theintercept--2020-04-16--Trump’s Obsession With Reopening the Economy Ignores Public Health Experts

Almost since the moment he issued guidelines for combatting Covid-19 through social distancing , in mid-March , President Donald Trump has been pressing to reopen the country .
This week , his push has reached a fever pitch as right-wing demonstrators took to the streets – from California to Kentucky , North Carolina , Wyoming , Michigan , Wisconsin , and Ohio – in protest ( and defiance ) of stay-at-home orders .
On Wednesday , Trump , who had previously said that decisions about “ rejuvenating the economy ” will focus on protecting “ health and life , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll be opening up states , some states much sooner than others , and we think some of the states can actually open up before the deadline of May 1.
” ( On Thursday afternoon , the president said that decisions about when to loosen social distancing restrictions would be left to individual states , contradicting statements he ’ d made earlier in the week . )
Experts , including those in the government , have indicated that reopening the country too soon will actually threaten “ health and life.
” On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , cautioned that if mitigation strategies in certain areas of the country are relaxed too quickly , outbreaks in major cities across the United States could follow .
He also warned of worse to come in the months ahead .
“ We ’ re definitely going to have a second wave , ” he said , predicting that Covid-19 cases would peak again late in the year .
Michael Osterholm , director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States may experience multiple surges of Covid-19 over the next year and half , noting that while it ’ s impossible to know for certain , the coronavirus seems to be following a “ 1918 model ” — a reference to the 1918 flu pandemic that may have killed up to 100 million people worldwide .
“ This first wave … is just the beginning of what could easily be 16 to 18 months of substantial activity of this virus around the world , coming and going , wave after wave , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department science envoy for health security from 2018 through 2019 , said during a recent online conference .
“ It surely is a virus that likely will have to infect at least 60 to 70 percent of the population before you ’ re going to see a major reduction in its transmission , ” he explained .
Similarly , a study by researchers at Harvard University , published this week in the journal Science , warned of “ recurrent wintertime outbreaks ” of Covid-19 , meaning the virus may become a seasonal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short-term immunity ( on the order of 40 weeks ) , we may see annual outbreaks of Covid-19 while longer-term immunity ( two years ) would likely mean biennial outbreaks .
Without effective new vaccines or therapeutics , achieving population immunity to Covid-19 may be impossible in the short term , leading the researchers to project that intermittent social distancing efforts — such as stay-at-home orders and school closures — may be necessary into 2022 .
Such measures are currently needed to “ flatten the curve ” and thereby prevent the U.S. health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , but effective social distancing will leave a pool of people who are susceptible to Covid-19 precisely because they haven ’ t yet been exposed to it .
If social distancing is relaxed , a new surge in cases may prompt the reinstitution of such control measures .
“ The plans to reopen the country are close to being finalized , and we will soon be sharing details and new guidelines with everybody , ” Trump said on Tuesday .
“ We ’ re going to pick a date .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s good .
But it ’ s going to be very , very soon — sooner than the end of the month.
” Trump ’ s supporters have doubled down on his eagerness to do away with distancing requirements , often suggesting that the Constitution prohibits such intrusion by government in the lives of individuals .
“ We don ’ t need a nanny state to tell people how to be careful , ” Meshawn Maddock of the Michigan Conservative Coalition and an organizer of the April 15 protest in Lansing against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Fox News .
In Wisconsin , Terri Bialas protested Gov .
Tony Evans ’ s decision to close state parks in an effort to protect the public , after thousands flocked to them amid the outbreak .
“ This is insanity .
It ’ s gone way too far , ” said Bialas .
“ We don ’ t live in Nazi Germany.
” Osterholm said that he ’ s currently involved in devising data-driven guidelines for how to reopen Minnesota , as well as reimpose social distancing if worrying benchmarks are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kinds of measures changing , then we can take … some kind of action .
And then we can explain to the public why we should be on lockdown , ” he said .
“ It ’ s not just , ‘ We ’ re going to pick a date out of the blue.
’ ” The Harvard researchers acknowledged that “ prolonged distancing , even if intermittent , is likely to have profoundly negative economic , social , and educational consequences.
” They also pointed to the “ potentially catastrophic burden on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poorly effective and/or not sustained for long enough.
” Osterholm warned that the worst may be yet to come , and that the pandemic is still closer to its beginning than its end .
“ We ’ ve got to prepare ourselves because some of the cities that have been hard hit already are going to have peaks some months down the road that may even be much larger — in terms of case numbers — than we ’ re seeing right now , ” he said .
