Wednesday, September 2, 2020
'A Necessary Step': House Democrats to Subpoena Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for Withholding Documents
"He has repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to share documents and information with Congress, and we don't have time to wait for him to find a moral compass."
Jessica Corbett, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/31/necessary-step-house-democrats-subpoena-postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-withholding
The Democratic chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform revealed Monday that she intends to issue a subpoena to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents he has been withholding from Congress about recent U.S. Postal Service delays, concerns about November election mail, and any communications with the reelection campaign of President Donald Trump.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) notified members of her committee about the subpoena (pdf) in a memorandum (pdf) that detailed the document requests and DeJoy's noncompliance. The postmaster general, a GOP megadonor appointed earlier this year by the Republican-controlled Postal Service Board of Governors, testified before the committee last week amid widespread condemnation of his suspended—but not reversed—operational changes to the USPS.
Maloney warned during the hearing that she would issue a subpoena if DeJoy failed to produce the requested documents by August 26. DeJoy responded with a Friday night letter (pdf) to Maloney that said in part, "I trust my August 24 testimony before the Committee on Oversight and Reform clarified any outstanding questions you had."
DeJoy also appeared before the Republican-controlled Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on August 21. Maloney's memo on Monday explained that the subpoena, which she also shared with members, "includes in one place many requests previously made by Members of the House and Senate in writing and directly to Mr. DeJoy during his in-person testimony."
"The subpoena clarifies a number of previous requests based on information obtained to date in order to ensure that it captures all documents within the requested categories," she continued, "and it also makes clear as a legal matter that the production of these documents is mandatory."
Maloney's move was welcomed by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations. Last week, Connolly sent DeJoy a letter demanding the postmaster general hand over any of his "secret communications with the Trump campaign."
"Mr. DeJoy's testimony before our committee has left us with more questions than answers," Connolly said in a statement. "He has repeatedly demonstrated an unwillingness to share documents and information with Congress, and we don't have time to wait for him to find a moral compass."
"Congress must assert itself. The public demands it," the Virginia Democrat added. "Today's action is a necessary step in our efforts to hold the Trump administration accountable for its deliberate sabotage of the Postal Service, and to restore confidence in this revered American institution."
From Democratic lawmakers to civil rights advocates, critics of DeJoy's operational changes have accused the postmaster general and Trump of intentionally slowing down mail service to impact the general election, in which the president is set to face Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Alarm over the November election—which is expected to see more mail-in ballots due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic—has led to national protests pressuring the Senate to pass House-approved legislation designed to #SaveThePostOffice by providing the agency with at least $25 billion in emergency funding and reversing DeJoy's mail slowdown policies.
Along with the memo about the subpoena, Maloney on Monday sent a document request to Robert M. Duncan, chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors, who testified before her committee last week with DeJoy.
"The Board of Governors had been withholding documents and information from other Members of Congress by citing a Justice Department opinion claiming that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) prohibits the disclosure of information to a Member of Congress who is not the Chair of a Committee—a baseless claim that has been thoroughly debunked by Democrats and Republicans alike," Maloney's office explained.
Writing in her capacity as chairwoman Maloney made "a number of requests for documents and information" previously sought by other lawmakers as well as additional documents sought during Duncan's testimony.
"If there are any questions about whether you are legally authorized to produce these documents," Maloney wrote to Duncan, "please let the committee know, and we will issue a subpoena to resolve these doubts and compel their production."
Maloney's memo and request came shortly before a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 that the House can't go to court to enforce subpoenas because there is no law that makes them enforceable. Although the decision "dealt a severe blow" to the lower chamber's investigative power, Politico noted that "the House is likely to ask the full bench of the appeals court to take up the question."
