Events to Know

Government COVID Response. Before all eyes were on civil unrest, we did manage to see some really messed up COVID news. Trump kicked things off by banning noncitizen travel to and from Brazil, because as we all know the virus definitely cares whether you’re a U.S. citizen. He also started taking concrete steps to force the United States to leave the World Health Organization, though it’s unclear if he legally can.  Meanwhile, the WHO is pausing a global trial on hydroxychloroquine, both because prescription is contraindicated and because it doesn’t improve outcomes in people who test positive for COVID.  Meanwhile, Justice Roberts joined with his liberal colleagues on the Supreme Court to refuse to force governors to open churches during the pandemic, noting in his 5-4 opinion that it “seems quite improbable” that the situation merits the extraordinary remedy of injunctive relief. (Kavanaugh, in contrast, wrote a tinfoil hat dissent literally claiming it was discrimination to close churches at all.) I’m glad the court came down on the correct side, just barely, but I find it unsettling that four justices wanted to force a governor to walk back restrictions on indoor gatherings during a pandemic.

Key links:

1. CNN – White House Announces New Travel Restrictions On Brazil
2. Vox – Trump Announced US Withdrawal From The WHO. It’s Unclear If He Can Do That.
3. Politico – World Health Organization Pauses Study of Hydroxychloroquine in Global Trial
4. New York Times – Supreme Court, In 5-4 Decision, Rejects Church’s Challenge To Shutdown Order

The Shifting Position of the Press. Historically, established press members have always been able to cover protests, and even riots, as necessary information sources for what is unfolding–press covered the Stonewall Riots in the 1960s, for example, and the Los Angeles riot of the early 1990s. Given this backdrop, it’s understandable that the sudden arrest of a CNN team in Minneapolis on Friday startled even the journalism team–in the associated video, the reporter can be heard asking “Why am I under arrest?” as he’s being cuffed mid-report in broad daylight. This was escalated dramatically and violently over the weekend, as police action against the press began to seem intentional and systemic. At the time that I type this, outlets have identified over two dozen incidents around the country: a reporter in Louisville lost her eye when police shot her in the face with a rubber bullet; journalism teams in Denver reported paint balls and tear gas used against them; a team in Detroit took pepper spray to the face while holding up their badges; a team in D.C. report physical assault; several teams in Minneapolis report police threw them to the ground or fired rubber bullets at them; teams in the larger LA area report rubber bullets and tear gas used as well. Many of these incidents occurred after the press had identified themselves, and many of them also have accompanying video. Though violence is part of the landscape right now, we need to pay particular attention to any state action that involves knowingly committing violence against the press, because it has major First Amendment implications.

Key links:

1. CNN – Journalists Covering Protests Face Assault And Arrest
2. Vox – “Directly At Us”: Louisville Law Enforcement Shoots Reporters With Pepper Bullets
3. Reuters – Reuters Camera Crew Hit By Rubber Bullets As More Journalists Attacked At U.S. Protests
4. Washington Post – ‘The Norms Have Broken Down’: Shock As Journalists Are Arrested, Injured By Police While Trying To Cover The Story

Other Election Oddities (Again).  It didn’t quite rise to the level of the other stories, but there was a lot of strange election news this week.  Joe Biden was in the news for saying Black voters who consider voting for Trump “ain’t Black,” which he of course later had to apologize for saying (though he apparently acquitted himself well in public appearances after the weekend’s riots).  Trump kept threatening to pull the RNC from Charlotte because they wanted literally any safety precautions, and then finally did pull the plug on that this week.  Several states and D.C. held freighted primaries in the middle of the week’s mess, with some curfews starting before polling places closed.  And Trump was also in the news for trying to register in Florida despite living in D.C., which is against Florida’s voting rules.

Key links:

1. Business Insider – ‘I Should Not Have Been So Cavalier’: Joe Biden Apologizes For Saying Black Voters Deciding Between Him And Trump ‘Ain’t Black’
2. Washington Post – Biden begins to map out ‘revolutionary’ agenda, reimagining his presidency amid national upheaval
3. NPR – Tuesday’s Primaries: Races To Watch And Live Results
4. New York Times  – Trump Threatens To Pull Republican National Convention From North Carolina

Recent Resilience

Recent Space Resilience.  This week did see the first successful space shuttle launch in nearly a decade, as the private company SpaceX had their first launch and rendezvoused with the International Space Shuttle on Sunday.  As one Twitter user put it, “Congratulations to the Astronauts that left Earth today.  Good choice.”

Key links:

1. New York Times – SpaceX Lifts NASA Astronauts To Orbit, Launching New Era of Spaceflight

Things to Watch

State of the COVID-19.  We have officially surpassed 100,000 deaths in this country, and over 1.8 million cases have been reported.  Given this news, combined with high rate of asymptomatic infection and a country that is increasingly reopening, an effective method of contact tracing has become extremely important.  It’s particularly alarming that we’re also seeing news of businesses banning masks and government officials hiding COVID-positive test results.    WHO is warning about a second peak, but Disney World is reopening, and so is New York City–or at least, that was the plan before all the riots; I’m not sure if that changes anything.
Key links:

