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welcome to reality trivia
reality is the state of things as they actually exist
july 8, 2020
Real News Today
*America's nervous breakdown: For white folks who love Trump, a descent into madness(Suckers)
(for previous day's articles see "what's inside" below)
comment/tweet of the day
TRUMP’S PANDEMIC DEATH TRACKER:
dc report.com
Americans Killed by Inaction, Neglect, Incompetence and Corruption
134,166
(out of 3,117,559 current cases)
“If we did very little testing, we wouldn’t have the most cases. So, in a way, by doing all of this testing, we make ourselves look bad.” —Donald J. Trump, May 6, 2020
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Paul Krugman
@paulkrugman
The 2020 campaign so far:
Trump: I'm racist. Vote for me!
Voters: No thanks. Also, Biden might keep us from dying.
Trump: But I'm really, really racist! You have to vote for me!
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NOAM CHOMSKY EXPLAINS WHY THE ‘NEOLIBERAL DOCTRINE’ HAS INTENSIFIED THE DEADLY EFFECTS OF COVID-19
“The pandemic is a vivid illustration of the great damage that the neoliberal era has done to the large majority of the population,” the 91-year-old Chomsky told Kathimerini. “We should, however, have no illusions about belief in markets or homo economicus. The core principle of neoliberalism is to shift decisions from governments, which are, to some extent, subject to public influence, to private tyrannies that are completely unaccountable to the public — and according to neoliberal doctrine, must be devoted solely to self-enrichment.”
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nancegreggs@demo underground
Where We Are
For the last four years, we have worried about where our nation has been led by Donald Trump.
We have worried about our environment being polluted for the sake of corporate profits, and wonder what will be left our natural resources when our grandchildren are grown.
We have worried about the glaringly obvious corruption of this “pResident” and his cohorts, and the influence of adversarial nations on his policies.
We have worried about the constant divisiveness that pits one American against another, and the fact that these divisions are encouraged by the “pResident” and his party.
We have worried about whether our votes will be counted, whether the voice of the people will be somehow thwarted through trickery or treachery – even whether the current resident of the WH will go peacefully when he loses.
We have worried whether what’s been done can ever be undone, and whether our very democracy itself can survive the endless battering it has endured for the last four years.
But as of tonight, our biggest worry is about who among us will be able to cast our ballots in November simply because we’re still alive.
Given Trump’s refusal to do anything to curb the spread of Covid-19, confirmed cases are spiking and the death toll is rising. And it’s only going to get worse.
There are people walking around right now who won’t be here in November. Whether they planned to vote for Trump or Biden is of no consequence. The fact is that they won’t be here because this hoax-of-a-pResident has failed on every level of leadership imaginable.
As they say, let that sink in. The citizens of the United States of America – once-upon-a-time lauded as the greatest power on the planet – will continue to die needlessly in order to placate a tantrum-prone madman.
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proof of stupidity!!!
Coronavirus outbreak
Warning of serious brain disorders in people with mild coronavirus symptoms
UK neurologists publish details of mildly affected or recovering Covid-19 patients with serious or potentially fatal brain conditions
an Sample Science editor
the guardian
Wed 8 Jul 2020 03.44 EDT
Doctors may be missing signs of serious and potentially fatal brain disorders triggered by coronavirus, as they emerge in mildly affected or recovering patients, scientists have warned.
Neurologists are on Wednesday publishing details of more than 40 UK Covid-19 patients whose complications ranged from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage and stroke. In some cases, the neurological problem was the patient’s first and main symptom.
The cases, published in the journal Brain, revealed a rise in a life-threatening condition called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (Adem), as the first wave of infections swept through Britain. At UCL’s Institute of Neurology, Adem cases rose from one a month before the pandemic to two or three per week in April and May. One woman, who was 59, died of the complication.
A dozen patients had inflammation of the central nervous system, 10 had brain disease with delirium or psychosis, eight had strokes and a further eight had peripheral nerve problems, mostly diagnosed as Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune reaction that attacks the nerves and causes paralysis. It is fatal in 5% of cases.
“We’re seeing things in the way Covid-19 affects the brain that we haven’t seen before with other viruses,” said Michael Zandi, a senior author on the study and a consultant at the institute and University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust.
“What we’ve seen with some of these Adem patients, and in other patients, is you can have severe neurology, you can be quite sick, but actually have trivial lung disease,” he added.
“Biologically, Adem has some similarities with multiple sclerosis, but it is more severe and usually happens as a one-off. Some patients are left with long-term disability, others can make a good recovery.”
The cases add to concerns over the long-term health effects of Covid-19, which have left some patients breathless and fatigued long after they have cleared the virus, and others with numbness, weakness and memory problems.
One coronavirus patient described in the paper, a 55-year-old woman with no history of psychiatric illness, began to behave oddly the day after she was discharged from hospital.
She repeatedly put her coat on and took it off again and began to hallucinate, reporting that she saw monkeys and lions in her house. She was readmitted to hospital and gradually improved on antipsychotic medication.
Another woman, aged 47, was admitted to hospital with a headache and numbness in her right hand a week after a cough and fever came on. She later became drowsy and unresponsive and required an emergency operation to remove part of her skull to relieve pressure on her swollen brain.
“We want clinicians around the world to be alert to these complications of coronavirus,” Zandi said. He urged physicians, GPs and healthcare workers with patients with cognitive symptoms, memory problems, fatigue, numbness, or weakness, to discuss the case with neurologists.
“The message is not to put that all down to the recovery, and the psychological aspects of recovery,” he said. “The brain does appear to be involved in this illness.”
The full range of brain disorders caused by Covid-19 may not have been picked up yet, because many patients in hospitals are too sick to examine in brain scanners or with other procedures. “What we really need now is better research to look at what’s really going on in the brain,” Zandi said.
One concern is that the virus could leave a minority of the population with subtle brain damage that only becomes apparent in years to come. This may have happened in the wake of the 1918 flu pandemic, when up to a million people appeared to develop brain disease.
“It’s a concern if some hidden epidemic could occur after Covid where you’re going to see delayed effects on the brain, because there could be subtle effects on the brain and slowly things happen over the coming years, but it’s far too early for us to judge now,” Zandi said.
“We hope, obviously, that that’s not going to happen, but when you’ve got such a big pandemic affecting such a vast proportion of the population it’s something we need to be alert to.”
David Strain, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, said that only a small number of patients appeared to experience serious neurological complications and that more work was needed to understand their prevalence.
“This is very important as we start to prepare post-Covid-19 rehabilitation programs,” he said. “We’ve already seen that some people with Covid-19 may need a long rehabilitation period, both physical rehabilitation such as exercise, and brain rehabilitation. We need to understand more about the impact of this infection on the brain.”
Neurologists are on Wednesday publishing details of more than 40 UK Covid-19 patients whose complications ranged from brain inflammation and delirium to nerve damage and stroke. In some cases, the neurological problem was the patient’s first and main symptom.
The cases, published in the journal Brain, revealed a rise in a life-threatening condition called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (Adem), as the first wave of infections swept through Britain. At UCL’s Institute of Neurology, Adem cases rose from one a month before the pandemic to two or three per week in April and May. One woman, who was 59, died of the complication.
