Sunday, April 12, 2020
'One of the Most Brazen Acts of Voter Suppression in Modern Times' as US Supreme Court Blocks Absentee Ballot Extension in Wisconsin
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned in a scathing dissent that the right-wing majority's ruling "will result in massive disenfranchisement."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/07/one-most-brazen-acts-voter-suppression-modern-times-us-supreme-court-blocks-absentee
The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority Monday night was accused of green-lighting "one of the most brazen acts of voter suppression in modern times" after the body overturned a lower court ruling that extended the absentee voting deadline in Wisconsin by six days in an effort to allow people to more safely exercise the franchise amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Matthew DeFour, state politics editor at the Wisconsin State Journal, noted on Twitter following the ruling that "there is no postmark requirement in state law."In a 5-4 decision (pdf) along ideological lines, the high court ruled that Wisconsin voters must hand-deliver their absentee ballots by the end of the day Tuesday or have them postmarked April 7 if their ballot is to be counted. The decision rewards Wisconsin Republicans and GOP groups that led the legal challenge against the extension of absentee voting until April 13.
"The lower court judge changed the date, but did not add a postmark," DeFour said. "The U.S. Supreme Court has just written a new election law in Wisconsin."
In an unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court's conservative majority attempted to wash its hands of any responsibility for intensifying an ongoing public health crisis by refusing to allow Wisconsin to extend absentee voting.
"The court's decision on the narrow question before the court should not be viewed as expressing an opinion on the broader question of whether to hold the election, or whether other reforms or modifications in election procedures in light of COVID-19 are appropriate," the opinion stated.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned in a scathing dissent that the conservative majority's ruling "will result in massive disenfranchisement":
Because gathering at the polling place now poses dire health risks, an unprecedented number of Wisconsin voters—at the encouragement of public officials—have turned to voting absentee. About one million more voters have requested absentee ballots in this election than in 2016. Accommodating the surge of absentee ballot requests has heavily burdened election officials, resulting in a severe backlog of ballots requested but not promptly mailed to voters.
Slate's Mark Joseph Stern wrote late Monday that the high court's ruling "will nullify the votes of citizens who mailed in their ballots late—not because they forgot, but because they did not receive ballots until after Election Day due to the coronavirus pandemic."
"Because voters are rightfully afraid of COVID-19, Wisconsin has been caught off guard by a surge in requests for absentee ballots," Stern wrote. "Election officials simply do not have time, resources, or staff to process all those requests. As a result, a large number of voters—at least tens of thousands—won't get their ballot until after Election Day."
Let me be very clear about this. Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites will not receive their absentee ballots by Election Day BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, THOUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.
The U.S. Supreme Court's five conservatives just said: "Too bad. You don't get to vote."
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) April 6, 2020
An election that forces voters to choose between protecting their health and casting a ballot is not a free and fair election. Nor should its results be treated as indisputably legitimate. This is a tragic day for democracy.
My piece: https://t.co/IlXfzkx0Bu @Slate
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) April 7, 2020
Shauntay Nelson, Wisconsin state director of advocacy group All Voting Is Local, said the Supreme Court's decision "defies common sense and threatens to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters."
"Voters deserve free and fair elections where every voice is heard and the assurance that their health and safety will be protected while our democracy remains intact," said Nelson. "It's shameful that Republicans have used this crisis to their political benefit, silencing voters so they can remain in power. The result has been confusion, chaos and uncertainty for voters, all amid a global health emergency. This is no way to run a democracy."
The Supreme Court's ruling came just after the Wisconsin state Supreme Court overturned an executive order by Gov. Tony Evers and decided that Tuesday's elections—which include the Democratic presidential primary and nearly 4,000 down-ballot contests—must proceed as scheduled despite the dire public health threat posed by COVID-19.
Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision "raises grave concerns" that the right-wing body is "poised to unnecessarily interject itself in voting rights battles this presidential election season."
"Contrary to the majority opinion's claims," said Clarke, "this case involved more than a 'minor, technical' question and will likely result in the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters as 500,000 absentee ballots have not been returned as of Monday night."
Oversight of $4.5 Trillion Corporate Bailout in 'Grave Jeopardy' as Trump Fires Independent Watchdog
"A direct insult to the American taxpayers—of all political stripes—who want to make sure that their tax dollars are not squandered on wasteful boondoggles, incompetence, or political favors."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/07/oversight-45-trillion-corporate-bailout-grave-jeopardy-trump-fires-independent
In a move that critics warned could put independent oversight of a multi-trillion-dollar coronavirus stimulus package "in grave jeopardy," President Donald Trump on Monday fired the official in charge of monitoring the federal government's implementation of the business-friendly new law.
