before the House Armed Services Committee stating that “ the nation ’ s top defense priority must relentlessly focus on adversarial great powers that possess the power and means to destroy our country.
” McKensie ’ s bellicose tone reflects the goal implicit in Great Power Competition : to confront military superpowers like China and Russia .
One consequence of this is the moving of resources away from countering nonstate actors like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee , Stephen Townsend , a four-star general who is now commander of AFRICOM , noted that attention had turned from extremist groups to superpowers : “ As a result of the National Defense Strategy ’ s shift in focus to Great Power Competition ( GPC ) , the priority for resourcing USAFRICOM ’ s Counter Violent Extremists Organizations ( C-VEO ) efforts has decreased.
” Phillip Lohaus , a former Defense Department analyst who now works as a research fellow with the Marilyn Ware Center for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writing in USA Today : “ In framing the way forward as a competition between ‘ great powers , ’ the United States risks overlooking where the front lines of international competition with these actors now lay .
It risks doubling down on old notions of direct military confrontation rather than mitigating the weaknesses that its adversaries have long exploited.
” As ominous as the notion of a renewed Cold War between nuclear superpowers is , Trump ’ s decision to cut funding to the WHO will have serious humanitarian consequences as well—particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has helped the African Union establish coronavirus testing labs and provided countries most affected by Covid-19 with additional medical supplies .
The WHO works closely with both the African Union as well as the CDC in responding to health crises .
Despite these dangers , the Pentagon ’ s central concern appears to be over GPC .
“ There is also an effort at continuing to develop the GPC capabilities being worked at a higher classification level , ” the readout states .
Another section titled “ FUOPS [ Future Operations ] ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RFS [ request for service ] from AFRICOM for some Special Activities capabilities.
” While Trump may not be aware of his cuts ’ effect on the United States ’ global influence , the military certainly is .
You can read the AFRICOM meeting readout below .

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The US military’s Africa Command, known as Africom, raised concerns during a recent meeting about President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend payments to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to documents obtained exclusively by The Nation. On April 23, the officials “highlighted some of the negative impacts related to the POTUS halt on WHO funding,” according to minutes marked “for official use only.”
Some two dozen individuals attended the meeting via Skype, according to the readout, which reveals that Africom appears to fear that if the United States stops contributing to the WHO during the Covid-19 pandemic, China will use that as an opportunity to expand its influence in Africa.
On May 19, Trump threatened to make permanent the suspension of payments to the WHO and said he would “reconsider” the country’s membership in the UN agency. In the 2018–19 budget, US funding accounted for 15 percent of the WHO’s budget—more than any other country’s contribution.
The following day, Chinese President Xi Jinping made diplomatic relations with Africa the focus of his opening address at the World Health Assembly. His speech emphasized Beijing’s longstanding relations with Africa, saying that China provided health aid to 200 million Africans over the past 70 years. And while Trump threatens to exit the WHO, Xi pledged to give the agency $2 billion to over the next 20 years. For comparison, the United States gave $107 million to $119 million in assessed contributions annually—as well as voluntary contributions ranging from $102 million to $401 million per year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Under a section titled “COVID-19 Update,” the report says that officials “briefed the GPC [great power competition] impacts of China’s ‘mask diplomacy’ efforts and some signs of pushback from African countries, providing an opportunity for greater U.S. influence. But, highlighted some of the negative impacts related to the POTUS halt on WHO funding.”
The document also highlights “concern” about the fact that the only major US military base in the region, Camp Lemonnier, is in Djibouti, which it notes “has by far the highest incidence rate per population on the continent.”
In April, The Nation reported on a leaked Defense Department intelligence brief detailing fears about the dangers Covid-19 outbreaks in foreign countries could pose to US military personnel. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Current Issue View our current issue
Asked about the nature of the meeting, a Defense Department spokesperson declined to comment.
The report refers to China’s “mask diplomacy efforts,” which include donating more than 1 million test kits and 600,000 facial masks to various African countries. Despite these contributions, the response within Africa is not one of unmitigated approval. This month, Human Rights Watch called on the Chinese government to “end the discriminatory treatment of Africans related to the Covid-19 pandemic.” The rights group criticized Chinese authorities in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, for targeting African residents with forced testing and quarantine. Landlords also evicted Africans, forcing many to sleep on the streets. Authorities did not generally treat other foreigners in this manner, according to HRW.
The Pentagon is acutely aware of China’s diplomatic overtures. The document cites a briefing on “GPC impacts.” Great power competition is conflict among superpowers for geopolitical dominance. As The Atlantic reported last year, GPC has become a popular way for the DC foreign policy establishment to frame almost any international issue—so much so that it is “approaching a cliché.”
In 2019, Gen. Kenneth McKensie, the commander of US Central Command, identified GPC as the main focus of the National Defense Strategy, a planning document produced once every four years by the secretary of defense and signed by the president.
The fourth reason is the reemergence of the great power competition, the main challenge highlighted in the NDS [National Defense Strategy]. China and Russia seek to dominate and influence not just their own geographic regions, but the Central Region as well. Just as great power competitors looked to influence energy and trade in the Middle East following the first World War, China and Russia are working very hard today to reshuffle the balance of power in the CENTCOM area of responsibility, trying to displace the U.S. from our current position of influence in the region.
In March of this year, McKensie gave a posture statement before the House Armed Services Committee, saying that “the nation’s top defense priority must relentlessly focus on adversarial great powers that possess the power and means to destroy our country.”
McKensie’s bellicose tone reflects the goal implicit in great power competition: to confront military superpowers like China and Russia. One consequence of this is diverting resources from countering nonstate actors like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Stephen Townsend, a four-star general who is now the commander of Africom, said that attention had turned from extremist groups to superpowers. “As a result of the National Defense Strategy’s shift in focus to great power competition, the priority for resourcing USAfricom’s Counter Violent Extremists Organizations efforts has decreased.”
Phillip Lohaus, a former Defense Department analyst who now works as a research fellow with the Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies, echoed similar concerns, writing in USA Today, “In framing the way forward as a competition between ‘great powers,’ the United States risks overlooking where the front lines of international competition with these actors now lay. It risks doubling down on old notions of direct military confrontation rather than mitigating the weaknesses that its adversaries have long exploited.”
As ominous as the notion of a renewed Cold War between nuclear superpowers is, Trump’s decision to cut funding to the WHO will have serious humanitarian consequences as well, particularly in Africa. Since January, the WHO has helped the African Union establish coronavirus testing labs and provided countries most affected by Covid-19 with additional medical supplies. The WHO works closely with the African Union and the US Centers for Disease Control to respond to health crises.
Despite these dangers, the Pentagon’s central concern appears to be over GPC. “There is also an effort at continuing to develop the GPC capabilities being worked at a higher classification level,” the readout states. Another section titled “[Future Operations] Update” reads, “Expect to get some [request for service] from AFRICOM for some Special Activities capabilities.”
While Trump may not be aware of his cuts’ effect on the United States’ global influence, the military certainly is.
You can read the Africom meeting readout below.