A dozen patients had inflammation of the central nervous system, 10 had brain disease with delirium or psychosis, eight had strokes and a further eight had peripheral nerve problems, mostly diagnosed as Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune reaction that attacks the nerves and causes paralysis. It is fatal in 5% of cases.
“We’re seeing things in the way Covid-19 affects the brain that we haven’t seen before with other viruses,” said Michael Zandi, a senior author on the study and a consultant at the institute and University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust.
“What we’ve seen with some of these Adem patients, and in other patients, is you can have severe neurology, you can be quite sick, but actually have trivial lung disease,” he added.
“Biologically, Adem has some similarities with multiple sclerosis, but it is more severe and usually happens as a one-off. Some patients are left with long-term disability, others can make a good recovery.”
The cases add to concerns over the long-term health effects of Covid-19, which have left some patients breathless and fatigued long after they have cleared the virus, and others with numbness, weakness and memory problems.
One coronavirus patient described in the paper, a 55-year-old woman with no history of psychiatric illness, began to behave oddly the day after she was discharged from hospital.
She repeatedly put her coat on and took it off again and began to hallucinate, reporting that she saw monkeys and lions in her house. She was readmitted to hospital and gradually improved on antipsychotic medication.
Another woman, aged 47, was admitted to hospital with a headache and numbness in her right hand a week after a cough and fever came on. She later became drowsy and unresponsive and required an emergency operation to remove part of her skull to relieve pressure on her swollen brain.
“We want clinicians around the world to be alert to these complications of coronavirus,” Zandi said. He urged physicians, GPs and healthcare workers with patients with cognitive symptoms, memory problems, fatigue, numbness, or weakness, to discuss the case with neurologists.
“The message is not to put that all down to the recovery, and the psychological aspects of recovery,” he said. “The brain does appear to be involved in this illness.”
The full range of brain disorders caused by Covid-19 may not have been picked up yet, because many patients in hospitals are too sick to examine in brain scanners or with other procedures. “What we really need now is better research to look at what’s really going on in the brain,” Zandi said.
One concern is that the virus could leave a minority of the population with subtle brain damage that only becomes apparent in years to come. This may have happened in the wake of the 1918 flu pandemic, when up to a million people appeared to develop brain disease.
“It’s a concern if some hidden epidemic could occur after Covid where you’re going to see delayed effects on the brain, because there could be subtle effects on the brain and slowly things happen over the coming years, but it’s far too early for us to judge now,” Zandi said.
“We hope, obviously, that that’s not going to happen, but when you’ve got such a big pandemic affecting such a vast proportion of the population it’s something we need to be alert to.”
David Strain, a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School, said that only a small number of patients appeared to experience serious neurological complications and that more work was needed to understand their prevalence.
“This is very important as we start to prepare post-Covid-19 rehabilitation programs,” he said. “We’ve already seen that some people with Covid-19 may need a long rehabilitation period, both physical rehabilitation such as exercise, and brain rehabilitation. We need to understand more about the impact of this infection on the brain.”
The Airline Bailout Loophole: Companies Laid Off Workers, Then Got Money Meant to Prevent Layoffs
Three companies including Gate Gourmet, a global provider of airline meals, received $338 million in relief money for workers — and laid workers off anyway.
by Justin Elliott and Jeff Ernsthausen - propublica
July 7, 7:55 p.m. EDT
Three airline industry companies slated to receive $338 million in public money designed to preserve jobs in the hard-hit industry have laid off thousands of workers anyway, according to Treasury disclosure filings and public layoff data.
The largest company, Gate Gourmet, is a global preparer of airline meals and part of a Swiss conglomerate owned by the private equity firm of wealthy Malaysian businessman Richard Ong. Gate Gourmet is scheduled to get $171 million from the federal program to bail out the airline industry even after it reported laying off thousands of workers at airports in half a dozen states, including California, Georgia, New York and Illinois, in recent months, according to public filings. The exact number of workers who lost their jobs is not clear.
“These grants are meant to save jobs and only to save jobs,” said Rep. Katie Porter, D-CA, who has supported the aid program for aviation workers. Every payment Treasury makes “despite clear indications that the recipient company is firing workers or cutting hours is an abuse of the program and taxpayer money.”
While the better-known Paycheck Protection Program was for small businesses, the airline industry provision — known as the Payroll Support Program — allowed large companies to get benefits. It was based on a proposal by airline industry unions and leading Democrats.
The program provided a special deal for the airline industry and its workers: The air carriers and contractors could apply to the Treasury for government aid to pay their workers and, in exchange, agree not to make any layoffs until Sept. 30. The idea was, essentially, for the money to flow through the employers to the workers.
The Payroll Support aid is composed mostly of grants and partly of low-interest loans. The program has allowed many workers to retain their pay and benefits even as demand for air travel cratered. The money is paid out on a rolling basis; the government is disclosing only the total amounts it anticipates giving to each company.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has lauded the effort as “an important CARES Act program that will support American workers and help preserve the strategic importance of the airline industry.”
The program has largely worked for employees of the major carriers like American and United, which inked their Payroll Support agreements with the Treasury in April. The big airlines have not laid off workers, though many fear they will begin doing so after the deadline passes.
But at least three contractors — Gate Gourmet along with Illinois-based Flying Food Fare and Texas-based G2 Secure Staff — appear to be benefitting from a loophole in the law: They laid workers off and then got the federal money.
The size of the Payroll Support grants is calculated based on a company’s payroll costs between April and September of 2019, before the pandemic. The idea was that companies would quickly sign agreements with the Treasury after the CARES Act was passed at the end of March, and then be barred from conducting any layoffs through September since the government was footing the companies’ payroll bills.
Gate Gourmet, in contrast to the airlines, didn’t sign its agreement with the Treasury until June 19. In the months between the creation of the program and the date of signing, the company reported a series of layoffs in state disclosure filings. The company employs 27,000 people around the world, according to LinkedIn.
But the amount of money the companies received from the government was based on their pre-pandemic, pre-layoffs workforce. In effect, a program meant to save jobs is instead being used to get government money for payroll costs for a shrunken workforce.
A Treasury Department spokeswoman said that the agency’s hands are tied. “The CARES Act requires Treasury to provide payroll support to eligible applicants, and it doesn’t require that former employees be rehired. Treasury implemented the CARES Act as written.”
---
Porter, the congresswoman, said that “firing thousands of employees in the period of time between submitting a Payroll Support application and finalizing the terms of the agreement with Treasury is a clear violation of Congressional intent in creating the Payroll Support Program.”
Gate Gourmet spokesperson Nancy Jewell said in a statement, “To ensure the long-term sustainability of our business in the U.S., layoffs and furloughs were necessary during these unprecedented times.” She added, “We are committed to complying with all our obligations and will use all CARES Act funds exclusively for the continuation of payment of employee wages, salaries, and benefits.”
Jewell did not respond to questions about the size of the company’s workforce, its dealings with the Treasury or the terms of its Payroll Support grant.
On April 1, just a few days after the program was created, Gate Gourmet hired the Washington lobbying firm Hannegan Landau Poersch & Rosenbaum to “provide guidance on the CARES Act funding,” according to public filings.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and a prominent supporter of extending the program, said in a statement that, “The Payroll Support Program has succeeded in protecting the jobs and healthcare of nearly two million aviation workers and integrity in the program is vital. Treasury should investigate this egregious misconduct and recover the funds.”