“ Right now , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nine-inning game .
”

Almost since the moment he issued guidelines for combatting Covid-19 through social distancing, in mid-March, President Donald Trump has been pressing to reopen the country. This week, his push has reached a fever pitch as right-wing demonstrators took to the streets – from California to Kentucky, North Carolina, Wyoming, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio – in protest (and defiance) of stay-at-home orders.
On Wednesday, Trump, who had previously said that decisions about “rejuvenating the economy” will focus on protecting “health and life,” announced: “You already know we’ll be opening up states, some states much sooner than others, and we think some of the states can actually open up before the deadline of May 1.” (On Thursday afternoon, the president said that decisions about when to loosen social distancing restrictions would be left to individual states, contradicting statements he’d made earlier in the week.)
Experts, including those in the government, have indicated that reopening the country too soon will actually threaten “health and life.” On Tuesday, Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cautioned that if mitigation strategies in certain areas of the country are relaxed too quickly, outbreaks in major cities across the United States could follow. He also warned of worse to come in the months ahead. “We’re definitely going to have a second wave,” he said, predicting that Covid-19 cases would peak again late in the year.
Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, warned that the United States may experience multiple surges of Covid-19 over the next year and half, noting that while it’s impossible to know for certain, the coronavirus seems to be following a “1918 model” — a reference to the 1918 flu pandemic that may have killed up to 100 million people worldwide.
“This first wave … is just the beginning of what could easily be 16 to 18 months of substantial activity of this virus around the world, coming and going, wave after wave,” Osterholm, who served as a State Department science envoy for health security from 2018 through 2019, said during a recent online conference. “It surely is a virus that likely will have to infect at least 60 to 70 percent of the population before you’re going to see a major reduction in its transmission,” he explained.
Similarly, a study by researchers at Harvard University, published this week in the journal Science, warned of “recurrent wintertime outbreaks” of Covid-19, meaning the virus may become a seasonal, global fixture. If those infected develop short-term immunity (on the order of 40 weeks), we may see annual outbreaks of Covid-19 while longer-term immunity (two years) would likely mean biennial outbreaks.
Without effective new vaccines or therapeutics, achieving population immunity to Covid-19 may be impossible in the short term, leading the researchers to project that intermittent social distancing efforts — such as stay-at-home orders and school closures — may be necessary into 2022. Such measures are currently needed to “flatten the curve” and thereby prevent the U.S. health care system from being overwhelmed by the pandemic, but effective social distancing will leave a pool of people who are susceptible to Covid-19 precisely because they haven’t yet been exposed to it. If social distancing is relaxed, a new surge in cases may prompt the reinstitution of such control measures.
Read Our Complete Coverage The Coronavirus Crisis
“The plans to reopen the country are close to being finalized, and we will soon be sharing details and new guidelines with everybody,” Trump said on Tuesday. “We’re going to pick a date. We’re going to get a date that’s good. But it’s going to be very, very soon — sooner than the end of the month.”
Trump’s supporters have doubled down on his eagerness to do away with distancing requirements, often suggesting that the Constitution prohibits such intrusion by government in the lives of individuals.
“We don’t need a nanny state to tell people how to be careful,” Meshawn Maddock of the Michigan Conservative Coalition and an organizer of the April 15 protest in Lansing against the state’s stay-at-home order, told Fox News. In Wisconsin, Terri Bialas protested Gov. Tony Evans’s decision to close state parks in an effort to protect the public, after thousands flocked to them amid the outbreak. “This is insanity. It’s gone way too far,” said Bialas. “We don’t live in Nazi Germany.”
Osterholm said that he’s currently involved in devising data-driven guidelines for how to reopen Minnesota, as well as reimpose social distancing if worrying benchmarks are reached. “If we see different kinds of measures changing, then we can take … some kind of action. And then we can explain to the public why we should be on lockdown,” he said. “It’s not just, ‘We’re going to pick a date out of the blue.’”
The Harvard researchers acknowledged that “prolonged distancing, even if intermittent, is likely to have profoundly negative economic, social, and educational consequences.” They also pointed to the “potentially catastrophic burden on the healthcare system … if distancing is poorly effective and/or not sustained for long enough.”
Osterholm warned that the worst may be yet to come, and that the pandemic is still closer to its beginning than its end. “We’ve got to prepare ourselves because some of the cities that have been hard hit already are going to have peaks some months down the road that may even be much larger — in terms of case numbers — than we’re seeing right now,” he said. “Right now, we’re in the second inning of a nine-inning game.”