thenation--2020-05-28--A Thrilling Snapshot of the New Pop Avant-Garde

Mike Hadreas , who goes by Perfume Genius , starts his latest album , Set My Heart on Fire Immediately , with “ Whole Life , ” a song that opens with a naked , mournful line : “ Half of my whole life is gone , let it drift and wash away.
” The sentiment is so full of lament , so gut-wrenchingly sad , that as a listener , it ’ s hard not to internalize it and think about one ’ s own youth leaking out by the second .
The wistful specificity of the lyrics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make all this emotion palpable : It sounds as if he can barely get the words out over the sparse arrangement .
But then , there ’ s a switch .
Lush piano melodies and strings swoop in like a burst of wind , propelling Hadreas toward a sweeping finale .
“ Shadows soften toward some tender light , in slow motion I leave them behind , ” he belts out , now resilient over instrumentation that ’ s as sumptuous and frolicsome as daybreak .
“ Whole Life ” becomes a triumph @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life , making the song feel like a lavish ceremonial bouquet laid on the grave of all the people he ’ s once been .
Hadreas ’ s knack for transforming insular emotions into stately pieces of music is uncanny .
He ’ s done it over and over again , most recently on 2017 ’ s No Shape and also on 2014 ’ s Too Bright .
Amplifying quiet thoughts and feelings can come with a certain degree of melodrama , but even at its most theatrical , Hadreass work has retained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as though you ’ re catching a person whispering a monologue they only intended for themselves .
Set My Heart on Fire Immediately is the most instinctive of Hadreas ’ s releases and , sonically , it ’ s his most complex .
Yet he ’ s wonderfully poised even during the album ’ s most intricate overtures , pulling off bare , intimate acts with the aplomb that he ’ s acquired over the last decade .
“ Describe ” is one of the moments on the record that feels entirely effortless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep and bruised place .
Hadreas—whose music has excavated painful experiences , including being bullied as a teenager for being gay , living with Crohn ’ s disease , struggling with depression and anxiety—shared that he wrote the song about being in “ such a dark place that you don ’ t even remember what goodness is or what anything feels like.
” But after that low moment , he teamed up with his longtime producer Blake Mills , and the results speak for themselves .
The sound Hadreas offers is weightless and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distant over silvery guitars that prickle with nostalgia .
While the words might get buried in light blankets of distortion , they are evocative and affecting upon each listen .
“ His love it felt like ribbons , an echo in the canyon , can you just find him for me ?
” he sings , capturing bottomless yearning in one mellifluous sentence .
The record flips between flashes of brightness and a longing for times that disappeared in the blink of an eye .
“ On the Floor ” is the bounciest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s chorus reinforced by a community of musicians , among them the singers Phoebe Bridgers and Ethan Gruska .
“ Nothing at All ” crackles with intensity , partially the result of a propulsive drum machine and Hadreas ’ s insistent vocals , which sound as though he ’ s singing through gritted teeth : “ I got what you want , babe , I got what you need , son , Nothing at all.
” Synth curlicues cut through the track , adding a playful touch to his urgency .
They also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quality ; it sounds like at any second it could explode into a dance track , an unhinged rock experiment , or a weird flute solo .
The idea of “ genre-bending ” pop music has been applied so liberally lately , it ’ s lost a lot of its meaning .
Like all things , it ’ s been cannibalized by the industry and twisted it into a commercial strategy that pulls broad styles of rap , country , R & B , and electronic music into a standardized pop formula , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ears as possible .
Yet Set My Heart on Fire Immediately restores power to the term and reminds listeners that its beauty often comes from artists—many of them queer or POC— taking bits and pieces of worlds they ’ ve roamed and constructing their own havens from the sounds .
Hadreas has created his own refuge tenderly and painstakingly , pushing past liminal spaces to land someplace new .
The work of Yves Tumor , the experimental artist who released Heaven to a Tortured Mind last month , is similar in this regard—although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tumor ’ s hands , sonic fluidity isn ’ t exactly florid or pristine .
Tumor , who uses “ they/their ” pronouns , seduces and warns listeners all at once—their jagged music universe is entered at one ’ s own risk .
As interested as they might be in rock stardom on this album , they ’ re a force that agitates pop music , slamming it into more interesting directions .
Tumor comes across as someone who has gnashed pop between their teeth and spit it back out into something raw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the record has glimmers of more recognizable forms—glam-rock and R & B—Tumor ’ s idiosyncratic and even intimidating aesthetic choices ( spurts of reverb , visuals that delight in otherworldliness and the grotesque ) are precisely what gives the work its glowing modernity .
The ability to glide in and out of genres is deeply embedded in Tumor ’ s identity as a figure who wants to elide categorization .
Tumor has always been an amorphous , even protean character .
They started releasing work as Yves Tumor in 2015 , debuting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You .
The tracks were haunting , evasive experiments in trip-hop , house , noise , and ambient music , cloaked in mystery .
Such inscrutability was intentional ; Tumor revealed little about their personal background , even as their albums Serpent Music ( 2016 ) and Safe in the Hands of Love ( 2018 ) garnered critical attention .
Instead , Tumor twisted their story often , suggesting a prankster ’ s instinct for messing with industry narratives .
“ Question mark , question mark , question mark—it ’ s private , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pitchfork after a reporter asked , simply , where their permanent home was .
Some artists craft a careful story to leverage their profiles and indeed , an enigmatic approach may just have been Tumor ’ s own strategy .
But it succeeded in making their work intriguing and provocative .
Trying to get a good look at Yves Tumor occasionally feels like staring into the sun .
On the cover art for Heaven to a Tortured Mind , two nude figures , both presumably Tumor , interlock into each other , bathed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One only realizes after much squinting that the image is an optical illusion , too incandescent and abstract for easy interpretation .
But in the music , Tumor demands to be heard .
Crashing guitars vamp for a bit at the beginning of the brilliant opener , “ Gospel for a New Century , ” preparing for a grand entrance .
Then Tumor dives in , their intonations a mix of Prince ’ s smooth flamboyance and TV on the Radio vocalist Tunde Adebimpe ’ s low-pitched severity .
The performance drips with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it ’ s just one way they stretch their voice across the album .
On “ Kerosene , ” they honey up their sound , slipping into a decadent , come-hither power ballad with vocalist Diana Gordon .
There ’ s a throwback quality to the type of sexiness Tumor evokes ; it ’ s the soft-lit , neo-psychedelic seduction of the ’ 80s , with lyrics reflecting a direct , old-school chasteness ( “ I can be your real life sugar , I can live in your dreams , Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” the lyrics of “ Kerosene ” go ) .
All of the lust and emotion comes through primarily in Tumor ’ s delivery : They play with tone and modulation , letting out aching whimpers on “ Super Stars.
” Tumor releases long , breathy whispers over whining electric guitars on “ A Greater Love.
” They pant , they hiss , they squeal , they thirst , and the performances are so convincing that Tumor , as fleeting and impenetrable as they can be , begins to morph more into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these songs .
It would be easy to assume that the record is Tumor ’ s clearest mission statement to date and the fullest self-declaration of the artist who comes alive in the music .
But Heaven to a Tortured Mind seems like a case study in never-ending self-expression , and it ’ s likely just one side of an unpredictable , boundless artist ’ s imagination .
As a listener decides they ’ ve finally caught a full glimpse of Tumor on the album , Tumor is probably somewhere plotting their next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the strength of Tumor ’ s work lies in its reconstruction of genre , of masculinity , of artistic limits .
But neither of them rests for too long after striking new ground .
Instead , they both flourish in an ever-evolving whirl of creative continuity , unsatisfied with a static state of being .