Trump's decision to fire acting Pentagon inspector general Glenn Fine—first reported by Politico Tuesday—effectively removed Fine from his position as the lead watchdog on the new Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
News of the president's firing of Fine "began circulating on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning," according to Politico.The president signed the CARES Act into law late last month amid criticism that the package did not contain nearly enough oversight for trillions of dollars in corporate bailout money, which progressives characterized as a "slush fund."
Fine was appointed to lead the oversight committee last week by a panel of fellow inspectors general. Because the law only allows current inspectors general to head the committee, Fine's termination as acting Pentagon inspector general makes him unable to serve in the newly created oversight role.
The inspectors general will have to appoint another official for the position, raising the question of whether Trump will fire that person as well.
Trump's removal of Fine was widely viewed as part of his broader assault on efforts to hold him and his administration accountable. Late last month, as Common Dreams reported, Trump openly stated his intention to flout congressional oversight requirements contained in the CARES Act.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that Trump's removal of Fine is "a direct insult to the American taxpayers—of all political stripes—who want to make sure that their tax dollars are not squandered on wasteful boondoggles, incompetence, or political favors."
"President Trump's actions are a blatant attempt to degrade the independence of inspectors general who serve as checks against waste, fraud, and abuse," said Maloney.
As Politico explained, "the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee is one of three major prongs in the new law meant to provide oversight of the enormous sums to be doled out by the Trump administration."
Another oversight prong is a new "special inspector general" that will oversee the Treasury Department's handling of $500 billion in funds for large corporations. As Common Dreams reported, Trump announced last Friday his intention to nominate Brian Miller, a White House lawyer, for that role.
"Fox in charge of the henhouse," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said of Trump's decision to nominate Miller, who must be confirmed by the Senate. "A mockery of independence, putting a Trump lawyer in charge of oversight, with $500 billion in taxpayer money at stake. Trump clearly wants a lapdog, not a watchdog."
Fired Intel IG Speaks Out Against Trump as Watchdog Warns of a Democracy In 'Gravest Danger'
"The president's attempts to rid the government of those who would provide appropriate oversight and accountability for abuses... sets us on a dangerous trajectory."
by
Eoin Higgins, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/06/fired-intel-ig-speaks-out-against-trump-watchdog-warns-democracy-gravest-danger
Michael Atkinson, the Intelligence Community inspector general fired by President Donald Trump on Friday, claimed in a statement Sunday that he had been let go for prioritizing doing his job over the interests of the president's political goals, raising questions about how the White House continues to treat the levers of government as a means to an end in the sole interest of Trump.
"It is hard not to think that the President’s loss of confidence in me derives from my having faithfully discharged my legal obligations as an independent and impartial Inspector General, and from my commitment to continue to do so," Atkinson said.
"Those of us who vowed to protect a whistleblower's right to safely be heard must, to the end, do what we promised to do, no matter how difficult and no matter the personal consequences," he added.
In an opinion piece for the New York Times Monday, Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, warned that the president's firing of Atkinson was part of an "attack on democracy."
Trump's behavior, Bookbinder wrote, is in the context of a disturbing pattern across the world of autocratic leaders using the coronavirus as a pretext to seize power and tamp down on democratic rights—notably in Hungary where, as Common Dreams reported, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been given dictatorial powers to amidst the crisis.
"Times of crisis are when democracies are in the gravest danger of crumbling," wrote Bookbinder. "We are seeing that play out in the world right now."
"We're not there yet," continued Bookbinder. "But the president's attempts to rid the government of those who would provide appropriate oversight and accountability for abuses and speak truth to power, to put in place loyalists who will look out for him rather than providing independent checks, and to empower relatives and disregard laws sets us on a dangerous trajectory."
A career public servant, Atkinson was fired Friday by Trump because, the president said in a letter to Senate Intelligence Committee chair and ranking member Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), he had lost confidence in Atkinson to assist in the promotion of "the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of federal programs and activities."
Subsequent details of the firing and the president's own statements made clear the firing was due to the inspector general's role in delivering a whistleblower report to Congress on Trump's pressuring of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation into Democratic presidential hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden in exchange for the release of military aid—a series of events that triggered the president's eventual impeachment.
According to Politico:
Atkinson was the federal official who revealed to Congress in September the existence of a whistleblower complaint against Trump, which indicated that the president improperly pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. When Atkinson sought to share that complaint with Congress under a federal whistleblower law, the White House and Justice Department intervened and blocked the transmission of the complaint for days.