1. New York Times – Coronavirus In The U.S.: Latest Map And Case Count
2. CNN – CDC Estimates That 35% Of Coronavirus Patients Don’t Have Symptoms
3. Washington Post –  While U.S. Struggles To Roll Out Coronavirus Contact Tracing, Germany Has Been Doing It From The Start
4. New York Times – New York City, Battered By Outbreak, Finally Moves Toward Reopening

Black Lives Still Matter in Minneapolis.  This was, frankly, a very bad week for civil rights of Black Americans.  The unrest started gaining steam in Minneapolis, where an unarmed man named George Floyd was choked to death by police, with videotape very clearly showing one officer’s knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.  Protests of the death resulted in even more deaths and mass arrests, and there were fatalities from Louisville protests as well.  The situation in Minneapolis continued to devolve as more and more awful details about Floyd’s death came out, police response became more brutal, and protesters began setting fires and damaging property.  The governor of Minnesota mobilized the National Guard, and the Pentagon put military police on standby.  Eventually the officer in question was arrested and charged with murder as we went into the weekend, and the other officers present were charged on Wednesday.
Key links:

1. CNN – Prosecutors Do Not Announce Charges In George Floyd’s Death But Say ‘Justice Will Be Served’
2. CBS – George Floyd’s Death Sparks Large Protests, Confrontations With Police
3. CBS Local Minnesota – Former MPD Officer Derek Chauvin In Custody, Charged With Murder In George Floyd’s Death
4. Washington Post – All 4 officers in the George Floyd case are now charged

Black Lives Still Matter Everywhere.  In response to news in Minneapolis, protests of all types continued to grow in over 140 cities all around the world.  Increasingly, police escalation and increased violence have been reported, as I noted above–everything from cruisers driving into crowds of protesters to rubber bullets and pepper spray to people being fatally shot.  Many cities now have curfews in place in an attempt to get things back under control, but it’s unclear whether that is working.  All of this was exacerbated by 45’s response, which has oscillated between bravado (inciting state officials to violence and threatening to declare antifa a terrorist organization) and utter cowardice (literally turning all the White House lights off so he could pretend no one is home).  On Monday, Trump indicated he would use military force in DC in a seeming invocation of the Insurrection Act.  He then immediately put his money where his mouth was by having military police use tear gas to disperse a completely peaceful protest, apparently so that he could have a photo op in front of a nearby damaged church.  This behavior was so egregious that his current Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, spoke out against the practice, though he ultimately caved to pressure and will implement the policy.  Another previous Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, spoke out against Trump’s protest militarization in general, rightfully saying, “We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”
Key links:

1. NBC – George Floyd Protest Turns Deadly; Minneapolis Mayor Requests National Guard
2. The Guardian – George Floyd Protests: The US Cities That Became Hotspots Of Unrest
3. NPR – Grief, Outrage Over George Floyd Spread Further
4. Politico – Trump Warns Protesters As Unrest Sweeps America
5. Washington Post – Trump Administration To Significantly Expand Military Response In Washington Amid Unrest
6. CBS – Esper says he opposes deploying active-duty troops to states to quell protests
7. Atlantic – James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution

Actions for Everyone

Oh what a week it has been. Nobody envisioned we’d be taking part of the new civil rights movement in the middle of an on-going deadly pandemic while having the worst President in this country’s history, yet here we are. 2020 has been a ride. I hope you are doing fine in the middle of all of this and that you can find peace in the moments where you need it.

Civil Rights Movement 2.0 – The people have taken the streets in an outpouring call to justice after the Minneapolis Police murdered another black man, George Floyd. 10 days later there are protests in every State, the world has joined-in protesting in their streets in support of Black Lives Matter and finally today we heard all 4 policemen have been charged. But these protests are not just about George Floyd, they are about every single black person that has died in the hands of brutal police, about dismantling institutionalized racism and bringing justice to all People of Color. All this is going on while Pride month commences, another movement started by a black trans woman. I hope this is the start of a new era of civil rights, justice and reparations.

What can you do to help the movement?

If you can protest, protest. Remember to wear a mask, bring sanitizer, bring water and snacks, wear comfortable clothing and shoes, bring first aid supplies if you can.

If you can’t protest, you have many options, don’t feel that because you can’t be on the streets you are not valuable to the cause. Especially with Covid-19 outbreak, many people can’t put themselves and their families at risk. What can you do?

• You can donate or fundraise
• Offer to do childcare or take care of seniors
• Cook a meal for protestors
• Bring or gather supplies like food, water and first aid supplies to protesters
• Start conversations, specially with your white friends and family members
• Campaign on social media

Use these links to learn more:

Black Lives Matter “Ways You Can Help”

26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond The Streets

You can also access this document, a National Resource List, that has gathered lots of information on where to donate, legal resources if you or someone you know is arrested, tips for protesting, organizations to support. It has lots of good information to know and share.

Dictator Trump – The President wants to bring the military in to stop the protests. He has pointed to the fact numerous times in tweets and in his last speech in front of St. John’s Church.  He is basically considering attacking the people he is supposed to be serving. He keeps using the word “dominate” and is encouraging state governments to use force on the protesters. Right now, DC looks like a war zone, as shown in this AP article. 

Using the military against civilians is specifically prohibited by the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.  I don’t think Trump knows, now you do! So use this knowledge to call your elected officials and let them know that they have to use their power as congresspeople to restrain our wannabe dictator. That is basically why Congress exists in the first place. You can find your representatives here:

Senate

House

And here are some Things That Made Me Smile this week:

Guerrilla Grafters! Grafting fruit trees into city trees. 