This article appears in the August 10/17, 2020 issue.
Mike Hadreas, who goes by Perfume Genius, starts his latest album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, with “Whole Life,” a song that opens with a naked, mournful line: “Half of my whole life is gone, let it drift and wash away.” The sentiment is so full of lament, so gut-wrenchingly sad, that as a listener, it’s hard not to internalize it and think about one’s own youth leaking out by the second. The wistful specificity of the lyrics and Hadreas’s frail and unsteady voice make all this emotion palpable: It sounds as if he can barely get the words out over the sparse arrangement.
But then, there’s a switch. Lush piano melodies and strings swoop in like a burst of wind, propelling Hadreas toward a sweeping finale. “Shadows soften toward some tender light, in slow motion I leave them behind,” he belts out, now resilient over instrumentation that’s as sumptuous and frolicsome as daybreak. “Whole Life” becomes a triumph as Hadreas proudly shakes off his old life, making the song feel like a lavish ceremonial bouquet laid on the grave of all the people he’s once been.
Hadreas’s knack for transforming insular emotions into stately pieces of music is uncanny. He’s done it over and over again, most recently on 2017’s No Shape and also on 2014’s Too Bright. Amplifying quiet thoughts and feelings can come with a certain degree of melodrama, but even at its most theatrical, Hadreas’s work has retained a sense of privacy and precision, as though you’re catching a person whispering a monologue they only intended for themselves. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately is the most instinctive of Hadreas’s releases and, sonically, it’s his most complex. Yet he’s wonderfully poised even during the album’s most intricate overtures, pulling off bare, intimate acts with the aplomb that he’s acquired over the last decade.
“Describe” is one of the moments on the record that feels entirely effortless, even though it comes from a deep and bruised place. Hadreas—whose music has excavated painful experiences, including being bullied as a teenager for being gay, living with Crohn’s disease, struggling with depression and anxiety—shared that he wrote the song about being in “such a dark place that you don’t even remember what goodness is or what anything feels like.” He teamed up with his longtime producer Blake Mills, and the results speak for themselves. The sound Hadreas offers is weightless and elegant. His vocals are hushed and distant over silvery guitars that prickle with nostalgia. While the words might get buried in light blankets of distortion, they are evocative and affecting upon each listen. “His love it felt like ribbons, an echo in the canyon, can you just find him for me?” he sings, capturing bottomless yearning in one mellifluous sentence.
The record flips between flashes of brightness and a longing for times that disappeared in the blink of an eye. “On the Floor” is the bounciest the album gets, with Hadreas’s chorus reinforced by a community of musicians, among them the singers Phoebe Bridgers and Ethan Gruska. “Nothing at All” crackles with intensity, partially the result of a propulsive drum machine and Hadreas’s insistent vocals, which sound as though he’s singing through gritted teeth: “I got what you want babe / I got what you need, son / Nothing, nothing at all.” Synth curlicues cut through the track, adding a playful touch to his urgency. They also give the song a shifting, mutating quality; it sounds like at any second it could explode into a dance track, an unhinged rock experiment, or a weird flute solo. Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
The idea of “genre-bending” pop music has been applied so liberally lately, it’s lost a lot of its meaning. Like all things, it’s been cannibalized by the industry and twisted it into a commercial strategy that pulls broad styles of rap, country, R&B, and electronic music into a standardized pop formula, specifically tailored to appeal to as many ears as possible. Yet Set My Heart on Fire Immediately restores power to the term and reminds listeners that its beauty often comes from artists—many of them queer or POC—taking bits and pieces of worlds they’ve roamed and constructing their own havens from the sounds. Hadreas has created his own refuge tenderly and painstakingly, pushing past liminal spaces to land someplace new.
The work of Yves Tumor, the experimental artist who released Heaven to a Tortured Mind last month, is similar in this regard—although the approach is enthrallingly different. In Tumor’s hands, sonic fluidity isn’t exactly florid or pristine. Tumor, who uses “they/their” pronouns, seduces and warns listeners all at once—their jagged music universe is entered at one’s own risk. As interested as they might be in rock stardom on this album, they’re a force that agitates pop music, slamming it into more interesting directions. Tumor comes across as someone who has gnashed pop between their teeth and spit it back out into something raw, warped, and avant-garde. And while the record has glimmers of more recognizable forms—glam-rock and R&B—Tumor’s idiosyncratic and even intimidating aesthetic choices (spurts of reverb, visuals that delight in otherworldliness and the grotesque) are precisely what gives the work its glowing modernity. Related Article Funk for the Future Marcus J. Moore
The ability to glide in and out of genres is deeply embedded in Tumor’s identity as a figure who wants to elide categorization. Tumor has always been an amorphous, even protean character. They started releasing work as Yves Tumor in 2015, debuting a self-released album called When Man Fails You. The tracks were haunting, evasive experiments in trip-hop, house, noise, and ambient music, cloaked in mystery. Such inscrutability was intentional; Tumor revealed little about their personal background, even as their albums Serpent Music (2016) and Safe in the Hands of Love (2018) garnered critical attention. Instead, Tumor twisted their story often, suggesting a prankster’s instinct for messing with industry narratives. “Question mark, question mark, question mark—it’s private,” they said in an interview with Pitchfork after a reporter asked, simply, where their permanent home was. Some artists craft a careful story to leverage their profiles and indeed, an enigmatic approach may just have been Tumor’s own strategy. But it succeeded in making their work intriguing and provocative.
Trying to get a good look at Yves Tumor occasionally feels like staring into the sun. On the cover art for Heaven to a Tortured Mind, two nude figures, both presumably Tumor, interlock into each other, bathed in a bright, ice-white light. One only realizes after much squinting that the image is an optical illusion, too incandescent and abstract for easy interpretation. But in the music, Tumor demands to be heard. Crashing guitars vamp for a bit at the beginning of the brilliant opener, “Gospel for a New Century,” preparing for a grand entrance. Then Tumor dives in, their intonations a mix of Prince’s smooth flamboyance and TV on the Radio vocalist Tunde Adebimpe’s low-pitched severity. The performance drips with cool insouciance as Tumor sings, slack-jawed, but it’s just one way they stretch their voice across the album.
On “Kerosene!,” they honey up their sound, slipping into a decadent, come-hither power ballad with vocalist Diana Gordon. There’s a throwback quality to the type of sexiness Tumor evokes; it’s the soft-lit, neo-psychedelic seduction of the ’80s, with lyrics reflecting a direct, old-school chasteness (“I can be your real life sugar / I can live in your dreams / Will you be my fantasy little baby?” the lyrics of “Kerosene” go). All of the lust and emotion comes through primarily in Tumor’s delivery: They play with tone and modulation, letting out aching whimpers on “Super Stars.” Tumor releases long, breathy whispers over whining electric guitars on “A Greater Love.” They pant, they hiss, they squeal, they thirst, and the performances are so convincing that Tumor, as fleeting and impenetrable as they can be, begins to morph more into the yearning lothario at the center of these songs.
It would be easy to assume that the record is Tumor’s clearest mission statement to date and the fullest self-declaration of the artist who comes alive in the music. But Heaven to a Tortured Mind seems like a case study in never-ending self-expression, and it’s likely just one side of an unpredictable, boundless artist’s imagination. As a listener decides they’ve finally caught a full glimpse of Tumor on the album, Tumor is probably somewhere plotting their next step. Like that of Hadreas, the strength of Tumor’s work lies in its reconstruction of genre, of masculinity, of artistic limits. But neither of them rests for too long after striking new ground. Instead, they both flourish in an ever-evolving whirl of creative continuity, unsatisfied with a static state of being.