theintercept--2020-04-16--Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, the World’s Most Powerful Coronavirus Denier, Just Fired the He

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, the World’s Most Powerful Coronavirus Denier, Just Fired the Health Minister Who Disagreed With Him

if they should listen to the health minister or if they should listen to the president , ” said Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta in an interview with TV Globo on Sunday , referring to far-right President Jair Bolsonaro , one of the world ’ s leading coronavirus deniers .
Mandetta had repeatedly advocated a science-based approach that includes social-distancing measures and quarantines , as well as shutting down much of Brazil .
The positions weren ’ t in accord with Bolsonaro ’ s .
On the same day Mandetta said that the worst is yet to come and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and June , Bolsonaro told religious leaders , “ It seems like this issue of the virus is starting to go away.
” Bolsonaro has gone out of his way to make highly publicized visits to supermarkets and bakeries , shaking hands and taking selfies without gloves or a mask .
“ Due to my history as an athlete , if I was infected by the virus , I wouldn ’ t have to worry , ” said the 65-year-old Bolsonaro in a nationally televised address late last month .
He has repeatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold.
” Bolsonaro ’ s health minister has become the most prominent public voice to contradict the president ’ s full-throated denialism , but Mandetta speaks for an overwhelming majority of governors and health experts , as well as the public .
In a recent survey , 76 percent of respondents approved of the health minister ’ s handling of the crisis , compared to 39 percent for Bolsonaro .
Bolsonaro , however , found a tidy solution to this problem : Fire the health minister .
Bolsonaro chafed at having to share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disagreed with his statements and had repeatedly threatened to remove the minister from his role .
On Thursday , Mandetta was out .
It ’ s not clear that Bolsonaro ’ s new health minister will be any better for the far-right president .
On Thursday afternoon , Bolsonaro replaced Mandetta with Nelson Teich , an oncologist and health care executive who apparently also does not share the president ’ s vision of how to handle the crisis .
In recently published articles , Teich has endorsed wide-scale social isolation measures and lamented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Teich wrote , “ It is as if there is a group focused on people and health and another on the market , companies and money , but this divided , antagonistic and perhaps radical approach is not the one that will most help society to get through this problem.
” Teich , however , also knows that the way to Bolsonaro ’ s heart is flattery , and the incoming health minister has not come up short in this regard .
In an essay published on April 2 , Teich wrote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the handling [ of the coronavirus crisis ] has been perfect so far.
” With Bolsonaro burrowing his head deeper into the sand , facts on the ground continue to grow more dire .
According to official statistics , 30,425 Brazilians have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and 1,924 have died from the disease , but those numbers grossly underrepresent the true likely tolls .
Rio Health Secretary Edmar Santos has said that for every case reported , there are likely another 50 to 100 infected people who have not been tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official statistics undercount total deaths from the disease .
Tests have been in woefully short supply and even those who are lucky enough to get tested face long waits for results , as the laboratory backlogs pile up .
The Health Ministry does not know how many tests have been administered nationwide .
In São Paulo , the wealthiest and largest metropolis in the country , 62 percent of public health workers did not have access to personal protective equipment , known as PPE , according to a study reviewed exclusively by The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
Half of Amazonas state ’ s 4 million people live in the capital city of Manaus , a blip of concrete and asphalt in the middle of the endless Amazon rainforest .
In a state nearly as big as Alaska , where most long-distance travel is by boat , every single one of the 293 intensive care unit beds is located in the capital ; 95 percent of them were already full as of last Monday .
As of Wednesday , the state had 1,554 confirmed cases and 106 confirmed deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This March , Brazil registered 2,239 more deaths due to respiratory failure and pneumonia than in the year before , many of which , specialists believe , are likely unconfirmed Covid-19 victims .
More than 41,000 Brazilians were hospitalized as of Tuesday for Covid-19 or suspected or undetermined SARS cases , only 15 percent of which were diagnosed as Covid-19 .
A recent study projected that Brazil ’ s universal public health service needs more than 40,000 additional ICU beds to deal with the crisis , a 273 percent increase over its current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high into Brazil ’ s power structures .
The governors of Rio de Janeiro and Pará , a northern state that borders Amazonas , both announced on Tuesday that they have tested positive for Covid-19 .
Almost two dozen people who traveled with Bolsonaro to the United States last month , included top aides , contracted the disease as well .
The president claimed he tested negative but would not publish his results .