The History of Antifa, which Trump designated as a terrorist organization when it’s not even an organization and it’s just a literal ideology against the ideals of Hitler.  I want to write more about this but maybe next week.

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Events to Know

White House Messed Up COVID-19 Response. Despite our apparent return to commerce, this was a real banner week for White House COVID response–by which I mean, it will make you want to Hulk out and smash something. Trump continued to block coronavirus task force members from testifying before the House because–and I quote–“the House is a bunch of Trump haters.” The White House also threatened to disband the task force entirely, before reversing course and resuming coronavirus briefings instead, and refused to release CDC guidance on safely reopening. Meanwhile, a watchdog agency found that scientist Rick Bright had a credible complaint of retaliation because he was removed from his position when he refused to support Trump’s sudden push for hydroxychloroquine. Trump refused to wear a mask while touring a mask production facility, and Trump’s personal valet and Pence’s press secretary both tested positive for COVID. Trump continued to refuse to wear a mask, saying “the whole concept of tests isn’t great,” and Pence refused to change his patterns on the grounds that he “has tested negative every single day.” There are also, apparently, no plans to keep Trump and Pence apart.

Key links:

1. The Hill – White House Prohibits Coronavirus Task Force Members From Testifying Before Congress In May
2. New York Post – Trump: Coronavirus Briefings Will Return, Blasts ‘Angry’ CBS News Reporter
3. CNN – Ousted Vaccine Director Files Whistleblower Complaint Alleging Coronavirus Warnings Were Ignored
4. New York Times – White House Races To Contain Virus In Its Ranks: ‘It Is Scary To Go To Work’

Reopening Rodeo. Needless to say, reopening is not smooth sailing on the state level either, despite most states beginning the process as I type this. Data suggests that most reopening states do not meet the criteria put forward by the White House for reopening, and that guidance was more modest than the CDC’s. As if to punctuate the point, a recording of Texas governor Greg Abbott also surfaced this week acknowledging that reopening will increase spread of COVID-19. And early reopening data suggests that official steps don’t make consumers return to their prior patterns anyway. Given the resurgence of infection in other countries where infection was waning, such as South Korea and China, this caution seems pretty reasonable.

Key links:

1. New York Times – Most States That Are Reopening Fail to Meet White House Guidelines
2. Progress Texas – Leaked Audio (Full): Gov. Abbott Knows Reopening Will Cause an Increase in Infection Rate for Texans
3. Washington Post – Where states are reopening after America’s shutdown
4. NPR – South Korea Records Spike In New Coronavirus Cases After Nightclub Outbreak

Flynn Flyover (and other federal news). The Department of Justice truly stunned the legal field this week by trying to drop charges against Michael Flynn, an unprecedented move given Flynn had pleaded guilty back in 2017. It illustrates just how much William Barr appears to follow Trump’s agenda rather than leading an independent department–a point only punctuated by Trump’s follow-up attack on the head of the FBI, and Trump’s request that SCOTUS block the release of other evidence from the Mueller investigation. The judge on Flynn’s case has invited other parties to weigh in, and has signaled that there will at least be a hearing before the charges can be dropped. Meanwhile, things aren’t great on the federal judicial side either, with the Senate considering McConnell’s truly unqualified protege for an appeals court appointment and the GOP doing its best vulture impression when asked about Justice Ginsburg’s recent hospitalization. Betsy DeVos used a chaotic week to release her new regulations about sexual assault on campus, despite many college campuses housing no students at the moment. And rounding everything out, Trump appointed a Republican fundraiser to head the U.S. Post Office instead of, y’know, someone from the post office. Given the giant pile of everything in this paragraph, it’s hardly a surprise that the House wants to continue investigating Trump for impeachable offenses.

Key links:

1. New York Times – ‘Never Seen Anything Like This’: Experts Question Dropping Of Flynn Prosecution
2. Washington Post – ‘A Constant Battle Of You Against The Leadership Of Your Country’: Justice Dept. Rattled As Flynn Fallout Reaches FBI
3. Politico – ‘We’re Going To Fill It’: Republicans Ready For Any Supreme Court Vacancy
4. New York Times – Devos’s Rules Bolster Rights Of Students Accused Of Sexual Misconduct
5. Reuters – Republican Donor Named U.S. Postmaster General

Recent Resilience

Recent CA Resilience.  The state of California is suing Lyft and Uber for refusing to classify its drivers as employees under a recent California law that expands worker protections to gig laborers. We’ll have to see what happens, but this is a promising bit of news–given the dire employment news above, this is a way to potentially get more protections without workers taking a hit for it.
Key links:

1. CNBC – California AG And Cities Sue Uber And Lyft, Alleging They Misclassified Workers As Contractors
2. NPR – California Sues Uber And Lyft For ‘Cheating’ Drivers And Taxpayers

Things to Watch

State of the COVID-19.  COVID news is… still not great.  Scientists have begun to study an apparent COVID-related infection that has begun to surface in young kids, though this version thankfully appears treatable.  The food supply chain still has issues, with beef shortages and pork shortages reported, and over a thousand workers have tested positive at Tyson plants in Iowa and Indiana.  Meanwhile, the drug with modest treatment efficacy in trials, remdesivir, is being inconsistently administered to hospitals.  In a silver lining, blood thinners are showing promise as a secondary treatment for patients with severe infection, and the FDA also granted emergency approval for a new antigen test.
Key links:

