thenation--2020-05-05--Why Are Republicans Stampeding to Reopen?

The Noise ?
Endless tweets by a president who , amid a lethal pandemic , doesn ’ t seem to have anything more important on his mind than insults and boasts .
This past Sunday ’ s torrent covered everything from his poll ratings to attacks on New York Governor Cuomo , former president George W. Bush , and the “ Fake News ” ; from retweets of people praising his administration to thanking Golf World for honoring one of his golf courses ; from photos of speedboats festooned with Trump logos to lies about how he ’ d correctly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his intelligence agencies .
One particularly bizarre tweet , presumably written from the perspective of the future , was about a time when a “ great and powerful Plague ” changed everything , and how America arose from it stronger than ever .
Other than that , though , nothing on the lives lost , the families shattered , the cities bankrupted and heavy with grief , the people beggared by the accompanying economic calamity .
The real Signal this week is that , at Trump ’ s urging , GOP-led states are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting almost none of the public health requirements for doing so .
As a result , estimates of the number who will die keep going up .
The unholy trinity underpinning Trump ’ s election strategy seems to consist of siding with back-to-work protesters and blaming blue-state governments for keeping the economy shuttered ; accusing immigrants of spreading disease and taking jobs away from Americans ; and lobbing accusations about the origins of the virus at the Chinese and global health agencies , while accusing those who try to temper that assault , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the claims , of being Enemies of the People .
Trump and GOP to Nation : Go Bankrupt , Drop Dead While some Republican governors are resisting this madness , large parts of the GOP are siding with Trump ’ s warped vision .
On China , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has embraced the theory , largely dismissed both by the scientific community and US intelligence agencies , that the virus originated in a virology lab in Wuhan .
And on protections for laid-off workers , Senator Lindsey Graham said last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to extend enhanced unemployment benefits “ over our dead bodies , ” arguing that unless benefits are quickly pared back , lazy people would simply choose the dole over work .
Unspoken was the other part of the calculus : that unless the GOP can quickly drive down the unemployment numbers , Trump ’ s reelection chances will shrivel .
No matter that for many , going back to work at the height of the pandemic—or , for that matter , going out shopping and consuming , as they are being encouraged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Apparently , the right-to-life party doesn ’ t give two hoots for the postnatal lives of workers .
That ’ s no surprise , of course , but it ’ s still shocking to see the veneer peeled back this fully , to see so clearly the party ’ s profit-over-health priorities in full technicolor .
Not too long ago , Trump assured Americans that , like a miracle , Covid-19 would vanish come April .
It didn ’ t , of course .
In April the administration was forced to accept that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease , and Dr. Anthony Fauci was rolled out to present those awful numbers in somewhat rosy hues .
Now , close to 70,000 have died , and the epidemic is still going strong .
On Sunday , Trump was forced to admit on Fox News that the death toll would be closer to 90,000 .
Now even that number looks optimistic , since state-by-state estimates on likely death counts are going up by leaps and bounds following the ill-thought-through reopenings .
And public health experts are warning of the inevitability of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and into next .
Meanwhile , death rates from the current wave are cresting .
On Friday alone , it was reported , a startling 2,909 Americans died of Covid-19 .
And internal White House documents show the administration anticipates 3,000 deaths a day by June , with 200,000 new cases per day .
If that happens—if Trump and his acolytes force the economy back open with the epidemic in full swing—we could have hundreds of thousands of deaths before the November election .
This isn ’ t simply disaster capitalism ; this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seed a level of misery not seen since the Civil War in order to produce economic numbers that might , somehow , bolster Trump ’ s re-election chances .
It is no different from Stalin or Mao tolerating famines that killed millions simply to further their awful political ambitions .
Trump almost never mentions the deaths in his tweet blitzkriegs , and shows no kernel of empathy in his briefings and other public statements .
Indeed , during his Sunday Twitter blast , he tweeted not of the need to end the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the suffering that accompanies these deaths , not of the need to help the billions of people around the world at risk of economic devastation , but about longing for the days when he can again hold political rallies .
“ Hopefully our Country will soon mend .
We are all missing our wonderful rallies , and many other things !
” was the text of one particularly inane and self-centered tweet .
That is what passes for “ leadership ” in Trumpland .
Exclamation points standing in for empathy .
The nationalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Country ” standing in for human solidarity .
It is all so debased , so tawdry , so mean of spirit .
Cry for the beloved country…and then fight like hell to vote these thugs out of office .

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.
The Noise? Endless tweets by a president who, amid a lethal pandemic, doesn’t seem to have anything more important on his mind than insults and boasts. This past Sunday’s torrent covered everything from his poll ratings to attacks on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, former president George W. Bush, and the “Fake News,” from retweets of people praising his administration to thanking Golf World for honoring one of his golf courses, from photos of speedboats festooned with Trump logos to lies about how he’d correctly predicted the magnitude of the pandemic before his intelligence agencies.
One particularly bizarre tweet, presumably written from the perspective of the future, was about a time when a “great and powerful Plague” changed everything and how America arose from it stronger than ever. Other than that, though, nothing on the lives lost, the families shattered, the cities bankrupted and heavy with grief, the people beggared by the accompanying economic calamity.
The real Signal this week is that, at Trump’s urging, GOP-led states are stampeding toward a reopening of business despite meeting almost none of the public health requirements for doing so. As a result, estimates of the number who will die keep going up.
The unholy trinity underpinning Trump’s election strategy seems to consist of siding with back-to-work protesters and blaming blue-state governments for keeping the economy shuttered, accusing immigrants of spreading disease and taking jobs away from Americans, and lobbing accusations about the origins of the virus at Chinese and global health agencies while accusing those who try to temper that assault or who ask for evidence to back up the claims of being enemies of the people. More Signal:Noise Trump and GOP to Nation: Go Bankrupt, Drop Dead Sasha Abramsky The Federalist Fight Against Fascism Sasha Abramsky
While some Republican governors are resisting this madness, large parts of the GOP are siding with Trump’s warped vision. On China, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has embraced the theory, largely dismissed by the scientific community and US intelligence agencies, that the virus originated in a virology lab in Wuhan. And on protections for laid-off workers, Senator Lindsey Graham said last week that the Senate would extend enhanced unemployment benefits only “over our dead bodies,” arguing that unless benefits are quickly pared back, lazy people would simply choose the dole over work. Unspoken was the other part of the calculus: that unless the GOP can quickly drive down the unemployment numbers, Trump’s reelection chances will shrivel. No matter that for many, going back to work at the height of the pandemic—or for that matter, going out shopping and consuming, as they are being encouraged to do—could be a death sentence. 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
Apparently, the right-to-life party doesn’t give two hoots about the postnatal lives of workers. That’s no surprise, of course, but it’s still shocking to see the veneer peeled back this fully, to see so clearly the party’s profit-over-health priorities in full Technicolor.
Not too long ago, Trump assured Americans that, like a miracle, Covid-19 would vanish come April. It didn’t, of course. In April the administration was forced to accept that some 60,000 Americans would die of the disease, and Dr. Anthony Fauci was rolled out to present those awful numbers in somewhat rosy hues. Now close to 70,000 have died, and the epidemic is still going strong. On Sunday, Trump was forced to admit on Fox News that the death toll would be closer to 90,000. Now even that number looks optimistic, since state-by-state estimates on likely death counts are going up by leaps and bounds after the ill-thought-through reopenings. And public health experts are warning of the inevitability of a second wave of infections this year and into next. Current Issue View our current issue
Meanwhile, death rates from the current wave are cresting. On Friday alone, it was reported, a startling 2,909 Americans died of Covid-19. And internal White House documents show the administration anticipates 3,000 deaths a day by June, with 200,000 new cases per day. If that happens—if Trump and his acolytes force the economy back open with the epidemic in full swing—we could have hundreds of thousands of deaths before the November election.
This isn’t simply disaster capitalism; this is full-fledged death-cult capitalism, willing to seed a level of misery not seen since the Civil War in order to produce economic numbers that might, somehow, bolster Trump’s reelection chances. It is no different from Stalin or Mao tolerating famines that killed millions simply to further their awful political ambitions.
Trump almost never mentions the deaths in his tweet blitzkriegs and shows no kernel of empathy in his briefings and other public statements. Indeed, during his Sunday Twitter blast, he tweeted not of the need to end the pandemic so as to put a stop to the suffering that accompanies these deaths, not of the need to help the billions of people around the world at risk of economic devastation, but about longing for the days when he can again hold political rallies. “Hopefully our Country will soon mend. We are all missing our wonderful rallies, and many other things!” was the text of one particularly inane and self-centered tweet.
That is what passes for leadership in Trumpland. Exclamation points standing in for empathy. The nationalism implied by the uppercase in “Country” standing in for human solidarity. It is all so debased, so tawdry, so mean of spirit. Cry for the beloved country…and then fight like hell to vote these thugs out of office.


thenation--2020-05-05--I Believe Tara Reade. And You Should, Too.