thenation--2020-05-28--Solidarity Is Our Silver Linings Pandemic Playbook

What ’ s going on in the United States ?
Across the country , all states have begun to reopen , some more quickly , some more slowly than others .
Data from Safegraph , which takes information from our mobile devices and layers them over building footprints , suggests that Americans are venturing out , particularly to parks , restaurants and gas stations , though in many places still below pre-lockdown levels .
States vary in terms of residents returning to typical patterns of daily movement , with Mississippi , Wyoming , Alaska , South Carolina , Alabama , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arkansas , and Tennessee , closest to normal and Hawaii , New York , Massachusetts , Nevada , New Jersey , California , Vermont , Michigan , Illinois , Connecticut , and Maryland farthest away from it .
On Sunday , Britain ’ s Imperial College of Medicine came out with a new state-by-state model of the SARS-COV2 epidemic , in which 24 out of our 50 states had an Rt ( a time-varying measure of transmission intensity ) of greater than 1 , meaning a local epidemic is still not under control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rt above 1 , like Mississippi , South Carolina , Alabama , Arkansas , and Tennessee are among the furthest along in re-opening according to SafeGraph data , and some , including Massachusetts , California , Illinois , Maryland , are still some distance away .
But most of the states with Rt greater than 1 are clustered in the South and Midwest .
The Imperial College report also suggests that the vast majority of Americans have not been infected with SARS-COV2—with a national average around 4 percent and 16 percent in hard-hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the disease .
The British statistician George E.P .
Box famously once said , “ All models are wrong , but some are useful.
” The point is that models are approximations ; they are not maps to a destination , but they can help guide our thinking and decision-making .
As Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch recently said in a piece in the Boston Review , scientists “ should keep their eyes open for any kind of information that can help them solve problems.
” The data from SafeGraph , like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfect .
But we don ’ t need perfect to see a problem .
This is a tale of two countries , one in which progress is being made on Covid-19 ; another which lags behind .
Both “ countries ” too are inextricably locked together in an epidemiological embrace ; we won ’ t get SARS-COV2 under control in the United States unless and until there is progress across the entire nation .
Right now many , many people remain at risk .
As I said a few weeks ago , President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has all but closed the door on a national response to Covid-19 .
In fact , just this week , pleas again rose up from public health experts and governors to address the ongoing four- or five-month failure to get testing scaled up in the United States , with Scott Becker of the Association of Public Health Laboratories saying to The New York Times , “ You can ’ t leave it up to the states to do it for themselves .
This is not the Hunger Games.
” What can we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to keep holding our local , state , and national officials ’ feet to the fire .
Just because President Trump will do nothing doesn ’ t mean we don ’ t keep asking .
Governors and mayors , our community leaders , also require prodding to do the right thing or stay on the right track .
And we speak up , correct misinformation and outright lies .
There are those—locked up in prisons and jails , working in meatpacking plants—that need us to speak up as well , as they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have faced from this virus .
We have a duty to bear witness at this moment and if we ’ re called to protest , responsibly , with proper personal protective equipment and social distancing , and we can , we do it .
When Losing Your Job Means Losing Your Psychiatric Medication More in this series I am still in my apartment .
I go to the grocery store .
I walk the dog .
That ’ s about it .
I miss my family .
I miss my friends .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Why ?
Because I can still do it .
I can afford to do it .
I can work from home .
This isn ’ t to protect me and my partner .
It ’ s to protect the rest of my community .
A few months ago , I suggested that social distancing was a tremendous act of generosity to one another .
Millions of Americans have shown this kind of solidarity over the past few months .
It ’ s the one shining silver lining of these terrible times .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus is still out there .
So I will continue to do my part .
This isn ’ t virtue signaling or an attempt to shame others .
I know plenty of people who have never had a choice to stay-at-home and many who do not have a choice about whether they can continue their self-enforced isolation .
I also know people who are not holding up well under the strain of all this , day after day after day .
But being unable to work from home or needing to relax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t all-or-nothing .
My epidemiologist colleague Julia Marcus has written recently about how we have to embrace a practice of harm reduction over the next few months and years , where we can decrease our risk , even if we ’ re not holed up in our homes to the same degree we were in March .
In fact , Vox has taken the ideas that Julia Marcus and Eleanor Murray ( another epi colleague ) have come up with , and made them into an infographic , with a list of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher , and highest risk .
The message ?
We can all do something and help others to do the same .
We are not powerless .
“ Because things are the way they are , things will not stay the way they are , ” wrote Bertolt Brecht .
This epidemic will be over one day too .
I hope that then we can look back and remember how we helped each other survive .

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What’s going on in the United States? Across the country, all states have begun to reopen, some more quickly, some more slowly than others. Data from Safegraph, which takes information from our mobile devices and layers them over building footprints, suggests that Americans are venturing out, particularly to parks, restaurants and gas stations, though in many places still below pre-lockdown levels. States vary in terms of residents returning to typical patterns of daily movement, with Mississippi, Wyoming, Alaska, South Carolina, Alabama, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Arkansas, and Tennessee, closest to normal and Hawaii, New York, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, California, Vermont, Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, and Maryland farthest away from it.
On Sunday, Britain’s Imperial College of Medicine came out with a new state-by-state model of the SARS-COV2 epidemic, in which 24 out of our 50 states had an Rt (a time-varying measure of transmission intensity) of greater than 1, meaning a local epidemic is still not under control. Some of these states with an Rt above 1, like Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee are among the furthest along in re-opening according to SafeGraph data, and some , including Massachusetts, California, Illinois, Maryland, are still some distance away. But most of the states with Rt greater than 1 are clustered in the South and Midwest. The Imperial College report also suggests that the vast majority of Americans have not been infected with SARS-COV2—with a national average around 4 percent and 16 percent in hard-hit places like New York—and therefore remain susceptible to the disease.
The British statistician George E.P. Box famously once said, “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” The point is that models are approximations; they are not maps to a destination, but they can help guide our thinking and decision-making. As Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch recently said in a piece in the Boston Review, scientists “should keep their eyes open for any kind of information that can help them solve problems.” The data from SafeGraph, like the model from Imperial, may not be perfect. But we don’t need perfect to see a problem. This is a tale of two countries, one in which progress is being made on Covid-19; another which lags behind. Both “countries” too are inextricably locked together in an epidemiological embrace; we won’t get SARS-COV2 under control in the United States unless and until there is progress across the entire nation. Right now many, many people remain at risk.
As I said a few weeks ago, President Trump has washed his hands of us, has all but closed the door on a national response to Covid-19. In fact, just this week, pleas again rose up from public health experts and governors to address the ongoing four- or five-month failure to get testing scaled up in the United States, with Scott Becker of the Association of Public Health Laboratories saying to The New York Times, “You can’t leave it up to the states to do it for themselves. This is not the Hunger Games.” Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann
What can we do now? Well, we have to keep holding our local, state, and national officials’ feet to the fire. Just because President Trump will do nothing doesn’t mean we don’t keep asking. Governors and mayors, our community leaders, also require prodding to do the right thing or stay on the right track. And we speak up, correct misinformation and outright lies. There are those—locked up in prisons and jails, working in meatpacking plants—that need us to speak up as well, as they are in greater peril than most of us have faced from this virus. We have a duty to bear witness at this moment and if we’re called to protest, responsibly, with proper personal protective equipment and social distancing, and we can, we do it. Coronavirus Amid Partisan Politicking, Revelations on a Covid Origins Article Jimmy Tobias It’s Not “Unreasonable” to Want to Change Our Rotten Health Care System Gregg Gonsalves Covid Has Left Deep Wounds in America’s Rural Communities Anne N. Sosin
I am still in my apartment. I go to the grocery store. I walk the dog. That’s about it. I miss my family. I miss my friends. But I am not ending my stay-at-home. Why? Because I can still do it. I can afford to do it. I can work from home. This isn’t to protect me and my partner. It’s to protect the rest of my community. A few months ago, I suggested that social distancing was a tremendous act of generosity to one another. Millions of Americans have shown this kind of solidarity over the past few months. It’s the one shining silver lining of these terrible times. People are still vulnerable, though, and the virus is still out there. So I will continue to do my part.
This isn’t virtue signaling or an attempt to shame others. I know plenty of people who have never had a choice to stay-at-home and many who do not have a choice about whether they can continue their self-enforced isolation. I also know people who are not holding up well under the strain of all this, day after day after day. But being unable to work from home or needing to relax the strictness of our social distancing isn’t all-or-nothing.
My epidemiologist colleague Julia Marcus has written recently about how we have to embrace a practice of harm reduction over the next few months and years, where we can decrease our risk, even if we’re not holed up in our homes to the same degree we were in March. In fact, Vox has taken the ideas that Julia Marcus and Eleanor Murray (another epi colleague) have come up with, and made them into an infographic, with a list of activities from lowest risk to moderate, higher, and highest risk. The message? We can all do something and help others to do the same. We are not powerless. “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are,” wrote Bertolt Brecht. This epidemic will be over one day too. I hope that then we can look back and remember how we helped each other survive.