Flying Food Group, another airline catering company, reported laying off more than a thousand workers since the CARES Act passed, including hundreds in Hawaii and California. G2 Secure Staff, which provides a variety of services within airports, reported laying off hundreds of workers the day the bill was signed. Flying Food Group is slated to receive $85 million in government aid and G2 to receive $81 million.
Flying Food Group hired the law firm Greenberg Traurig to lobby on pandemic bailout issues on March 19.
Neither Flying Food Group nor G2 Secure Staff responded to requests for comment.
There is no comprehensive national database of layoffs. When companies conduct certain kinds of layoffs, they are required to file notices with employees, their representatives and state governments. ProPublica reviewed data about those notices provided by dozens of states with large airports across the country. But the data might not capture all of the layoffs.
RELATED: Tracking PPP Loans: Search Every Company Approved for Federal Loans Over $150k
The largest company, Gate Gourmet, is a global preparer of airline meals and part of a Swiss conglomerate owned by the private equity firm of wealthy Malaysian businessman Richard Ong. Gate Gourmet is scheduled to get $171 million from the federal program to bail out the airline industry even after it reported laying off thousands of workers at airports in half a dozen states, including California, Georgia, New York and Illinois, in recent months, according to public filings. The exact number of workers who lost their jobs is not clear.
“These grants are meant to save jobs and only to save jobs,” said Rep. Katie Porter, D-CA, who has supported the aid program for aviation workers. Every payment Treasury makes “despite clear indications that the recipient company is firing workers or cutting hours is an abuse of the program and taxpayer money.”
While the better-known Paycheck Protection Program was for small businesses, the airline industry provision — known as the Payroll Support Program — allowed large companies to get benefits. It was based on a proposal by airline industry unions and leading Democrats.
The program provided a special deal for the airline industry and its workers: The air carriers and contractors could apply to the Treasury for government aid to pay their workers and, in exchange, agree not to make any layoffs until Sept. 30. The idea was, essentially, for the money to flow through the employers to the workers.
The Payroll Support aid is composed mostly of grants and partly of low-interest loans. The program has allowed many workers to retain their pay and benefits even as demand for air travel cratered. The money is paid out on a rolling basis; the government is disclosing only the total amounts it anticipates giving to each company.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has lauded the effort as “an important CARES Act program that will support American workers and help preserve the strategic importance of the airline industry.”
The program has largely worked for employees of the major carriers like American and United, which inked their Payroll Support agreements with the Treasury in April. The big airlines have not laid off workers, though many fear they will begin doing so after the deadline passes.
But at least three contractors — Gate Gourmet along with Illinois-based Flying Food Fare and Texas-based G2 Secure Staff — appear to be benefitting from a loophole in the law: They laid workers off and then got the federal money.
The size of the Payroll Support grants is calculated based on a company’s payroll costs between April and September of 2019, before the pandemic. The idea was that companies would quickly sign agreements with the Treasury after the CARES Act was passed at the end of March, and then be barred from conducting any layoffs through September since the government was footing the companies’ payroll bills.
Gate Gourmet, in contrast to the airlines, didn’t sign its agreement with the Treasury until June 19. In the months between the creation of the program and the date of signing, the company reported a series of layoffs in state disclosure filings. The company employs 27,000 people around the world, according to LinkedIn.
But the amount of money the companies received from the government was based on their pre-pandemic, pre-layoffs workforce. In effect, a program meant to save jobs is instead being used to get government money for payroll costs for a shrunken workforce.
A Treasury Department spokeswoman said that the agency’s hands are tied. “The CARES Act requires Treasury to provide payroll support to eligible applicants, and it doesn’t require that former employees be rehired. Treasury implemented the CARES Act as written.”
---
Porter, the congresswoman, said that “firing thousands of employees in the period of time between submitting a Payroll Support application and finalizing the terms of the agreement with Treasury is a clear violation of Congressional intent in creating the Payroll Support Program.”
Gate Gourmet spokesperson Nancy Jewell said in a statement, “To ensure the long-term sustainability of our business in the U.S., layoffs and furloughs were necessary during these unprecedented times.” She added, “We are committed to complying with all our obligations and will use all CARES Act funds exclusively for the continuation of payment of employee wages, salaries, and benefits.”
Jewell did not respond to questions about the size of the company’s workforce, its dealings with the Treasury or the terms of its Payroll Support grant.
On April 1, just a few days after the program was created, Gate Gourmet hired the Washington lobbying firm Hannegan Landau Poersch & Rosenbaum to “provide guidance on the CARES Act funding,” according to public filings.
Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and a prominent supporter of extending the program, said in a statement that, “The Payroll Support Program has succeeded in protecting the jobs and healthcare of nearly two million aviation workers and integrity in the program is vital. Treasury should investigate this egregious misconduct and recover the funds.”
Flying Food Group, another airline catering company, reported laying off more than a thousand workers since the CARES Act passed, including hundreds in Hawaii and California. G2 Secure Staff, which provides a variety of services within airports, reported laying off hundreds of workers the day the bill was signed. Flying Food Group is slated to receive $85 million in government aid and G2 to receive $81 million.
Flying Food Group hired the law firm Greenberg Traurig to lobby on pandemic bailout issues on March 19.
Neither Flying Food Group nor G2 Secure Staff responded to requests for comment.
There is no comprehensive national database of layoffs. When companies conduct certain kinds of layoffs, they are required to file notices with employees, their representatives and state governments. ProPublica reviewed data about those notices provided by dozens of states with large airports across the country. But the data might not capture all of the layoffs.
RELATED: Tracking PPP Loans: Search Every Company Approved for Federal Loans Over $150k
Donald Trump doesn't care about any Americans — not even Republicans
Trump doesn't just hate Americans who didn't vote for him, he's spent months harming his most loyal backers
AMANDA MARCOTTE - SALON
JULY 8, 2020 5:00PM (UTC)
Donald Trump thinks his voters are morons. This universal truth was once again demonstrated this week by a Facebook ad working Trump's new statue-oriented campaign strategy. The ad declared, "WE WILL PROTECT THIS" and featured a photo of ... no, not some racist-loser Confederate general astride a horse but "Cristo Redentor," the famous statue of Jesus Christ that sits atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, which, for those keeping track, is not in the United States but in Brazil, a sovereign nation in a different continent.
It's small story in the grand scheme of things, but one that illustrates yet again that Trump doesn't really see Republican voters or politicians as fellow travelers, allies or even really as a "base" to whom he owes fealty. Trump sees Republicans primarily as marks, to be fleeced for all they're worth and then abandoned the second he sees no value in them. Trump's burning hatred for any American who didn't vote for him is well documented, but just as true and just as disturbing is his utter disregard for the lives or well-being of people who did support him, and continue to do so.
Recent months have borne this out in remarkable ways, starting, of course, with the way that Trump's pressure on Republican governors to end coronavirus restrictions prematurely has led to exactly the consequences he was warned about: People in those states are getting sick at eye-popping rates. In Florida, where Trumpian Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed hard to reopen no matter how many people die, ICUs are quickly filling up, with 56 reporting themselves at capacity and another 35 right on their heels. Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been similarly Trump-pleasing in his rush to reopen, is setting record highs for viral transmission, with upwards of 10,000 positive tests reported in a day.
