Author: From the Wire
House Democrats demand Trump Administration stop rushing through deportations of migrant children
Democratic congressional leaders expressed alarm at the sudden acceleration and requested the government “cease this practice immediately.” by Lomi Kriel May 28, 5 a.m. CDT Democratic congressional leaders expressed alarm Wednesday at a sudden acceleration in…
With nation focused on pandemic, Trump Interior Dept. to greenlight killing of bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens
“Killing has no place in our National Wildlife Refuges.” by Julia Conley, staff writer May, 28, 2020 President Donald Trump’s National Park Service plans to finalize rules this week that will allow hunters in Alaska to…
The Trump Administration is rushing deportations of migrant children during coronavirus
Their father was missing. Their mother was miles away. Two sisters, ages 8 and 11, were survivors of sexual assault and at risk of deportation. With the nation focused on COVID-19, the U.S. government is rushing…
100,000 lives lost to COVID-19. What did they teach us?
Each person who has died of COVID-19 was somebody’s everything. Even as we mourn for those we knew, cry for those we loved and consider those who have died uncounted, the full tragedy of the pandemic…
Masks sold by former White House official to Navajo hospitals don’t meet FDA standards
New information from the Indian Health Service calls into question why the agency purchased expensive medical gear that it now cannot use as intended. by Yeganeh Torbati and Derek Willis May 27, 5:20 p.m. EDT The…
A closer look at federal COVID contractors reveals inexperience, fraud accusations and a weapons dealer operating out of someone’s house
The Trump administration has promised at least $1.8 billion to 335 first-time contractors, often without competitive bidding or thorough vetting of their backgrounds. by Ryan Gabrielson, Lydia DePillis, J. David McSwane and Derek Willis, ProPublica, and…
Democratic congressman calls for probe into former White House official’s $3 million mask deal
Trump’s former deputy chief of staff won a $3 million federal contract just days after registering his company. He delivered masks to Navajo hospitals that may not work. Rep. Gerry Connolly asked the HHS inspector general’s…
‘How the Trump White House sees you’: top economic adviser under fire for calling workers ‘human capital stock’
“They’ve always been indifferent to human life. And in the face of mass death, the masks are coming off.” by Jake Johnson, staff writer Tuesday, May 26 In a remark critics characterized as further evidence that…
How pro-Trump millionaires robbed small businesses of coronavirus aid
Thanks to a specially carved loophole, one multi-millionaire claimed 339 times more than the average small business received. by Jim Hightower May 20, 2020 Monty Bennett was just another faceless right-wing millionaire on the long list…
Blocking the deadly cytokine storm is a vital weapon for treating COVID-19
Immune cells release proteins called cytokines which alert the rest of the immune system that a virus is present. www.scientificanimations.com, CC BY-SA by Alexander (Sasha) Poltorak, Tufts University The killer is not the virus but the…
‘Watershed moment in election law’ as judge rules ‘modern day Poll Tax’ in Florida unconstitutional
Advocates for restoring the voting rights of people with past convictions welcomed the ruling as “a powerful reminder that no one can trump the U.S. Constitution.” by Jessica Corbett, staff writer Monday, May 25 Civil liberties…
Chomsky says Trump a ‘Sociopathic Megalomaniac’ who made US ‘singularly unprepared’ for pandemic
New comments from the renowned academic come after he accused Trump of wanting “to destroy the prospects for all organized human life… in the near future.” by Andrea Germanos, staff writer Monday, May 25 World-renowned intellectual…
A memorial day for lies?
by Laura Flanders So which will it be? Will this disaster spark a shift for the better? Or will the deadly myths white Americans tell ourselves survive Covid-19? Memorial Day messaging bodes ill. I want to…
Outbreak at private immigration detention center near Abilene
The outbreak at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in rural West Texas is the second-largest among the nation’s 49 immigration detention centers that have seen positive cases. by Texas Tribune Staff, The Texas Tribune May 23, 2020,…
As nation mourns 100,000 dead, Trump goes golfing
“100,000 Americans dead. 40,000,000 unemployed. So let’s go golfing.” by Common Dreams staff Saturday, May 23 President Donald J. Trump, who has faced mounting criticism for his administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis and his lack…
Nike turned away a public health official from Its warehouse days after a worker with COVID-19 died
The Health Department received a complaint that a Nike warehouse wasn’t being cleaned thoroughly or allowing for social distancing. Its inspector wasn’t allowed inside. Twenty-one workers have tested positive for COVID-19 at Nike’s Memphis locations. by…
What parents should know about coronavirus as kids return to babysitters, day cares and camps
You never planned on raising kids during a pandemic, and there are no easy decisions. ProPublica scoured the latest research and talked to seven infectious disease and public health experts to help think through the issues…
A passion for equality
by Wade Rathke Pearl River The other day I read a belated obituary on Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Nick Kotz. He had passed away at 87 on his cattle farm in Virginia of a freak accident…
The Feds Gave a Former White House Official $3 Million to Supply Masks to Navajo Hospitals. Some May Not Work.
Zach Fuentes, former deputy chief of staff to President Trump, won the contract just days after registering his company. He sold Chinese masks to the government just as federal regulators were scrutinizing foreign-made equipment. by Yeganeh…
Oil companies can set their own rates for royalties from drilling on public lands
“Oil and gas corporations already pay pennies compared to what they make in profits from plundering public lands—land that belongs to the American people—and now they’ll pay even less.” by Julia Conley, staff writer Friday, May…
Inside one of Amazon’s hardest-hit warehouses: ‘Why aren’t we closing the building?
by Will Evans May 20, 2020 In late March, workers at an Amazon warehouse near Hazleton, Pennsylvania, got the dreaded announcement. Over the loudspeaker, a manager’s voice rang through the warehouse: “We have recently learned of…
Making reality from fiction: underground soccer leagues
Pearl River Remember way back in another lifetime, pre-pandemic, before the coronavirus global killer wave? It seems years ago, but it was only last summer that ACORN’s French affiliate, Alliance Citoyenne, gained huge attention throughout…
In the Fight to Curtail the Climate Crisis, the Earth Just Moved a Little
Nearly half of Chase’s owners have demanded to know how the bank plans to align its business model with the Paris Agreement. On the surface, that probably doesn’t sound like an earthquake. But it’s quietly seismic….
How a company misappropriated Native American culture to sell health insurance
Trump Care by Fred Schulte, Kaiser Health News May 20, 2020 Jill Goodridge was shopping for affordable health insurance when a friend told her about O’NA HealthCare, a low-cost alternative to commercial insurance. The…