1. New York Times – Children Are Falling Ill With A Baffling Ailment Related To Covid-19
2. CNBC – Nearly A Fifth Of Wendy’s Us Restaurants Are Out Of Beef, Analyst Says
3. Stat News – Doctors Lambaste Federal Process For Distributing Covid-19 Drug Remdesivir
4. Washington Post – Blood Thinners Show Promise For Boosting The Survival Chances Of The Sickest Covid Patients
5. Washington Post – FDA Issues Emergency Approval Of New Antigen Test That Is Cheaper, Faster And Simpler

Cases to Watch.*  There were a number of noteworthy proceedings in the past few days, and all of them are worth keeping your eye on. The Supreme Court heard arguments about whether Congress can subpoena Trump’s taxes this week, though a final decision likely won’t be out for some time.  Meanwhile, top health official Anthony Fauci testified before the Senate about the dangers of reopening the country too quickly, and ousted vaccine official Rick Bright’s testimony is similarly dire.  The FBI obtained a search warrant and seized Senator Richard Burr’s phone to investigate his handling of stock trading ahead of the COVID criss.  And on the state end, over two months after a Georgian man was killed while jogging, police have arrested two Georgia residents for his murder.  The official action was likely spurred by video of the murder, which was posted to the Internet in the past week–apparently by a local defense attorney.
Key links:

1. New York Times – Supreme Court Hints at Split Decision in Two Cases on Obtaining Trump’s Financial Records
2. AP News – Fauci warns: More death, econ damage if US reopens too fast
3. Washington Post – Ousted vaccine official to warn of ‘darkest winter’ if virus returns without better response
4. Los Angeles Times – FBI serves warrant on senator in investigation of stock sales linked to coronavirus
5. NPC News – Video appears to show Georgia man shot while jogging; lawyers call for arrests

Market Mess Continues.  Financially speaking, things are still a mess.  Unemployment is continuing to grow at the same rate as previous weeks, resulting in the highest rate since the Great Depression.  Needless to say, this makes federal response in the coming weeks particularly important.  It’s not surprising that several Senators have begun promoting universal base income, introducing a bill that would grant $2K per month for the duration of the crisis.  House Democrats have unveiled a $3T proposal as well.  And speaking of granting funds, the Small Business Administration’s programs are still a total mess–they’re in the news this week for dramatically lowering maximum loan amounts on one of their programs without telling any applicants about it.
Key links:

1. CNN – April Was Probably The Worst Month For American Jobs Since The Great Depression
2. New York Times – As Job Losses Mount, Lawmakers Face A Make-or-break Moment
3. The Hill – Harris, Sanders, Markey Propose $2,000 Monthly Payments Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
4. Washington Post – Democratic Lawmakers Criticize ‘mismanaged’ Sba Loan Program In Letter To Administrator

Actions for Everyone

I’m not sure how to write about everything we need to work on this week without focusing on race, so I’m going to do that. Hope you’re feeling healthy and safe, and that you’re using those breathing exercises we sent a few weeks ago.

Feeling bad isn’t helpful, we gotta keep working on it: I know it’s hard, and it can feel hopeless to work on systemic change when the very foundation of this nation is rooted in the violent oppression of black and brown people. Your feelings of grief and sadness are valid, but don’t stop trying. We all have got to keep working on it. Here’s a list of 65 things white people can do for racial justice. There are so many things we can and need to DO to fight against injustice and I promise that this whole list is achievable by everyone, including and not limited to:

#2: Google whether your city or town currently employs evidence-based police de-escalation trainings. The racial make-up of your town doesn’t matter — This needs to be standard everywhere. Write to your city or town government representative and police chief and advocate for it. Multiply your voice by soliciting others to advocate as well, writing on social media about it, writing op-eds, etc.

#33: Decolonize your bookshelf.

#37: Find out how slavery, the Civil War, and the Jim Crow era are being taught in your local school…There are a lot of great resources out there with a little googling, like PBS’s resources for teaching slavery, Teaching for Change, and The National Association for Multicultural Education.

#60: Personally divest your investments in private prisons and detention centers. Start here. Many people are divesting from Wells Fargo for their substantial role in Standing Rock and from private prison companies Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), GEO Group, CoreCivic, and G4S.

#63: Talk to the white people you know who aren’t clearly upset by white supremacy. Use “I” statements and “I care” messages (“I feel [feeling] when you [behavior]”). They need to know you see a problem. Call them out, and call them in…

Check out The Loveland Foundation: Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. The Loveland Group was started by Rachel Cargle, and they’ve also started The Loveland Foundation. One of their initiatives is a Therapy Fund offering free therapy for black women and girls. Please consider donating to their fund, or using it. They have partnerships with Therapy for Black Girls, National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network, Talkspace and Open Path Collective, Loveland Therapy Fund recipients will have access to a comprehensive list of mental health professionals across the country providing high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls.

Late stage capitalism: Talking about the dangers of capitalism is always relevant, but now that our economy which is built on over consumption is shocked when people are only buying what they need, businesses are risking their employees lives for the sake of profit, our market is all over the place, the poorest people in our country have to work the hardest to receive federal stimulus checks and unemployment, I think it’s a poignant time to talk about capitalism. 

