theintercept--2020-04-29--Trump Mocks Man’s Mask at White House as Pence Refuses to Wear One at Mayo Clinic

that Americans should wear face masks in public to avoid spreading Covid-19 , President Donald Trump mocked a man for wearing one at the White House on Tuesday and Vice President Mike Pence refused to wear one while meeting doctors and patients at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota .
Trump ’ s comment came during an event designed to portray the federal government ’ s aid program for small businesses , known as the Paycheck Protection Program , as wildly successful .
While the small business owners who attended the event in the White House East Room were asked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them wore masks , and neither did the president , his daughter , the treasure secretary or the small business administrator .
Although many small businesses have been unable to gets loans — which are forgiven if used to pay workers for at least eight weeks — because millions of dollars have gone to large , politically connected firms , ten beneficiaries of the program were invited to the stage by the president , and thanked him profusely .
At one point , as Trump asked the vice president of a family contracting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invited a man who accompanied her to join her on stage , and joked about the fact that the man had been wearing a mask earlier .
“ Put that mask on , the way you had it , ” Trump said to the man .
As the president shook his head and smiled , some in the room laughed .
After the event ended , the business owners and officials left their seats and mingled at close quarters , including the president ’ s economic adviser Larry Kudlow , who approached one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from West Virginia , to speak with him about his glasses .
The optometrist , Chris Stansbury , was described simply as a small business owner , but he is also a Republican candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates .
Despite his politics , Stansbury has been urging his clients to take the CDC recommendations on mask-wearing seriously .
In a YouTube video recorded two weeks ago he said , “ if you do have to be out and about , if you do have essential travel , please go ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you feel fine , you could be a carrier of the disease , ” Stansbury explained .
“ Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of people could be carrying this and not even realize it .
They could be asymptomatic carriers of the disease .
So if you have to go out and about into a public space , please , go ahead and put a mask on.
” The hastily organized White House event , which a limited number of reporters were allowed to attend , also seemed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , intended to give the president an opportunity to cast his response to the crisis as a roaring success without too much scrutiny from the media .
Before he took a few questions from reporters , Trump even told the business owners that they were there , in part , to keep the media from being too harsh on him .
“ I think with you in the room , I have a feeling that they ’ ll ask me much nicer questions , ” Trump said , again speaking the quiet part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tone ’ em done , right ?
” The president then lied , in response to the first question , about his wildly inaccurate prediction on Feb. 26 that coronavirus cases in the U.S. would be “ down to close to zero ” within days .
Trump responded by inventing the entirely false narrative that he had been listening to unnamed “ experts ” who had supposedly told him then that the pandemic virus would have no impact anywhere outside China .
In fact , the day before the president made that prediction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on respiratory diseases , had told reporters that she expected the novel coronavirus to begin spreading at a community level in the United States and “ disruption to everyday life might be severe.
” The president ’ s decision to poke fun at the man who wore a mask in the White House came just hours after his vice president apparently defied a request from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to honor its policy by wearing a mask while visiting doctors and patients there .
The vice president later told NBC News that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus on a regular basis , and everyone who is around me is tested , ” he didn ’ t think it was necessary for him to wear a mask .
Apparently the idea that he could have a false negative has not occurred to the man leading the White House coronavirus task force , nor has the concept of using his office to model good behavior for the public .
“ I thought it ’ d be a good opportunity , ” Pence added , “ for me to be here , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you .
”

Despite CDC guidance that Americans should wear face masks in public to avoid spreading Covid-19, President Donald Trump joked about a man who wore one at the White House on Tuesday and Vice President Mike Pence refused to wear one while meeting doctors and patients at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Trump’s comment came during an event designed to portray the federal government’s aid program for small businesses, known as the Paycheck Protection Program, as wildly successful. While the small business owners who attended the event in the White House East Room were asked to sit six feet apart, none of them wore masks, and neither did the president, his daughter, the treasure secretary or the small business administrator.
.?@realDonaldTrump? tells a West Virginia eye doctor who benefited from the CARES Act that he may need to get an eye examination later. pic.twitter.com/Ow2JyEkeRP — Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) April 28, 2020
Although many small businesses have been unable to gets loans — which are forgiven if used to pay workers for at least eight weeks — because millions of dollars have gone to large, politically connected firms, ten beneficiaries of the program were invited to the stage by the president, and thanked him profusely.
At one point, as Trump asked Ali Mills, the vice president of a family-owned contracting company from Pennsylvania to speak, he invited her husband and co-worker to join her on stage, and joked about the fact that he had worn a mask earlier. “Put that mask on, the way you had it,” Trump said to the man. As the president shook his head and smiled, some in the room laughed. (After the event, Mills explained in an email that her husband, who “has a great passion for President Trump,” has a Trump 2020 mask, which he showed the president before the event.)
After the event ended, the business owners and officials left their seats and mingled at close quarters, including the president’s economic adviser Larry Kudlow, who approached one of the business owners, an optometrist from West Virginia, to get free advice about his glasses.
Kudlow says he, too, needs an eye doc appointment. His glasses are pinching. pic.twitter.com/KJ7g8Eck4N — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 28, 2020
The optometrist, Chris Stansbury, was described simply as a small business owner, but he is also a Republican candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates. Despite his politics, Stansbury has been urging his clients to take the CDC recommendations on mask-wearing seriously. In a YouTube video recorded two weeks ago he said, “if you do have to be out and about, if you do have essential travel, please go ahead and wear a mask.”
“Even if you feel fine, you could be a carrier of the disease,” Stansbury explained. “Studies have shown that up to 40 percent of people could be carrying this and not even realize it. They could be asymptomatic carriers of the disease. So if you have to go out and about into a public space, please, go ahead and put a mask on.”
The hastily organized White House event, which a limited number of reporters were allowed to attend, also seemed to be part of a new media strategy, intended to give the president an opportunity to cast his response to the crisis as a roaring success without too much scrutiny from the media. Before he took a few questions from reporters, Trump even told the business owners that they were there, in part, to keep the media from being too harsh on him. “I think with you in the room, I have a feeling that they’ll ask me much nicer questions,” Trump said, again speaking the quiet part out loud. “They’ll tone ’em done, right?”
The president then lied, in response to the first question, about his wildly inaccurate prediction on Feb. 26 that coronavirus cases in the U.S. would be “down to close to zero” within days. Trump responded by inventing the entirely false narrative that he had been listening to unnamed “experts” who supposedly told him then that the pandemic virus would have no impact outside China.
New Trump lie: many experts "said that this would never affect the United States, it wouldn't affect Europe, it wouldn't affect anything outside of China. So we were listening to experts, we always will… but the experts got it wrong." (via @atrupar) pic.twitter.com/alVlyOjuew — Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) April 29, 2020
In fact, on Feb. 25, the day before the president made that prediction, Nancy Messonnier, a CDC expert on respiratory diseases, told reporters something very different: that her agency expected the novel coronavirus to begin spreading at a community level in the United States and “disruption to everyday life might be severe.”
The president’s decision to poke fun at the man who wore a mask in the White House came just hours after his vice president apparently defied a request from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to honor its policy by wearing a mask while visiting doctors and patients there.
As photographs and video circulated of Pence not wearing a mask, unlike everyone else around him, including Dr. Stephen Hahn, the FDA commissioner, the clinic’s Twitter feed reported that the vice president had been informed in advance of Mayo’s policy that every visitor has to wear a mask. (Shortly after it was posted, that tweet was removed from Twitter without explanation.)
Here's the tweet posted and then deleted from the @MayoClinic Twitter feed on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/xFwCP1sJ0X — Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) April 28, 2020
After a roundtable discussion with Mayo Clinic doctors and Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, during which he was the only one not wearing a mask, Pence even slapped one of the doctors on the back.
Photo: PBS Newshour, via YouTube
The vice president later told NBC News that since he is “tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested,” he didn’t think it was necessary for him to wear a mask. Apparently the idea that he could have a false negative has not occurred to the man leading the White House coronavirus task force, nor has the concept of using his office to model good behavior for the public.
“I thought it’d be a good opportunity,” Pence added, “for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you.”
Asked why he's not wearing a mask at Mayo, Pence says as VP he's "tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis… and since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here… to look them in the eye and say thank you.” pic.twitter.com/0iq1MgqAfQ — Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) April 29, 2020
Pence’s explanation outraged many observers who noted that you can still look people “in the eye” while wearing a mask over your mouth and nose to protect them from a virus you might be carrying.
Hey @VP when I go to @MayoClinic tomorrow to bring my dad to his 4 cancer appts should I tell them I’m not going to wear a mask so I can look them in the eye? Oh wait, my dad and others at the HOSPITAL have extremely compromised immune systems and I’m not a moron!!! — Emily Williamson (@EmilyCobenais) April 29, 2020
Updated: Wednesday, April 29, 9:45 p.m. PDT
This post was updated with a new headline and to add information about the mask Donald Trump joked about at the White House on Tuesday.