One evening in the mid-nineties , Lynda LaCasse was smoking a cigarette on the front stoop of her apartment in Morro Bay , Calif. , when she was joined by her neighbor and friend Tara Reade .
It was an emotional conversation , encompassing custody battles and violence .
According to LaCasse , Reade disclosed an incident that occurred when Reade worked for then-Senator Joe Biden in 1993 : After she brought him his gym bag , he backed her up against a wall , kissed her neck and hair , put his hand under her clothes , and penetrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skirt .
I remember the fingers .
I remember she was devastated.
” Reade had wept at the memory ; LaCasse urged her to file a police report .
On April 27 , Business Insider published this account , corroborating Reade ’ s prior testimony .
LaCasse made it plausible , moreover , that she has no axe to grind : She is a longtime Democrat , with a history of anti-Trump posts on social media , together with recent praise for Biden as well as Bernie Sanders .
She even said she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She also believes her friend Tara Reade should be heard ; she believes her , period .
“ I have to support her just because that ’ s what happened , ” said LaCasse , who added that she came forward without Reade having asked her to : “ We need to stand up and tell the truth.
” Such evidence supplements several other accounts that corroborate elements of Reade ’ s story—from her brother , two anonymous friends , a former colleague , and footage from Reade ’ s late mother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few months after the alleged incident in 1993 to seek advice on behalf of her daughter .
Given this strong evidence , why are many people still refusing to believe Tara Reade ?
Among the primary reasons : an unwillingness to believe that Biden is “ the type ” and sheer political inconvenience .
We know , alas , that Biden is the type .
He has sniffed and kissed the hair of the politician Lucy Flores .
Six other women have testified to his touching and kissing them in ways that made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ footage .
This is a man with a demonstrated history of handsiness—and a man who so does not understand boundaries that he made jokes last year about having permission to hug and touch people onstage after being confronted about his problem .
Yet Maureen Dowd wrote in The New York Times : “ I ’ ve covered Biden my entire political career , and he is known for being sometimes warmly , sometimes inappropriately , hands-on with men and women .
What Reade accuses him of is a crime and seems completely out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure to understand that Biden ’ s demonstrably “ inappropriate ” behavior emanates from the same sense of privileged male entitlement that often underlies more serious sexual breaches , including sexual assault of the kind Reade alleges .
The reporters for the New York Times article on April 12 first exploring Reade ’ s allegations in that venue made a similar mistake , when they initially wrote that they “ found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden , beyond the hugs , kisses and touching that women previously said made them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as was repeatedly pointed out on Twitter .
( The paper subsequently deleted the “ beyond ” addendum—though without issuing a correction notice—leaving the sentence more coherent but less accurate . )
The firm conviction that Biden wouldn ’ t push boundaries in more serious ways , notwithstanding Reade ’ s corroborated testimony , rests partly on a misguided faith in his “ good guy ” persona , and a wrongheaded belief that only veritable monsters commit sexual assault .
But as the Me Too movement has shown , many women ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of us .
And the number of true monsters—amoral , unrepentant psychopaths who do nothing but evil—is vastly outstripped by the entitled men who commit sexual assault with the blithe , deluded sense that she ’ s enjoying it , somehow .
According to Reade , when Biden assaulted her , he asked her softly : “ Do you want to go somewhere else ?
” After she rebuffed him , he expressed disappointment and frustration : “ Come on , man , I heard you liked me.
” Then he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ You ’ re nothing to me .
Nothing.
” Before walking away , he clapped her on the shoulders : “ You ’ re OK , you ’ re fine.
” Except , of course , she wasn ’ t .
For anyone who shares the widespread conviction that ousting Trump from office in November is a political imperative , admitting the credibility of Reade ’ s claims at this moment is painful and inconvenient indeed .
There is nevertheless a moral obligation that we do so .
If the Me Too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims must not be swept aside and ignored , impugned , erased , and silenced when their claims are difficult to countenance—most notably , when the person they are accusing is someone we want to believe in .
We may want to believe in him for a litany of reasons : because we know him , because we like him , or because—as is the case here—we feel we need him to be innocent .
But these reasons add up to little more than the basis for highly motivated reasoning : post hoc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course he didn ’ t do it .
As we have seen time and time again , such conclusions do a profound injustice to women , amounting to what the philosopher Miranda Fricker calls “ testimonial injustice , ” wherein someone is not believed because of her social position—in this case , being a woman in a historically patriarchal society , in which powerful and privileged men have long been deemed more credible in these sorts of situations .
Such testimonial injustice was typified , if unwittingly , by Joan Walsh in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opening sentence of her recent column : “ There is no evidence that former vice president Joe Biden , now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , sexually assaulted aide Tara Reade in 1993.
” Reade ’ s testimony is evidence that the sexual assault occurred , though there remains room to disagree on its strength or probative value .
Much of the public debate over Reade ’ s allegations have focused , in that vein , on her credibility .
A great deal has been made of her supposedly changing story .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather a matter of her having enlarged her account over time , by finally coming forward to speak out about the alleged sexual assault , in addition to the sexual harassment she had previously attested to .
( Biden ’ s touching her shoulders and running a finger up her neck , among other matters . )
And adding to one ’ s story , when ready and willing to do so , does not amount to contradicting it .
It is also hardly mysterious why it might take a victim time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear , and prospect of recrimination serve to keep many women quiet for years , decades , or even a lifetime .
Reade recently said that , last year , when she spoke out about the sexual harassment , “ I couldn ’ t get the words out [ about the sexual assault ] .… As time has progressed , I felt stronger about speaking my truth .
I realized I had to do this.
” What Should Socialists Do in November ?
The Most Consequential Decision of Biden ’ s 2020 Campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Behind the Growing Push for a Black Woman VP Nominee .
More in this series We know , moreover , that sexual assault victims ’ accounts often contain gaps or minor inconsistencies , and sometimes evolve over time , as they grapple with traumatic memories , and come to terms with what happened to them .
This , as sexual assault advocates and trauma specialists have taught us , does not mean the victim is lying .
It simply makes her a typical , human , and hence imperfect , victim .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kavanaugh hearings : “ For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus , nationally , you ’ ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she ’ s talking about is real , whether or not she forgets facts , whether or not it ’ s been made worse or better over time.… Nobody fails to understand that this is like jumping into a cauldron.
” Certain other attempts to discredit Reade have been more cynical , or perhaps desperate : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not make her a liar .
Nor does having allegedly complained of Biden ’ s sexual harassment to the Senate personnel office , without using the term “ sexual harassment ” specifically , cast doubt on her story .
It amounts to having described something de re but not de dicto—speaking of a thing without using the word for it .
There is admittedly the point that , if Reade ’ s allegations against Biden are true , it would be unusual for Reade to be the only victim of such an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And if there are other such victims , it is not difficult to believe they might hesitate to come forward—especially now , watching Reade facing intense scrutiny and death threats .
An absence of additional evidence is hence not strong evidence of absence here .
And so I believe Tara Reade .
I believe that we all should .
And we are in the narrow window of time when it is not too late to push , at a minimum , for an independent investigation into her allegations , with a view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic nominee in 2020 .
Depending on what came to light during the investigation , Biden might even be pressured to step aside to make way for a less compromised , and therefore more promising , candidate .
Biden , of course , has denied Reade ’ s claims—though not in a way that inspired much confidence .
( He said on Morning Joe on May 1 , “ I am absolutely positive that no one that I am aware of ever was been made aware of any complaint—a formal complaint—made by or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the time this allegedly happened 27 years ago or until the—I announced for president well I guess it was in April or May of this year .
I know of no one who was aware that any complaint was made .
Nor has… No , no , that ’ s it.
” ) At the same time , he refused point blank to release records containing Tara Reade ’ s name from his University of Delaware Senate records—claiming , to interviewer Mika Brzezinski , that Reade ’ s alleged complaint about sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Archives .
This claim has subsequently been denied by an archives spokesperson .
And even if Biden sincerely believed it at the time , why not permit the relevant University of Delaware papers to at least be looked at ?
If this was a court of law , and we were jurors , then it would be appropriate to deem Biden innocent until he ’ d been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt .
But a presidential campaign is not a court of law , and different standards of evidence apply : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contemplating convicting this man , or taking away his civil liberties .
We ’ re contemplating not believing his story—knowing , moreover , that he has lied many times before—and potentially withholding from him the chance to run for highest office on this basis .
Although this would undoubtedly be a very serious matter , the accusations he is facing are yet more so .
I , of course , advocate voting for Biden over Trump , the allegations against the former notwithstanding , if we end up facing that grim choice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ even worse sexual crimes , and sexual misconduct by many more women—not to mention the fact that he represents an existential threat to many vulnerable populations and , indeed , the planet . )
But we are not there yet .
Replacing Biden at this stage would not be easy ; it may nonetheless be called for .
And I confess I am deeply angry that we are in this position .
We did not have to be .
We have known all along that Biden was sexually inappropriate , lecherous , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had the Democratic Party , taken this as seriously as we all ought to , we wouldn ’ t be in this mess now .
It is not too much to ask that the next president of the United States adhere to the highest moral standards when it comes to his treatment of women .
And if we don ’ t give the supposedly small things the weight they deserve , then the big things will often loom large in precisely this way .
They are part of a pattern we simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ longer .