Despite these terrifying indicators of a growing health crisis , quarantine measures have not been strictly adhered to across @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data showed that 41 percent of São Paulo ’ s population did not isolate at home over the Easter holiday weekend .
In every major city studied , researchers found that only 53 percent of people nationwide had stayed at home in the first days of April , a 2 to 3 percent decrease compared to mid- to late-March , when social-distancing measures were first put in place in most areas .
Bolsonaro has repeatedly attempted to undermine quarantine efforts .
He tried to invalidate parts of various governors ’ quarantine orders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He has found other ways to influence the public , for instance , using the bully pulpit of his office .
On March 24 , Bolsonaro gave a nationally televised address attacking social distancing as “ scorched earth ” tactics ; hyping chloroquine as a promising treatment ; blaming the press for creating “ hysteria ” ; and insisting that Brazil “ should go back to normal.
” The Intercept ’ s Bruno Sousa wrote about the impact that the address had on his working-class Rio de Janeiro neighborhood the following morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go about their lives as normal following the remarks ; many nonessential businesses even opened back up .
“ Everyone talked about coronavirus and the president ’ s speech .
Until yesterday , few stores opened here , ” Sousa wrote .
The day after his speech , Bolsonaro doubled down : “ What they are doing in Brazil , a few governors and a few mayors , is a crime .
They are breaking up with Brazil , they are destroying jobs .
And those guys who say , ‘ Oh , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . '
” Small street protests by Bolsonaro supporters who oppose the quarantine have broken out in multiple cities and , in some cases , have been shut down by state police and the courts .
The World Bank estimates that Brazil ’ s economy will retract by 5 percent this year , according to new estimates released on Sunday , putting South America ’ s largest economy behind Mexico , Ecuador , and Argentina on the list of countries in the region that are expected to be the hardest hit .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of earnings from the lockdown , existing social protection and social assistance programs should be rapidly scaled up and their coverage extended , ” the World Bank argued .
Yet Bolsonaro ’ s Economic Minister Paulo Guedes has resisted such measures and instead wants to continue his agenda of neoliberal reforms , which have gutted social services , labor protections , and pension benefits since the administration took office last year .
“ The best response to the crisis is the reforms , ” Guedes told reporters last week , referring to pending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government spending , restructure the tax code , and incentivize private business .
It ’ s not that Congress isn ’ t trying .
The legislature quickly passed a much-celebrated plan to provide low-wage informal sector workers with between $ 114 and $ 228 per month for three months .
But the bill sat on the president ’ s desk for three days until it was finally signed and enacted .
Guedes had initially proposed only a third of the amount and fought the measure , but publicly backed it after it became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The administration blamed the delay on “ bureaucratic issues , ” but in the meantime , Guedes was attempting to hold back the president ’ s signature to negotiate other legislation from his list of reforms .
After the emergency relief package was finally approved , The Intercept reported that Caixa , a large , government-owned bank , planned to keep the federal relief payments of account holders with debts or negative account balances .
Government officials said that an agreement had been reached with banks to avoid this outcome , but could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal .
Guedes then went on to fight against a federal aid package to state and local governments , a plan that was approved by the lower house on Monday .
The government has signaled that it would veto the final bill .
Of the $ 227.7 billion in coronavirus-related economic relief measures projected by the government , only $ 40 billion is new spending , which is roughly 3 percent of national gross domestic product .
By comparison , the $ 2 trillion U.S. stimulus package represents 10 percent of GDP .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire economic team is in conflict , ” Antonio Corrêa de Lacerda , president of Brazil ’ s Federal Economic Counsel , told the Valor Econômico newspaper .
“ They have always preached austerity as an instrument to restore confidence that would take us out of the crisis .
Now that the most relevant countries have adopted policies of strong state intervention , they are forced to do so .
Although in a timid , late , and wavering way.
” The public , however , along with some of the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bolsonaro ’ s leadership .
The shifts are not because of his timidity or tardiness , but largely because Bolsonaro ’ s response to the crisis lacks any coherent rhyme or reason .
For example , Bolsonaro has emphasized the importance of the economy , and yet his sons and education minister have launched repeated — and sometimes racist — attacks on China , the country ’ s largest trading partner and principal source for essential medical supplies .

Brazilians “don’t know if they should listen to the health minister or if they should listen to the president,” said Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta in an interview with TV Globo on Sunday, referring to far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, one of the world’s leading coronavirus deniers.