'Photo-Op for White Nationalist President Isn't Helpful,' Says Wisconsin Dem as Trump Plans Kenosha Visit Despite Calls to Stay Away
In a letter to Trump on Sunday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers warned the president's visit "will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/31/photo-op-white-nationalist-president-isnt-helpful-says-wisconsin-dem-trump-plans
Shortly after Wisconsin's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers urged President Donald Trump to stay away from Kenosha, warning his presence would only serve to "hinder our healing," the White House said late Sunday that the president still intends to visit the city this week as mass protests over the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake continue.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a statement that the Trump administration "has been humbled by the outreach of individuals from Kenosha who have welcomed the president's visit and are longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized."
"President Trump looks forward to visiting on Tuesday and helping this great city heal and rebuild," said Deere.
The president's visit will come days after 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, an armed vigilante from Illinois, shot and killed two people during protests in Kenosha last week. As Buzzfeed reported, "in video allegedly taken after the shootings, an armed man, who appears to be Rittenhouse, walks directly toward four police vehicles, holding his weapon and his arms raised. People can be seen shouting at police that he had just shot someone, but the police vehicles drive past the armed man and do not detain him."Deere did not say Trump is planning to visit the family of Jacob Blake, who is fighting for his life in a local hospital after being shot in the back multiple times at point-blank range last week by a Kenosha police officer. Benjamin Crump, Blake's attorney, told CBS on Sunday that the president has not contacted the Blake family.
Rittenhouse, who was spotted in the front row of a Trump rally in January, has since been arrested and is facing six criminal counts, including first-degree intentional homicide—charges that did not stop prominent right-wing pundits from defending and embracing him.
During a rally Saturday, Jacob Blake's father described the vast differences in police treatment of his son and Rittenhouse as indicative of America's two-tiered criminal justice system.
"We're not going to stop," Jacob Blake Sr. said of the protests against racial injustice. "We're still suffering because there are two justice systems. There's one for that white boy that walked down the street and killed two people and blew another man's arm off. Then there's one for my son."
In a letter to Trump on Sunday, Evers urged the president to reconsider his planned visit to Kenosha, voicing concern that his arrival "will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."
"It is our job as elected officials to lead by example and to be a calming presence for the people we know are hurting, mourning, and trying to cope with trauma," wrote Evers. "Now is not the time for divisiveness. Now is not the time for elected officials to ignore armed militants and out-of-state instigators who want to contribute to our anguish."
"Moreover, as the Kenosha community continues their recovery efforts," Evers added, "I am likewise concerned that an in-person visit from you will require a massive re-direction of these resources to support your visit at a time when it is critical that we continue to remain focused on keeping the people of Kenosha safe and supporting the community's response."
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has also expressed opposition to Trump's visit, telling CNN earlier Sunday, "You look at the incendiary remarks that the President has made, they centered an entire convention around creating more animosity and creating more division around what is going on in Kenosha."
"I don't know how given any of the previous statements that the president made that he intends to come here to be helpful," said Barnes. "And we absolutely don't need that right now."
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted in response to Evers' letter that "Jacob Blake deserves justice and Kenosha deserves to heal."
"A photo-op for a white nationalist president isn't helpful," Pocan added.
'White House Cover-Up': Covid-19 Task Force Reports Withheld From Public Reveal Trump Knew of Threats as He Spread Lies
"Rather than being straight with the American people and creating a national plan to fix the problem, the president and his enablers kept these alarming reports private while publicly downplaying the threat to millions of Americans."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/31/white-house-cover-covid-19-task-force-reports-withheld-public-reveal-trump-knew
As President Donald Trump and administration officials have been publicly downplaying the Covid-19 crisis and even predicting its imminent disappearance over the past several months, the White House task force formed to coordinate the federal pandemic response has simultaneously been issuing dire assessments of the nation's fight against the pandemic behind the scenes.
Those assessments were kept secret from the public until Monday, when the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a trove of task force reports dated between June 23 and August 9 that highlight the extent to which Trump's public proclamations about the Covid-19 crisis have diverged from the findings of experts operating in the White House.
