Saturday, August 8, 2020
Medical Experts Speak Out as Trump Doubles Down on False Claim That Children Are 'Virtually Immune' to Covid-19
"I am a pediatric cardiologist. They can get sick. Some do get sick. Very sick. Some of them end up intubated."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/06/medical-experts-speak-out-trump-doubles-down-false-claim-children-are-virtually
Medical professionals were compelled to speak out Wednesday after President Donald Trump defended and doubled down on his claim that children are "virtually immune" to Covid-19, a dangerous falsehood the president has been spreading as part of his effort to pressure schools to reopen in the fall.
"I'm talking about from getting very sick," Trump said at a Covid-19 briefing Wednesday when asked to address comments he made about the supposed "immunity" of children during a "Fox & Friends" interview earlier in the day. "If you look at children, I mean they're able to throw it off very easily. And it's an amazing thing... They may get it, but they get it and it doesn't have much of an impact on them."
Shortly after Trump's briefing, Twitter and Facebook both removed videos posted by the president's campaign account and personal page claiming that children are "almost immune from this disease." Both platforms said the videos violated their rules against disseminating misinformation about Covid-19.
On Twitter, medical experts condemned Trump's comments as both factually inaccurate and highly irresponsible.
"I am a pediatric cardiologist," wrote Dr. Keila Lopez, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "They can get sick. Some do get sick. Very sick. Some of them end up intubated; some on IV cardiac meds; some on heart lung bypass machines because of cardiac involvement from multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)."
Dr. Leana Wen, visiting professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, applauded Facebook's decision to remove Trump's post downplaying the threat Covid-19 poses to children.
"Children do become infected," tweeted Wen. "Some become very ill. Tragically, some have died. Kids are also vectors for transmission to parents and others around them."
Over 50 House Democrats Rip Fed for Allowing Mass Public-Sector Layoffs by Favoring Big Corporations Over Local Governments
"The Federal Reserve could prevent massive public sector layoffs. Instead, they've structured their lending so it's functionally unusable for most states and cities."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/06/over-50-house-democrats-rip-fed-allowing-mass-public-sector-layoffs-favoring-big
A group of more than 50 House Democrats on Thursday slammed the Federal Reserve for allowing mass public-sector layoffs by refusing to offer state and local governments the same favorable lending terms it has granted private corporations.
"There have been 1.5 million public-sector layoffs since March, and unless the Fed aligns its assistance to states and cities with its emergency lending to the private sector, mass unemployment, and emergency conditions will persist for years," the lawmakers wrote. "To that end, it must be noted that many of the Federal Reserve's corporate lending programs contain terms that are far more favorable than those included in the MLF."In a letter (pdf) to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, the lawmakers said the "harsh terms and penalty rates" the central bank set for its Municipal Liquidity Facility (MLF)—a $500 billion state and local aid initiative launched in April—has made the program "functionally unusable for the vast majority of the state and local governments that are technically eligible."
"This includes, for example, far cheaper pricing, far longer terms, and even payment deferrals for corporations borrowing from the Main Street Lending Program, the Secondary Corporate Credit Facility, and the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility," the group of Democrats added, urging the Fed to establish more flexible and inexpensive lending terms for state and local governments.
The lawmakers also demanded that the Fed to extend MLF eligibility to smaller counties and territories.
"The Federal Reserve should make these fixes to the MLF before the damage to our economy and our communities becomes irreparable," the coalition of Democrats wrote.
Economists have warned that failing to rescue state and local governments as they face crushing budget shortfalls could send shockwaves through the entire U.S. economy and possibly lead to a "prolonged depression."
"The projected shortfall for 2021 fiscal year, which began on July 1 for most states, is much deeper than the shortfalls faced in any year of the Great Recession," the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted last month. "Without additional, substantial federal help, they likely will deeply cut critical program areas such as education and healthcare, lay off teachers and other workers in even greater numbers, and cancel contracts with many businesses."
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and one of the letter's signatories, tweeted Thursday that "it's time for the Federal Reserve to stop treating corporations better than state and local governments."
The letter was also signed by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), CPC co-chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Bharat Ramamurti, a member of the Congressional Oversight Committee tasked with monitoring Covid-19 bailout funds, said he hopes the Fed heeds the Democratic lawmakers' demands.
"There's no justification for them to offer worse rates and terms to states and cities than to risky companies with a far higher risk of default," Ramamurti tweeted. "And we know that sharp cuts in state and local spending will cause serious economic harm."
Warning of GOP Voter Suppression, Progressives Urge Democrats to Reject Any Covid-19 Deal Without Election Assistance
"Republicans cannot be allowed to suppress the vote in the middle of a pandemic."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/06/warning-gop-voter-suppression-progressives-urge-democrats-reject-any-covid-19-deal
Progressive voting rights groups are calling on Democrats in Congress to refuse to cut a deal on any Covid-19 relief proposal without money for election assistance, warning that exclusion of the funding could suppress turnout in November.