Mandetta had repeatedly advocated a science-based approach that includes social-distancing measures and quarantines, as well as shutting down much of Brazil. The positions weren’t in accord with Bolsonaro’s. On the same day Mandetta said that the worst is yet to come and that the coronavirus peak should hit in May and June, Bolsonaro told religious leaders, “It seems like this issue of the virus is starting to go away.”
Bolsonaro has gone out of his way to make highly publicized visits to supermarkets and bakeries, shaking hands and taking selfies without gloves or a mask. “Due to my history as an athlete, if I was infected by the virus, I wouldn’t have to worry,” said the 65-year-old Bolsonaro in a nationally televised address late last month. He has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as “a little cold.”
Bolsonaro’s health minister has become the most prominent public voice to contradict the president’s full-throated denialism, but Mandetta speaks for an overwhelming majority of governors and health experts, as well as the public. In a recent survey, 76 percent of respondents approved of the health minister’s handling of the crisis, compared to 39 percent for Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, however, found a tidy solution to this problem: Fire the health minister. Bolsonaro chafed at having to share the spotlight with a subordinate who openly disagreed with his statements and had repeatedly threatened to remove the minister from his role. On Thursday, Mandetta was out.
It’s not clear that Bolsonaro’s new health minister will be any better for the far-right president. On Thursday afternoon, Bolsonaro replaced Mandetta with Nelson Teich, an oncologist and health care executive who apparently also does not share the president’s vision of how to handle the crisis. In recently published articles, Teich has endorsed wide-scale social isolation measures and lamented the polarized nature of the debate. Teich wrote, “It is as if there is a group focused on people and health and another on the market, companies and money, but this divided, antagonistic and perhaps radical approach is not the one that will most help society to get through this problem.”
Teich, however, also knows that the way to Bolsonaro’s heart is flattery, and the incoming health minister has not come up short in this regard. In an essay published on April 2, Teich wrote, “Fortunately, despite all the problems, the handling [of the coronavirus crisis] has been perfect so far.”
Quarantine and Health Systems Breaking Down
With Bolsonaro burrowing his head deeper into the sand, facts on the ground continue to grow more dire. According to official statistics, 30,425 Brazilians have been diagnosed with the coronavirus and 1,924 have died from the disease, but those numbers grossly underrepresent the true likely tolls. Rio Health Secretary Edmar Santos has said that for every case reported, there are likely another 50 to 100 infected people who have not been tested. Mandetta has also acknowledged that the official statistics undercount total deaths from the disease.
Tests have been in woefully short supply and even those who are lucky enough to get tested face long waits for results, as the laboratory backlogs pile up. The Health Ministry does not know how many tests have been administered nationwide.
In São Paulo, the wealthiest and largest metropolis in the country, 62 percent of public health workers did not have access to personal protective equipment, known as PPE, according to a study reviewed exclusively by The Intercept.
Other regions are even worse off. Half of Amazonas state’s 4 million people live in the capital city of Manaus, a blip of concrete and asphalt in the middle of the endless Amazon rainforest. In a state nearly as big as Alaska, where most long-distance travel is by boat, every single one of the 293 intensive care unit beds is located in the capital; 95 percent of them were already full as of last Monday. As of Wednesday, the state had 1,554 confirmed cases and 106 confirmed deaths, including on isolated Indigenous reserves.
This March, Brazil registered 2,239 more deaths due to respiratory failure and pneumonia than in the year before, many of which, specialists believe, are likely unconfirmed Covid-19 victims. More than 41,000 Brazilians were hospitalized as of Tuesday for Covid-19 or suspected or undetermined SARS cases, only 15 percent of which were diagnosed as Covid-19. A recent study projected that Brazil’s universal public health service needs more than 40,000 additional ICU beds to deal with the crisis, a 273 percent increase over its current capacity.
The crisis is also reaching high into Brazil’s power structures. The governors of Rio de Janeiro and Pará, a northern state that borders Amazonas, both announced on Tuesday that they have tested positive for Covid-19. Almost two dozen people who traveled with Bolsonaro to the United States last month, included top aides, contracted the disease as well. The president claimed he tested negative but would not publish his results.
Despite these terrifying indicators of a growing health crisis, quarantine measures have not been strictly adhered to across the nation of 211 million. Cellphone data showed that 41 percent of São Paulo’s population did not isolate at home over the Easter holiday weekend.
In every major city studied, researchers found that only 53 percent of people nationwide had stayed at home in the first days of April, a 2 to 3 percent decrease compared to mid- to late-March, when social-distancing measures were first put in place in most areas.