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One evening in the mid-1990s, Lynda LaCasse was smoking a cigarette on the front stoop of her apartment in Morro Bay, Calif., when she was joined by her neighbor and friend Tara Reade. It was an emotional conversation, encompassing custody battles and violence. According to LaCasse, Reade disclosed an incident that occurred when Reade worked for then-Senator Joe Biden in 1993: After she took him his gym bag, he backed her up against a wall, kissed her neck and hair, put his hand under her clothes, and penetrated her digitally. “I remember the skirt. I remember the fingers. I remember she was devastated.” Reade wept at the memory; LaCasse urged her to file a police report.
On April 27, Business Insider published this account, corroborating Reade’s prior testimony. LaCasse made it plausible, moreover, that she has no ax to grind: She is a longtime Democrat, with a history of anti–Donald Trump posts on social media, together with recent praise for Biden as well as Bernie Sanders. She even said she still plans to vote for Biden. She also said her friend Tara Reade should be heard; she believes her, period. “I have to support her just because that’s what happened,” said LaCasse, who added that she came forward without Reade having asked her to: “We need to stand up and tell the truth.”
Such evidence supplements several other accounts that corroborate elements of Reade’s story—from her brother, two anonymous friends, a former colleague, and footage from Larry King Live apparently featuring Reade’s now deceased mother, who called in to the show a few months after the alleged incident in 1993 to seek advice on behalf of her daughter.
Given this strong evidence, why are many people still refusing to believe Reade? Among the primary reasons: an unwillingness to believe that Biden is “the type” and sheer political inconvenience. Tara Reade The Troublesome Tara Reade Story Joan Walsh
We know, alas, that Biden is the type. He sniffed and kissed the hair of the politician Lucy Flores. Six other women have testified to his touching and kissing them in ways that made them uncomfortable. We also have relevant footage. This is a man with a demonstrated history of handsiness—and a man who so does not understand boundaries that he made jokes last year about having permission to hug and touch people onstage after being confronted about his problem.
Yet Maureen Dowd wrote in The New York Times, “I’ve covered Biden my entire political career, and he is known for being sometimes warmly, sometimes inappropriately, hands-on with men and women. What Reade accuses him of is a crime and seems completely out of character.” Such sentiments betray a failure to understand that Biden’s demonstrably inappropriate behavior emanates from the same sense of privileged male entitlement that often underlies more serious sexual breaches, including sexual assault of the kind Reade alleges. The reporters for the New York Times article on April 12 first exploring Reade’s allegations in that venue made a similar mistake when they initially wrote that they “found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden, beyond the hugs, kisses and touching that women previously said made them uncomfortable.” This is sexual misconduct, as was repeatedly pointed out on Twitter. (The paper subsequently deleted the “beyond” addendum—though without issuing a correction notice—leaving the sentence more coherent but less accurate.) 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 firm conviction that Biden wouldn’t push boundaries in more serious ways, notwithstanding Reade’s corroborated testimony, rests partly on a misguided faith in his “good guy” persona and a wrongheaded belief that only veritable monsters commit sexual assault. But as the Me Too movement has shown, many women’s monsters can seem like nice guys to the rest of us. And the number of true monsters—amoral, unrepentant psychopaths who do nothing but evil—is vastly outstripped by the entitled men who commit sexual assault with the blithe, deluded sense that she’s enjoying it, somehow. Current Issue View our current issue
According to Reade, when Biden assaulted her, he asked her softly, “Do you want to go somewhere else?” After she rebuffed him, he expressed disappointment and frustration: “Come on, man, I heard you liked me.” Then he pointed his trademark finger at her. “You’re nothing to me. Nothing.” Before walking away, he clapped her on the shoulders. “You’re OK. You’re fine.” Except, of course, she wasn’t.
For anyone who shares the widespread conviction that ousting Trump from office in November is a political imperative, admitting the credibility of Reade’s claims at this moment is painful and inconvenient indeed. There is nevertheless a moral obligation that we do so. If the Me Too movement means anything, it is that victims must not be swept aside and ignored, impugned, erased, and silenced when their claims are difficult to countenance—most notably when the person they are accusing is someone we want to believe in.
We may want to believe in him for a litany of reasons: because we know him, because we like him, or because—as is the case here—we feel we need him to be innocent. But these reasons add up to little more than the basis for highly motivated reasoning: post hoc rationalizations for the foregone conclusion that of course he didn’t do it. As we have seen time and time again, such conclusions do a profound injustice to women, amounting to what the philosopher Miranda Fricker calls “testimonial injustice,” wherein someone is not believed because of her social position—in this case, being a woman in a historically patriarchal society, in which powerful and privileged men have long been deemed more credible in these sorts of situations.
Such testimonial injustice was typified, if unwittingly, by Joan Walsh in The Nation, when she wrote in the opening sentence of her recent column, “There is no evidence that former vice president Joe Biden, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, sexually assaulted aide Tara Reade in 1993.” Reade’s testimony is evidence that the sexual assault occurred, though there remains room to disagree on its strength or probative value.
Much of the public debate over Reade’s allegations have focused, in that vein, on her credibility. A great deal has been made of her supposedly changing story. But most of these “changes” are rather a matter of her having enlarged her account over time, by finally coming forward to speak out about the alleged sexual assault, in addition to the sexual harassment she previously attested to. (Biden’s touching her shoulders and running a finger up her neck, among other matters.) And adding to one’s story, when ready and willing to do so, does not amount to contradicting it. It is also hardly mysterious why it might take a victim time to break her silence: The pain, fear, and prospect of recrimination serve to keep many women quiet for years, decades, or even a lifetime. Reade recently said that, last year, when she spoke out about the sexual harassment, “I couldn’t get the words out [about the sexual assault].… As time has progressed, I felt stronger about speaking my truth. I realized I had to do this.” Biden 2020 “Bidenomics” vs. “Reaganomics” Mike Konczal On Israel and Palestine, US Electeds Are Out of Touch With Their Own Voters Phyllis Bennis Cluster Bombs Are “War-Crime” Weapons John Nichols
We know, moreover, that sexual assault victims’ accounts often contain gaps or minor inconsistencies and sometimes evolve over time as they grapple with traumatic memories and come to terms with what happened to them. This, as sexual assault advocates and trauma specialists have taught us, does not mean the victim is lying. It simply makes her a typical, human, and hence imperfect victim. And as Biden himself put it during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, “For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time.… Nobody fails to understand that this is like jumping into a cauldron.”
Certain other attempts to discredit Reade have been more cynical or perhaps desperate: Having a peculiar regard for Vladimir Putin does not make her a liar. Nor does having allegedly complained of Biden’s sexual harassment to the Senate personnel office, without using the term “sexual harassment” specifically, cast doubt on her story. It amounts to having described something de re but not de dicto—speaking of a thing without using the word for it.
There is admittedly the point that, if Reade’s allegations against Biden are true, it would be unusual for Reade to be the only victim of such an attack. But it is hardly impossible. And if there are other such victims, it is not difficult to believe they might hesitate to come forward, especially now, with Reade facing intense scrutiny and death threats. An absence of additional evidence is hence not strong evidence of absence here.
And so I believe Tara Reade. I believe that we all should. And we are in the narrow window of time when it is not too late to push, at a minimum, for an independent investigation into her allegations, with a view to potentially replacing Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2020. Depending on what would come to light during an investigation, Biden might even be pressured to step aside to make way for a less compromised and therefore more promising candidate.
Biden, of course, has denied Reade’s claims, though not in a way that inspired much confidence. (He said on Morning Joe on May 1, “I am absolutely positive that no one that I am aware of ever was been made aware of any complaint—a formal complaint—made by or a complaint by Tara Reade against me at the time this allegedly happened 27 years ago or until the—I announced for president, well, I guess it was in April or May of this year. I know of no one who was aware that any complaint was made. Nor has…no, no, that’s it.”) At the same time, he refused point blank to release records containing Reade’s name from his University of Delaware Senate records—telling interviewer Mika Brzezinski that Reade’s alleged complaint about sexual harassment would instead be filed in the National Archives. This claim has subsequently been denied by an archives spokesperson. And even if Biden sincerely believed it at the time, why not permit the relevant University of Delaware papers to at least be looked at?
If this were a court of law and we were jurors, then it would be appropriate to deem Biden innocent until he’d been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But a presidential campaign is not a court of law, and different standards of evidence apply: After all, we’re not contemplating convicting this man or taking away his civil liberties. We’re contemplating not believing his story—knowing, moreover, that he has lied many times before—and potentially withholding from him the chance to run for our highest office on this basis. Although this would undoubtedly be a very serious matter, the accusations he is facing are yet more so.
I, of course, advocate voting for Biden over Trump, the allegations against the former notwithstanding, if we end up facing that grim choice. (Trump has been credibly accused of even worse sexual crimes and sexual misconduct by many more women—not to mention the fact that he represents an existential threat to many vulnerable populations and, indeed, the planet.) But we are not there yet. Replacing Biden at this stage would not be easy; it may nonetheless be called for.
And I confess I am deeply angry that we are in this position. We did not have to be. We have known all along that Biden was sexually inappropriate, lecherous, and handsy. Had we as voters and had the Democratic Party taken this as seriously as we all ought to, we wouldn’t be in this mess now. It is not too much to ask that the next president of the United States adhere to the highest moral standards when it comes to his treatment of women. And if we don’t give the supposedly small things the weight they deserve, then the big things will often loom large in precisely this way. They are part of a pattern we simply can’t afford to ignore any longer.