theintercept--2020-04-28--Private Hospitals, Now Demanding Bailouts, Lobbied to Defeat Cost-Saving Health Reform as Coronaviru

Private Hospitals, Now Demanding Bailouts, Lobbied to Defeat Cost-Saving Health Reform as Coronavirus Crisis Grew

The group , launched two years ago with a focus on battling Medicare for All during the Democratic presidential primary , has since shifted to blocking state-based reform efforts .
PAHCF is funded by the largest voices in for-profit health care , from drug companies to medical device makers .
The coalition is led by a lobbyist who represents the largest for-profit hospital chains in the country .
The Partnership for America ’ s Health Care Future Action is a private hospital , insurance , and drug industry-led campaign group to defeat state-based public option plans and diminish support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly $ 3 million through last month on advocacy and television advertisements as the Covid-19 crisis took shape .
Private hospital megachains have maneuvered in recent months to defeat the expansion of low-cost health insurance coverage , while demanding unprecedented bailouts over the coronavirus crisis .
Drafts of the proposal lay out a number of financing options , including an effort to constrain the billing practices at hospitals , a cost-saving method used for programs such as Medicare .
But such cost reductions for consumers and taxpayers at the expense of private hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as The Intercept has previously covered .
The spending spree went toward attacks on a Colorado plan that would have provided a “ public option ” for those without employer-based coverage .
The option would be offered as a low-cost insurance alternative that could be used at any major health care provider for quality care .
The program was estimated to save an average of 20 percent on premiums , below the costs of equivalent private insurance plans available on health insurance exchanges .
The outbreak of the coronavirus did little to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado plan .
Colorado Gov .
Jared Polis declared a state of emergency over the spread of Covid-19 on March 10 .
PAHCF continued spending on lobbying and public advocacy against the public option plan through at least March 17 .
The disclosures for April have not yet been released .
New disclosures filed with the Colorado Secretary of State show that PAHCF spent the first half of March on a variety of political spending in the state to weaken support for the low-cost , government-run alternative health plan .
The disclosure shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called Plus Media Communications for broadcast , cable , and digital ads .
The coalition also retained several local lobbyists to keep up the pressure on Colorado lawmakers and mobilize grassroots opposition .
The Kenney Group , a lobby firm that employs former aides to leading Colorado politicians , was paid at least $ 24,000 by PAHCF during this period .
True West Strategies , a company recently registered by Tyler Mounsey , a former aide to former Gov .
John Hickenlooper , was also paid by the campaign .
Social media accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promoting political attacks on the plan .
“ H.B .
20-1349 would put health care decisions in the hands of politicians , instead of doctors and nurses .
We can ’ t afford this legislation — it ’ s time to # StopTheOption , ” claimed the group in one Facebook posting .
The lobbying blitz , coupled with the uncertainty that the crisis has imposed over the policy process , has stalled the ambitious Colorado plan at a time when many Coloradans are losing their jobs and hence their health care .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold as Colorado lawmakers take up other emergency measures relating to the coronavirus .
The sweeping unemployment caused by the crisis has pushed even more Americans into the individual market , a dynamic that could be solved in part by a low-cost public plan .
Democratic state Rep. Dylan Roberts , a proponent of the plan , told Colorado Public News that the “ public health crisis makes it abundantly clear that more people need access to health treatment.
” But the fate of the legislative proposal remains in limbo .
PAHCF , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for comment , appeared to change its messaging in April .
The group now touts the role of the private sector in solving the Covid-19 crisis in advertisements that have run in recent weeks .
The interests behind PAHCF , during the same period , have spent big money wrangling a series of taxpayer-funded bailouts from Congress .
The chairman of PAHCF , Chip Kahn , the chief lobbyist for the Federation of American Hospitals , which represents investor-owned hospitals , disclosed that his team worked to secure emergency funding for hospitals as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent federal spending .
The CARES Act , the $ 2.2 trillion bailout legislation , authorized $ 100 billion to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund , which provides payments to hospitals and providers to offset the lost revenue from reduced elective procedures and other lost revenue during the crisis .
Last week , Congress passed another round of emergency spending .
Much of the package was designed to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program funding for small businesses , along with an additional $ 75 billion for hospitals .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Forbes Tate , the Washington , D.C. , lobbying firm that oversees PAHCF .
The firm has registered over a dozen new clients seeking influence over the emergency legislation since the crisis began .
Gilead Sciences , a pharmaceutical firm that has touted one of its antiviral drugs as a potential treatment for Covid-19 , registered with Forbes Tate to shape federal policy around the crisis .