Coming in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak that has crippled the U.S. and dominated the attention of Americans nationwide, the Friday night "news dump" of Atkinson's firing was seen as an effort by the administration to avoid attention.
Reporters asked Trump about the firing during the president's Sunday news conference on the pandemic. Trump made clear the firing was because of Atkinson's involvement in the whistleblower complaint and claimed the inspector general had been unfair.
"I thought he did a terrible job," said Trump. "Absolutely terrible. He took a whistleblower report, which turned out to be a fake report, and he brought it to Congress—with an emergency."
"Not a big Trump fan," the president added, "that I can tell you."
Atkinson, for his part, said in his statement that he had discharged his duties correctly and that the president's attempts to use the intelligence community for his personal gain were inappropriate.
"As an Inspector General, I was legally obligated to ensure that whistleblowers had an effective and authorized means to disclose urgent matters involving classified information to the congressional intelligence committees, and that when they did blow the whistle in an authorized manner, their identities would be protected as a guard against reprisals," Atkinson said.
In a piece for the Daily Beast on Atkinson's firing, Samantha Vinograd wrote that Trump's insecurity and sensitivity to perceived slights was putting the country in a dangerous position.
"While Atkinson's firing comes as no surprise in light of the president's habitual misuse and abuse of the intelligence community, coupled with his disdain for oversight more broadly, it will have costs for U.S. national security today, tomorrow, and further down the road," wrote Vinograd.
Boookbinder, in his Times piece, argued that "we can't afford to ignore the anti-democratic steps the president is taking while the American people are appropriately preoccupied with this outbreak."
"If we don’t respond to these outrageous abuses now," wrote Bookbinder, "the damage may be done by the time anyone is the wiser."
Sanders and Jayapal Put Forth Bill to Provide No-Cost 'Health Care for All During Pandemic'
"We have got to work together to make sure that anyone in America who is sick—regardless of their income or immigration status—can seek the medical treatment they need during this national emergency."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/10/sanders-and-jayapal-put-forth-bill-provide-no-cost-health-care-all-during-pandemic
As the number of Americans without health insurance continues to rise rapidly due to ongoing mass layoffs across the nation, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Pramila Jayapal on Friday introduced emergency legislation that would empower Medicare to cover all healthcare costs for the uninsured and all out-of-pocket expenses for those with insurance for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.
"Our broken healthcare system is failing to protect millions of Americans from the coronavirus pandemic," Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement. "Now more than ever, we need to take bold action to prevent more Americans from getting sick or dying."
The legislation to "provide health for all during the pandemic," according to a summary (pdf) released by Sanders' office, would "fully cover the cost of medically necessary healthcare, including prescription drugs," for the tens of millions of Americans currently without health insurance.If passed, the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act (pdf) would take effect immediately and remain in place until the Secretary of Health and Human Services certifies to Congress that a Food and Drug Administration-approved coronavirus vaccine is widely available to the U.S. public.
An analysis by Health Management Associates earlier this month warned that the total number of uninsured Americans could rise to 40 million within the next several months if U.S. job losses continue at the current rate.
For Americans with either public or private insurance, "Medicare will cover the copays, deductibles, and other cost-sharing for all medically necessary healthcare, including for prescription drugs," the summary of the bill states.
"When individuals go to the hospital or doctor, they will provide their insurance information as usual," the summary explains. "The provider will use this information to bill Medicare—either for the out-of-pocket costs if the individual has another type of insurance, or for all of the care if the individual is uninsured. The patient will not be charged anything."
"During this unprecedented crisis, no one in America should delay seeking medical care because of the cost," Sanders said in a statement. "If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we are only as safe as the least-insured among us."Additionally, the legislation would ban surprise billing and prevent private insurance companies from limiting coverage or hiking co-pays and deductibles until a COVID-19 vaccine is available.
"We have got to work together to make sure that anyone in America who is sick—regardless of their income or immigration status—can seek the medical treatment they need during this national emergency," Sanders added. "With an estimated 35 million Americans in danger of losing their employer-provided health insurance over the coming weeks and months, this legislation is needed now more than ever."
Sanders and Jayapal are two of the leading advocates of Medicare for All in Congress, and the Health Care Emergency Guarantee Act represents a short-term solution as they work to build support for a national single-payer plan.
"An interesting play," TIME editor-at-large Anand Giridharadas tweeted in response to the new bill. "Give people a taste of Medicare for All during this emergency while continuing to advocate for the real thing."
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