thenation--2020-05-05--Why Are We Still Prioritizing Military Spending?

At this moment of unprecedented crisis , you might think that those not overcome by the economic and mortal consequences of the coronavirus would be asking , “ What can we do to help ?
” A few companies have indeed pivoted to making masks and ventilators for an overwhelmed medical establishment .
Unfortunately , when it comes to the top officials of the Pentagon and the CEOs running a large part of the arms industry , examples abound of them asking what they can do to help themselves .
It ’ s important to grasp just how staggeringly well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last nearly 19 years since 9/11 .
Its companies ( filled with ex-military and defense officials ) have received trillions of dollars in government contracts , which they ’ ve largely used to feather their own nests .
Data compiled by The New York Times showed that the chief executive officers of the top five military-industrial contractors received nearly $ 90 million in compensation in 2017 .
An investigation that same year by the Providence Journal discovered that , from 2005 to the first half of 2017 , the top five defense contractors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own company stocks and so boosting their value at the expense of new investment .
To put this in perspective in the midst of a pandemic , the codirectors of the Costs of War Project at Brown University recently pointed out that allocations for the Food and Drug Administration , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and the National Institutes of Health for 2020 amounted to less than 1 percent of what the US government has spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone since 9/11 .
While just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been impacted by the still-spreading coronavirus , the role of the defense industry and the military in responding to it has , in truth , been limited indeed .
The highly publicized use of military hospital ships in New York City and Los Angeles , for example , not only had relatively little impact on the crises in those cities but came to serve as a symbol of just how dysfunctional the military response has truly been .
Bailing Out the Military-Industrial Complex in the Covid-19 Moment Demands to use the Defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment needed to combat Covid-19 have sputtered , provoking strong resistance from industries worried first and foremost about their own profits .
Even conservative Washington Post columnist Max Boot , a longtime supporter of increased Pentagon spending , has recently recanted , noting how just such budget priorities have weakened the ability of the United States to keep Americans safe from the virus .
“ It never made any sense , as Trump ’ s 2021 budget had initially proposed , to increase spending on nuclear weapons by $ 7 billion while cutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by $ 1.2 billion , ” he wrote .
“ Or to create an unnecessary Space Force out of the US Air Force while eliminating the vitally important directorate of global health by folding it into another office within the National Security Council.
” In fact , continuing to prioritize the US military will only further weaken the country ’ s public health system .
As a start , simply to call up doctors and nurses in the military reserves , as even Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has pointed out , would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
After all , in their civilian lives many of them now work at domestic hospitals and medical centers deluged by Covid-19 patients .
The present situation , however , hasn ’ t stopped military-industrial complex requests for bailouts .
The National Defense Industrial Association , a trade group for the arms industry , typically asked the Pentagon to speed up contracts and awards for $ 160 billion in unobligated Department of Defense funds to its companies , which will involve pushing money out the door without even the most modest level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the pre-pandemic moment for grotesque safety problems with its commercial jets , Boeing , the Pentagon ’ s second-biggest contractor , received $ 26.3 billion last year .
Now , that company has asked for $ 60 billion in government support .
And you undoubtedly won ’ t be surprised to learn that Congress has already provided Boeing with some of that desired money in its recent bailout legislation .
According to The Washington Post , $ 17 billion was carved out in that deal for companies “ critical to maintaining national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mind ) .
When , however , it became clear that those funds wouldn ’ t arrive as a complete blank check , the company started to have second thoughts .
Now , some members of Congress are practically begging it to take the money .
And Boeing was far from alone .
Even as the spreading coronavirus was spurring congressional conversations about what would become a $ 2 trillion relief package , 130 members of the House were already pleading for funds to purchase an additional 98 Lockheed Martin F-35 jet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in history , at the cost of another half-billion dollars , or the price of more than 90,000 ventilators .
Similarly , it should have been absurdly obvious that this wasn ’ t the moment to boost already astronomical spending on nuclear weapons .
Yet this year ’ s defense budget request for such weaponry was 20 percent higher than last year ’ s and 50 percent above funding levels when President Trump took office .
The agency that builds nuclear weapons already had $ 8 billion left unspent from past years and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agency , responsible for the development of nuclear warheads , admitted to Representative Susan Davis ( D-Calif. ) that the agency was unlikely even to be able to spend all of the new increase .
Boosters of such weapons , however , remain undeterred by the Covid-19 pandemic .
If anything , the crisis only seems to have provided a further excuse to accelerate the awarding of an estimated $ 85 billion to Northrop Grumman to build a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBMs ) , considered the “ broken leg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As William Hartung , the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy , has pointed out , such ICBMs “ are redundant because invulnerable submarine-launched ballistic missiles are sufficient for deterring other countries from attacking the United States .
They are dangerous because they operate on hair-trigger alert , with launch decisions needing to be made in some cases within minutes .
This increases the risk of an accidental nuclear war.
” And as children ’ s book author Dr. Seuss might have added , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no , that is not all.
” In fact , defense giant Raytheon is also getting its piece of the pie in the Covid-19 moment for a $ 20–30 billion Long Range Standoff Weapon , a similarly redundant nuclear-armed missile .
It tells you everything you need to know about funding priorities now that the company is , in fact , getting that money two years ahead of schedule .
In the midst of the spreading pandemic , the US military ’ s Indo-Pacific Command similarly saw an opportunity to use fearmongering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its area of responsibility , to gain additional funding .
And so it is seeking $ 20 billion that previously hadn ’ t gained approval even from the secretary of defense in the administration ’ s fiscal year 2021 budget proposal .
That money would go to dubious missile defense systems and a similarly dubious “ Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
” How Not to Deal With Covid-19 Along with those military-industrial bailouts came the fleecing of American taxpayers .
While many Americans were anxiously awaiting their $ 1,200 payments from that congressional aid and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was expediting contract payments to the arms industry .
Shay Assad , a former senior Pentagon official , accurately called it a “ taxpayer rip-off ” that industries with so many resources , not to speak of the ability to borrow money at incredibly low interest rates , were being so richly and quickly rewarded in tough times .
Giving defense giants such funding at this moment was like giving a housing contractor 90 percent of upfront costs for renovations when it was unclear whether you could even afford your next mortgage payment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is having similar success in persuading the Pentagon that basic accountability should be tossed out the window .
Even in normal times , it ’ s a reasonably rare event for the federal government to withhold money from a giant weapons maker unless its performance is truly egregious .
Boeing , however , continues to fit that bill perfectly with its endless program to build the KC-46 Pegasus tanker , basically a “ flying gas station ” meant to refuel other planes in mid-air .
As national security analyst Mark Thompson , my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( POGO ) , has pointed out , even after years of development , that tanker has little hope of performing its mission in the near future .
The seven cameras that its pilot relies on to guide the KC-46 ’ s fuel to other planes have so much glare and so many shadows that the possibility of disastrously scraping the stealth coating off F-22s and F-35s ( both manufactured by Lockheed Martin ) while refueling remains a constant danger .
The Air Force has also become increasingly concerned that the tanker itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such problems and associated ones led that service to decide to withhold $ 882 million from Boeing .
Now , however , in response to the Covid-19 crisis , those funds are , believe it or not , being released .
Keep all of this behavior ( and more ) in mind when you hear people suggest that , in this public health emergency , the military should be put in charge .
After all , you ’ re talking about the very institution that has regularly mismanaged massive weapons programs like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ program , already the most expensive weapons system ever ( with ongoing problems galore ) .
Even when it comes to health care , the military has proved remarkably inept .
For instance , attempts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to integrate their health records were , infamously enough , abandoned after four years and $ 1 billion spent .
Having someone in uniform at the podium is , unfortunately , no guarantee of success .
Indeed , a number of veterans have been quick to rebuke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time .
“ Don ’ t put the military in charge of anything that doesn ’ t involve blowing stuff up , preventing stuff from being blown up , or showing up at a place as a message to others that we ’ ll be there to blow stuff up with you if need be , ” one wrote .
“ Here ’ s a video from Camp Pendleton of unmasked Marines queued up for haircuts during the pandemic , ” tweeted another .
“ So how about ‘ no ’ ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ or practicing social distancing even shocked Secretary of Defense Esper , who called for a military haircut halt , only to be contradicted by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , desperate to maintain regulation cuts in the pandemic moment .
That inspired a mocking rebuke of “ haircut heroes ” on Twitter .
Unfortunately , as Covid-19 spread on the aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt , that ship became emblematic of how ill-prepared the current Pentagon leadership proved to be in combating the virus .
Despite at least 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the end , test positive for the disease and CPO Charles Robert Thacker Jr. would die of it—senior Navy leaders were slow to respond .
Instead , they kept those sailors at close quarters and in an untenable situation of increasing risk .
When an emailed letter expressing the concerns of the ship ’ s commander , Captain Brett Crozier , was leaked to the press , he was quickly removed from command .
But while his bosses may not have appreciated his efforts for his crew , his sailors did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hero ’ s farewell .
All of this is not to say that some parts of the US military haven ’ t tried to step up as Covid-19 spreads .
The Pentagon has , for instance , awarded contracts to build “ alternate care ” facilities to help relieve pressure on hospitals .
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is allowing its doctors and nurses to join the military early .
Several months into this crisis , the Pentagon has finally used the Defense Production Act to launch a process to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ N95 respirator masks and $ 415 million worth of N95 critical-care decontamination units .
But these are modest acts in the midst of a pandemic and at a moment when bailouts , fraud , and delays suggest that the military-industrial complex hasn ’ t proved capable of delivering effectively , even for its own troops .
Meanwhile , the Beltway bandits that make up that complex have spotted a remarkable opportunity to secure many of their hopes and dreams .
Their success in putting their desires and their profits ahead of the true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough in the staggering pre-pandemic $ 1.2 trillion national security budget .
( Meanwhile , of course , key federal medical structures were underfunded or disbanded in the Trump administration years , undermining the actual security of the country . )
That kind of disproportionate spending helps explain why the richest nation on the planet has proven so incapable of providing even the necessary personal protective equipment for frontline health care workers , no less the testing needed to make this country safer .
The defense industry has asked for , and received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soaring cases of disease and death .
While there is undoubtedly a role for the giant weapons makers and for the Pentagon to play in this crisis , they have shown themselves to be anything but effective lead institutions in the response to this moment .
It ’ s time for the military-industrial complex to truly pay back an American public that has been beyond generous to it .
Isn ’ t it finally time as well to reduce the “ defense ” budget and put more of our resources into the real @ @ @ @ @ @

