"Voter fraud is nearly nonexistent. And the only one encouraging it is Donald Trump, in a desperate attempt to create chaos and sow doubt."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/03/president-just-committed-felony-trump-tells-nc-residents-vote-twice-openly
It is a felony under North Carolina law to vote more than once or "induce" others to do so, but that didn't stop President Donald Trump from openly encouraging residents of the state to attempt to cast two ballots in the November election in an interview with a local reporter Wednesday.
"They are going to have to check their vote by going to the poll and voting that way because if it tabulates, then they won't be able to do that," Trump said, apparently urging residents to test their state's mail-in voting system. "So let them send it in, and let them go vote. And if their system is as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote [on Election Day]. If it isn't tabulated, they will be able to vote. So that's the way it is, and that's what they should do."
"I'm not happy about it," the president said of expansions of mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic. "At the same time, we're in court with a lot of it. We're going to see if it can be stopped. But send your ballots, send them in strong, whether it's solicited or unsolicited. The absentees are fine. But go to vote and if they haven't counted it, you can vote. That's the way I view it."
Watch:
"The president just committed a felony," Marc Elias, an attorney and voting rights advocate, tweeted in response to Trump's remarks, which come after the president spent weeks fearmongering over virtually nonexistent voter fraud in what critics dubbed a blatant effort to preemptively cast doubt on the results of the November election.
Under election law in North Carolina, where an estimated 600,000 voters have requested absentee ballots for November, it is illegal for "any person with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time, or to induce another to do so, in the same primary or election, or to vote illegally at any primary or election."
"So he's trying to make his conspiracy theories about voter fraud come true even if it means urging his supporters to commit a felony?" asked Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) following the president's comments.
Sean Eldridge, founder and president of advocacy group Stand Up America, tweeted late Wednesday that "voter fraud is nearly nonexistent."
"And the only one encouraging it is Donald Trump," Eldridge added, "in a desperate attempt to create chaos and sow doubt."
Saturday, September 5, 2020
The pandemic is reshaping our sex lives. Is cybersex our future?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwdGcaTc0Xg
Premature Release of Covid-19 Vaccine Could Be a 'Dangerous Experiment on the American People,' Nurses Union Warns
"We have already seen far too many examples of the erosion of scientific integrity and the subversion of public health through political intervention and pressure by the Trump administration and corporate employers."
by
Lisa Newcomb, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/03/premature-release-covid-19-vaccine-could-be-dangerous-experiment-american-people
Following news that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked states to prepare for potential distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine by November 1, medical experts and advocacy organizations are warning that politics should not be made a priority over public health.
"As anxious as the country is for health security and protection against Covid-19, we cannot subject people to greater risk to score political points for a president who has, for months, demonstrated his abandonment of public health and safety in the face of this terrible pandemic," Bonnie Castillo, a registered nurse and executive director of National Nurses United (NNU), said in a statement Thursday.
Public health experts have raised alarm over the possibility that President Donald Trump will try to use a prematurely approved vaccine as an "October surprise" to boost his reelection chances.
The warning from NNU came after Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, sent a letter to state governors on August 27 urging them to prepare locations for potential Covid-19 vaccine distribution. The CDC asked them to expedite imminent applications from McKesson Corporation, which has contracted with the agency to distribute vaccines, and to waive "requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1."
The timing of the potential release—just two days before the November 3 general election—raised red flags for NNU and other watchdogs as the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have come under fire for buckling to political pressure from the president as he scrambles to curry public favor in his reelection bid.
"With both the [agencies], we have already seen far too many examples of the erosion of scientific integrity and the subversion of public health through political intervention and pressure by the Trump administration and corporate employers," Zenei Cortez, registered nurse and co-president of NNU, said Thursday.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar dismissed critics' concerns that the vaccine was being rushed to help Trump's election chances in an interview with "CBS This Morning" Thursday.
"I think it's very irresponsible how people are trying to politicize notions of delivering a vaccine to the American people," Azar said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, also attempted to allay fears of political meddling in an interview with CNN Thursday.