The Bolsonaro Effect
Bolsonaro has repeatedly attempted to undermine quarantine efforts. He tried to invalidate parts of various governors’ quarantine orders, but was blocked by federal judges. He has found other ways to influence the public, for instance, using the bully pulpit of his office.
On March 24, Bolsonaro gave a nationally televised address attacking social distancing as “scorched earth” tactics; hyping chloroquine as a promising treatment; blaming the press for creating “hysteria”; and insisting that Brazil “should go back to normal.” The Intercept’s Bruno Sousa wrote about the impact that the address had on his working-class Rio de Janeiro neighborhood the following morning, describing scenes where some people began to go about their lives as normal following the remarks; many nonessential businesses even opened back up. “Everyone talked about coronavirus and the president’s speech. Until yesterday, few stores opened here,” Sousa wrote.
The day after his speech, Bolsonaro doubled down: “What they are doing in Brazil, a few governors and a few mayors, is a crime. They are breaking up with Brazil, they are destroying jobs. And those guys who say, ‘Oh, the economy is less important than life.'”
Small street protests by Bolsonaro supporters who oppose the quarantine have broken out in multiple cities and, in some cases, have been shut down by state police and the courts.
https://twitter.com/delucca/status/1249536553430499328
Paulo Guedes, the Minister of Austerity
The World Bank estimates that Brazil’s economy will retract by 5 percent this year, according to new estimates released on Sunday, putting South America’s largest economy behind Mexico, Ecuador, and Argentina on the list of countries in the region that are expected to be the hardest hit. “To help the vulnerable face the loss of earnings from the lockdown, existing social protection and social assistance programs should be rapidly scaled up and their coverage extended,” the World Bank argued.
Yet Bolsonaro’s Economic Minister Paulo Guedes has resisted such measures and instead wants to continue his agenda of neoliberal reforms, which have gutted social services, labor protections, and pension benefits since the administration took office last year. “The best response to the crisis is the reforms,” Guedes told reporters last week, referring to pending proposals to privatize state-owned companies, reduce government spending, restructure the tax code, and incentivize private business.
It’s not that Congress isn’t trying. The legislature quickly passed a much-celebrated plan to provide low-wage informal sector workers with between $114 and $228 per month for three months. But the bill sat on the president’s desk for three days until it was finally signed and enacted. Guedes had initially proposed only a third of the amount and fought the measure, but publicly backed it after it became clear that the bill would pass. The administration blamed the delay on “bureaucratic issues,” but in the meantime, Guedes was attempting to hold back the president’s signature to negotiate other legislation from his list of reforms.
After the emergency relief package was finally approved, The Intercept reported that Caixa, a large, government-owned bank, planned to keep the federal relief payments of account holders with debts or negative account balances. Government officials said that an agreement had been reached with banks to avoid this outcome, but could not produce any evidence to corroborate the deal.
Guedes then went on to fight against a federal aid package to state and local governments, a plan that was approved by the lower house on Monday. The government has signaled that it would veto the final bill.
Of the $227.7 billion in coronavirus-related economic relief measures projected by the government, only $40 billion is new spending, which is roughly 3 percent of national gross domestic product. By comparison, the $2 trillion U.S. stimulus package represents 10 percent of GDP.
“The central issue is that the entire economic team is in conflict,” Antonio Corrêa de Lacerda, president of Brazil’s Federal Economic Counsel, told the Valor Econômico newspaper. “They have always preached austerity as an instrument to restore confidence that would take us out of the crisis. Now that the most relevant countries have adopted policies of strong state intervention, they are forced to do so. Although in a timid, late, and wavering way.”
The public, however, along with some of the president’s allies, are increasingly losing faith in Bolsonaro’s leadership. The shifts are not because of his timidity or tardiness, but largely because Bolsonaro’s response to the crisis lacks any coherent rhyme or reason. For example, Bolsonaro has emphasized the importance of the economy, and yet his sons and education minister have launched repeated — and sometimes racist — attacks on China, the country’s largest trading partner and principal source for essential medical supplies.
For weeks, at 8:30 p.m. nearly every night, neighborhoods across Brazil come alive to the sounds of pots and pans banging, punctuated by shouts of “Bolsonaro out!” peppered with an increasingly creative array of epithets. Another round of cacophonous protest rang out across Brazil as Bolsonaro announced Mandetta’s firing.


theintercept--2020-04-16--After Coronavirus Cancellation, Is Ohio Doing Enough to Make Its Mail-In Election Fair?

pandemic upending the Democratic primary season , states are scrambling to figure out how to safely hold their elections .