I’m late to the late stage capitalism conversation, but I’m gonna write about it in case other people are too. Late stage capitalism can be defined as the hypocrisy and absurdities of capitalism as it digs its own grave. I’m on a list-kick this week, so here’s a list of 99 Ways to Fight Capitalism. Many of these are individualized actions and behavioral changes you can make in your daily life.

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Events to Know

Trump’s Messed Up COVID-19 Response. This week was a whole new level of longing for the 25th Amendment. The real nadir was likely when Trump publicly asked about injecting bleach into people as a way of treating COVID-19 during Thursday’s press conference, forcing the good people at Lysol and health experts everywhere everywhere to tell people not to do that. He apparently got the idea from prominent snake oil salesman Mark Grenon, who wrote to the President a few days before praising the virtues of “wonderful detox” product chlorine dioxide. (Spoiler: Chlorine dioxide is exactly as bad to ingest as you think it is, and the FDA had already publicly warned Grenon to knock it off by the time he sent the letter.) Trump tried to backpedal by claiming he was being ‘sarcastic,’ which might have even worked, except that he immediately went on a tear on Twitter the next day. The whole thing capped with Trump threatening to stop doing coronavirus pressers, calling them not worth “the time and effort”. We should be so lucky, dear readers.

Key links:

1. NBC – Trump Suggests ‘Injection’ Of Disinfectant To Beat Coronavirus And ‘Clean’ The Lungs
2. The Guardian – Revealed: Leader Of Group Peddling Bleach As Coronavirus ‘Cure’ Wrote To Trump This Week
3. New York Times – Trump’s Suggestion That Disinfectants Could Be Used To Treat Coronavirus Prompts Aggressive Pushback
4. Axios – Trump: White House Press Conferences Aren’t Worth The “Time And Effort”

Reopening Rodeo. Despite medical recommendations to the contrary, several states are either reopening now or reopening imminently, and the public discourse does not inspire confidence. Georgia took an initial step on Friday and reopened restaurants, tattoo parlors, gyms, movie theaters, and massage parlors–you know, those businesses that you think of first when you hear the phrase “social distancing.” South Carolina is also reopening some retail stores and beaches, and several other Southern states are opening retail stores as well. Experts say this is very risky, a fact underscored by 40 new COVID cases in Wisconsin traced back to their recent primary election. But the Texas lieutenant governor responded to this by saying that “there are more important things than living,” a quote so yikes worthy that Andy Borowitz barely had to change it in his satire column.

Key links:

1. Business Insider – South Carolina Has Already Begun To Reopen Beaches, Department Stores, And Flower Shops
2. Washington Post – States Rushing To Reopen Are Likely Making A Deadly Error, Coronavirus Models And Experts Warn
3. The Hill – Texas Lt. Governor On Reopening State: ‘There Are More Important Things Than Living’

State of the COVID-19.  The overall COVID news this week is not exactly uplifting.  At the time that I type this, over 60,000 people in this country have lost their lives to the virus, and over one million people have been infected.  The FDA has cautioned against hydroxychloroquine use to treat COVID, noting that it has been linked to heart rhythm problems and there is increasing indication that the virus impacts the blood.  New York is also reporting high fatality rates among patients on ventilators, derailing medical expectations about treatment methods.  Nurses are starting to organize in response to inadequate workplace protections, bringing three lawsuits against the state of New York and multiple hospitals.  Major players in the food industry warn that the supply chain may be breaking, which prompted Trump to sign an executive order forcing meat plants to remain open.  And the United States is not participating in a WHO global initiative to develop a COVID vaccine, which may reflect growing antagonism towards the global organization as our administration seeks a scapegoat.

Key links:

1. New York Times – Coronavirus Map: Tracking The Global Outbreak
2. STAT – FDA Warns Against Widespread Use Of Hydroxychloroquine, Drug Touted By Trump
3. Washington Post – “We’re Beyond Angered” – Fed-up Nurses File Lawsuits, Plan Protest At White House Over Lack Of Coronavirus Protections
4. Reuters – U.S. Says Will Not Take Part In Who Global Drugs, Vaccine Initiative Launch

Recent Resilience

Recent Court Resilience.  The Supreme Court had some promising cases come down this week.  They opted to punt on a second amendment case, which given the current court constellation I’m considering a win–especially because the decision made Gorsuch, Thomas, and Alito unhappy.  But the real good news from SCOTUS today is that the court decided 8-1 that it wanted to leave the ACA standing, at least when it comes to risk corridors.  That majority is nearly as encouraging as Sotomayor’s excellent majority opinion, which pointedly notes that “The Government should honor its obligations.”

Key links:

1. Washington Post –  Supreme Court Dismisses Anticipated New York Gun Rights Case Because The Law In Question Has Been Rescinded
2. Vox – A Republican Effort To Sabotage Obamacare Was Just Rejected By The Supreme Court

Turtle Triumph.  We may not be enjoying the stay-at-home advisories, but apparently they are good news for turtles. Outlets report that the leatherback sea turtle has begun to experience a comeback in the wake of reduced beach traffic in places like Thailand and Florida. We’re also seeing a positive impact on manatees for similar reason. At least somebody’s having a good month!