thenation--2020-05-28--Chevron Tightens the Screws on Steven Donziger

The Chevron corporation ’ s legal onslaught against the environmental lawyer Steven Donziger continues .
The oil giant and two federal judges in New York are apparently in a de facto alliance to persecute Donziger , who in 2013 helped win a landmark $ 9.5 billion legal victory against the company for polluting vast stretches of rain forest in Ecuador .
Here ’ s the latest : Federal Judge Loretta Preska , who has already kept Donziger under house arrest in New York City for the past 10 months , on May 18 refused his request to relax his confinement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not start until September 9 .
Donziger ’ s attorney had asked Preska to allow him out of his Upper West Side apartment for three hours a day .
Preska said no .
She repeated her preposterous claim that Donziger could be a flight risk , saying , “ I could be to the airport and on an airplane in three hours.
” Donziger lives with his wife and 13-year-old son .
He has already surrendered his passport .
And his attorney , Andrew Frisch , told Preska that her suggestion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Ecuador is particularly unlikely now because that country is suffering one of the worst outbreaks of Covid-19 anywhere .
What ’ s disgraceful is that the maximum jail sentence that Donziger would face if he ’ s found guilty of contempt is six months—less than half the time he will have already spent locked up .
It is this kind of questionable conduct from the federal bench that prompted Frisch to file an emergency motion on May 11 at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit accusing Preska and Judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donziger since 2011 , with “ abuses of power and discretion.
” Donziger ’ s supporters argue that Chevron ’ s own lawyers are collaborating in the effort to persecute him .
Martin Garbus , the 85-year-old human rights attorney , is part of the Donziger defense team .
He says simply , “ For 60 years I have tried cases throughout the United States .
I have represented unpopular defendants in the South before , during , and after the civil rights movement .
But I have never seen anything like this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its law firms have taken control of the awesome power of government to prosecute an environmental activist and deprive him of his liberty .
They have done so with the active complicity of two federal judges .
It ’ s something I ’ ve never before seen in my career.
” ( An e-mail asking for comment from Sean Comey , Chevron ’ s senior adviser on corporate issues , litigation , and financial communications , was not answered . )
Meanwhile , the global support for Donziger is growing .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prize winners , signed a letter calling for “ a judicial remedy for the legal attacks orchestrated by Chevron against Donziger and for the defamation of his character.
” More than 475 lawyers and human rights defenders worldwide signed another open letter , that called the struggle “ one of the most important corporate accountability and human rights cases of our time.
” So far , the mainstream press , with the exception of The Guardian , is still silent .
How a Human Rights Lawyer Went From Hero to House Arrest Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It has become clear to me in recent months that my unprecedented house arrest is the result of apparent misconduct and conflicts of interest by a number of people in the judiciary .
It feels like Chevron has taken over the role of government to deprive its main litigation adversary of his freedom .
That ’ s a terrifying prospect for me and my family , but also for everybody who cares about the nature of freedom and advocacy in our society .
I don ’ t think it has ever happened before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

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The Chevron corporation’s legal onslaught against the environmental lawyer Steven Donziger continues. The oil giant and two federal judges in New York are apparently in a de facto alliance to persecute Donziger, who in 2013 helped win a landmark $9.5 billion legal victory against the company for polluting vast stretches of rain forest in Ecuador.
Here’s the latest: Federal Judge Loretta Preska, who has already kept Donziger under house arrest in New York City for the past 10 months, on May 18 refused his request to relax his confinement before his trial for contempt, which will not start until September 9. Donziger’s attorney had asked Preska to allow him out of his Upper West Side apartment for three hours a day. Preska said no. She repeated her preposterous claim that Donziger could be a flight risk, saying, “I could be to the airport and on an airplane in three hours.”
Donziger lives with his wife and 13-year-old son. He has already surrendered his passport. And his attorney, Andrew Frisch, told Preska that her suggestion in a previous hearing that he might abscond to Ecuador is particularly unlikely now because that country is suffering one of the worst outbreaks of Covid-19 anywhere. What’s disgraceful is that the maximum jail sentence that Donziger would face if he’s found guilty of contempt is six months—less than half the time he will have already spent locked up.
It is this kind of questionable conduct from the federal bench that prompted Frisch to file an emergency motion on May 11 at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit accusing Preska and Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, who has pursued Donziger since 2011, with “abuses of power and discretion.” Donziger’s supporters argue that Chevron’s own lawyers are collaborating in the effort to persecute him.
Martin Garbus, the 85-year-old human rights attorney, is part of the Donziger defense team. He says simply, “For 60 years I have tried cases throughout the United States. I have represented unpopular defendants in the South before, during, and after the civil rights movement. But I have never seen anything like this attempt to destroy Steven Donziger. Chevron and its law firms have taken control of the awesome power of government to prosecute an environmental activist and deprive him of his liberty. They have done so with the active complicity of two federal judges. It’s something I’ve never before seen in my career.” (An e-mail asking for comment from Sean Comey, Chevron’s senior adviser on corporate issues, litigation, and financial communications, was not answered.)
Meanwhile, the global support for Donziger is growing. Some 29 Nobel laureates, including nine Peace Prize winners, signed a letter calling for “a judicial remedy for the legal attacks orchestrated by Chevron against Donziger and for the defamation of his character.” More than 475 lawyers and human rights defenders worldwide signed another open letter, that called the struggle “one of the most important corporate accountability and human rights cases of our time.”
So far, the mainstream press, with the exception of The Guardian, is still silent. Related Article How a Human Rights Lawyer Went From Hero to House Arrest James North
Here’s what Donziger says: “It has become clear to me in recent months that my unprecedented house arrest is the result of apparent misconduct and conflicts of interest by a number of people in the judiciary. It feels like Chevron has taken over the role of government to deprive its main litigation adversary of his freedom. That’s a terrifying prospect for me and my family, but also for everybody who cares about the nature of freedom and advocacy in our society. I don’t think it has ever happened before. I hope it never happens again.”