Trump has been pushing the currently low rates of death as evidence that these rapidly climbing transmission numbers don't much matter, but in truth, death rates are a lagging indicator. There's every reason to believe that lower death rates are the result of the plunging transmission rates we saw several weeks ago, after months of lockdown, and that deaths will start to climb once again with so many people now getting sick.
But Trump and his propagandists are going full speed ahead, embracing coronavirus denialism and encouraging Trump supporters to return to church, reject mask-wearing and stop social distancing. He keeps encouraging his followers to attend campaign rallies unmasked, even though that's the easiest way to get coronavirus. It's almost as if Trump his followers to get sick and die. It's inarguable that he doesn't care if they do.
Trump is so unconcerned about his own voters that he can't even muster the pretense of caring in the cases where harm to them is also harm to him.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that "Trump's relentless attacks on the security of mail voting are driving suspicion among GOP voters toward absentee ballots," which is alarming to "Republican strategists, who say it could undercut their own candidates, including Trump himself."
The sheep-like loyalty that Trump so values in his supporters is starting to backfire seriously. Whatever Trump's purpose in constantly whining that absentee ballots are "rigged" (likely setting up an excuse to reject the election results in November), the result is that "GOP campaigns around the country are hearing from more and more Republican voters who say they do not trust absentee ballots," putting Republicans at a disadvantage in elections where large numbers of voters will vote by mail in order to avoid coronavirus risks at the polls.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the multitude of ways that the Republican Party itself is paying for their embrace of Trump, especially since Republican senators had the chance to throw him out of the White House earlier this year after he was impeached for abuse of power. Trump's incompetence and indifference, even malice, toward the public's welfare is proving to be a real threat to Republicans running down-ballot races in 2020.
"Every shred of evidence points to a likely ass-kicking in the fall," a Republican consultant told Tim Miller of Rolling Stone, when asked about the GOP's down ballot races in November.
In FiveThirtyEight's polling aggregator, Democrats are up by 9 points over Republicans overall in congressional race polling, an even bigger spread than they had in 2018, when Democrats flipped 40 House seats in a midterm "blue wave."
Trump is wildly unpopular, but Republican candidates, Miller found, feel they can't "strategically distance themselves" from Trump without "facing a mutiny within the ranks" of GOP voters, who have remained fiercely loyal to Trump, and in fact, seem to be clinging harder to their orange leader rather than face the humiliation as admitting the liberals were right all along. Republicans can't win without building a coalition of moderate voters and fierce Trump loyalists, but in this particular election, they are being forced to choose.
Trump could spare his party from this electoral Sophie's choice. All he'd need to do is dial down the racism instead of cranking it up, or stop fighting efforts to contain the pandemic, instead of acting like he's the coronavirus' biggest champion. But it's clear he has no intention of doing either, and he doesn't care if the result means electoral defeat for many of the people who have been kissing his ring for four years. Trump, after all, notoriously expects loyalty while offering none in return.
That much is evident in the way that Trump screwed the GOP over royally on the Republican National Convention by forcing a last-minute location change from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida.
Trump's reasoning was reliably narcissistic and childish. He didn't like that North Carolina, under Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, requires people to wear masks in public spaces to prevent coronavirus spread, because he thinks masks ruin his campaign photos. So he pulled out of Charlotte and moved to a city that has inadequate hotel space, adding to the indignations that must be endured as the price of being a Trump supporter.
Moreover, the move screwed the party out of a ton of money. The New York Times reported over the weekend that the GOP has already spent $38 million on the Charlotte convention, money that they're not getting back. Unsurprisingly, trying to tap the same donors to bankroll yet another convention in a different city is turning out to be quite a task, and not just because Trump's capricious mismanagement of funds. Surging coronavirus cases in Florida — city government in Jacksonville is now requiring masks too — are causing donors to be wary of convention 2.0, and they're responding by keeping their wallets shut.
Not that Trump cares about any of the suffering he's inflicting on Republican voters, organizers or politicians as the price they pay for supporting him. On the contrary, he's such a sociopathic narcissist that he probably gets off on the way Republicans keep swallowing his abuse and asking for more. An ass-kicking in November may well be coming, and Trump will make sure his followers suffer even more along the way.
It's small story in the grand scheme of things, but one that illustrates yet again that Trump doesn't really see Republican voters or politicians as fellow travelers, allies or even really as a "base" to whom he owes fealty. Trump sees Republicans primarily as marks, to be fleeced for all they're worth and then abandoned the second he sees no value in them. Trump's burning hatred for any American who didn't vote for him is well documented, but just as true and just as disturbing is his utter disregard for the lives or well-being of people who did support him, and continue to do so.
Recent months have borne this out in remarkable ways, starting, of course, with the way that Trump's pressure on Republican governors to end coronavirus restrictions prematurely has led to exactly the consequences he was warned about: People in those states are getting sick at eye-popping rates. In Florida, where Trumpian Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed hard to reopen no matter how many people die, ICUs are quickly filling up, with 56 reporting themselves at capacity and another 35 right on their heels. Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been similarly Trump-pleasing in his rush to reopen, is setting record highs for viral transmission, with upwards of 10,000 positive tests reported in a day.
Trump has been pushing the currently low rates of death as evidence that these rapidly climbing transmission numbers don't much matter, but in truth, death rates are a lagging indicator. There's every reason to believe that lower death rates are the result of the plunging transmission rates we saw several weeks ago, after months of lockdown, and that deaths will start to climb once again with so many people now getting sick.
But Trump and his propagandists are going full speed ahead, embracing coronavirus denialism and encouraging Trump supporters to return to church, reject mask-wearing and stop social distancing. He keeps encouraging his followers to attend campaign rallies unmasked, even though that's the easiest way to get coronavirus. It's almost as if Trump his followers to get sick and die. It's inarguable that he doesn't care if they do.
Trump is so unconcerned about his own voters that he can't even muster the pretense of caring in the cases where harm to them is also harm to him.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that "Trump's relentless attacks on the security of mail voting are driving suspicion among GOP voters toward absentee ballots," which is alarming to "Republican strategists, who say it could undercut their own candidates, including Trump himself."
The sheep-like loyalty that Trump so values in his supporters is starting to backfire seriously. Whatever Trump's purpose in constantly whining that absentee ballots are "rigged" (likely setting up an excuse to reject the election results in November), the result is that "GOP campaigns around the country are hearing from more and more Republican voters who say they do not trust absentee ballots," putting Republicans at a disadvantage in elections where large numbers of voters will vote by mail in order to avoid coronavirus risks at the polls.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the multitude of ways that the Republican Party itself is paying for their embrace of Trump, especially since Republican senators had the chance to throw him out of the White House earlier this year after he was impeached for abuse of power. Trump's incompetence and indifference, even malice, toward the public's welfare is proving to be a real threat to Republicans running down-ballot races in 2020.
"Every shred of evidence points to a likely ass-kicking in the fall," a Republican consultant told Tim Miller of Rolling Stone, when asked about the GOP's down ballot races in November.