Private hospital megachains have maneuvered in recent months to defeat the expansion of low-cost health insurance coverage, while demanding unprecedented bailouts over the coronavirus crisis.
The Partnership for America’s Health Care Future Action is a private hospital, insurance, and drug industry-led campaign group to defeat state-based public option plans and diminish support for single-payer health insurance. The group spent nearly $3 million through last month on advocacy and television advertisements as the Covid-19 crisis took shape.
The group, launched two years ago with a focus on battling Medicare for All during the Democratic presidential primary, has since shifted to blocking state-based reform efforts. PAHCF is funded by the largest voices in for-profit health care, from drug companies to medical device makers. The coalition is led by a lobbyist who represents the largest for-profit hospital chains in the country.
The spending spree went toward attacks on a Colorado plan that would have provided a “public option” for those without employer-based coverage. The option would be offered as a low-cost insurance alternative that could be used at any major health care provider for quality care. The program was estimated to save an average of 20 percent on premiums, below the costs of equivalent private insurance plans available on health insurance exchanges.
Drafts of the proposal lay out a number of financing options, including an effort to constrain the billing practices at hospitals, a cost-saving method used for programs such as Medicare. But such cost reductions for consumers and taxpayers at the expense of private hospitals sparked a furious lobbying campaign by industry, as The Intercept has previously covered.
The outbreak of the coronavirus did little to temper the industry-backed lobbying spree against the Colorado plan.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency over the spread of Covid-19 on March 10. PAHCF continued spending on lobbying and public advocacy against the public option plan through at least March 17. The disclosures for April have not yet been released.
New disclosures filed with the Colorado Secretary of State show that PAHCF spent the first half of March on a variety of political spending in the state to weaken support for the low-cost, government-run alternative health plan. The disclosure shows $2.7 million paid to a company called Plus Media Communications for broadcast, cable, and digital ads.
The coalition also retained several local lobbyists to keep up the pressure on Colorado lawmakers and mobilize grassroots opposition. The Kenney Group, a lobby firm that employs former aides to leading Colorado politicians, was paid at least $24,000 by PAHCF during this period. True West Strategies, a company recently registered by Tyler Mounsey, a former aide to former Gov. John Hickenlooper, was also paid by the campaign.
Social media accounts controlled by PAHCF during this period continued promoting political attacks on the plan. “H.B. 20-1349 would put health care decisions in the hands of politicians, instead of doctors and nurses. We can’t afford this legislation — it’s time to #StopTheOption,” claimed the group in one Facebook posting.
The lobbying blitz, coupled with the uncertainty that the crisis has imposed over the policy process, has stalled the ambitious Colorado plan at a time when many Coloradans are losing their jobs and hence their health care. Legislative action on the bill is on hold as Colorado lawmakers take up other emergency measures relating to the coronavirus.
The sweeping unemployment caused by the crisis has pushed even more Americans into the individual market, a dynamic that could be solved in part by a low-cost public plan. Democratic state Rep. Dylan Roberts, a proponent of the plan, told Colorado Public News that the “public health crisis makes it abundantly clear that more people need access to health treatment.” But the fate of the legislative proposal remains in limbo.
PAHCF, which did not respond to a request for comment, appeared to change its messaging in April. The group now touts the role of the private sector in solving the Covid-19 crisis in advertisements that have run in recent weeks.
The interests behind PAHCF, during the same period, have spent big money wrangling a series of taxpayer-funded bailouts from Congress.
The chairman of PAHCF, Chip Kahn, the chief lobbyist for the Federation of American Hospitals, which represents investor-owned hospitals, disclosed that his team worked to secure emergency funding for hospitals as part of the nearly $3 trillion in recent federal spending.
The CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion bailout legislation, authorized $100 billion to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, which provides payments to hospitals and providers to offset the lost revenue from reduced elective procedures and other lost revenue during the crisis.
Last week, Congress passed another round of emergency spending. Much of the package was designed to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program funding for small businesses, along with an additional $75 billion for hospitals.
The coronavirus epidemic has served as a bonanza for Forbes Tate, the Washington, D.C., lobbying firm that oversees PAHCF. The firm has registered over a dozen new clients seeking influence over the emergency legislation since the crisis began. Gilead Sciences, a pharmaceutical firm that has touted one of its antiviral drugs as a potential treatment for Covid-19, registered with Forbes Tate to shape federal policy around the crisis.
The need for federal bailout money contrasts sharply with years of spending by investor-owned hospitals on executive compensation, dividends, and share repurchases. Kindred and HCA Healthcare, two of the largest private hospital chains, which operate several hospitals in Colorado, have collectively spent over $3 billion in stock buybacks in recent years.
Tenet Healthcare, an investor-owned hospital that directly funds PAHCF, increased the pay package of CEO Ronald Rittenmeyer by $10 million last year, bringing his cash and stock awards to nearly $25 million. HCA Healthcare paid former chief executive R. Milton Johnson $109 million in 2018 as he retired from the company. Both companies, now reportedly receiving a gusher of government aid, have furloughed thousands of nurses and doctors.
The pause in health reform politics, with Colorado’s public option in doubt and the defeat of the more progressive Democratic candidates in the presidential primary, has given PAHCF the opportunity to refashion itself into a public relations arm for the industry.
“HCA Healthcare is #WorkingTogether by providing life-saving ventilators in some of America’s cities hardest hit by #COVID19,” declares one recent PAHCF advertisement running on Facebook. Other PAHCF ads celebrate the contributions of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the lobby arm of the drug industry.


theintercept--2020-04-28--Toxic PFAS Fallout Found Near Incinerator in Upstate New York