thenation--2020-05-28--Remembering Frederika Randall (1948–2020)

“ I was born in the USA in a time of privilege and plenty , ” wrote Frederika Randall , The Nation ’ s longtime Rome correspondent , who died on May 12 , to begin the self-portrait on her website .
A mordantly funny , never-in-the-least-dispassionate observer , she was an acute chronicler of the postwar death spiral of Italian democracy .
Silvio Berlusconi ’ s description of his onetime factotum Vittorio Mangano—a Cosa Nostra boss later sentenced to life imprisonment for two murders—as “ a hero ” was , she wrote in 2008 , “ as close as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promise to Italy ’ s Mafia that they would have a free hand if he were elected.
” Ten years later , she was reporting on Berlusconi ’ s anti-immigrant coalition partners , the Lega , and their leader , Matteo Salvini .
In between she alerted readers to the fratricide destroying Italy ’ s political left , the rise of former comedian Beppe Grillo ’ s Five Star movement , and the links between austerity , corruption , and the appeal of Don Giovanni .
But any attempt to corral Randall ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political journalism would be an injustice .
A writer and prizewinning translator—her versions of Guido Morselli ’ s Dissipatio H.G .
and the same author ’ s novel of postwar disillusion , The Communist , are published by New York Review Books Classics—Randall , as her son Tommaso Jucker put it on Twitter , “ lived at least three lives.
” We are fortunate that at least a portion of one of them was in our pages .

This article appears in the June 15/22, 2020 issue.
“I was born in the USA in a time of privilege and plenty,” wrote Frederika Randall, The Nation’s longtime Rome correspondent, who died on May 12, to begin the self-portrait on her website. A mordantly funny, never-in-the-least-dispassionate observer, she was an acute chronicler of the postwar death spiral of Italian democracy.
Silvio Berlusconi’s description of his onetime factotum Vittorio Mangano—a Cosa Nostra boss later sentenced to life imprisonment for two murders—as “a hero” was, she wrote in 2008, “as close as he could get to making an outright promise to Italy’s Mafia that they would have a free hand if he were elected.” Ten years later, she was reporting on Berlusconi’s anti-immigrant coalition partners, the Lega, and their leader, Matteo Salvini. In between she alerted readers to the fratricide destroying Italy’s political left, the rise of former comedian Beppe Grillo’s Five Star movement, and the links between austerity, corruption, and the appeal of Don Giovanni.
But any attempt to corral Randall’s interests into the trim precincts of political journalism would be an injustice. A writer and prizewinning translator—her versions of Guido Morselli’s Dissipatio H.G. and the same author’s novel of postwar disillusion, The Communist, are published by New York Review Books Classics—Randall, as her son Tommaso Jucker put it on Twitter, “lived at least three lives.” We are fortunate that at least a portion of one of them was in our pages.


thenation--2020-05-28--When Losing Your Job Means Losing Your Psychiatric Medication