"I don't think so," Fauci said when asked if Americans should be worried about political intervention in the vaccine's release. "I mean, the FDA has been very explicit that they are going to make a decision based on the data as it comes in... I think that we can have some confidence and have faith in what the FDA is saying."
But the FDA has been embroiled in controversy in recent weeks. Two public relations officials were fired after FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn apologized for misrepresenting the efficacy of convalescent plasma in treating Covid-19 last month.
Public health experts including University of Florida professor Natalie Dean, who specializes in emerging infectious diseases and vaccine study design, have expressed confusion over the standards the FDA will use to determine that a Covid-19 vaccine is ready for distribution.
"With 184,000 U.S. lives lost to Covid-19 under the watch of a president and administration that have left people exposed and dying even when known prevention measures, as other nations have proven, are available," said Jean Ross, registered nurse and co-president of NNU, "placing an insufficiently tested product on the market will surely look like a dangerous experiment on the American people."
'Do Not Vote Twice': State AGs Forced to Clean Up Law-Breaking Encouraged by Trump and Excused by Barr
"Nope. Don't do it. It's illegal, and you'll get prosecuted."
by
Jake Johnson, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/03/do-not-vote-twice-state-ags-forced-clean-law-breaking-encouraged-trump-and-excused
Democratic attorneys general across the U.S. overnight and into Thursday were forced to implore residents of their states to not attempt to vote twice in the November election—and inform them that anyone who tries will face prosecution—after President Donald Trump openly encouraged North Carolinians to cast a ballot both by mail and in person, a violation of state and federal law.
"Make sure you vote, but do not vote twice!" added Stein. "I will do everything in my power to make sure the will of the people is upheld in November."Shortly after U.S. Attorney General William Barr repeatedly claimed he didn't know whether it is unlawful to vote twice in North Carolina, the state's Democratic AG Josh Stein made clear on Twitter that casting two ballots in the same contest is illegal and condemned Trump for openly encouraging people to "break the law in order to help him sow chaos in our election."
Other state AGs followed Stein in rebuking Trump and emphasized that anyone who follows the president's advice will be prosecuted, regardless of who they vote for.
"Please, folks, don't follow Trump's advice," said Maryland AG Brian Frosh. "It's a crime, and we will prosecute anyone who tries it."
The AGs of Massachusetts, Michigan, and Nevada echoed that message:
Speaking to a local reporter in North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump urged state residents to both "send your ballots" by mail and vote in person on Election Day to test whether the ballot-counting system is working properly. If the mail-in ballot wasn't counted, Trump said, "they will be able to vote" in person on Election Day.
"That's the way it is," the president added, "and that's what they should do."
Asked about Trump's advice to voters during a CNN appearance Wednesday night, Barr tried to explain away the president's comments as a mere attempt to "make the point that the ability to monitor this system is not good."
"If it was so good," Barr continued, "if you tried to vote a second time you would be caught."
After CNN host Wolf Blitzer explained to the nation's top law enforcement official that it would in fact "be illegal if they did that," Barr responded, "I don't know what the law in the particular state says."
Under North Carolina law, it is illegal for "any person with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one time, or to induce another to do so, in the same primary or election, or to vote illegally at any primary or election."
Karen Hobert Flynn, president of watchdog group Common Cause, said in a statement Thursday that both the act of voting twice and Trump's effort to urge people to do so are crimes that the Justice Department must condemn.
"The Department of Justice needs to make absolutely clear to the public that what the president is encouraging his supporters to do is to commit a felony punishable by jail time," said Flynn. "This cannot be the cable news fumbling of Attorney General William Barr trying to not to offend the president by excusing his urging of Americans to commit crimes."
"What President Trump is suggesting his supporters do is not only nonsense, but it is also a felony meant to undermine the integrity of our elections," Flynn added. "You cannot test election integrity rules by breaking them any more than you can rob a bank to make sure your money is safe."