Key links:

1. Good News Network – Beaches See Huge Increase In Leatherback Sea Turtle Nests After Travel Restrictions In Florida And Thailand
2. CBS – Experts Say Coronavirus Concerns Could Have Positive Impact On Marine Life

Things to Watch

North Korean Speculation.   Speculation is starting to mount after two weeks of absence from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, but nobody can agree on what it means.  Some outlets are focused on likelihood of COVID infection, and TMZ is touting the rather dubious claim that he has died, while South Korea is saying there is nothing unusual happening at all.  No matter what else is going on, the speculation itself may have potential implications for North Korea, and might forecast a closer look into whether there is COVID infection there in general.  (Boris Johnson, in contrast, definitely returned to work this week.)
Key links:

1. CNN – U.S. Monitoring Intelligence That North Korean Leader Is In Grave Danger After Surgery
2. New York Times – South Korea Confident That Rumors Of Kim Jong-un Illness Are Wrong
3. ABC – How Reports Of Kim Jong Un’s Health Spread And What They Tell Us About What Comes Next For North Korea
4. New York Times – U.K. Coronavirus Briefings Offer A More Genteel Spin Than Trump’s

Market Mess Continues.   The fourth COVID response bill did pass this week, making it through the Senate last Tuesday and the House last Thursday before being signed by Trump on Friday.  The bill contains more money for the small business loan program, which relaunched today, but is already rife with problems.  Meanwhile, another 4.4 million people filed for unemployment, bringing our total to over 26 million people since this crisis started.  The IRS was in the news for sending stimulus payments to dead people, and state and local governments worry about major budget shortfalls while Mitch McConnell tells them to just file for bankruptcy.
Key links:

1. NBC – Trump Signs Coronavirus Aid Bill As Tensions Rise Over Next One
2. Politico – Unemployment Claims Top 26 Million 5 Weeks Into Pandemic
3. New York Times – Mcconnell Says States Should Consider Bankruptcy, Rebuffing Calls For Aid

No Election in New York.  Given everything going on, New York has taken the unprecedented step of canceling its primary election for a Democratic candidate.  The governor of the state was quoted as saying it would be “unnecessary and frivolous” to hold an election when Joe Biden is already the presumptive nominee, but Bernie Sanders’s campaign was not happy.  It’s unclear whether this is the beginning of a new trend or a reflection of New York’s unique circumstances within the current crisis, so we’ll want to keep an eye on the election cycle.
Key links:

1. New York Times – New York Board of Elections Cancels Democratic Presidential Primary
2. The Hill – Sanders adviser: NY presidential primary cancellation a ‘blow to American democracy’
3. Reuters – New York state cancels presidential primary over coronavirus risk

Actions for Everyone

Bust out the Justin Timberlake memes because “It’s gonna be May” is here! Happy May everyone. Please take a deep breath and jump on the May Day strike ASAP. Stay healthy and safe!

May Day Strike: May Day is May 1 and is International Workers Day. On this day, show solidarity with workers at Amazon, Instacart, Shipt, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target and FedEx who are on strike for better working conditions amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Don’t order online or show up, and simply schedule around today if you need to go grocery shopping at these places. Alternatively, consider shopping locally instead of shipping through Amazon or Walmart and support small groceries and businesses. This is generally a good rule of thumb, but especially today.

Celebrate the Earth (but Avoid Ecofascism): It’s incredible to see Earth heal while we’re all in quarantine. Many of us are on tight budgets and aren’t buying from Amazon, the demand for gasoline has dropped, lots of big industry is paused. It really makes you think about how our economy relies on high levels of American consumerism, and while that version of our economy is tanking, pollution rates are too. I believe this is a greeeeat news, but I’ve been seeing sentiments saying “humans are the virus” “Darwinism in real time” circulating, so I wanted to talk about Ecofascism, the theoretical political model in which an authoritarian government would require individuals to sacrifice their own interests to the “organic whole of nature.”

I understand how easy it is to think that way, but if there’s one thing I’m certain about, it’s that social justice and environmental justice are the same. damn. thing. This article “People aren’t Bad of the Planet – Capitalism Is”  that I think is worth the read, and definitely worth practicing and internalizing.

Seeding Sovereignty: The Navajo Nation is experiencing the third-largest infection rate of COVID19 following New York and New Jersey, which are currently the Nation’s epicenters. The organization Seeding Sovereignty has set up a Rapid Response Fund, mask drive, and petition to Congress for financial aid because they haven’t still haven’t received aid and it’s urgently needed to help spread the virus. Please consider donating to the fund! Please consider sewing, sending, or sponsoring PPE! It is critical that the Navajo Nation and all indigenous nations receive support and not be left out of COVID19 recovery initiatives.

Things that Make me Smile: 

Fiona Apple’s interview with Democracy Now! (and especially her new album Fetch The Bolt Cutters)

This free virtual tour of Frida Kahlo’s house – it’s so lush and bold and beautiful

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Events to Know

White House Staffing News.  The White House Secretary, Stephanie Grisham, is leaving her post after eight months of literally never briefing the press about anything.  (Grisham is returning to be Melania’s staff, from whence she came.)   But the big staff reshuffle news of the week is that Trump announced the staffing of his ‘Opening the Country’ council, and it… leaves a lot to be desired, to say the least, in terms of medical and public health expertise.  Nonetheless, even his council is stressing the importance of testing in controlling virus spread, and it’s at least progress in the sense that planning is beginning.