In FiveThirtyEight's polling aggregator, Democrats are up by 9 points over Republicans overall in congressional race polling, an even bigger spread than they had in 2018, when Democrats flipped 40 House seats in a midterm "blue wave."
Trump is wildly unpopular, but Republican candidates, Miller found, feel they can't "strategically distance themselves" from Trump without "facing a mutiny within the ranks" of GOP voters, who have remained fiercely loyal to Trump, and in fact, seem to be clinging harder to their orange leader rather than face the humiliation as admitting the liberals were right all along. Republicans can't win without building a coalition of moderate voters and fierce Trump loyalists, but in this particular election, they are being forced to choose.
Trump could spare his party from this electoral Sophie's choice. All he'd need to do is dial down the racism instead of cranking it up, or stop fighting efforts to contain the pandemic, instead of acting like he's the coronavirus' biggest champion. But it's clear he has no intention of doing either, and he doesn't care if the result means electoral defeat for many of the people who have been kissing his ring for four years. Trump, after all, notoriously expects loyalty while offering none in return.
That much is evident in the way that Trump screwed the GOP over royally on the Republican National Convention by forcing a last-minute location change from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida.
Trump's reasoning was reliably narcissistic and childish. He didn't like that North Carolina, under Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, requires people to wear masks in public spaces to prevent coronavirus spread, because he thinks masks ruin his campaign photos. So he pulled out of Charlotte and moved to a city that has inadequate hotel space, adding to the indignations that must be endured as the price of being a Trump supporter.
Moreover, the move screwed the party out of a ton of money. The New York Times reported over the weekend that the GOP has already spent $38 million on the Charlotte convention, money that they're not getting back. Unsurprisingly, trying to tap the same donors to bankroll yet another convention in a different city is turning out to be quite a task, and not just because Trump's capricious mismanagement of funds. Surging coronavirus cases in Florida — city government in Jacksonville is now requiring masks too — are causing donors to be wary of convention 2.0, and they're responding by keeping their wallets shut.
Not that Trump cares about any of the suffering he's inflicting on Republican voters, organizers or politicians as the price they pay for supporting him. On the contrary, he's such a sociopathic narcissist that he probably gets off on the way Republicans keep swallowing his abuse and asking for more. An ass-kicking in November may well be coming, and Trump will make sure his followers suffer even more along the way.
your tax dollars financing worthless religions!!!
Fox News hosts downplay surge in coronavirus cases, dispute science on masks and social distancing
ROGER SOLLENBERGER - SALON
JULY 8, 2020 4:42PM (UTC)
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a 7-2 decision to expand exemptions in the Affordable Care Act which allow employers and universities with religious or moral objections to deny women access to free birth control.
The ruling upheld a Trump administration rule, which expanded the range of employers allowed to decline contraceptive care based on religious reasons. It is a major victory for the religious right.
The Obama administration carved out narrow exemptions in the ACA — better known as Obamacare — for places of worship and certain organizations, such as religiously-affiliated hospitals and schools. Under those guidelines, the government would still cover contraceptive care, but the organizations would not have to pay the costs if they so objected.
The Trump administration expanded those exemptions to essentially all nongovernmental workplaces, from small businesses to multinational corporations. The government estimates that 70,000 to 126,000 women could lose access to free birth control.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, said the administration has "virtually unbridled discretion to decide what counts as preventive care and screenings," including the ability to "identify and create exemptions from its own guidelines."
The ruling sent the case back to a lower court with directions to lift the nationwide injunction blocking implementation of the new rule.
Though they did not join the majority opinion, liberal Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan agreed to send the case back to the lower court.
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
"Today, for the first time, the court casts totally aside countervailing rights and interests in its zeal to secure religious rights to the nth degree," they said, adding that the ruling "leaves women workers to fend for themselves" in seeking contraceptive services.
The court also announced that Thursday would be the last day of the current term, setting the stage for a much-anticipated ruling on the President Donald Trump's tax returns.
The ruling upheld a Trump administration rule, which expanded the range of employers allowed to decline contraceptive care based on religious reasons. It is a major victory for the religious right.
The Obama administration carved out narrow exemptions in the ACA — better known as Obamacare — for places of worship and certain organizations, such as religiously-affiliated hospitals and schools. Under those guidelines, the government would still cover contraceptive care, but the organizations would not have to pay the costs if they so objected.
The Trump administration expanded those exemptions to essentially all nongovernmental workplaces, from small businesses to multinational corporations. The government estimates that 70,000 to 126,000 women could lose access to free birth control.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, said the administration has "virtually unbridled discretion to decide what counts as preventive care and screenings," including the ability to "identify and create exemptions from its own guidelines."
The ruling sent the case back to a lower court with directions to lift the nationwide injunction blocking implementation of the new rule.
Though they did not join the majority opinion, liberal Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan agreed to send the case back to the lower court.
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
"Today, for the first time, the court casts totally aside countervailing rights and interests in its zeal to secure religious rights to the nth degree," they said, adding that the ruling "leaves women workers to fend for themselves" in seeking contraceptive services.
The court also announced that Thursday would be the last day of the current term, setting the stage for a much-anticipated ruling on the President Donald Trump's tax returns.
Author Max Brooks on America's poor pandemic response and why Donald Trump is "a homicidal buffoon"
The "Devolution" author spoke to Salon about how ill-equipped privileged people are for dealing with disasters
CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
JULY 6, 2020 9:30PM (UTC)
...You have written about society-changing disasters and other calamities in "World War Z" and now your new book "Devolution." How does it feel to see what you have written about in one form or another come true in real time?
I would be so happy just to be the crazy disaster guy who writes about things that do not come true. In my new book I did not predict anything per se, I was just looking backwards to what has happened with the coronavirus pandemic. Some people describe the failures of the United States government during the pandemic as a "failure of imagination." That is just nonsense; 9/11 was a failure of imagination because no one had ever taken airliners and crashed them into high rise buildings before as an act of terrorism. Pandemics have existed since the beginning of human history. What happened and is happening with the United States' overall response to the coronavirus pandemic – especially at the federal level with Donald Trump and his administration – is a failure of memory, competence, and courage.
The National Disaster Plan outlines exactly how the United States government and Donald Trump as president should have responded to the coronavirus pandemic. That plan has been refined and perfected over many years. The fact that the Trump administration did not use it a type of war crime against the American people.
If the President Trump and his administration were competent, how would they have responded to the coronavirus pandemic?
Competence would have been when the moment China told the World Health Organization about the virus the United States government would have responded to protect the country and the world. Once China told the WHO, Trump and the other leaders of this country should have been working to prevent the virus from coming to the United States – and if the virus did hit this country to be prepared as to prevent panic.
The United States government could have been ramping up production of needed medical supplies. The wrinkles in the production chain and logistic chain for necessary materials and supplies could have been ironed out. Plans could have been already in place to ensure maximum cooperation between the federal, state, and local governments.
The United States government should also have had in place a massive public messaging and education campaign that would have said to the American people, "Listen, you know that disease you've heard about in China? It's here. Now, it's not the end of the world, but it's not a hoax and it's not something to be taken lightly. We have been working to stockpile all the equipment we need.