"Republicans cannot be allowed to suppress the vote in the middle of a pandemic," the groups said, "and that's why we support Democrats in both chambers, who are staying firm and using their leverage to protect our democracy by ensuring that election funding, census funding, and an extension of the census reporting deadline are included in a final brokered deal."In a joint statement Thursday, Stand Up America, Color of Change, Indivisible, Let America Vote/End Citizens United Action Fund, and Public Citizen said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Republicans "are willfully ignoring the threat this pandemic poses to our democracy in an effort to suppress the vote."
Politico reported Wednesday that Republicans oppose additional election assistance money because they believe "Democrats are trying to fund a massive mail-in ballot program."
The Covid-19 stimulus plan Senate Republicans released last month does not propose a single dollar in election assistance funding despite pleas from state officials for additional money to ensure that voting is made as safe as possible amid the pandemic.
The GOP legislation does call for $29.4 billion in funding for the Pentagon, including $8 billion for new weapons.
"If Republicans believe we can afford $8 billion for defense contractors and nearly $2 billion to remodel the FBI headquarters, then we can certainly afford $3.6 billion in federal funding for safe, secure elections and a deadline extension for the Census Bureau to ensure communities of color aren't erased on the census," the progressive groups said.
"Anything less," the groups added, "would not only hurt our elections this year, but damage our democracy for years to come—and that's why Republicans cannot be allowed to get away with census and voter suppression."
Sanders Bill to Tax 'Obscene' Pandemic Windfall of Billionaires Would Empower Medicare to Cover Every American for One Year
"By taxing 60% of the wealth gains made by just 467 billionaires during this horrific pandemic, we could guarantee healthcare as a right for an entire year."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/06/sanders-bill-tax-obscene-pandemic-windfall-billionaires-would-empower-medicare-cover
Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday introduced legislation that would tax the "obscene wealth gains" America's billionaires have accumulated during the Covid-19 crisis and use the resulting revenue to empower Medicare to cover all out-of-pocket medical expenses for everyone in the United States for a year.
"We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans."
—Sen. Bernie Sanders
In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sanders said "if we taxed 60% of the windfall gains these billionaires made from March 18th until August 3rd, we could raise over $420 billion."
"That's enough revenue to allow Medicare to pay all of the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for everyone in America over the next 12 months," said Sanders. "By taxing 60% of the wealth gains made by just 467 billionaires during this horrific pandemic, we could guarantee healthcare as a right for an entire year."
According to a fact-sheet released by Sanders' office, the Make Billionaires Pay Act would impose a 60% tax on all billionaire wealth gains between March 18, 2020 and January 1, 2021 and use the funds to cover the out-of-pocket healthcare expenses of all Americans for a full year. The legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
"While a record-breaking 5.4 million Americans recently lost their health insurance, 467 billionaires in our country increased their wealth by an estimated $731.8 billion during the pandemic," the fact-sheet reads. "Incredibly, as a result of the Trump tax giveaway to the rich, these billionaires currently pay a lower effective tax rate than teachers or truck drivers."
Under the Sanders proposal, Medicare would cover all out-of-pocket healthcare costs for the tens of millions of people in the U.S. without insurance for a year. For Americans with either public or private insurance, their providers would bill Medicare for all out-of-pocket expenses.
"Everyone has suffered during the pandemic—from lost lives, lost jobs, lost chances—everyone, that is, except America's billionaires," Frank Clemente, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness, said in a statement. "Senator Sanders' bill recognizes that a good chunk of the obscene growth in wealth by the richest Americans during a national emergency should be used to help us all survive and recover."
In his floor speech Wednesday, Sanders warned that the U.S. is "currently witnessing what is likely the greatest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the very rich in the modern history of this country" as Congress fails to provide additional relief to workers and the unemployed while continuing to bail out large corporations.
"In the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of an economic meltdown for working families, in the midst of a great struggle regarding systemic racism and police brutality, in the midst of the existential threat of climate change, in the midst of a president undermining democracy and moving us toward an authoritarian government, in the midst of all of that, we are seeing a massive increase in income and wealth inequality and the movement in this country toward oligarchy," Sanders said.
The Vermont senator went on to list several examples of "morally obscene" billionaire profiteering during the pandemic:
While Amazon is denying paid sick leave, hazard pay and personal protective equipment to 450,000 of its workers, Jeff Bezos has increased his wealth by over $70 billion.
While U.S. taxpayers are subsidizing the starvation wages at Walmart, our nation's largest private employer, the Walton family has made over $20 billion during the pandemic and now has a net worth of over $200 billion.
While 40 million Americans face eviction, Elon Musk has nearly tripled his wealth over the past four months and now has a net worth of more than $70 billion.
While millions of Americans are lining up at emergency food banks because they don't have enough money to put food on the table, Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook has increased his wealth by more than $37 billion during the pandemic and is now worth over $90 billion.
"At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a choice to make," Sanders said. "We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans."
Watch the full speech:
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