In Ohio , state lawmakers approved a plan to hold an extended , vote-by-mail primary election through April 28 , while shutting down almost all in-person voting .
Now , out of necessity , Ohio has joined the handful of states that already primarily conduct elections by mail .
But voting rights groups warn that the confusing , multistep process will disenfranchise voters on a large scale .
On the eve of Ohio ’ s scheduled March 17 primary election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the state ’ s public health director would order that polls be closed to prevent the spread of the virus , defying a court ruling .
DeWine ’ s decision to halt in-person voting followed days of pressure for the four states scheduled to vote to postpone their primaries .
Instead , Ohio gave voters just over a month to apply for a ballot and mail it in .
A coalition of voting rights organizations , including the League of Women Voters of Ohio , has now sued the state over its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it poses “ unlawful barriers ” that will hit black and brown voters the hardest .
In addition to concerns about the process itself , advocates are demanding the state extend the voter registration deadline .
Only Ohioans who registered to vote by the February 18 deadline are eligible to vote in the primary election ; voting rights groups say that , under the National Voter Registration Act and Ohio Constitution , that deadline should have been extended .
Under this new process , thousands , if not millions , of Ohioans will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cast a vote at all , said Jen Miller , executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio .
“ You can ’ t just blink your eyes and have an all vote-by-mail election , it doesn ’ t work that way , ” Miller said .
“ Primarily vote-by-mail states have eight to 10 weeks of the process , not four .
Voters get ballots , there ’ s no application process .
There are usually drop boxes and vote centers throughout counties .
So the bottom line is : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not equipped to run elections during pandemics and emergencies — we need to upgrade and update our election systems today.
” If you don ’ t already have a ballot , you have to submit an application to request an absentee ballot .
The Ohio Secretary of State ’ s website lays out the three ways to do this : Print an absentee ballot request or have an absentee ballot request sent to you in the mail , call your county boards of election to have them mail you an absentee ballot request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request .
If you own a printer and can print out the application yourself , you fill it out , sign it , and mail it back to the board of elections providing your own stamp and postage , and in many cases , your own envelope — just to receive your ballot .
Some grocery stores are also letting people pick up absentee ballot applications through an initiative from the secretary of state , Frank LaRose , and the Ohio Grocers Association .
Applications must be received by the county ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 25 .
But some fear the tight deadline might not give people enough time to fix any mistakes that happen along the way .
Both the state ’ s governor and secretary of state were in favor of a June 2 primary , but the Republican-controlled state legislature went ahead with the rushed timeline anyway .
“ Many people still think that Election Day is on June 2 , others think they ’ ll be able to go vote in person , which we know is not true , and many people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Miller said .
Morgan Harper , the 36-year-old progressive taking on Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty in Ohio ’ s 3rd Congressional District , says the process amounts to a poll tax .
“ You have to have additional resources to be able to exercise your right to vote , ” Harper said .
“ It ’ s going to be a barrier for people always but particularly during a global health pandemic .
We ’ re advising people to not really leave their homes.
” Harper pointed to lower-income voters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the elderly as some of the groups that face significant barriers to vote in the upcoming election .
Lower turnout among historically disenfranchised communities could also end up tilting results toward the incumbent lawmaker .
“ Another issue that we ’ re concerned about as well is for the immigrant population : 11 percent of the 3rd District is foreign-born , and a lot of people rely on translators to help them navigate the process for voting that was available at early voting before our original Election Day , ” Harper said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have stay-at-home orders and people can ’ t safely go to other people ’ s homes to help talk them through that ballot request application , it ’ s not clear whether they ’ re going to be able to get through this process on their own.
” To try to make the process easier and more accessible , Harper ’ s campaign is hand-delivering absentee ballot applications to voters in the 3rd District .
Voters can visit the campaign ’ s website and fill out a simple form to get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at their doorstep .
So far , the campaign has received over 2,000 requests .
“ This is extremely confusing and for the average person who has a lot going on , new stressors entering their life every day right now , it might be too much to navigate to actually go through this process .
So we need to make this as simple as possible and try to cut down on some of these extra steps for people , ” she said .
Aside from broader , systemic solutions like automatic voter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holiday , Harper believes the process could have been streamlined by scrapping the paper application request altogether .
“ It ’ s archaic , ” she said .
Making the absentee ballot request process “ completely digital ” and “ mobile-friendly , ” in addition to providing voters with prepaid postage , she added , would “ enfranchise a lot more people .