All our healthcare workers are trained and safe and protected. We now have test kits, so if you've got the disease then we will be able to let you know and then act accordingly. We as a country are going to be okay." The Trump administration chose not to do that.
Incompetent government leadership is one of the through lines in your books "Devolution" and "World War Z." But what of the public's responsibility for their own individual and collective decision-making in a time of crisis?
Ultimately, as in my books "World War Z" and "Devolution," I blame us. It all comes down to the American people being responsible for the government's incompetence because in a representative democracy the people are ultimately to blame. The Chinese can blame Premier Xi Jinping for every single coronavirus death. He has all the power and takes all the blame.
But as much as I would blame this coronavirus pandemic disaster on a historically incompetent leader in the form of Donald Trump, the problems are much deeper than him. The United States is grappling with a broken public health system. Many Americans do not believe in science and reason. There are conspiracists who do not believe in vaccines and other medicine. Congress cut the CDC's budget years ago and there was no public outcry. The American people pay taxes and they vote. As such, the American people have to bear at least some measure of responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic's devastation on this country.
And when I speak of Donald Trump's incompetence, I am not just including the people who voted for him but those other Americans who chose not to vote in 2016. These people said, "Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the same" and other foolish things such as, "I'm not going to vote because I am not inspired." This whole disaster is on them too. Those people may not have been inspired by Hillary Clinton but at least she was an expert in government and leadership and managing the bureaucracy. If a person cannot see the difference between Donald Trump who is a homicidal buffoon, and Hillary Clinton, then such a person bears no small amount of responsibility for the disaster with the pandemic and all the other problems it has spawned and revealed.[...]
I would be so happy just to be the crazy disaster guy who writes about things that do not come true. In my new book I did not predict anything per se, I was just looking backwards to what has happened with the coronavirus pandemic. Some people describe the failures of the United States government during the pandemic as a "failure of imagination." That is just nonsense; 9/11 was a failure of imagination because no one had ever taken airliners and crashed them into high rise buildings before as an act of terrorism. Pandemics have existed since the beginning of human history. What happened and is happening with the United States' overall response to the coronavirus pandemic – especially at the federal level with Donald Trump and his administration – is a failure of memory, competence, and courage.
The National Disaster Plan outlines exactly how the United States government and Donald Trump as president should have responded to the coronavirus pandemic. That plan has been refined and perfected over many years. The fact that the Trump administration did not use it a type of war crime against the American people.
If the President Trump and his administration were competent, how would they have responded to the coronavirus pandemic?
Competence would have been when the moment China told the World Health Organization about the virus the United States government would have responded to protect the country and the world. Once China told the WHO, Trump and the other leaders of this country should have been working to prevent the virus from coming to the United States – and if the virus did hit this country to be prepared as to prevent panic.
The United States government could have been ramping up production of needed medical supplies. The wrinkles in the production chain and logistic chain for necessary materials and supplies could have been ironed out. Plans could have been already in place to ensure maximum cooperation between the federal, state, and local governments.
The United States government should also have had in place a massive public messaging and education campaign that would have said to the American people, "Listen, you know that disease you've heard about in China? It's here. Now, it's not the end of the world, but it's not a hoax and it's not something to be taken lightly. We have been working to stockpile all the equipment we need.
All our healthcare workers are trained and safe and protected. We now have test kits, so if you've got the disease then we will be able to let you know and then act accordingly. We as a country are going to be okay." The Trump administration chose not to do that.
Incompetent government leadership is one of the through lines in your books "Devolution" and "World War Z." But what of the public's responsibility for their own individual and collective decision-making in a time of crisis?
Ultimately, as in my books "World War Z" and "Devolution," I blame us. It all comes down to the American people being responsible for the government's incompetence because in a representative democracy the people are ultimately to blame. The Chinese can blame Premier Xi Jinping for every single coronavirus death. He has all the power and takes all the blame.
But as much as I would blame this coronavirus pandemic disaster on a historically incompetent leader in the form of Donald Trump, the problems are much deeper than him. The United States is grappling with a broken public health system. Many Americans do not believe in science and reason. There are conspiracists who do not believe in vaccines and other medicine. Congress cut the CDC's budget years ago and there was no public outcry. The American people pay taxes and they vote. As such, the American people have to bear at least some measure of responsibility for the coronavirus pandemic's devastation on this country.
And when I speak of Donald Trump's incompetence, I am not just including the people who voted for him but those other Americans who chose not to vote in 2016. These people said, "Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the same" and other foolish things such as, "I'm not going to vote because I am not inspired." This whole disaster is on them too. Those people may not have been inspired by Hillary Clinton but at least she was an expert in government and leadership and managing the bureaucracy. If a person cannot see the difference between Donald Trump who is a homicidal buffoon, and Hillary Clinton, then such a person bears no small amount of responsibility for the disaster with the pandemic and all the other problems it has spawned and revealed.[...]
Bites from Real News
*7/8/2020*
*Mike Pence: ‘The best expert I know’ on coronavirus school policy ‘is my wife Karen’
*‘All lives matter’: Church hangs ‘no trespassing’ sign above Black woman for sitting in the grass
*Ohio GOP Lawmaker Claims COVID-19 Tests Are ‘Dictatorship’ Conspiracy — ‘Stop Getting Tested!’
Ohio state Rep. Nino Vitale (R) on Tuesday encouraged his constituents to “stop getting tested” for COVID-19.
*A FOOL SPEAKS: Martha McSally: Women in the military get pregnant to "skirt" deployment
ROGER SOLLENBERGER
*TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADS MISLEAD VIEWERS ABOUT BLACK PROTESTERS WHO STOPPED VIOLENCE
THROUGH DECEPTIVE EDITING, TWO TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADS FALSELY PORTRAY LAW-ABIDING BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTERS WHO ACTED TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AS DANGEROUS THUGS
*corporate BS: Stop trying to fight racism with corporate diversity consultants
Inclusivity seminars and books like White Fragility protect power; they don’t challenge it. We’re being hustled
*Pro-Trump lobbyists worked with firms that received small business relief loans
Lindblad Expeditions and Laundrylux Distribution, two companies that hired Trump-linked lobbyists Jeff Miller and Brian Ballard, received millions of dollars in small business relief loans.
*Could Paying Farmers to Store Carbon Help the Climate and Save Farms?
The tech world is salivating over the idea. But some experts warn it’s a field of dreams.
*Far Right Reading List Shows Link Between Its Literature and Real-World Violence The “America First” reading list is nothing if not a virtual how-to manual for white resentment and violence. by Joseph Keady, Truthout
*NYPD’S CULTURE OF IMPUNITY SEES AN OFFICER REPEATEDLY ACCUSED OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE RISING THROUGH THE RANKS
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO’S PLEDGE TO DISCIPLINE OFFICERS WHO COMMIT VIOLENCE DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS NYPD’S CULTURE OF REWARDING BAD BEHAVIOR.