known as PFAS have contaminated soil and water near an incinerator in upstate New York that has been burning firefighting foam .
The facility is run by Norlite , whose parent company Tradebe contracted with the Department of Defense to burn the foam known as AFFF , as The Intercept reported in January 2019 .
The analysis of three soil and four water samples collected near the Norlite incinerator in Cohoes , New York , which appears to be the first environmental testing done near an AFFF incineration site , revealed the presence of 10 PFAS compounds that have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the chemicals in soil and water declined with distance from the plant , and measurements of PFOS , a compound that has been widely used in firefighting foam , were twice as high downwind from the facility than upwind of it , according to David Bond , a professor of environmental studies at Bennington College , who conducted the testing with some of his students .
“ All of this provides a strong indication of airborne deposition of PFAS from ineffective incineration of AFFF at the Norlite facility , ” said Bond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foam posed health risks , the military has turned to incineration of as a way of disposing of millions of gallons of AFFF in recent years .
The foam , which has been used for decades to put out jet fuel fires , long contained both PFOA and PFOS , as The Intercept reported in 2015 .
Widespread use of the foam that contained these extremely persistent chemicals , which are associated with kidney cancer , testicular cancer , and many other health problems , resulted in contamination of drinking water across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Defense decided to stop using PFOS and PFOA in AFFF , but continued using a newer formulation of the foam that contains closely related compounds in the same class .
States , localities , and fire departments , which have used AFFF made to military specifications for decades , have also begun to send their excess foam to incinerators .
At a press conference yesterday , Cohoes Mayor William Keeler said that 25 states have been sending AFFF to the Norlite facility .
The hope is that the foam could be safely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the testing done near the Norlite incinerator , which is less than 200 meters from a public housing complex that is home to more than 70 families , suggests otherwise .
“ Far from destroying PFAS , the Norlite plant appears to be raining down a witches ’ brew of PFAS compounds on the poor and working class neighborhoods of Cohoes , ” said Bond .
Although , in a 2017 request for proposals , the Air Force made it clear that it believed “ no satisfactory disposal method has been identified ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not fully destroy PFAS in the foam and may create dangerous byproducts , the Defense Department in November 2018 entered into two contracts with Tradebe , which is based in Indiana , to incinerate more than 1 million gallons of stockpiled foam that had been collected from the Army , Navy , National Guard , and Marine installations in Italy , Spain , Bahrain , Greece , Romania , Japan , Korea , Cuba , and Djibouti .
Public records indicate that Tradebe also separately contracted with the Defense Logistics Agency for hazardous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January .
Tradebe did not respond to inquiries from The Intercept about whether that most recent contract , worth $ 15,743 , was for the incineration of AFFF .
Judith Enck , a visiting professor and senior fellow at Bennington College who has been working on PFAS , said that the contamination near the Norlite facility should raise alarms both about the company and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation , which she said failed to provide proper oversight .
“ There was essentially no environmental review and no test burning done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the New York Department of Environmental Conservation wrote that “ New York continues to lead the nation in addressing PFAS threats , and any insinuation to the contrary is absurd .
DEC is reviewing the data released today , and it appears to be consistent with low background levels observed in urban areas in emerging scientific studies.
” The statement also pointed out that the facility , which is temporarily closed while it is installing new scrubbers , “ is not currently incinerating this waste ” and that “ DEC ’ s on-site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facility to ensure all operations are protective of human health and the environment.
” The DEC statement also notes that it discovered the burning of PFAS waste at the Norlite facility “ in late 2019 , ” while Enck said the state likely knew about the incineration much earlier .
Noting that the DEC has an on-site monitor stationed at the Norlite facility , Enck said “ It would be very odd if the DEC staff person didn ’ t know it was being burned in 2018.
” Tradebe did not respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The residents of Cohoes aren ’ t the only people plagued by the environmental dilemma of disposing of dangerous chemicals that were designed not to burn .
In February , Earthjustice and the Sierra Club sued the Department of Defense over the incineration of AFFF on behalf of people living near sites where the military authorized the incineration of AFFF , including East Liverpool , Ohio ; Port Arthur , Texas ; and Metro East , an area of Illinois east of St. Louis , Missouri .
The suit argued that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Environmental Policy Act and the National Defense Authorization Act by failing to conduct any environmental reviews “ before approving the incineration of millions of gallons of toxic firefighting foam.
” A hazardous waste incinerator in Arkansas owned by Veolia has also received some of the AFFF for incineration .
Many more communities are likely to be affected , according to Jane Williams , executive director of California Communities Against Toxics , who has been tracking the incineration of the firefighting foam .
“ States across the U.S. are looking at AFFF as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it to municipal waste incinerators , landfills , and deep-well injection sites , ” said Williams .
“ This stuff is going all over the place .
It ’ s a free for all .
”

Industrial chemicals known as PFAS have contaminated soil and water near an incinerator in upstate New York that has been burning firefighting foam. The facility is run by Norlite, whose parent company Tradebe contracted with the Department of Defense to burn the foam known as AFFF, as The Intercept reported in January 2019.
The analysis of three soil and four water samples collected near the Norlite incinerator in Cohoes, New York, which appears to be the first environmental testing done near an AFFF incineration site, revealed the presence of 10 PFAS compounds that have been associated with the foam. The levels of the chemicals in soil and water declined with distance from the plant, and measurements of PFOS, a compound that has been widely used in firefighting foam, were twice as high downwind from the facility than upwind of it, according to David Bond, a professor of environmental studies at Bennington College, who conducted the testing with some of his students.
“All of this provides a strong indication of airborne deposition of PFAS from ineffective incineration of AFFF at the Norlite facility,” said Bond.
Despite evidence that burning the firefighting foam posed health risks, the military has turned to incineration of as a way of disposing of millions of gallons of AFFF in recent years. The foam, which has been used for decades to put out jet fuel fires, long contained both PFOA and PFOS, as The Intercept reported in 2015. Widespread use of the foam that contained these extremely persistent chemicals, which are associated with kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and many other health problems, resulted in contamination of drinking water across the country. In 2016, the Department of Defense decided to stop using PFOS and PFOA in AFFF, but continued using a newer formulation of the foam that contains closely related compounds in the same class.
States, localities, and fire departments, which have used AFFF made to military specifications for decades, have also begun to send their excess foam to incinerators. At a press conference yesterday, Cohoes Mayor William Keeler said that 25 states have been sending AFFF to the Norlite facility. The hope is that the foam could be safely incinerated at extremely high temperatures. But the testing done near the Norlite incinerator, which is less than 200 meters from a public housing complex that is home to more than 70 families, suggests otherwise.
“Far from destroying PFAS, the Norlite plant appears to be raining down a witches’ brew of PFAS compounds on the poor and working class neighborhoods of Cohoes,” said Bond.
Although, in a 2017 request for proposals, the Air Force made it clear that it believed “no satisfactory disposal method has been identified” for AFFF and that its incineration may not fully destroy PFAS in the foam and may create dangerous byproducts, the Defense Department in November 2018 entered into two contracts with Tradebe, which is based in Indiana, to incinerate more than 1 million gallons of stockpiled foam that had been collected from the Army, Navy, National Guard, and Marine installations in Italy, Spain, Bahrain, Greece, Romania, Japan, Korea, Cuba, and Djibouti.
Read our complete coverage Bad Chemistry
Public records indicate that Tradebe also separately contracted with the Defense Logistics Agency for hazardous waste treatment and disposal as recently as January. Tradebe did not respond to inquiries from The Intercept about whether that most recent contract, worth $15,743, was for the incineration of AFFF.
Judith Enck, a visiting professor and senior fellow at Bennington College who has been working on PFAS, said that the contamination near the Norlite facility should raise alarms both about the company and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which she said failed to provide proper oversight. “There was essentially no environmental review and no test burning done in advance.”
In a statement, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation wrote that “New York continues to lead the nation in addressing PFAS threats, and any insinuation to the contrary is absurd. DEC is reviewing the data released today, and it appears to be consistent with low background levels observed in urban areas in emerging scientific studies.”
The statement also pointed out that the facility, which is temporarily closed while it is installing new scrubbers, “is not currently incinerating this waste” and that “DEC’s on-site monitor is providing strict oversight of this facility to ensure all operations are protective of human health and the environment.”
The DEC statement also notes that it discovered the burning of PFAS waste at the Norlite facility “in late 2019,” while Enck said the state likely knew about the incineration much earlier. Noting that the DEC has an on-site monitor stationed at the Norlite facility, Enck said “It would be very odd if the DEC staff person didn’t know it was being burned in 2018.”
Tradebe did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this story.
The residents of Cohoes aren’t the only people plagued by the environmental dilemma of disposing of dangerous chemicals that were designed not to burn. In February, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club sued the Department of Defense over the incineration of AFFF on behalf of people living near sites where the military authorized the incineration of AFFF, including East Liverpool, Ohio; Port Arthur, Texas; and Metro East, an area of Illinois east of St. Louis, Missouri. The suit argued that the Department of Defense had violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Defense Authorization Act by failing to conduct any environmental reviews “before approving the incineration of millions of gallons of toxic firefighting foam.” A hazardous waste incinerator in Arkansas owned by Veolia has also received some of the AFFF for incineration.
Many more communities are likely to be affected, according to Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, who has been tracking the incineration of the firefighting foam. “States across the U.S. are looking at AFFF as a hot potato, collecting it and sending it to municipal waste incinerators, landfills, and deep-well injection sites,” said Williams. “This stuff is going all over the place. It’s a free for all.”
Update: May 19, 2020
On May 14, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent a letter to Bond and Enck critiquing their study. The state environmental agency called Bond and Enck’s conclusions and the data on which they are based “deeply flawed and incomplete” and argued that the study “did not establish downwind PFAS impacts” of AFFF incineration.
Asked about the letter, Bond emphasized New York’s failure to do its own research on the safety of incinerating the firefighting foam. “They spend far more time trying to discredit our study that going out to do the research that’s needed,” said Bond. “DEC is reacting, they’re not leading on this.”
The state agency insists it is working on the issue and has temporarily ordered the facility not to continue burning the firefighting foam. “DEC is collaborating with partners, including U.S. EPA emission measurement experts and the State Department of Health, to explore the options available to study and analyze the safe disposal of AFFF,” an agency spokesperson wrote in an email to The Intercept. “Until these options are identified and evaluated and we are confident incineration is a safe disposal method, DEC has directed Norlite to conduct no incineration of AFFF.”