ECONOMIST RICHARD WOLFF TALKING ABOUT THE DEPRESSION OUR ECONOMY IS IN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyyu07qADTY&ab_channel=FIREBREATHINROB
Covid-19 Gag Rules Endanger Everyone, But Study Shows Unions Make It Easier to Assert Workplace Safety Rights
"To stop this pandemic, workers need to be listened to rather than silenced," something that is far more likely when workers are unionized.
by
Kenny Stancil, staff writer
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/03/covid-19-gag-rules-endanger-everyone-study-shows-unions-make-it-easier-assert
According to a just-published, peer-reviewed study conducted by labor economists, "unionized workers are more likely than their non-union peers to speak up about health and safety problems in the workplace"—a notable finding in light of a recent investigative report revealing the rise of dangerous Covid "gag rules" that prevent employees at several major U.S. companies from informing each other about coronavirus symptoms or diagnoses.
In their study, labor economists Aaron Sojourner and Jooyoung Yang wanted to "zero in on the impact of unionization itself on worker behavior."
The researchers "examined over 70,000 unionization votes from 1985 to 2009," focusing on "elections where the tally in favor or against was very small." They then compared those workplaces by analyzing the "number of inspections conducted by state or federal occupational health and safety enforcement agencies that resulted from an employee complaint."
According to Sojourner and Yang, the "unionized workplaces were 30% more likely to face an inspection for a health or safety violation."
The reasons why, the authors argued, are that unions can help workers "learn about their rights, file complaints, and provide greater protections against illegal retaliation by employers."
These findings would be of interest to anyone concerned about the well-being of workers, in general, but given the circumstances surrounding the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the researchers argue the issue of health and safety on the job is "more important than ever, especially for essential workers in health care, retail, and child care centers and schools."
Throughout the pandemic, some employers have not invested as much as necessary to provide employees with the highest quality protection possible. Others have lobbied the government for corporate immunity from liability.
Moreover, several of the U.S.'s biggest companies have even tried to prevent workers from talking to each other about Covid-19 cases in their workplaces, according to an in-depth story about the proliferation of "Covid gag rules" by labor reporter Josh Eidelson that was published last week in Bloomberg Businessweek.
"In the past few months," Eidelson argued, "U.S. businesses have been on a silencing spree."
Eidelson continued:
Hundreds of U.S. employers across a wide range of industries have told workers not to share information about Covid-19 cases or even raise concerns about the virus, or have retaliated against workers for doing those things, according to workplace complaints filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).Workers at Amazon.com, Cargill, McDonald’s, and Target say they were told to keep Covid cases quiet. The same sort of gagging has been alleged in OSHA complaints against Smithfield Foods, Urban Outfitters, and General Electric. In an email viewed by Bloomberg Businessweek, Delta Air Lines told its 25,000 flight attendants to 'please refrain from notifying other crew members on your own' about any Covid symptoms or diagnoses. At Recreational Equipment Inc., an employee texted colleagues to say he’d tested positive and that 'I was told not to tell anybody' and 'to not post or say anything on social media.'
Bosses have justified the suppression of free speech by referring to the need for confidentiality and citing federal privacy laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. But those laws are intended to protect employee privacy with regards to health, not prevent workers from talking with each other about safety issues.
"On the contrary, federal laws, including those that created OSHA and the NLRB, guarantee employees the right to communicate about and protest their job conditions," wrote Eidelson. "The federal bodies have failed to make companies obey the law."
Employers' stifling of communication between workers is particularly troubling under current circumstances because it could "mask another wave of Covid infections and make the end of the year far deadlier than it otherwise might be."
Epidemiologist David Michaels, who directed OSHA under the previous administration and now teaches at Georgetown University, told Eidelson that "in many places, workplace exposures are driving the pandemic," and that to stop it, "workers need to be listened to rather than silenced."
For labor economists Sojourner and Yang, the recent surge in silencing tactics exposed by Eidelson make it "even more vital that workers are able to raise their voices when they feel that their workplace is unsafe."
Without organized protection from illegal retaliation by employers, raising one's voice can feel risky. Their recommendation? Join a union.
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