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 originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To stay on top of important articles like these, sign up to receive the latest updates from TomDispatch.
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At this moment of unprecedented crisis, you might think that those not overcome by the economic and mortal consequences of the coronavirus would be asking, “What can we do to help?” A few companies have indeed pivoted to making masks and ventilators for an overwhelmed medical establishment. Unfortunately, when it comes to the top officials of the Pentagon and the CEOs running a large part of the arms industry, examples abound of them asking what they can do to help themselves.
It’s important to grasp just how staggeringly well the defense industry has done in these last nearly 19 years since 9/11. Its companies (filled with ex-military and defense officials) have received trillions of dollars in government contracts, which they’ve largely used to feather their own nests. Data compiled by The New York Times showed that the chief executive officers of the top five military-industrial contractors received nearly $90 million in compensation in 2017. An investigation that same year by the Providence Journal discovered that, from 2005 to the first half of 2017, the top five defense contractors spent more than $114 billion repurchasing their own company stocks and so boosting their value at the expense of new investment.
To put this in perspective in the midst of a pandemic, the codirectors of the Costs of War Project at Brown University recently pointed out that allocations for the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health for 2020 amounted to less than 1 percent of what the US government has spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan alone since 9/11. While just about every imaginable government agency and industry has been impacted by the still-spreading coronavirus, the role of the defense industry and the military in responding to it has, in truth, been limited indeed. The highly publicized use of military hospital ships in New York City and Los Angeles, for example, not only had relatively little impact on the crises in those cities but came to serve as a symbol of just how dysfunctional the military response has truly been. 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
Bailing Out the Military-Industrial Complex in the Covid-19 Moment
Demands to use the Defense Production Act to direct firms to produce equipment needed to combat Covid-19 have sputtered, provoking strong resistance from industries worried first and foremost about their own profits. Even conservative Washington Post columnist Max Boot, a longtime supporter of increased Pentagon spending, has recently recanted, noting how just such budget priorities have weakened the ability of the United States to keep Americans safe from the virus. “It never made any sense, as Trump’s 2021 budget had initially proposed, to increase spending on nuclear weapons by $7 billion while cutting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding by $1.2 billion,” he wrote. “Or to create an unnecessary Space Force out of the US Air Force while eliminating the vitally important directorate of global health by folding it into another office within the National Security Council.”
In fact, continuing to prioritize the US military will only further weaken the country’s public health system. As a start, simply to call up doctors and nurses in the military reserves, as even Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has pointed out, would hurt the broader civilian response to the pandemic. After all, in their civilian lives many of them now work at domestic hospitals and medical centers deluged by Covid-19 patients.
The present situation, however, hasn’t stopped military-industrial complex requests for bailouts. The National Defense Industrial Association, a trade group for the arms industry, typically asked the Pentagon to speed up contracts and awards for $160 billion in unobligated Department of Defense funds to its companies, which will involve pushing money out the door without even the most modest level of due diligence.
Already under fire in the pre-pandemic moment for grotesque safety problems with its commercial jets, Boeing, the Pentagon’s second-biggest contractor, received $26.3 billion last year. Now, that company has asked for $60 billion in government support. And you undoubtedly won’t be surprised to learn that Congress has already provided Boeing with some of that desired money in its recent bailout legislation. According to The Washington Post, $17 billion was carved out in that deal for companies “critical to maintaining national security” (with Boeing in particular in mind). When, however, it became clear that those funds wouldn’t arrive as a complete blank check, the company started to have second thoughts. Now, some members of Congress are practically begging it to take the money. Current Issue View our current issue
And Boeing was far from alone. Even as the spreading coronavirus was spurring congressional conversations about what would become a $2 trillion relief package, 130 members of the House were already pleading for funds to purchase an additional 98 Lockheed Martin F-35 jet fighters, the most expensive weapons system in history, at the cost of another half-billion dollars, or the price of more than 90,000 ventilators.
Similarly, it should have been absurdly obvious that this wasn’t the moment to boost already astronomical spending on nuclear weapons. Yet this year’s defense budget request for such weaponry was 20 percent higher than last year’s and 50 percent above funding levels when President Trump took office. The agency that builds nuclear weapons already had $8 billion left unspent from past years and the head of the National Nuclear Security Agency, responsible for the development of nuclear warheads, admitted to Representative Susan Davis (D-Calif.) that the agency was unlikely even to be able to spend all of the new increase.
Boosters of such weapons, however, remain undeterred by the Covid-19 pandemic. If anything, the crisis only seems to have provided a further excuse to accelerate the awarding of an estimated $85 billion to Northrop Grumman to build a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), considered the “broken leg” of America’s nuclear triad. As William Hartung, the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, has pointed out, such ICBMs “are redundant because invulnerable submarine-launched ballistic missiles are sufficient for deterring other countries from attacking the United States. They are dangerous because they operate on hair-trigger alert, with launch decisions needing to be made in some cases within minutes. This increases the risk of an accidental nuclear war.”
And as children’s book author Dr. Seuss might have added, “But that is not all! Oh, no, that is not all.” In fact, defense giant Raytheon is also getting its piece of the pie in the Covid-19 moment for a $20–30 billion Long Range Standoff Weapon, a similarly redundant nuclear-armed missile. It tells you everything you need to know about funding priorities now that the company is, in fact, getting that money two years ahead of schedule.
In the midst of the spreading pandemic, the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command similarly saw an opportunity to use fearmongering about China, a country officially in its area of responsibility, to gain additional funding. And so it is seeking $20 billion that previously hadn’t gained approval even from the secretary of defense in the administration’s fiscal year 2021 budget proposal. That money would go to dubious missile defense systems and a similarly dubious “Pacific Deterrence Initiative.”
How Not to Deal With Covid-19
Along with those military-industrial bailouts came the fleecing of American taxpayers. While many Americans were anxiously awaiting their $1,200 payments from that congressional aid and relief package, the Department of Defense was expediting contract payments to the arms industry. Shay Assad, a former senior Pentagon official, accurately called it a “taxpayer rip-off” that industries with so many resources, not to speak of the ability to borrow money at incredibly low interest rates, were being so richly and quickly rewarded in tough times. Giving defense giants such funding at this moment was like giving a housing contractor 90 percent of upfront costs for renovations when it was unclear whether you could even afford your next mortgage payment.
Right now, the defense industry is having similar success in persuading the Pentagon that basic accountability should be tossed out the window. Even in normal times, it’s a reasonably rare event for the federal government to withhold money from a giant weapons maker unless its performance is truly egregious. Boeing, however, continues to fit that bill perfectly with its endless program to build the KC-46 Pegasus tanker, basically a “flying gas station” meant to refuel other planes in mid-air.
As national security analyst Mark Thompson, my colleague at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), has pointed out, even after years of development, that tanker has little hope of performing its mission in the near future. The seven cameras that its pilot relies on to guide the KC-46’s fuel to other planes have so much glare and so many shadows that the possibility of disastrously scraping the stealth coating off F-22s and F-35s (both manufactured by Lockheed Martin) while refueling remains a constant danger. The Air Force has also become increasingly concerned that the tanker itself leaks fuel. In the pre-pandemic moment, such problems and associated ones led that service to decide to withhold $882 million from Boeing. Now, however, in response to the Covid-19 crisis, those funds are, believe it or not, being released.
Keep all of this behavior (and more) in mind when you hear people suggest that, in this public health emergency, the military should be put in charge. After all, you’re talking about the very institution that has regularly mismanaged massive weapons programs like the $1.4 trillion F-35 jet fighter program, already the most expensive weapons system ever (with ongoing problems galore). Even when it comes to health care, the military has proved remarkably inept. For instance, attempts of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to integrate their health records were, infamously enough, abandoned after four years and $1 billion spent.
Having someone in uniform at the podium is, unfortunately, no guarantee of success. Indeed, a number of veterans have been quick to rebuke the idea of forefronting the military at this time. “Don’t put the military in charge of anything that doesn’t involve blowing stuff up, preventing stuff from being blown up, or showing up at a place as a message to others that we’ll be there to blow stuff up with you if need be,” one wrote.
“Here’s a video from Camp Pendleton of unmasked Marines queued up for haircuts during the pandemic,” tweeted another. “So how about ‘no’?” That video of troops without masks or practicing social distancing even shocked Secretary of Defense Esper, who called for a military haircut halt, only to be contradicted by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, desperate to maintain regulation cuts in the pandemic moment. That inspired a mocking rebuke of “haircut heroes” on Twitter.
Unfortunately, as Covid-19 spread on the aircraft carrier the USS Theodore Roosevelt, that ship became emblematic of how ill-prepared the current Pentagon leadership proved to be in combating the virus. Despite at least 100 cases being reported on board—955 crewmembers would, in the end, test positive for the disease and CPO Charles Robert Thacker Jr. would die of it—senior Navy leaders were slow to respond. Instead, they kept those sailors at close quarters and in an untenable situation of increasing risk. When an emailed letter expressing the concerns of the ship’s commander, Captain Brett Crozier, was leaked to the press, he was quickly removed from command. But while his bosses may not have appreciated his efforts for his crew, his sailors did. He left the ship to a hero’s farewell.
All of this is not to say that some parts of the US military haven’t tried to step up as Covid-19 spreads. The Pentagon has, for instance, awarded contracts to build “alternate care” facilities to help relieve pressure on hospitals. The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is allowing its doctors and nurses to join the military early. Several months into this crisis, the Pentagon has finally used the Defense Production Act to launch a process to produce $133 million worth of crucial N95 respirator masks and $415 million worth of N95 critical-care decontamination units. But these are modest acts in the midst of a pandemic and at a moment when bailouts, fraud, and delays suggest that the military-industrial complex hasn’t proved capable of delivering effectively, even for its own troops.
Meanwhile, the Beltway bandits that make up that complex have spotted a remarkable opportunity to secure many of their hopes and dreams. Their success in putting their desires and their profits ahead of the true national security of Americans was already clear enough in the staggering pre-pandemic $1.2 trillion national security budget. (Meanwhile, of course, key federal medical structures were underfunded or disbanded in the Trump administration years, undermining the actual security of the country.) That kind of disproportionate spending helps explain why the richest nation on the planet has proven so incapable of providing even the necessary personal protective equipment for frontline health care workers, no less the testing needed to make this country safer.
The defense industry has asked for, and received, a lot in this time of soaring cases of disease and death. While there is undoubtedly a role for the giant weapons makers and for the Pentagon to play in this crisis, they have shown themselves to be anything but effective lead institutions in the response to this moment. It’s time for the military-industrial complex to truly pay back an American public that has been beyond generous to it.
Isn’t it finally time as well to reduce the “defense” budget and put more of our resources into the real national security crisis at hand?