Key links:

1. Washington Post – White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham leaving job without ever briefing press, to be first lady’s chief of staff
2. NBC – Kayleigh Mcenany Expected To Be Next White House Press Secretary
3. New York Times – Trump Announces His ‘Opening the Country’ Council
4. CNN – Trump told testing is key to reopening during business panel call

Trump’s COVID-19 Mismanagement. Trump’s response to this crisis keeps getting uglier and uglier.  He keeps signaling he’ll reopen the country next month, hinting that he may force regions open and claim he supercedes governors’ orders if they stand in his way.  He also removed the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, who was named to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, so that the CARES Act funds going to big businesses would have no oversight. Trump is also starting to signal that he may fire the leading specialist on COVID, Andrew Fauci, because Fauci keeps being the grown-up in the room.  And after more than a week of threatening to withhold funding from the WHO because he doesn’t like how they are reporting virus spread in the U.S, Trump went ahead and formally announced he was officially doing it.

Key links:

1. Bloomberg – Trump Declares He Has ‘Total’ Authority To Reopen After Virus
2. Politico – Trump Removes Independent Watchdog For Coronavirus Funds, Upending Oversight Panel
3. CNN – Trump Retweets Call To Fire Fauci Amid Coronavirus Criticism
4. STAT – Trump Pledges To Put A Hold On U.S. Funding For The World Health Organization
5. Washington Post – Trump announces cutoff of new funding for the World Health Organization over pandemic response

Other COVID Misconduct. Of course, Trump’s administration has plenty of other malfeasance this week as well. An honorable mention goes to William Barr and Steven Mnuchin, both of whom lack any medical expertise whatsoever but are nonetheless loudly supporting Trump’s cockamamie plan to reopen the country on May 1st. And several people have enabled Trump’s bizarre vendetta against the U.S. Postal Service, which Trump refuses to support despite its struggles because he doesn’t want to allow voting by mail to happen. But the most obnoxious action from the White House this week was Mike Pence blocking top health experts from appearing on CNN–a retaliatory action because the station refused to cover any more of Trump’s dangerously misinformative “press briefings.”  He did eventually reverse the position, but it’s horrifying that this happened at all.

Key links:

1. Politico – Mnuchin: Economy Could Reopen In May
2. Business Insider – Trump Reportedly Rejected Approving A Bailout Package That Would Rescue The Us Postal Service, And It Could Be A Disaster For States Trying To Expand Voting By Mail
3. New York Times – Why Republicans Are So Afraid Of Vote-By-Mail
4. CNN – White House Reverses Position After Blocking Health Officials From Appearing On CNN

Recent Resilience

Recent State Resilience. Though things have been bleak, we’ve seen some glimmers of encouraging state action. A Kansas court upheld the governor’s order to limit in-person gatherings, ignoring “war on Easter” rhetoric to note that the governor had authority to make the order. As the Washington Post notes, Ohio has unusually low hospitalization rates due to its governor modeling ideal epidemic response early. And in Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court forced an ill-advised election, constituents voted out one of the judges who made them vote during a pandemic.

Key links:

1. Washington Post – Kansas Court Strikes Down Gop Measure Allowing In-person Easter Church Services, Lets Coronavirus Restrictions Stand
2. Washington Post – Did Ohio Get It Right? Early Intervention, Preparation For Pandemic May Pay Off.
3. New York Times – Live: Wisconsin Supreme Court And Statewide Election Results

New Tracing Technology. Apple and Google announced this week that they are working on new technology that would trace coronavirus contact, allowing people to receive warnings about recent exposure. The proposal is for new smartphone software that could be easily added to people’s phones, and it won’t be ready for several months, but that window would still cause it to arrive before vaccines. Though there is obvious potential for abuse, it also has great potential for expanding testing and tracking infection vectors, so I’m tentatively excited about it.

Key links:

1. Ars Technica – Apple And Google Detail Bold And Ambitious Plan To Track Covid-19 At Scale

Things to Watch

2020 Election Updates. As noted last week, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court ordered in-person elections in the eleventh hour on Monday, resulting in a messy Tuesday election with only five polling locations open in the state.  While results were pending, Bernie Sanders ended his campaign, leaving Joe Biden the near-certain Democratic nominee for 2020.  Sanders also endorsed Biden, presumably trying to avoid a mess like 2016.  Meanwhile, several states that aren’t Wisconsin continue to postpone their primaries, worried about public health risk during a pandemic.  And Elizabeth Warren has released a comprehensive proposal for voting during the pandemic, because of course she has a plan for that.  
Key links:

1. Vox – Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Rules Along Partisan Lines To Require The State To Hold Its Election On Tuesday
2. Washington Post – Bernie Sanders Endorses Joe Biden: “We Need You In The White House”
3. New York Times – 16 States Have Postponed Their Primaries Because Of Coronavirus. Here’s A List 
4. NPR – Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls For National Voting Overhaul