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With the coronavirus pandemic upending the Democratic primary season, states are scrambling to figure out how to safely hold their elections. In Ohio, state lawmakers approved a plan to hold an extended, vote-by-mail primary election through April 28, while shutting down almost all in-person voting. Now, out of necessity, Ohio has joined the handful of states that already primarily conduct elections by mail. But voting rights groups warn that the confusing, multistep process will disenfranchise voters on a large scale.
On the eve of Ohio’s scheduled March 17 primary election, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced that the state’s public health director would order that polls be closed to prevent the spread of the virus, defying a court ruling. DeWine’s decision to halt in-person voting followed days of pressure for the four states scheduled to vote to postpone their primaries. Instead, Ohio gave voters just over a month to apply for a ballot and mail it in.
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A coalition of voting rights organizations, including the League of Women Voters of Ohio, has now sued the state over its “cumbersome vote-by-mail process,” arguing it poses “unlawful barriers” that will hit black and brown voters the hardest. In addition to concerns about the process itself, advocates are demanding the state extend the voter registration deadline. Only Ohioans who registered to vote by the February 18 deadline are eligible to vote in the primary election; voting rights groups say that, under the National Voter Registration Act and Ohio Constitution, that deadline should have been extended. Under this new process, thousands, if not millions, of Ohioans will give up or not be able to cast a vote at all, said Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
“You can’t just blink your eyes and have an all vote-by-mail election, it doesn’t work that way,” Miller said. “Primarily vote-by-mail states have eight to 10 weeks of the process, not four. Voters get ballots, there’s no application process. There are usually drop boxes and vote centers throughout counties. So the bottom line is: This country, this state, is not equipped to run elections during pandemics and emergencies — we need to upgrade and update our election systems today.”
If you don’t already have a ballot, you have to submit an application to request an absentee ballot. The Ohio Secretary of State’s website lays out the three ways to do this: Print an absentee ballot request or have an absentee ballot request sent to you in the mail, call your county boards of election to have them mail you an absentee ballot request, or make your own absentee ballot request. If you own a printer and can print out the application yourself, you fill it out, sign it, and mail it back to the board of elections providing your own stamp and postage, and in many cases, your own envelope — just to receive your ballot. Some grocery stores are also letting people pick up absentee ballot applications through an initiative from the secretary of state, Frank LaRose, and the Ohio Grocers Association.
Applications must be received by the county’s board of elections before noon on April 25. But some fear the tight deadline might not give people enough time to fix any mistakes that happen along the way. Both the state’s governor and secretary of state were in favor of a June 2 primary, but the Republican-controlled state legislature went ahead with the rushed timeline anyway. “Many people still think that Election Day is on June 2, others think they’ll be able to go vote in person, which we know is not true, and many people are struggling to get their ballots in time,” Miller said.
Morgan Harper, the 36-year-old progressive taking on Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty in Ohio’s 3rd Congressional District, says the process amounts to a poll tax. “You have to have additional resources to be able to exercise your right to vote,” Harper said. “It’s going to be a barrier for people always but particularly during a global health pandemic. We’re advising people to not really leave their homes.”
Harper pointed to lower-income voters, college students facing campus closures, and the elderly as some of the groups that face significant barriers to vote in the upcoming election. Lower turnout among historically disenfranchised communities could also end up tilting results toward the incumbent lawmaker.
“Another issue that we’re concerned about as well is for the immigrant population: 11 percent of the 3rd District is foreign-born, and a lot of people rely on translators to help them navigate the process for voting that was available at early voting before our original Election Day,” Harper said. “But in this moment, where we have stay-at-home orders and people can’t safely go to other people’s homes to help talk them through that ballot request application, it’s not clear whether they’re going to be able to get through this process on their own.”
To try to make the process easier and more accessible, Harper’s campaign is hand-delivering absentee ballot applications to voters in the 3rd District. Voters can visit the campaign’s website and fill out a simple form to get the application, along with an envelope, at their doorstep. So far, the campaign has received over 2,000 requests.
“This is extremely confusing and for the average person who has a lot going on, new stressors entering their life every day right now, it might be too much to navigate to actually go through this process. So we need to make this as simple as possible and try to cut down on some of these extra steps for people,” she said.
Aside from broader, systemic solutions like automatic voter registration or making Election Day a national holiday, Harper believes the process could have been streamlined by scrapping the paper application request altogether. “It’s archaic,” she said. Making the absentee ballot request process “completely digital” and “mobile-friendly,” in addition to providing voters with prepaid postage, she added, would “enfranchise a lot more people.”