*GRAPHIC JOURNALISM: We Must Understand the Sordid History of Voter Suppression to End Its Use This excerpt from “Unrig” looks at voting rights in the U.S. and how to fight back against voter suppression.
by Daniel G. Newman, George O’Connor, First Second
*We won’t have a truly global economy until people start taxing it that way
Reconstructing our tax system is an integral part of future national industrial policy as we restart the economy
MARSHALL AUERBACK - INDEPENDENT MEDIA INSTITUTE
These anti-LGBTQ groups got more than $2 million in virus relief loans
By Josh Israel - american independent
July 7, 2020 4:24 PM
Several of the organizations have been designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
More than $2.6 million in taxpayer money appropriated for saving small businesses during the pandemic has gone to anti-LGBTQ organizations, analysis of Small Business Administration data reveals.
The Paycheck Protection Program, passed as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March, provided hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to American businesses.
Donald Trump, on signing the bill, said it would "keep our small businesses strong and our big businesses strong. And that's keeping our country strong and our jobs strong."
On Monday, the Small Business Administration released the names of every business that received at least $150,000 in loans.
The list included three groups that have been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBTQ hate groups. It also included at least five other organizations with a history of working against LGBTQ rights.
Chris Fleming, spokesperson for Accountable for Equality, which works to educate the public about anti-LGBTQ extremists, said in an email this week that some of the groups have gone so far as to oppose including sexual orientation and gender identity protections in anti-lynching and hate crimes laws.
"I don't think it's a stretch to say that tax payer funds shouldn't go to support groups that defend killing gay people," he wrote. "Public funds have no business pushing tax paying Americans out of the public square, let alone promoting hate and violence. These groups promote the marginalization of LGBT people."
In total, the eight groups received between $2,650,000 and $6,400,000 through the PPP program.
Here's who's on the list.
American Family Association
The American Family Association received between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 in PPP loans.
---
Center for Arizona Policy
The Center for Arizona Policy received between $150,000 and $350,000 in PPP loans.
---
Concerned Women for America
The Concerned Women for America received between $150,000 and $350,000. The group's website claims that the Equality Act — a federal bill to ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination — would "erase the protected category of sex which has been a foundation for securing the rights and opportunities of women in the US."
---
Dr. James Dobson Family Institute
The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute received between $350,000 and $1,000,000 in PPP funding.
---
First Liberty Institute
The First Liberty Institute received between $350,000 and $1,000,000 in PPP loan money.
An October post on the group's website defended employers seeking the legal right to discriminate against LGBTQ people, specifically targeting transgender individuals.
---
Liberty Counsel
The Liberty Counsel received between $350,000 and $1,000,000.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Liberty Counsel as "a legal organization advocating for anti-LGBT discrimination under the guise of religious liberty." Its website has a page on "protecting marriage & family," arguing that marriage is only a "bond between one man and one woman."
---
Pacific Justice Institute
The Pacific Justice Institute, a designated hate group, received between $150,000 and $350,000 in PPP loan money.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the group as an "anti-LGBT hate group" that has "compared legalized gay marriage to Hitler and the Nazis’ ascent in Germany; endorsed so-called 'reparative' or sexual orientation conversion therapy; claimed marriage equality would lead to legal polygamy and incest; fought against protections for trans children and fabricated a story of harassment by a trans student; and said that LGBT History Month promotes gay pornography to children."
---
The Family Leader Foundation
The Family Leader Foundation received between $150,000 and $350,000 in PPP loans.
The group is the 501(c)(3) "charitable" arm of Bob Vander Plaats' Iowa-based THE FAMiLY LEADER operation, which has argued Black children born into slavery were better off than those in single parent homes today.
The Family Leader Foundation website explicitly states that it "affirms sexual relations within the bond of marriage, and opposes distortions of sexuality or special rights to those practicing distorted sexual behavior."
It did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
More than $2.6 million in taxpayer money appropriated for saving small businesses during the pandemic has gone to anti-LGBTQ organizations, analysis of Small Business Administration data reveals.
The Paycheck Protection Program, passed as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March, provided hundreds of billions of dollars in forgivable loans to American businesses.
Donald Trump, on signing the bill, said it would "keep our small businesses strong and our big businesses strong. And that's keeping our country strong and our jobs strong."
On Monday, the Small Business Administration released the names of every business that received at least $150,000 in loans.
The list included three groups that have been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-LGBTQ hate groups. It also included at least five other organizations with a history of working against LGBTQ rights.
Chris Fleming, spokesperson for Accountable for Equality, which works to educate the public about anti-LGBTQ extremists, said in an email this week that some of the groups have gone so far as to oppose including sexual orientation and gender identity protections in anti-lynching and hate crimes laws.
"I don't think it's a stretch to say that tax payer funds shouldn't go to support groups that defend killing gay people," he wrote. "Public funds have no business pushing tax paying Americans out of the public square, let alone promoting hate and violence. These groups promote the marginalization of LGBT people."
In total, the eight groups received between $2,650,000 and $6,400,000 through the PPP program.
Here's who's on the list.
American Family Association
The American Family Association received between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 in PPP loans.
---
Center for Arizona Policy
The Center for Arizona Policy received between $150,000 and $350,000 in PPP loans.
---
Concerned Women for America
The Concerned Women for America received between $150,000 and $350,000. The group's website claims that the Equality Act — a federal bill to ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination — would "erase the protected category of sex which has been a foundation for securing the rights and opportunities of women in the US."
---
Dr. James Dobson Family Institute
The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute received between $350,000 and $1,000,000 in PPP funding.
---
First Liberty Institute
The First Liberty Institute received between $350,000 and $1,000,000 in PPP loan money.
An October post on the group's website defended employers seeking the legal right to discriminate against LGBTQ people, specifically targeting transgender individuals.
---
Liberty Counsel
The Liberty Counsel received between $350,000 and $1,000,000.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Liberty Counsel as "a legal organization advocating for anti-LGBT discrimination under the guise of religious liberty." Its website has a page on "protecting marriage & family," arguing that marriage is only a "bond between one man and one woman."
---
Pacific Justice Institute
The Pacific Justice Institute, a designated hate group, received between $150,000 and $350,000 in PPP loan money.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the group as an "anti-LGBT hate group" that has "compared legalized gay marriage to Hitler and the Nazis’ ascent in Germany; endorsed so-called 'reparative' or sexual orientation conversion therapy; claimed marriage equality would lead to legal polygamy and incest; fought against protections for trans children and fabricated a story of harassment by a trans student; and said that LGBT History Month promotes gay pornography to children."
---
The Family Leader Foundation
The Family Leader Foundation received between $150,000 and $350,000 in PPP loans.
The group is the 501(c)(3) "charitable" arm of Bob Vander Plaats' Iowa-based THE FAMiLY LEADER operation, which has argued Black children born into slavery were better off than those in single parent homes today.
The Family Leader Foundation website explicitly states that it "affirms sexual relations within the bond of marriage, and opposes distortions of sexuality or special rights to those practicing distorted sexual behavior."
It did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
There is money to help
Jimmy John’s employees stage mock lynching with noose made of dough
July 6, 2020
By David Edwards - raw story
A Jimmy John’s restaurant in Georgia has reportedly fired at least two employees who staged a mock lynching in one of the stores.
Video of the incident, which was said to have occurred in Woodstock, Georgia over the Fourth of July holiday, was shared on social media.
In the video, one employee places a noose made of dough over another employee’s head. Both employees appear to be white.
According to CBS 46, multiple employees were fired over the incident. Another report said that a manager was also terminated.