thenation--2020-05-05--Reopening America Is Only Safe in Trump’s Dreams

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thenation--2020-05-05--Covid Is About to Become the Newest Excuse for Police Brutality

A fringe benefit of the coronavirus lockdown is that this is the longest I ’ ve gone as an adult without being harassed by , or fearing harassment from , the police .
My home might as well be Wakanda during this crisis : a safe haven , with lots of toilet paper and no colonizers , from which I can watch , but am not directly subjected to , the oppression of white society .
The good times can not last forever .
I suppose I ’ m lucky to have had any good times at all .
Essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctuaries and contend with oppression .
So has everybody without the financial means to pay grossly inflated prices for groceries and other essentials via delivery services .
Black people who just want to catch a bit of fresh air have already caught hell from the police .
I ’ m safe from the cops right now only because I can afford to be .
Eventually , the country will force all of us to “ reopen ” and , as it does , police will be more empowered than ever to stop and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s because the cops will use—are already using— “ social distancing enforcement ” as an excuse for more racially biased harassment .
Reopening will force African Americans back into the crosshairs of two predators .
On the one side , Covid-19 will be waiting to kill us in even greater disproportion to white folks than it is now .
On the other ?
Our alpha predator , the American police officer .
Just this past weekend , as spring finally hit the East Coast , New York City was not a tale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tale of two races .
In the West Village , predominately white crowds gathered in blatant violation of social distancing rules .
Friendly neighborhood police officers could be spotted handing out masks .
Meanwhile , in the East Village , a black man was brutally beaten and arrested for allegedly not keeping social distance from a woman companion as they left a deli .
After the beating , one of the plainclothes officers was photographed casually sitting on the man ’ s head as he lay prone on the pavement .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ African Americans can expect from police as we ’ re all forced to resume normal routines .
“ Normal ” for black people is being in potentially mortal danger every time we are within six feet of a police officer , whether or not the cop has Covid-19 .
The new normal for black people will include all of the old reasons cops use to harass us , plus new excuses that will be used to justify brutality in the name of “ public health , ” of all things .
Every time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they use that power in a racially biased way .
Black people are 20 percent more likely to be pulled over while driving .
Black people are more likely to be prosecuted for drug possession or use .
Black people are more likely to be stopped for walking down the damn street .
A society committed to racial and social equality would be looking for ways to strip power from police forces that have so completely shown they are unable or unwilling to wield it fairly .
Instead , the coronavirus has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more power to law enforcement .
Consider New York Governor Andrew Cuomo .
He is one of the leaders in the response to the pandemic , but he has also been one of the leaders in talking tough about the need for penalties for people who violate social distancing guidelines .
He wants large gatherings broken up .
He wants people to wear masks .
He said , at his daily press conference on Monday , that he wants to “ empower ” local governments to impose fines and penalties to help enforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well , who enforces those rules and guidelines ?
Who imposes the “ penalty ” for violating orders ?
In most situations , it will be a cop on the street who is empowered to determine who is violating social distancing , and what to do about them .
Maybe Cuomo trusts the cops to use their newfound power reasonably and responsibly .
Maybe Cuomo thinks we ’ re living in a post-racial utopia where the cops can be trusted to serve and protect all people equally—but I ’ ve got 41 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s wrong .
What is particularly maddening is that black and brown communities haven ’ t been the biggest violators of social distancing rules .
It ’ s been the Covid-loving Trump people .
White MAGA confederates are the ones menacing state governments with guns .
White MAGA confederates are the ones who have decided that wearing a mask is just like “ slavery ” and that being told to shelter-in-place is like being put in a “ concentration camp.
” White MAGA confederates have turned public health rules into grounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it comes time for cops to crack some skulls , you best believe that the police brutality we ’ ll see will be visited upon black and brown communities .
We know what ’ s going to happen , yet no government officials , be they in red states or blue , seem willing to do anything to stop the impending over-policing of places that black people occupy .
We know white people will congregate at beaches without keeping appropriate distance from each other , while black people will be chased off courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules .
We know that white bars will exceed occupancy guidelines with impunity , while black clubs will be fined for packing too many people inside .
We know white people who violently threaten police officers trying to enforce social distancing will get off with a warning , while black people who so much as talk back to a cop will get the snot beat out of them , or worse .
We know what ’ s going to happen , because it ’ s already happening .
Yet many white politicians will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brutal measures they take to enforce new public health guidelines .
And even the best white leaders will only manage to be performatively “ shocked ” and “ appalled ” when the thing they allowed to happen inevitably continues to happen .
Whenever the discussion of racially biased police brutality comes up , there ’ s always a chorus of people who claim that cops wouldn ’ t harass black people if black people followed the rules .
That ’ s always a ridiculous argument , but the coronavirus is going to expose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than usual .
That ’ s because black people will be harassed for not following social distancing rules , but we ’ ll also be harassed if we do .
Earlier in the crisis , a video went viral of a black man being kicked out of a Walmart for , apparently , wearing a mask in the store .
I can not emphasize this point enough : Every piece of advice I ’ ve had scolded into me by my parents tells me to never , ever wear a mask or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around white folks , even when it ’ s freezing .
I ’ ve owned maybe three hooded sweatshirts in my entire life , all of them emblazoned with my university insignia , which in my mind reads , “ Don ’ t Shoot : I went to Harvard.
” And I still only wear one on the very coldest days .
My 4-year-old son loves his little dinosaur hoodie , and I dread the day when I have to explain to him why he can ’ t wear it anymore ; I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets , not older , but merely taller .
The Men Pushing to Open the Economy Clearly Don ’ t Need Child Care How Long Will It Take Until There ’ s a Vaccine ?
Vietnam May Have the Most Effective Response to Covid-19 More in this series I ordered N95 masks for my family back in February , long before the general public was properly concerned about the virus .
I think the reason I was so quick off the mark with those was because I knew that we ’ d need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thingies to keep us safe , not from Covid-19 but from white store owners .
Maybe this coronavirus changes white people ’ s reactions to black people wearing masks , but I ’ m not willing to bet my life on it .
This is the reality I have waiting for me when the government forces me out of my cop-free quarantine .
I will become vulnerable again .
One cop could see me as a menace if I walk around with a mask .
Another cop could see me as a lawbreaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife .
One neighbor might call the cops on me if I invite friends over for a barbeque .
Another might call the cops on me if they see a masked black man taking a solitary walk near their home .
No matter what I do , it will be my fault for inviting whatever harassment I get .
It ’ s been wonderful to spend a few weeks worrying about how to survive a virus , instead of how to survive an encounter with police .
Quarantine is probably as close as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a white person .
I could get used to all this freedom and liberty the coronavirus has provided .
But it won ’ t last .
Our society won ’ t open up without giving law enforcement additional excuses to put black people back in a choke hold .