Cam Montgomery was a bartender at a hotel in Seattle when the sky fell .
As Covid-19 swept through the city , Kings County purchased her employer ’ s hotel to accommodate hospital overflow , and Montgomery lost her job .
It was a twofold blow : Like millions of other newly unemployed Americans , she lost her health insurance , too .
She endured a mind-numbing gauntlet of phone calls with insurance companies and state agencies only to receive contradictory information .
The Medicaid system listed Montgomery as enrolled in insurance through a prior employer .
She had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance provider to prove that her position and benefits had been terminated , which led to a five-week coverage gap .
Without insulin for her Type 1 Diabetes , she was forced to take out a $ 550 loan for a month ’ s worth of medication .
Making matters worse , she also ran out of her psychiatric medication .
“ This pandemic is a traumatic experience in and of itself , ” Montgomery told me .
“ But to add the imbalance of an unmedicated person struggling with anxiety , depression @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely .
It takes trauma , hooks it up with some jumper cables , and shocks your system beyond its limits.
” Once Medicaid coverage took effect , she could start taking her Wellbutrin and Zoloft again : “ I ’ m back on my meds now , but I ’ m still feeling the effects of those five weeks.
” Montgomery isn ’ t alone .
Since Covid-19 hit the United States , roughly 16.2 million workers have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance , according to an estimate published by the Economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the pandemic , the cost hasn ’ t been borne equally : Black women have been twice as likely to lose their jobs or income as white men .
Right now , an estimated one in 10 Americans is struggling to afford coverage and medications , and about 16 percent of Americans take a psychiatric medication .
That means somewhere between 2.5 to 5 million people are having trouble accessing the psychiatric medications they need .
Even under normal circumstances , such a sudden lack would be a public health crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , is triggering in itself .
During March , the Disaster Distress Helpline , a government-run counseling hotline , witnessed a 338 percent increase in call volume compared to February .
Researchers in the UK recently published a review article that examined how quarantined people exhibit post-traumatic stress symptoms , sometimes for years after lockdown .
They reported that after a long period of isolation , individuals often have difficulty securing medical care and medication and suffer financial losses that contribute to suicides , insomnia , fear , confusion , anger , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( The authors are clear to note , however , that their review is not intended as a critique of quarantine as a necessary tactic to slow the spread of a lethal disease . )
Some , like 24-year-old Caitlin Damm in Wilmington , N.C. , are anticipating calamity .
Damm ’ s mother was abruptly fired prior to the pandemic after receiving her first disciplinary infraction in seven years .
Then Damm lost her job at a family-owned restaurant that closed during the shutdown .
With her insurance , Damm ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 30 a month , but without it they would cost hundreds .
“ When we lose our insurance—boom .
No more medication , ” Damm told me .
“ We need these medications , and even if we didn ’ t , detox or withdrawal from medication is essentially hell and will last no less than two weeks.
” Damm described her stress level as “ sky high , ” but said her mother is suffering more .
“ She has never been diagnosed with any mental illness , but is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Damm said .
“ She feels no one wants her , because she can ’ t get a job .
It ’ s affecting her so much , and I can ’ t seem to help her at all.
” Damm and her mother live in a $ 900 a month one-bedroom apartment , which Damm said was already a financial strain .
They ’ re enrolled in North Carolina ’ s Health Choice program , a government assistance plan .
Two-person households qualify if they have an annual income roughly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Once Damm and her mother report their new , lower annual income , they will have a salary below that threshold , and as Damm put it , they will be “ too poor for government help.
” Before Covid-19 hit , 500,000 North Carolinians fell into the coverage gap Damm describes , earning too little for Health Choice but being ineligible for Medicaid .
In North Carolina , only dependents or people who are blind , disabled , or pregnant can access Medicaid .
Lower-income mothers , for example , can enroll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Republican-controlled legislature in North Carolina could have easily closed this chasm : For a decade , the state rejected billions of federal dollars to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act .
In January , a coalition of self-described conservatives drove six hours to a legislative mini-session in Raleigh to urge Republican congressional leaders to adopt expansion measures , but Republicans had already left by the time their constituents had arrived .
In a press conference , Senate majority leader Phil Berger told reporters that none of the Republicans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a Medicaid expansion bill .
Thirteen other red states—including Alabama , Texas , Florida , and Georgia—have yet to expand coverage to include its working poor .
Although decent health coverage has been an eternal problem in the United States , the government and medical professionals ’ mental health care recommendations assume people have unbroken access .
Kaiser Permanente , a health care conglomerate , says , “ No one should ever stop taking antidepressants suddenly .
An antidepressant should be tapered off slowly and only under the supervision of a health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause side effects or a relapse into another depressive episode.
” Withdrawal symptoms can be serious : They can include depression , dread , shock-like sensations , visual trails , anorexia , flu-like symptoms , gait instability , vomiting , insomnia , rushing noises , numbness , and dizziness , and typically last up to six weeks with a subset lasting 12 weeks .
Abrupt discontinuation and dosing changes significantly increases the risk of suicide .
To maintain dosing consistency , some have relied on GoodRX , a company that boasts “ saving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generic medications at a lower price than insurance companies .
Why is GoodRX able to offer such prices ?
In part , according to Consumer Reports , because the company has been selling consumers ’ personal data , including the name of medications searched and whose laptop or phone was used for searches to Google , Facebook , and marketing companies .
( The company has since said it will provide users with an option to delete their data . )
A 25-year-old woman living in Florida , who prefers anonymity , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anxiety and depression medications that she has taken since her teenage years : “ I truly need this medication to help me function.
” Prior to finding a healthy balance with medication , she was self-injurious , nearly anorexic and hospitalized .
After she left a job she described as “ emotionally draining and borderline abusive ” this winter , her health care coverage was precarious .
Her former employer was supposed to provide information related to the Consolidation Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act , known as COBRA—a law that allows people to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but only if they pay for it , which makes it notoriously unaffordable .
Her old company , however , failed to send the paperwork until the day her insurance expired .
“ I was very anxious and a little panicked when they didn ’ t send the COBRA info until the last moment , ” she told me .
“ I was worried about affording my medication , and [ as I have anxiety ] I was going through the ‘ what-if ’ s ’ like what if I got into an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if I got sick , what if I broke a bone .
The company kept telling me to stop worrying about it and that they ’ d get to it.
” She wound up paying for short-term insurance that barely covered the necessities .
In January , she landed a job as a speech therapist for children with disabilities at a private practice and was set to receive health care after three months .
Phone appointments with her psychiatrist during lunch , necessary for obtaining prescriptions , cost $ 120 .
For a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 142 and antidepressants $ 28 .
Through GoodRx , the cost reduced to $ 44 and $ 26 respectively .
These payments weren ’ t ideal , she acknowledged , but she had assumed her coverage would begin once she hit her three-month mark in early April .
Then the coronavirus hit , and she was furloughed on March 20 .
Around the same time , her landlord informed her that she would increase her rent in July .
She had to move .
Since Florida ’ s unemployment website was overloaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afford the cost of therapy or medications , so without supervision , she decreased her doses from three times a day to one or two .
“ There are some nights where my anxiety keeps me up , and some days that I don ’ t want to get out of bed , ” she said .
“ However , I ’ d rather have a little bit harder time everyday than have several miserable days or weeks without any medication.
” Without her medication , she told me , “ it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain control of my anxiety.
” The impact of the virus and subsequent lockdown on our mental health is not entirely avoidable .
But the domino effect of sub-crises—the abysmal health care system in the United States , financial hardship , and even the root causes behind why many of us are so miserable—are often socially and politically constructed .
For many people , jobs are the main source of misery in their lives .
One woman who takes antidepressants described how corporate America left her feeling like an “ unfulfilled pawn.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work .
There ’ s a cruel irony in America : People are trapped in miserable jobs to maintain health care coverage needed to treat the depression caused or exacerbated by their employment .
And without work , financial hardship—also a source of depression—sets in .
With a suicide rate that increased 33 percent from 1999 to 2017 and skyrocketing rates of depression , universal health coverage is a crucial step in transforming a society wracked by crises .