theintercept--2020-04-28--How New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Is Using the Pandemic to Consolidate Power

officials ’ decision on Monday to cancel the June Democratic presidential primary was just the latest in a series of moves by Gov .
Andrew Cuomo ’ s administration to consolidate power and shut out progressives in the state .
The state based its decision to cancel the presidential primary on public health grounds , since former Vice President Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee after Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out on April 8 .
But New York will be moving forward with congressional and state-level primaries on June 23 .
The cancellation of the presidential primary is likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lower progressive turnout will likely have a ripple effect for a handful of left-wing insurgents who are mounting credible challenges to longtime incumbents .
In recent weeks , Cuomo has been lavished with national praise for holding nightly briefings about the pandemic , seemingly filling a leadership vacuum left by the federal government .
But not only did Cuomo fumble his state ’ s response , minimizing the risks of the virus in early March , but he has also used this political moment to cement his authority and that of his political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cuomo has canceled six special elections and used the state ’ s annual budget process , over which he wielded great influence , to enact some of the most strict ballot access laws in the nation and expand his budgetary power .
Progressives say the combination of moves amount to a power grab , given cover by the ongoing pandemic .
“ He ’ s high on his new popularity and using it to become even more authoritarian , ” said Monica Klein , a progressive strategist in New York City and co-founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential campaign slammed New York ’ s decision on Monday , citing the fact that the Vermont senator had asked to remain on the ballot to try to collect more delegates to increase his leverage over the Democratic Party platform .
Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver said the move gave precedent for President Donald Trump to postpone the November election .
Progressives in the state are saying the move by the Board of Elections , whose commissioners are appointed by the governor , leaves them disenfranchised .
In addition to the cancellation of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a handful of other changes Cuomo recently made that weaken the left-leaning Working Families Party , with which he has been in a yearslong feud .
“ If it ’ s not safe to hold a presidential primary , then why is it safe to hold a primary for congressional and state offices ?
It doesn ’ t make any sense , ” said progressive strategist Rebecca Katz .
“ If they really want to help New Yorkers , they should be canceling rent , not canceling elections.
” Cuomo ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic to consolidate power and put full responsibility for canceling the primary on election officials .
“ The presidential primary was a decision made by the Board of Elections and no one else , ” senior adviser Rich Azzopardi said in a statement to The Intercept .
“ We ’ re fighting a pandemic and have no time for conspiracy theories , especially poorly thought out ones.
” The governor ’ s office did not respond to questions about what role it played in conversations leading up to Monday ’ s decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special elections , including four state legislative races and one local election for Queens borough president .
He issued another order the next day canceling a sixth special election , for city council .
The legislative seats will remain open until November , and the current acting Queens borough president will serve until then as well .
The fate of the election for a Brooklyn City Council seat will be decided in court later this week .
“ This is your progressive governor that you all think should be president , ” city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news that her election was canceled .
“ This is by far the most blatant anti-democratic power grab.
” The state ’ s new budget , which Cuomo signed into law on April 3 — after bullying the state legislature to pass it , including by threatening to shut down the Department of Health in the midst of a pandemic — gives him the power to make unilateral rolling budget cuts at any time throughout the year , up from once annually .
During budget negotiations , Cuomo had threatened to make cuts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Medicaid cuts made it in while he continues to threaten to slash education spending .
Also in the budget , the governor increased the threshold for ballot access , effectively kicking the WFP off the ballot , an issue they ’ ve battled over for years .
WFP is reviewing legal options for pushing back against the increased ballot threshold , according to a consultant who works with the group .
In the meantime , it will continue its political organizing in an effort to reach 130,000 votes in November .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ develop safe election processes in light of the pandemic , using executive action to make it easier to vote by mail and shorten the period to gather signatures required to make the ballot . )
Under the new rules , a political party can only get a ballot line if it gets the higher of 130,000 votes or 2 percent of the overall vote every two years on gubernatorial and presidential lines , up from 50,000 votes .
Among alternative parties , only the state ’ s Conservative Party has ever gotten more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future elections , it could be the only party to appear alongside the two major parties .
Cuomo ’ s allies have been open about their intentions to stymie progressives by increasing the ballot access threshold .
Cuomo ally and Public Campaign Finance Commissioner Jay Jacobs , who chairs the state Democratic Party , admitted last November that the ballot access changes could leave only the Conservative Party to survive among alternative parties , eliminating the candidates in the Working Families , Independent , and Green parties .
In a November radio interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party should be able to raise enough money to turn out 150,000 votes , arguing that the thresholds were meant to root out “ sham parties , ” clarifying that he did not think that applied to the Working Families , Green , or Conservative parties .
“ But if you spend a little bit of money — and they all raise a lot of money — the executives of the party and the people in the party get paid a good amount , and I don ’ t know what they do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but they sure don ’ t use it campaigning like the Democratic Party does and the Republican Party does , ” he said .
“ And if you can ’ t , after you do that , you ’ re not a credible party.
” Even Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the ballot access change would only help conservatives and weaken Democrats .
“ Senator Schumer believes eliminating the WFP from the ballot only helps conservatives and weakens our ability to win races , ” Schumer spokesperson Angelo Roefaro told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have long feuded over some of the same left-versus-center issues straining the national Democratic Party .
In New York , those tensions have manifested in battles over the issues of fusion voting and ballot access for minor parties , along with what progressives say is the governor ’ s mixed messaging on Democratic priorities .
Last year , Cuomo created the State Public Campaign Financing Commission to determine aspects of the state ’ s public campaign financing system .
The governor ’ s office said the commission would “ have the binding power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and statewide offices , authorizing up to $ 100 million annually in public funds.
” Last year , a state Supreme Court in Niagara County found that the commission , and its approved proposals to change ballot access requirements , were unconstitutional .
The court said the setup amounted to “ an improper and unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority to the commission.
” WFP New York State Director Bill Lipton has said the commission ’ s true purpose was to end fusion voting , which allows candidates to run on multiple party lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
Cuomo has dismissed the idea , noting that he himself has run on multiple lines , though he went on to add the commission ’ s ballot threshold changes to the state budget this year .
The sweeping changes to elections have progressive politicians fired up .
“ Trying to suppress democracy at any time is abhorrent , ” Nurse and her backers , including New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez and state Sen. Julia Salazar , said in a statement following the cancellation of Nurse ’ s election .
“ Trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is absolutely outrageous .
”