Video of the incident, which was said to have occurred in Woodstock, Georgia over the Fourth of July holiday, was shared on social media.
In the video, one employee places a noose made of dough over another employee’s head. Both employees appear to be white.
According to CBS 46, multiple employees were fired over the incident. Another report said that a manager was also terminated.
Trump Threatens States: Send Kids Back to School During Raging Pandemic or Lose Funding
Jamie Ross - Reporter
Updated Jul. 08, 2020 10:08AM ET
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
President Donald Trump has attempted to strong-arm state leaders into reopening schools during the raging coronavirus pandemic by threatening to revoke their funding. In a Wednesday morning tweet, Trump wrote: “In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!” Trump followed up on his statement Wednesday morning, stating that he disagrees with the CDC guidelines for reopening schools. “I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools. While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!” the president tweeted.
Trump officials have been trying to make the case for school reopenings this week—despite growing health concerns by doctors, scientists, and state officials and U.S. new case numbers hitting records. On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told local officials that the decision to open schools was just a matter of calculated risk, similar to those taken by an astronaut heading into space.
Trump officials have been trying to make the case for school reopenings this week—despite growing health concerns by doctors, scientists, and state officials and U.S. new case numbers hitting records. On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told local officials that the decision to open schools was just a matter of calculated risk, similar to those taken by an astronaut heading into space.
Impeachment Witness Lt. Col. Vindman Retires From Army, Citing Retaliation Campaign From Trump
Madeline Charbonneau - Cheat Sheet Intern
Updated Jul. 08, 2020 11:48AM ET
daily beast cheat sheet
Key impeachment inquiry witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is retiring from the U.S. Army after 21 years of military service. Vindman reportedly made the decision after determining that his career would be stunted due to political retaliation from President Donald Trump and his allies. Vindman’s lawyer said he’d already experienced a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation” from the president following his testimony in the impeachment inquiry last year. Trump fired Vindman as the National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert and shortly thereafter fired his twin brother, who had been an NSC lawyer. “The President of the United States attempted to force LTC Vindman to choose: Between adhering to the law or pleasing a President. Between honoring his oath or protecting his career. Between protecting his promotion or the promotion of his fellow soldiers,” said Vindman’s lawyer, Amb. David Pressman.
Tech CEO Apologizes for Racist Rant Against Asian Family
Madeline Charbonneau - Cheat Sheet Intern
Published Jul. 08, 2020 12:09PM ET
DAILY BEAST CHEAT SHEET
A San Francisco tech CEO has apologized for a racist rant unloaded on an Asian family dining out in a California restaurant. Solid8 CEO Michael Lofthouse was recorded shouting “Trump’s gonna fuck you. You fucking need to leave. You fucking Asian piece of shit,” at the Chan and Orosa families, who were out celebrating a birthday on July 4 at Lucia in Carmel Valley, California. A restaurant employee quickly told Lofthouse to leave and he was escorted out. Lofthouse apologized after video of the incident went viral on social media, calling his behavior “appalling” and stating that he “lost control” in the moment. The family, however, said they do not believe the apology. “I don’t believe his words because his actions speak louder than the words he’s saying,” Raymond Orosa said.
Saving the piece of shit for prison.
*What's Inside*
JULY 5 - july 7
✔CONSUMER BUREAU REVOKES PAYDAY LENDING RESTRICTIONS
(PAYBACK)
*ANTIRACISM MUST BE A PRIORITY IN EVERY NEWSROOM
(WORTHLESS MEDIA)
*OVER 5,600 FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES HAVE TAKEN AT LEAST $3BN IN US COVID-19 AID
(OIL)
✔W.VA. GOVERNOR'S COMPANIES GET MILLIONS IN VIRUS LOANS
(CORRUPTION)
*MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS COULD BE LATEST CASUALTIES OF COVID’S DISASTER CAPITALISM
(SLAVERY 21ST CENTURY)
*THE PSYCHOLOGY OF POLICE VIOLENCE: WHAT MAKES SO MANY COPS HAVE RACIAL BIASES?
(GESTAPO USA)
✔AS THE ELECTION DRAWS NEAR, TRUMP GOES WITH A MESSAGE OF DIVISION AND ANGER
(TRUMP)
*MAGIC MUSHROOMS COULD HELP EX-SOLDIERS TO OVERCOME TRAUMA
(CURRENTS)
✔TO THE WORLD, WE’RE NOW AMERICA THE RACIST AND PITIFUL
(COMMENTARY)
*KATIE PORTER DEMANDS RESIGNATION OF TRUMP SMALL BUSINESS CHIEF FOR ENABLING ‘ABUSE’ OF COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS(DEMO POLITICS)
*BEWARE OF ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICANS WHO ENDORSE JOE BIDEN
(COMMENTARY)
*AFTER MONTHS OF INQUIRY, TRUMP CAMPAIGN STILL APPEARS TO HAVE NOT RETURNED ILLEGAL FOREIGN DONATION(CORRUPTION)
*'WE DON'T LIVE IN A COMMUNIST COUNTRY!': BATTLE OVER MASKS RAGES IN TEXAS
(AMERICA)
*GERMANY IS FIRST MAJOR ECONOMY TO PHASE OUT COAL AND NUCLEAR
(WORLD)
*MEXICO CITY BURIED ITS RIVERS TO PREVENT DISEASE AND UNWITTINGLY CREATED A DRY, POLLUTED CITY WHERE COVID-19 NOW THRIVES(ANCIENT TIMES)
*late news of interest*
a blast from the past!!!
British Writer Pens The Best Description Of Trump I’ve Read
MICHAEL STEVENSON - The HOBBLEDEHOY.com
MARCH 8, 2019
Someone on Quora asked “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:
A few things spring to mind.
Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.
For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.
So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.
Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.
I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.
But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.
Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.
And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.
There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.
Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.
Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.
And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.
Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.
He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.
He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.
And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.
That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.
There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.
So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.
• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.
This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.
After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.
God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.
He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.
In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.
And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:
‘My God… what… have… I… created?
If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.
RELATED: Lucie Arnaz Shares Her Husband’s Letter to Trump; “All Tyrants End the Same Way –in Misery. That is Your Destiny…”
..."The people see all that you are doing to destroy the country that belongs to us. There are so many, many, many things you and your captive minions have done and are doing to change the people into your servants, slaves, even. The people can only tolerate the theft of their freedom for so long–but finally, as in our original Revolution, they will gather en masse to remove you and every one of your party from any position of power ever again."
A few things spring to mind.
Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.
For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.
So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.
Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.
I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.
But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.
Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.
And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.
There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface.
Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.
Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.
And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.
Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.
He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.
He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.
And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.
That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.
There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.
So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.
• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.
This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.
After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.
God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.
He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.
In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.
And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:
‘My God… what… have… I… created?
If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.
RELATED: Lucie Arnaz Shares Her Husband’s Letter to Trump; “All Tyrants End the Same Way –in Misery. That is Your Destiny…”
..."The people see all that you are doing to destroy the country that belongs to us. There are so many, many, many things you and your captive minions have done and are doing to change the people into your servants, slaves, even. The people can only tolerate the theft of their freedom for so long–but finally, as in our original Revolution, they will gather en masse to remove you and every one of your party from any position of power ever again."