"Rather than being straight with the American people and creating a national plan to fix the problem," Clyburn continued, "the president and his enablers kept these alarming reports private while publicly downplaying the threat to millions of Americans.""The task force reports released today show the White House has known since June that coronavirus cases were surging across the country and many states were becoming dangerous 'red zones' where the virus was spreading fast," said Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), chairman of the subcommittee.
Each of the eight task force reports released by the subcommittee on Monday contain analyses and conclusions that run counter to the recent public statements of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, the chair of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The White House sent its reports privately to states but never made them available to the public until the subcommittee requested (pdf) that Pence and task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx turn them over late last month.
In a report (pdf) dated July 19—the same day Trump confidently predicted that the coronavirus is "going to disappear" even as cases surged across the country—the White House task force estimated that 20 states were in the "red zone," meaning more than 10% of new Covid-19 tests were positive.
On June 29, just days after Pence declared that "all 50 states are opening up safely and responsibly," the task force issued a private assessement (pdf) warning that "Mississippi reported an 117% increase in new cases in the week ending June 26, resulting from increased community transmission in multiple counties attributed to reduced social distancing."
Chuck Idelson, communications senior strategist for National Nurses United, tweeted that the newly released task force reports are evidence of a "White House cover-up" and yet "another indication of how Donald Trump could care less how many people die due to his malfeasance on protecting lives from the Covid-19 pandemic."
In a press release, the House coronavirus subcommittee listed several other examples of the internal reports contradicting Trump's public pronouncements on the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected more than six million people in the U.S. and killed at least 183,000:
June 23 Report. On June 16, Vice President Pence claimed in an op-ed that "panic" over a resurgence of coronavirus infections was "overblown." But on June 23, the White House task force concluded that seven states were in the "red zone," indicating the highest risk of coronavirus spread. The task force found new cases were up 70 percent in Arizona, 72 percent in Texas, 87 percent in Florida, 93 percent in Oklahoma, and 134 percent in Idaho.
July 14 Report. On July 14, President Trump stated, "No other country tests like us. In fact, I could say it's working too much. It's working too well. We're doing testing and we’re finding thousands and thousands of cases." The same day, the task force concluded 19 states were in the "red zone" and recommended they increase testing. The report noted, “Disease trends are moving in the wrong direction in Georgia with record numbers of new cases occurring in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Testing positivity continues to increase. The number of tests has increased, but more testing is needed."
July 26 Report. On July 21, President Trump tweeted: "You will never hear this on the Fake News concerning the China Virus, but by comparison to most other countries, who are suffering greatly, we are doing very well—and we have done things that few other countries could have done!" On July 26, the task force reported 22 states were in the "red zone," and stated: "Georgia is experiencing widespread community spread without evidence of improvement. Improvement will require much more aggressive mitigation efforts to change the trajectory of the pandemic in Georgia."
August 2 Report. In a July 28 interview, President Trump stated: "They are dying, that's true. And you have—it is what it is. But that doesn't mean we aren't doing everything we can. It's under control as much as you can control it." On August 2, the task force concluded 23 states were in the "red zone." The report noted, "Widespread transmission continues to occur from rural to urban areas" in Louisiana; "Aggressive continuation of mitigation efforts will be required" in South Carolina due to "widespread community spread throughout the state in urban, periurban, and rural areas"; and, "The virus is spreading deeper into the rural areas" of Oklahoma.
August 9 Report. On August 3, President Trump tweeted: "Cases up because of BIG Testing! Much of our Country is doing very well. Open the Schools!" On August 9, the task force reported that 48 states and the District of Columbia were in either red or yellow zones. In Indiana, the Task Force warned: "Cases continue at a high plateau in Indianapolis and mitigation efforts, testing, and contact tracing need to be aggressively implemented. Covid-19 is widespread throughout the state and mitigation efforts should be statewide."
The subcommittee went on to warn that despite the continued spread of Covid-19 around the U.S., the Trump administration has refused to support private task force recommendations aimed at stemming the pandemic.