New York election officials’ decision on Monday to cancel the June Democratic presidential primary was just the latest in a series of moves by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration to consolidate power and shut out progressives in the state.
The state based its decision to cancel the presidential primary on public health grounds, since former Vice President Joe Biden is the presumptive nominee after Sen. Bernie Sanders dropped out on April 8. But New York will be moving forward with congressional and state-level primaries on June 23. The cancellation of the presidential primary is likely to depress turnout among Sanders supporters, and lower progressive turnout will likely have a ripple effect for a handful of left-wing insurgents who are mounting credible challenges to longtime incumbents.
In recent weeks, Cuomo has been lavished with national praise for holding nightly briefings about the pandemic, seemingly filling a leadership vacuum left by the federal government. But not only did Cuomo fumble his state’s response, minimizing the risks of the virus in early March, but he has also used this political moment to cement his authority and that of his political allies. Over the past month, Cuomo has canceled six special elections and used the state’s annual budget process, over which he wielded great influence, to enact some of the most strict ballot access laws in the nation and expand his budgetary power. Progressives say the combination of moves amount to a power grab, given cover by the ongoing pandemic.
“He’s high on his new popularity and using it to become even more authoritarian,” said Monica Klein, a progressive strategist in New York City and co-founder of Seneca Strategies.
Sanders’s presidential campaign slammed New York’s decision on Monday, citing the fact that the Vermont senator had asked to remain on the ballot to try to collect more delegates to increase his leverage over the Democratic Party platform. Sanders adviser Jeff Weaver said the move gave precedent for President Donald Trump to postpone the November election.
Progressives in the state are saying the move by the Board of Elections, whose commissioners are appointed by the governor, leaves them disenfranchised. In addition to the cancellation of the primary, they’re pointing to a handful of other changes Cuomo recently made that weaken the left-leaning Working Families Party, with which he has been in a yearslong feud.
“If it’s not safe to hold a presidential primary, then why is it safe to hold a primary for congressional and state offices? It doesn’t make any sense,” said progressive strategist Rebecca Katz. “If they really want to help New Yorkers, they should be canceling rent, not canceling elections.”
Cuomo’s office dismissed the idea that he was using the pandemic to consolidate power and put full responsibility for canceling the primary on election officials. “The presidential primary was a decision made by the Board of Elections and no one else,” senior adviser Rich Azzopardi said in a statement to The Intercept. “We’re fighting a pandemic and have no time for conspiracy theories, especially poorly thought out ones.” The governor’s office did not respond to questions about what role it played in conversations leading up to Monday’s decision.
On Friday, Cuomo signed an executive order canceling five special elections, including four state legislative races and one local election for Queens borough president. He issued another order the next day canceling a sixth special election, for city council. The legislative seats will remain open until November, and the current acting Queens borough president will serve until then as well. The fate of the election for a Brooklyn City Council seat will be decided in court later this week.
“This is your progressive governor that you all think should be president,” city council candidate Sandy Nurse tweeted following the news that her election was canceled. “This is by far the most blatant anti-democratic power grab.”
This means that unless @NYCMayor steps in and enforces the city charter and unless the court agrees, @NYGovCuomo has effectively handed a city council seat to the machine. — Sandy Nurse (@SandyforCouncil) April 26, 2020
The state’s new budget, which Cuomo signed into law on April 3 — after bullying the state legislature to pass it, including by threatening to shut down the Department of Health in the midst of a pandemic — gives him the power to make unilateral rolling budget cuts at any time throughout the year, up from once annually. During budget negotiations, Cuomo had threatened to make cuts to Medicaid and education — some of the Medicaid cuts made it in while he continues to threaten to slash education spending.
Also in the budget, the governor increased the threshold for ballot access, effectively kicking the WFP off the ballot, an issue they’ve battled over for years. WFP is reviewing legal options for pushing back against the increased ballot threshold, according to a consultant who works with the group. In the meantime, it will continue its political organizing in an effort to reach 130,000 votes in November. (Cuomo has also taken some steps to develop safe election processes in light of the pandemic, using executive action to make it easier to vote by mail and shorten the period to gather signatures required to make the ballot.)
Under the new rules, a political party can only get a ballot line if it gets the higher of 130,000 votes or 2 percent of the overall vote every two years on gubernatorial and presidential lines, up from 50,000 votes. Among alternative parties, only the state’s Conservative Party has ever gotten more than 200,000 votes, meaning that in future elections, it could be the only party to appear alongside the two major parties.
Cuomo’s allies have been open about their intentions to stymie progressives by increasing the ballot access threshold. Cuomo ally and Public Campaign Finance Commissioner Jay Jacobs, who chairs the state Democratic Party, admitted last November that the ballot access changes could leave only the Conservative Party to survive among alternative parties, eliminating the candidates in the Working Families, Independent, and Green parties. In a November radio interview, Jacobs argued that any legitimate political party should be able to raise enough money to turn out 150,000 votes, arguing that the thresholds were meant to root out “sham parties,” clarifying that he did not think that applied to the Working Families, Green, or Conservative parties.
“But if you spend a little bit of money — and they all raise a lot of money — the executives of the party and the people in the party get paid a good amount, and I don’t know what they do with the rest of the money, but they sure don’t use it campaigning like the Democratic Party does and the Republican Party does,” he said. “And if you can’t, after you do that, you’re not a credible party.”
Even Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the ballot access change would only help conservatives and weaken Democrats. “Senator Schumer believes eliminating the WFP from the ballot only helps conservatives and weakens our ability to win races,” Schumer spokesperson Angelo Roefaro told the Daily News in November.
Cuomo and the WFP have long feuded over some of the same left-versus-center issues straining the national Democratic Party. In New York, those tensions have manifested in battles over the issues of fusion voting and ballot access for minor parties, along with what progressives say is the governor’s mixed messaging on Democratic priorities.
Last year, Cuomo created the State Public Campaign Financing Commission to determine aspects of the state’s public campaign financing system. The governor’s office said the commission would “have the binding power to implement public campaign financing for legislative and statewide offices, authorizing up to $100 million annually in public funds.” Last year, a state Supreme Court in Niagara County found that the commission, and its approved proposals to change ballot access requirements, were unconstitutional. The court said the setup amounted to “an improper and unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority to the commission.”
WFP New York State Director Bill Lipton has said the commission’s true purpose was to end fusion voting, which allows candidates to run on multiple party lines and exists in only a handful of states. Cuomo has dismissed the idea, noting that he himself has run on multiple lines, though he went on to add the commission’s ballot threshold changes to the state budget this year.
The sweeping changes to elections have progressive politicians fired up. “Trying to suppress democracy at any time is abhorrent,” Nurse and her backers, including New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez and state Sen. Julia Salazar, said in a statement following the cancellation of Nurse’s election. “Trying to sneakily suppress democracy during a pandemic is absolutely outrageous.”