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A fringe benefit of the coronavirus lockdown is that this is the longest I’ve gone as an adult without being harassed by, or fearing harassment from, the police. My home might as well be Wakanda during this crisis: a safe haven, with lots of toilet paper and no colonizers, from which I can watch, but am not directly subjected to, the oppression of white society.
The good times cannot last forever. I suppose I’m lucky to have had any good times at all. Essential workers already have to leave their private sanctuaries and contend with oppression. So has everybody without the financial means to pay grossly inflated prices for groceries and other essentials via delivery services. Black people who just want to catch a bit of fresh air have already caught hell from the police. I’m safe from the cops right now only because I can afford to be.
Eventually, the country will force all of us to “reopen” and, as it does, police will be more empowered than ever to stop and brutalize black and brown people. That’s because the cops will use—are already using—“social distancing enforcement” as an excuse for more racially biased harassment. Reopening will force African Americans back into the crosshairs of two predators. On the one side, Covid-19 will be waiting to kill us in even greater disproportion to white folks than it is now. On the other? Our alpha predator, the American police officer.
Just this past weekend, as spring finally hit the East Coast, New York City was not a tale of two cities so much as a tale of two races. In the West Village, predominately white crowds gathered in blatant violation of social distancing rules. Friendly neighborhood police officers could be spotted handing out masks. Meanwhile, in the East Village, a black man was brutally beaten and arrested for allegedly not keeping social distance from a woman companion as they left a deli. After the beating, one of the plainclothes officers was photographed casually sitting on the man’s head as he lay prone on the pavement.
This is the kind of unequal and brutal treatment African Americans can expect from police as we’re all forced to resume normal routines. “Normal” for black people is being in potentially mortal danger every time we are within six feet of a police officer, whether or not the cop has Covid-19.
The new normal for black people will include all of the old reasons cops use to harass us, plus new excuses that will be used to justify brutality in the name of “public health,” of all things. 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
Every time we give cops power to interdict citizens, they use that power in a racially biased way. Black people are 20 percent more likely to be pulled over while driving. Black people are more likely to be prosecuted for drug possession or use. Black people are more likely to be stopped for walking down the damn street.
A society committed to racial and social equality would be looking for ways to strip power from police forces that have so completely shown they are unable or unwilling to wield it fairly. Instead, the coronavirus has made this society eager to give even more power to law enforcement.
Consider New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. He is one of the leaders in the response to the pandemic, but he has also been one of the leaders in talking tough about the need for penalties for people who violate social distancing guidelines. He wants large gatherings broken up. He wants people to wear masks. He said, at his daily press conference on Monday, that he wants to “empower” local governments to impose fines and penalties to help enforce social distancing rules in their community.
Well, who enforces those rules and guidelines? Who imposes the “penalty” for violating orders? In most situations, it will be a cop on the street who is empowered to determine who is violating social distancing, and what to do about them. Maybe Cuomo trusts the cops to use their newfound power reasonably and responsibly. Maybe Cuomo thinks we’re living in a post-racial utopia where the cops can be trusted to serve and protect all people equally—but I’ve got 41 years of lived black experience to tell him he’s wrong.
What is particularly maddening is that black and brown communities haven’t been the biggest violators of social distancing rules. It’s been the Covid-loving Trump people. White MAGA confederates are the ones menacing state governments with guns. White MAGA confederates are the ones who have decided that wearing a mask is just like “slavery” and that being told to shelter-in-place is like being put in a “concentration camp.” White MAGA confederates have turned public health rules into grounds for a culture war. But when it comes time for cops to crack some skulls, you best believe that the police brutality we’ll see will be visited upon black and brown communities.
We know what’s going to happen, yet no government officials, be they in red states or blue, seem willing to do anything to stop the impending over-policing of places that black people occupy. We know white people will congregate at beaches without keeping appropriate distance from each other, while black people will be chased off courts and playgrounds by police zealously enforcing new rules. We know that white bars will exceed occupancy guidelines with impunity, while black clubs will be fined for packing too many people inside. We know white people who violently threaten police officers trying to enforce social distancing will get off with a warning, while black people who so much as talk back to a cop will get the snot beat out of them, or worse.
We know what’s going to happen, because it’s already happening. Yet many white politicians will end up defending the police for the brutal measures they take to enforce new public health guidelines. And even the best white leaders will only manage to be performatively “shocked” and “appalled” when the thing they allowed to happen inevitably continues to happen.
Whenever the discussion of racially biased police brutality comes up, there’s always a chorus of people who claim that cops wouldn’t harass black people if black people followed the rules. That’s always a ridiculous argument, but the coronavirus is going to expose the weakness of that logic even more than usual. That’s because black people will be harassed for not following social distancing rules, but we’ll also be harassed if we do. Earlier in the crisis, a video went viral of a black man being kicked out of a Walmart for, apparently, wearing a mask in the store.
I cannot emphasize this point enough: Every piece of advice I’ve had scolded into me by my parents tells me to never, ever wear a mask or a scarf or any kind of face covering around white folks, even when it’s freezing. I’ve owned maybe three hooded sweatshirts in my entire life, all of them emblazoned with my university insignia, which in my mind reads, “Don’t Shoot: I went to Harvard.” And I still only wear one on the very coldest days. My 4-year-old son loves his little dinosaur hoodie, and I dread the day when I have to explain to him why he can’t wear it anymore; I know that day is coming when he gets, not older, but merely taller. Covid-19 The Men Pushing to Open the Economy Clearly Don’t Need Child Care Elie Mystal How Long Will It Take Until There’s a Vaccine? Gregg Gonsalves Vietnam May Have the Most Effective Response to Covid-19 George Black