"The task force reports released today recommend that state and local governments implement heightened public health measures to combat the spread of the virus—including requiring face masks in public, closing bars and gyms, and strictly limiting gatherings on a statewide basis in certain states," the subcommittee said. "Yet the Trump administration has failed to publicly support most of the task force's recommendations. For example, President Trump has refused to call for a nationwide mask mandate."
In a statement, Clyburn said that "as a result of the president's failures, more than 58,000 additional Americans have died since the task force first started issuing private warnings."
"It is long past time that the administration finally implement a national plan to contain this crisis, which is still killing hundreds of Americans each day," Clyburn added.
Health Experts Horrified as New Trump Covid-19 Adviser Pushes 'Herd Immunity' Strategy That Could Kill 2 Million Americans
"It's not edgy, contrarian," one public health expert said of the "herd immunity" approach. "It's dangerous and terrifying."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/31/health-experts-horrified-new-trump-covid-19-adviser-pushes-herd-immunity-strategy
A top White House coronavirus adviser brought on earlier this month despite his lack of expertise in infectious diseases or epidemiology is reportedly pushing the Trump administration to adopt a so-called "herd immunity" strategy to the pandemic that public health experts warn could kill millions of Americans and infect hundreds of millions more.
Atlas—who one commentator described as the "anti-Fauci," referring to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci—has "advocated that the United States adopt the model Sweden has used to respond to the virus outbreak... which relies on lifting restrictions so the healthy can build up immunity to the disease rather than limiting social and business interactions to prevent the virus from spreading," according to the Post.The Washington Post reported Monday that Scott Atlas, a neuroradiologist from the right-wing Hoover Institution, caught President Donald Trump's attention "with a spate of Fox News appearances in recent months" in which he downplayed the severity of Covid-19 and questioned the need for lockdowns and social distancing measures.
Sweden's decision to forego strict lockdowns in favor of more relaxed social distancing guidelines has been criticized by public health experts as a reckless approach to the pandemic that contributed to the country's high death rate compared to other European nations. Pursuing a similar strategy in the U.S., a country with a population of 328 million, would be catastrophic, experts warned.
Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, tweeted Monday that to achieve "herd immunity" without a vaccine, "about 250 million Americans would contract the virus and 1.5-2 million would die."
A Post analysis found that 2.13 million deaths may be required to "reach a 65 percent threshold of herd immunity, assuming the virus has a one percent fatality rate."
Yale University epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves said "no one in public health" thinks highly of Atlas' approach to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected more than six million people in the U.S. and killed at least 182,000—the highest death toll in the world.
"It's not edgy, contrarian," Gonsalves said of Atlas' thinking. "It's dangerous and terrifying."
Senior Trump administration officials told the Post that despite warnings from medical experts, the White House has already moved to implement "some policies" in line with Atlas' proposed strategy, "particularly with regard to testing."
"The Department of Health and Human Services, for instance, invoked the Defense Production Act earlier this month to expedite the shipment of tests to nursing homes—but the administration has not significantly ramped up spending on testing elsewhere, despite persistent shortages," the Post reported. "Trump and top White House aides, including Atlas, have also repeatedly pushed to reopen schools and lift lockdown orders, despite outbreaks in several schools that attempted to resume in-person classes."
Last week, as Common Dreams reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly issued new guidance that no longer recommends Covid-19 tests for everyone who has been potentially been exposed to the virus—a change that was reportedly directed by the highest levels of the Trump administration.
Fauci, who said he was in surgery and under general anesthesia when the new CDC guidance was discussed, warned the latest recommendations "will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern."
"In fact," said Fauci, "it is."
Eric Topol, a cardiologist and head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, told the Post that he believes Atlas "was basically recruited to crowd out Tony Fauci and the voice of reason."
"Not only do we not embrace the science, but we repudiate the science by our president, and that has extended by bringing in another unreliable misinformation vector," said Topol.
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