theintercept--2020-04-28--In New Jersey Prisons, 29 Coronavirus Deaths and Only 184 Tests

started seeing social media posts by people with loved ones incarcerated in New Jersey prisons , he knew the state had a problem it would soon be unable to ignore .
One woman , whose brother is incarcerated at Northern State Prison , in Newark , said that he had been experiencing Covid-19 symptoms — as had nearly everyone else in his housing wing .
But prison officials were denying requests for tests to all but those ill enough to be hospitalized .
“ There was no way to get off the wing or see a nurse unless you could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an organizer with the faith-based New Jersey Together coalition , who himself was incarcerated for 11 years .
At Mid-State Correctional Facility , in early April , 36-year-old Ricky James called his mother to tell her that he was sick but could not get a test .
“ They don ’ t care if we die , ” she said he told her .
Two days later , James was dead , and the wing where he had been living was put on lockdown .
“ Around lunchtime and dinnertime , they would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them in there , and they would just shut the door and the guys were basically left on their own , ” said Franklin , who spoke with a man incarcerated at the facility .
“ They wouldn ’ t test anyone.
” Like New York , New Jersey has been at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the United States — with more than 6,000 deaths so far .
But as the state ’ s curve begins to flatten and new reported cases gradually drop , an opposite trend is emerging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are quickly multiplying .
As of Monday , according to official figures , 29 people had died in New Jersey ’ s corrections facilities , up from 19 just three days earlier .
And yet only 184 inmates have been tested for Covid-19 across New Jersey — less than 1 percent of the state ’ s incarcerated population .
About 79 percent of those tested have tested positive , and 20 percent of inmates with positive tests have died .
Because of the lack of testing , the official number of confirmed cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undercount .
“ When the Covid-19 crisis hit , New Jersey — like much of the nation and the world — faced an unprecedented situation : the lack of access to testing , ” a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Corrections wrote in a statement to The Intercept .
“ Despite this challenge , the NJDOC immediately took action to mitigate the spread of the virus and share with staff information about available testing .
As the capacity to expand testing has begun to open up , NJDOC has been working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for inmates and staff.
” New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
“ The rest of the state is slowing down and we ’ re doubling , ” William Sullivan , the president of the local corrections officers ’ union , told The Intercept .
“ They kind of forgot about us .
We have an older population with the inmates , everybody ’ s confined , there ’ s no social distancing , the tiers are low , the bars in some units @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no solid doors to block anything.
” “ It ’ s just complete neglect for individuals who are incarcerated , ” said Franklin , echoing Sullivan ’ s point about the close quarters of prison housing units .
“ What I ’ m hearing directly from guys on the tiers is , almost everyone on their tier has experienced some of the symptoms , the body aches , the headaches .
But anything in the absence of short breath , they are not dealing with .
If you ’ re not on your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not dealing with it.
” Testing limitations have crippled the U.S. response to the pandemic from the very beginning .
But as jails and prisons have become Covid-19 hotbeds and vectors of the virus into the surrounding communities , the failure to test incarcerated people reveals more than just a problem of access .
“ They don ’ t want to do the testing because if you do the testing you are going to find that a great portion of the prison population has come in contact with Covid-19 , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t test , you don ’ t report , and then you don ’ t have to act.
” “ My theory is that they don ’ t want the prison numbers to actually come out because it would look really bad , like the nursing homes , ” echoed Sullivan .
“ If you test everybody , those numbers are going to skyrocket and that ’ s not going to look too good .
I think they just wanted to try to mitigate and keep things in-house.
” At a briefing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed ” the state was testing in prisons — before another official clarified that the state was “ working on a broader plan for the prison population.
” New Jersey ’ s health commissioner , Judith Persichilli , added that officials were working with a testing strategy task force , and that while the parameters for what counted as “ vulnerable populations ” were being refined , “ corrections ” was included .
That ’ s hardly enough for advocates , who started raising alarm about the state ’ s prisons long before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worry it may be too late .
Frank McMillan , a lead organizer at New Jersey Together , told The Intercept that for weeks the group has been pushing local officials to address the approaching disaster in the state ’ s prisons , first reaching out in March and constantly pressing them to increase testing .
When officials announced on March 23 that they would release 1,000 incarcerated people — one of the country ’ s first efforts to address the crisis by reducing the incarcerated population — the group asked whether there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before they returned home , mostly to poor communities of color that were already bearing the brunt of the crisis .
“ In various ways they said , ‘ We ’ re having trouble doing that for the general population .
We can ’ t prioritize these people , ’ ” said McMillan .
“ Even the words that they ’ re using in private conversation indicate a lack of value that they put on the human lives of people in prison and the communities that they ’ re returning home to , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the general population , they ’ re returning to the general population , they ’ re returning to the places with the highest death rates in the general population .
If you are serious about keeping the pandemic under control for the general population , then this is imperative.
” Sullivan said that the corrections officers ’ union has also been asking the governor ’ s office to test all corrections staff since March but has never heard back .
The corrections department says that 495 “ employees ” have tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figure , too , is an undercount .
“ I know there are more positive than what ’ s on the website because the officers sent me their test results , ” he said .
Sullivan noted that at least 465 members of his union have tested positive , and that two have died .
The union has been setting up sites to test its own members — for free if they are symptomatic , and for a fee if they are not .
“ But it should really be coming from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the union , ” he added .
Things are more complicated for inmates , Sullivan conceded .
“ You can ’ t do a test at the jail , you actually have to take an inmate with two officers and shackle him and bring him to a hospital for a test .
If you had to test 19,000 inmates , that ’ d be a lot of trips to the hospital .
They really need to streamline testing the inmates.
” “ We sent our request on March 25 .
We were trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Sullivan added .
“ It would have been nice if they had considered our requests earlier on .
They might have saved a lot of heartache.
” New Jersey is hardly alone in its failure to test incarcerated people .
In New York state , where nine prison inmates have died of the virus so far , 310 have tested positive .
But the number of corrections staff who tested positive is more than 1,000 — a disparity that critics warn is indicative of different access to testing .
That disparity is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the risk of exposure is higher — people move in and out more regularly , share tighter quarters , and generally have poorer access to health care .
At Rikers Island , for instance , where the estimated rate of infection is a staggering 9.9 percent , 381 incarcerated people have tested positive , compared to at least 966 corrections staff .
At least 171 incarcerated people have died of Covid-19 in jails and prisons nationwide , according to a tally kept by the University of California , Los Angeles School of Law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming the only way to glimpse the full picture of a crisis that testing is failing to capture .
There are some exceptions : At the Marion Correctional Institution , a prison in Ohio that has emerged as one of the largest coronavirus hot spots in the country , almost all the 2,500 men incarcerated there have received tests .
More than 80 percent tested positive .
Update : April 28 , 2020 , 6:28 p.m .
ET This article has been updated to include a statement from the New Jersey Department of @ @ @ @ @