I ordered N95 masks for my family back in February, long before the general public was properly concerned about the virus. I think the reason I was so quick off the mark with those was because I knew that we’d need something with the prominent little air filter thingies to keep us safe, not from Covid-19 but from white store owners. Maybe this coronavirus changes white people’s reactions to black people wearing masks, but I’m not willing to bet my life on it.
This is the reality I have waiting for me when the government forces me out of my cop-free quarantine. I will become vulnerable again. One cop could see me as a menace if I walk around with a mask. Another cop could see me as a lawbreaker if I stand too close to my wife. One neighbor might call the cops on me if I invite friends over for a barbeque. Another might call the cops on me if they see a masked black man taking a solitary walk near their home. No matter what I do, it will be my fault for inviting whatever harassment I get.
It’s been wonderful to spend a few weeks worrying about how to survive a virus, instead of how to survive an encounter with police. Quarantine is probably as close as I’ll ever come to living like a white person. I could get used to all this freedom and liberty the coronavirus has provided.
But it won’t last. Our society won’t open up without giving law enforcement additional excuses to put black people back in a choke hold.


thenation--2020-05-05--Donald J. Trump, MD

Donald J. Trump, MD

Because his uncle taught at MIT , He catches on to science—so says he .
That means that from those @ @ @ @ @ He knows his stuff on testing and vaccines .
For otherwise how would he know @ @ @ @ @ conquer Covid : Mainline bleach .

This article appears in the May 18/25, 2020 issue.
Because his uncle taught at MIT,
He catches on to science—so says he.
That means that from those genes of his from Queens
He knows his stuff on testing and vaccines.
For otherwise how would he know to teach
The way to conquer Covid: Mainline bleach.


thenation--2020-05-05--Demand Protections for People on the Front Lines

On May Day on Friday , protesters across the country—online , in car caravans , and “ socially distanced ” on the streets—demanded housing protections and fair wages for workers and immigrants .
Essential workers from Amazon , Instacart , Walmart , Whole Foods , Target and FedEx held a mass strike for better conditions and hazard pay .
Nurses at more than 100 hospitals demanded personal protective equipment .
It ’ s crucial that we keep up the pressure on companies and governments to protect frontline workers struggling to survive the pandemic .
This week ’ s Take Action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers , demand housing protections , and fight for voting rights .
Take Action Now gives you three meaningful actions you can take each week whatever your schedule .
You can sign up here to get these actions and more in your inbox every Tuesday .
Transit workers are some of the most crucial and at-risk frontline workers confronting the pandemic .
But transit systems nationwide are under severe financial stress due to lower ridership and heightened costs of maintaining safety .
Check out and share the Labor Network for Sustainability ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increase allocation for emergency assistance to public transit in the next round of economic stimulus .
Scroll down through Transit Equity ’ s action toolkit to find a template letter to send to your congressional representatives .
As bills mount with little economic relief in sight , renters across the country declared a rent strike on May 1 .
Check out We Strike Together ’ s growing map of rent and mortgage strikes since March , and read and help circulate stories from people experiencing housing insecurity amidst the pandemic in New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story with the We Strike Together campaign .
The stakes of national and local races in November are life or death for many communities , and it ’ s crucial that everyone ’ s vote is counted .
Tell Congress to pass emergency vote-by-mail legislation , and tell state election officials that Americans shouldn ’ t have to choose between their health and their right to vote .
Ask them what actions they ’ re taking on voter security , too , but first check out Secure Our Votes ’ map of election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual volunteer event with SwingLeft , and check out their virtual organizing guide to see how you can get out the vote while social distancing .

Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every Tuesday.
Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue
Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here.
Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every Tuesday.
Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue
Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every Tuesday.
Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every Tuesday.
Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue
Email By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every Tuesday.
Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue
On May Day on Friday, protesters across the country—online, in car caravans, and “socially distanced” on the streets—demanded housing protections and fair wages for workers and immigrants. Essential workers from Amazon, Instacart, Walmart, Whole Foods, Target and FedEx held a mass strike for better conditions and hazard pay. Nurses at more than 100 hospitals demanded personal protective equipment. It’s crucial that we keep up the pressure on companies and governments to protect frontline workers struggling to survive the pandemic.
This week’s Take Action Now gives you ways to support frontline workers, demand housing protections, and fight for voting rights.
Take Action Now gives you three meaningful actions you can take each week whatever your schedule. You can sign up here to get these actions and more in your inbox every Tuesday.
NO TIME TO SPARE?
Transit workers are some of the most crucial and at-risk frontline workers confronting the pandemic. But transit systems nationwide are under severe financial stress due to lower ridership and heightened costs of maintaining safety. Check out and share the Labor Network for Sustainability’s Transit Equity campaign to demand that Congress increase allocation for emergency assistance to public transit in the next round of economic stimulus. Scroll down through Transit Equity’s action toolkit to find a template letter to send to your congressional representatives.
GOT SOME TIME?
As bills mount with little economic relief in sight, renters across the country declared a rent strike on May 1. Check out We Strike Together’s growing map of rent and mortgage strikes since March, and read and help circulate stories from people experiencing housing insecurity amidst the pandemic in New York. Join the strike by sharing your story with the We Strike Together campaign.
READY TO DIG IN?
The stakes of national and local races in November are life or death for many communities, and it’s crucial that everyone’s vote is counted. Tell Congress to pass emergency vote-by-mail legislation, and tell state election officials that Americans shouldn’t have to choose between their health and their right to vote. Ask them what actions they’re taking on voter security, too, but first check out Secure Our Votes’ map of election security priorities by state. Attend a virtual volunteer event with SwingLeft, and check out their virtual organizing guide to see how you can get out the vote while social distancing.