State of the COVID-19. We are unquestionably being hit hard by this pandemic–at the time that I type this, we definitely lead the world in cases, and over 23,000 people in this country have lost their lives to COVID-19.  We’re increasingly seeing fatalities in younger adults and food industry workers, and COVID-19 has become the leading cause of death in the United States. We’re also beginning to experience massive food waste because food migratory patterns have changed dramatically.  Experts say the pandemic is unlikely to improve with warmer weather, and New York is still hit particularly hard.   Several outlets have also started writing about the disproportionate infection rate experienced by Black Americans, which is exacerbating existing health disparities.  Immigrant communities and prisons are hit disproportionately hard as well.
Key links:

1. Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center – Covid-19 Map
2. Washington Post –  Grocery Workers Are Beginning To Die Of Coronavirus
3. Guardian – ‘A Disastrous Situation’: Mountains Of Food Wasted As Coronavirus Scrambles Supply Chain
4. NBC New York – Massive Spike In Nyc ‘Cardiac Arrest’ Deaths Seen As Sign Of Covid-19 Undercounting
5. ABC – ‘Torn Up’: African American Family Mourns 4 Loved Ones As Covid-19 Racial Disparities Exposed

Market Volatility Continues. Negotiations continue to go poorly on a fourth Coronavirus response bill.  Bill Mnuchin has requested more money for small business relief, saying the original amount in the CARES Act will be gone within days, though SBS officials say the problem lies with big banks.   Mitch McConnell seems amenable to Mnuchin’s request, but refuses to negotiate with Democrats to get a final version of the bill.  So now Nancy Pelosi won’t negotiate either, and everything appears to be at a standstill.   The Congressional gridlock is unfortunate, because things are still very bad.  More than 17 million people have filed for unemployment in the past four weeks, and experts are starting to say we’re experiencing a depression–but stimulus checks have been delayed further by Trump ordering the Treasury to print his name on the checks themselves.  And more people may experience unemployment soon, since the small business loan fund is expected to run out sometime in the next few days.
Key links:

1. CNBC – Mnuchin Seeks $250 Billion More In Small Business Aid, As Senate Vote Is Planned For Thursday
2. Bloomberg – Mcconnell Moves On Quick Aid Vote While Pelosi Urges More Cash
3. Politico – Unemployment Claims Near 17 Million In Three Weeks As Coronavirus Ravages Economy
4. Washington Post – America is in a depression. The challenge now is to make it short-lived.
5. CNN – Trump’s name will be added to stimulus checks

Actions for Everyone

As far as being in a constant state of grief goes, this week feels a little better than last week, am I right? Holidays are being celebrated. The IRS is sending out disbursements. In the Midwest, we received what I truly think will be the last snow of the season, and the world watches with hope as Wuhan’s 76-day lockdown was lifted April 8. Here’s to hoping we see the light at the end of the tunnel soon.

Find Your Breath: In order to use your voice, you must also find your breath. That can be a challenge if you’re internalizing the collective stressors of our times. Sometimes I reflect on my day to find that I haven’t taken a full breath yet. So, get ready and *breathe in for 4 seconds* *hold it for 4 seconds* and *breath out for 4 seconds* That’s a method called Box Breathing, also known as square breathing, which is a technique used when taking slow, deep breaths. It can heighten performance and concentration while also being a powerful stress reliever. Healthline.com has a great box breathing visual which may help before you launch into your activism for the day, or listen to the news, or do anything really.

Additionally, this healing justice online community called Irresistible has compiled and created some great resources. Check them out!

Fight Against Voter Suppression: Having just gone through the Wisconsin primaries, it seems like our newsletter’s ongoing advice to register to vote and double check that you’re registered to vote hasn’t been vigilant enough. Last week, the WI Supreme Court and the SCOTUS voted not to postpone elections in spite of “safer at home” orders and to not extend the deadline for absentee ballots, respectively.

So, any lawyers out there, what lawsuits can be happening? Do you all have a chat room for lawyers? If yes, please activate and protect democracy from this attack! The first federal class-action lawsuit has been filed against Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, but how about representing the thousands of folks who got their absentee ballots past the deadline, or didn’t receive one despite their request?

For all of us who can’t file lawsuits, here are Robin Vos’ and Scott Fitzgerald’s office contact information incase you want to give them a piece of your mind:

Robin Vos 

Mailing Address:

Room 217 West, State Capitol,

PO Box 8953, Madison, WI 53708

Email:

Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov

Telephone: 

(608) 266-9171

(888) 534-0063

Scott Fitzgerald

Mailing Address:

Room 211 South, State Capitol

PO Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707

Email:

Sen.Fitzgerald@legis.wisconsin.gov

Telephone:

(608) 266-5660

If you live in a state with a spring primary coming up, please request an absentee ballot if you’re able. Additionally, if you can request an absentee ballot for the rest of 2020, do that. If you live in Wisconsin, here’s a link to request an absentee ballot for all 2020 elections so the GOP can’t pull this on us again.

Stimulus Updates: The IRS has started dispersing stimulus checks to folks who have filed 2018 or 2019 taxes, have set up direct deposit with the IRS and who make less than $99,000.

If you haven’t filed those taxes or know anyone who hasn’t filed, for reasons, the IRS made a simple tax return tool to help you receive those funds. Also, there’s also an IRS tool called Get My Payment which helps you track the progress of your disbursement.

Also, reiterating last week’s newsletter, OMG UNIVERSAL INCOME PLEASE. 

Things That Made Me Smile this past week:

If Busta Rhymes was an egg