When Boris Franklin started seeing social media posts by people with loved ones incarcerated in New Jersey prisons, he knew the state had a problem it would soon be unable to ignore.
One woman, whose brother is incarcerated at Northern State Prison, in Newark, said that he had been experiencing Covid-19 symptoms — as had nearly everyone else in his housing wing. But prison officials were denying requests for tests to all but those ill enough to be hospitalized. “There was no way to get off the wing or see a nurse unless you could not breathe,” said Franklin, an organizer with the faith-based New Jersey Together coalition, who himself was incarcerated for 11 years.
At Mid-State Correctional Facility, in early April, 36-year-old Ricky James called his mother to tell her that he was sick but could not get a test. “They don’t care if we die,” she said he told her. Two days later, James was dead, and the wing where he had been living was put on lockdown. “Around lunchtime and dinnertime, they would bring Styrofoam trays. They would roll them in there, and they would just shut the door and the guys were basically left on their own,” said Franklin, who spoke with a man incarcerated at the facility. “They wouldn’t test anyone.”
Like New York, New Jersey has been at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the United States — with more than 6,000 deaths so far. But as the state’s curve begins to flatten and new reported cases gradually drop, an opposite trend is emerging in New Jersey prisons, where deaths are quickly multiplying. As of Monday, according to official figures, 29 people had died in New Jersey’s corrections facilities, up from 19 just three days earlier.
And yet only 184 inmates have been tested for Covid-19 across New Jersey — less than 1 percent of the state’s incarcerated population. About 79 percent of those tested have tested positive, and 20 percent of inmates with positive tests have died. Because of the lack of testing, the official number of confirmed cases — 145 — is inevitably an enormous undercount.
“When the Covid-19 crisis hit, New Jersey — like much of the nation and the world — faced an unprecedented situation: the lack of access to testing,” a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Corrections wrote in a statement to The Intercept. “Despite this challenge, the NJDOC immediately took action to mitigate the spread of the virus and share with staff information about available testing. As the capacity to expand testing has begun to open up, NJDOC has been working diligently on a plan to expand testing for inmates and staff.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The rest of the state is slowing down and we’re doubling,” William Sullivan, the president of the local corrections officers’ union, told The Intercept. “They kind of forgot about us. We have an older population with the inmates, everybody’s confined, there’s no social distancing, the tiers are low, the bars in some units are open, so there’s no solid doors to block anything.”
“It’s just complete neglect for individuals who are incarcerated,” said Franklin, echoing Sullivan’s point about the close quarters of prison housing units. “What I’m hearing directly from guys on the tiers is, almost everyone on their tier has experienced some of the symptoms, the body aches, the headaches. But anything in the absence of short breath, they are not dealing with. If you’re not on your way to immediate death, then they’re not dealing with it.”
“If You Don’t Test, You Don’t Report”
Testing limitations have crippled the U.S. response to the pandemic from the very beginning. But as jails and prisons have become Covid-19 hotbeds and vectors of the virus into the surrounding communities, the failure to test incarcerated people reveals more than just a problem of access. “They don’t want to do the testing because if you do the testing you are going to find that a great portion of the prison population has come in contact with Covid-19,” Franklin said. “If you don’t test, you don’t report, and then you don’t have to act.”
“My theory is that they don’t want the prison numbers to actually come out because it would look really bad, like the nursing homes,” echoed Sullivan. “If you test everybody, those numbers are going to skyrocket and that’s not going to look too good. I think they just wanted to try to mitigate and keep things in-house.”
At a briefing on Monday, Murphy said he “believed” the state was testing in prisons — before another official clarified that the state was “working on a broader plan for the prison population.” New Jersey’s health commissioner, Judith Persichilli, added that officials were working with a testing strategy task force, and that while the parameters for what counted as “vulnerable populations” were being refined, “corrections” was included.
That’s hardly enough for advocates, who started raising alarm about the state’s prisons long before the deaths skyrocketed — and who now worry it may be too late. Frank McMillan, a lead organizer at New Jersey Together, told The Intercept that for weeks the group has been pushing local officials to address the approaching disaster in the state’s prisons, first reaching out in March and constantly pressing them to increase testing. When officials announced on March 23 that they would release 1,000 incarcerated people — one of the country’s first efforts to address the crisis by reducing the incarcerated population — the group asked whether there were any plans to test those people before they returned home, mostly to poor communities of color that were already bearing the brunt of the crisis.
“In various ways they said, ‘We’re having trouble doing that for the general population. We can’t prioritize these people,’” said McMillan.
“Even the words that they’re using in private conversation indicate a lack of value that they put on the human lives of people in prison and the communities that they’re returning home to,” he added. “These are the general population, they’re returning to the general population, they’re returning to the places with the highest death rates in the general population. If you are serious about keeping the pandemic under control for the general population, then this is imperative.”
Sullivan said that the corrections officers’ union has also been asking the governor’s office to test all corrections staff since March but has never heard back. The corrections department says that 495 “employees” have tested positive for the virus, but Sullivan said that figure, too, is an undercount. “I know there are more positive than what’s on the website because the officers sent me their test results,” he said. Sullivan noted that at least 465 members of his union have tested positive, and that two have died. The union has been setting up sites to test its own members — for free if they are symptomatic, and for a fee if they are not. “But it should really be coming from the governor’s office, not from the union,” he added.
Things are more complicated for inmates, Sullivan conceded. “You can’t do a test at the jail, you actually have to take an inmate with two officers and shackle him and bring him to a hospital for a test. If you had to test 19,000 inmates, that’d be a lot of trips to the hospital. They really need to streamline testing the inmates.”
“We sent our request on March 25. We were trying to get ahead of the curve,” Sullivan added. “It would have been nice if they had considered our requests earlier on. They might have saved a lot of heartache.”
New Jersey is hardly alone in its failure to test incarcerated people. In New York state, where nine prison inmates have died of the virus so far, 310 have tested positive. But the number of corrections staff who tested positive is more than 1,000 — a disparity that critics warn is indicative of different access to testing.
That disparity is even starker in some jails, where the risk of exposure is higher — people move in and out more regularly, share tighter quarters, and generally have poorer access to health care. At Rikers Island, for instance, where the estimated rate of infection is a staggering 9.9 percent, 381 incarcerated people have tested positive, compared to at least 966 corrections staff.
At least 171 incarcerated people have died of Covid-19 in jails and prisons nationwide, according to a tally kept by the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. The rapidly climbing death toll is becoming the only way to glimpse the full picture of a crisis that testing is failing to capture.
There are some exceptions: At the Marion Correctional Institution, a prison in Ohio that has emerged as one of the largest coronavirus hot spots in the country, almost all the 2,500 men incarcerated there have received tests. More than 80 percent tested positive.
Update: April 28, 2020, 6:28 p.m. ET
This article has been updated to include a statement from the New Jersey Department of Corrections received after publication.