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
Cam Montgomery was a bartender at a hotel in Seattle when the sky fell. As Covid-19 swept through the city, King County purchased her employer’s hotel to accommodate hospital overflow, and Montgomery lost her job. It was a twofold blow: Like millions of other newly unemployed Americans, she lost her health insurance, too.
She endured a mind-numbing gauntlet of phone calls with insurance companies and state agencies only to receive contradictory information. The Medicaid system listed Montgomery as enrolled in insurance through a prior employer. She had to get a formal letter from her former insurance provider to prove that her position and benefits had been terminated, which led to a five-week coverage gap. Without insulin for her Type 1 Diabetes, she was forced to take out a $550 loan for a month’s worth of medication.
Making matters worse, she also ran out of her psychiatric medication. “This pandemic is a traumatic experience in and of itself,” Montgomery told me. “But to add the imbalance of an unmedicated person struggling with anxiety, depression, and panic disorder is something else entirely. It takes trauma, hooks it up with some jumper cables, and shocks your system beyond its limits.”
Once Medicaid coverage took effect, she could start taking her Wellbutrin and Zoloft again: “I’m back on my meds now, but I’m still feeling the effects of those five weeks.”
Montgomery isn’t alone. Since Covid-19 hit the United States, roughly 16.2 million workers have lost their employer-sponsored health insurance, according to an estimate published by the Economic Policy Institute. And like other impacts of the pandemic, the cost hasn’t been borne equally: Black women have been twice as likely to lose their jobs or income as white men.
Right now, an estimated one in 10 Americans is struggling to afford coverage and medications, and about 16 percent of Americans take a psychiatric medication. That means somewhere between 2.5 to 5 million people are having trouble accessing the psychiatric medications they need.
Even under normal circumstances, such a sudden lack would be a public health crisis. But the pandemic, as Montgomery pointed out, is triggering in itself. During March, the Disaster Distress Helpline, a government-run counseling hotline, witnessed a 338 percent increase in call volume compared to February. Researchers in the UK recently published a review article that examined how quarantined people exhibit post-traumatic stress symptoms, sometimes for years after lockdown. They reported that after a long period of isolation, individuals often have difficulty securing medical care and medication and suffer financial losses that contribute to suicides, insomnia, fear, confusion, anger, frustration, boredom, and stigma. (The authors are clear to note, however, that their review is not intended as a critique of quarantine as a necessary tactic to slow the spread of a lethal disease.) Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Popular "swipe left below to view more authors"Swipe → The Evisceration of a Public University The Evisceration of a Public University Lisa M. Corrigan The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks The Patronizing Moralism of David Brooks Chris Lehmann “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash “The Blind Side” Was Always Trash Dave Zirin How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection How the “Brooks Brothers Riot” Set the Stage for Insurrection Chris Lehmann Current Issue View our current issue
Some, like 24-year-old Caitlin Damm in Wilmington, N.C., are anticipating calamity. Damm’s mother was abruptly fired prior to the pandemic after receiving her first disciplinary infraction in seven years. Then Damm lost her job at a family-owned restaurant that closed during the shutdown.
With her insurance, Damm’s four prescriptions for depression and anxiety cost about $30 a month, but without it they would cost hundreds. “When we lose our insurance—boom. No more medication,” Damm told me. “We need these medications, and even if we didn’t, detox or withdrawal from medication is essentially hell and will last no less than two weeks.”
Damm described her stress level as “sky high,” but said her mother is suffering more. “She has never been diagnosed with any mental illness, but is getting more and more depressed every day,” Damm said. “She feels no one wants her, because she can’t get a job. It’s affecting her so much, and I can’t seem to help her at all.”
Damm and her mother live in a $900 a month one-bedroom apartment, which Damm said was already a financial strain. They’re enrolled in North Carolina’s Health Choice program, a government assistance plan. Two-person households qualify if they have an annual income roughly between $23,000 and $36,000. Once Damm and her mother report their new, lower annual income, they will have a salary below that threshold, and as Damm put it, they will be “too poor for government help.”
Before Covid-19 hit, 500,000 North Carolinians fell into the coverage gap Damm describes, earning too little for Health Choice but being ineligible for Medicaid. In North Carolina, only dependents or people who are blind, disabled, or pregnant can access Medicaid. Lower-income mothers, for example, can enroll their children but not themselves into Medicaid. The Republican-controlled legislature in North Carolina could have easily closed this chasm: For a decade, the state rejected billions of federal dollars to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
In January, a coalition of self-described conservatives drove six hours to a legislative mini-session in Raleigh to urge Republican congressional leaders to adopt expansion measures, but Republicans had already left by the time their constituents had arrived. In a press conference, Senate majority leader Phil Berger told reporters that none of the Republicans in his chamber would be willing to vote for a Medicaid expansion bill. Thirteen other red states—including Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Georgia—have yet to expand coverage to include its working poor.
Although decent health coverage has been an eternal problem in the United States, the government and medical professionals’ mental health care recommendations assume people have unbroken access. Kaiser Permanente, a health care conglomerate, says, “No one should ever stop taking antidepressants suddenly. An antidepressant should be tapered off slowly and only under the supervision of a health professional. Abruptly stopping antidepressant medicines can cause side effects or a relapse into another depressive episode.”
Withdrawal symptoms can be serious: They can include depression, dread, shock-like sensations, visual trails, anorexia, flu-like symptoms, gait instability, vomiting, insomnia, rushing noises, numbness, and dizziness, and typically last up to six weeks with a subset lasting 12 weeks. Abrupt discontinuation and dosing changes significantly increases the risk of suicide.
To maintain dosing consistency, some have relied on GoodRX, a company that boasts “saving” Americans $14 billion by selling generic medications at a lower price than insurance companies. Why is GoodRX able to offer such prices? In part, according to Consumer Reports, because the company has been sharing consumers’ personal data, including the name of medications searched and whose laptop or phone was used for searches to Google, Facebook, and marketing companies. (The company has since said it will provide users with an option to delete their data.) Related Article Covid-19 Isn’t the Only American Health Epidemic Augie Lindmark
A 25-year-old woman living in Florida, who prefers anonymity, told me that she relied on GoodRx for anxiety and depression medications that she has taken since her teenage years: “I truly need this medication to help me function.” Prior to finding a healthy balance with medication, she was self-injurious, nearly anorexic and hospitalized.
After she left a job she described as “emotionally draining and borderline abusive” this winter, her health care coverage was precarious. Her former employer was supposed to provide information related to the Consolidation Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, known as COBRA—a law that allows people to keep their health insurance after a job loss but only if they pay for it, which makes it notoriously unaffordable. Her old company, however, failed to send the paperwork until the day her insurance expired. “I was very anxious and a little panicked when they didn’t send the COBRA info until the last moment,” she told me. “I was worried about affording my medication, and [as I have anxiety] I was going through the ‘what-if’s’ like what if I got into an accident and had no insurance, what if I got sick, what if I broke a bone. The company kept telling me to stop worrying about it and that they’d get to it.” She wound up paying for short-term insurance that barely covered the necessities.
In January, she landed a job as a speech therapist for children with disabilities at a private practice and was set to receive health care after three months. Phone appointments with her psychiatrist during lunch, necessary for obtaining prescriptions, cost $120. For a 30-day supply, her anxiety medications cost $142 and antidepressants $28. Through GoodRx, the cost reduced to $44 and $26 respectively.
These payments weren’t ideal, she acknowledged, but she had assumed her coverage would begin once she hit her three-month mark in early April. Then the coronavirus hit, and she was furloughed on March 20. Around the same time, her landlord informed her that she would increase her rent in July. She had to move. Since Florida’s unemployment website was overloaded and inaccessible, she couldn’t afford the cost of therapy or medications, so without supervision, she decreased her doses from three times a day to one or two.
“There are some nights where my anxiety keeps me up, and some days that I don’t want to get out of bed,” she said. “However, I’d rather have a little bit harder time everyday than have several miserable days or weeks without any medication.” Without her medication, she told me, “it’s harder to reframe my thoughts and gain control of my anxiety.”
The impact of the virus and subsequent lockdown on our mental health is not entirely avoidable. But the domino effect of sub-crises—the abysmal health care system in the United States, financial hardship, and even the root causes behind why many of us are so miserable—are often socially and politically constructed.
For many people, jobs are the main source of misery in their lives. One woman who takes antidepressants described how corporate America left her feeling like an “unfulfilled pawn.” Another attributed her anxiety disorder to her work. There’s a cruel irony in America: People are trapped in miserable jobs to maintain health care coverage needed to treat the depression caused or exacerbated by their employment. And without work, financial hardship—also a source of depression—sets in.
With a suicide rate that increased 33 percent from 1999 to 2017 and skyrocketing rates of depression, universal health coverage is a crucial step in transforming a society wracked by crises.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that GoodRX has been selling consumers’ personal data to third parties. GoodRX has made such data available to third parties, but not in exchange for payment.


thenation--2020-05-28--Illustrating Those Lost to Covid-19

Illustrating Those Lost to Covid-19

EDITOR ’ S NOTE : The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis @ @ @ @ @ service .
For that reason , this article , and all of our coronavirus coverage @ @ @ @ @ Please subscribe to support our writers and staff , and stay healthy .
During this @ @ @ @ @ the losses to be overwhelming and numbing .
I decided to use illustration to reflect @ @ @ @ @ by Covid-19 .
I ’ ve been posting my drawings on social media ( Instagram @ @ @ @ @ : @ stevebrodner ) .
I found stories of workers , nursing home residents , @ @ @ @ @ them , I discovered that through their eyes and expressions , we could perhaps sense @ @ @ @ @

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Nation believes that helping readers stay informed about the impact of the coronavirus crisis is a form of public service. For that reason, this article, and all of our coronavirus coverage, is now free. Please subscribe to support our writers and staff, and stay healthy.
This article appears in the June 15/22, 2020 issue.
During this pandemic, I have found the losses to be overwhelming and numbing. I decided to use illustration to reflect on the lives abruptly ended by Covid-19. I’ve been posting my drawings on social media (Instagram: @sbrodner; Twitter: @stevebrodner). I found stories of workers, nursing home residents, and others. By drawing them, I discovered that through their eyes and expressions, we could perhaps sense their personalities. —Steve Brodner